Not Alone by Craig A. Falconer

Author:Craig A. Falconer [Falconer, Craig A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-12-18T22:00:00+00:00

SUNDAY

D minus 24

Municipal Hall

Miramar, Argentina

On the same steps from which he had addressed local journalists 48 hours earlier, Juan Silva, head of the Miramar regional Coast Guard, stood now before a much larger media contingent.

On behalf of the national government, he expressed his condolences to the victims of the Hemshaw tragedy. The incident had been treated respectfully by Argentine networks and blamed entirely on Christopher Jordan. Unbeknownst to Dan, his own image and the faces of the fallen victims had been pixelated beyond recognition in the short snippets of footage shown in Argentina, which included only Jordan’s initial speech and his sign-off.

Much of Saturday’s news coverage in Argentina, like elsewhere in the world, had focused somewhat on the incriminating audio of Richard Walker ordering the bugging and largely on the absolving video of Dan finding the Kerguelen folder.

Juan Silva, broad-shouldered and stone-faced, then segued into the main order of business. To the audible dissatisfaction of the journalists below, Juan announced that an American naval vessel had encroached into the restricted zone overnight during “ostensibly routine manoeuvres.”

While stressing that the vessel encroached only partially and only momentarily, Juan made it clear that a close eye would be kept on all foreign vessels near Argentine waters and within the restricted zone in particular.

There was little more to report, Juan insisted, with formal searching still due to begin later in the day. “The sphere will be found,” he promised, “and it will be opened.”

Some journalists applauded this closing remark, full of hope that their nation would indeed soon recover the world-famous Kerguelen sphere.

The more astute and experienced journalists in attendance, however, were more appreciative of the nuance of the entire announcement. By making such a statement via a Coast Guard rather than a high-ranking military or government official, the Argentine government were calling the Americans out without recklessly escalating the situation. But by announcing the American encroachment publicly at all, they were also showing their refusal to be pushed around and their willingness to conduct their business openly in front of a world that was highly suspicious of the American government’s motives, now more so than ever.

Out at the seafront a few miles east of the Municipal Hall, people were already gathering for another day of sea-watching. More had turned out on Saturday than Friday; rather than fading with time, local interest had increased further with Friday night’s double revelation. It was too early in the day to accurately predict Sunday’s final turnout, but Juan’s confirmation that the official search would begin shortly was almost certain to draw by far the largest crowd yet.

Even at this early hour Miramar looked like a postcard-perfect version of itself in its heyday, with the beach already filling up and even more opportunistic salesman hawking their goods. One had particular success with his “Ahora Ahora Ahora” T-shirts, a direct and hugely popular twist on the “Now Now Now” version worn by so many passersby.

Like the persistent news crews who had barely left the Birchwood drive-in since the

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