Helix_Episode 1

by Nathan M. Farrugia

  ‘I should’ve been on the bus.’ Damien shook his head. ‘That was the plan, right? So you could track wherever they take me .’

  ‘Plans change.’ Nasira looked over at him. ‘The important thing is you found who took Jay .’

  ‘I didn’t find who took Jay,’ he said .

  Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. ‘Bullshit .’

  ‘If I knew, I’d tell you,’ he said .

  ‘My money’s on the covert multinational agency who trained and programmed us .’

  ‘It’s not the Fifth Column,’ Damien said. ‘Someone else took Jay .’

  Nasira refused to look at him now. ‘That’s not helping. You’re supposed to help. That’s the whole freaking point .’

  Damien clenched his fists. ‘I am helping .’

  His hands felt like they were on fire, which told him his adrenaline—or epinephrine—was rapidly wearing off. He opened his fists and noticed the top layer of his palms were seared red .

  Nasira nodded to her rucksack in the back seat. ‘Bandages. And there’s some — ’

  Damien already had her rucksack, a slim black military-grade backpack, in one hand .

  ‘—morphine,’ she said .

  He injected half a dose into one palm, then tried to focus through the pain. It would take a few minutes for the drug to cut off his pain receptors. He injected his other palm, then dropped the rucksack between his feet .

  ‘Don’t take too much,’ Nasira said, watching the road. ‘I don’t need you crashing on me .’

  ‘We can swap injuries if you want.’ Both of his hands trembled and he had trouble pushing the last of the morphine into the muscle .

  ‘I’m good,’ she said. ‘You … take what you need .’

  He capped the needle and tried to put it back in her medical pouch, but it fell loose into her rucksack .

  ‘What about your fancy regeneration genes?’ Nasira asked. ‘That chameleon thing’ll heal you up soon, right ?’

  ‘Salamander,’ he whispered. ‘Takes a while .’

  It was a nice little upgrade and he was glad to have it. He rested his hands on his knees, palms facing up, and focused on the road ahead .

  Nasira moved swiftly around traffic. ‘We need new wheels. You up for that ?’

  Damien looked between his legs at the open rucksack. ‘I’m up for not being killed or captured .’

  ‘I’m taking that as a yes,’ she said. ‘I got what we need in that rucksack, including a passport that won’t get you caught .’

  Damien looked up and realized they were in a small town already. Nasira pulled into a side street and got them away from traffic. She stopped behind an old pickup and cut the engine. Damien moved his hand carefully through the rucksack’s strap, shrugging it onto his shoulder without touching his raw hand on anything. Half the missing skin from his palm was likely still attached to his pistol grip .

  Before she stepped out, Nasira took a set of jiggler keys from the rucksack. Through the gunfire-peppered windshield, he watched her move for the pickup. She examined the ring, flicking through and trying one key after another. The second key was a good enough match and the door opened. She jumped inside and a moment later the engine coughed .

  Damien lifted himself into the driver’s seat of the 4x4 and drove it ahead, taking the first left. He parked it there and waited for Nasira to catch up. Once she did, he grabbed the UMP and jumped in beside her .

  ‘Thanks,’ Nasira said .

  ‘You don’t need to thank me,’ Damien said .

  He looked down and realized his hands had stopped shaking. The pain was still there, dulled by opioids. The cuts on his face itched as they slowly healed, but he suppressed the urge to scratch them .

  ‘I mean it,’ Nasira said. ‘I really didn’t know who else to ask .’

  ‘There is no one else to ask,’ he said. ‘Not on this side of the world anyway .’

  ‘Yeah.’ She actually agreed with him .

  Damien felt suddenly tired. He leaned back in his seat with his palms still open .

  ‘This bus,’ she said. ‘They load people on there with flagged passports, just like Jay ?’

  He nodded. ‘Yeah. There should be two other people on the bus right now. Whoever abducted Jay is taking these people somewhere. We just need to keep on the bus trail and follow whoever picks them up .’

  ‘So why did they kick you off the bus?’ she asked .

  Damien looked down at his own uniform. ‘These border control guys were different. They had white armbands. I think they called the Fifth Column on me, then they decided it was better to kill me .’

  ‘That makes no sense.’ Nasira looked at him, her eyebrows pressed together. ‘Is that the morphine talking ?’

  ‘I wish,’ Damien said. ‘But they weren’t the ones who took Jay .’

  ‘There some kind of auction price on him now ?’

  ‘Rogue operatives with activated pseudogenes.’ Damien shrugged. His body ached. ‘Maybe we’re in high demand .’

  Nasira was watching the road ahead. They couldn’t see the bus, but the GPS tracker he’d stowed onboard was transmitting loud and clear from just over the hill. The tracker was heading for the northeast coast of Guatemala, pushing GPS data at five-second intervals over a cellular network. It was only the size of a micro USB stick, small enough for him to wedge into a seat where no one would notice. He’d managed to shove it in before border control climbed aboard and pulled him off the bus. The tracker carried its own Nano SIM and a tiny battery that could keep it alive for four days. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that .

  Nasira rubbed her eyes. ‘Don’t matter who’s waiting for us at the end of the bus trip, whether it’s Fifth Column or some human trafficking ring or a boy band reunion.’ She sighed. ‘As long as there’s someone who can lead us back to Jay. Else we got shit .’

  ‘Jay was on a bus just like this one, I know that much,’ Damien said. ‘We stay on this bus like glue and we find him .’

  Nasira blinked. ‘He better be alive .’

  Chapter Eight

  Six years ago

  Location: Classified

  ‘Y ou’re lucky you made it across,’ Ark said .

  Olesya turned from her bunk bed to see Ark standing in the doorway of their quarters. It was just the two of them. Ark’s bed looked unkempt today. No hospital corners .

  ‘The only reason you’re here is to test my squad.’ Ark pointed to himself. ‘They want to see how I handle an untrained civilian .’

  ‘That’s what I’ve been saying,’ Olesya said .

  ‘No.’ Ark stepped into the quarters. ‘You don’t get it. In the real world, when they send me to get a hostage or something ...’

  Olesya nodded. ‘I’m the curveball .’

  Ark raised his hand. ‘Let me explain. You’re the challenge. My squad almost failed today because of you. That was the real test. Not to train you. They don’t care about training you. They want to see if we can still make it through with you slowing us down .’

  Olesya felt her cheeks flush. ‘I put myself on the line so your squad could make the right decision .’

  ‘And you couldn’t even do that right,’ he said .

  ‘You’re blaming the ambush on me?’ Olesya asked .

  ‘You shot me .’

  ‘I didn’t mean — ’

  ‘I told you not to shoot,’ Ark said .

  ‘I shot the soldier,’ Olesya said. ‘You got in the way .’

  ‘No, you got in the way,’ he said. ‘This is why you do everything I tell you. And why you don’t shoot at all. Can you get that through your thick skull ?’

  Olesya nodded .

  ‘Our final qualification is tomorrow and you’ll get through with us. I will make sure of it. And once we qualify, you’ll be out of here so fast you won’t know what hit you. Or maybe you will.’ He walked for the door .

  ‘Is that your plan?’ she asked .

  Ark paused in the doorway. ‘Xiu sees something
in you. If she’s wrong, then you’re dragging us down .’

  ‘And if she’s right ?’

  He turned to face her. ‘Then you’re dragging me down. And I won’t let that happen .’

  ‘My father never hit me,’ Olesya said. ‘I told you that to make you feel better .’

  ‘I don’t need you to make me feel better .’

  ‘The path of least resistance,’ she said. ‘I can choose the easy way out. I can adapt to the way you do things and shut my mouth. It’s better than making waves .’

  He nodded. ‘Now you finally get it .’

  ‘If it goes on long enough, the resistance adds up,’ Olesya said. ‘It’s not worth it anymore. But you don’t realize that until it’s too late. Sometimes, the path of most resistance is actually the least .’

  His eyes narrowed. ‘What are you trying to say ?’

  ‘The person who hit you.’ She took one step toward him. ‘They were taller .’

  ‘No one hit me,’ he said .

  Olesya took another step. ‘You flinch from above. And there’s a slight twitch when I mention your father .’

  Ark closed the gap between them. ‘You say anything about my family again and you’ll be the one flinching.’ He wet his lips. ‘Tomorrow, you’re not firing a single round. I’m taking your magazine and I’m keeping it until it’s over. You got that ?’

  Olesya stared through him. ‘You’re not taking my magazine. Because I’m not giving it to you .’

  She waited for him to say his final words and then storm off, but there was something different in his eyes now. She’d miscalculated. He lunged forward and grabbed her arm, tight .

  ‘You do what I say,’ he said in a low growl .

  ‘Disarming me is against the rules of engagement.’ Olesya tried to pull free. ‘You’ll get us disqualified if you do that .’

  His grip tightened. ‘No! I’ll get us qualified .’

  ‘You’re not thinking — ’

  Ark held both her upper arms and shook her. ‘I’m the squad leader! You hear me ?’

  Olesya tilted her head back, focused on the ceiling to slow the dizziness. ‘Stop shaking me !’

  He banged her head against the bunk. ‘Then. Stop. Resisting !’

  Olesya fought through the pain. She slammed her forehead into his nose. The cartilage crunched under the impact, dispersing across her forehead. Ark fell backward and landed on the linoleum floor, blood coating his face .

  ‘What … what ?’

  ‘The path of most resistance,’ Olesya said .

  Chapter Nine

  D enton paused the camera feeds. Two recruits—teenage girls—ran through the street, firing blue pistols. He checked their records. Their names were Xiu and Olesya. He leaned back in his chair. It creaked, making Dr Cecilia McLoughlin wince. He secretly enjoyed it .

  McLoughlin was motionless, a folder under her arm. She studied him like she would study the Project GATE recruits. McLoughlin was different from most of the staff at Project GATE. While she was easily bothered, she lacked the psychological imperfections of most people, and that granted her clarity and focus. She carried only the necessary emotions .

  Denton recognized this in her. Just as she recognized it in him .

  ‘I assume you have something to show me,’ Denton said .

  McLoughlin placed the folder before him. There were only a few pages inside, paper-clipped. He didn’t pick it up, just leaned forward and read the title .

  ‘Ah yes, the Human Genome Project,’ he said. ‘An ideal cover story .’

  One that had allowed him to build the Fifth Column’s DNA database of the human race, entirely in secret. Thanks to the clandestine sample collection of the genome project, Denton had 1.4 billion records he could filter for particular genetic markers; 0.4 percent of those records carried the markers he was looking for, and those underwent further DNA testing to determine those who possessed rare abilities .

  Denton oversaw the testing of 7,000 candidates for Project GATE, children from countries around the world and often from impoverished families. Less than 1,000 of those children passed the tests and were admitted into Project GATE under the guise of a lucrative scholarship. Denton expected that over the coming years no less than 80 percent would fail their Special Forces and Intelligence training. The 200 or so who passed were the nucleus of Project GATE: to create the most formidable operatives the world has known. Remarkably trained and genetically enriched. And they would all be his .

  All the more reason to have the world’s best computer geneticists on his team. McLoughlin was the best, here to study the genes that made each recruit special, and learn how to switch them on in other recruits .

  Denton opened the file. On the first page, he noticed a dark image of the human body, lit brilliantly with green fluorescence .

  ‘You were successful?’ he asked .

  She took a step closer. ‘You seem surprised that my zinc finger modules worked .’

  ‘Impressed. That is different from surprise.’ Denton ignored her stare. ‘And you deliver these inside a virus: adeno-associated virus,’ he read off her papers. ‘Why this one ?’

  ‘Serotype eight. By far the most efficient vector,’ she said. ‘We inject it into the operative’s bloodstream. We’re talking systemic expression within twenty-four hours .’

  Denton was impressed. McLoughlin had achieved the unachievable inside of two years .

  He tapped the green fluorescent image with one finger. ‘And it’s permanent ?’

  ‘We can resurrect pseudogenes,’ she said .

  ‘Can we can take a recruit’s ability—say, Damien’s thermogenesis—and copy it to another recruit ?’

  ‘Yes, but we are limiting ourselves to existing mutations,’ McLoughlin said. ‘We can create our own . The genes are there, they just need the right kick. Sometimes, the right twist .’

  Denton met her piercing gaze. ‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves .’

  ‘That’s what I do,’ she said evenly. ‘That’s why you hired me .’

  Denton waited for her to blink. She didn’t .

  ‘Do you have something in mind?’ he asked .

  ‘I have multiple things in mind, I always do. But as you said yourself, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.’ She almost smiled. ‘For our own safety, I recommend we implement some sort of control system in the recruits .’

  ‘They will be programmed,’ Denton said. ‘We have the best programming .’

  ‘I don’t doubt that.’ She paused, just for a moment. ‘I was thinking control of a more genetic nature .’

  Denton leaned back in his chair again, disappointed when it didn’t creak. ‘Go on .’

  ‘I’m talking about encoding loyalty directly into their DNA,’ she said. ‘And one step closer .’

  ‘Closer?’

  ‘We encode a fail-safe .’

  Denton raised an eyebrow. ‘Define fail-safe .’

  ‘We have to consider the scenario where an operative fails to comply. Or is turned by the enemy,’ she said. ‘They would become a formidable weapon in the wrong hands .’

  Denton thought for a moment. ‘You’re proposing a kill switch .’

  ‘Part of the package,’ she said. ‘A seemingly harmless protein that fuses with the pseudogene and lies dormant. Something we can trigger at a later time, if necessary, to terminate the operative. Final measures, of course .’

  ‘I’ll take it under consideration,’ Denton said .

  McLoughlin glanced over at the camera feeds. ‘Olesya. She interests you .’

  ‘She warrants my interest .’

  ‘Are you certain?’ McLoughlin said. ‘She shot her own squad leader by accident .’

  Denton allowed himself a smile, knowing it would irritate her. ‘It wasn’t an accident .’

  Her eyebrows lifted a fraction. ‘Olesya is not one of your precious candidates .’

  ‘Yet we had a difficult time programming her. Just like my candidates .’

&n
bsp; ‘Her DNA doesn’t qualify,’ McLoughlin said. ‘If you insist, I can run a new analysis on her bloods for you, but then I’d have to push viral testing to next week .’

  ‘No.’ He paused a camera feed as Olesya ran through the beacons. ‘Test the candidates we have. We need to know .’

  He could feel her gaze weighing on him .

  ‘What are you looking for?’ she asked .

  ‘Perfection.’

  Chapter Ten

  A rk drew his pistol.

  The forest was dark and cold, but this time there was no fog. His squad stood around him, still and patient. This was the final exercise. This time, he needed three recruits to pass the beacons in less than sixty minutes. Olesya was enough of a problem, but this was worse. He checked his watch. It was 0300. No night vision monoculars, no red filtered torches .

  He wasn’t going to be disqualified from the program .

  He was going to lead his squad to victory .

  A whistle sounded through the forest. He pointed out their bearing and Val took point with her natural night vision. He fell in step a distance behind her, the rest of his squad behind him in single file. Even with his squad, he felt alone .

  They reached the road and he checked his watch again. Fourteen minutes. He lay down and shimmied to the tree line, keeping one eye closed to save his night vision .

  ‘Holy crap,’ Jay whispered from beside him. ‘The town’s lit up like a Christmas tree .’

  He wasn’t wrong. From the gas station to the center of town, street lamps burned hot, swarmed by frantic insects .

  ‘What do we do?’ Damien asked .

  Ark held a hand over his eye. ‘Wait, I need to think .’

  While the rest of his squad waited for his master strategy, he tried to think of a master strategy. They were relying on him for that, he couldn’t let them down. He felt his chest press harder against the grass with each breath. He licked his dry lips .

  ‘Are we skirting around?’ Damien asked. ‘We need to keep out of the light .’

  ‘What are we, vampires?’ Jay said. He made a hissing sound .