by F. Habib
The lift doors slid open, but no one moved.
They closed.
‘The only thing you can do is bust out if you ever get the chance. Don’t be fooled for a millisecond by the people around you. Security will be tight without appearing to be. This place isn’t as wired for sound as some, but you need to stick together. If you don’t move, think and act as a team, it’ll be game-set-match. I’ll help as much as I can, but at a certain point, my hands will be tied. My father…he helped us rescue you only when we revealed the powers at play. That put you and your family at priority number one for national security and biotech development. I guarantee half the people you get for your team will be working on how to control and weaponise your talents. Watch what you say. Always remember that you are the source of information and for now they won’t force you to talk - till they know they can control you, or more specifically, Perun and Galen. You have the upper hand. Don’t give it away. Stay amicable. Play the game, Beth. Now is when you need to play the game. No more feisty fits. Leave that to me, ok?’ She jabbed a button and the doors reopened. She strode off leaving the others to trail behind.
Play the game? I’m the most hopeless game-player there is. I always lose my cool. How am I going to pull this off? A tight squeeze on her fingers pulled her eyes to Galen’s.
‘We’re here too, mum.’
‘Yes. Let’s not panic about other people’s agendas. Just focus on getting what you need to figure this out.’ Perun said.
‘Why? Let’s say I figure out how Galen, you and Khoen do what you do. Then what? Turn it off? Doubtful. The information can only be used against us. Either to control you, or to recreate the powers in others. Mimi’s right. I’m not sure the technical details are going to serve our purpose.’
‘Which is what, exactly?’
‘Living a normal life! To just be ordinary for God’s sake. To walk to the supermarket for my shopping. I want to be able to worry about my bills, not whether evil forces are going to steal my child for experimentation or kill us or keep us locked up till the end of days. Is it too much to ask, to hope for?’ Her tight throat cut off her words.
‘I don’t think normal is going to happen for you, Beth. I’ve never experienced it, never will. I’ve accepted danger and malice as an everyday part of my existence since birth. I’ve seen what the monsters can do and you’re right to be afraid, but you have to overcome your fear. It will defeat you long before they do. We will get out of here. We can do it right now, if you want to. They wouldn’t be able to stop us. However, I don’t think you’d like the results - the collateral damage. A better way will present itself. Too much is happening too quickly. We need to regroup and plan our next move. And there’s one thing you haven’t considered.’ He shared a glance with Galen.
‘What?’
‘The baby. We need…it’s an unknown entity; to any of us. I think, given the parentage, we should just be careful.’
‘Will you stop demonising Khoen? He didn’t send the tsunami. And now the baby? Come on.’ Beth’s frustration quickly cooled as she remembered the problems she’d had with Galen as a baby. The screaming; the insects. A shudder ran through her. ‘Ok. We’ll not make any rash decisions right now. I might not even have this baby.’
They squawked with laughter.
‘What?’ Beth stopped outside the door Mimi had pushed through, irritation oozed from every pore.
Perun walked past her shaking his head. He held open the door for Galen and waited patiently for Beth to take her hands off her hips. ‘Sometimes I really wonder if you know yourself at all,’ he sighed, ‘now remember to keep your cool. The game starts here.’
*
California, USA
‘He was in too deep.’ Jamie leaned back in the chair and thumped muddied trainers onto the polished Blackwood desk. ‘I told you to leave it to me. You can’t trust an Arab not to get overheated.’
‘Shut up.’ Wesley pushed his silver hair off his face and narrowed his eyes against the reflection from the harbour below. Thank God they’d expanded their recruits. The soldier had at least remained useful.
‘Do you have orders?’ His voice echoed through the speakers.
‘Just stay local to the primary. With another one hatching, we need to be closer than ever. Keep us informed.’ He pressed a button on the phone to release the connection. He clicked another to bring Rob off mute.
‘You there, Rob?’
‘Yeah.’
‘So?’
‘So nothing. I’m doing my bit. They’re always screw-ups along the way. The main thing is we still have cover. They won’t see us coming. Where is the stone now?’
Jamie laughed. ‘You’re kidding right? He has it so far up his ass we’re never going to get it out.
‘Shut the hell up,’ Wesley kept his tone light. He knew the hour when he could kill Jamie and shut him up once and for all, would come soon enough. ‘The stone is with me and perfectly safe. What’s going on with Rebecca? I saw the Variety spread…she’s turning up the heat about the divorce. I think we should shut her down.’
‘No. I can handle her and she doesn’t know anything. A shut down will only raise more media hype. Let it cool off.’
‘Still no patter of little feet with the newest wife?’ Jamie sneered at the speaker phone. The silence widened his smile.
‘When you produce, you can talk.’ Wesley said.
‘I can’t believe they have another one coming. Why do they breed like flies? Does it mean something?’ Rob sounded fragile. This latest divorce was a train wreck even by Hollywood standards. Wes didn’t understand why the hell he kept marrying these bitches.
‘They just got lucky.’
‘Yeah, let’s hope this next one’s a dud like Wes’ little cherub.’
Heat crawled in Wesley’s innards. He’d savour Jamie’s last breath as much as the Richebourg Grand Cru he’d put aside for the occasion.
‘Touché.’ He smiled. ‘I guess I’ll see you next week at the group conference, Rob? I’ve nearly finished your presentation. It should be ready tomorrow. Where are you filming?’
‘Nova Scotia, the shoot’s overrun but it’ll wrap by then.’
‘Good. See you there.’ He clicked off.
‘You heading back to LA?’
Jamie drew the soles of his shoes slowly down the front of the desk, marking his attendance with brown streaks. ‘No, I was in Peru. I’m going to finish the trail before I go home.’
Wesley nodded.
Jamie stood. ‘Bye.’
He stepped forward and vanished like a dropped pin.
Wesley’s lips pressed together as he took in the muddy streaks; he picked up the phone, ‘Rosie, get house-keeping.’
Chapter Eighteen
There were so many people in the auditorium Mimi’s head spun. Some fifty bodies milled about, straightening their papers and coffees. Geeks in the main, though a good thirty percent looked like special ops - some in uniform, a few trying to blend in with the others. Shit. If the net is this inclusive, the Freaks are never going to get out. You only open the doors this wide when you know there’s no chance of keeping them closed. Everyone will be watching.
The crew finally came in and brought a hush to the room. Beth looked poised to fly right out again. There’s nowhere to run to Honey B.
‘Oh. Hi guys. Thanks for coming down. Good to see you this morning.’ A man in a crumpled shirt with rolled up sleeves greeted the group. He showed them to their seats on the podium. Beth gulped at the glass of water offered her, meeting no one’s gaze. Perun and Galen scanned the room, catching everyone’s eye. What’re they doing? A shiver ran through her. Ah, they are scaring the bejeezsus out of everyone. She bit back a smile.
Mr. Crumple adjusted a mike on his shirt, sending thumps through the speakers.
‘Erhm. Ok folks. Let’s all settle down, we’ve a lot to get through. Most of you know me already from yesterday’s overview session, but I’ll cover the introductions first and we’ll
move swiftly on to the key discussion points on today’s agenda.
You should all have the latest briefing notes, but allow me to introduce your project leaders. I’m Dr. Richard Graeves, heading medicine, Dr. Chris Pike – please stand Chris – is leading our physics team.
He faced the group on the stage. ‘Of course, not least are our honoured guests Dr. Elizabeth Irving, her son Galen and Perun - Galen’s father. They have already kindly completed much of the initial medical testing and given us a good basic understanding of their own research findings to date, which will save us, frankly, years of work. Thank you.’ He started to clap, prompting the room to follow. Mimi caught Beth’s eye and smiled reassuringly. Don’t panic. It’s weird, but just don’t panic.
‘We’d all like to thank the three of you for helping us better understand the phenomenon that your biology represents, the possibilities it holds for curing the world of disease and transforming the human experience of the world, the universe and our place in it. No part of humanity will remain unaffected by this. I feel I speak for everyone here, when I tell you I wake every morning and have to pinch myself. Exciting, ground-breaking, unbelievable findings on a daily basis have left little time for sleep. You are a miracle.’ He grinned and blinked back tears.
Mimi glanced at Beth’s bowed head. Oh, mercy. How’s she not going to lose it? I’m creeped out and I’ve only been here five minutes. At least she’d not saying anything. Maybe she’ll just stay mute and it’ll be ok. Oh no, she’s fiddling. What’s…they gave her a mike! Mimi held her breath.
‘Thank you for your kind words, Dr. Graeves.’ Beth’s voice was smooth as glass and sweet as bird-song, ‘Thank you all for your support and assistance. We are keen to work with you in seeking out solutions for the greater good. I feel we’ve all been given an opportunity here. Together we can complete our work and share the benefits of our miracle with the world, for the advantage of all. Amen and God bless America.’
Mimi clamped a hand over her mouth. The room was silent. Perun and Galen fixed wide eyes on Beth. Then the room exploded with applause and Mimi slipped down her seat. She raised an astonished gaze to Beth’s and got a smile she’d never seen before. The shock pulled her back up in her seat.
Cunning. She’d never seen cunning in Beth, wouldn’t have credited the possibility. Maybe the girl’s picked up a few tricks. Maybe, things won’t turn out as predicted. It took a good few minutes to bring the room to order.
‘Wonderful, wonderful,’ Graeves beamed. ‘I think we can start then with the latest findings from our medical tests. Our main priority is the foetus and its development.’ Beth’s glass toppled but she quickly righted it.
‘At the moment all scans and blood tests indicate normal development. However, the father of the unborn child apparently demonstrates manipulation skills at the highest level. Given the seeming heritability of skills from father to son in the case of Perun and Galen, we feel safe in the assumption that this child too will inherit at least some of the skills of the father. Of course, what form this skill will take may vary from the inherited source. Galen can, like his father, heal and communicate at a molecular, atomic and perhaps even quantum level with animal and insect life forms as well as plants.
However his transformations are beyond his father’s ability and dare I say,’ he winked at Galen, ‘even his healing skills are faster and more…advanced. If this is a pattern, every generation could be leaping ahead in skill level. In just two weeks we will be able to safely test for the sex of the baby. A key objective of the medical team is to monitor all foetal development at every stage, from detailed DNA analysis to overarching structural or behavioural deviations from the norm.
I believe this baby could reveal the secrets of the phenomenon. The test results will hopefully reveal the extent of epigenetic versus genotype influences involved in the development of such skills. We are specifically looking out for any retroviruses that could be playing a part. Of course, Galen and Perun’s DNA are also bringing many new pieces to the puzzle board.’
‘It’s a girl,’ Galen whispered to Beth, his voice made loud by his microphone. He jerked back at the sound, mouth open. He covered the mike and gave Beth an apologetic grimace. She stared at him, then looked blankly at the crowd as they gasped, some oohing and ahhing. There was no cunning now. She looked like a woman stuck in a dream so real it was puzzling her.
This is so weirdly cruel, Mimi marvelled.
‘Ah, Galen,’ Dr. Greaves rubbed his palms together, ‘You didn’t mention it yesterday. How do you know this?’
‘Er…I just do.’ Galen shrugged and pressed his lips together.
‘Ok…what about you Perun, do you feel it’s a girl?’ Perun’s gaze drifted away from Galen to Beth’s pale face.
‘I’m afraid I can’t help with that. I guess my…sensors aren’t as fine-tuned.’ He offered an apologetic shrug to the room.
‘Well, you see my point. At this rate Galen will save us much time and effort.’ He glanced down at his papers.
‘The next item, a discovery we’ve made this week is something I think is going to add a bright new dimension to the puzzle.’ He narrowed his gaze at Beth. ‘I’m…I’ll run through it and the panel can tell me what they think.
It was noted by one of the analysts that Galen is an extraordinarily well-behaved boy. He’s always obedient, never argues or questions us about what we’re doing throughout his long tests and procedures. She noted that he must have been raised with strict boundaries. This led us to explore his upbringing and his ideas about authority. Well, it turns out that Galen feels he never had a choice but to obey his mother. Not because she threatened him, but that he could not disobey her.
Unexposed to other authority figures, he never new any different. In fact, he was baffled by the suggestion that a child could disobey their mother. The psychologists’ note reads: Galen is compelled, in his view, by a physical force outside of his control, to obey his mother. Her wish removes his free will. Having been raised largely in isolation with his mother, he has formed the habit of obedience, though the rule doesn’t seem to apply to others.’
A collective rumble rolled over the audience. Beth’s bewildered expression turned to laughter.
‘What the hell are you talking about? That is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard.’ She shook her head and turned to Galen. ‘You didn’t really say that did you? At Galen’s confused expression Beth smiled. ‘He’s a good boy. He’s just got a gentle nature and he knew how important it was to follow the rules - that’s all. To keep him safe. He’s not forced. How could I possibly force him? That’s crazy.’ Beth’s gaze flashed to Mimi who shrugged.
Beth rolled her eyes. ‘Look, let’s be sensible. How would it work? Ok. Galen – jump up and down.’
Galen remained seated, then smiled at his mother when she crossed her arms and sat back in her chair looking satisfied.
‘It doesn’t work when you don’t mean it, mum,’ he chuckled.
‘What is this rubbish, Galen?’
‘How can you not know this? When you’re angry or scared; that’s when it works. Remember?’
Beth froze. Horror and amazement warred across her face. Mimi could just imagine Galen’s entire life flashing before her eyes. Every incident, accident, emergency. Her gift for total recall would allow her to see it all, every detail in a new light.
This is heavy duty.
Mimi jumped up when she saw Beth’s face crumple, tears streaming down her cheeks. Galen was quick to wrap his arms around her. ‘It’s ok mum. You saved me, helped me.’
‘Uh…hmm, yes.’ Graeves cleared his throat. ‘We think Galen’s right Beth. It could be some sort of survival mechanism. Our best guess is the authority is linked to your emotional state, powerful emotions triggering the mechanism.’
Beth wiped her face. ‘How could I have missed this? It’s so obvious retrospectively. What else have I missed?’ Her voice still swam with tears. ‘Thank God only Galen is affected.’
‘And Khoen. He’s got it too.’ Galen nodded.
‘What?’ Beth’s bark was echoed by Perun and Graeves.
‘What are you talking about?’
‘How can you not know? Remember he dropped his glass - the first day on the ship? That’s when I realised. And he realised. Why else do you think he got so mad? It really annoyed him – having to do what he’s told.’
Beth’s mouth hung open. Then shut. Then opened again, ‘No wonder he…you mean to tell me we could have gotten off that ship at any point and you didn’t mention it?’
‘Well…’ Galen frowned at his mum. ‘I thought you knew everything.’
‘Well evidently not!’ Beth was brick red. ‘You and I are going to go over everything, young man. I mean everything that has ever happened and you will make no presumptions about what I know. Assume I know nothing, Ok?’
‘Ok, ok.’ Galen shrugged, staring at his mother with new eyes. Mimi would have smiled if she wasn’t still shocked by the crazy in the room.
‘Is there anything more you can tell us about this, now that you’re aware of it, Elizabeth?’ Dr. Graeves was scribbling non-stop.