As I pulled into the carpark Tony was there, unloading crates of fish and vegetables from his van. He looked up in surprise when I parked next to him and then shot me a welcoming smile.
“Need a hand?” I asked, reaching down and picking up one of the last remaining crates. “This all smells a bit fishy.” I joked.
“Dom! It’s great to see you again. Come inside, we have a lot of catching up to do!” Tony said, plodding away, down the steps into the basement of his riverside restaurant.
He hadn’t changed much since I last saw him. Jet black hair, muscular build and tall. Age was getting to him now; he was in his mid-forties and I could see the little grey hairs around his ears that indicated his restaurant was not as easy to run as he claimed.
Tony never had a family that I knew about, although I remember him talking about girlfriends from his past. I suppose his job had always come first, at the facility and now his restaurant. I could relate to that way of life.
Stepping into the kitchen I was reminded of a hospital operating theatre. Everything was clean and sterile.
Tony gave me a hat, gloves, apron and even some plastic covers for my shoes. He wanted to keep this place pristine.
The steel worksurfaces shined like they were new. There was an entire wall of ovens, all displaying different temperatures, quietly humming away. There were water baths with cuts of meat sitting in them. Little tent structures where herb gardens grew under purple lights. Towards the back of the kitchen I even noticed a centrifuge, the type of equipment we used back in the lab to sperate materials with great precision.
Tony put the final crates inside the walk-in fridge and we made our way through a door labelled ‘Laboratory’.
In this room a huge set-up of test-tubes and beakers containing liquids of every colour and quietly they bubbled and mixed.
“Want a drink?” Tony asked as he turned a few valves and nozzles. Bunsen burners started up and more liquids started to bubble. The misty vapour could be seen travelling along the glass pipework and into a glass jar where it changed colour, from purple to green. Then it started to condense on the glass and drip down a funnel and into another, clear liquid.
After a dozen of the green droplets had landed in the solution the whole container of liquid turned red.
Tony took the jar of mysterious red liquid and poured it into two small jugs, handing one to me.
“Is it safe?” I asked, looking at the liquid with unease.
“Absolutely!” Tony replied, taking a sip from his. “And it’s delicious!”
The taste caught me off guard. At first it tasted of gravy, very meaty and salty but then it started to taste more like a chocolate milkshake before I realised, I was drinking a very sugary fruit juice. After a few more sips the mint hit me before a palate cleansing fresh mineral water.
“Well that’s a whirlwind of tastes. How do you do that?” I asked, admiring the empty glass in my hand.
“It’s all just science!” Tony said excitedly. “Now, what’s going on?”
I spent the next few minutes explaining the events of the past few days, the anti-gravity device, Lara’s attempts to kill me, how we had performed a heist on the servers. Everything.
The part about getting files off the servers attracted Tony’s attention more than the rest.
“You got all the files?” He asked out of interest. “How many have you decrypted?”
“We got a lot, only the technologies people were currently working on, and we have started to understand them but so far all we have is chemical formulas and blueprints for a strange plane.” I informed him. “Are there plans that you might want?” I baited.
“I bet you never knew why I left the facility.” Tony started. “You see, I was working on decay, stopping food from rotting. It was all about tricking food into thinking it was still growing, even when it’s not in soil, as long as you gave it the correct conditions then it would never go bad.”
“Let me guess, Lara wanted to apply it to humans, so that she could live forever.” I questioned.
“Partly, but the more interesting discovery was what happened when we took a leaf off a plant for testing. It started to regrow, very fast, making a copy of itself. On that day we perfected a cure for death and learnt how to clone things. We then started trials on animals and found that cloned mice would also keep the memories of the original.”
“That’s amazing, if not slightly unbelievable.” I said, finally putting the jar on the table after licking out all the contents.
“That’s what we thought. We wanted to cure world hunger and treat every disease known to man. Everyone would be fit, healthy, well fed, live as long as they wanted and if something bad were to happen, they could be cured or regrown, memories included.”
“That is a bit of a game changer!” I said, astonished. “Lara didn’t see your world changing viewpoint?”
Tony laughed at this comment like I had just summed up everything he had been thinking about in the past few years.
“If you have enough money you can get the treatment, Lara does offer it, but she shut me out of the company. She seemed more interested in the military uses, creating a single, super soldier and then creating a clone army. Do you know the reason that she fired me, at least, the reason she told the shareholders? She claimed I stole food from the canteen.” The anger rose in Tony’s voice.
“How is that possible? All the food is provided for free, it’s one of the perks of the jobs.” I commented.
“She got me on a technicality. I asked the canteen for a raw piece of meat to cook for myself in the lab. The company only offers ready to eat food. She was just looking for an excuse, I am sure she re-wrote the rules just for me.” Tony said.
“Yeah, I suppose she would set you up one way or another, at least you didn’t suffer my fate.” I jested.
“Yep, and I managed to tweak the anti-aging formula before I left, it only works for around two weeks now. I can imagine it’s driving her crazy trying to get it working again.” Tony laughed as he thought about it.
It really started to sink in how lucky I was to get out of there alive. Clearly Lara had a track record of getting rid of staff who didn’t share her vision. Back then she framed people so she could fire them, now she just killed them.
“I need to start setting up for tonight’s event.” Tony said as he reached for some of the equipment above my head.
“Well, how about you don’t?” I queried. “How about you join us instead? We are making a stand; we are going to expose Lara and all the technologies that she has hidden away from the world.”
Tony looked at me as he started to calibrate the scales that he would use to measure ingredients.
“Dom, I don’t think you know what you’re getting yourself into. Lara has all kinds of spies and agents working for her. As much as I would love to take her down, I am not sure you can win.” He said, coldly.
“I wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have a chance. We have some of the best talent.” I said with confidence. “Wouldn’t you like to work on world changing projects again? This food is great, but you have so much more to give.”
Tony stopped, looked at me, his eyes meeting mine, but then darting behind me, focusing on something.
I felt my heart skip a beat and I went weak. All these near-death experiences, sneaking around trying to take on the might of a large, super-secret organisation were starting to take their toll.
Slowly, I turned around and saw what had caught Tony’s attention.
It was Lara. Her face, staring back at me on the TV bolted to far wall.
She was holding a press conference and the news companies were reporting live from the carpark outside the facility.
A young and well-dressed reporter held a microphone as the camera panned around onto her.
“Today we are here at an emergency event at the VisionTech research facility where CEO Lara Smith is about to make a huge announcement.” The news reporter said.
“Thank
you for coming.” Lara started as the camera zoomed in, cutting the reporter out of the shot. “We would like to demonstrate today a radical new technology, something that will change the world forever, introducing the VT100!”
“What is she doing?” I yelled as I ran across the room to get a better view. The cameraman took focus away from Lara instead showed something behind her, in the background, I could see something hovering, it was the plane from the blueprints we had decoded.
The metal egg, with stubby wings, bristling with guns and missiles.
The large glass, two storey dome at the front contained five pilots, two on the bottom row and three on top, they looked like they belonged in a cinema.
It floated there, hovering over the audience, silently. Then it spun around, rose high into the sky and zoomed away without any engine roars, no wind or exhaust fumes, it was majestic to watch. Lara knew how to put on a show.
The camera spun back to Lara again.
“The VT100 is revolutionary. Able to stay in the air permanently it can be piloted by a crew of six or operated remotely. It is silent, stealthy, manoeuvrable and the fastest aircraft in the skies. Coupled with the latest in missile technology this is the new defence deterrent that every military will want.”
The TV went black and I turned to Tony who was holding the remote.
“This is your invention?” He asked. “I bet she has already got a factory mass producing them as we speak. Your invention should be used for unlimited clean energy or to solve the worlds transport and overcrowded city problems and all she wants to do is weaponize it.”
I could see the frustration growing on his face like he had seen all this before.
“I’ll tell you what. I’ll get my affairs in order tonight and tomorrow you can come and pick me up. Let’s bring her down!”
Chapter 13
While heading back to my car I felt a wave of optimism float over me, or perhaps it was the warm breeze, either way it took me by surprise. I was feeling good right now and the weather had changed too.
The previous few days had done nothing but rain and it felt nice to have the warming rays of light hit my skin again. It reminded me that winter was on its way out and summer would soon be here.
I could hear the birds chirping away in the trees and below me the roar of the river as it made its way over the rocks that lay at the bottom of the steep climb.
That was where I stood, overlooking the city from the restaurant’s awesome viewpoint.
Tony joining the team was important. Firstly, it meant that we had a cause that was worth fighting for, and people were prepared to stand with us. It was nice to be vindicated in such a way. Secondly, Tony was a qualified doctor and if video games have taught me anything, it’s that you need a medic on the team. Finally, he enjoyed cooking, so hopefully no more of Sam’s defrosted doughnuts and bagels.
I stood for a few minutes and let the sun warm my face before making my way back to the car. I kept thinking about the time scales of this endeavour. Everyone had lives to get back too, Derek had a family, Tony had his restaurant, Sam likely had clients lined up, but we were about to change the world and they were willing to give up their time and potentially get into dangerous situations to help me do that. I felt privileged.
Then it hit me.
Some part of the building exploded and flew through the air straight at me, I couldn’t tell you which bit, but it took the legs from under me, then the sound wave caught up and I heard the huge explosion.
On my back, on the floor I felt debris starting to reign down. I couldn’t see anything through the smoke and haze and I allowed my eyes to close so I could concentrate on the searing pain of my legs.
It was difficult to understand what was going on, the ringing in my ears was deafening and the world had gone black.
Opening my eyes was painful but through the squinted cracks I saw it. The egg-shaped plane. It must be the same plane that had taken off from the facility a few minutes earlier.
This was it; the moment had arrived when Lara had finally caught up with me. The press conference on TV, Lara’s little speech, it had all been a distraction so that she could launch this plane without anyone questioning it.
Slowly my eyes closed again. I tried to open them but this time they refused, or they were open and I was blind, it was difficult to tell.
Feeling around with my hands I realised was on my back with something sharp digging into the base of my spine. My legs were trapped underneath something, part of the building I guess. It was heavy. I tried to wriggle free but I couldn’t move.
I tried to lift whatever was on my legs but it was far too big. At least my arms were free so I tried to wipe my eyes, to clear the dust so I could evaluate the situation.
They were wet, slimy, like jelly. My entire face was like that. Melted and oozing puss. I didn’t feel any pain but as my fingers touched where my eyes should be, they only felt raw flesh.
The urge to scream was strong but I didn’t know who was around and if it would make my already melted face worse.
Crunching gravel and the sound of footsteps behind me gave me a fright and two strong arms lifted me up off the ground, out of the wreckage. Feeling the bricks fall off my legs I started to kick out, trying to find the ground to stand on.
Finding it, I put my weight on my right leg and collapsed onto the floor again, my back hitting the ground hard.
Pain shot through my entire body. It was either a broken knee or ankle, the pain was so strong it was difficult to locate its source, but it came from the leg.
The hands took hold of me again, grabbing me under the arms and dragging me. It was probably only a few metres but it felt like miles with the gravel scratching my back along the way. I was dropped on the floor and the footsteps disappeared away into the distance.
I tried to shout after them but as my mouth opened, no sound came out. I could hear the roar of the flames from around me, and the smell of burning, of smoke. There was also another smell that my nose was trying to bring to my attention.
It was the smell of fish.
Reaching up to my face again I started feeling around in the fleshy remains of what I thought was my skin. Then I found the tail.
I yanked at it and my vision returned. A fish had splattered itself across my face.
I quickly wiped the guts off with the remains of my jacket sleeve. Relived, my attention was quickly drawn to the restaurant.
It was ablaze. The flames were pushing through a large hole in the roof and I could see straight through to the other side of the building, where walls had once stood.
Without any warning the whole building started to move. Sliding down the bank, slowly.
It was the most horrendous noise. The sound of steel and concrete sliding down the hillside as the building dropped the fifty metres over the hill bank, over the perfectly manicured lawn, tearing up the earth and heading into the river below.
The ground shook and all I could do was watch as the building slid into the river where it settled before a secondary set of explosions scattered the remaining structure all around.
Looking back, there was now a crater where the building once stood.
My hands were black with dust, my clothes, torn apart. My jeans actually didn’t look too bad.
As I looked around the carpark, I saw another body, male, breathing heavily on the floor. Tony.
A sigh of relief left my mouth as I knew we were the only two in the building. He must have been the person who had dragged me away from the building before it made its journey to the bottom of the river.
Closing my eyes, I let the pain disappear into my unconsciousness.
Chapter 14
A large, booming laugh startled me awake.
I tried opening my eyes but I still couldn’t see anything. There was something in the way. I was wearing a mask.
The straps reached around the back of my head, that’s how I knew. They were tight crushed my nose flat. It would certainly leave an ou
tline when it came off, if it came off.
My hands, arms and legs were also strapped down. To a chair. Strong steel restraints held me and as I moved, they grasped me tighter.
The volume of the booming voice increased; it was approaching me.
“What do you think you are playing at? BOY!” The voice echoed around the room. “You come here, steal our stuff and don’t expect to get caught.”
I recognised the voice but my head was still swimming and I couldn’t put a face to it.
“Now tell me, where are the files?” The voice asked.
It was Frank. The booming voice, echoing in the concrete room. I must be back at the facility.
“I thought you were dead?” I asked. “Last time I saw you, you were a hood ornament on the front of a truck.”
“Is that a threat?” Frank replied.
The distinct tapping of keys on a keyboard filled the room. Frank was typing something.
“Answer the question, where are the files?” He asked one more time.
A hum of motors drowned out he keyboard tapping. I knew that sound too, it was the sound of a security door opening.
“You’re awake then?” A new voice asked, a female voice, Lara’s voice.
“What do you want from me?” I screamed.
Her hands wrapped around my arms and squeezed tightly. I never really worked out at a gym but even so, I knew that she couldn’t harm me, not physically. She might be a ruthless killer, but she had the upper body strength of a jellyfish.
“You are going to tell me exactly what happened to the files that you stole, their location and the location of your friends.” I felt the cold steel of a needle run up the outside of my bicep.
“Why would I want to tell you that?” I asked.
“You don’t want too, but you won’t have any choice.” Lara replied.
The pain of a needle breaking through my skin and into my arm was enough to make me bite my lip. I had never handled needles well.
“If I give you their location what will you do to them?” I asked, my voice quivering from the pain.
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