by D. S. Smith
A horn sounded from one of the cars below snapping Dave back to the present. He looked at his watch. He was due to meet Dr Carson for dinner in the hotel restaurant but not for another hour. He was contemplating what to do next when there was a knock at the door. He was not expecting anyone to call and it was too early for it to be the psychiatrist. Before he had chance to answer, a white envelope appeared under the door. He walked over and peeked through the peephole. He caught a glimpse of a blond-haired man stepping into a lift down the corridor from his room. Even from this briefest of glimpses he recognised the man as the same one that had exited the airport with the blonde Chinese woman earlier that day. This was no coincidence. He felt sure his initial instinct about the woman had been correct. Despite what the secret service had told him about her demise he had little doubt she was the same women who had abducted him and taken him to China. He looked out of the peephole one more time confirming the area outside of his room was clear before he bent down to retrieve the envelope. It felt very light and thin so he doubted it contained anything more than a sheet of paper or two. He had no intention of opening it. Instead he placed it on a table by the window and picked up a cell phone the security service officer had given to him after the debrief. There were just two numbers in the contacts; one listed as Dr Catherine Carson and the other with no name assigned to it. He dialled the latter and the call was answered within three rings. It took approximately five minutes for the officers to arrive at his door. He recognised one of them as the man who had introduced himself as Robert Mann at the debrief, but the other, a tall, heavyset man was new to him. Dave pointed to the envelope on the table and the agent he did not recognise walked over and picked it up. He held it up to the ceiling lamp allowing the light to shine through it before tearing it open without further ceremony. It contained a single sheet of paper, which he scanned over quickly before passing it on to his colleague. The agent scanned over it just as quickly and handed it to Dave. The letter read:
Dear Mr. Milton (David!),
Your life is still in grave danger. The woman you spotted at the airport today is the same woman that abducted you. She intends to kill you, your brother and anyone else she needs to in order to get to the machine they are building here in Oxford. If you are as sensible as I think you are, you will have contacted the security services by now. Meet me in the bar at your hotel in thirty minutes and bring them with you.
Regards,
Your new friend.
The familiar stomach churning rush radiated through his body at the thought of encountering this deadly woman again. He looked to his protectors for reassurance. “Shit, what now?” he asked looking up from the letter. Agent Mann turned to his colleague and asked him what he thought. The man approached Dave and held out his hand to introduce himself. “David, my name is Terry, I have been working with your brother and Dr Carson for the past few days. I was hoping to join you and the doctor for dinner tonight by way of introduction but obviously this changes things somewhat.”
“Good to meet you Terry. Yes, I guess we should call Dr Carson and cancel? But what do we do about my new friend?”
“If you are up to it I suggest we go down and meet him.”
Terry took out his phone and tapped a few keys. He passed the phone to Dave and asked him if he recognised the man on the screen. To his amazement the phone displayed a video image of a blond-haired man drinking at the bar of the hotel. “Yes, that’s him,” he answered. “Is that live?” Without answering, Terry turned to his colleague and bombarded him with instructions.
“Bob, have the two undercover locals carry out an immediate, but discreet, sweep of the premises to see if Lin Lee is lurking anywhere − emphasis on the discreet, you know how subtle they can be,” he added sarcastically. “Have the remainder of your team set up in the bar in strategic positions. Call in a few more locals and have them monitor entry to the hotel, in particular anyone wanting to come into the bar. Finally, call the college and tell the duty site coordinator to beef up security and have the professor and his team stay put until further notice. Dr Carson is probably already on her way over. When she arrives have a uniform take her straight back to the college.”
Terry turned back to Dave as his colleague left the room. “What was that, ah yes, the video. We are monitoring the CCTV from the hotel wirelessly using an IP address. It’s just like logging onto a website really if you have the security clearance.” He put the phone back in his pocket before continuing. “So, how do you feel about going to meet our friend here and seeing what he has to say?” Dave thought about this for a moment. It was unlikely the man was plotting to attack him in the bar with the security services present. “Sure, if you think it’s safe. To be honest it’s not him I’m afraid of. It’s the crazy bitch he is travelling with. I’ve already seen what she is capable of.”
“Let us worry about her now, Stuart,” Terry offered. Besides, we won’t be leaving this room until I have confirmation we have full control of the area. Shit, sorry about that David,” he added as he realised he had just called him by his brother’s name, “I’ve been spending a lot of time with your brother lately.”
“Don’t worry about it, you’re not the first to make that mistake recently,” Dave replied with a wry smile. “Yeah, not great timing under the circumstances. Anyway, when we do go down let me approach him first and see what he has to say. I believe it is us, the security service, he really wants to talk to anyway, but having you there may just make him more comfortable. We don’t want to spook him but rest assured there will be several pairs of trained eyes watching his every move.”
They still had fifteen minutes before the requested meeting time. Terry briefed Dave on what he should and should not say to the man if he engaged him. “Stick to short yes or no answers where possible and don’t mention anything of your experience in China.” Dave nodded in agreement before changing the subject.
“So, how has Stuart been coping with all of this, Terry?” he asked the agent. “The last time I saw him he had just about come to terms with the fact he had suffered some kind of delusional breakdown. How has he handled the fact that everyone he trusted had gotten it all so wrong?”
“Incredibly well to be honest David,” Terry answered. “He has remained dignified and pragmatic about all of this from what I’ve observed. Many folk couldn’t have coped with all he has been through yet he has accepted everything thrown at him and cooperated fully.” Dave was just about to ask him if he had any idea what had happened to his brother from this world when there was a knock at the door. Terry approached the peephole and peered through. “Ok, you ready David?” Terry asked as he opened the door. Dave just nodded and followed him through. Agent Mann was waiting for them outside. “Just stick close to me and follow my instructions. If you do that everything will work out just fine.” Terry offered as they marched down the corridor to the lift.
Chapter 41
Lin Lee looked at her watch. Bruce had been gone for several hours and should have been back by now. The task she had given him was simple. Go to the hotel David Milton was supposedly staying at, confirm he was there and get his room number. His prolonged absence made her nervous. She had been held up in the safe house since their arrival and the lack of communication with the outside world was beginning to make her paranoid. She still didn’t fully trust Bruce but his was the only help she had to complete this practically impossible mission. She had already started to put together a plan to get her into the building to destroy the British Harmoniser. She had the blueprints of the college the Director had given her spread out on the bed. The university buildings were hundreds of years old and had undergone many renovations. A relatively recent addition was a network of air ducts servicing every building and every room throughout the college. The ducts were big enough for her to crawl through and were hidden by false ceilings in most areas. They presented the perfect concealed access point for her. She traced the route of the ducts on the drawings with her finger. They originated abo
ve a large boiler room toward the centre of the main college building. The room also housed the electrical distribution units for the main building. This would be her point of entry but getting past security would not be easy. This is where she needed Bruce. He would create a diversion to draw security to a location away from the boiler room. If she could depend on him to complete that one task, she could handle the rest herself. She looked at her watch again. “Where the hell is he?” she complained aloud. To distract herself she decided to take inventory of a large box of equipment delivered earlier in the day by representatives within the organisation. She was impressed, and somewhat intimidated, by the extent of the Chairman’s network. She took the blueprints from the bed and folded them neatly before replacing them with the heavy box. She unclipped the latches on the lid and flipped it open revealing a treasure of combat hardware. Item by item she removed the equipment from the box and inspected it closely before placing it on the bed. The box had three layers separated by Styrofoam. The top layer contained two Glock 22 handguns, four magazines each containing fifteen rounds and a further one hundred and eighty rounds in three boxes of sixty. The second layer housed a pair of night vision goggles and four teargas canisters. The final layer contained a separate metal compartment inside of which were six slabs of plastic explosive, six detonators, three digital timers and a remote control. She surveyed the array of weaponry laid out before her. She would have preferred more explosives but given the right planning this would suffice. One slab would be handed over to Bruce to create the diversion along with two of the gas canisters. A second would be needed to take out the electrical distribution units in the boiler room timed to go off once she was well inside the air ducts. That left four to ensure destruction of the Harmoniser. Finally, she considered the Glocks. It had occurred to her that perhaps one of these should be given to Bruce but her lack of trust in him persuaded her otherwise. Besides, once the lights were out she would be firing using night-vision goggles, severely affecting her depth perception. Two pistols would give her an increased hit rate. Happy the plan was falling into place, she packed the hardware back into the box apart from one of the Glocks and a full magazine. She would need this to carry out her first task on the list, the elimination of David Milton.
Chapter 42
A three-quarter moon radiated silver light across the night sky promoting a calmness that betrayed the turmoil of Stuart’s mind. The quiet of the night mocked him, willing him to scream out, but words failed him. He leaned forward from the back of the bench on which he now sat and cupped his face in his hands. “Is this what madness feels like?” he whispered to himself. Despite the events of the past weeks, Stuart had rarely doubted his own sanity. The idea that he had slipped through a wormhole into an alternate universe had, as unbelievable as it sounded, provided a logical explanation for the situation he was in. The professor’s claims now seemed irrefutable, leaving the reality of it being the hardest aspect to accept. But the professor’s latest revelation pushed him way beyond the realms of his own comprehension. It hadn’t occurred to Stuart that other parties were involved in the development of the technology. But during their last meeting the professor revealed to him that everything they did was under the strict control of a syndicate made up of the wealthiest and most powerful individuals on the planet. The work being carried out by his team in Oxford was a culmination of the research being performed by groups answering to this syndicate.
Stuart leaned back on the bench. He felt a sharp pain press into his shoulder. Turning to view the cause he discovered a screw sticking out from a brass plaque pinned to the wood. The plaque read:
In Memory of Professor Calvin James
Forever in Silent Contemplation
1932 − 2002
Stuart had no idea who Calvin James was or had been but he felt a sudden affinity with the man. He imagined Professor James sat on the bench pondering over his lectures or his research, or perhaps his family, a normal man contemplating normal things. He traced his finger over the word Memory and felt a sudden sadness. Not for the man himself but for the people he had left behind. Maybe he had a wife and children, probably grandchildren. Maybe they visited the bench and sat remembering the man that he was, the man he had become over the seventy years he had lived and touched their lives. Stuart looked at the word Forever and Professor Humphries revelations earlier that evening coursed back into his thoughts.
Having made it clear to Stuart that he no longer had much of a choice in the part he was to play in their research the professor went on to reveal the outreaching implications of the technology. He explained how one of the research teams had discovered a way of manipulating the genome so the effects of passing through the Harmoniser would alter the subject’s genetic makeup in the most profound way. The researchers had synthesised a gene sequence that when inserted into a person’s chromosomes would act as a DNA reset. This meant any genetic mutation occurring would be immediately rejected and the gene would return to the state it was in when the sequence was activated. In Stuart’s case, the trigger for activation would be on arrival in an alternate universe after passing through a wormhole. From this point on his body would be able to defend itself from the effects of hereditary genetic mutation, environmental influence, trauma, and even intoxication. Life-threatening conditions like cancer, heart disease and dementia would be eliminated. A person could sunbathe without fear of getting skin cancer or drink alcohol without fear of liver disease or brain damage. Of course, sunburn would still hurt and hangovers would still be unpleasant but the body would repair itself in the way it is designed to. “We will be giving humanity an upgrade to cope with modern life Stuart, with a few added extras.” The jovial way in which the professor had delivered this statement seemed inappropriate to Stuart and suggested that the man had clearly lost touch with reality.
What he went on to describe as “the cherry on the cake” confirmed they were now well within the realms of madness. He reiterated how the process of passing through the Harmoniser results in a perfect expression of a person’s genetic code. But without the insertion of the synthesised gene sequence this merely acted as a fresh start. The individual would still be vulnerable to all the factors that can affect the body’s genetic makeup. By inserting the “re-set gene”, as they had called the sequence, before the person transfers, the purest form of a person’s genome could be preserved. He then explained what “the cherry on the cake” was. It was this that Stuart struggled with more than anything else. The professor stated that the most amazing trait of the “re-set gene” was an accidental discovery. As already illustrated, the sequence was designed to stimulate the genes to preserve their current state. What they had not considered was the genetics of aging. Aging occurs due to a cumulative result of genetic alteration in a number of genes changing over time during replication. If these alterations are prevented during replication the subject does not age. Every time one of these cells replicate the genetic code resets itself back to the point when the sequence was inserted. The professor’s parting words washed over him once more:
By participating in this research Stuart, you will become part of a very exclusive group that will never get sick and will never grow old.
Stuart looked back up at the moon. He thought of Lauren looking at the same moon all alone trying to cope with the loss of her husband and the prospect of bringing up their child without him. He could not begin to imagine what the effect of his return would have on her let alone what the effect of the professor’s plans would have on the rest of humanity. The professor had emphasised to him how the initial success of the technology was dependent on him passing through the Harmoniser and paving the way for him to follow. He struggled to comprehend what would happen after that so he decided to concentrate on the one thing that he wanted more than anything else. To get back to Lauren.
Chapter 43
Bruce smiled to Dominik as the first new customer entered the bar. Exactly has he had predicted the customer was a single man in his mid
to late thirties, smartly dressed and well groomed. He approached the bar and ordered a glass of lime and soda before taking a seat by the window at the back of the bar. Less than five minutes later a young couple entered the bar laughing as they did as if sharing a joke. The woman pointed to a seat by a fireplace at the far end of the room and proceeded to head over there while the man accompanying her stopped at the bar to order drinks. This man was bolder than the previous one, making small talk with the barman and acknowledging Bruce with a nod and a smile. Dominik looked toward Bruce and raised his eyebrows. Bruce in return winked and discretely tapped his watch. No sooner had he done this the bar phone rang. Dominik reached over to answer it. The conversation was brief but again Bruce had predicted correctly. The voice on the other end of the phone informed Dominik he was required in the manager’s office and a relief barman would cover the rest of his shift. Without showing any surprise, he replaced the receiver on the phone, reached for another glass and filled it with a mixture of ice and single malt. He placed the glass on the bar in front of Bruce and with a little bow said, “On the house sir, it has been pleasure serving you, but my shift now ends.”
“The pleasure has been all mine Dom, and the name’s Bruce,” he replied. “Let me settle up before you leave.” Dominik tapped some numbers on the till and produced a receipt, which he handed to Bruce. He in return produced several notes, tripling the amount on the bill before handing them to Dom with thanks.
The replacement barman arrived and despite his steward’s attire of white tunic and black trousers Bruce immediately recognised him from the photos provided by the Director as one of the agents from the college campus. The agent whispered something to Dom who in response handed him the key to the till and left the bar giving one last cursory glance toward Bruce. Allowing them a few minutes to get settled into their roles, Bruce picked up the drink Dominik had left him and raised it to the room. “Cheers, lady and gentlemen. Now you are all here who is the one I should be talking to?” The agents exchanged surprised glances with each other but before anyone spoke, a voice at the door drew their attention.