Manipulator

by Thom Parsons

  "This whole thing seems to have been a bit fishy from the start,” Eli said, raising his voice a little to talk to Nick as he looked around the living room, going through some of Owen’s possessions. “Remember when we were in the van, during the prison break in? When we got rammed by what I can only assume was Ethan? That would have been a perfect opportunity for him to put an end to this. But it’s like whoever he’s working for doesn’t actually want to kill Owen.”

  "Hmm," Nick said, instantly remembering something important.

  "What?" Eli asked, noticing the perplexed look on his face.

  "It’s just something that Kate said to me earlier. She said something along the lines of It's not about you Nick. It's what it's always been about. It's about Owen… What do you make of that?"

  There was no immediate answer. Nick stopped watching the code fix itself on the screen and turned around to see Eli messing with Owen’s personal laptop on the other side of the room. Not only that, but Eli had taken it upon himself to plug some external hardware into Owen’s machine.

  “Eli. What are you doing?” Nick asked, his previous trail of thought about Kate instantly lost to him.

  “Helping,” Eli replied, answering vaguely as he booted up Owen’s computer.

  “How?” Nick questioned, speaking suspiciously and slowly, suddenly concerned. “Why are you messing with Owen’s computer?”

  “Remember the video? The one that was sent to Owen, the scrambled one?”

  “Well, yeah. That’s what kicked this whole mess off.”

  “I think I can decrypt and defragment it. That’s what this hardware here is for,” Eli said, tapping on the small black box that he had got hooked up to Owen’s computer. “I think I can unscramble the video and finally find out who sent it."

  "How long?"

  "A few hours at most. Then we can all see for ourselves who sent Owen this message in the first place”

  Chapter Seventy Two

  Date: December 13th 2035

  Location: PRoGRaM

  An endless whitespace surrounded him. A place of nothingness, of silence. It was The White Room, but on a worldwide scale. Even the floor beneath Owen was white. Everything was gone. The world had disappeared before him and left him alone in the emptiness. Nick, what have you done?

  He stayed perfectly still, breathing fairly heavily in shock. He wasn't sure at all on how he was supposed to be feeling after everything that he had just been through. He wasn't sure how he should feel to be alive, considering that just seconds ago he was ready to die. It was the only reason that he had thrown himself in front of that moving vehicle. The corrupted PRoGRaM had left him broken, defeated and ready to quit altogether.

  Uneasily, Owen got up from his knee's and onto his feet. Bringing his hands up, he shielded his eyes from the amazingly bright whitespace surrounding him as he did a complete three hundred and sixty degree turn, looking around at the emptiness. But it's not completely empty. After all, I'm still here. Wherever here is…

  That's when he spotted a figure in the distance. Squinting his eyes, Owen saw that there was the shape of a man far, far, away, stumbling in his direction.

  Ethan Darkes.

  A second chance. Owen thought, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to waste it. He was ready to get the answers he came here for. Rapidly, he began to run towards the shadow of Ethan, who was still a fair distance away. Run, Owen, run. Before the world comes back to stop you.

  His footsteps echoed eternally into the great open space around him every time his feet touched the ground. But he wasn't even listening to the sounds around him. All that Owen could think about was his plan of action for when he finally reached Ethan.

  I’m going to grab him. I’m going to take him to the PRoGRaM Headquarters. I'll drag him there if I need to, and then I’m going to make him give me the last piece of the conversation. Then it can be over. It can finally be over. I can find out why they did what they did to Annie and make sure these people pay for what they've done.

  Owen ran at full speed, crossing the beautifully endless whitespace between them. Slowly, the gap between him and Ethan was closing. For every step that he took in the man's direction, the world changed. For every step that hit the ground, the scenery evolved.

  The world was coming back.

  Pieces of the vast whitespace surrounding Owen began to flicker to life as he ran forwards. The environment around him was changing, morphing into its new shape.

  As his foot slammed into the the ground, colours burst out from beneath his feet, firing out in every direction colouring the floor in a huge variation of patterns. Grass, tarmac, stone, concrete. All were visible in a miss-mash assortment as far as the eye could see. Give it time. Owen thought as he watched the changes unfold before him. The world will find its way.

  Above him, the artificial sun flickered into existence, grabbing it's own place in the still, white sky. From far above, it bathed Owen in what felt like a bright, warm, evening glow.

  Squinting his eyes to block out the sun, Owen pushed himself harder, wanting to get as close to Ethan as possible before the world came between them.

  Everything was coming back now, piece by piece. In the distance, the skyline of New York City, still miles and miles away was building itself up high into the atmosphere. The white skies flickered through a huge range of colours before finally settling on a light, cloudless blue. Finally, the walls around Owen sprung up, completing the world of PRoGRaM once again. He was standing smack bang in the middle of PRoGRaM Headquarters. Right in the grand entrance hall. He was proud of Nick. The man was clearly thinking way ahead of the game in order to put him exactly where he needed to be.

  At that exact moment, Owen reached Ethan, tackling him at full speed and knocking him to the ground. The man didn't even try and fight back. He didn't even try to run. As the two of them hit the ground, Owen immediately gained control, gripping both of his hands around Ethan's collar and pressing his knee down into his chest.

  “WHAT DID YOU DO TO ANNIE!?” Owen screamed right into Ethan's face as he perched over him, their noses just inches apart.

  No answer.

  Forcefully, Owen pressed his knee down deeper into Ethan's chest to provoke a response.

  Owen thought that he had been through the grinder, but Ethan looked on the verge of death. God only knew what the man had been through after Owen had lost him. Maybe he almost died? That would be too easy of a way out for this piece of shit.

  “You’re coming with me," Owen said quietly to Ethan as the two of them locked eyes. We're going to try a different approach. "You’re going to give me the answers that I want.”

  Tension hung in the air.

  Quickly, Owen stood upright, releasing Ethan from the force of his knee. Confusion washed over Ethan's face as the man wondered why he was being let go, but it lasted for only for a second before Owen sprung on him again. Reaching down, he grabbed Ethan once again around the collar of his shirt, but this time Owen pulled the man up to his feet. He quickly manoeuvred and managed to get a grip on the back of Ethan's neck with his one hand.

  Time to move quickly, before he regains his strength. Owen thought as he pushed Ethan forwards, down the corridor leading away from the grand reception hall and down to the common room. Just the place I need to be.

  Ethan struggled with every step, clearly too weak in himself to walk properly with the way that Owen was handling him. Every few seconds his feet slipped up and he fell down slightly. But Owen wouldn’t let up and he wouldn’t let go. He kept his grip tight around Ethan’s neck as he kicked open the door that led into the common room. It flew open as Owen marched into the room. The door bounced back with excessive force, but he shoulder barged it out of the way.

  As soon as he was clear into the room, he released Ethan’s neck grip and threw him to the floor. “If you ever want to leave here, you’ll give me everything I want, no questions asked,” Owen said, pulling out his gun. “If you don’t, I’ll start taking your memo
ries apart, piece by piece.”

  He cocked the gun and held it down by his side, waiting.

  “Okay…” Ethan said, speaking his first word since Owen had found him. But his voice croaked, his speech was barely understandable. He coughed hard, bringing up flem and spitting it out. What has PRoGRaM put him through?

  “What did you say?” Owen said to him, his tone forcing Ethan to speak up a bit and talk a little clearer.

  “I said okay..." Ethan spoke, his voice still weak as he spoke in short sentences. He was trying his hardest to make his words understandable. "I’ll give you what you want Owen. I told you already. If you got me out alive. You can have whatever it was that you wanted.”

  He sounds beaten. Owen thought before he continued. “Start thinking about it then,” he said as he pointed the gun at Ethan, who lay flat on the floor, defeated and staring up blankly at the ceiling. “You know exactly which memory I’m talking about,” he finished. That was when the end started. The final piece.

  The audio memory of Ethan started to play out around them. Owen stood deathly still, feeling more tense now than he could remember being in a long time. He stared at Ethan with his gun gripped tightly in his hand, unsure of just what he was about to hear.

  “Marcus! Come on in, everyone else has just arrived…” the voice of Ethan Darkes burst out saying.

  “… It’s good to see you all again."

  "… I am good thank you, I trust that all is well with you?"

  "… Shall I pour us all a drink?"

  "… Drinks for everyone else?"

  "… Gentleman, I’ve figured it out. Phase Two"

  "… I did. It’s been such a long time coming, but I believe I’ve made it possible.”

  This is new. Owen thought. We've heard it before. Marcus mentioned it. But now? Not it seems more relevant that ever. Just what is Phase Two? But he was stumped as to what Marcus, Alex and Ethan were referring to, and whether it was even relevant to the real question here. What did these men do to Annie?

  Owen cut his thoughts short as Ethan’s voice continued projecting in the room around them. “You were the only one to voice that opinion yes,” Ethan's audio projection said. “But it cannot be the defining factor in determining the progress of science. As for the testing Marcus, I have done partial testing and the results are very promising. With all of your help here I believe we can iron out the kinks and make Phase Two a reality…“

  Suddenly Ethan started to talk more sternly. Who is he talking to? Why would the entire tone of conversation change? Think, Owen, think. What did the others say at this point? But the harder he racked his brain, the more difficult he found it to find the answers. He had absolutely no idea who Ethan could be talking to. Maybe there really is a fourth person then? Just like Nick thought there was…

  “… Science isn’t about the ‘Why’, it’s about ‘Why not’," the projected voice of Ethan continued, interrupting Owen's trail of thought and bringing him back to the present.

  "… But we’re going to need your help."

  "… You do not have a choice! You will be a part of this one way or the other!”

  Sinister. It was the only word that sprang to Owen’s mind. Of the men that were in the room, Ethan was clearly the one calling the shots. Whether he was in control overall, or if he too bowed down to this so called ‘boss’ was another matter altogether. One way or another, I'm going to find out.

  There was a short gap in the conversation. Owen had come to learn this though from his encounter with Marcus Ortega and Alex Morgan. But this time, here and now, listening to Ethan’s memory play out, the blanks that they had previously found started to fill themselves out.

  “This isn’t going the way I planned it,” the voice of Ethan kicked back in. It was about twenty seconds until he spoke again, but this time, his tone was different. It was… Polite. He was talking to someone different, somebody that wasn't in the room. Owen quickly recalled what Marcus had said around this point.

  We need to call the boss.

  Suddenly it made sense. Ethan was on the phone to someone here and now. That's why there was such a huge gap in the conversation before. Owen listened intently to what the man had to say.

  “It’s me… We have a problem… Yes? But it’s not been tested yet. … I understand … on Annie?"

  Owen froze up upon hearing her name again. Annie.

  "… Okay.” And just like that, his tone reverted back to what Owen was used to, as Ethan began to seemingly re-address the people in the room around him.

  “…They hung up."

  "…Yes. Yes we are. Why can’t we just kill him?"

  "… It’s not our decision to make, the boss made the call. Not us."

  "… I don’t know. But we know what we have to do next.”

  Over. It should be over.

  He had found Marcus Ortega. He had found Alex Morgan, and now he had found Ethan Darkes. But, Owen still didn’t have the answers that he was looking for, and was still no closer to finding out what had really happened to Annie.

  Why have these men killed her?

  What did any of this have to do with her?

  Owen was sick of waiting.

  “Nick,” he called out. “Here and now. Put it all together. Let’s get some answers.”

  Chapter Seventy Three

  Date: December 13th 2035

  Location: Owen’s Apartment, New York

  “My God,” Nick said as he listened to the pre-alpha version of the completed and synchronised audio files. “What the hell are Owen and his wife mixed up in here?”

  He had just added Ethan’s audio into place, alongside Marcus Ortega’s and Alex Morgan’s synchronised vocals. It adds a whole new layer to whatever the hell we’re all caught up in.

  “I really don’t know,” Eli replied from somewhere across the room, only half listening in to what was being said.

  “This confirms it though,” Nick shouted out as he sat and listened to the audio before he piped it on through to Owen. “There are still gaps in this conversation. There’s definitely a fourth person involved.”

  “I think that kinda obvious now, isn’t it?” Eli called over from the corner of the living room.

  “What makes you say that?” Nick asked, turning himself around to have a face to face discussion.

  “Well, it can’t be their mysterious boss, because that’s who Ethan is on the phone to during the conversation, right?” Eli said, looking over at Nick as he walked into the kitchen.

  “Right,” Nick responded slowly. What’s he doing? It’s like he’s looking for something…

  “So what about Kate?” Eli asked. “It makes sense. She could be the missing piece of the puzzle.”

  “Well, she’s in league with Ethan, that much we know,” Nick said, thinking about it deeply as he spoke. “But that was one of the first things I asked her once I realised she wasn't on our side. She’s working with the enemy… but I don't think it's her.”

  Eli didn't respond as he was looking around the kitchen too intently. Out of nowhere, he suddenly clambered up on top of the kitchen work surface just to the left of the sink.

  "What are you doing?” Nick asked, sounding heavily annoyed. “Can't you just leave Owen's apartment alone?"

  "Remember earlier… I said that I bugged this place?" Eli talked slowly, keeping all his attention on not falling down from the kitchen worktop. He was carefully working his way down the kitchen, looking on top of every single cabinet that lined the room.

  "Yeah." Nick replied. He’s definitely looking for something…

  "Well, not that I'm bragging or anything here,” Eli started. “But the equipment I use is top notch, unbeatable stuff. Seriously Nick, it’s incredibly impressive."

  "Why are you telling me this?" Nick asked, wondering what Eli was getting into.

  "Well. I've been getting some interference from the bugs I've got in this apartment. If it was just the one, I'd understand, but all three of them? Doesn't make sense."r />
  "Maybe the con-man got conned?" Nick replied half-heartedly. He wasn’t exactly interested in a conversation with Eli about something that didn’t seem to have any relevance to what they were doing.

  But then Eli’s tone changed dramatically, and for the worse. “Nick?” he said, the seriousness in his voice apparent. "You need to see this. Right now.”

  Chapter Seventy Four

  Date: December 13th 2035

  Location: FBI's Special Projects Division Headquarters

  If there was a God, then it was clear that he was never going to cut Richard Sterling any slack. All he ever seemed to get off anybody was more work to add to his already overloaded work tray. But that was exactly what came with being the one in charge of the FBI's Special Projects PRoGRaM Division.

  I'll never catch a break. Or get a weekend to myself… he thought as the phone on his desk rang again for probably the twentieth time today. He couldn't get away with just unplugging it anymore and ignoring the world. He was getting flak from too many different directions and he couldn't afford to ignore any of it. He reached forward over the mountain of paperwork and picked up the phone, grabbing a pen and paper ready to take any notes should he need to.

  "Sterling," he answered emotionlessly.

  "Sir?" a voice replied to his greeting. I know this voice. Sterling thought, squinting his eyes as he concentrated on searching his brain for the answer. He's the one who rang me a few days ago from the Prison System. The one who told me about what had happened there…

  "I swear, this better be important," Sterling answered, dropping a hint of anger into his voice as he spoke. Nothing made people spill their words like fear.

  "It's about the break in at the Atom Project, Sir," the mans voice said nervously back down the line to him.

  "Okay. I'm listening," Sterling replied, dropping the angry tone and sitting himself up anxiously straight in his chair. The man on the other end of the phone had his attention, and Richard was finally hoping for some form of good news. He could really use some right now to brighten up his shitty day.