“Yes, I do. But you guys earned it; I married into it. Not the same.”
Rod, Cindy and Adam burst out laughing and for once Misti had no idea what they were laughing about.
Cindy spoke up, “You have been a part of this family since you were eight years old. You just didn’t live with us here in Barrows Bay. You are as familiar with the ‘Edward Experience’ as anyone in this room and have had as much if not more contact with that old fart than any of us would ever care to admit. You have paid your dues, missy, and you married that freak over there who claims to be your husband. You are family and you belong to us now. The good, the bad and the hideous. So, sit back and enjoy the ride. It won’t always be smooth, but we love you very much and appreciate everything that you have done, or will do to, keep us safe and secure.”
Misti began shedding tears in little rivulets down both cheeks. She hated crying, thinking it weak, but she couldn’t help herself.
“Now who’s the baby?” Adam mocked, drawing his wife close to him in a warm and tender embrace. “You will always belong here Misti,” Adam said. “It’s your old family in a new place and we couldn’t be happier that you have joined our little Clan.
“Now, where are my manners? Rod and Cindy need to finish their story. So, what exactly is that you do, and who do you do it for?”
Chapter 13
Cindy began, “So you have a little bit of my background and what I was doing every summer while you and Rod were away helping your Dad with his archeology around the world. Misti was, of course doing her own thing, so in one way or another we were all getting specialized training at Edward’s direction.” She paused. “Now I’m not complaining about what Edward did for me, nor do I believe any of you have any real gripes as far as what he arranged for you. We did all these things because we really wanted to, more than anything else we could think of and because we were just that good. Extremely talented in fact. But my only comment about Edward in this context is that along with the purity of his intentions comes some other possibly less pure motivations too. I seldom understand what they are, what drives the way he thinks or any of his long-term plans and objectives.”
“Your point, Cindy?” asked Misti.
“My point is that the uncertainty and the secrecy, as well as any hidden agenda or agendas he may have, is what causes both our individual and collective anxieties. The sense that we know 95% of why but not the other 5%. Is it that important? Maybe, maybe not. It all depends on the degree to which you are willing to put your faith in that man. Personally, I am thankful that Edward is in my life, and Rod’s and the girls’. But if you asked do I completely, 100% trust him, the answer is no. In this respect, I have always sided with Adam in his frustration with his father. I just wanted all of you to understand how I feel before we fess up to what we actually do for a living.”
Adam said, “So what do you do.”
“We work for Edward.”
Misti asked, “So? I assumed indirectly that we all kinda do, in one way or another. But what exactly do you do for him, I mean besides the cover story stuff?”
“Well,” Cindy began, “we perform special tasks for clients, arranged by Edward, in a variety of disciplines and fields and at specific times and in specific places under exacting conditions and specified protocols. That’s the way Edward describes the service.”
“Sounds like legal BS. OK, still not seeing the forest for the trees,” Misti said. “If you don’t want to say, or feel you cannot say, then don’t. Adam and I want to get everything out because we think it’s healthy for us and for the family. But not if it’s a burden for you.”
“Really?” asked Cindy, who clearly did not want to discuss the matter but felt compelled to.
“No Cindy, not really,” said Adam. “I want to know what my Dad has you doing, and, unlike Misti, I need to know it wasn’t just me getting jerked around all my life. I’ve been misled, lied to, deceived on countless occasions and, worst of all, I have been kept out of the loop on matters involving me and my life. Selfish? Maybe. But I’m tired of the BS from Dad, so if you don’t mind, sis, tell me more.”
“Rod and I are a husband and wife team, hired to do only government sponsored projects that are sensitive in nature. Could be that we break into a home and look for an object or disk that the government cannot legally get at.”
Adam asked, “Don’t all governments have that capability? Their own folks? Why would they need Edward? Or you?”
“Most do, some don’t,” said Rod. “All, however may have special needs in which a particular government, say Italy, doesn’t possess the specific relevant expertise. Or because a country cannot have its paw prints all over the place if found out or caught. Or the assignment may not be to take, borrow or steal an item; it may be to place surveillance hardware in a home or business. Things like that.”
“How about infecting computers with viruses, stealing data and misdirecting adversaries? Is that part of it too?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve been using my software and installing it on computers, in servers and in other digital systems. Mom did the engineering and I did the software. You were the delivery system.”
“Correct.”
“How much did you know? I mean about who you actually did your work for.”
“Not very much. We believed, and still do, that Edward has and had appropriate government authorization to undertake these activities and from more than just Canada and the US. Our training came from many sources, and what I learned, I passed on to Rod. What Rod learned, he passed on to me. When you went on your week-long excursions to Cal Tech, MIT or Harvard, we attended ‘seminars’ at Langley, Fort Benning and Fort Meade. We were very, very busy and it was very, very exciting.”
Adam asked quietly, “What have you guys done?”
“That may not be the question you should be asking Adam,” said Rod. “There are other better questions more pertinent to your situation.”
“That guy in Qatar. Was that you Cindy?”
“It was.”
“So, you do that too, do you?”
“We do,” answered Rod. “When and if required.”
Misti said, “I can guess as well as anyone if I have to. But since we’re all here, why don’t you just say it out loud? Then we’re all clear.”
“We eliminate people in the world who represent a menace to our way of life. That includes threats to family. This family.””
“Who decides that?”
“Someone. Edward sometimes. Just not us.”
“And you’re good with that?”
“We are. The world is filled with bad things and bad people. Occasionally we have to fly beyond the bounds of normal notions of propriety …”
“Not to mention legality …”
“That too and do things that regular folk would not even want to consider. That is what we do. And we are proud that our respective nations have the confidence to allow us to serve.”
“You know how all this sounds, don’t you?”
“We do and honestly we don’t really care. Someone must do these things. Might as well be us.”
“How often?” Adam’s curiosity was piqued, and his perception of his siblings forever altered. Forever, now that what they do for a living has been outed and their activities verbalized. These things can never be un-learned or put back into the genie’s bottle.
“Four or five times a year. Otherwise we live in Barrows Bay, where I keep the books and Rod does the sales compliance. And we raise a family.”
“I never knew.”
“And if you had? What then?”
“I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.” Adam truly was puzzled by these revelations. It just had never occurred to him what his brother and sister were up to. Regular stuff, sure. But not this.
“Exactly. Now you do. Happy?”
“I wish I hadn’t asked but I’m still glad I know. Something tells me that we’re going
to need your skills before this latest adventure is over. Thoughts?”
“It’s worse than that. The information is beginning to come in, along with the analysis of what BioGen is working on. It isn’t good.”
Chapter 14
Adam asked, “I assume that coming to an understanding of what our friends in Princeton are up to is why we’re here. What information have you gotten from your field trip? Anything nefarious?”
Cindy said, “Nefarious, maybe. Probably. But do we know for certain, no. That will take a lot more analysis by folks other than us. And by ‘us’ I mean all of us here in Barrows Bay and some folks that Edward will engage.”
Misti asked, “You mean the data is still not deciphered or we still don’t understand the science of what we have?”
Rod said, “Right now it’s both. But mostly the latter category. It’s appears to be mostly scientific research; biology, chemistry and maybe some genetic research related to one project or another. We have some category breakdowns and a lot of basic research. Raw data, together with summaries and big picture stuff. But why they are doing this is still unclear. So rather than wait for the memo explaining everything, we’re sending out our captured data to some of our associates and asking them for a best guess what this could be all about.”
“Who are you using?” Adam was curious, knowing his father’s well known bent for paranoia in all matters of supposed consequence.
Rod said, “Not sure who all is involved but I think some of the data may have landed on the desks of Drs. Pender and Loya here at the Institute. We can count on their discretion. But I also think some has been parceled out to specific labs and folks at Chicago and at Berkeley.”
Cindy added, “And I’m pretty sure the old man sent some project summaries to the CDC in Atlanta. He mentioned he recognized a couple of scientific terms related to biological agents he had read about. Just enough to be suspicious but not anywhere near enough for him to form an opinion. He’s put a rush on everything and we expect something preliminary back very soon. Maybe our colleagues’ just need more data or maybe what we have given them isn’t enough to form an opinion.”
Adam and Misti looked at their siblings and then at each other. Adam said, “OK, what aren’t you telling us? It seems like we should’ve a better idea of the science soon. But I’m guessing there’s some non-science in all this and you know more than you’re letting on. So …”
Cindy and Rod looked at each other, then Rod said, “It looks as though they are planning something, something that’s been in the works for a while. Something terrible. Something quite deadly and possibly global.”
“Like what? Asked Misti.
“Armageddon. A war of the worlds. The annihilation of mankind. The end times.”
“Oh,” said Misti and Adam in unison. “Well now that’s a little more interesting.”
***
Adam smirked and chuckled. What had begun as a ridiculous notion of vampires walking among us had now morphed into some biblical conflagration carried out by mythical creatures. He was just about to get up and walk out when Misti reached for his hand and motioned for him to take a seat.
“Before you dismiss this out of hand,” she said to her husband, “I think you should listen to what Rod and Cindy have to say. At least listen.”
“If you say so. But please don’t ask me to take any of this seriously. Vampires are a stretch. Vampires and Armageddon is just plain nonsense.”
“Why?” Misti was confounded by Adam’s lack of objectivity. He had no proof to the contrary and the mere fact that the rest of the family was at least open to inquiry should’ve been enough for him. At least enough to sit down and listen. It was to her.
“Why indeed. Well, maybe because this is just stupid. Maybe because none of it has any chance of being true. Maybe because someone somewhere in some line of authority would probably have found all this out by now. Need I go on? I’m sorry but this whole notion simply isn’t plausible.”
“Because?” asked Cindy.
“Because it just isn’t,” said Adam with finality.
Rod, Cindy and Misti looked at each other, knowing there was little to say at this juncture that would be convincing to Adam. If he simply chose to ignore evidence, then what was the point?
The silence was deafening.
Adam said, “Look just because I say I’m from Mars and I have a death ray that will kill everyone in sight doesn’t mean it’s true. Even if I write it down and make it sound believable. Even if I totally and fervently believe it’s true, it doesn’t matter one wit. What matters is the capacity to be true. So, what have these folks got, where is it, how much, and, as important, how many of these jokers are claimed to be out there? A hundred? A thousand? Seriously, this is absurd on its face.”
Misti, who actually had some idea of biology and chemistry from college, said, “I think you only need one motivated crackpot to cause a whole lot of damage. If that person was trained and gifted and had some funding, I think one person alone could cause a world of hurt. So, numbers don’t mean as much here as they used to, if that’s the case.”
She paused, then continued. “If we’re talking biological agents, then weaponizing the agent may pose a serious impediment to widespread transmission but if it can be introduced into a water supply or aerosolized, then again, no need for an army. Then transmission of the disease through carriers, incubation periods and its virulence as well as antidotes, vaccines or preventative measures are all issues that the CDC knows and can track. Believe me when I say that the US military has done many of these kinds of simulations in the past as a part of preparation for biological and chemical warfare counter measures, so we know it has been taken seriously. At least in the past.”
Then she said, “I would say we should take this seriously too. It is plausible. And possible.”
Adam was astounded by his wife and his family. “The big question, I think, is why? Why would they do this? Why would they want to? What’s to be gained?”
Rod said, “Don’t know. Maybe we should ask them. Maybe we should give your buddy from Tucson a call and ask why they want to kill us.”
“Or if they do,” Adam said sarcastically.
He continued, “So how many vampires do we think are running around? Ten? A hundred? How much trouble can they really be, if, and I emphasize if, any of this nonsense is actually true?”
Rod looked at Cindy, then said, “According to their own data, approximately three hundred million. Give or take a few deeper in the wild. They think we’re fucking up the planet. And there are too many of us to sustain a healthy environment. They’d like to see fewer of us. And soon.”
Adam said confidently, “Good luck with that. Even if this is possible, they can’t eliminate or even reduce our numbers. We’re at what, six or seven billion of us on the planet. Humanity is here to stay. A few vampires won’t alter that. Besides we’d hunt them to extinction if they tried anything funny. They couldn’t possibly win.”
“Probably what they’re thinking too.”
“Too bad then. For them.”
Chapter 15
Adam said, “So you took a little trip to New Jersey to test out Mom and Pop’s new science project. Sounds like it all worked out well. What up in Joisey?”
Rod began to describe what they had done and how they had done it.
“We started by looking at the plans on record for the BioGen building and how it was constructed. We even looked up the contractor and all the subs to see what might have been installed for additional security. Construction materials, specs, unusual rooms or additions and ‘extras’ commissioned by the owner. Paid a lot of attention to the electronics and wiring, conduits and utility connection. Didn’t tell us much.
“The interior build was even more secretive and unusual than the shell. Nothing on record, which isn’t all that odd. But what was odd was that the contractors on the shell and interior builds are now out of business.”
“So, they were incorporated a few months before they were given contracts and were out of business shortly after completion. No bonding in place. They simply popped up, then disappeared.”
“Not all that suspicious, Rod,” said Adam. “Construction companies come and go. Happens all the time. Some are just incorporated for a project, then dissolved.”
“Sure. But all the building records went with them. And all the employees of both contractors are related.”
“Related? How? You mean like the companies are owned by the same folks?”
“No, I mean they are all related by blood directly or indirectly to the Fortizi family.”
“How unusual. But if the records are gone now, how do you know?”
“DL Main. Must have been a filing somewhere. City, county or state. Anyway, the records came up, so we did a root trace and every family is connected through the Fortizi family. The older generation all immigrated to America at about the same time.”
“But wait, there’s more?”
“We adjusted the composition of our nanomaterials, ran a few more tests, then took our chemistry set to New Jersey for the real thing. We penetrated the building, ran our objects through the electrical system and eventually into their intranet. There’s a reason they’ve been keeping their little science projects a secret.”
“Which is?”
“They are researching new ways to contain an infection.”
“Seems harmless enough.”
“The infection is us. Homo sapiens.”
“Oh. That’s new.”
***
“What else do you know now? What else did you find?”
“So, we drained every server of all information in every department. Took a few days but we were happy with our download and wireless transmission speeds. We found and isolated all their relational databases. What we found was a huge mix of coded data, mostly encrypted, but not all of it. There was data in English, various other modern languages and a few we didn’t recognize right away. But most of what we think is the juicy stuff is in one of their languages and we think it’s encrypted to boot. So, we broke some of the simpler encryptions using NSA technology but not that much of it. And most of what we did get has been meaningless so far.”
Discovery Page 75