by Paul Teague
Xiang’s work had facilitated the creation of these embryos, through a system which allowed genetic replication on an industrial scale. She had facilitated what was – in effect – a factory for creating new life. Playing God? She knew that it was a close thing, but she couldn’t actually create new life yet, only generate it from existing life. It was the next step in the process where the lines became truly blurred to her. It would have caused riots if it had ever become known by the press or public.
But the motivation was a good one. In the event of a global catastrophe – or a situation which wiped out all life on Earth – we had the ability to start all over again, to replace the lives that had been lost. Xiang didn’t know what might cause that: nuclear war, environmental catastrophe, disease, asteroid collision – threats to the planet could come in any shape or form. So if the results of her work were secured somewhere in this bunker facility right now, something must be threatening the life on this planet.
From her point of view, it was theoretical work: she had proven it in the laboratory and in limited numbers. Who had taken her work and actually used it to create a factory for new animal and human life on such a large scale? As Xiang pondered these questions, she was unaware that in the days ahead her unique skills would be used to make an even more amazing discovery. It would be Xiang who finally unravelled the truth about Dan and Nat.
Chapter Seven
Change
The matrix of satellite sentinels waited patiently above the clouds. In an instant a bright, orange light shot out from fifty of the larger satellites which marked the key axis intersections in this vast grid. The orange light appeared to leap from satellite to satellite, linking them up so that the Earth was surrounded by a massive, enveloping orange web.
Beyond the web was the sun, the moon and the rest of space. Inside the web was an orb of blackness where nothing could be seen or heard. Once the web was fully completed between the hundreds of satellites which orbited above the planet, there was a moment of stillness.
Then, simultaneously, the satellites received new data. Spiral doors opened like a shutter on a camera, and large, long and heavy Shards emerged, like the spines on a vast, metallic sea urchin. In unison, the Shards lit up, sending an intense beam towards the Earth.
Anybody on Earth, if they’d been able to view this process, might have been fleetingly alarmed by what was going on. It looked like hundreds of satellites orbiting the Earth were firing torpedo-like missiles towards the surface. The Shards were different colours, some blue, some green, others purple and the remainder yellow.
This was the next stage of the terraforming process, it was time now for the darkness to subside and for new life to be breathed into the planet. Each of the Shards carried different elements that the Earth would need to rejuvenate; it was a vastly accelerated process that could undo the harm that had been inflicted on the planet, mostly in the past two hundred years.
The entire biosphere of the planet – lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere – was being healed, the Earth’s ecosystems recalibrated and balanced once again. The blue Shards were to reinvigorate the atmosphere, cleansing it of deadly carbon emissions and pollutants left there by Man. These Shards hovered above the Earth’s surface in the place where the skies once were – and where they would return shortly. If the project was a success.
The green Shards were to nourish the seas, restoring them to the way they were when they were originally placed in the care of humans and breathing new life into them. These devices took up positions within the world’s deepest waters, suspended and still in the darkness there.
The yellow Shards bore far into the Earth’s crust like powerful drills, altering the geology of the planet, rebalancing the processes that had depleted resources through mining and drilling. Humans were unaware that oil, gas and coal are a crucial part of the Earth’s balanced ecosystem until it was far too late. Future generations would source power in different ways, using technology that could barely be imagined.
Finally, the purple Shards circulated in seemingly random patterns, weaving just above the surface and releasing nano and biotechnology into every part of the Earth’s environment. It was these undetectable and microscopic guardians which would continue this process of renewal once the world had been reawoken.
This was the Genesis 2 project: many years in the planning, incredible in its vast scope and incomprehensible to anybody but the most advanced scientists and technologists in terms of its delivery. In the stillness of space, as the entire planet slept below, and the four bunkers began to fight with each other in a power struggle that was supposed to have been totally improbable – impossible even – there was nobody to ask the obvious question.
Who was it that started this process and who now had control of it?
Rescue
Amy rushed towards Simon, her senses confused by what was going on. One minute he was shooting her, the next he was healing her, then she decided to trust him, and now he had just turned off the machines which contained three members of her family. Simon was taken aback by the speed at which she threw herself at him.
‘Whoa!’ he shouted. ‘It’s fine, relax. I just saved them all!’
Amy was still hostile, defensive and unsure. ‘I know it looks a bit basic,’ he said, ‘but I just had to remove the power source. Kate was actually using the machines to shut down the life support element. To stop that, we have to shut down the power completely.’
Amy looked at him, she was still unsure, and he sensed that more explanation was needed.
‘The machines were actually interfering with their biology, they’re now on their own, existing without interference from the machines.’
His face changed and Amy detected bad news was about to follow.
‘We need to get them out of there and make sure that they’re okay though,’ Simon explained. ‘Just pray that the machines haven’t done too much damage.’
As if on cue, Mike’s body jolted as if he was awakening rudely from a dream. It was very sudden and it immediately took Amy’s attention away from her altercation with Simon. The other bodies in the cocoons started to jolt too, and one by one their eyes began to open. All but David and Harriet, whose bodies remained still and lifeless as the adults woke slowly and confused around them.
‘I think the children have less resistance to whatever these things were doing to them,’ Simon volunteered, recognizing the seriousness of the situation straight away.
‘We need to get them out fast.’
Amy didn’t need another cue. Simon took David out of his unit, and Amy helped Harriet. Both bodies were limp and lifeless. Amy was desperate – around her she had the sensation of the adults slowly waking and coming around from their deep sleep, but in front of her, two of her children appeared to be dead.
‘Massage their hearts!’ commanded Simon. ‘Use CPR.’
Amy cursed that she couldn’t remember exactly what to do – how many compressions and how many breaths was it? Either Simon knew what he was doing or he was just getting on with it. Amy pressed down on Harriet’s chest as hard as she dared. She was still so small and fragile, not like Dan who had left childhood long behind and was built more like Mike these days.
To her right she heard David draw breath. ‘I’ve got him back!’ shouted Simon. ‘He’s okay!’
Amy pushed down on Harriet’s chest, she breathed into her mouth and she watched her tiny chest rise as she did so. No signs of life. She carried on for a few minutes longer, desperate to revive her youngest child.
At the point when the majority of people would have given up, when most people would have decided to stop through tiredness, exhaustion and a realization that it was useless, Amy found deep within her the power that had driven her forward all of those years previously when she’d taken a chance and shot James.
She put her hands together and pushed down with all the pressure that she could muster, deep into Harriet’s chest. It was a massive, forceful, even desperate push.
There was a crack as one of Harriet’s ribs broke from the force.
Then Harriet jolted suddenly and sharply drew in her first breath. And as she did so, four armed guards swarmed into the BioFiltration Area, pointing their weapons directly at Amy and Simon.
Burned
Essentially, the two children got on well most of the time, but the parents had a very real concern about one of them. It began as a gut feeling the first time that the wooden block had been used in the unprovoked violent attack. But it was confirmed a few months later.
It was bath time. Usually this was one of the highlights of the day, when the two children – now toddling – would rush towards the bathroom, eager to get into the water together and to start playing with the toys.
On this particular evening, all was as normal. She was reading her book, perched on the side of the towel chest, while the two children played amicably.
Then, without warning, one of them picked up a pouring jug, moved towards the hot tap and filled it with water. The scalding water was then poured over the other child, who hadn’t even realized what was going on.
In the wails and confusion that followed as she tried to comfort the scalded child and placed a cold, wet flannel over the red raw area, an unnerving thought came to her.
Was there something wrong with this other child or was this just an accident of childhood experimentation? She would have put it down as a youthful accident if it weren’t for the sight that was confronting her now.
The child who had poured the water was sitting alone in the bath completely unperturbed by what had just happened.
In fact, right at this moment, as she did her best to comfort and soothe the injured child, the other was just sitting there, looking at her and smiling.
Breakout
‘Magnus?’ I ask, knowing that it must be him.
I look at the yellow light in his neck. The people surrounding him have them too. They’re visible, but not pulsating now. Just like Mum’s and James’s. He seems to be safe.
‘Dan?’ he queries. ‘And who’s this?’
‘This is my sister Nat,’ I reply. ‘Only we don’t have time to chat.’
‘Fancy helping us?’ Nat asks, and I’m ready to challenge that when I reconsider my response and think, ‘Why not?’
Judging by how worried Magnus looked in that video message that I was watching only minutes ago, I reckon he’s as keen as we are right now to stop those drones.
‘Of course,’ replies Magnus, ‘just tell me what to do. Doctor Pierce said to help you.’
Interesting, he’s fine with Doctor Pierce. Nat seems to be the only one with the problem.
‘Put this on,’ says Nat, handing him a Comms-Tab, ‘and take this too.’
She hands him one of the stun devices.
‘Point this way and press that button. It only stuns, it doesn’t kill.’
I’m pleased Nat mentioned which way to point it. I really would have shot myself if she hadn’t given Magnus that information.
‘Now let’s try something else,’ she says, indicating that we all need to be in the lift.
Her hand reaches the pad in the lift before mine, and interestingly, this time, the lights come on without me having to touch anything. I wonder if this thing remembers us, like the first time we both have to activate it, but after that we can do it on our own – a bit like the credit cards that Mum and Dad get in the post.
Nat’s thinking the same thing, and she looks at me and smiles. She presses the button marked ‘1’ – for our Quadrant I hope, not Level 1 – and once again the wonderful lights appear, then fade out again once we have been transported.
I don’t think Magnus is even aware of what happened. I think he’s expecting the door to open on the same floor that we just left, having enjoyed a lovely light display in between. But if Nat and I are right – and I know what she’s thinking about this – we just transported back to Quadrant 1 and when this lift door opens we’re going to be on Level 1 in our own bunker. Kate’s territory.
We both grasp our stun devices tightly. I make sure mine is pointing the right way, and Nat shows Magnus how the Comms-Tab works. ‘If we get separated, talk into this, we’re all linked,’ she instructs. ‘Apparently they can’t monitor our conversations at the moment, but they might be able to later, so be careful what you say.
‘Or so Pierce says!’ she almost spits out.
Magnus is a man after my own heart. He immediately loves the technology and gets it, even if he doesn’t fully understand it yet. Amazing how our beliefs have expanded to fit the incredible world that we have created with technology.
In medieval times you’d have been burned at the stake if you’d been found with one of these devices, but nowadays whatever we can imagine, we can create. So why wouldn’t we have ‘peel and stick’ communications devices which link directly into our hearing receptors?
‘Ready?’ asks Nat. She’s about to open the lift door.
When we step out onto this floor we can be seen on the cameras; they’ll know that we’re here. The doors slide open, and we’re stunned by what happens next.
As the doors open, a bloody and wrecked looking James runs through them, taking cover from two guards who are firing at him and chasing him. He’s just as surprised to see us.
Nat and I move fast, we know it’s time to use the stun devices. But Magnus beats us to it. Fire one, fire two and both guards are down. Nat and I look at each other and we look at Magnus. I like this man.
James is still all business. ‘Your family, quickly, we need to get your family.’
James looks a mess, goodness knows what has happened to him, I’ve never seen somebody in such a dreadful physical state before. Not in real life at least.
‘This way!’ shouts James, and we all follow, stun devices at the ready.
James has a weapon and seems to know how to use it. Now that’s handy. The alert has been sounded and the incessant siren is really quite oppressive in the bunker’s long corridor.
We reach the BioFiltration Area but the door is already open. Just a split second to take this in. Four guards, Mum, Dad, David, and Harriet who is making a terrible wailing sound and holding her chest. She’s giving the siren a run for its money.
The only people who don’t belong here are the guards. They’re too slow for us, it’s a bit like a quick draw from a cowboy film, and we stun them before they can shoot us.
I like these tasers. You don’t even have to aim them really accurately, they sense the target, lock and fire. And I’m only stunning them, so I can live with that.
All of a sudden it’s like a massive, surprise family reunion. All my family is here: Dad sees Nat, Nat sees everybody else, Mum sees all of the kids back in one place again. For a moment it’s all a bit much.
But we’re not out of this yet. Above the sirens I can hear a noise that puts all of us in very immediate peril. It’s the approaching sound of stomping boots as a large and armed team of security guards moves urgently along the bunker corridor, intent on finishing us all off for the last time.
Chapter Eight
22:14 Quadrant 2: Balaklava Bay, Crimea
Viktor had removed himself from the Control Room to find some temporary peace and quiet from the constant buzz of activity. He was a man more pleased by being in nature than in an artificial environment like this bunker.
He’d been selected for this role because of his very extensive and distinguished experience in the field of biotechnology. Like the other Custodians in the bunkers, Viktor also had a military background, though his was rather more informal in nature.
Much of science can be controversial and problematical, particularly when working on projects for private companies which have a duty to report most of what is going on to shareholders.
When Viktor’s teams began to make innovative breakthroughs in the areas of green and red biotechnology, they started to garner unwanted attention from the media and campaign groups.
A
t about that time, a former contact arranged a discreet meeting to inform Viktor that the military was extremely interested in the work that he was doing. Or at least they appeared to be the military, Viktor could tell that it was certainly governmental in nature. He would be able to continue working, fully funded, but away from the glare of the public eye.
Viktor had first got to know this military contact when he was a much younger man, just out of university and returning to a country whose politics were in turmoil. It was there that Viktor had become a master of leadership and strategy in guerrilla warfare and he had built up an excellent reputation and track record as a commander. He had also got a very dark reputation as a man who got things done – whatever the cost in terms of human life.
After order and legal rule had returned to his country, Viktor threw himself into his scientific work where he demonstrated as much flair and innovation as he had on the battlefield.
Viktor had remarkable leadership abilities in the field of biotechnology and was directing multiple project strands in a number of areas. Put very simply, he had facilitated several cutting edge breakthroughs in numerous branches of his specialist area.
It was Viktor’s teams who had developed a system for micro-propagating genetically modified crops without the need for natural light. You could now create vast arable farms in hostile farming environments. His teams had taken that work one step further and been able to grow arable crops in seawater, a preemptive response to fast rising sea levels.
But it was in the field of red biotechnology – or genetic manipulation – that Viktor had experienced his biggest breakthrough. His teams had stumbled across it by accident, but it had troubled Viktor ever since he’d sat in the briefing room to hear the full results of the exhaustive studies. Whilst working on a genetic manipulation project focused on trans-humanization – the enhancement of human beings – Viktor had discovered a process by which this could be achieved remotely.