Myra turned and walked out onto the balcony without saying another word. As she gazed upon the huge holographic globe in the center of the floor below her, she heard a thud as Todd’s dead body struck the floor. Fortunately, Kevin knew what must be done. There were to be no witnesses left alive.
Myra smiled while leaning over the balcony. A sense of relief suddenly filled her body. Got you, Jules Windsor! she thought, savoring her impending victory.
Chapter_19
“Tell me he’s just a hologram!” Alex yelled.
Alex leaned closer to the sleeping soldier and stared intently at the man’s face. Still in disbelief, he fumbled in his pocket and grabbed the holograph detector he manufactured to specifically deal with The New Reality technology. Designed like a flashlight, wherever he directed the beam, any generated holographic image would disappear. Taking the apparatus, he pointed it around the tent. Though many items disappeared, the soldier remained. The man’s hair, eyes, nose, and mouth were exact replicas of his own. Even the tiny mole under the man’s chin was identical. There was no mistake about it; he was a clone.
Unable to look any further, he sat back on his heels and attempted to keep his composure. Though his body began to shake as the shock of the situation tore through him like jagged pieces of glass, he simply looked up at the top of the tent and did his best not to start weeping uncontrollably.
“Alex,” Jules asked, “would you’ve preferred never knowing?”
Alex shook his head. “Ignorance is bliss.”
“As Galileo once said, all truths are easy to understand once they are discovered. The point is to discover them.”
“Would someone tell me what the hell is going on around here,” William exclaimed, “and why this guy here on the floor looks just like Alex?”
Though reluctant to divulge the information to another person, Jules quickly briefed William on the situation. Jules also thought that if Alex heard the story a second time, he may begin to accept the information a little quicker.
“But why me?” Alex finally asked with a slight tremble to his voice.
He had difficulty keeping his composure. Usually as steadfast as the North Star, he did all he could to hold back the tears. It was as if all the emotions he had ever experienced in his life were coursing through him simultaneously, and he could do nothing to stop them.
“Why not you?” Jules responded as if giving magnificent news. “Alexander the Great was one of the greatest thinkers, leaders, and warriors ever to walk the earth. His legacy and name have survived the test of time. Why not his DNA?”
Still in a state of disbelief, Alex said, “Is this supposed to be some sort of a sick joke?”
Jules shook his head. “I’m afraid not. What you see here is by no means a joke. Mark Houston acquired your DNA after an expedition to the famed Egyptian city of Alexandria. There he met the keepers of the dilapidated Nabi Daniel mosque. It had almost burnt down after the great earthquake of 2019. After pledging total financial support for its reconstruction, the keepers of Nabi Daniel took Mark Houston into a catacomb underneath the mosque where the tomb of Alexander the Great had been sequestered for over 2,000 years, virtually lost to history.”
Alex finally understood why his mother used to tell him that he was genetically special.
Why did she never just tell me the truth? Alex wondered. Maybe she didn’t know either? “What about my parents?” he asked.
Before he could finish the question, Jules said, “The people who raised you will always be your true parents. Nothing can change that.”
“Did they know?”
“They knew they wanted a child but were unable to conceive.”
“I always asked my mom why I didn’t have any brothers or sisters like all my other friends. But all she ever told me was that it was a blessing she even had me.”
“Did they know I was a clone of Alexander the Great?” Alex reiterated.
“That, I don’t know,” Jules responded, hoping Alex would regain his composure quickly so that they could move on to the next stage of the plan.
“Let me get you to your feet,” William said taking Alex by the shoulders. “Maybe a little walk and fresh air will make you feel a better.” I sure the hell need it, he thought. And a cold beer.
“So that would make my true genetic parents,” Alex said aloud, “King Philip the second of Macedonia and Olympias of Epirus.”
Well versed in ancient Greek history along with their customs and even language, Alex began to recall as much as he could about Alexander the Great as he slowly walked out of the tent. Jules was not far behind. In a few moments he stood at Alex’s side, and together they surveyed the carnage that lay before them.
“Nobody ever said war was pretty,” Jules commented.
“Alexander the Great?” mused Alex, completely ignoring macabre scenery. “I guess it can sort of grow on me.” He then turned to his friend as he began to regain his composure. “William,” he said, trying to make light of the situation. “I expect you to now refer to me as Alexander the Great at all times. I’ll tell Samantha of this new formality once we return home.”
“I’ll be happy to call you Alexander the something,” William quipped. “However I have a few other choice adjectives I want to use instead.”
Alex and William laughed, letting the mounting nervous frustration escape. Alex bent down and picked up a bronze shield off the ground. Sliding his arm behind two leather straps, he held it up against his side as if he knew exactly what to do with the ancient defensive weapon. With his other hand he withdrew a sword from the leather sheath of a decapitated soldier and banged it against the shield like he were about to enter battle.
“This is no time to engage in your petty whims,” Jules admonished. “There’s much more we have to do.”
William stepped in front of Jules. “Give him a moment. You tell the guy he’s a clone and that he’s adopted and now you want him to go on like nothing happened? Alex can do whatever he wants for as long as it takes. And if you don’t like it, you’ll have to get past me.”
Though he wanted to pummel William, Jules knew causing any further disturbance to Alex’s psyche might prove detrimental to the mission.
Alex looked down at his weapons, surprised by his own actions. “This kinda feels natural. And in a strange way, this whole day has taken a load off my shoulders.”
“How so?” Jules asked as he looked at Alex over William’s broad shoulders.
“Ever since I can remember, I’ve felt like I was missing something important from my life. I never knew what it was, but I felt as if I couldn’t have inner peace until I found it.”
Alex examined his sword. He recognized it as an ancient Greek weapon known as a xiphos. With a leather padded grip and an elongated, leaf-shaped, double-edged blade widest about a third of its length from the pointed tip, he remembered it was traditionally used for both cutting and jabbing.
His mind began to wander as he recalled a few of his most recent hallucinations including riding a horse and the assassination. Though these visions had been coming less since their initial arrival, it suddenly seemed to make sense. They were not simple hallucinations or mere fabrications of his mind, but instead actual accounts of what occurred in the life of the original Alexander the Great. Because consciousness lay at a subatomic, quantum level, it is present in a realm where time does not exist. Here, the past, present, and future were all happening at the same time.
He also realized that when his brain’s quantum generator, the posterior cingulate cortex, became over-activated by the golden crown, his mind was able to connect with the subconsciously generated quantum field produced by the original Alexander the Great about 2,500 years earlier. Because their subconscious quantum fields resonated at the same frequency, Alex essentially tapped into the mind of his namesake.
“So what’s next?” Alex turned to Jules as he analyzed the situation.
“First,” Jules responded with a maniacal grin, “I can’t le
t you have all the fun.” He then looked up in the air and said, “Dr. Harding, could you make my appearance a little more apropos for our two guests here. I feel a bit out of place in this ancient setting.”
“You got it,” a voice echoed as if inside their heads. “But when you’re done playing, there’s a little explaining you’ll have to do.”
William spun around like a dog chasing his tail while looking for the source. “Where’s this coming from?” he asked, disoriented.
“He’s directly resonating the osseous structures in your skull to generate the voice,” Alex quickly explained. “It’s a bit disorienting and almost spiritual at the same time. It makes you feel as if God is speaking directly to you.”
“Freaky,” William responded as he stopped turning before the motion made him even more nauseated.
“Could you please—” Jules then restated.
Jules’ appearance immediately transformed. Wearing a plaid-red tunic tied at the waist and brown trousers, he now donned the traditional uniform of a regular Persian soldier. He also wore a golden tiara covering most of his head and had a thick black mustache that looked like it hadn’t been trimmed in years. Holding a long spear in his right hand and a bright-red circular shield in his left, he looked ready for battle.
William began to laugh. “Hey Jules,” he cajoled, “if anybody told me it were Halloween, I would have brought an outfit.”
“Dr. Harding?” Jules then said as if asking a question.
“Say no more,” the ambient voice responded.
Suddenly, William’s attire quickly transformed into an overly short tunic tied at the waist by a rope. His hat was then replaced by a small, circular crown made of olive branches.
“You’re the one who wished he had a costume William,” Alex responded. “Ask and you will receive.”
William looked down, slightly amused by the new clothes. Not wanting to give Jules the satisfaction, he jested, “You know, I was thinking of wearing this very outfit this morning.”
Alex then looked over at Jules. “Persian infantryman.”
“Exactly,” he answered. “You’ll soon be seeing a lot more of them.”
“Dr. Harding?” Alex then asked. “Hopefully a loyal friend?”
“The most loyal of all employees here at the Training Grounds,” Jules answered. “No one knows of his existence in the New Reality except for myself and two other coworkers.” He then tightened his grip on the spear. “Free yourself from any worry.”
Before Alex could respond, Jules quickly threw the spear at him. Alex adeptly ducked as the weapon bristled the hair on the side of his head when it passed.
William grabbed a sword from the ground and was about to rush Jules. As he approached, Jules raised his hand to ease the proverbial rhino before it charged. “Calm down my boy,” he assured. “This is just a friendly lesson before the real work begins.”
Jules then approached Alex as if he were going to explain some vital bit of information. At the last minute, however, he made a quick roundhouse kick. Fortunately, Alex was able to raise his shield in time to absorb the blow. Nonetheless the impact sent him flying onto his back. Jules then took a double-edged sword with a long triangular blade from his belt and pointed it at Alex.
“Expectation,” Jules boasted proudly as Alex jumped to his feet. “That’s where you faltered, my industrious friend. Don’t expect someone to extend an olive branch when they’re holding a sword.”
Alex peered over the top of his shield while instinctively positioning the blade close to its side. It was as if he had fought all his life and this defensive maneuver came to him as naturally as breathing. “It’s called trust, my friend. That’s how I grew my business and found the cure for The Disease.”
“Oh, so you believe,” Jules retorted. “But remember this, what you believe to be the ultimate truth such as loyalty or trust may be nothing more than an illusion you create in your mind. The real or natural truth is sometimes far from what you perceive.”
Jules then lunged with his sword. Alex adeptly dodged the blow much more dexterously than he anticipated.
Alex then quickly thrust his shield forward, grazing Jules’ shoulder.
Jules laughed at his colleague’s naïve view of the world. “Just think of it. All the advertising, marketing, and packaging of a product. It’s not simply placed there for our viewing pleasure. It’s there to influence us and shape our perception of it.”
They then began to walk slowly in a circle, like two boxers searching for a weakness in their opponent. When one flinched, the other would counter before any definite action could be commenced.
“Now take it a few steps further,” Jules said as he swung his sword overhead, striking Alex’s shield.
Alex then lunged his blade forward, missing his mark. Jules quickly retaliated by slamming the edge of his shield on Alex’s forearm, causing him to drop his weapon.
Alex swiftly rolled onto the ground in response, grabbing his sword in the process. Jules continued to strike at him with his sword but only raised the dust on the ground in the process.
“You must understand,” Jules explained, “expectation, not fact, is the true basis of supply and demand. It’s not actually how much you truly need the product that counts; it’s how much you think you need the product.”
Before Alex leapt to his feet, he swung his sword, hitting Jules on his exposed thigh. Though not causing any serious damage, the blow certainly hurt, and Jules limped slightly to the side as Alex took a defensive position across from him.
“I bet you didn’t expect that,” William cheered, mocking the conversation.
Jules continued, undeterred by the setback, “The theory of supply and demand is nothing but a façade created by the modern capitalistic society. A façade that can be manipulated, just like the people who believe in it.”
“Capitalism,” Alex responded, making an unsuccessful jab, “is the most successful system ever created in man’s entire recorded history to elevate the economic lot of the ordinary citizen. It’s what fueled great inventions, generated exponential expansion in human knowledge, and helped forge every great technological advancement in civilized man.”
“Then how do you think I broke the bank of England?” Jules scoffed, acting as if Alex were just a simpleton. “If supply and demand were the true natural law of man’s evolution, why did I almost bankrupt a country and create more wealth than I could ever dream of in the process.” He then spun and made a futile attempt to strike Alex in the neck with his sword.
Alex ducked and countered his attack with his own unsuccessful sword thrust. “Manipulation,” he countered, “better known as insider trading.”
“What you call manipulation, I call opportunity,” Jules proudly responded. “The key not only to financial but also to any truly great success in life is to find where expectation and reality diverge so far from each other that catastrophe is inevitable—then do everything you can do to capitalize on it. You don’t wait for the bubble to burst. You burst it yourself.” He then lunged forward.
Instead of dodging away or simply blocking the blow with his shield, Alex turned and kicked the sword from Jules’ hand. In the process, he then brought the point of his sword up to Jules’ neck.
“Not to burst your bubble,” Alex said, “but we should probably be moving on. What do I have to do to get into the system and find that lock?”
Chapter_20
“Dr. Harding,” Jules politely asked. “Could you please?”
The sword and shield in Alex’s hand suddenly dematerialized along with Jules’ Persian attire. Both were left standing in an awkward position as if they were mimes pantomiming an action.
“Much better,” Jules said.
“No more games,” Alex responded, unamused. “It’s only a matter of time before The New Reality locks onto our position.”
William interjected with more than a hint of panic to his voice, “I thought we were stealth? What do you mean they can lock onto us
? I thought…”
He then looked down. Although the other two were now without their weapons and authentic attire, he remained cloaked in the same toga that left little to the imagination. William attempted to continue his tirade, but became sidetracked by the apparent joke at his expense.
Jules and Alex assumed a more comfortable posture as they looked over toward him. Alex’s angst seemed to slightly dissipate at the sight of his friend’s bewilderment. Though he wanted to make a joke, he could only muster a smile.
William’s attention then turned back to survival. Forgetting the comical garb, he continued, “I thought the stealth mode would keep us completely safe?”
“It’s only a matter of time before The New Reality’s supercomputers are able to extrapolate our position,” Alex explained. “No matter how hidden this place is from their proverbial radar, the trivial quantum and gravitational fluxes created by our stratoskimmer will be enough for them to determine our position.”
“Well,” William asked, “how long will that take?”
“It could be a matter of hours or even days. It really depends on what other type of electromagnetic interference there is in the atmosphere and how effective the stealth device deployed at this site is.”
“Then let us make haste,” Jules concluded.
A small, circular plate materialized on the ground next to them as the grass once lying on top of it disappeared. Jules walked over to the plate and gestured to his companions. “Come this way.”
William and Alex followed and joined Jules in position. Upon William’s arrival, his toga outfit was replaced with his usual attire as soon as he stepped foot on it.
The disk descended over a hundred feet below the earth in less than a second. With the negative G-force automatically compensated, the three of them sensed nothing more than a slight dip as they dropped into a large, cylindrical tube that seemed to travel for miles in both directions.
The Hidden Reality (Alex Pella, #2) Page 15