Turning Point by Barbara Spencer Read Free Book Online Page A

Is Styrus to blame?’
    Startled, Scott swung round. They hadn’t expected questions. ‘A short statement,’ the US Representative had said, ‘will be quite sufficient. They’ve been well briefed.’ In any case, economic ruin wasn’t a subject for a scientist, it was the preserve of bankers and investors, people who controlled the stock market.
    â€˜Possibly,’ Bill admitted reluctantly.
    Scott sensed a change in the atmosphere. Even blocked by reinforced glass, it was there – accusing his father. ‘Tulsa – can’t we stop them?’
    Tulsa gave him a wry grin ‘They’ve got to blame someone for the mess we’re in. Don’t worry, your dad expected this to happen. He’ll manage.’
    â€˜Is there an antidote, Mr Anderson?’
    â€˜The representative for Norway has the floor.’
    Scott picked out the speaker, a woman seated between Nigeria and Oman. His father’s voice echoed through the speakers. ‘Unfortunately not. It will take a few years.’
    â€˜And you are involved in the project?’
    â€˜In a consultancy role only. You have good people here.’
    The representative for Lichtenstein rose to his feet, his expression fierce. ‘But according to this –
not good enough
.’ He struck the sheaf of paper in his hand making it flutter wildly. ‘Until we have an antidote, we are all at the mercy of this individual you call Mr Smith. Is that correct?’
    Scott watched Bill’s expression change. ‘I fear so,’ he admitted. Scott caught the slight hesitation.
    Alarm spiralled across the floor, the chairman calling for silence.
    â€˜As I stated in my notes, the organisation had already experienced limited success before they even laid hands on the discs. Fortunately, a colleague had encrypted them with just this scenario in mind. Hopefully, they will prove impossible to decipher completely. Even then, the virus may not work.’
    â€˜
You hope
, Mr Anderson,
you hope
. If it does work, can we expect the world to descend once more into chaos?’
    The representative for Italy caught the Chairman’s eye, indicating he wanted to speak, a frisson of murmurs running round the auditorium with everyone expressing concern at the use of the word
chaos
. It was a strong word, little used in an organisation in which gentlemanly behaviour, diplomacy and understatement were more likely than action.
    â€˜You met the man – what is his aim?’ The Italian representative spoke slowly allowing the translator to do her work.
    â€˜In my report I use the words –
global
instability
.’
    â€˜Do we not have scientists capable of arresting this…’ the Italian circled his hands in the air, ‘catastrophe?’
    â€˜We did once. Vast numbers of highly skilled individuals died in the earthquake – all of them leaders in the field of computer technology. I would hazard a guess that the long-term effect of this has been even more devastating to human progress than the tsunami. Without their knowledge all progress was stalled, which has left Styrus leading the field by a decade or more.’
    Scott heard the surprised gasps, watching representatives turn to their neighbour sharing the sense of shock permeating through the long lines of delegates. But why? That snippet of information had been in their dossier – and it had been quite specific, the words written in italics for emphasis. He had read it; it had been tough going – not like the real story of his dad’s kidnap, which was more like a horror movie. Even so, everyone working in that field understood that computer technology still languished in the doldrums. Perhaps, hearing the words spoken aloud made it all seem real.
    More questions flooded the floor, delegates eager now to promote their own views and pin the blame for the mess on someone – anyone. Scott slumped back in his chair, not bothering to