by R Arundel
Matthew looks into Liam’s eyes. The rage and fire in his eyes tells him that if he doesn’t disarm Liam, this man will kill him. Father and son lose their balance, falling to the ground. Each tries to gain control of the gun. They roll and the gun fires.
“Too late.” Liam smiles at Matthew and then his eyes close.
Matthew stands up, looking at the dead body of his father.
Chapter Forty-Six
The President of the United States is sad that his job is coming to an end. He likes being the president. People are very nice to him, treat him special. It’s the little things, the smiles, the handshakes.
Jeremy Dawson, sometimes actor, begins to think of himself as President of the United States. Anything he says is obeyed. When he leaves office with the money Liam is paying him, he will be able to do anything. The Secretary of Defense lay unconscious, bound and gagged on the floor. Jeremy has already opened Quentin Taylor’s briefcase and entered the Secretary of Defense’s codes needed to activate the Football. Now he had complete power. He removes the Biscuit and punches in the codes: RP345 SC069 CT186. It is tedious.
Jeremy hears, “Launch sequence complete for WMD238.”
The voice is calm, neutral, feminine. It repeats the codes.
The voice then says, “Push launch button to proceed.”
Jeremy Dawson hesitates. He understands what pushing the red button will do. He was attentive at his briefings; he read his files. The codes he has entered will result in severe devastation. Liam had not told him the extent of the devastation that will occur. He learns this while in office.
Jeremy has some misgivings. After all, these are his own people he will be killing. They are kind, nice, and hardworking. From his time in the White House, he now fully understands what he is being paid to do. Liam has specifically chosen coordinates that will remove the entire population of Washington, D.C. Jeremy Dawson realizes Liam has targeted large urban areas, university centers, and political institutions, areas that are all densely populated. The missiles containing The Freeze will detonate over these major centers.
Liam promises to have a plan to evacuate Jeremy. Just in case, Jeremy has his own plan. His vehicle and driver are waiting to take him away. Jeremy looks over at Quentin, tied up and unconscious. Jeremy remembers his friend who had trained with him to be the Secretary of Defense. The original plan was to have both the president and the Secretary of Defense switched with actors. Jeremy’s friend was supposed to receive the face of George H. Brown. Jeremy remembers how sad he was when he learned the face transplant failed and his friend, also an out-of work-actor, had died on Matthew’s operating table. If that had worked, his friend would have taken the role of George H. Brown. Quentin Taylor would never have been appointed Secretary of Defense.
Jeremy is not happy about what he plans to do with Quentin before he leaves the White House, but he has no choice. He will miss Quentin; he taught him how to enjoy a Cobb salad.
President of the United States of America is the role of a lifetime. Jeremy Dawson put in an award-winning performance, pity he won’t get the statue. He grimaces and pushes the red button. The light begins to flash. A map of the United States of America appears on the upper part of the laptop screen. Red dots blink on the map at all the sites where The Freeze will be deployed.
“Launch codes complete. System activated,” the voice says politely.
It’s done now. He leaves the Football on the desk in the Oval Office. He has followed Liam’s instructions precisely. Two things puzzle him: why did Liam insert a delay in the actual launch time, and why did he make him wear this precise outfit? He will follow Liam’s instructions because he is being paid a fortune. He goes online to see if there were any new girls on his favorite site while he waits for his evacuation plan.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Two loud gunshots are heard at the door. The door lock is blown off and Jason comes through. Behind him is the President of the United States of America.
Matthew looks at Carter Middleton. The president has his face intact. Had Matthew gotten everything wrong?
Matthew knew the real president was alive. The final part of Liam’s plan had to include killing the fake president and switching back the real president. Matthew thought the real Carter Middleton would have been heavily drugged somewhere in this building. He would have received drugs to forget the last few days. Liam knew the real president would have been unable to explain his actions. President Middleton says, “I would like to thank you for your help, Dr. MacAulay. I understand you were looking to solve the murder of your friend Tom. In doing so you have saved me. If we move quickly, we will save countless others.”
“Forgive me for saying this, but isn’t your face on an impostor in the White House?” “Yes and no. Your father kept me around. I was the final piece in his grand plan. He was able to clone my face. The impostor in the White House has my cloned face. They cleverly fooled Tom into thinking my face was harvested. Liam couldn’t let him know about his cloning advances. A few cells from the inside of my mouth, that’s all it took.”
“Liam was developing cloning techniques?” says Matthew.
“Right here at this lab. He was a very gifted man.” The president looks at Liam lying on the floor. “He had some hits and misses, but he was able to clone my face. He said some faces could not be cloned. He wasn’t sure why, but he was going to figure it out.”
“You chatted with that monster?”
“He spoke very highly of you, Matthew. In his own way, I think he loved you.”
“He tried to kill me on numerous occasions.”
“Did he? He kept me informed about everything. Liam had the gift of the gab and loved to hear his own voice. He viewed me as a friend of sorts. I think he wanted to brag about his accomplishments to someone. Your father tried to spare your life and warn you away.”
“He didn’t love me. He never acknowledged me or my mom,” says Matthew.
“I had long chats with him. Sometimes we would sit for hours here.” The president gestures to the sofa. “He told me everything; his plan was genius. His thoughts were troubled, though. Many of his comments and insights into how to improve society had shades of truth.”
“You believed him?” says Matthew.
“No, your father was wrong on many accounts. He mistakenly missed the great accomplishments of our society. He minimized our strengths. In fact, he misinterpreted many of our strengths in terms of diversity, freedom of expression, as weaknesses.”
Matthew says, “He was the most cruel man I’ve ever known.”
“He had a callous disregard for others’ feelings. He was unable to feel for anyone but himself. On many occasions he expressed sadness at my eventual fate in his plan. But he would not let me go.”
“Fill us in on the details.” Jason holsters his weapon.
“I was kidnapped. They then took some cheek cells and cloned my face. That is what he was working on. No one else in the world is anywhere close to what he achieved. The face Tom transplanted was cloned from my cells in the lab. The face was a perfect match, and with Tom’s skill, the transplant onto the impostor was perfect. My double was an out-of-work actor. They spent months teaching him my mannerisms. Liam showed me the videos and how they trained him. At the end I couldn’t tell what footage was me or him. Liam’s plan was to decimate our country. He had grown frustrated with what he saw as weakness in our people, our national character. We talked at length about poverty, crime, drugs. A whole range of issues.”
Matthew says, “It sounds like you and he got on well.”
“He really was quite enjoyable and insightful at times. His solution to our problems was to start over, with himself as the leader. A new age leader.” President Middleton stands and walks. “ The one flaw in his plan was what to do with the actor after the country was decimated. If the actor gave him up, his story would check out. Scientists would take cells from the face and compare them with cells from the rest of his body. The DNA mismatch wou
ld prove his point. That’s why I am wearing these clothes. This is the last part of the plan. My impostor was told to wear these clothes today while he releases The Freeze. They are an exact duplicate of what I am now wearing. Liam planned to kill him and put me in his place after The Freeze was activated. He would then circulate a story, with the help of friends he has bought in my administration, that I had a breakdown.”
Jason says, “I see where this is heading.”
Matthew makes the final connection. “In the chaos that ensued after the decimation, you would be held in custody. If you were not summarily executed.”
“Precisely. If anyone listened to my story, it would seem like utter garbage. I would have no proof.”
“You would have had no story to tell. He would have pumped you full of drugs, and you would have had no memory of any of this.”
“He hadn’t mentioned that to me, but you’re right. Sounds like something he would do. It would not matter anyway. A hastily convened military tribunal would most likely make me disappear and spare the nation any further anguish. His plan was flawless—it would have worked.”
“Are you sure the codes have not already been launched?” says Jason.
“How much time do we have?” asks Matthew.
“My impostor has been instructed to launch the codes at 2:30 p.m.”
Matthew looks at his watch. “Let’s go.”
Jason says, “You can’t just walk into the White House and say I am the President of the United States. The impostor will have you detained as a well-rehearsed fake. You’ll disappear. By the time you are able to clear the whole thing up, The Freeze will be released.”
“I can get into the White House. We just need to get there. Does anyone have a private plane?”
“I’ve got some friends I think might be able to help,” says Matthew.
Matthew calls Jim Bob.
***
The President of the United States of America leads Matthew and his friends through a secret tunnel underneath the White House. With Jim Bob’s help and Kofi’s money, everyone is able to fly to D.C. in record time.
Kofi says, “I cannot believe what you’re telling me.”
Sarah is troubled. “Liam was the kindest, most understanding person.”
Matthew hugs her. “He had us all fooled.”
President Middleton says, “We have to move on. These tunnels will take us to the Oval Office.”
The group passes all checkpoints. Some guards look puzzled, but no one questions the President of the United States of America. He gives his passwords and is granted access to the various tunnels. He stops at a central area with many tunnels leading off in different directions.
“Jason, Sarah, and Kofi, take this tunnel to the left. You will end up outside an office. Punch in this six-digit code.” The president quickly writes it on a scrap of paper. “Ask the personnel to take you to their boss. Outline our story in brief, and they’ll know what to do.”
Jason says, “If we’re splitting up, Matthew, you take this.”
Jason hands Matthew his Glock 22. Jason, Kofi, and Sarah head off.
“Matthew, go down that hallway. It leads to a series of steps to take you to a different office.”
Before Matthew can say a word, President Middleton is down another hallway and out of site. Matthew follows the instructions. The hallways are poorly lit, the tunnels narrow. This hallway is long and has a few sharp curves. Matthew reaches the end of the hall. It is a dead end. Matthew retraces his steps. The president is nowhere to be seen.
Chapter Forty-Eight
The door behind him opens. Jeremy Dawson thinks for a moment it is his secretary offering tea, but he has said no interruptions and dismissed all the staff from this wing. He wants no interruptions. No matter, he can choke her to death if necessary. When Jeremy turns around, he is amazed. Carter Middleton, the President of the United States of America, stands in front of him. They wear identical clothes.
Jeremy remembers starring in a movie where he played twins. One twin was evil; the other good. He had played both roles. It was a low-budget film. The movie went straight to video, no theatrical release. The thing he remembered when he saw the film was how strange it was to see two of himself. He has that same feeling now. Truth be told, they are identical. Height, weight, clothes, they are a perfect pair.
Jeremy Dawson says, “Hello.”
The more Jeremy Dawson looks at Carter Middleton, the angrier he feels inside. He has embraced the role of President of the United States so completely that he believes Middleton is taking something away from him by returning. Ironically, Jeremy thinks Middleton is stealing his identity.
Carter Middleton did not know how he would react when he saw his impostor. He just knew he wanted to confront him alone.
The president yells, “I am going to kill you.”
He rushes Jeremy. They are rolling on the ground when Matthew comes in and locks the door. Matthew points the Glock 22 at the men.
“Stop. Get up,” says Matthew.
The two men stand up in front of the large desk. They are identical. Matthew is astonished. He moves his gun from man to man. They are identical. He subconsciously lowers his weapon.
Together Jeremy and the president say, “Shoot him.” They point to each other.
Matthew is astonished. If the situation were not so serious, he would laugh. They wear identical beige summer suits. Even the wrinkles around their eyes are identical.
Jeremy says, “He is an impostor. What is my college nickname?”
“A-pole,” says Middleton.
“He’s good,” says Jeremy.
“I’m the real deal, nice try.”
The two identical men approach Matthew.
Jeremy tries to convince Matthew. “I’m the real deal, shoot him.”
Matthew waves him back. “Where did you grow up?”
They both answer, “New Haven, Connecticut.”
“He got that from my bio; that’s public record,” says Jeremy.
“Who was the mastermind behind this plot?”
“ Liam Rasulov,” Jeremy and the president answer in unison. “Your father.”
Matthew is confused. It is clear that the actor is a perfect double. A doppelgänger. The facial features, voice, and mannerisms are identical. Matthew cannot even separate who is saying what. Looking at two identical people is unnerving. Matthew goes to the thermostat and turns up the heat.
“Let me tell you something Liam did not tell you,” says Matthew.
“I’m the real deal. Stop this nonsense, Matthew.”
The men stand side by side.
Matthew says, “The plan was you were never going to collect your money. Yes, I know about the big payday.”
The men are silent.
“Look at each other. Why did he tell you to dress in identical clothes? I’m sure he didn’t give you a good reason to dress in those clothes. Why delay the launch for hours after you entered the bioweapons codes? I’ll tell you why.”
The president says, “It’s getting hot in here.”
Both men have sweaty foreheads.
Matthew says, “After you released The Freeze, Liam was going to swap Middleton back in and kill you. He couldn’t risk having you around. You could prove that the president was substituted. Think about it. You are the only one who could identify him. Liam left no loose ends. He killed Tom, Patricia, Michael. Your face is in Macau. Did he tell you he was going to fly you out there to get your real face transplanted back on?”
No answer.
“Problem is, the lab in Macau was raided. He sent men in to kill me and the lab director, Kevin Price. When the authorities went in to search the place, it was empty. Where is your face? Only Liam knows and he’s not talking. He had no intention of doing that transplant for you. Anyone who could be linked to him, he killed. You were next.”
Jeremy says, “You’re lying.”
“You’ve been at the briefings. Liam had a perfect cover. He kept it t
hat way by killing anyone who could identify him. I worked with him for years, and I was his son. He had no trouble trying to kill me. Think about it. You know I’m telling you the truth.”
Jeremy says, “I’m beginning to sweat, and I am the president. Stop this nonsense and arrest this man.” Jeremy points to Middleton.
Jeremy asks, “What’s that annoying beeping?”
Matthew looks at his watch. “In your role as president, you’ve read the briefing notes. You know how Liam operated. After a person served his purpose, he killed them. That was consistent, no exceptions.”
Middleton is ready to end this charade. “There is no reasoning with this guy. Just kill him.” He tries to move forward.
Matthew says, “One more step and you’re a dead man.”
The president stops.
“Shoot him,” says Jeremy.
“We’ve been in here about fifteen minutes.” Matthew holds up the watch that is beeping loudly. “See this watch? Did Liam tell you what happens if the temperature gets above eighty degrees for thirty minutes.”
Jeremy just stares at Matthew.
Matthew says, “Your face falls off.”
Jeremy says, “This is a bluff.”
“No, the transplanted face has decreased sensation. Feel your face.”
Interestingly enough, both Jeremy Dawson and Carter Middleton put their hands to their faces in an identical manner.
“The Steriazol Tom created still needs some work. The transplant is perfect, but you can’t feel your face. Feel the sweat on your forehead.”
Again both men touch their foreheads.
“Slowly the bonds are breaking down. I just need to sit here for another fifteen minutes. You will literally lose your face before my eyes. At that point the vessels and nerves needed to save your life will be permanently damaged. Your face will melt away.”
Jeremy maintains his composure. “You’re bluffing.”
Matthew says, “It starts with an intense burn, and you’ll feel the transplanted face for the first time. Then you will feel your face loosen. Trust me, it’s not pleasant.