The Divinity

by Chloe Ellison

  “Brixley has all the strengths he lacks. Foresight, professionalism, intuitiveness, the ability to assess risk. Plus, she's his eye candy. His dream girl. You've seen him look at her, read what he's written about her.”

  “The recent stuff is turning ugly.”

  “He's still writing about her. Look, if we can get them to link up, romantically, it could save him.” Eduardopaused to shove a mouthful of pasta into his gullet, chewing fast and surveying his surroundings before continuing on. “Without her, he isn't going to survive.”

  “Elaborate.”

  “He's fearless to a fault. A real idiot. His unhealthy belief in himself will lead him to accept any risk ten mission we put on the board. Regardless if it suits his skillset, he's taking it.”

  “And you believe Agent Brixley could talk him out of that?”

  “Well, no. But she can keep his head on straight, and guide him away from suicide missions.”

  “I can see that. She's as smart as she is gorgeous.”

  “We will need Agent Speer for certain risk tens, but I have other plans for him. We have to show him the value of lower risk missions. I want him to fast track potential tens, they're dropping like flies on the outside. The thing is, we're behind schedule with them, the changeover is flying by, and the risk ten missions are going to show up en masse here soon. We're gonna need a force of them, and he is the one to bring them in. He's already close with JaMarcus, and I want him in bad. That will keep him busy and out of danger, while giving Kynsey more time to hone his skills.”

  “I'll see what I can do.”

  “Then it's as good as done.”

  “I said I'll try. They're both stubborn. Hers isn't as obvious, but it's there.”

  “You can do anything Mama Maryam. I firmly believe that.”

  “Now who has an unhealthy belief in an agent?”

  “I'll check in. Enjoy the lobster.”

  “Sit the fuck back down.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Nobody, and I mean nobody, ditches Mama Maryam in the middle of a meal. Finish your pasta.” Eduardoflashed his bug eyes, but did as he was told.

  Interesting information indeed. At least I already let Max know that I'd be manipulating him, but I knew right away I'd have to be sneaky. I couldn't risk him finding out that I was trying to keep them paired up, or work as some kind of invisible matchmaker. Wouldn't sit right with him. Kynsey might figure it out, but she wouldn't trip.

  DIVINITY Log: Max Speer

  LOG Entry 12

  08/04/2017

  I feel like less of a man. Bad ass Bart is, well, he's a badass. I've never been tapped out so many times in a single session, and I've been training for twelve years. It was nice to be on the mats, to at least try to release some tension. Kinda hard to do when you are fighting off chokes from an anaconda. You know what? Fuck Agent Bartholomew. Nah, he's actually cool. Computer guy, nerdy, but don't be fooled.

  Noticed something between him and Agent Winters as well, I dunno, I think they may be fucking. Not that I'm an expert or anything. Don't know them well enough to ask, but if he is, good for him.

  Today was all combat training, and I'll admit to being schooled. This is Bart’s area of expertise, as well as the other ten. Agent Dillon. He strikes me as someone who killed a guy once, a bunch of times, in separate cities, without getting caught. His neighbors probably got a slightly creepy vibe from him, but wrote it off because he's just white guy enough and didn’t stick around too long. I like him. I'd put money on him against native Americans in a bow hunting competition, if that tells you anything.

  Good training. Learned a lot. 90 days is starting to seem a little quick for risk ten readiness though, will probably wait a little longer to take one on. Now that I know there's a Max pool, I feel like I should take my life a little more seriously. It'll be worth it when I get to rub my dick in people's faces, especially Brixley.

  DIVINITY Log: Max Speer

  LOG Entry 13

  08/06/2017

  Briefing updates. I'm starting to think there is no white Rabbit, just a never ending hole. Today I was shown a video that covered a lot of the programs history, gonna summarize it so I can go back and review it later.

  Eduardo Garcon, former military officer back in the day. A spy. Pretty much, he single handedly started the program with his own money, and recruited slowly, adding what he called “Divined Tens” one at a time.

  He saw that the military industrial complex was becoming corrupt, was involved in black missions that he couldn't get behind morally. Instead of blowing the whistle and getting himself killed, he decided to do something about it. Pretty much started off as a secret society, made up of assassins. By the time he retired, they had managed to funnel a couple million dollars worth of the black budget into an offshore account, and from there, Project Divinity was born.

  We are broad in what we do, and unique in how we do it. It's also a long game for us, where we are actively waiting for the program to take shape. Even though I was the 43rd agent divined overall, in the modern version of the program, I will be looked back as an old school founding member.

  The period we are going through now is known as the change over. Now that we have a good group of well trained agents in place, we are gonna start cranking things up a bit, literally. Perhaps the most devious part of Project Divinity’s pre training program, is the way we use radio wave technology and genetics. I'm no doctor and would only only play one on TV if I was banging a hot nurse, but our doctors are doing some morally borderline shit.

  It starts by testing for certain factors, mostly genetic. Blood type, electromagnetic sensitivity, and then goes deeper. DNA tests, like a targeted lottery where they go in and pick the winners. If you got what they want, you get what they got, which is technology that can alter your genome non invasively as young as the moment you're born.

  They call it a DNA crank up, and it sets in motion all sorts of latent human superpowers. The upgrades don't typically appear right away, they call it time coding. As you get older, and your brain matures, DNA strands that lay dormant in others pop on, and your thinking becomes more dimensional.

  Much of this comes in the form of hypersensitivity to pretty much everything. You see a wider range of light, hear higher and lower sounds than others, and using the radio waves over time, are actually trained to think in numbers and letters, symbols instead of pictures. That way, everything is more associative and it is easier to translate your thoughts. It's also better for memory. Oh yeah, they can “read” our minds. I'll save the specifics on that for a later date, once I've got a better handle on it.

  The radio wave technology, which is far more advanced than I could have ever imagined, has gotten to the point where it can penetrate multiple walls of solid object. Sounds, images, and voices can be beamed into our heads. Good for handing out directions to agents on the fly. Also the most sick and twisted weapon imaginable. Technology itself holds a neutral charge, how do we wanna play with our toys? Point it at enemy combatants and give them the nice sensation of burning alive? Or shoot it at a dancer in the middle of a silent library, and watch her twirl around to music in her head?

  We use ours for lots of stuff, mostly for triggering potential agents. It's a great tool, and I'm glad it was used on me. Imagine being home alone and bored, and then a word you've never heard pops into your head. The next commercial says that word, and when you open up your laptop it's staring at you from an ad. This kind of “synchronicity” constantly. They're trying to tell you to read, to dig further into something that'll move you along in the program. To question what is really going on around you.

  The changeover itself is the culmination of the pre training period, and will take place over seven years. The floodgates of newly divined agents is gonna open, like choosing the final roster from a field of hopefuls. We've cut loose thirty thousand PAs this year alone. Plenty still out there though, and it's our job to bring as many home as possible. They have to do the work though,
and I wish them luck.

  Random piece of good news, the boys are going to the field. Myself, Rando, Bart, and Dillon. Three week training exercise centered mostly around infantry techniques and tactical strategy. Got a big chunk of land out in the mountains to play in, and we're bringing plenty of guns. It's been too long since I've laid out under the stars and hiked a mountain, should be a good time.

  PROJECT DIVINITY

  Individual Therapy Log: Agent Max Speer

  Therapist: Mama Maryam

  LOG Entry 8

  08/08/2017

  Max entered therapy in high spirits, didn't even ask for a glass of anything. He plopped down onto the new couch in the therapy room.

  “It feels more like therapy when I lay down.” he said. His fingers were laced over his chest, and he smiled up at the ceiling.

  “I hear you're going into the field?” I asked.

  “Awh, it's okay babe. I'll be home before ya know it.”

  “Don't call me babe. I hate that shit.”

  “How about boo?”

  “Eh, that works. And don't worry, that's multiple weekly sessions that are now open me for to do whatever it is I feel like doing.” I realized the gift as the words left my mouth.

  “You know what would really be great before heading out into the field with a bunch of guys?” Max asked, betraying his intentions with bright eyes and a rascal’s grin.

  “I'm gonna cut you off right there Speer. I actually have a couple of therapy related questions.”

  “You don't think that'd be therapeutic?”

  “I'm the fountain of youth baby, enjoy your mortality.”

  “You make it sound so good.”

  “It is. Down boy, down. This ain't for you.”

  “I know it. What do you got for me?”

  “Brixley. You still wanna change her out for another trainer?”

  “I dunno, probably. You heard back from her yet?”

  “Nope. Her first field report is due tomorrow. She's never late. You perked up when I said her name.”

  “Can we quit? I'm not a little kid. Yes, I crush on her for whatever reason, but it's not even like that. I get it, she's not interested and is in a relationship. That's why I've set my sights on a certain woman of color, whose splendid beauty is-”

  “Stop. I'm not letting you stray off topic with your wannabe Shakespeare shit.”

  “Ouch. I'm sensitive about my poetry.” Speer sat up.

  “Wanna hear a secret?” I asked. He nodded, of course he did. “Brixley and Matias, that whole thing, you made it up.”

  “What does that even mean? I made it up?”

  “It means they're not a couple dingus. Never were.”

  “But.”

  “But he had his arm around her once? They're good friends, Rocko is really cool.”

  “Then why didn't she tell me? Why didn't you?”

  “Thought it wasn’t my place, assumed you would figure it out. She's a spy Max. You told yourself and she simply didn't correct you.

  “What a bitch. But why?”

  “Cause it's funny, and women are good manipulators. Plus, you weren't exactly cool about it.”

  “What? I was cool.”

  “You were not. The good thing is, she's single.”

  “I don't believe you.” He said. I could tell he wasn't lying, but he'd figure it out.

  “You don't strike me as the type of guy who will trade out his single, hot blonde trainer.” I said, pouring on the manipulation. Max himself is a smart one, but boys can never tell.

  “I'm not, typically, but this whole situation is upside down. I'm looking forward to the field. I'll say that.”

  “It will be good for you. The more you tens work together, the better.”

  Not much else of interest. I thought it was a nice touch to drop off the Kynsey being single bomb while she was away, and right before he went out into the field. It would give him plenty of time to think about things. Eduardowould be proud. I'm really banking on Speer following his heart, and providing Kynsey with the push she is gonna need to take a risk on him. At this point, if they aren't together in the bedroom, I don't see them sticking together through training. Real talk.

  Mama Maryam

  DIVINITY Log: Max Speer

  LOG Entry 15

  08/30/2017

  Back from the wilderness, and I feel like a new man. This is my team, my family, my home. I belong here. I also almost started a forest fire with a rocket launcher.

  Had a lot of time to think, and the right surroundings. Even though we trained six to eight hours a day, it felt more like a revitalizing vacation. Between shooting up paper targets, clearing rooms built out of sticks, and scaling a 100 foot mountain side, I found a part of me that had been missing. Just had to go to the mountain.

  Wanted to get down a quick entry before my therapy session with the house goddess.

  On the beach of life,

  Be sun. Bring life.

  With open eyes and sandy toes,

  Love it all,

  Cause nobody knows.

  -Speer

  PROJECT DIVINITY

  Individual Therapy Log: Agent Max Speer

  Therapist: Mama Maryam

  LOG Entry 9

  08/30/2017

  The first session with Max in a while, since he left for the field. Easy to read that it had a positive effect on him. Entering the session, I wanted to see where his head was overall. Out there with those guys in particular, I expected him to come back with fresh eyes.

  And I would have to harp on the trainer situation. The mine had gone off as far as my letting him know that she was available, and I could only hope that it had worked. Eduardo doesn't give a lot of directives. When he does, you like to get them done.

  “I feel like we gel, as a team. It'll be interesting to see how it builds as more tens are divined.” Max rambled non stop, replaying every detail of his adventure on the mountain. “I'm pretty dangerous with a throwing knife now, Dillon taught me and I was throwing 200-300 times a day while we were out there.”

  “So it was good training?” I asked, choosing to let him download. Sometimes the best help you can offer someone, is to lend them your ear and let them wear themselves out.

  “Oh yeah, A-plus. Room clearing, tactical movements, map reading, paintball.”

  “Beer?”

  “A little.” He said. It was nice to see him in a good place mentally. “Actually, since you mention it.”

  “Oh boy.”

  “Yeah, I have a story. So pretty much, we were drinking, and we had a rocket launcher. An old school bazooka, and Dillon wanted me to shoot it. He said it was tradition, but I'm pretty sure he was making that up. Just wanted someone to fire it off and was too drunk to do it himself. We were camping in a cave entrance, and it was built into the side of the mountain, on a ledge. So i fired out towards nothing really, just let one rip out over the trees. We all did a shot. Five minutes later, we smell burning. There's legit a fire a hundred yards out, but down on the ground below us.”

  “Max. Are you kidding me? You guys burned down the forest?”

  “Not quite, we got lucky. The one tree went completely up in flames, an oak or something. We watched it burn. There weren't any other trees close enough to go up, but we were more worried about the wind spreading it.”

  “The tens. Always making the Divinity Program proud.”

  “That's us.”

  “You feel like you are getting close? You are eligible for readiness testing in a couple weeks.”

  “I don't know, so much random shit available for learning here. I feel at home now, but I might hold off on testing for a while.”

  “I think that's smart. 90 days is for agents who accelerate their progress with large training loads.”

  “I consider myself a throwback, more of a classical slacker. I'll get there when my boat gets to the shore.”

  “Lazy?”

  “Lot of the greats were about that hammock life. You aren'
t doing any better in life than sleeping through the day without a care in the world.”

  “No opposition on that point. Brixley said that, or wrote it. Hammock life.”

  “That little brat, stealing my shit.”

  “What is that, your fraternity slacker motto?”

  “Actually, I don't know where I got that. I'm an idea collector.”

  “A thief?”

  “Stop twisting my words. I steal nothing.”

  “I bet you stole it from her.”

  “Nah.”

  “Let's get back on track. Kynsey as a trainer. You still wanting to switch?”