Mirage: 2040 ...Part 20 ...Threats

Interceptor - Stealth

Creed and I spent a quiet night after the detective left and the police barriers came down.

We did note, however, that an unmarked police vehicle remained parked outside our house and remained through the night.

Obviously, Wren had assigned a security team to keep watch and probably to send a message to any other would-be attackers that we were being protected and any further attempts to harass us would be met with force.

Needless to say, we slept well and were closely monitored even the following morning on our commute into the city.

"Take care, today," Creed whispered as she leaned over to kiss me goodbye.

"You take care too, Love, but I don't think we have to worry," I chuckled, pointing to the police vehicle outside the newspaper office and the one waiting to shadow me as I drove to the campus.

I was wondering if they'd be intrusive while I was lecturing and going about my routines, but they quietly melted into the background, although I occasionally spotted them hovering on the periphery.

I caught up with Ari for morning coffee at the Hart House Grill and he seemed unaware of the police presence, but I informed him of the events of the night before.

"Things are quickly heating up," he said soberly. "I hear a petition has been started against you on campus."

"That's disheartening," I replied, feeling betrayed by my own students.

"Don't worry, it's not going anywhere. I hear they've only gotten 50 signatures,, probably from members of the National Party."

"Who started the petition?" I had to ask.

"Apparently, it was organized by two rabble rousers who aren't even enrolled in your lectures. The one fellow is Brian Barnes, known as Burnout who's regarded as a loser. The other fellow is so minor no one knows him or if he's even registered for classes."

I have to admit, I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that no one from my classes had signed the petition.

Still, even the fact that someone was stirring up controversy, caused me dismay. I didn't want anything drawing attention to me or necessitating a trip to the Dean's office.

Ari simply dismissed my fears.

"Fifty signatures on a petition out of 70, 000 students enrolled on this campus isn't even a tempest in a teapot. It's too small to even be considered a tiny blip."

I must admit when seen from this perspective, it wasn’t a gnat to trouble the mind's eye, but seeing as we were seated in the Hart House Grill, I could more appropriately call it a nothing burger.

And as it turned out, Ari was right—my lecture went off without a hitch and even the question session at the end was devoid of controversy.

As a matter of fact, the day was uniformly dull and boring, a trait that should have twigged me to realize it was most likely the calm before the storm…

And the storm wouldn’t break until the evening.