by David Harp
Chapter 56
Redemption
Stories describing an army of psychopathic super soldiers spread quickly. The Institute was being portrayed in the newspapers as the greedy arm of a vast military industrial complex. Support from some of the Institute’s major supporters was beginning to waver.
Claude was furious. In an effort to correct the record, he granted Ms. Welker an interview which included an unrestricted tour of the facility.
He told Steve, “I want you to do whatever it takes to make this right! Get this thing cleared up.” His face flushed, “Do you understand?”
Steve had never seen Claude so angry.
Ms. Welker arrived at the gate early on a Monday morning. She brought two cameramen along to film the tour. Steve considered cameras a serious security risk, but Claude insisted it was necessary.
Events were playing out exactly as the Qabalah had planned. The main cameraman was a personal friend of Alicia Welker. The other was sent by her unidentified informant as a backup. Alicia didn’t know that the second cameraman was an anarchist working for the Qabalah. His camera was a fake, an empty shell containing a 9mm pistol and thermite explosives.
Steve greeted them, “Welcome, we are happy to have this opportunity to show you what we do here at the Institute. We don’t have any super soldiers here, but I am confident you will find our work even more compelling.”
Alicia’s skepticism appeared to be fading as she toured the facility.
“This is a remarkable place and it appears you’re doing some good work here, but where is Mr. Lomax. I know he’s here. Are you hiding him?” She asked.
“I’ve been saving that for last,” Steve answered.”We’ll go there now. You can interview him yourself.”
Steve, Alicia, and the two cameramen climbed onto a cart and started the journey down the long corridor to the cell where Mr. Lomax was being held. Steve noticed an intense expression on Alicia’s face.
“You won’t recognize him. He’s a different person.” Steve said.
“He’s a chameleon, an inter-species predator,” Alicia replied. “That’s why he’s so dangerous. He’ll say and do whatever it takes to manipulate you.”
As they rode to the cell, Steve explained the process that was changing Lomax’s DNA, and recent magnetic resonance imaging which revealed the physical transformation in his brain.
“He feels remorse for the horrible things he’s done. He’s not the same person he was before,” Steve told her.
“I’m sorry to be blunt, but you and your colleagues are being played like fools,” Alicia said.
Steve nodded, acknowledging her opinion as he announced, “We’ve arrived.” The countless tiny metal bars of the cage obscured the view, but Alicia could see a man sitting in a comfortable chair, watching a wide-screen television. Blood rushed to her face as she filled with rage. Lomax appeared fit, even comfortable as he stood and turned off the T.V.
Steve’s phone began to ring. He answered, “What, can’t this wait?” Then he put the phone back in his pocket and spoke to Alicia.
“The timing couldn’t be worse, but I’m needed for an emergency in the vault. This is the first time I’ve been called in all the years I’ve been here, but you’ll be safe. You can use this remote camera feed to film Mr. Lomax during the interview. I’ll be back before you’re finished.”
“I thought you said he’s harmless?” Alicia commented. “If that’s true, why can’t we open the cell door?”
“We’re keeping the door closed to protect Mr. Lomax from you,” Steve answered with a slight laugh before he disappeared down the dark corridor.
What Steve didn’t know was that the second cameraman was sending a live voice recording of the tour to the Qabalah. The phone call he received was a fake to draw him away from the others.
“You know this is a sham,” the backup cameraman said. “The real facility is hidden further underground. We’ll need to blast our way in.”
“What are you doing?” Alicia shouted as she watched the man remove explosives from the fake camera.
“You’re crazy! You’ll get us killed.”
“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing,” the man said as he placed a small thermite charge in the corner. “Hurry, out of the room!” he shouted.
As soon as they rounded the corner, BOOM! A deafening explosion set off alarms and sprinklers. They rushed back into the room to find the cell door had opened automatically when the fire suppression system activated. Robert Lomax had been knocked to the floor and was covered with blood.
“Good, you aren’t dead yet,” the bogus cameraman said to Lomax. “Now get in there with him” he ordered Alicia and the cameraman as he pointed the gun at them.
“Why are you doing this? We’re on the same side,” Alicia asked in stunned confusion.
“Sorry darlin, I’ve got my orders. You and the cameraman will soon join your sister. By the time Steve gets back, you’ll all be dead and I’ll tell him Lomax killed you before I killed him.”
“You won’t get away with it,” Alicia said.
“Not only will I get away with it, the publicity should be enough to put the ORION Institute out of business for good,” the bogus cameraman said.
Then he pointed the gun at Alicia and pulled the trigger, but Lomax had struggled to his feet and jumped in front of her. The bullet ricocheted off a rib as it passed through Lomax’s chest. It hit Alicia in the knee, knocking her to the ground.
Alicia’s cameraman wrestled for the gun and it discharged into his hip. Somehow he found the strength to keep fighting. The gun went off again, up through the attacker’s chin and exiting the top of his head. He died instantly.
The heat from the thermite was too much for the fire suppression system. Smoke was filling the room as the flames were spreading out of control. Even the metal bars on Lomax’s cell were burning. Neither the cameraman nor Alicia could walk. They embraced each other before passing out, certain they were going to die.
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The next thing Alicia heard was a cheerful voice, “It’s good to see you awake!”
“Where am I?” she asked.
“You’re at Tampa General Hospital,” the nurse answered. “You’ve had surgery on your knee, been treated for smoke inhalation, and it appears you’re well on your way to recovery.”
“My cameraman, Larry Nichols, is he O.K.?”
“He’s undergoing a second surgery on his hip, but his prospects look good.”
“How did I get here?”
The nurse shrugged, “I wasn’t here when you were admitted, but you have a couple visitors who may be able to answer your question.”
Steve and Tammy were waiting at the door. “Well hello sleeping beauty. You gave us quite a scare.” Tammy said.
“I thought we were going to die. How did I get here?” Alicia asked again.
“I brought a tablet with me to show you the security videos taken on Monday during the fire. I think it will explain a lot,” Tammy answered.
The video showed Robert Lomax in agonizing pain, his body revoltingly burnt and bloody as he dragged Alicia and Larry a quarter mile down a smoke-filled passageway.
It stunned Alicia to see a selfless act from such a monster, but it was what he did just before he died that affected her most. He gently cradled her head and spoke to her like a beloved child.
“Your sister asked me to tell you how much she loved you. I didn’t understand it then, but I do now. God forgive me, I can’t forgive myself.”
As he took his last breath, tears were running down his face. They weren’t caused by pain, but by unfamiliar emotions he was experiencing for the first time.
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Alicia recovered and wrote a series of articles describing her experience and the ODR project. The good publicity repaired the Institute’s reputation and earned Steve critical support for the Code of Acceptable Practices in Human Genetic Modifi
cation.