Ensayo

Short Stories: The Omega Files
// February 20th, 2009 // Short Stories
The Omega Files
Jennifer Bassett
Some Strange things happen in this world. You hear all kinds of frightening stories. But are they true? Who do you believe? Some stories never get into the newspapers, because governments want to keep them secret. And these are the stories in the Omega Files.
How many people know aboutthis Omega Files? Not many, perhaps no more than thirty people in Brussels. Hawker and Jude know about them, because they bring back a lot of the stories that go into the Files. They have interesting lives. One day they’re in London, talking to a young man. He has a strange story to tell them about a drug company, but is it true? Another day they go to Scotland, to look for a monster in Loch Ness,but of course, there are no monsters-are there? Another time they’re on an island in the Pacific Ocean, where everybody is talking about a spaceship. But where is this spaceship? And who has actually see it? It’s all there, in the Omega Files.

EDI
European Department of Intelligence
There were two of them. Hawker and Jude. They had no other names. Just Hawker and Jude. They were young, fast,and clever. They worked for EDI, in the European Government.
You know about the Americans’ CIA and the Russians’ KGB? Well, this was EDI - the European Department of Intelligence. Big secrets. Very strange secrets. The secret of the Omega Files. They don’t get into the newspapers, and most people never hear about them. Most people don’t know anything about EDI.
In the early years, Hawker and Judetraveled a lot. Brussels, Strasbourg, Rome, Delhi, Washington, North Africa, South America, Australia…NO home, no family, just work. They worked for the top man in Brussels office of EDI, and only for him. He was called Arla. Nobody knew his real name, or much about him. Some said he was Latvian; others said he was from another planet. He was always gave the hard jobs to Hawker and Jude. The jobswith questions, but not many answers. The Omega Files.
When I met them, many years later, Hawker and Jude were about seventy years old. They lived every quietly, in a little white house on a Greek island. They went walking, swimming, fishing; they sat in the sun and slept a lot.
At first, they didn’t want to talk about their work. ‘We can’t, ’said Jude. ‘Our work was secret. It’s all in thegovernment files, and nobody can read them.’
‘After thirty years,’ I said, ‘People can read all secret government files.’
‘Not these files.’ Hawker said. ‘It’s a hundred years before people can read the EDI files.’
I looked at them. ‘But I don’t need to read the files,’ I said. ‘I can get the stories from you.’
And I did. Here are some of them…
OMEGA FILE 349 London, England ‘There’s a young manin London called Johnny Cook,’ Arla said. ‘He’s about eighteen. He doesn’t have a home, but he goes clubbing nearly every night. Those all-night dance clubs for young people. Here’s a photograph of him.’ He put the photograph on the table, and Jude and Hawker looked at it. ‘And?’ Hawker said. ‘He wants to sell a story to newspaper,’ Arla said. ‘Some story about a drug company. Find him. Talk tohim. What’s his story? I want to know.’ Jude and Hawker took an afternoon plane from Brussels to London, and then went to a hotel. ‘What are you going to wear tonight?’ said Jude. ‘Not those old jeans, please!’ ‘What’s wrong with them?’ Hawker said. ‘We’re going clubbing, not out to dinner at Riz Hotel.’ ‘Well, wear a different shirt, then. That one’s dirty.’ ‘You can wash it for me,’ Hawker said.‘Get lost!’ said Jude. They had dinner, watched television for an hour or two, and then went out. it was a warm night, with a little rain now and then. ‘London weather,’ said Hawker. They found a taxi with a young driver, and got in. ‘Where to?’ said the driver. ‘We want to go clubbing,’ Jude said. ‘Where’s the best place this week? Do you know?’ ‘Bruno’s,’ the driver said. ‘Or Garcia’s, down by...