to collect General Campbell to be transferred to somewhere top secret. I checked and itâs your signature."
"But Iâve never authorised anything of the sort." The Colonel paused briefly then said, "So where is the General now?"
"I have no idea, Sir. The officers I was telling you about took him into custody."
"Damn, heâs managed to escape." Then he had an intuition and said, âSergeant, would you be able to describe the two soldiers who came to collect him, to me?"
âCertainly. One was tall and thin and the other was shorter and rather overweight. They had.......â
âOkay Sergeant, that's enough. I understand. Thank you.â
"I hope I haven't messed up.â
"Don't worry, it wasn't your fault," and he ended the conversation.
"Whatâs happened?" asked Elisa worriedly.
"Those two who attacked us, who we caught, have got away and theyâve also managed to make that bastard General Campbell escape.â
"I'm sorry dear, I really am sorry but don't worry too much. Weâve got much bigger problems to worry about right now, havenât we?"
"You're right." So saying he slipped the candle holder from her hands and, showing it to Azakis, asked "Now, where were we?"
âThe source of energy.â
âRight. I mean, how the heck does this thing work?"
"Well it's not that simple to explain, but we can say that it absorbs the energy all around it and gives it the shape for which it has been programmed."
"Well," said Jack puzzled. âI canât say Iâve understood very much really. But the fact is that it works and it does so really well. Do you think this technology could also be replicated on Earth?"
âAbsolutely. I don't see any problem. When the time comes, Iâll tell Petri to transfer all the information you need, to you.â
"Fantastic. Iâm just thinking of the looks on our scientistsâ faces when they are faced with a revelation of this sort. At present, we still can't produce serious amounts of energy except from fossil fuels or nuclear energy. I think your visit is going to revolutionise a lot of things on our planet.â
"As they always have," added Azakis with a little smile.
"If I remember correctly," said Elisa entering the discussion, "was it not a scientist called Nikola Tesla, who lived between 1800 and 1900, who imagined a form of energy that permeated the whole cosmos?â
"Wow," answered Jack amazed. "I didn't know you were such an expert.â
"There are a lot of things you still have to find out about me, dear," and with a decidedly sassy gesture, she ran her hand through her long hair.
âActually,â continued Jack, âTesla did a lot more. Apart from the realisation of a whole series of inventions that we still use today, he theorised the possibility of using what he called âetherâ as an inexhaustible source of energy. This substance, which allegedly pervades the entire universe, if properly stimulated, could provide power anywhere, at any time." Pleased by the fact that his beloved was watching him with growing admiration, he proudly continued his explanation âHowever, after clashing with the hypocrisy and greed of those in power at the time, the scholar stated that humanity was still not ready for an upheaval of that sort and abandoned the project, making all trace of it disappear. Only now, after more than 100 years, our scientists have started to postulate the presence of a âsubstanceâ they call âdark matterâ and also an energy form known as âdark energyâ, which allegedly makes up more than 70% of the density of the universe."
"I'm impressed," said the doctor looking at him in astonishment. "I didnât think you were so learned on this subject either."
"There are a lot of things you still have to find out about me, dear," replied Jack with the same quip and the same gesture, although his hair was definitely too short to achieve the desired effect.
"Perhaps we're talking about the same thing,â stated Azakis, pleased.
âUnlimited energy, available to everyone, everywhere in the universe and at no cost ... incredible.â Jack was engrossed in evaluating all the possible implications of this new earth-shattering revelation, when his mobile started playing the same little tune again.
"And now who is it?" he exclaimed a bit annoyed. Then he read the caller's name and his face lit up. "Admiral, I didn't expect to hear from you so soon."
"Son, I managed to get in touch with the President and I explained the situation to him. Heâs here now right in front of me. Iâll hand you over to him if you like.â
"Of course, heaven forbid," he replied rather embarrassed, making sweeping gestures to Petri pointing at his mobile phone. A few seconds went by then a calm, deep voice came over the phone, "Colonel Jack Hudson?"
"Yes Mr. President, thatâs me Sir. At your orders Sir.â In responding he couldnât help but stand to attention, provoking a shy smile from Elisa.
"Colonel, only the respect and trust I have for Admiral Wilson have made this call possible. What Iâve been told is so absurd that it might even be true.â
âMr President, Iâd like you to have the nearest telescope available pointed at the coordinates that I am about to send you.â
Petri, who had already moved the Theos onto a parallel closer to the North Pole, in order to allow it to be viewed from an area still in darkness on the Earth, made a series of numbers appear on the giant screen. Jack, very quickly, input them into his mobile and sent them. "This is the current position of our spacecraft. I don't think your engineers will have any problems finding us.â
The President nodded briefly at a tall, strapping assistant who was there with him in the White House Oval Office. He showed him the numbers that had appeared on the phone and whispered something in his ear. The man, who was wearing a black suit, a snow-white shirt and a grey tie with light coloured stripes, put his wrist to his mouth and uttered a series of instructions.
âMr President,â went on Jack. "The situation is very serious. Our planet is risking an enormous upheaval and, with the help of these people who have come from so far away, we could do something to avoid it. I fully understand all your doubts but I really am up here and I can prove it to you."
Petri activated the short-range sensors pointing them at the coordinates the Colonel had given him earlier and the view of the Oval Office from above appeared on the screen of the command bridge.
"Sir, at the moment you are leaning on your desk with your right hand, the Admiral is at your side and there are two other people in the room."
The President instinctively looked around him as if to find the intruder who was spying on them. He hesitated an instant then disconcerted he said, âbut this is absurd. How do you know all this?"
âSimply because Iâm looking at you.â
âBut
