Eugenic Reprisal (Halcyon Gate Book 2)

by J. M. Preiss

  Eugenic Reprisal

  J. M. Preiss

  Copyright © 2013 Jonathan M. Preiss

  To everybody that reads this: y'all are awesome. Your support for me to keep writing has made this possible.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter I

  Chapter II

  Chapter III

  Chapter IV

  Chapter V

  Chapter VI

  Chapter VII

  Chapter VIII

  Chapter IX

  Chapter X

  Chapter XI

  Chapter XII

  Chapter XIII

  Chapter XIV

  Chapter XV

  Chapter XVI

  Chapter XVII

  Chapter XVIII

  Chapter XIX

  Chapter XX

  Chapter XXI

  Chapter XXII

  Chapter I

  Sensory deprivation, being trapped in an infinite well of darkness and silence: it is the worst feeling in the world, but even that is a fabrication of the mind and not actually a feeling.

  Jacob’s consciousness floated in that darkness. He was completely alone, and he had no contact with the outside world. Time was a novel concept that held no meaning in the darkness.

  Jacob had gone through this before. When he joined the Reactionary Force and been chosen for more, “they” had done things to him. He was thrust back into the first room he had entered. The water was cold, and the darkness was total. He felt panic grip his heart as he frantically searched for an exit, but all he found was unyielding metal. His panic intensified as he took his last gulp of air before the room filled up completely. His last thoughts were of Lisa. The darkness claimed him as the last bit of air finally escaped his lungs.

  Jacob was back in the room. He was still sitting in the chair, sweat beading along his brow. His breathing was labored, but he was breathing. Relief washed over him, but he was confused. He stared at his reflection, and it stared back at him. There was a click.

  “You felt fear,” a gravelly voice stated. “You felt concern. You felt panic. You felt despair.”

  “Now, you feel confused,” the voice mused. “These are basic emotions, primal emotions. They are useless.” The voice growled.

  “Emotions are weakness. Survival requires action. Action requires thought. Thought requires clarity. To achieve clarity, you must cast off your weakness.”

  “I don’t understand,” Jacob said quizzically.

  “Understanding is not required at this juncture. You will be made to understand, but that will happen later if you are deemed able.”

  Jacob felt his resolve harden. He set his jaw, sat up straight, and squared his shoulders.

  “I am able,” Jacob said. “I will not fail.”

  “Your pride is a weakness, and you will fail,” the voice said absently. “You have no choice in the matter. We will break you; shatter your spirit. Your resolve will falter and crumble. If we deem you able after all of this, we will rebuild you; make you stronger. By the time we are finished, you will have no equal in the normal world.”

  Jacob stared at the glass and narrowed his eyes.

  “If I fail?” he asked.

  “Failure?” the voice responded. “You do not understand this basic point: failure is not available to you. You either survive, or you die.”

  Jacob opened his mouth, but the voice spoke before he could.

  “Enough words. You passed the first test. Now, we begin the real program.”

  Jacob was plunged into darkness, and he lost consciousness.

  His memory faded, and he arrived back at his mind in the black nothing. Other memories were bright flashes in the darkness, but each one was fleeting. Images of his parents, his home in London, Heathrow on a busy morning, Lisa’s carefree smile; nothing stayed long enough to study in any detail.

  Jacob couldn’t remember why he was in the darkness. Just out of reach, the answer eluded him, but he knew it was important.

  How could he forget? It was extremely important that he remember.

  What was his purpose?

  “Your purpose,” the gravelly voice from before started, “is to do your job.”

  “I don’t understand,” Jacob heard himself say.

  “Understanding is not required,” the voice explained. “In fact, the less you think about understanding it, the better you will be able to complete your mission.”

  Jacob frowned. Wasn’t it important to think and understand?

  “Quite the opposite,” the voice responded. “If you concern yourself with understanding, you will miss important details.”

  “Doesn’t that imply understanding?” Jacob asked quizzically.

  “Understanding is a hindrance. You understand how a fabricator works, and it is working properly. Is there something wrong with it?”

  “You just said that it was working properly. Nothing is wrong with it.”

  “Wrong,” the voice stated dryly. “Because of your complacency that is bred by your so-called understanding, you have failed to notice a small fluctuation in power. A terrorist cell is now armed and in control of the reactor.”

  “But that is so unlikely as to never happen,” Jacob said.

  “And that is why you would fail,” the voice shot back. “Question everything. Take nothing at face value. Never make assumptions. You no longer have the luxury.”

  Jacob sighed.

  “How will I know if I have the complete picture?”

  “When the remaining questions are irrelevant,” the voice responded.

  The conversation continued, but the voices quickly faded into nothing.

  Once more, Jacob floated alone in the darkness, the only being in existence.

  His thoughts turned to what he needed to know. He was with someone else, a friend. They were more than friends. No, theirs was something words could barely describe. Brotherhood.

  “Lieutenant,” a voice said from behind Jacob.

  Jacob spun around and snapped a salute.

  “Captain.”

  “At ease,” the man said. “I’m retired, LT. No need for the ceremony.”

  “If it’s all the same, sir, you’ve earned the ceremony more than most.”

  “Is that so?” the man asked as he crossed his arms.

  “Yes, sir. You served with honor and distinction throughout your career in the RF. You quickly rose to the rank of Captain where you remained, by choice, until you suffered severe injuries in the line of duty and were given the option to muster out with full benefits due the rank of Colonel, but you refused the promotion to remain at the rank of Captain. Nobody living has given more,” Jacob finished.

  The man scratched at the stubble on his chin absent-mindedly with his left hand. He dropped it back to his side.

  “I suppose you’re right, LT.”

  “Please, sir, you can simply call me Jacob.”

  “In that case, Jacob,” the man said as he stretched his left hand and reached out with his right, “call me Mason.”

  Chapter II

  The memory of meeting Mason moved away as quickly as it had arrived leaving Jacob alone once again. His mind started to wander, and more glimpses of the past flew by him at ever increasing speed.

  Surrounded by a cacophony of memories, Jacob found himself lost. He rode along a wave of emotions that he had not felt since he completed his training. He truly felt his love of Lisa for the first time in years, and like a door slamming shut, his emotions were cut off as he reached the memories of his training. The grueling regimen had broken his spirit, and he was less than a broken man.

  They had rebuilt him, gave him a purpose. His purpose in life was to complete his mis
sion. That is why he had been chosen for Halcyon.

  “Ah, Mr. Brown,” Doctor Jenkins started, “I’m glad to see that you and Mr. Smith have safely made it.”

  Jacob nodded as he and Mason sat down on the other side of the doctor’s desk.

  “I know that you haven’t been told all that much about the project that we’ve asked you to come here for, and I’m really sorry about that,” Jenkins said. “I’m sure you can understand the amount of secrecy we are working under right now. By no means is this going to remain a top secret project forever, but we don’t want information being released before we are ready to release it.”

  “Understood, Doctor Jenkins,” Jacob responded.

  “That’s what I’m used to, Doc,” Mason agreed.

  “And we all appreciate that, Mr. Smith,” Doctor Jenkins said as he nodded. “Now, I’m sure that you have at least been told why you are here.”

  They both nodded.

  “Good. So,” he started and let out a breath. “Where would be best for me to begin? Well, I guess that the beginning would be the best.”

  Pressing an icon on his desktop, he turned his chair around and looked at the wall where an image sprang to life. The image was that of a timeline with all of the major occurrences in the past two hundred years notated.

  “Obviously, this is what our past looks like from the end of the 19th century on. The major wars, the economic turmoil, everything,” Doctor Jenkins scratched his chin as he continued.

  “Time is something that we have always considered to be moving in a singular direction. It can move at different rates due to the theories of Einstein, but it always moves forward. That being the case, the concept of a time machine capable of travel back in time is a pipe dream. That is, of course, until a discovery we made last year.”

  “Excuse me, Doc?” Mason asked. “Are you saying that Einstein is wrong?”

  Doctor Jenkins coughed. “Not as such, no.”

  “All of our understanding of his theory says that it is impossible because of Causality. The effect cannot precede the cause. This being the case, if you were to travel back in time, you would be creating a paradox.”

  “What are you getting at, Doctor Jenkins?” Jacob leaned forward.

  “Our mathematicians and theoretical physicists have managed to find a loophole in Einstein’s theories. We’re working on the very fringe of our understanding, but with some of the new information discovered in the new collider we have at Einstein, we were able to connect some dots.”

  Mason scratched his nose. “I don’t follow.”

  “You’re familiar with the concept of wormholes?” Doctor Jenkins tapped another icon, and the screen switched to an image of a graphed wormhole solution.

  “Well, I think so.” Mason squinted at the image.

  “Basically that you can connect two points in space together at the same time, right, Doctor?”

  “Correct, Mr. Brown,” Doctor Jenkins replied. He tapped another icon. The graph was replaced with a dense mass of math.

  “What you are looking at is a masterpiece.” Doctor Jenkins grinned.

  “Pardon my bluntness, but that’s just a bunch of letters and squiggly lines,” Mason said as his eyes glazed over.

  Doctor Jenkins frowned.

  “While it may look like that, Mr. Smith, I assure you it is more than that. Quite a lot more, actually.”

  “Put simply,” the doctor began, “this is time-travel. Not just to the future, oh no, this beauty, gentlemen, lets us go to any time any where.”

  “Impossible,” Jacob whispered.

  “I second that,” Mason said as he leaned back in his chair. “You said so yourself not five minutes ago.”

  “Ah, but that’s just it,” Doctor Jenkins said. “When we activate Halcyon-“

  “Activate what?” Mason blinked.

  “What? Oh. Right.” Doctor Jenkins turned a tad red in the cheeks. “I’m getting way ahead of myself.”

  Jacob shifted in his chair as he stared at the math in front of him. It very well could’ve been written in old Gaelic for all he could tell.

  “At its most basic level,” Doctor Jenkins said as he switched the image again, “Halcyon will be a gateway to unimaginable knowledge. Imagine going through that gate and seeing the first humans walk across the savannahs of Africa, or perhaps you wish to visit the fall of Rome or witness the depravity of Emperor Nero first hand. We can do that with Halcyon.”

  Mason worked his mouth for a few seconds.

  “No offense, Doc, but this sounds like a bad series of movies,” he said after he had collected his thoughts.

  “Not to be rude,” Jacob started, “but I have to agree with Mason on this.”

  Doctor Jenkins looked crestfallen.

  Mason sighed and rubbed his brow with his left hand.

  “Ok, Doc, what do you need us for?” Mason asked.

  Doctor Jenkins cleared his throat.

  “Right, well,” he stammered for a bit. “You and the Lieutenant are going to be the first to go through.”

  “That’s not all that-“Mason stopped midsentence.

  “Isn’t that putting the cart before the horse, Doctor Jenkins?” Jacob asked. “You said this is all cutting edge. Has any of this even been tested?”

  “Ah not as such, Mr. Brown,” Doctor Jenkins replied. “The first test will be taking place later this month.”

  He brought up a series of pictures and blueprints.

  “The primary facility is a year or two away from being completed, but the tests we need to do first don’t require that facility.”

  “That’s great and all, Doc, but what exactly do you want us to do?” Mason asked. “Need I remind you that I am retired? I’m enjoying that retirement.”

  Doctor Jenkins sighed and brought out two large document envelopes. They were addressed one each to Mason and Jacob.

  “As of today, Captain, you are reactivated and assigned to Halcyon. I am told that you can talk to the higher ups, but please give this a chance. You are highly qualified and second only to Mr. Brown according to our databases.”

  Doctor Jenkins turned to Jacob as Mason steamed beneath his eyebrows.

  “As I alluded to when addressing the Captain, Mr. Brown, you are our number one choice for this project.”

  “On what criteria did this decision get based on?” Jacob asked as he looked over his paperwork.

  “All of them, of course,” Doctor Jenkins replied. “We put all of the available databases into our algorithm. Your name and Mr. Smith’s were the ones that were chosen.”

  “Rest assured, Doc,” Mason began, “I am going to take this up with the brass.”

  “That is your prerogative,” Doctor Jenkins responded. “Please give us a chance, Mr. Smith. This work is beyond groundbreaking.”

  Mason mumbled something under his breath as Jacob asked Doctor Jenkins another question.

  The memory faded into darkness, and Jacob thought about what Doctor Jenkins had said.

  Ground breaking.

  Chapter III

  “Jacob,” Mason screamed into the darkness. “Where are you?”

  He turned all around, but everything was black. It was all silent.

  “Mason,” a female voice said from behind.

  Mason spun around, and he was face-to-face with a beautiful redhead. She had a simple sundress on, and her hair was cut chin length and styled to frame her fair, freckled face.

  “Uh, hi,” he felt himself squeak.

  The girl giggled.

  “You’re cute,” she stated.

  Mason felt himself blush.

  “My parents said that I’d find you here in the atrium.”

  “Your parents?” Mason asked.

  "That’s what I said,” she stated as she put her hands on her hips and frowned.

  Mason blinked a few times.

  “You weren’t told about me?” She pouted.

  “I can’t say that I was,” Mason said as he stared at the ground. />
  “Oh,” she said quietly. "Well, that’s okay!”

  She bounced closer and curtsied in front of him.

  “My name is Jessica Graves. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mason.”

  Mason managed a sheepish grin.

  “Hi, Jessica,” he said.

  “You seem very surprised,” Jessica said. “Were you not expecting me?”

  “Expecting you? Uh,” Mason shook his head “Can’t say that I was.”

  “Silly,” Jessica giggled. “I’m going to be your wife!”

  “Wife?” Mason looked startled.

  His mind raced, and he fainted.

  When Mason woke up, he was lying on a couch in a plushly decorated room. The couch was made of fine velvet, and the carpet was a thick weave that was so soft you left footprints. The walls were lightly stained walnut, and the paneling was broken up by occasional paintings that had to have been from the Renaissance. In an alcove behind him, there was a low bench in front of a statue of Mary and Joseph.

  There was a knock on the door.

  “Mason? Are you ready?”

  Mason looked up at the sound of the deep voice. He blinked a few times to clear the last of the cobwebs from his mind.

  “Yeah, Dad,” Mason called. “You can come on in. I was just taking a breather.”

  The door cracked open, and a balding head peered in. His father pushed the door open all the way and walked in.

  “Now isn’t the time to be napping, my boy,” Mason’s dad said as he strode over to a coat rack. “Today is your big day!”

  Mason felt confusion as he stood and walked over to his father.

  “Yeah, I know,” he felt himself say, but he couldn’t remember what was happening.

  “You should see Jessica,” his father said as he helped Mason into the hanging tuxedo jacket. “She looks absolutely amazing. Your mother and I are so happy for you.”

  Mason pulled the jacket around him and stretched.

  “You know,” his father began, “I was only 18 when I married your mother as well.”

  Mason felt realization wash over him.

  “How did you know you were in love with Mom,” Mason asked.

  His dad laughed.