by M. V. Kallai
“Right, then,” Ganesh continued, “He’s already working on it.” Camden sat in a chair and shook his head, still laughing.
The door opened again and in walked General Pike with Sergeant Quinn, a few members of the press, and Bearden, tailing the group. Ganesh motioned to Lee to have a seat beside Camden while the rest of the men sat around the table. The reporters set up their cameras and recording devices and Sergeant Quinn took out his notebook. The general started with standard press conference pleasantries, thanking everyone for coming, followed by introducing everyone at the table, except for Quinn and Leitner. Then he went on to introduce the Space Flight and Habitat Program that the government scientists would be developing, led by Camden Riles and Colonel Ganesh. He made a special point to acknowledge Dr. Lee Tripple, who had come to show his support for his colleague’s new endeavor.
Ganesh tried to keep a strong, confident composure during General Pike’s speech, but he kept shooting worried glances at Camden, who seemed to be amused by the whole thing. He nodded at the general’s comments with an overeager smile and looked like he was about to crack up. Lee seemed uncomfortable and confused, and the photographers seemed frustrated at the unusable shots they were getting of the group. Aware of the strange vibe in the room, the general decided not to open the floor for questions after he finished talking, but promised to invite everyone back once the project was underway. He politely escorted the press out of the room and just as he was closing the door behind him, he shot a glance back at Ganesh and mouthed,
“Fix this.”
Ganesh drew in a deep breath and started to say something, but Aldretti appeared at the opposite door to collect Camden who seemed happy to be leaving the room. Before he got up, he slammed his hand on the table in front of Lee, making him jump. There was a small piece of paper under it with writing on it. It said, ‘Go to the club this week and tell Enira that I’m okay.’
“You don’t look okay,” Lee grumbled. This made Camden laugh out loud and Aldretti flinched at the high-pitched sound of it.
Ganesh told Lee to wait there with Bearden and Quinn while he found out about Ari.
“Well, I think that went well,” Quinn said aloud when Ganesh had gone. He was grinning from ear to ear and looking over his meticulous notes.
“Did it?” Bearden asked. “I mean, this was my first press conference, so I don’t know much about it, but…” he looked at Lee. “Does Professor Riles always act like that? I mean I guess people are different when you see them in person, but I just thought he was more…”
“Refined?” Quinn chimed in.
“Yeah, I guess.”
Lee stood up and started pacing in the space behind the chair he was sitting in, ignoring them both. His mind was already working on how he would use Ari’s body parts when he got them. He would need something from the wife, too. That could be tricky. It is unlikely she would give him one of her fingers. No matter, all he needed was a little DNA to start. He could just take it if he were to get close enough. A small accidental scrape of his scalpel, that’s all.
“Dr. Tripple! Did you hear me?” Ganesh’s voice broke into Lee’s thoughts. “I said Ari’s service is tonight. I have an address.”
“What? Oh, yes, that will do. I will take the boy with me,” Lee said.
“Who, me? You want me to go somewhere with you tonight?” Bearden asked. He felt panic and awe all at the same time.
“Yes. You will come with me. I will explain the assignment when we are back in the lab.”
“Um, sir, I have to return to the lab here this afternoon. Remember, I only have a half day allotted with you.”
“Well, that won’t do for today. Make arrangements. I’ll wait here,” Lee said with a growing impatience.
Ganesh rolled his eyes at Lee’s bad manners and Bearden looked at him for help.
“Go,” Ganesh said, “Tell your team leader that I have requested your service for the rest of the day.”
“Thank you, sir,” Bearden said and rushed out.
Quinn made a new note in his notebook.
“You’re driving me crazy with that thing, Quinn,” Ganesh said.
“Yes, sir,” Quinn replied.
Down in the lab, Bearden ran almost head on into Major Mace Magner who was checking on the day’s progress. He stopped abruptly and saluted.
“Where are you going in such a hurry, Leitner?” Mace asked.
“I have orders from Colonel Ganesh to take leave for another project this afternoon, sir.”
Mace’s eyes widened with excitement and a smirk appeared on his face.
“Well, good for you, son.” He patted Bearden on the back just hard enough to make him cough, and then leaned in close. “I’ll see you tonight. You know where. I’ll expect a full report. Just call as soon as your, eh, project is complete.”
Bearden swallowed hard. He hadn’t had anything to report to the major since their first meeting at his flat. He hoped to avoid this very situation altogether, but instead he replied, “I will, sir. I will call.”
“Good boy!” Mace said, smacked him again on the back, and walked away with his chin high in the air.
Chapter Thirty-One
Green
Back in Tripple Laboratories, Dana was putting small clumps of cloned flesh into separate tubes to test the latest mixture, 252. She looked up when Lee walked in and was surprised to see Bearden right behind him. They headed straight for Lee’s office. Without so much as a ‘hello’ to either of them, Dana asked Bearden with sharpness in her voice,
“What are you doing here?”
“Not really sure yet,” he answered as they walked right by her. She hobbled along after them, feeling miffed that Lee had not acknowledged her.
“You’re not supposed to come back until next week. What’s going on? I’m sure I can help, whatever it is,” she called after them, but Lee closed the door just as she caught up.
“Well, isn’t that something!” she said loud enough that she hoped Lee heard her through the door. She stood there balancing on her uninjured leg and folded her arms.
On the other side of the door, Lee got right to the point. Bearden stood in shock.
“You want me to do what? That’s not right. I can’t, and with his family there, and… it’s just not right.”
“You have to go. I was planning to, but after considering the situation more thoroughly, decided it was not suitable. People will recognize me, but I cannot afford to miss the window of opportunity to collect a sample. No one will talk to you. You won’t even have to issue condolences.”
“Will Professor Riles be there? You could ask him. If I hurry, I could get a message back to the unit before the service.”
“I did ask. It proved to be a useless conversation. You have to do it. His cells are important to my work. Are you or are you not my assistant here?” Lee opened a small cabinet beside his desk, pulled out a specimen container and thrust it toward him, hitting him in the chest.
Bearden took the container with reluctance and said,
“I’ll need a small sharp scalpel…and what am I supposed to tell his family? They don’t know me.”
“Tell them nothing. You won’t need long anyway. Dana will get you a scalpel. Here is the address,” Lee said, handing him the small piece of paper that Ganesh had given him earlier. “I would suggest changing into civilian clothes. Less obvious. And don’t talk to Camden. Avoid him altogether. That would be better.”
Lee was fidgeting more than usual and it was clear that the day’s interactions had left him frazzled and uneasy. He was looking forward to spending the next several hours alone in his locked lab, where he had been working with the biomer for the past week. Bearden waited a moment for a dismissal, but Lee was staring off into space in the other direction, so he just left. When he opened the door, he almost knocked Dana over because she was standing right in the doorway.
“Well…?”
“Well, I need a very sharp scalpel.”
“For
what? Are you taking stuff out of the lab now?”
“Can you cut the ‘high and mighty’ crap for once and just get me a damn scalpel?”
“Fine!” Dana hobbled across the main lab into the storeroom. Bearden followed, nervously rolling the container around in his pocket with his fingers.
“Are you going to at least tell me what it is for?” Dana asked again.
“I don’t know if I can. I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough. You know everything that goes on in here now, don’t you?
“Not everything…” she murmured while looking through a meticulously organized drawer of sharp objects. “Here. Take this one. It’s brand new. It should slice through just about anything.”
Bearden’s stomach contracted when she said this and he almost gagged.
“Thanks. Oh, I’ll need to come back later, too. Could you set up clearance?”
“Ugh, What time?”
“Around 10:00?”
“How precise.” She rolled her eyes.
Bearden was starting to look disturbed.
“Fine,” she said, “I’ll get your clearance. Go…do his bidding.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Weaponry Unit
Mace Magner placed his fingers on a security print pad and slid his electronic key card into a door between the lab atrium and the weaponry unit marked:
‘Weaponry Unit
Clearance Level 9-B Personnel Only’
Once inside, he walked down a short hallway and turned the corner, entering his favorite place in the whole building. It was a labyrinth of machines and the smell of the metal artillery was intoxicating. There was a much different feeling on this side of the basement than in the atrium. The botany and scientific development side was bright, full of plant life, and the air was filled with chatter among the creative work force. This side had much less color, mostly gray, and the general demeanor of the soldiers working here was somber and focused.
Mace began walking down the metal ramp that wound its way through the facility, inspecting the progress of the machines. Rows of indestructible guns hung from metal racks overhead and the further into the maze he went, the more impressive the armory got. He passed a soundproof, explosive-proof testing chamber where small robotic transports armed with biomer weapons were trying to destroy one another. Mace paused to watch as one of the transports fire at the other, causing its main firearm to burst into pieces. The transport shut down and appeared to be defeated. Anyone doing battle with this machine would walk on, thinking it was defeated. But minutes later, the weapon began to move. The biomer started to regenerate and the machine turned itself back on. Mace laughed out loud and walked on. The regeneration might take hours. He would come back later and check on the little guy’s progress.
What he had really come down here to see today was the third attempt at the insertion of an intelligence chip into the humanoid weapons. This was key in preventing Daxian casualties in battle. The computer engineers were sure they had worked out the compatibility kinks from the first two attempts and that this integration would be successful. The information on the chips had been downloaded from collective, computerized brain waves of top soldiers, who volunteered for the job. Most had sustained injuries from the last war that forced them into early retirement. Some of these soldiers were also in attendance today to witness the fruits of their labor.
On a platform in the innermost room of the unit was a room made of bulletproof and soundproof glass and dubbed ‘The Sanctuary’. In it stood General Pike, Colonels Talper and Cline, four of the robotics and computer engineers, and two humanoid weapons. Surrounding the platform were several members of the weaponry unit interspersed with heavily armed soldiers in biomer body specific armor…for safe measure. Mace entered the sanctuary and pushed his way to the front of the group. There was not much conversation in the room. Everyone was focused on the center platform with excitement and nervousness waiting for General Pike to get things going.
Finally, General Pike spoke,
“As all of you in this room know, the Tyrinian people have started an uprising. Small conflicts with their rebel groups are taking place almost weekly now on our borders. Sure, we have the upper hand and no one inside our territory feels an overwhelming threat, but they are gathering strength and organization. They scout our borders on cloudy nights looking for weaknesses, but soon, their desire for this war they keep waging against us will be gone. With these biomachines, they will surrender, finally admit defeat, and work for us to develop the few resources they possess. As our population grows, as many scientists believe it will, we must harvest the little bit of habitable land that exists on this planet. Or else our children’s children will be forced to settle and survive in the frozen landscapes that span the rest of our world; living among primitives who don’t even possess the brainpower to come in out of the cold. When Tyrine rises up this time, it will be the last.”
The group clapped with awe at the general’s speech and anxiously waited as the robotics engineers each moved toward one of the biomer creations and opened a panel in the back of it’s left leg. Then, the computer engineers inserted tiny oval metallic chips into slots in the control boards. Everyone in the room took a deep breath simultaneously and watched as the machines suddenly came to life. Their movements were smooth and strange. Not machine-like, but not human either. The biomer was a living organism and it had just successfully been given a brain. There was a collective gasp from the group when they began to move around the platform. Colonel Talper and Colonel Cline backed away instinctively, trying to hide their sudden and obvious discomfort to be in such close proximity to these beasts. The engineers were beaming and congratulating each other with hugs and handshakes. Mace couldn’t turn his eyes away from the beautiful and powerful creatures. General Pike was applauding the engineers with a wide smile, and then turned to the group to address them once more.
“Now that they are activated, they cannot be inactivated. From here, handlers will take them to a secure training facility built especially in our sub-basement to test their responses and programming. Once we are sure they can correctly identify their enemies, we will begin the first phase of mass integration for all the mobile weapons in the unit.”
Again the group cheered and applauded the general’s words. Behind him, the humanoid biomers turned to face each other. They had no eyes, only sensors throughout their heads and bodies. They stopped moving for a moment, and then reached to each other, with their high-powered gun arms. Everyone in the room flinched and backed away from the platform. The machines touched, but did not fire. They seemed to recognize one another, if that was even possible. Mace tapped his foot and pursed his lips at this. General Pike noticed the group’s reaction and looked behind him. Thinking quickly on his feet he turned back to the crowd, held his arms out and said,
“Ahh, camaraderie. Could we have hoped for more?”
Most of the group relaxed at his words but the clicking sound of the readying guns held by the armored soldiers in the room was not lost on all. Colonel Talper was now off the platform completely, pretending to hold an important conversation with one of the on-looking scientists. Colonel Cline was stiff as a board, but maintained a calm expression. General Pike motioned to the soldiers, who immediately gathered around the newly aware biomachines and put them in chains. The handlers, accompanied by the soldiers, led them out of the sanctuary without difficulty and to the sub-basement lift that was the size of a large room and required a special code to activate.
The amazed group began to disperse and Mace jumped up on the platform and grabbed one of the computer engineers.
“What the hell was that?” he asked.
“Sir…I don’t know. The programming is correct. I don’t know.”
“So, that definitely was not supposed to happen?” Mace asked.
“Sir, we weren’t sure what was going to happen, but we could have never predicted interaction between the machines.”
“Can you fix it?”
<
br /> “Not with those two. They are programmed to resist inactivation at all costs. It would be too dangerous to try, but we will re-check all of our work to prevent it from happening with the next activations.”
“That would be wise,” Mace said. “What’s your name?”
“Luke, and I’m afraid that maybe, it has nothing to do with the programming.”
“What do you mean?” Mace said.
“The biomer is alive, sir, with or without the intelligence chip.”
Mace left the unit without revisiting the little transport that was still busy regenerating. He now had more than one thing to discuss with Sergeant Bearden Leitner tonight. How fortunate that he was blackmailing the very botanist who had discovered the catalyst. He probably understood the biomer better than anyone.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Brain?
Several hours later, a white-faced Bearden knocked on Lee Tripple’s office door. Dana was not in the main lab, which Bearden thought was odd. He figured she would be waiting for his return with a new set of questions for him.
“Come in,” Lee called from his desk.
Bearden walked in with equal parts pride and shame on his face. Lee looked at him with hopeful eyes and Bearden unbuttoned his jacket and pulled the container from his shirt pocket. He set it on the desk without saying a word and Lee leaned over so he was eye level with the container.
“Well,” he beamed, “I’d say this is more than satisfactory, boy. Well done, well done. Now I just need a sample of the wife.”
“The wife? She is alive, I don’t think I can be a part of this.”
“She can be alive for what I need. Just a patch of skin…for now.”
Bearden was unconsciously backing away toward the door when the phone rang.
“Yes. Hello?” Lee answered.