by Eliza Green
The origin of the Indigenes had never been documented in any meaningful way. Scientifically, they had always been referred to as Species 31, and the only people who understood their true beginnings, outside of Deighton and the elite board members, were those directly or indirectly involved in the genetic trials. Caroline knew the details of Anton’s capture had been leaked to the public in a measured way, so that the World Government could generate a renewed public interest in Exilon 5. The public was fascinated with the possibility of life outside Earth. However, the idea that walking, talking aliens existed was still the stuff of science fiction and, to most people’s minds, not within the bounds of possibility.
Caroline had yet to meet Anton. While the Indigene had helped them to amass a large amount of genetic data on the new race, the medical team was still searching for a breakthrough—a way inside his mind. But Anton was far from cooperative and the collated data only gave them access to partial information about how the second generation had developed. Anton was the key to unlocking the secret and Caroline needed to find out what was going on inside his head. Her thoughts were interrupted by an argument between Felicity and MOUSE.
‘I do not know what to tell you. What do you want me to tell you?’ MOUSE said.
‘But when did it happen? I mean, exactly?’ Felicity was highly agitated, her cheeks flushed.
‘I cannot be everywhere at once, can I?’ MOUSE said defensively. ‘All I can see are his vitals and that is what I am dutifully reporting back, like a good sentient being.’
‘You can be everywhere at once. That’s the whole point of your existence!’
‘I was being metaphorical! You have got eyes, have you not?’
‘Yeah, like you do. Except it’s not my job to keep my eyes on that thing.’
Caroline moved in closer and slammed her mug down on the counter. ‘What’s going on here?’
Felicity shoved her hands roughly into her pockets. She was not an unattractive girl, with her cute dimples and naturally long eyelashes, but her scruffy black hair gave her an unkempt appearance that made Caroline constantly question her ability to be organised and rigorous in her work. She was flustered, apologetic, and her thin shoulders slouched unattractively. ‘MOUSE says that thing has been awake for an hour. He is only getting around to telling me now.’
MOUSE interjected quickly. ‘I told someone a while ago, but everybody seemed too concerned with the Berlin data. I continued to monitor his vitals during the hour, as I am programmed to. He is fully awake now, so I am telling you all again.’
‘Is he a danger? Is he still restrained?’ Caroline’s voice had urgency to it.
‘Yes, he is still restrained. He seems quite calm. He is not moving about,’ MOUSE said.
‘I think I should speak to him alone,’ Caroline said.
‘I cannot let you enter the room without backup. It could be a trick.’
‘After two months in captivity, Anton’s bound to be weakened, both physically and mentally. I’ll be fine as long as he remains restrained.’
‘Sorry, I cannot allow that. My orders come from the top. I have just erected an additional force field around the room so you will not be able to get near him without my authorisation. There are also three military personnel standing by.’
‘Military are of no use to me in there. I need my team. Julian and Felicity, come with me.’
The two assistants dropped everything and trotted off after Caroline.
‘MOUSE, drop the force field,’ Caroline ordered, as she walked in the direction of the detainment room. She passed three tense-looking men in military uniform. They fell into line and brought up the rear of the group.
‘I am sorry, I did not quite catch that,’ MOUSE said.
‘Drop. The. Force. Field,’ Caroline repeated, enunciating each word carefully.
‘I am afraid I am hard of hearing. Could you repeat the request?’
She thought about yelling at the sentient until she remembered her manners. ‘Please,’ she added.
‘I will think about it. I am still recovering from Felicity’s earlier insults. They are still fresh in my mind. I will need time to compose myself.’
Caroline came to a stop just outside the large metal door that led inside the room. She put a hand up and felt the force field crackle with energy. ‘MOUSE, you can see I’ve brought extra people with me, as you have so helpfully suggested,’ she said, feigning politeness and patience. ‘I would be most grateful if you would drop the field … please?’ MOUSE was temperamental but she could usually win him over with a few well-chosen words.
‘Well, since you asked so nicely—’
‘Thank you.’
‘You are welcome Dr Finnegan. See Felicity? That is how you talk to a sentient being.’
Felicity flipped him off.
‘I saw that!’ MOUSE said, outraged.
‘I thought you couldn’t see everything,’ said Felicity.
‘I said I couldn’t be everywhere. Listen next time.’
‘Quiet you two!’ Caroline snapped.
The electrically charged air flattened and the metal door slid back inside the wall. Caroline entered the detainment room, closely followed by her assistants and the military men. The room was clinical looking: white walls and grey floor. The normally strong overhead light had been dimmed, softening the room’s clinical appearance. Weak shadows danced on one wall as she moved forward. At the back of the room and in one corner she saw Anton, his body strapped tightly to a long metal table inside an environmentally controlled containment bubble. Caroline tensed up as she made her way across the room alone, fuelled by a mixture of trepidation and excitement.
The containment bubble that rippled with a non-lethal energy was large enough to hold ten people standing. Time seemed to slow down as she took several calculated steps towards Anton. He adjusted his position beneath the restraints and clamps as she got nearer. Her last few steps were agonisingly slow. She shone a small light at him. Anton squeezed his eyes shut, but not before Caroline saw something that made her frown. His eyes were glassy and that made no sense; MOUSE had reported that the medication was out of his system. While they knew drugs were necessary, how much they should give him was still a guessing game. They had no data on how the drugs affected a second-generation Indigene, but nobody wanted to take a chance after what had happened to one of Deighton’s doctors earlier.
‘He should be lucid, Doctor,’ said MOUSE.
Caroline had expected the worst, but Anton was now nowhere near as feisty as had been suggested in previous reports. She remembered MOUSE’s earlier warning that this could be a trick. She lowered the light further and waited for her own eyes to become accustomed to the new twilight conditions in the room. The shadows deepened, became creepier looking. She came to a stop three feet away from where Anton lay.
MOUSE echoed her cautiousness. ‘Careful Dr Finnegan, it might not be safe.’
Anton watched her carefully. Finally, he spoke.
‘Who are you? What do you want?’ His tongue, swollen with disuse, thickened his words. He licked his lips to moisten them.
‘I am detecting a slight elevation in his heart rate,’ MOUSE reported. ‘Proceed with caution.’
Caroline acknowledged the warning with a nod. ‘My name is Dr Caroline Finnegan,’ she said, her voice cracking a little. She cleared her throat. ‘Do you know where you are?’
Anton smiled and looked away.
She repeated the question.
‘Should I?’
‘Perhaps.’
‘Then why are you asking me, if my odds at guessing correctly are so poor?’
‘I’m testing your lucidity.’
‘I am at peace.’
‘Peace?’ she said, confused by the statement.
Anton elaborated no further.
‘You’re in a special medical facility in Ireland,’ Caroline continued, pushing through the stretchy but yielding membrane of the containment bubble until she was inside. ‘It’s
a small island on the edge of Europe, on Earth. Are you aware of what I’m saying to you?’
Anton looked at her again. His eyes were watery and seemed to stare off into the distance. ‘It’s peaceful where I am. No harm can come to me. I can’t harm others.’
‘What’s wrong with him?’ Caroline said, directing her question at the ceiling.
‘I do not know. His heart rate is stable. There is physically nothing wrong,’ MOUSE replied. ‘Could it be that Anton is traumatised?’
That was always a possibility. Anton may well have already crossed into another part of his brain in order to become dissociated from reality. Was his mind trying to protect him, or others, from further harm?
‘Is that the case, Anton?’ Caroline asked him. ‘Are you traumatised? We know you killed someone. Was that your first human kill?’
‘Hmmmmm?’ He seemed to be barely listening.
‘Are you protecting yourself?’
Anton laughed dismissively. ‘You’re not real. Stop talking to me.’ He turned his head away from her.
‘But I am real,’ Caroline said, splaying her hands out in front of her, palms upwards. She took another careful step towards him. ‘And so are you. You’re here on Earth and you’re alive. Do you understand? Let me prove it to you.’
‘Do whatever you want. Nothing you do to me will matter. Not anymore.’
‘MOUSE for God’s sake, do something,’ Caroline shouted.
‘What do you want me to do exactly?’ If MOUSE had the ability to shrug its shoulders, it would have done it right then.
‘I don’t know. Shock him. Do something to get him out of this funk.’
‘Oh yes, what a splendid idea. Let us make the alien angry. Just so you know, I am in favour of this doped-up version. This version is friendly and safe. You can take this version home to mother.’
Redness flushed up Caroline’s neck and face. ‘MOUSE!’
‘Fine, but you had better stand back a lot further.’
Caroline stepped back outside the containment bubble while MOUSE administered a small jolt through the electrodes that were attached to Anton’s body, but it didn’t seem to alter his mood in any way.
‘Again,’ Caroline ordered.
MOUSE administered another jolt, this time at a slightly elevated level.
Anton’s body shuddered with the force. ‘There’s nothing you can do to me,’ he said.
‘You can’t turn me into something I’m not.’ The expression on his face reflected the peacefulness that emanated from his voice.
‘Come on, damn it. Snap out of it,’ she muttered to herself. ‘MOUSE, crank it up to ten thousand mill amperes.’
‘Are you sure? That is quite a hit.’
‘We know he can take it. I don’t have time to argue. Just do it.’
MOUSE jolted Anton again with a shock severe enough to stop a human heart. Even though Caroline was well outside the containment field, she still felt the sting of the electricity in the air. She watched as Anton went into a series of violent seizures. She waited a few moments for the electricity to dissipate before returning to the containment bubble and standing beside him. Moments later, Anton opened his eyes; they had lost their glazed appearance and were full of aggression.
‘Keep away from me, human!’ he hissed.
Caroline could see terror behind the façade, etched into his face after weeks of precise experiments. ‘There you are,’ she said, ignoring his anger. With so little time available to her, she needed to make every moment count. ‘Now, are you ready to talk to me?’
‘You can start by telling me where I am,’ Anton said, twisting his head from side to side and struggling beneath the restraints. His movements were still sluggish, but a glimmer of his former self was surfacing.
‘I’ve already told you. You’re in Ireland, on Earth,’ Caroline replied. ‘Now, what I really need to know is what’s going on inside that head of yours. How about you and I have a little chat. I really don’t want to have to shock you again.’
Anton shook his head. ‘If I recall correctly, you’ve already found out everything about me. I need to rest. Please, leave me alone. Even better, send me home.’
‘That will come, but not yet. I don’t think you understand how important you are.’
‘More important than you, it would seem,’ Anton said. ‘I’ve heard the way he talks about you.’
That didn’t surprise Caroline. She’d heard stories about what Deighton was like at his very worst, and what he really thought of the medical facility staff. ‘Yes, he believes you are more important than us, and for good reason. We’re familiar with the physical differences between us, but what really interests me right now is how your brain works.’
‘Why don’t you just take a look? Your technology is more than capable of doing that.’ Anton reeled off the specifications of the nearby image resonator, right down to the security detail embedded at a micro level.
Caroline’s eyes widened. ‘How did you do that?’
‘I can see the components.’
‘You see, it’s detail like that which interests me: your brain connectivity—how you learn—how you communicate—how everything is interpreted.’
‘Kill me and you can have a look.’
‘It doesn’t work like that. I’d learn far more by talking to you. That will enable me to see the connections for myself.’
‘Talk away. You won’t learn anything new.’
‘Where do you go inside your mind to heal?’
‘Where I always go.’
‘And where would that be?’
‘Into my subconscious—the same as you do when you sleep.’
‘But you have accelerated healing abilities. How does that work? There has to be more than just sleep getting you through the pain.’
Anton didn’t respond.
‘Do you have any superior cognitive abilities?’
‘Like what?’
‘Like telepathy, thought transference, call it what you will. Anything that allows you to connect to others of your kind through thought processes alone. While you’ve been in captivity, we’ve recorded activity in certain areas of your brain that exceed normal human levels—in areas that deal with memories, sensory connections, receipt of information and so on. Your prefrontal cortex is enlarged, the area that gives you and I our higher brain functions. Telepathy is something we have been experimenting with, but are struggling to break into. We know mind-to-mind connectivity is a latent human ability, but so far it hasn’t developed in any meaningful way. Has it developed in you?’
‘Thought communication is possible in close proximity.’
‘To what level? What about over distance?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Let me simplify it for you. Have you been communicating with anyone over the last two and a half months?’
‘I don’t remember what I was thinking about. I was a little busy trying to stay alive.’
Caroline stared at Anton for a moment and came to the decision to leave the containment bubble to try again later. She pressed a button on a wall panel and the door to the room opened. She ushered her staff and the military men out before it closed.
‘Perhaps he is unaware of all his abilities?’ MOUSE suggested.
‘Possibly,’ she mused. However, that idea provided her with little comfort. She knew what the ultimate plans for Anton were and she was against them, but her opinion didn’t always count for much with the government. Until then, she would only have a short amount of time with him. Perhaps if she got to know him on a more personal level, he would come to trust her.
Chapter 9
Mid August 2163, Earth
At King’s Cross station, Bill Taggart purchased his ticket for the bullet train to Inverness and searched for Platform 8. He looked up at the virtual information display board that hovered millimetres below the decorative iron rafters in the ceiling. He searched for the next departure and soon he realised he had just missed one. He walked of
f in the direction of where he thought his train was, not in any particular hurry.
It had been two and a half months since he’d returned to Earth on Charles Deighton’s orders. Since then he’d had plenty of time to mull over events, such as his unplanned meeting with Stephen. Bill had not heard from Stephen since he left Earth, no confirmation that he’d reached Exilon 5. There had been no World Government stirrings about a capture other than Anton’s, so chances were good that Stephen had arrived back safely. Bill thought about his and Laura’s fruitless efforts to uncover something that might reveal where Anton had been taken. He thought about his wife and the file that Laura had shown him that supposedly confirmed her death. It was a written order, nothing more. Together he and Laura had trawled through the micro file to see if there was anything that could shed light on what had happened to Isla, but they turned up very little.
‘Come on children. Follow me to Platform 8,’ a young schoolteacher shouted. The excited chatter of little voices filled his ears and he turned around to see a group of youngsters approaching. They passed him in droves, the girls looking up at him angelically, while the boys had that devilish glint in their eyes. Finding their boisterousness and enthusiasm quite infectious, he followed them.
Bill grabbed his gel mask from his bag and slapped it onto his face. He felt the seal tighten as the gel moulded to his contours. Readjusting his baseball cap, he pushed through the force field separating the train terminal building from the platform, which was located outside. Ahead of him, the bullet train to Inverness waited. A large red clock imprinted on the side of the first carriage counted backwards from two minutes.
He climbed onto the nearest carriage and settled into one of the well-worn seats, turning up the collar on his coat and angling the peak of the cap downwards. Looking out the window, his eyes glazed over as his mind drifted elsewhere. Many thoughts danced around in his head, in particular, the ESC’s curtailment of his travel privileges to mainland UK. Simon Shaw, his ITF supervisor, had called him on the Light Box and been quick to apologise for the change in travel arrangements.