“That’s more opinion than fact, isn’t it?” said Willow.
Takoda turned to address the android. She had a solemn expression on her face as if making an earnest attempt to engage Takoda in an academic discussion. “Sergeant, I think the body of genetic evidence over the last fifty-plus years shows VE011 is, and always was, a benign modification. If that were not the case, I’m sure it would be on the New Atlantian gene alert list.”
“Good point, Takoda,” Neville said. The clinic director stood and circled a line item about midway down the on-screen document. “As you can plainly see, VE011 isn’t on the World Gene Registry alert list either, otherwise box six would have been checked and VE011 would have been entered on this line here.”
“Okay, got you, it’s a benign gene-mod,” said Spiers. “Kind of interesting, though, isn’t it? Not only was the order of Billy Hearns’ jakali gutations rare, but he also had violet eyes, which is also pretty rare.”
“Why are you so interested in VE011? It wasn’t gutated in any of Billy’s DNA tests. It had nothing to do with his jakali designation,” Yon said.
Careful, Yon, thought Takoda, let’s not spit into the wind.
“I don’t know. Just strikes me as odd.” Spiers turned back to Takoda. “You performed the euthanization, right?”
“Yes, as Dr. Thompson mentioned earlier, I did.”
“Anything unusual about the procedure? Any complications?”
“No.”
“Is there a video of the procedure?”
The question was ridiculous as far as Takoda was concerned. NASF required the country’s gene centers to video record all euthanizations. Spiers had to know that. Time to call his bluff.
“Yes, Major. All euthanizations are recorded. Neville, why don’t you pull up Billy’s? We can all view it together,” said Takoda.
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll view it later,” Spiers said. “Actually, I’m more interested in what happened after the procedure. That isn’t recorded, is it?”
Takoda shook his head. “No, it’s not.”
“So, what happened afterward? The boy went from the procedure room to where?”
Neville intervened before Takoda could reply. “Again, Major, I fail to see the purpose of your line of questioning. You seem to be suggesting there were irregularities with this patient’s euthanization.”
“As I said earlier, Doctor, the nature of our inquiry is confidential for the time being. I’d appreciate it if you’d just let Dr. Wells answer the question.” Spiers turned toward Takoda. “What took place after the procedure?”
Neville answered for Takoda again. “After the procedure is completed, after death is certified, the nurse wheels the body to our storage room and—”
“I’m not interested in generalities, Doctor. I’m interested in this specific case. Please allow Dr. Wells to answer.”
“I’m afraid I can’t be of much help, Major,” Takoda said. “If you want specifics, you’ll need to talk to the nurse who assisted. Once the procedure was completed, my part was done. I went to our ready room and changed into a fresh gown and put on new gloves for the next euthanization.”
As Takoda said the words, he felt disgusted. His description sounded so clinical, so matter-of-fact. The truth was each “procedure” was heart-wrenching from start to finish. If thinking of his daughter didn’t tear him apart, looking down on the innocent face of a sedated child did. I became a doctor to save lives, not end them.
“So, you’re saying that as soon as the boy was declared dead, you left the room.”
“Correct.”
“And you didn’t see Billy again.”
“No. Why would I?”
“What about you, Dr. Fujita?”
Yon cleared her throat and sat up straight. “Me? I went to inform the father.”
“Oh, that’s right,” said Spiers. “You’re the counselor. You dealt with the mother, Sarah, on previous visits.”
“I’m more than a counselor, Major, but yes, counseling parents is part of my role here.”
“What was her disposition like?”
“I’m not sure what you mean. She didn’t attend the euthanization.”
“Sorry. I meant what was her disposition like when you informed her of Billy’s diagnosis?”
Yon frowned. “Major, there’s not a single parent I’ve ever met who wasn’t devastated by a jakali diagnosis.”
“I’m sure that’s true, Doctor, but I’m interested in this specific parent. What do you recall about her reaction?”
He’s just trying to get under your skin, Yon. Hold it together.
Yon crossed her arms. “I can’t say she was any different than others I’ve met with. She was nervous when she came in, jittery but quiet. And when I told her about the diagnosis she obviously became quite emotional. Again, no different than other parents.”
“Major,” said Neville, “if you’re so curious about the mother’s reaction, why ask us? I would think the mother would be the better source.”
Spiers folded his arms across his chest and stared at Neville. “I’d love to ask her, Doctor. The only problem is, she’s gone.”
“Gone? What do you mean, gone?”
“Gone as in vanished without a trace…along with her daughters.”
“What? How is that possible?”
Eyes riveted on Takoda, Spiers said, “Excellent question, Dr. Thompson. Excellent question.”
CHAPTER 10: PRESSURE COOKER
En route to NASF Province Headquarters
Minneapolis, Lakelands Province, New Atlantia
The meeting at the gene center continued for another thirty minutes before Damon decided he had extracted all the information he was going to get from the three doctors…for the time being. Ordinarily, he would have first met with each individually, but Damon had first wanted to observe the interplay between the doctors in an informal setting. He would interview them again, separately, at HQ after he gathered more evidence.
To that end, he and Cassidy met with the nurse who assisted with the euthanization. After that, they viewed the video of the procedure and then conducted a walk-through of the entire euthanization process with all the players involved.
Finally, they examined the body release authorization document, hoping to identify the two androids who had taken Billy’s body from the clinic. While the paperwork appeared in order, the chicken-scratched names of the ambulance personnel were illegible, though the form did produce one interesting discovery. The private ambulance service had been arranged by Sarah Hearns.
As he and Cassidy rode away from the clinic, he asked for her impressions of the visit.
“There was definite hostility on the part of the Carapach doctors,” she said. “Not as much from the evvie. While he was defensive, he seemed to be acting as a buffer for the other two.”
“Yeah, I noticed that too. Did you pick up any lies on your sensors?”
“Their heart rates, respiration and body temperature spiked several times, and I detected an increase in Dr. Fujita’s pupil dilation at one point. But they could all have been natural reactions. I did not detect any outright lies.”
Damon nodded and instructed their cruiser’s computer to take the maglev lane back to headquarters. As the self-drive vehicle maneuvered to enter the lane, Damon replayed Cassidy’s last comment in his mind. I did not detect any outright lies. While the two doctors may not have lied, they had been clipped and defensive in their answers...especially Dr. Fujita.
“They sure as hell weren’t entirely truthful.”
“I agree. They could have been more forthcoming.”
“What about the nurse?” Damon asked. “How did she come across to you?”
“She was very cooperative, very forthcoming.”
Damon agreed. The nurse had gone out of her way to show them the storage unit where the euthanization drugs were kept. She showed them the log from the day of the procedure, verified the serial number of the bottle used in the procedure and gave the used b
ottle to Cassidy. The nurse also affirmed she had noticed nothing unusual before, during or after the procedure, and tolerated a timed walk-through of her movements throughout each stage.
“What did your sensors tell you about her answer about the tracking implant?”
“Her response was authentic. Nothing that would indicate a lie.”
“I thought so, too.”
Once Damon had seen the body storage room, he realized what had likely happened to the implant. The metallic lining of the freezer drawer where Billy’s body was moved after the procedure had blocked the implant’s signal. The device had never been removed. Thinking back to the crater crime scene and the bits of dampening cloak there, Damon further concluded the androids had used the cloak to block the signal once they left the clinic.
Returning to his thoughts on the conversation with the doctors, Damon said, “Arrange for follow-up interviews with Wells and Fujita at HQ. Set it up for tomorrow. I want them to sweat a little.”
“Yes, sir. Should we surveil them in the meantime?”
“I’m not sure how much good it will do. Unless we find evidence of their involvement, we can’t prevent them from crossing into Carapach, and we can’t legally surveil them outside of New Atlantia.”
“Can’t we appeal for cross-border recon authorization based on nat-sec risk?”
“It’s a thought, but we need more than circumstantial evidence to get approval,” Damon said. “No judge is going to give us a green light to cross the border based on what we have right now.”
The treaties between the two countries limited cross-border incursions by the respective security forces, and the restrictions were particularly strict when it came to clandestine surveillance. Damon was well aware of ways to subvert the treaties but he was reluctant to go that route until they had more evidence.
Cassidy did not respond immediately. Damon looked over and saw her staring blankly out the front window. He had worked with the andro long enough to know the silent stare meant she was engaging her ethics module. By design, police androids were programmed to obey all New Atlantian laws, however, years of practical, in-the-field experience with android officers had demonstrated the need to allow the humanoid machines some wiggle room when tactical situations required judgment calls.
This need had led to the development of an ethics module that androids could consult when confronted by situations that did not neatly fit into the construct of New Atlantian laws. It also allowed them to be more effective sounding boards for human officers confronting similar dilemmas.
As the cruiser slowed to exit the maglev lane, Cassidy turned to Damon and said, “I understand your point. The gene center’s records demonstrate the doctors made proper diagnoses and followed required procedures, just as they have done for all other euthanization cases. There were no irregularities.”
“Right.”
“And the doctors had no interaction with the boy after the procedure. We have multiple witnesses who attested to that.”
“Correct, and they also didn’t have any role in arranging the ambulance. So, you see, we don’t have anything on them. Clipped, defensive answers aren’t enough to get approval to track them in Carapach.”
“Understood.” Cassidy nodded. “We’ll confine surveillance to New Atlantia.”
As the cruiser neared the gate at HQ, Damon patted Cassidy on the shoulder. “Unfortunately, that’s all we can do for now. But I wouldn’t sweat it, Cass. We’ll keep applying pressure. Sooner or later, they’ll make a mistake or we’ll sniff out some evidence.”
Now, if I can just keep Prefect Munoz from applying pressure on us!
Neville Thompson stormed into Takoda’s office and slammed the door shut. The evvie’s face was red and his cheeks were twitching.
“What the hell is going on?” Neville said.
Takoda closed the file he had been reading and eased back in his chair. “I’m not sure what you mean, Neville.”
“I know you don’t respect me, but I’m not an imbecile.”
Neville’s eyes narrowed. They seemed to blaze holes through Takoda.
“You’re upset, Neville, why don’t you have a seat and we’ll—”
The enraged evvie pounded the desk, starting an avalanche of the files stacked on the corner of it. “Do not patronize me! Either you stop with the BS and tell me what’s going on, or so help me, I will send Maj. Spiers a narrated copy of the video.”
Takoda felt his heart begin to pound. Involuntarily, he must have shown an outward sign of anxiety because Neville pounded the desk again and then pointed at Takoda. “I knew it! You faked the euthanization!”
Before Takoda could protest, Neville said, “You may be an exceptional geneticist, Takoda, but you suck at acting…and at holoediting.”
Trapped between the urge to deny Neville’s accusations and the scramble for his brain to conjure a rebuttal, Takoda froze. His silence seemed to embolden Neville. The director slid onto the guest chair and continued his attack.
“I’ve watched you euthanize more than a thousand children, Takoda. You’ve taken every one of them personally…like you were putting your own daughter to sleep.”
The mention of his daughter triggered a torrent of rage to swell in Takoda. He vaulted up and smashed Neville in the face. The evvie and the chair he was sitting in crashed onto the floor. Takoda moved around the side of the desk and stood over his boss. “Watch your mouth, Neville! Don’t you ever talk about my daughter! Ever!”
Neville groaned and massaged his jaw as he staggered to his feet. The evvie was a foot taller than Takoda and a hundred pounds of lean muscle heavier. If he wanted to, he could kill Takoda with a single blow to the head or chest. Takoda crouched, balling his fists. He would have to be quick to dodge the evvie’s punches.
But Neville didn’t throw one. Instead, he righted the chair while he continued to rub his jaw. He flopped onto the seat and said, “I’m sorry, Takoda. You’re right. I was out of bounds.”
Unsure of how to react to Neville’s apology, Takoda remained crouched, fists at his side.
“Point still holds, though.” Neville swiped his lip, presumably checking for blood. “Your compassion is unbounded, Tak. I’ve seen it every day you’ve come to work for the last four years. But you didn’t show it with Billy Hearns. That made me study the video more closely. Do you really think Spiers and his buxom andro won’t notice the disparity in the biometric data display if they take a closer look? If they do notice it, the next thing you know one of NASF’s interrogation bots will be drilling holes in your head. Now, what gives?”
Takoda relaxed his stance and unclenched his fists. As he returned to his chair, he said, “You’re imagining things, Neville.”
Actually, though, Neville wasn’t imagining anything. The data feed displayed in a ribbon at the bottom of the video did not show Billy’s vital signs. As soon as Yon had finished meeting with Rodrick Hearns to inform him of Billy’s death, she had returned to her office to replace the data feed with that of a prior patient. It was necessary because the real display would have shown Billy’s heart never stopped beating. The drug Takoda substituted to simulate Billy’s death dramatically lowered Billy’s respiration and heart rate, but it didn’t arrest either.
“I’m imagining things?” Neville straightened his tie and tugged the lapels of his rumpled lab coat. “Okay, Takoda, I was hoping you would trust me, but I can see you’re not up to it.” He stood and turned toward the door. When he took hold of the doorknob, he paused. Still facing the door, he said, “By the way, after my imagination spotted the spliced data, I went back through Billy Hearns’ DNA reports again. I noticed the data section on binding proteins was curiously omitted. Not to worry, though. I queried the databank and retrieved the missing information.” Neville slowly turned around. “What do you think? Should I send it to NASF?”
Takoda sighed. “Okay, Neville. You’ve made your point. Have a seat. Let’s talk.”
One had to give credit where credit
was due. Neville was indeed no imbecile. Takoda did not need to hear any more to know Neville had not only retrieved the data, but he had also interpreted it.
Binding proteins. They were the scourge of the gene manipulation era, the sources of doom that had caused deadly gutations to arise. Takoda still had a hard time fathoming how scientists in the early days of gene replacement mania had not foreseen the inevitable train wreck. But that wasn’t really fair. Many scientists had raised red flags, but their protests had been drowned out by biologic companies eager to sell their gene-packs, by consumers clamoring for bodily enhancements, and by competing scientists who derided the voices begging for caution as alarmists.
How wrong they had been not to listen. Takoda recalled from history lessons that even government regulatory bodies, ones tasked with protecting their citizens from unproven, dangerous products, had been rendered impotent by the crush of the mania.
And, for a time, the “alarmists” had appeared to be wrong. Replacement therapies proliferated to smooth away wrinkles, ward off erectile dysfunction, slim down, cleanse arteries, strengthen physiques, etcetera. All with mild or no side effects.
This success had emboldened commercially-supported geneticists and biologic companies to escalate research into products that became the next phase of the disaster-in-waiting. Genetic design of children.
Takoda looked up at Neville and asked, “What do you want to know?”
“Where is Billy Hearns?”
With a shake of his head, Takoda said, “Can’t tell you that, Neville. But I can tell you he is safe and receiving the care he deserves.”
“And the missing family? The mother? The daughters?”
“Soon to be reunited.”
“The mother knows what you are up to?”
“First of all, Neville, this isn’t about me. Second, the mother understands.”
Neville snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. “In other words, you offered false hope in exchange for a willing lab rat.”
Out of sight from Neville’s view, Takoda clenched his hands into fists again. “You view the world differently than I do, Neville. What you see as false hope, I see as an opportunity for a family to stay together, care for each other, free from persecution. What you call a willing lab rat, I call a child in need of a cure.”
The GODD Chip (The Unity of Four Book 1) Page 13