ON TIME AND DISCREETLY, he arrived at the agreed location. A bench and a lamppost with very low lighting completed the gloomy decoration of the many foliages that surrounded the path. From the darkness, a man walked.
With an overcoat, long gray hair and a respectable beard, Clooney left in the air a strong ambiguity between the appearance of a wise and experienced man and the madman that he really was.
— We can't stay here for long... — said Clooney, his wide eyes wandering around every corner.
— Are things bad at the agency? — asked Gregory Evans' assistant.
— We're all being watched. There's no one to watch, FBI, CIA, NSA, it doesn't matter, there are eyes and ears on all of us — whispered Clooney. — Something very big is happening, my dear...
— I thought the NSA was 'Big Brother'. If it's not them, then who is it? — There are people higher up the food chain, my brother. I don't know exactly who they are, but I can assure you that they are watching... — he said, stroking his beard viciously. — Well, let's be brief. I'm not sure, but I suspect someone is following me. I think I lost him, but you can't be too careful! Those idiots...
— So let's get to the point. — Martin advanced the conversation fearfully.
— This is hot stuff, partner, I almost got caught snooping around in this material... Deeper than I did, just ask the Oracle of the Matrix! — and he laughed.
— Tell me what you found.
— This so-called Moon Project, I think I found out what it was. I found some documents that date back to between 1945 and 1948, and they have General Groves' hand, as you yourself related.
— But wasn't he responsible for the Manhattan Project?
— Well, that's where my suspicions come in. I'm starting to believe that our government was actually very successful in hiding what was really important. It seems to me that Moon was a super-secret arm of this project, since not even the Manhattan team itself had access to it, only those who were really in on the business. The United Kingdom and Canada never knew about this arm. I think it was something serious, more technological, or more powerful...
— More than nuclear weapons? — Martin exclaimed — I can't imagine what that would be...
Clooney laughed, turning his face to the sky and shaking his shoulders. He really was a caricature of a man. Finishing his humorous leap, he went back to lecturing:
— There are many things more terrible and sinister than the nuclear danger in this world, my friend! It's a shame we don't have time to tell you some of my most terrifying discoveries...
— Who knows when all this is over... — Martin replied smiling.
— I confess that our latest discovery was one of the most difficult I've investigated. It's like looking for a black dog in the dark of night, the kind that not even the Rosenbergs would be able to find and pass on to the Soviets. I don't know, man, for a moment I even had the impression that Manhattan was a front to hide the most important thing, Moon.
— This is very serious... I can't imagine a reality where a nuclear weapons project was just a front for something bigger, but after all, what is it all about?
Clooney adjusted himself inside his overcoat and, gesturing curiously as only he could, began the explanation:
— Apparently, only President Roosevelt and General Groves knew about it, no one else. And according to the documents, the team was just those guys, Dr. Alfred Monroe, Dr. Harold Moshower and Dr. Robert Payne. There were no other names, no connection with any government agency or anything.
— But how could three people develop something more lethal than a nuclear weapon?
— That's the thing, Dr. Monroe was a crazy physicist, like Einstein, someone like that, the kind who sticks his tongue out for the photo. I think he would be the leader of the team. Dr. Moshower was a lot of things. I don't know exactly what his role on the team was, but in his description of the documents, there was a reference to the USS Eldridge, something like: "important contribution to the advancement of research in Philadelphia".
— Incredible! And how come we've never heard of them? — Martin said, amazed by everything.
— What is truly kept is what is hidden... — Clooney replied, raising his eyebrows — The most impressive was Dr. Payne. He seems to have been a genius that the government found somewhere. One of those with a very high IQ and some document proving his sanity. He was incorporated into the team two years after its creation and, at that time, he was only sixteen years old! From what I read, he was a specialist in neuroscience even before the term was invented, in the seventies.
— But what would a neuroscientist be doing on a project like this?
— That's the mystery, man! This is cutting-edge science, it's advanced stuff! Martin thought for a moment about which of the men would be easiest to find. Then he suggested:
— This Dr. Payne, given his age, may still be alive. Have you gotten any information about his whereabouts?
— None because there is nothing else about this project in the government archives, there are no addresses, bank accounts, or any kind of document. I have no idea what could have happened, because the project was discontinued in 1948, according to the documents, due to "failure".
— Badly told stories are the most dangerous… — Martin grumbled, with his hand on his chin, dirty from his unshaven beard.
Martin realized that Clooney was very nervous, he must have really struggled to get such significant information. The man continued, while searching for something in his pockets:
— Look, I can't stay here any longer, they're really after me. And in this business they usually come after you for only two reasons:
— Either they want your services, or you are their service…
— Yes… And I don't think it's the first option. I didn't have time to look at everything, but I copied the things I found to give you.
The agent pulled a flash drive from his overcoat pocket and handed it to Martin.
— I don't know what you're messing with or why, my friend, but I'm sure it's not good... — he said to Martin, his eyes widening even more. — Think about how much it's worth risking your life for this!
Martin kept the object with him and replied:
— You know very well how our work is. Things are never good, they just change their proportions...
Clooney replied with a simple smile. After that, with an air of relief, he turned to leave, but Martin continued:
— A good drink when this is all over and I'll let you tell your stories!
The cautious man looked over his shoulder and replied:
— Then make Greg put an end to all this madness!
Brad Clooney left.
As he watched Greg's old partner disappear into the shadows, Martin said nothing, but repeated to himself in his mind:
— Thank you, my friend...