Realm of Shadows

by Eldon Farrell

  “X1 is possessed of opposite chirality with left-handed sugars and right-handed amino acids in its DNA helix. Add it all up Hong. It’s all been confirmed by each of us. We’re not making mistakes here and it’s time the world knew what we’ve found. I mean, you have to know what this means right?”

  “Do you know what it means?” Hong fires back, “Do you really know? If we’re right—and you guys are correct that it looks like we are—then it’s not just the scientific establishment we’re threatening to upend here.

  “What X1 really is is not just some tiny organism living on the bottom of a lake; it’s proof of a second genesis event. How do you think the religions of the world are going to take that news? What about the billions of followers they have?

  “You think it’s going to be easy for us because we have scientific proof? Every last belief system in the world has a creation myth attached to it that X1 threatens to destroy. They’re going to tear apart everything we put out there as proof; looking for any crack they can use to discredit us and our conclusion.”

  Hong watches as both Amir and Felicia lower their heads, turning away. He pours it on. “If we have interpreted even the slightest thing wrong, we are going to be crucified in the media. You can forget about ever working at a university again—we’re wrong about this—we’re radioactive.

  “So blame me if you want to,” Hong shakes his head saying, “But with this much on the line…we need to be certain about everything. Once we put this out there—there’s no putting the genie back in the bottle.”

  “Then in your estimation,” Amir asks, “How do we become certain?”

  Without missing a beat Hong answers, “Independent verification.”

  “You’re OK with including more people in this?” Felicia asks.

  “I can go along with that,” Amir declares, “We should send samples to the top universities in the world. Oxford, Yale, Harvard—they’d all kill to have even a tiny part of this discovery.”

  Hong looks away from them for a moment but a moment is enough. His silence and furtive glances are more than enough to tip off Amir.

  Letting a slow breath whistle between his teeth Amir states, “You already gave a sample away didn’t you?”

  Shocked by this revelation, Felicia stammers, “Hong…?”

  Swallowing hard he starts, “Felicia I—”

  “Who did you give it to Hong?” Amir demands.

  Slouching, he answers, “My father.”

  “Your father!?” Amir’s eyes are wild with rage as he spits, “What does he have to do with this?”

  “He has contacts at government labs,” Hong defends his actions, “He wants to help me.”

  “He wants to help himself!” Amir shouts.

  “You don’t know my father!”

  Silence descends on the trailer for a moment before Amir asserts, “This wasn’t your discovery alone Hong. This wasn’t your decision to make.”

  “Amir’s right Hong,” Felicia says quietly, the hurt obvious in her voice. “I can’t believe you did this without telling us first.”

  “Felicia,” he reaches out for her hand but she quickly pulls it away. “He’s helping us.”

  “Get it back,” Amir orders, “Get the sample back.”

  “I-I can’t do that.”

  “Can’t or won’t?”

  Hong lowers his head despondently saying nothing which prompts Amir to stand up and angrily head for the door. As he is leaving Hong mumbles, “My father is a good man. You’ll see; he’s a good man.”

  Houston, Texas

  Outside the gleaming glass tower that is the corporate headquarters of Black Creek Consulting; menacing storm clouds are churning in the night obscuring the glittering skyline of the city.

  Facing the floor to ceiling window that runs the full length of his office, Jing Bai stands with his hands comfortably cupped behind his back, watching as lightning arcs from cloud to cloud.

  The bluish light intermittingly lifts his features from the darkness of his office, revealing the severity of his countenance, before dropping him back into shadows.

  Thunder rolls outside and he can feel the rumble through his Italian loafers while he watches the rain start to pelt the glass inches from his face.

  Feeling a vibration in his pocket that has nothing to do with the storm he reaches in and removes his mobile phone. Stabbing at a button he brings it to his ear saying, “What?”

  The voice on the other end is familiar from long years of service. “You wanted me to call.”

  “You have received the shipment I sent to you?”

  “I have.”

  “I think it will be…quite lucrative for us.”

  “I can see why you think that,” the voice pauses before adding, “It’s quite…unnatural.”

  “Making it just perfect for our use.”

  “Can I ask where it came from?”

  “You can ask,” Jing replies coldly.

  “There won’t be any legal ownership issues then?”

  “There won’t be,” Jing answers confidently, “Do what you do best and leave the rest to me.”

  Mono County, California

  Walking alone along the gravel path, Hong absently drags his heels across the pebbled surface. He’s headed toward the trailer that he shares with Felicia but is in no hurry to get there.

  His mind is a jumble of thoughts and contradictions that he wants to sort out before seeing her again and facing her cold shoulder.

  I just don’t get it; he casts his eyes out toward the placid surface of Mono Lake thinking, why is she hurt so badly? What I did I did for her as much as myself, why can’t she see that? My father is helping us; he’s going to make sure that we don’t flush our careers down the drain by ensuring that we’re right.

  Why am I the only one who can see that? It has to be Amir’s influence on her. I never should’ve told him anything about my father. All he’s done since then is treat him as a combatant—as someone not to be trusted. If I had known he thought of him as a mercenary already I…

  Well I wouldn’t have given him any more fuel for his personal pyre that’s for sure.

  Reaching a crest in the path he can see the trailer some twenty-five feet off; its door hanging open tells him that Felicia is there.

  This is it. I don’t want to fight anymore. I want her to talk to me and I want to explain to her that what I did was right—for all of us. She’ll have to see that.

  Nodding to himself he traverses the distance and steps up into the trailer. She will, I know she will.

  Stepping inside and closing the door he catches her briefly glance over her shoulder at him before returning her attention to her book.

  After waiting a few minutes Hong clears his throat saying, “We can’t go on like this Felicia. How long are you going to give me the silent treatment? It’s been a week already; we need to talk about this.”

  Slowly putting her book aside she turns to look at him scoffing, “This we need to talk about? Why Hong? Because it would make you feel better? You didn’t think we needed to talk about giving out a sample of X1 so why do we need to talk about this?”

  “Felicia I,” he stammers, “I did that for us.”

  “Please Hong,” she dismisses the idea with a furious shake of her head, “Don’t even try that. You did this for yourself and no one else.”

  “That’s not true,” he insists.

  She glares at him a moment before asking, “Do you really expect me to believe that you didn’t see X1 as an opportunity to gain your father’s approval? For as long as we’ve been together Hong; I know you better than that.”

  This revelation floors him. I’ve never spoken to her of my father. Never. How could she possibly know I don’t already have his approval? Did Amir tell her? Is he so angry with me that he told her out of spite?

  “I can see your gears turning Hong,” she says, “Let me help you out; I’m not stupid. You’ve never said anything about your father—it doesn’t take a
genius to figure out there’s tension between you. And it certainly isn’t much of a leap to conclude that you’ve gotten him involved to dissolve that tension.”

  “Felicia,” he whispers, “Even if that were true…my father is going to help all of us. He’s on our side…I did this for us.”

  “Even if it’s true?” she disparages, “Why can’t you just admit what you’ve done?”

  “What I’ve done,” he replies, “What have I done? We had agreed to get independent verification and my father is doing that for us. Why are you so upset by that?”

  Her look freezes his innards solid. “You are not that dumb Hong,” she says with vitriol, “You went behind our backs and gave away a sample before we agreed to it. This was more my discovery than anyone’s—I found X1 on the bottom of that lake. Me, not you!

  “I deserved a say in how we proceeded with it and you…you took that away from me. This wasn’t your decision to make alone and if you can’t see that what you did was wrong…then what do we really have to talk about?”

  “Felicia,” his voice cracks as he says, “My father is going to help us. He…he’s a good man.”

  She shakes her head at him while giving him a pitying look. “A leopard doesn’t change its spots Hong. If your father is such a good man then where’s he been? Why have I never met him? Why has he not been a part of your life until now—when conveniently enough you have something to offer him?

  “Amir is right Hong but you just refuse to see it. Your father is helping himself; he’s not helping us.”

  “How is he helping himself?” Hong snaps, “This is Amir twisting what’s real. My father has no use for X1. He’s not the monster Amir makes him out to be; he just wants to help me.”

  They look at each other for a long moment before Felicia turns away saying, “The sad thing is Hong that I can’t tell whether you really believe that or are just so desperate in wanting to believe it. But what’s done is done and I have no interest in arguing further with you.”

  “Felicia,” he pleads, “What can I do? Tell me what I can do to make things right.”

  “You know what to do,” she replies, “You just refuse to do it.”

  “I can’t ask for the sample back,” he beseeches, “He’s my father.”

  “Then I’m sorry,” she turns away from him, picking up her book again saying, “You’ve made your choice—there’s nothing more to discuss.”

  Lee Vining, California

  Sliding into the booth across from his father, Hong nods in greeting while his hand squeaks loudly against the vinyl seat.

  Returning the nod Jing begins, “I have to say I’m surprised son.”

  Hong gives him a blank look and Jing gestures to their surroundings saying, “After our last meeting here I got the distinct impression that you would rather meet onsite. Asking me back to this café is surprising.”

  “Yeah,” Hong plays it off, “It’s no big thing; the food here’s good.”

  Narrowing his eyes appraisingly at him, Jing asks, “What are you not telling me son?”

  Shifting under the weight of that gaze Hong unskillfully attempts to change the subject. “Have you heard anything from the lab about the sample yet?”

  “Nothing,” he replies, “Of course I’m not expecting to hear anything just yet; they’ve really only been working on it for a few weeks now. I’m sure you realize these things take time.

  “But then I told you I’d let you know when I had news, so why did you really ask to see me here?”

  “No reason,” Hong forces a smile, “Just thought we could have lunch together.”

  “All right,” Jing calls his bluff, “Then after we eat you can show me around the site.” This causes Hong’s eyes to widen sufficiently, just as he knew it would.

  “Out with it son,” he demands, “What’s the problem?”

  He doesn’t want to say anything. He doesn’t want to admit that he can’t handle things at his own site and thereby appear weak to his father. Worse still, he doesn’t want to set him against the woman he loves by telling him what she thinks of him.

  Despite all the reasons not to though, one look at the compassion and understanding in his father’s dark eyes, and a switch is thrown deep inside Hong. Before he knows what he’s doing he’s spilling everything like a child craving attention.

  “Things are not good between me and my partners right now.”

  “Because of me?” Jing deduces.

  “No…yes,” Hong recounts, “It’d just be better if you stayed away from the site right now. I know they’ll come around but…for now Amir and Felicia…” chewing his bottom lip he says, “Mostly Amir…they’re not happy about your participation in this—they want me to get the sample back.”

  Jing gives nothing away in his expression. Sitting back against the booth he softly replies, “Well…I can try to do that. I can see if the lab will return all the data they’ve so far collected if that’s what you want. But is that what you want Hong?”

  He sees the caring in his father’s face and recognizes the sincerity in his words. Eventually Hong shakes his head. “No, that’s not what I want. I want them to see that you don’t have some ulterior motive; that you’re doing this to help me—to help us.”

  “And so I am,” Jing says with a warm smile. Turning serious he lowers his voice asking, “But now I must know; can you still trust them to remain quiet about all this?”

  Hong pauses for the barest of moments but looking at his father’s knowing eyes he realizes it’s too long. No matter what I say, he already has his answer. “I can,” he implores him; “They won’t say anything.”

  “They realize if they do talk,” Jing’s voice treads that fine line between stating a fact and issuing a threat, “The risk that they’ll be taking?”

  “They do,” Hong eagerly nods his head, “They won’t say anything Dad. Amir is my friend and Felicia and I are in love.”

  It strikes him then. Of all the times he imagined telling him this, he never imagined it would happen this way. Telling him with just a hint of desperation and, dare he say, fear edging into his voice.

  But why am I afraid? My dad’s not some monster—he wouldn’t do anything to them. He wouldn’t…

  “Because if they talk,” Jing continues ignoring his son’s assurances, “And the lab reveals your findings are wrong—all of your careers will be over. They understand that?”

  “They do,” Hong swears, “Trust me Dad; they’ll come around. They may be upset but we’re still on the same page.”

  A slight smile lifts the corners of his mouth as Jing replies, “Of course you are; as you say, they’ll come around.”

  Reaching across the table he pats Hong’s hand saying, “And try not to worry too much about it son, these things have a way of…working themselves out in the end.”

  Mono County, California

  He’s been here for close to a week now and nothing has happened.

  A patient man, nevertheless, Samuel Slade is starting to have his patience tested. He views his placement here as a ‘shit assignment’, something far beneath his considerable talents.

  But when the order comes from the top, like any good soldier Slade salutes and doesn’t voice his displeasure. Only in private does he fester about being chosen to watch the two scientists at this research camp.

  All his surveillance so far has taught him is that Amir Singh and Felicia Werner lead extremely boring lives. He can see nothing of importance in this scraggly high desert and yet the tone with which Jing Bai gave him his orders certainly indicated otherwise.

  The contradiction vexes him during the long hours of his day.

  But today is not like the other days—today something happens.

  From his spot a half mile away from the camp he sees the dust cloud first before making out the jeep heading his way. Placing the binoculars to his eyes he adjusts the sights and clearly makes out the woman behind the wheel.

  Curling his lip into a snarl, he reaches f
or his mobile and quickly places the call.

  Here we go.

  “Yes,” Jing Bai answers brusquely.

  “Sir,” Slade comes right to the point, “The woman is going off reservation. Should I guide her back?”

  After a brief moment of contemplation Jing responds, “No; I don’t want you blown yet. Follow her—but don’t get made. I’ll see what I can find out about what she could be up to and get back to you.”

  “As you wish sir,” Slade replies but the line has already gone dead. Turning the key in the ignition of his black Hummer, he waits until the jeep is well past him before pulling out from behind the scrub brush and rocks that concealed him.

  She has turned south on I-395, a road that at this time of day is almost as barren as the landscape around it. He hangs far back, out of her sight, without any fear of losing her.

  The GPS tracking unit he attached to the jeep’s undercarriage two nights ago allows him to follow her easily without actually having to keep her in sight.

  Settling back into his seat, his cold eyes on the GPS readout, he calmly stalks his prey.

  Houston, Texas

  With the phone pressed tightly to his ear, its desolate ringing grows to engulf Jing Bai—becoming the whole of his world.

  Pick up, he seethes, come on, pick up. Pick up!

  Growing more frustrated by the minute he finally yields and slams the phone down on his desk unable to reach his son.

  Where the hell are you Hong? And more importantly, what the fuck is your bitch up to?

  Thumping his fist on top of the desk he reaches for the phone and tries calling Hong again. Again it rings unanswered and leaves him shaking with impotent rage.

  What could she be doing? Where could she be going?

  Bishop, California

  Ninety minutes after he started following her and Samuel Slade pulls the Hummer over to the curb on West Line Street. Across the way and down the block he can see her jeep parked outside the town post office.