Mission Trip_Genesis and Exodus

by John Theo Jr.

  She winked as he passed by. “Morning, Mr. Saunders.”

  “Thanks, Sally,” he said, grabbing the packet.

  He wondered if Carolyn knew about the times he had spent with Sally recently. Even if Carolyn did know, there were no grounds for her to get upset. Although she had offered to leave her husband if Josiah promised her marriage, he told her no. He had no interest in marriage. There was no exclusivity with them, but if Sally and Carolyn found out about each other and it became a problem, he would choose Carolyn over the young bimbo. Carolyn’s value went beyond sex.

  “Go in the conference room, Lewis. I have a video chat and will meet you in a few.”

  Lewis veered off into a glass conference room where a balding man sat alone working on a tablet. Josiah continued into his ornate office. It had dark furniture and handmade leather chairs and couch. The walls were adorned with oil paintings of the farmlands and famous Lake of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, where he grew up. Outside the bulletproof glass windows, the buildings on Park Avenue looked like jealous siblings. On the screen of his monitor was the face of his concierge doctor, Barrett.

  “What's the word?” Josiah said, sitting down to face the screen. He never acknowledged titles like doctor or professor, especially to people younger than him.

  The thirty-year-old doctor said, “Everything is fine, Mr. Saunders.”

  “Define fine?”

  “No cancer traces anywhere else in your body.”

  “Did you have an avatar made to put that cancer cell in from the spot you took?”

  “Not yet. Keep in mind this was a normal carcinoma that we’ve dealt with thousands of times in patients. It's not worth the money to put it in a mouse.”

  “Forgive my lack of faith in you, Barrett, but that is not what I asked. Not only do I want it placed in a mouse, but a primate as well. Find a company overseas that will stick it in a chimp and then monitor and treat it. This is what I pay you a million dollars a month for.”

  The doctor opened his mouth but then shut it. “Yes, Mr. Saunders.”

  “What about the blood work?”

  “Everything looks great.”

  “I still want to do that PET scan.”

  “I don't think you need to expose yourself to more radiation right now—”

  Josiah huffed. He reminded himself that concierge docs were not as disposable as normal employees. “I'm not asking. You just need to clear me for the scan. Has enough time passed?”

  “You should be fine for one more PET scan, but you must wait a few months until you request another after this, okay?”

  “Fine. Set this one up and let me know directly through this channel. Oh, and by the way, send along some more vitamins and the mineral-infused water. Have it delivered to my office.” He shut off the video monitor without saying goodbye.

  A minute later he strode into the conference room. Lewis and the short, balding, elderly man rose as if Josiah were a commanding officer in the military.

  “Talk to me Jay,” Josiah said, sitting down at the head of the long, oblong table, leaving an awkward distance between the three men.

  The elderly man continued to stand. “The first batch of nanobots has been completed. We are going to expose a group of primates with radiation to create cancer cells. We just need the government to approve—”

  “Approve what?” Josiah shouted. No one answered. “Why do I keep having this conversation?”

  Lewis asked, “What do you mean?”

  Josiah waved his hand. “Never mind. Just move the experiments offshore if you have to. You could have the entire project relocated to the Caribbean in a week. Don't use this as an excuse to slow down, Jay.”

  “Yes, sir,” he said.

  “Once you get the project going I want you to hand it off.”

  “Sir?”

  “I’ve spread you out on too many projects. I want you more focused. Transhumanism and reaching the singularity is to be your only job from now on. You're too smart to waste your time elsewhere.”

  Lewis perked up when he heard Josiah’s rare compliment. With a harsh word or look, Josiah could guide most people with fear, but Jay Roswell was an emotionally fragile genius, so a well-placed compliment served better.

  “I have a dozen people working on the Trans—”

  “There's too much inertia. I want this technology viable within five years.”

  Jay raised his eyes, but Lewis spoke up, “Why the rush?”

  Josiah pointed out the window to the city. “Look at that crap-hole. There's disease, sickness, all the sins of man running wild outside this building. Back that up to a macro level and look at the world. We’re saturated with war, death, and destruction. We've been desensitized to the global conflicts, which have become a common occurrence. I want to wait this thing out and still be here to pick up the pieces. The only way to do that is to incorporate tech into our bodies.”

  “What are you trying to do, live forever?”

  “I don't pay you to be funny, Lewis. What’re you now, forty-five? You've already exceeded the lifespan of most people on earth. Think about if I kicked you, your wife, and child out from Sector One onto the street. You’d walk out there in your five-thousand-dollar suit and be murdered before lunch.”

  “I didn't mean anything by it.” Lewis pointed to Jay. “We both appreciate being able to work and live in the same building and the protection this place offers.”

  Josiah nodded. “Jay, I'll see you in a few days, and I hope you'll have some positive feedback for me in the form of momentum.” He stood up. “Lewis, you’re with me.”

  Lewis followed his boss back to the elevator. “You all right?”

  Josiah didn't respond to the question. Instead he asked, “What's next?”

  “Got a meeting with your security detail on level two, then you’re meeting with the execs from your Spotlight News Agency for a debrief on the new regs.”

  “Flippin’ government telling us what we can and cannot report again.”

  Chapter Three

  West Coast of New America 2077

  After a few hours of rest, Kyle and the villagers reached the end of the tunnel, which was nothing more than a wall of dirt and rock. A couple of young boys dug away with their hands. An hour later they stepped back, revealing a narrow dark space just wide enough for a person to walk through. All of them exited the narrow gap into the back of a shallow cave. The injured were carried out piggyback style.

  Outside the cave the moon was full, and the air smelled dirty, like decomposing meat. They were halfway down the side of a small mountain. Kyle saw lights in the distance. He put on goggles from his pack and adjusted the lenses. They automatically went to night vision mode before zooming. In the distance he could see crumpled structures of wood and stone that used to be buildings and places of commerce. They were decayed and broken. Surrounding them were flickering torches and fires revealing some form of population. The city seemed to stretch on forever.

  The breeze carried the strange smell again. The city was too far away for it to be a septic or sanitary issue. Kyle scanned back and forth until he came upon a small gorge about fifty yards wide. Scattered among the top were fully intact as well as half-decomposed corpses.

  “Lord in Heaven,” he said, touching the side of the goggles to change to infrared mode. Several of the bodies on top still had a slight heat signature, showing how recently they had been dumped. “We need to get out of here, Star.”

  “What is it?”

  “Bodies. Lots of them, and some of them recent.”

  Star started to say something, but instead grabbed onto Kyle’s arm.

  “Here,” he said, handing her the goggles set to night vision. “You’ll need these to lead us out of here.”

  Star led them down a trail toward the valley of bodies. The smell made the air almost unbreathable. At the last moment, a switchback allowed them to turn around the base of the mountain and move into fresher air. They rounded a bend, and a short distance in fro
nt of them was a forest. The tension in Kyle’s shoulder’s relaxed at the thought of finding cover within the forest’s canopy. Gunfire interrupted the silence. Everyone crouched down, and many cries came from the villagers. Kyle reached for his haversack. He had a sidearm inside. Bright lights blinded them from a hill above.

  “Stop!” a voice shouted.

  Outlines of at least a dozen soldiers walked toward them in front of the lights. They came into focus dressed in mismatched uniforms, but all were holding rifles.

  The safety of the forest seemed to beckon to him. He could run and probably reach it, but he had to stay and suffer with the villagers. The soldiers lined up everyone in a single row. Two of the soldiers argued over Kyle’s haversack filled with technology. The uniforms they wore had no insignia, but it was clear who the head soldier was. He was a tall man, just over six foot and built like a bodybuilder. He came over and grabbed each of the two arguing soldiers by their shirts and threw them down. One of them got up to face the assailant, but the tall man punched him in the side of the head. The single hit knocked the soldier unconscious. The second soldier crawled away on all fours like a dog who had been kicked.

  “You,” he said pointing to Kyle, “don’t belong with this group. Where are you from?”

  Kyle’s limited military training told him to give name and rank only. “Kyle Faison, I’m a doctor on a mission trip to help these villagers.”

  The man stood eye to eye with Kyle’s six-foot frame. “Your group was the one I was called in to give support to, wasn’t it?” Kyle did not respond. “I lost a couple dozen soldiers and a terraforming tank trying to back those vagabonds we keep on a leash. Where you from?” Kyle said nothing. The man’s cheek twitched and he reached for a pistol in a chest rig. A moment later his hand returned to his side in a balled fist. “I’ll get a reward and a promotion for bringing you in.” He pulled out a dirty walkie-talkie covered in tape and copper wire. “Bring up two transports for prisoners to my location.”

  The squelch on the walkie-talkie was like a bird’s screech but the word “Roger” came through.

  Star rushed back and forth trying to calm children that were crying. Any time Kyle tried to help out he was greeted with stares of hatred and fear from the villagers, even from some of the one’s he had just baptized. The soldiers got into two beat-up four-wheel-drive vehicles, while the villagers were forced into two antique open-air transport vehicles with two armed soldiers. The shock the villagers received from the attack was now amplified by their capture. He refused to make eye contact with anyone and dropped his head onto his knees. Kyle knew he was continuing the Great Commission by spreading God’s word, but it seemed everything he touched since coming ashore had led to death, misery, and destruction.

  Hours dragged on as the transports rattled over bumpy dirt roads, making it impossible to find a comfortable position. Every hole, rock, or berm was like a punch in the kidneys. The dark night gave way to a predawn glow in the east. The children’s whimpers were a sickening contrast to the rumble of the vehicles' diesel engines. Kyle kept repeating Romans 8:28 to himself: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

  The cool night turned into a humid morning as they reached a road covered in remnants of asphalt. A single canteen was handed to the prisoners. By the time it reached Kyle it was empty. They drove all day over what must have once been a highway system. Vegetation had broken through much of the road, and rusted vehicles littered the area, making navigation slow. Late afternoon they approached a large city. Broken buildings jutted up to the sky like claws of some ancient monster. A few lights came from the old buildings. Smoke rose from low-lying huts built out of wood, rock, and scrap pieces of corrugated metal. The transport vehicles rolled by people dressed in rags carrying buckets of water and crops from nearby fields. None of them made eye contact with the people in the vehicles.

  They entered the inner city, and the clean air from the open road turned into a scent of decomposing trash, human waste, and stagnant air. Breathing was difficult. Kyle wished he had his data pad to take readings.

  A teen boy asked Kyle, “Will God save us now?”

  “He definitely can.” Kyle motioned the boy over. “Anyone who wants to pray with us gather round.” Two more children came over.

  The two armed soldiers said nothing, but held their rifles pointed at the group as they prayed. A short while later the transports stopped in front of one of the few intact buildings in the city. The building was short and made of metal and glass. Some of the reflective windows had been replaced with nonreflective pieces of glass. Overall, it was in impeccable condition compared to any of the surrounding buildings. The soldiers dropped the tailgate and started pulling people out onto the street to line up. Star had a girl latched onto each of her hips. Kyle maneuvered over to stand next to her.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  She removed a hand off one of the kids and started to reach over to Kyle, only to place it back on the child’s head. A soldier tried to pull one of the girls from Star, but both Star and the girl screamed.

  Kyle stepped over. “Please—””

  The soldier punched Kyle in the chest with the quickness of an animal fighting off another animal trying to steal its prey. Kyle fell to his knees, shocked at how quick the hit was and how much it knocked the wind out of him. He couldn’t take in air and tried to calm himself, knowing his breath would return.

  The soldier withdrew a long knife from a belt sheath and moved to strike again. The only thing Kyle could do was lift a limp arm in an attempt to ward off the attack. A gun went off and the soldier stopped, dropped to his knees, and faced Kyle. His eyes didn’t move, but he opened his mouth only to choke on blood as it trickled down his chin. A moment later he fell facedown on top of Kyle.

  The head soldier came over and pulled Kyle up with one beefy arm. By now Kyle had taken in a few breaths.

  “I need you alive if I’m gonna get any type of reward,” the soldier said. He proceeded to push Kyle away from the group toward the building. Kyle glanced back just before the doors closed to see soldiers stripping the gear from the carcass of the dead man. Cries and shouts from the villagers followed after. The last person he saw was Star clearly trying to hold it together for her tribe.

  The soldier dragged Kyle up ten flights of steps. Twice Kyle pulled back and forced the man to stop so he could catch his breath. A moment later the soldier would grab him without a word and continue on. They exited into a dim hallway lit from stray light bulbs hung on an extension cord that ran along the ceiling. He dumped Kyle into a room and shut the door. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the low light, which came from a small window in the metal door.

  There was a slop sink, revealing that it had once been a janitor’s closet. He turned on the faucet and was happy to find water. He didn’t care if it was clean. He drank deeply of the cool water before he washed his face free from the dead man’s blood. The remainder of the room was empty and the door was locked. With nothing to do, he sat down, prayed for the villagers and himself, and tried to get comfortable. He recalled Paul’s message of contentment in all situations in the book of Philippians. It only served to remind him how weak he was compared to Paul.

  Chapter Four

  New York 2040

  Josiah and Lewis exited the elevator onto level two. The area was loaded with armed guards dressed in tactical gear. Some stood, others worked in cubicles at computer terminals. Side areas held a cafeteria, a gym, and a coffee shop for employees. A man in his mid-forties approached them. He had a close-cropped haircut and a scar that ran down his face above and below his left eye. He was dressed in a well-tailored dark suit rather than military gear. He didn't shake Josiah's hand. No one touched Josiah due to his aversion to germs.

  “Morning, sir.”

  “Anything to update, Ross?”

  The man flipped a tablet around and scrolled through some
still photos of security cameras. “Couple of muggers outside the building last night. We took care of them before the police showed up.”

  “Bodies?”

  “One, and one in hospital, but he’s not expected to make it.”

  “Good,” Josiah said. “Two less mouths to feed on this overpopulated planet.”

  “Losers,” Lewis added.

  “Where can we meet in private?”

  “Too busy up here,” Ross said. “We can go downstairs.”

  Lewis, Ross, and Josiah entered the elevator. It took them past the ground level, which held high-end boutiques, salons, and restaurants for the public. The elevator continued on to the basement.

  Ross led the way past boilers, air filtration units, servers, and other mechanicals. “We can meet in the small conference room at the end.”

  The conference room door was cracked open with voices inside. Josiah snapped his fingers and held up his hand for Ross not to go in.

  A voice from inside the room said, “In the book of Genesis it says that Abram walked with God. They were friends. Does this sound like a God we should love or only fear?”

  Josiah shook his head at Lewis. A clear motion that he disapproved. A moment later Lewis opened the door. Two male custodians sat across from a young male in a short-sleeved dress shirt, holding a Bible. All three of their eyes widened.

  “God might not be someone to fear but we are,” Lewis said.

  The two custodians rose and brushed past Lewis with their heads down as they exited the room.

  “You better get back to work,” Lewis shouted after them. The remaining employee stood up from behind the table, collecting some papers. “You. Sit.”

  The twenty-something man complied.

  Josiah spoke up. “You know our company policy on proselytizing.”

  “Yes, sir,” the man responded.