Episode 094 Previous Episode	Next Episode
“A good compromise leaves everybody mad.” Calvin, Calvin and Hobbes It was a large room with two rows of stadium seating. The long white barriers obscured all but the shoulders and busts of the fifteen Security Council members. As Assif followed Dr. Howitz in, he glanced up at the slightly curved room, its white interior and gray carpeting struggling for the essence of neutrality. In the back of the room, a dark window barely revealed the edges of a projector while men in black suits stood at every corner. On the first desk was the United Kingdom ambassador. Dressed in a gray suit, he was shuffling papers, a haggard and exhausted look on his face. Next to him, the Irish representative was talking in hushed tones with the German rep. In the center of the table, the US ambassador sat quietly, his hands folded together. He stared vacantly, as if listening to the members around the room. To the US representative’s left, the Cameroon representative and the Egyptian rep were both on cell phones, while the Argentine rep looked over papers as well, a look of dismay on her face. On the rear swing of seats, the Chinese and Russian representatives sat in the middle, the two talking, occasionally chuckling to one another. The French rep was talking with the Chad representative, the two discussing a sheet of paper while the Indonesian and Vietnamese reps said nothing. They merely faced forward, waiting. On the other side of the desk, the Antigua rep and the Slovakian representatives were reading as well. “Good afternoon,” Dr. Howitz said as he addressed the Council, stepping up to the narrow podium at the front of the room. “By this time, all of you have had a chance to review the material concerning the recent events in the Atlantic Ocean. To quickly summarize, a landmass approximately 300 miles in length and 260 miles in width has risen out of the sea roughly one hundred miles from the southern shore of England and a hundred and fifty miles or so from the French coast. The landmass began to rise at 9:30 this morning and has since established equilibrium.” Howitz opened a folder and slipped on s pair of thin spectacles. “So far,” he read, “all media sources are cooperating with the mandated blackout. However, several European countries are reporting that rogue reporters are beginning to investigate. The current prediction is forty-eight to sixty hours before somebody is able to make this story public with sufficient evidence to warrant concern.” He turned to Assif who was waiting by the door. “I want to turn over the proceedings to Assif Salem, the chief of the Advanced Paranormal Tactical Responders located in Paris.” Howitz stepped down from the podium, allowing Assif to take his place. Assif approached the stand calmly, even as his heart raced. He looked out at the representatives, all of them staring back at him. He took a moment and swallowed. “We currently have three prevailing theories as to how this landmass rose from the ocean.” He looked down at the podium, finding Howitz’s notes there for him. “The first theory is a volcanic eruption,” he began. “It is possible that a fault line may have been traveling under that portion of the ocean and, due to an underground instability, a large chunk of the land beneath the sea broke free and just floated to the surface.” “If that is the case,” asked the Irish rep, “could there be other eruptions?” Assif rushed to choose his words carefully. “There would appear to be no evidence to suggest that.” “There was no evidence this eruption would occur,” the German rep countered. “Which is why less and less credence is being given to that theory,” Assif said. “The next theory is that the tectonic plates beneath the surface may have shifted. Given the general acceptance of the arrangement of the plates, that seems rather unlikely as well, although more credible than the volcanic eruption theory.” “What is the most prevalent theory?” asked the French rep, an annoyed disdain in his tone. Assif took a breath, bracing himself. “The most prevalent theory is that this…island was raised by magic.” He scoured the faces of the representatives for disbelief and saw it on most of their faces. “Recently, my team has been tracking several magical texts by an Australian author named Allen Avers. He allegedly wrote six books, one of which has come into our possession. We have strong reason to believe that at least one other book has fallen into…a dangerous element’s hands.” “What dangerous element?” asked the Argentine rep. “Their identity is currently unknown,” Assif said. “We have an on-going investigation that is slowly making progress to determine who it is we are pursuing and their whereabouts.” “Are you making progress?” asked the Egyptian rep. “We are,” Assif lied as convincingly as he could. He turned back to the notes, quickly reorientating himself. “Currently, all information about the island is coming from satellite imaging and long-distance reconnaissance. Both the United Kingdom and the French government have ordered a no-fly zone over the island and extending out fifty miles in every direction. Topographical imaging has shown the existence of what appears to be processed metal, indicating that this landmass may have been home to a civilization, however it ended up on the ocean floor.” “So what are you saying, Mr. Salem?” the US ambassador asked. “There may be ruins on the island?” “That does seem to be a possibility.” Assif’s words brought about a rustle of papers as well as whispering from all the reps. He glanced at Howitz then stood up straight. “It is my recommendation that a reconnaissance team be deployed to the island immediately.” “Would it be safe?” asked the French rep. “There’s no evidence of any threat and the land seems stable,” Assif said. “A small team would be able to ascertain the nature of the island.” “What type of a team?” the US rep asked. “I mean, who would compose it?” “Definitely a team of experts,” Assif said. “Geologists and biologists would be the most…” “You said the island probably rose by magic,” said the Egyptian representative. “Then shouldn’t we send in a team of magic experts first?” Assif paused. “I, suppose so.” “Okay,” the US representative said. “How fast can your team be ready?”
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