Sequence 77

by Darin Preston

  Although minuscule, the bare, white lightbulb sent a piercing arrow of pain into her ocular nerves, forcing her to raise one hand to shield her eyes. Understanding came in only small, stubborn increments as Manisha began taking deep, cleansing breaths in an attempt to regain control of her faculties. It was not until she saw her hand in front of her that she realized she was no longer tied up. Fear and adrenaline began to counteract the effects of Niclas’s anesthetizing agent as she forced herself into a sitting position and rested her feet on the floor. Dizziness and nausea followed the sudden movement as she resisted the urge to lie back down.

  Placing her feet flat on the ground, one foot felt as if it had found ice instead of concrete. Manisha pushed down on the cot with her arms and attempted to stand. Her legs wobbled and failed beneath her, causing her to fall forward onto the unforgiving stone floor with a thud. Refusing to give in to the allure of respite, she willed herself into a crawling position and began moving awkwardly toward the door of the storeroom. Crawling in a straight line proved difficult, as impaired equilibrium guided her from one side to the other like a kite without a string. Gradually, she reached her destination and grabbed the cold, steel door handle, leaning her weight against it to push it open. Spilling inelegantly into the dimly lit hallway, her open hands slapped against the ground as she managed to stop from planting her face firmly into the dusty floor.

  Feeling that she may pass out, Manisha pushed herself into a sitting position and rested her back against a large wooden crate while compelling several deep breaths into her lungs. “C’mon doctor, stay with me,” she whispered, her voice gravelly from disuse. Turning to face the heavy crate, she put her hand on the top edge and pulled herself upward. With knees threatening to buckle, she managed to steady herself. Sense of direction and time were lost upon her as she peered in both directions down the long shadowy hallway. Only the knowledge that a madman was on the loose, intent upon carrying out an unspeakable plan, kept her from succumbing to fatigue.

  Gathering her strength for an attempt at taking a step, she heard a noise coming from deep within the blackness. She glared silently into the dark, afraid that Niclas and his hulking companion had decided that she was too much of a liability after all. Two points of light appeared from the depths, wavering like drunken fireflies. One moved to the right and disappeared, while the other continued toward her on a meandering route. She attempted to crouch down to avoid detection, but stumbled instead, grabbing at the crate, and causing a loud screech as it shifted along the floor. The point of light beamed in her direction and moved quickly toward her. She held up her hand to shield her eyes from its blinding intensity.

  “Professor Shukla?” said a familiar, concerned voice. Manisha’s eyes widened in spite of the glare and her body tingled with the realization that help had arrived. “Please, he’s getting aw…” she whimpered as her vision blurred and the walls began to sway sickeningly. She felt herself become dizzy and started to fall toward the merciless floor once again. Sensing, more than hearing the comforting words, “I’ve got you,” her descent gently stopped. It was as if she had fallen into deep water without getting wet.

  Nearly caught off guard by how he went from searching a seemingly empty hallway one moment and holding the professor in his arms the next, Leo whispered as if afraid to disturb her slumber. “You’re gonna be ok, Doc,” he whispered as if carefully waking her from a long nightmare.

  “Agent Alejo, thank you,” she sobbed, suddenly breaking down in relief.

  “The name’s Leo,” he said, looking her over for any noticeable sign of trauma. “Are you hurt, do you need medical assistance?”

  “N...no, I’m fine. I could use a little fresh air and something to drink though,” she stammered, her voice still weak.

  Taking no chances, Leo eased her back into a sitting position against the crate. “I need you to sit still until we can get a medic here to check you over,” he insisted, genuine concern fortifying his voice. “Don’t worry. We’ll get you outtah here as soon as we can, Professor Shukla.”

  Gazing up to find Leo’s brown eyes staring intently into her own, she had never felt safer. “The name’s Manisha. Thank you, Leo,” she said with a faint smile.

  Blinking hard, Leo seemed reluctant to break his gaze. He tilted his head and peered alertly into the open, but still shadowy storage room. “Are they still nearby?” asked Leo, readying a hand on the butt of his holstered pistol.

  Manisha shook her head, immediately regretting the gesture when spots flashed before her eyes. “There were two men, but they’re gone now,” she said, too exhausted to ask how Leo knew there had been more than one.

  “Are you sure you’re not hurt?” asked Leo, beginning to fear that she would lose consciousness if left on the cold floor much longer.

  Maneuvering her neck from side to side, she completed the self-diagnostic by wiggling her fingers and toes. “I’m okay. Niclas used chloroform, not a baseball bat.”

  Confused, Leo wondered if she’d hit her head at some point. “Who’s Niclas? We were told their names are Chuck and Walter” he shrugged, wondering if they were misinformed somehow.

  Throbbing uncomfortably, Manisha’s rubbed her temples as Niclas’s story came rushing back. “It’s a long story, Leo, I’ll explain on the way out of here,” she promised.

  Taking a deep breath, he scooped Manisha off the floor and carefully cradled her fully in his arms. “Ok, let’s get you out of here.” Holding her as though she may break apart if handled too brusquely, he started back from where he came.

  Seemingly cued by Leo’s words, the hallway lights buzzed to life and grew slowly in intensity a few moments before Agent Alexander emerged from a breaker room near the far end of the hallway. “You found her!” he exclaimed, holding his arms up in momentary celebration as his voice echoed down the corridor. “Does she need medical attention?” he asked with concern as he realized she was being carried.

  Rolling her eyes. Manisha considered having Leo put her down, but the spinning room made her think better of it. “You guys are like broken records,” she said with a weary smirk. Her voice and composure began to return thanks to the smaller dose of chloroform administered this time around, but a cumulative, dizzying effect promised to keep her off her feet for the time being. “No hospitals, just get me to my office, I’ll tell you everything I know on the way,” she said insistently.

  Unhappy with that option, Leo shot a disapproving look at the woman in his arms before directing an order toward his partner as he hurried past. “Have paramedics meet us in her office. If they say she’s good-to-go, then no hospital,” he said commandingly.

  Acknowledging receipt of the directive with a lighthearted salute, Seth followed closely behind. “Yes sir,” he whispered with a grin. Leo’s switch to a first name basis with the professor had not gone unnoticed. Taking out his cell phone, he found that reception was nonexistent at their current location. Running to catch up, he reached the elevator just in time to step inside with Leo still holding Manisha. “Going up?” asked Seth. He pushed the button and ignored a dirty look from Leo as the doors pinched closed in front of them.

  ***

  The Center’s main lights had finally been turned on as police officers and campus security vigilantly patrolled the hallways. Seth and Leo updated Captain Fillion and Joshua while waiting just outside the professor’s office for word on her condition.

  Manisha sat alertly in her office chair as a thin, dark-haired paramedic flashed a small penlight from right to left in front of her eyes. The man looked worriedly at her as he clipped the penlight into his shirt pocket. “You don’t appear to have a concussion, but the hospital is literally right down the street. Why not let us take you there?” he motioned to the padded gurney sitting just outside her office.

  Waving one hand, she brushed the suggestion aside. “I’m feeling much better. I’ll have my assistant drive me over if that changes,” she promised with a smile, knowing that Alice would get her there f
aster than any ambulance. “Please send in the four gentlemen hovering outside my door on your way out.” Insistent, but polite, she ushered the young medic from her presence without getting up from her chair. Regardless of her outward assurances, she was nearly certain that standing would force a dizzying relapse.

  After a few moments had passed, Leo entered the office first, hastily taking a position close to Manisha, he kneeled down beside her. The other three men filed in, each appearing to be waiting their turn to question her decision to go without further medical attention. “The paramedic said he thought you should be checked out at the hospital. What gives?” asked Leo, raising his voice in protest.

  Before any more of them had the opportunity to question her decision, she got to the point. “I’m a big girl. Unless I pass out or start bleeding from the ears, I’m staying put,” she said firmly. “Now, I need to know what was in the files you recovered last night,” she said expectantly, moving her chair toward the center of her desk and placing her palms flatly in front of her.

  Motioning to the box sitting on the floor next to her desk. “The files are right there, Professor. We were lucky to get them,” he said, nearly sneezing at the thought of all the dust in their fruitless search of the records room.

  “You mean to tell me that you haven’t even looked at the files yet?” asked Manisha dejectedly, motioning for Leo to hand her the box.

  “I browsed through them, but didn’t spend much time studying them,” he admitted. “Most of it reads like Greek to me.”

  Reaching with both hands into the box, Leo put the stack of files on the desk in front of her. “This is all sounds like something Orwell would’ve made up. I didn’t think we’d be able to make sense of it either,” offered Leo their defense.

  Realizing how critical she must have sounded, Manisha softened her approach. “I understand, but actually, these files should be pretty straightforward,” she assured him, opening the first file in the stack. “They’re the original medical records which correspond directly to the genetic profiles I’ve been piecing back together. They appear to be uncensored as well,” she said happily as she began paging through the original documents.

  Crossing his arms, Joshua raised a puzzled eyebrow at her. “If Millburg, or whatever his name is, took the files you were analyzing, how would you even know what to look for in these?” he asked, concerned that the professor may not yet be thinking clearly.

  She scanned through the first record quickly, continuing her explanation. “The earlier analysis had already confirmed that several of the test subjects possessed the same genetic anomaly, but there was just no way to know how it manifested without looking in the medical records for a repeating expression pattern,” she expounded as though she were teaching one of her classes. Her focus steadily returned as she moved adeptly into the familiar role of educator.

  Unfolding his arms, Joshua put his hands in his pants pockets. “That makes sense,” he conceded. It was almost disappointing that his question was answered so easily. Though he would never admit that some of the vocabulary was a bit over his head.

  Not wishing to be left out, Captain Fillion leaned forward and peered into the box of files. “We may not be scientists, but if it’s a pattern you’re looking for, Professor, I think you’ve got the right crew to help find it,” he suggested, picking out one of the records and placing it open on a corner of the desk.

  Reaching for files of their own to sift through, Seth and Joshua followed suit as Leo moved to look over Manisha’s shoulder at the file in front of her.

  After a few minutes of trading files back and forth, Seth placed his finger on a birth certificate. “Look at this!” he said, his voice rising in excitement.

  Putting her own finger on it to save the spot, Manisha took the file and squinted as she read. “That just has to be a typo,” she said with amazement, quickly pulling the certificates, along with other key pieces of information, from the remaining files. Keeping the documents organized, she placed them all side by side in front of her. “According to these, each infant was born a different race than the father more than eighty percent of the time,” she surmised, brushing dark hair behind her ears to keep it from obscuring her line-of-sight.

  John looked at the documents and grimaced. “No wonder the department got so many domestic disturbance calls.” His voice was unsettled as he began to grasp the situation. “Finding out you’re not the father while standing in the delivery room has gotta be a real kick in the acorns,” he said, shaking his head dejectedly. “Not that it’s any excuse for what some of them did, though,” he added.

  Drawing attention back to the files, Manisha was satisfied with the explanation for why the assaults took place, but the deeper cause still eluded her. “This is why some of the men went berserk, but there’s more here than that, gentlemen.” She pointed to the registration forms that each adult filled out upon being admitted to the hospital. Finding it hard to believe her eyes, she pointed for Leo to take a look.

  Scanning the forms, Leo compared each case to the corresponding birth certificate. He blinked in surprise as the evidence spoke for itself. “This is muy loco. How’s this even possible?” he asked, placing his hand on the top of his head in dismay.

  Making the connection just moments later, Seth found himself at a loss for words as a lump formed in his throat. He reached for his neckline as if expecting to find a rope pulled tight around his windpipe.

  Taking a reflexive breath, Manisha placed a hand on her chest as the gravity of the situation set in. “Oh, dear Lord,” she said, her eyes widening in abject horror.

  Seeing the color drain from the professor’s face, John assumed she was having a delayed reaction to the chloroform. “Are you ok, Professor? Do you need us to call the medic back in?”

  Though she tried to swallow, Manisha couldn’t make enough saliva to make it happen. Despite having remained sitting in her chair, she could feel nausea’s disturbing return. “I think I know what the anomaly is,” she choked, as thickening her lips threatened to cement together. “He’s found a way to target and randomize a specific part of the human genetic code.” She leaned forward uncomfortably, her stomach tightening.

  Leaning toward her, Leo put a steadying hand on her shoulder. “Are you ok?” he asked with quiet concern, unconsciously mimicking her pained expression.

  Unable to contain his impatience, Joshua pounded his fist loudly on the desk in an attempt to snap the professor out of her increasingly delirious state. “What part of the code are you talking about, Professor?” he demanded.

  Blinking as if snapping out of a hypnotic state, she answered as if she didn’t believe her own words. “Race,” she whispered, bringing her hands to cover her mouth in astonishment.

  “Bullshit!” John sneered in utter disbelief. “You can’t change a person’s race. That can’t happen.” Staggering backward, he fell breathlessly into one of the wooden office chairs behind him.

  Mind racing, Manisha’s did her best to push emotion away by grounding herself in the science of the situation. Methodically, she began reasoning it through. “You’re right, Captain. Manipulating a person’s race would be far too complex an undertaking.” Her tone made it obvious that the explanation wouldn’t end there, no matter how much she wished it could have. “Targeting a single gene or series is theoretically plausible.” With a curious tilt of her head, pieces of her conversation with Niclas played through her mind. “Somehow, Kappel knows where the sequences are and how to target them.”

  “I can’t believe that’s the most plausible explanation here,” said Joshua flatly, his head shaking as he refused to accept the possibility. “You simply can’t be certain that the child wasn’t just the product of an affair with someone of that ethnicity,” he persisted, unwilling to accept that such a basic piece of a person’s identity could be so easily stripped away.

  Never one to draw conclusions without the data to prove it, she pushed down on the surface of her desk and willed herself t
o stand. Leo held her arm to steady her as she faced the skeptical young agent. “Unfortunately, I can be sure, Agent Toth,” she said convincingly, frowning because it brought her no sense of pleasure. “Each of the four corresponding files I analyzed contained three sets of genetic testing. One set for the female, one for the male, and one for the newborn. In each case, the child was confirmed to be the biological offspring of both adults.”

  Keeping his right hand securely on Manisha’s forearm, Leo pointed emphatically at the files with his left. “The registration forms confirm it, too,” he said, directing Joshua’s stunned gaze to the registration form for each case.

  Casting his eyes on the records in shock, Joshua placed his palms on the desk and looked down in defeat. “You’re saying the newborn’s race didn’t match either parent.”

  “Now that explains why Doctor Kemp was so secretive,” Seth nodded, rubbing his forehead in dismay. “There’s no question now. She knew about the anomaly,” he concluded angrily, pursing his lips to keep from polluting the air with profanity.

  Together they stood in silence, unable to fully process the revelation of what Niclas Kappel had done. Seth’s head ached as cohesive thought lay stricken under the weight of the impossible made real. Captain Fillion sat staring blindly up at the ceiling; Agent Toth continued to look down at the nothingness welling up within him. Leo had ceased trying to make sense of the situation and focused on getting Manisha to sit back down.