2036 The Proof: A Thrilling Science Fiction Novel

by Speiser, Zvi

  He found himself wondering momentarily whether this was the driver who had hit him. Gerry attempted to mentally survey the driver’s features. Just like in a computerized image-processing application, he managed to enlarge the driver’s face, gradually eliminating the blurring caused by the window and the sun’s flickering upon it, until the image appeared sharp and clear in his mind. It had indeed been the man who had just entered the restaurant, briefly gazed at him, then left. He was absolutely certain of it. The driver who had intentionally hit him had just signaled to him that he was still under surveillance.

  He had to continue to pretend to be brain damaged. Who knew what else the person following him was capable of? Perhaps he might come to the conclusion that his warning hadn’t had the desired effect on Gerry. He might plan another assault, and this time, the injury might be fatal.

  Gerry wasn’t afraid of death. All he wanted was to publish his work first. Anything that happened after publication didn’t matter. Publishing his research would bring on the inevitable change.

  At that moment, he came to a decision. He wouldn’t waste the remainder of his life, which might prove very short, on fear and hiding. On the contrary, he would publish his findings, and would happily pay any price the publication might entail, including his own life. But in the next few hours, he must go online, get up to speed on the news of the week he had skipped, and then recreate the presentation based on his eidetic memory, rather than retrieving it from the Cloud. He would leave the original presentation hidden in the screwdriver in Ramona’s purse. He had to inform her of its importance.

  Ramona, who noticed the flurry of emotions passing across his face, did not want to make things any harder for him and asked, “Should I order for you, so you can keep thinking?”

  Gerry nodded distractedly. His wife knew him well. This wasn’t the first time he had retreated into his own thoughts and disengaged from the world around him, like the classic absentminded professor. At the beginning of their relationship, such reactions would hurt her. She would think she was boring him, and feel angry. However, over time, as she had grown to appreciate him, she had also learned to accept him the way he was, including his little eccentricities.

  They ate quietly, without exchanging a word. She was certain he had no idea what he was eating, and that had she switched the plates on him midmeal, he would never had noticed. He was too wrapped up in his thoughts.

  Gerry mentally reconstructed the presentation, while debating what his target audience should be. Originally, the presentation had been intended for his colleagues, NASA astronomers and astrophysicists. It was quite technical, and included plenty of mathematics. Should he leave it the way it was and pass it on to Ethan, hoping he would distribute it using the appropriate forum at work? But perhaps Ethan was being threatened as well, and would be afraid to distribute the study. No, he couldn’t take that chance. He might not be around for much longer.

  Briefly, he considered posting his work on one of the astronomy blogs, from which it would eventually spread to the entire scientific community. Or perhaps he should post it on a general science blog, or even address it to the mass media. Any venue he chose would require making some adjustments to the presentation. If he started working immediately once he returned home, by evening he could have a perfect general presentation. In the course of the afternoon, he would have to come to a decision regarding his means of publication, and rewrite the presentation accordingly.

  On the way home, he decided to take the risk and visit some astronomy websites for the first time since the accident in order to read the latest updates. He would do so from Ramona’s computer, an act he had been avoiding until now. Of course, he would do it only after he finished writing up his research. A long, busy, and dangerous evening was awaiting him. He wondered how long he had left before his final encounter with the assailant.

  Chapter 28

  Aaron is Suspected of Murder

  Chicago, Wednesday, July 23, 2036

  The night was uneventful as far as Rick was concerned. Yoni didn’t call. Apparently, there had been no progress with the other person tailing Melissa, which might be a good thing. Lily called as Rick was on his way to the precinct in order to update him on the search for Kyra. She had set up an early morning meeting for him with their regional FBI contact. Perhaps they would manage to locate her. Rick would have to request that they do so in the course of the meeting, in order to emphasize the importance of the matter.

  James, their regional FBI affiliate, worked from an office in a typical professional building outside the city. As usual, Lily had determined it would be more convenient for him to swing by there on his way to the precinct in the morning, thus saving travel time as well as allowing him to reach the city after rush hour had ended. Rick liked the efficient, detail-oriented way she worked. Her job was her life; she enjoyed every moment of it, and her performance reflected this.

  A random passerby would never have imagined that the sign “James Morrison, Small Business CPA” fronted the office of the liaison between the FBI and Chicago Police Department headquarters. Rick and James convened frequently. The friction between the local police force and the FBI was inevitable, but both men knew how to compromise and tamp down the flames between their respective bureaus, often exacerbated by the field officers, who enjoyed the inter-agency competition.

  Rick was certain that James would conduct the investigation in the best way possible. He was always highly efficient. However, Rick was not particularly hopeful about the search. He believed Kyra was a member of the organization responsible for the murder and perhaps for many of the lab break-ins. It was very easy to infiltrate academic institutions, which were not naturally suspicious and did not invest enough resources in protecting and securing their information. Using a pretty young woman to seduce an employee was an old, established method. Mike wasn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last to fall for it, he thought on his way.

  The meeting with James was short and to the point, as usual. Both of them were busy people, and it was in both their best interest to cooperate without stirring up unnecessary difficulties. James promised to check all the classified organizations to which the FBI had access immediately after Rick’s office sent over the records of the investigation they had conducted.

  It was only when Rick got up to leave James’s office that James called him back, saying with a grin, “Sit down—don’t go yet. Lily already sent us all the material you’ve gathered, although, in fact, we didn’t actually need it.”

  Rick’s perplexed look only made James’s grin grow wider. “What’s going on here?” he asked.

  In response, James whispered into the assistant, “Ask her to come in now.”

  The office door opened and a beautiful young woman came in. She walked over to Rick, extended her hand, and said, “Laura, at your service. Or, as you’ve heard me referred to, Kyra, at your service.”

  Rick’s awkward gaze bounced between her and James. The moment he noted the smiles on both their faces, he understood everything.

  “Kyra’s your agent,” he said. “And we were so certain she would be the lead who would help us locate the killer.”

  “Sit down, please,” James told Laura. “I’m sure Rick has countless questions. You can get started here and continue wherever you want. Only please take into account that Laura works at the FBI branch in San Francisco and is only here on loan for this assignment. We transfer employees between the various branches as part of our policy of misdirection and safeguards in regard to exposing agents to national threats.”

  “Before you begin questioning me,” Laura said, “I want to say a few things, both to you and to James, who wasn’t familiar with the details of the operation. I’m sure what I have to say will also spare you quite a few questions that are on your mind.”

  Rick nodded his consent, feeling primarily grateful. His surprise was so immense that he had yet to
fully process what was going on, and certainly hadn’t had time to come up with a coherent set of questions.

  “Well,” Laura began, “I was sent on loan to the Chicago office, as James just told you, for a specific assignment, after the Bureau discerned a recurring pattern of break-ins into biology labs all over the country that were a bit too clean.”

  Rick felt momentarily breathless, his inhalation labored. The FBI had already discovered the pattern of break-ins. Well, there went his glory and his promotion. On the other hand, if he couldn’t be promoted, at least he could cooperate with the FBI in a nationwide investigation.

  “Based on the characteristics of the labs broken into, primarily their areas of research, our investigative team compiled a list of labs that the team assessed might be targeted for a break-in in the near future. These labs were rated based on the probability of a break-in, and agents—specifically female agents with an extensive knowledge of biology, an appropriate personal appearance, and, of course, seduction skills—were sent to the three labs topping the list from several FBI offices throughout the United States. I personally have degrees in biology and computer science from Harvard University.

  “It was clear to the investigative team that the intruders’ goal was specific biological information, the nature of which we were tasked with discovering. Mike was a very easy target. Please don’t judge me for taking advantage of him in order to protect national interests. I’ll get back to him later.

  “I’m not part of the investigative team, so I didn’t have access to all the information collected. My role was to discover exactly what the lab did, and pass the reports on to headquarters.

  “Mike didn’t discuss his work much, so I had to burrow into his computer. Of course, I discovered all the security passwords, which I passed on to headquarters, although I didn’t make any further use of them. I provided as many details as possible regarding the longevity-enhancement research from the material on Mike’s computer.”

  The two men listened attentively. Rick had received all the answers he needed. His hope to make use of Kyra had faded away, but what he heard from Laura would save him much time and effort. He was about to thank her when she continued speaking.

  “I promised to get back to Mike. Although I carried out my assignment, and I don’t apologize in the slightest for taking advantage of Mike’s naïveté, I found him to be a warm, genuine person, and I’d be happy to transform our relationship into an authentically romantic one. I’d firmly request that both of you keep the personal aspects of what’s been said here between us. I’ll find a way to get back to Mike, and who knows? One of these days, you might be invited to Declarations. Now that I’m done, I’ll be happy to answer any questions I can.”

  “What’s Declarations?” Rick asked.

  “I’ve heard something about it,” James began to reply. “Some trendy California thing.”

  “Allow me to explain,” Laura said. “Declarations ceremonies are popular among loving couples in San Francisco. For years, couples simply lived together without marriage, had children, and sometimes even grew old together, but without any official mutual commitment that would replace the old institution of marriage. I don’t know who the first pioneers were, but it took off like a house on fire. The couple throws a party, culminating with each of them reading out loud a series of declarations and commitments that he or she will take on within the relationship. These commitments are also distributed to the guests, and thus the couple is considered ‘declared.’

  “This ceremony proved appealing not just to new couples, but to many established ones, who saw it as a declaration of commitment to their partners. Within several years, thousands of couples were ‘declared’ in the city and around it. From there, the idea spread to many areas all over the nation, and I heard it’s been adopted by many couples in Europe as well. This might be our generation’s rebellion against our parents, many of whom still got married in religious ceremonies.”

  Rick’s eyes roamed between Laura and James. Laura/Kyra had eliminated the need for any additional questions.

  “Thanks for sharing the information. I get the picture, although I was hoping for a different sort of picture. I don’t have any questions at the moment. I understand Tom doesn’t need to know about what was said here today, either,” he concluded.

  “Of course, Tom can’t know anything about this. Don’t worry, he’ll be summoned too, when the time is right,” she stated, with a grin that further emphasized her attractive features.

  ***

  Back at the precinct, Lily came into Rick’s office, and he briefed her on the topic of Kyra.

  She responded, “That’s just like the FBI. They’re very effective. Very little slips by them. I hadn’t anticipated this development, though.”

  On his desk were the two lists of organizations and individuals potentially interested in the research being conducted in the labs, as compiled separately by Tom and Melissa. At first glance, the lists were similar in length but consisted of different names. Only a more comprehensive assessment made it clear to him that, other than the order in which the names were listed, the lists were quite similar. Apparently, everyone in the field was familiar with everyone else.

  “Anything new with the blood sample?” he asked.

  “We found a match,” she replied quietly. “Ben’s been working on it alone. Here’s the person’s info.” She handed him a note specifying a name, a physical address, and an assistant address.

  “Why isn’t there a photo as well?” he asked.

  “We didn’t want to leave any evidence of the search for him in the computers,” she replied. “All of the work was done with no documentation, as we agreed, with only a few people involved.”

  “And what do we know about him? Background, activity?”

  “Actually, there’s nothing. We have no records of any activity concerning this man. As far as we know, he’s an anonymous figure who’s always stayed under the radar. Going through Melissa’s computer didn’t add anything, either,” she added. “Aaron has been concealing himself effectively, and no further information is available.”

  “Has anyone here at the precinct displayed any interest in or talked about the murder of the security guard?” he asked.

  “Not really. The truth is that I have a hard time believing anyone in the department or in the precinct is involved in this.”

  “I also hope the precautions we’ve been taking are unnecessary. In any case, assuming the intruder and murderer was unaware of the blood stain, I believe his mind should be somewhat at ease right now.” More loudly, he added, “Actually, I’m not too busy right now. I might go out for an early lunch. I got up very early this morning, and I’m really hungry.” With these words, he left his office.

  On his way, he fumbled for the note with the killer’s information. Once he had reached his car, he looked up the address. Carefully, he disconnected the vehicle’s internal GPS and set out without requesting navigational assistance. He wanted to make perfectly sure that his route would not be detected. He wasn’t sure that the car’s system was free of malware, which might report his destination to an unwanted interceptor.

  He often found himself debating whether his work had made him paranoid. The thought that he had concealed his actual destination from Lily as well made him uncomfortable. In retrospect, he discerned that this was often his custom—to share information with others only when strictly necessary, and to conceal his actions as much as possible.

  The residential building at which he arrived was one of several in a crowded, unappealing complex. Aaron Gorong lived in the most derelict of the buildings. The front door had been torn out and tossed outside the building’s lobby quite a while ago, based on the vegetation growing through its cracks. Everything was in a state of neglect.

  For a moment, he was briefly tempted to use the elevator. It was not much fun to climb seven flights o
f stairs.

  The staircase matched the building and its façade in its neglected state, with old chairs lying here and there, perhaps to allow those climbing the stairs to rest between floors. Apparently, the elevator had seen better days. There was no illumination in the seventh-floor hallway. A dim light originated beyond the bend in the corridor.

  Holding his stun gun in his extended hand, he walked carefully to the end of the corridor. The light emanated from an open apartment door. A glance at the numbers of the apartments leading to the open door confirmed his suspicion. His destination was the apartment whose gaping, uninviting entrance was now facing him.

  He debated briefly whether to summon backup and await its arrival. Once, in the distant past, he would not have hesitated to storm inside on his own. Now that he was older and knew quite a few cops who had been hurt by such reckless behavior, he paused first. He wondered whether the security guard’s murderer was waiting for him in the apartment with his gun drawn, but for some reason, rejected this scenario.

  He believed the killing of the security guard had been an accident, rather than a premeditated act. The open door also clearly indicated that someone knew he was on his way. Someone—male or female—had leaked the fact that he had discovered the killer’s identity, despite all his precautions and misdirection. The killer was probably far away from here.

  Nevertheless, he proceeded with extreme caution, entering slowly. The apartment was empty. Not abandoned, simply empty. He found nothing inside except a basic table and three plastic chairs. The refrigerator had been unplugged, its door wide open and its interior completely dry. Well, at least he didn’t need to worry that someone had leaked the information regarding the blood stain. The killer had left the apartment at least several days ago, perhaps immediately following the murder.