*** The hooks and eyes ***
* Anything goes here! There's always a series of tiny and varied things, that normally aren't used at all, and that can be in the way at the box bottom or they can be inside a little box. And that little box can be an old screw box or a hooks and eyes box (the paradigm of the pawns in the sewing box) that, to cap it all, are usually made of paper. *
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Everything was always faster when they sneaked in the holds of ships, planes and light aircrafts. Arriving at Copenhagen, therefore, didn't take more than some 14 hours. It was Tuesday afternoon when the three penguins put their little webbed feet on Danish land, at Copenhagen-Kastrup airport. The order was to wait for a local bird to locate them in the hangar. None of them spoke Danish, so they needed an interpreter. As Madeleine had said in the report, that interpreter also was the Danish representative in the meetings they would have to attend.
"Welcome, American penguins!" they heard say in a strong Danish accent.
There was the interpreter. A bird species that they had never seen, with a very showy beak. Manfredi was laughing, pointing at the Danish's beak and Johnson elbowed his ribs.
"I remind you are overweight, idiot!"
Manfredi made an annoyed gesture. Skipper ignored them and approached the bird with the showy beak.
"Good afternoon. We are Skipper, Manfredi and Johnson," he said holding out his flipper to shake it. "I imagine you are the Danish representative."
"Exactly. I'm Hans the puffin," he said shaking Skipper's flipper with his wing. "As you'll have been told before coming, I'm going to be your interpreter and your guide. I imagine you have never been here."
The three penguins shook their heads.
"For this reason I've brought a map for you. We can take a look at it before leaving."
The four went to an isolated corner inside one of the warehouses in the hangar, far from the humans' sight. Hans signalled with a marker the place where they were and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"Here is where meetings will be held," he said. "In the building basement. Humans don't usually go there."
"That zone has a very weird shape," Manfredi said. "It looks like a bear trap."
"It's Christianshavn, an artificial island," Hans explained. "That is where we'll stay. The only exit are these bridges, these two ends..." he was pointing at two zones very far from the Ministry, "and swimming, of course. I get out flying and you can get out swimming."
"And the sewage system?" Johnson asked.
"It's independent from the rest of Copenhagen," Hans answered. "We'll be in this rectangle."
"Then, if we want to go out from here, we have to risk ourselves to be seen," Skipper concluded.
"Well..." Hans said scratching the back of his head, "there's a zone where nobody will be surprised to see you and, of course, they wouldn't call the Police or Animal Control. This," he pointed at the zone between the rectangle and the bear trap, "Freetown Christiania: no photos, no cars, no police, no violence. It's the hippie neighborhood."
"Ah! Then we won't go!" Skipper blurted.
Manfredi and Johnson started complaining at once, making impossible to understand them. Skipper ignored them. He had more important things to ask Hans.
"And the zone where we'll stay is the ministries zone?"
"Well, not all are here. For example, here in this zone opposite it's Interior and Health."
Skipper nodded. He had just learnt what he wanted to know and considered the conversation done. Hans did it too, stood up and went to the cab stop. The others followed him. When they arrived they saw a row of cabs and people with suitcases going there. Hans focused his hearing.
"That couple are going to the same place as us. Let's go to their cab."
The four birds got into the cab trunk and left it at Christianshavn. From there they went to the sewage system and arrived at the basement in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Hans gave them a key.
"This storeroom will be your room. On Thursday there will be a meeting at eight o'clock."
The penguins were left alone and started to revise the mission.
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At night, and with the map in their flippers, the three left Christianshavn unseen. They went out through the sewage system and headed to the bridge that was next to the Ministry. Following the map, they arrived at a zone mixing the most classical and the most modern of European architecture. They located the building of the Ministry of Interior and Health and found an entrance: a tilt and turn window open in a moment of distraction on the ground floor.
All the doors inside the Ministry were locked, but that wasn't a problem for three penguins used to taking shortcuts through the air ducts. They sneaked into any office and jumped onto the desk. Johnson switched the computer on and took out his flash drive. They only needed the password.
And that was the very best moment in all the term in office to get it: though there hadn't been a change of minister, there had been some changes at inferior levels. That office had new occupiers, and the evidence was a Post-it note. Johnson knew other ways to get the password (that was why he was there), but he didn't need it. A short visit to the Intranet... and they would have all what they needed.
The next day, Johnson connected the flash drive to a hub that he had modified inside to transform it into a written data player. The device converted automatically the text files into voice recordings. An improvable robotic voice, but a voice nonetheless. At the other end, two jack ports had earphones plugged, so that up to four penguins could listen at once. The three listened to all the files and dismissed the ones useless for them in total silence. They spent all the Tuesday without leaving the room, immerse in their job as spies.
Part of the mission had been accomplished successfully.
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Thursday came. Hans knocked at the penguins' room door, and they followed him to a near room. It was an improvised events room in the same basement, with concrete blocks as seats placed making a circle. Hans was the first one to go in, announcing the penguins' arrival.
"Here are the representatives from the United States: Skipper, Manfredi and Johnson."
One by one, they introduced themselves. Apart from Hans, representing Denmark, the attendants were these: on behalf of Norway, two lemmings called Freya and Eric; on behalf of Russia, a Samoyedo dog called Nikolay and an Arctic fox called Vladislav; on behalf of Canada, two Chinstrap penguins called Rosalinde and Noelle. Manfredi and Johnson went dazed staring at the two females. Rosalinde noticed it and winked at Manfredi, who smiled nervously.
"You rookie," he heard Johnson say, "pay attention."
Manfredi didn't notice the gesture that Johnson made Noelle, but he saw the seductive stare that she gave him.
Hans stood in the middle of the circle. He cleared his throat to grab all the attendants' attention.
"Now that we know each other, welcome to the first Interanimal Arctic Summit. The objective of today's meeting is to debate the role of our respective countries in the distribution of the Arctic cake."
Manfredi raised his flipper. "Will there be cake?" He was given a slap from each side.
"No, it's a way to call the distribution of territories and waters." He took a Polaroid-like camera which was on a table. "Now I'll take a photo of each attendant for the report."
He took photos of all. Some posed more gracefully than others. Whereas Manfredi appeared smiling, Johnson looked defiant and Skipper had a sullen demeanor. Hans checked that the photos had resulted acceptable, that is: neither too light nor too dark, neither unfocused nor off-centred. He nodded for himself and spoke.
"Let's start talking about the distribution of territories and waters that I said a minute ago. Who will tell us their country's position first?"
"Russia defends the sovereignity delimitation in polar sectors established in 1907," Vladislav said. "It establishes that Russia owns all the maritime area comprised between the meridians 32 East and 168 West."
Noelle spoke next. "Canada defends the same distribution, that gives it all the marine area between the meridians 60 and 141 West."
"I estimate that it leaves very little to distribute between the three other countries," Johnson intervened.
"Exactly," Freya said. "This distribution lengthens the countries' far ends towards the North Pole and it benefits the countries with the biggest area."
"Except for the United States, that can only lengthen Alaska," Skipper corrected.
"Regarding Denmark, the claiming of waters can only be valid as long as Greenland is a Danish territory," Hans said.
"I don't see why that could be a problem," Nikolay commented. Vladislav nudged him... as if he didn't remember what had happened with the U.S.S.R.!
"Norway is not very benefited by this treaty," Eric intervened. "The Montego Bay Convention is more in its interest."
"We must also say that this convention is interpreted by every country as they want," Noelle said.
"Canada, for example," Hans replied.
"Of course," she said. "We only need to remember what happened with Hans Island."
"Do you have an island, Hans?" Manfredi asked, causing the others to laugh and Johnson to make a threatening gesture.
"Of course not! That's just its name!" Hans answered. "And it's a tiny island where there's nothing."
"Well, that's not totally true... it's full of flags and empty bottles," Rosalinde said causing another general laughter.
Hans, seeing that it was turning off-topic, took the role as moderator as the host he was. He made a silence gesture with his wings and took the floor.
"Eric, since you have named the Montego Bay Convention, I'd like you to explain for all the attendants what it says."
Eric stood up. "The convention says that the coast and what is included in the baseline is sovereign territory of each country."
"What is the baseline?" Rosalinde asked.
"Take Norway's case," Freya answered. "Having such a complicated coastline, it's simplified with straight lines between the most standing outcroppings."
"Thank you, Freya," Eric said. "Then there are the territorial waters, which comprise 12 nautical miles from the baseline. Crossing is allowed for ships of other countries. And until 200 miles the Exclusive Economic Zone spreads, and it gives the country the monopoly for exploitation of marine resources, including what there is under the seabed."
"And, if beyond that zone the sea has a depth inferior to 660 feet, it's called Continental Shelf and there are countries claiming theirs," Freya added.
"As a summary of the claims by all the countries represented here I think this illustrates it quite well," Hans said operating a remote control. "In the map you'll see in some seconds the current distribution and all the claims represented."
"And why do humans care so much about it?" Rosalinde asked.
"Because the Arctic Ocean has plenty of resources: it's estimated that a sixth of the petroleum and a third of the gas undiscovered in all the planet are there," Johnson said. "And that's not all: at this speed, in no time it will be crossed without icebreakers and many international sea journeys will become shorter through what is called the Northwest Passage."
Vladislav stood up and pointed at a mountain ridge that could be seen on the seabed.
"This is the Lomonosov Ridge, an underwater mountain range 1,100 miles long. It goes from the New Siberian Islands to Ellesmere and Greenland, so three countries base their claims on this range: Russia, Canada and Denmark."
"But it's not connected to any continental shelf anywhere," Johnson commented. "That claims aren't valid."
"That's right," Vladislav said. "But the three countries insist there was a connection in the past. Everyone is content with what they want."
"I'd like to go back to the question made by my sister Rosalinde, but the other way round," Noelle said. "What can animals do with this distribution in which we weren't kept in mind?"
"It's like the distribution made with Africa, and it's nauseating," Johnson answered. "I understand that the environmentalists are asking the Arctic Circle to become a demilitarized scientific sanctuary, as my mother country Antarctica."
"But it's easier said than done," Skipper said. "We've been asked to be impartial and I suppose they were referring to not to try to impose the criteria of the countries we represent. But I understand that we can be frank with this question: is it not a better option the sanctuary than any geopolitical distribution made by humans?"
Murmurs of approval were heard. All the attendants agreed.
"Well... it's got a bit late," Hans suddenly said. "We'll leave it for now. See you tomorrow at the same hour."
Little by little, the room emptied. The last ones to leave, apart from Hans (who was waiting for closing the door), were the five penguins. Rosalinde had got near Manfredi and was telling him something in a whisper. Noelle and Johnson were talking too, and they were even going beyond: Skipper would have sworn he had just seen them kissing. Whatever it might be, he would have to watch them. Nothing good could result from what the four were plotting.
He left after the two couples. Two things were making him feel worried: on the one hand, when Madeleine called him he would have to tell her that his two subordinates were already doing their thing; on the other, that after the first meeting he had the impression that all the animal kingdom only aspired to be the pawns in the geopolitical game of humans.