Genesis Lie (Genesis Book 2)

by Eliza Green

  The thought had occurred to her. ‘Deighton was clear that I share very little with Anton.’ She sighed. ‘Maybe I should tell Anton everything. It’s not like he can pass it on to anyone.’ She removed her hands from her pockets and straightened her lab coat. ‘Come on, let’s get back in there and see what our test subject can tell us.’

  ‘Speaking of test subjects,’ said MOUSE, ‘the guests from Batch 52, the ones with the most compatible genetic structure, are awake and quite talkative.’

  Caroline nodded. ‘Then our next stop will be the holding area. Continue to monitor any changes to their vitals’—she paused—‘actually, pipe in some of your music. Let’s try to keep them calm. They’ll only be with us until we can determine if they’re a good match for the genetic programme. Oh, and do a complete wipe on the remaining batch’s memories before sending them on to Exilon 5. Remember the trouble we had with that man from Batch 50 when he realised he wasn’t on the passenger ship?’

  ‘On it,’ said MOUSE.

  ‘We’re close to creating the new code and getting off Earth. We can’t quit now.’

  15

  Bill connected a signal disruption device to the Light Box hardware unit in his and Isla’s apartment. Laura had sent him a message saying she had news about a potential pilot. She’d also told him about Callum’s plan to fool the ESC’s sentient program that would disguise Laura’s whereabouts for their trip off planet. Bill made a mental note to ask Callum about sentient manipulation.

  With the device in place, he air-punched in a special sixteen-digit code. It displayed on the Light Box screen. Waiting, he loosened his tie and drank some coffee.

  Laura’s face filled the screen. ‘Hi.’ She sounded nervous.

  Bill put his mug down. He frowned at her dark surroundings. ‘Where are you?’

  ‘I’m in the cleaning closet on Level Four. One of the damn roving cameras caught me on Level Two.’

  ‘Are you safe?’

  She looked around, her green eyes wide.

  ‘As safe as I’m going to get. I’ve never seen them use this closet.’ She looked at Bill. ‘The camera said it would be watching me. That’s why I’m in here.’

  He tried to reassure her. ‘I’ve heard them say stuff like that before. I wouldn’t worry about it.’

  ‘Maybe you’re right.’ She huffed out a breath. ‘It just freaked me out when it sounded like there was suddenly a real person speaking to me.’

  ‘I can do this alone.’

  Laura’s eyes widened. ‘No. Forget what I just said. Everything’s fine. I need to help.’

  ‘Okay, let’s keep this chat brief. Who have you found for the pilot?’

  She looked up as if she heard something. ‘One name on Callum’s list stood out from the rest. Jenny Waterson. I have her private communication code if you want to call her.’

  ‘Tell me about her first,’ said Bill. Laura tapped on her screen and tucked a stray lock of hair behind one ear. Some information popped up in a neat box in one corner of his Light Box screen.

  ‘Jenny Waterson. A pilot for twenty years,’ she whispered. ‘Worked for Calypso Couriers, a World Government subsidiary company. WG terminated her contract about eleven weeks ago. Strangely, her termination coincided with Stephen’s visit with us.’

  Bill read the rest of the information. ‘Says here she’s a Grade Four pilot. What was the reason for her termination?’

  ‘According to records, she stole a spacecraft.’

  ‘Stole?’

  ‘Yeah. She wasn’t scheduled to depart, but she left with one passenger on board.’

  ‘Her name doesn’t ring a bell.’ Bill tapped his lip. ‘So you think she’s our pilot?’

  ‘Better than the other candidates. They’ve all received severance pay. Probably signed a document too. I wouldn’t bet on them giving up their severance to help us out.’

  ‘But no severance for Jenny?’

  ‘Not a penny. They’ve even blackballed her from working with every other flight company. Her permanent record states she has issues with authority and is likely to repeat her insubordination.’

  ‘Perfect.’

  Laura looked up suddenly, then at the screen. ‘Bill, I have to go. I’ll call you again at lunch.’

  ‘Send me her private communication code before you disconnect’—but Laura was gone. An electronic note appeared at the bottom of his screen; it contained the communication code.

  ☼

  Twenty minutes of hacking later, Bill had successfully accessed the camera function on Jenny Waterson’s Light Box. He found her sitting on the sofa in front of a hovering virtual chess board. According to her file Jenny was seventy-five, but the Glamour genetic package she used twice yearly made her look twenty years younger. The leisure suit she wore, plus her unkempt brown hair, didn’t fit with the picture on file. The photo he had showed a woman with cropped platinum hair and a smile.

  Jenny was playing chess with a 3D version of her avatar.

  ‘Check,’ said the avatar.

  Jenny studied the move. ‘You haven’t beaten me yet.’ She flicked her fingers over the virtual pieces. The queen instantly changed position. ‘Queen takes your knight.’

  ‘This is futile, Jenny. You can’t beat me. I am a sentient program—or have you forgotten?’

  ‘Well, why did you agree to play me then?’

  ‘Because you said you wanted to beat me at least once. Remember?’

  ‘I do.’ Jenny studied the board.

  Bill zoomed in for a closer look. If the avatar tried to move the bishop to block her, she could be in trouble. Her king and queen were already behind enemy lines. But she could use her queen to inflict damage on her opponent’s pieces.

  Jenny grinned. ‘I have you, and this time you’re going down.’

  The avatar rolled its eyes. ‘Sure. Whatever you say. You have me right where you want me.’

  Jenny looked up at her companion. ‘I can see your next move.’

  ‘Are you sure about that?’

  ‘I am.’ She concentrated on the game, as if waiting for the counter move.

  The avatar moved its bishop to block her king. ‘Check.’

  ‘Ahaaa, I saw that one coming.’ Jenny moved her queen to take the bishop. ‘Check for you, too.’ The virtual piece flew off the board and disappeared. ‘Is that all you’ve got?’

  The avatar cracked its knuckles. ‘Watch this.’ The knight stepped backwards before leapfrogging over her king to settle in a position beside it. ‘Check maaatey.’

  ‘That’s illegal.’ Jenny banged the coffee table so hard the virtual pieces fell from the board.

  ‘No it’s not. Look in the rule book if you don’t believe me.’

  ‘I hate this game. And I hate you for being so arrogant about winning.’

  ‘I told you, you’re always going to lose when you play against a sentient program. Want to try again?’

  ‘No,’ said Jenny, then added, ‘Something different—a card game. And turn off your predictability parameters. I want a fair go this time.’ She cracked her knuckles.

  ‘As you wish.’

  An hour later, Jenny had lost her enthusiasm for cards, and her twentieth game in a row. Bill, slouched in his chair at home, yawned and rubbed his eyes.

  ‘That’s it, I’ve had enough.’ Jenny stood up and looked around.

  ‘So soon?’ said the avatar.

  ‘I’ve got other things to do.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘Like clean up this apartment for one. It’s a pigsty.’

  Her avatar stared at the screen. ‘Jenny, someone is trying to connect. I can see a signature.’

  Bill bolted upright in his seat. The signal disrupter must be losing its effectiveness. Jenny’s eyes narrowed as she stared straight at him. His heart pounded in his chest.

  ‘There’s no one there,’ she said.

  The avatar moved in for a closer look and pointed something out to her. Bill yanked the signal disrupter off his
hardware unit, breaking the connection between their two Light Boxes.

  ☼

  A nervous Bill waited half an hour before he connected with Jenny again. Except this time, he used the front door. Laura listened in from her end from the cleaning closet. She had managed to sneak away during her lunch break.

  The connection rang and rang. Bill wondered if Jenny would answer, then her face appeared on screen. ‘Who is this? Why are you calling me from an unidentified number?’

  ‘I apologise for the anonymity. My name’s Bill Taggart. I’m an investigator working for the World Government.’

  Jenny smiled and folded her arms. ‘I knew it wouldn’t take you long.’

  Bill hid his surprise. How could she know the reason he was calling?

  Then he realised what she meant. ‘I’m sorry, I’m not calling to offer you your job back.’

  Jenny’s smile faded. ‘Well, what do you want then?’

  ‘I have a proposition for you.’

  ‘A proposition?’ She barked out a laugh. ‘The last time I spoke to a government employee, they gave me my marching orders. What makes you think I’ll want to talk to you?’

  ‘I’ve placed a non-traceable disrupter on this call for a start. And I’m not calling you on behalf of the World Government.’

  Jenny stared at Bill. ‘Then I can’t imagine what you might want from me, Mr Taggart.’

  He could understand that. ‘I know you don’t have a high opinion of the government.’

  She scoffed. ‘That’s a fair assumption.’

  Bill stepped closer to the screen. ‘What would you say if I told you I needed your help with something illegal that would really piss them off?’

  ‘I’d say you’re full of crap. Nobody goes against them and gets away with it.’

  ‘What if I told you there’s a whole bunch of shit going on behind closed doors that the public has no idea about? And your assistance would go a long way to help right some wrongs—would that change your mind?’

  ‘Excuse me, Mr Taggart—’

  ‘Please—call me Bill.’

  ‘All right... Bill.’ She uncrossed her arms. ‘I don’t know who you are or what your game is, but I know what a rat smells like. If you think I’ve hit rock bottom and you can somehow use my grievances with the government to discredit me further, you’re sadly mistaken.’

  Bill held his hands up. ‘I’m not looking to discredit you in any way. I’m contacting you because what they did to you was a mistake. I know they dismissed you for stealing a craft out of HJA nearly three months ago. I’m sure you had good reason for that.’

  Jenny pointed at the screen. ‘I didn’t steal anything. I was forced to take it. If you’d done your homework, then you’d have known there was a stowaway on board.’

  ‘A stowaway?’ Laura did say Jenny had lost her job around the time Stephen had appeared.

  Her anger melted a little. ‘Yeah, a strange-looking man forced me to activate the force field around the craft, while the military chased after his friend. I had no choice but to take him where he wanted to go. It was that or—’

  ‘Did the man threaten you?’ Bill couldn’t imagine the Stephen he’d come to know being aggressive.

  ‘Verbally, mostly.’ Jenny’s shoulders relaxed as she recounted the incident. ‘He just seemed too scared to be some raving lunatic. I’ve transported my fair share of lunatics over the years.’

  ‘Lunatics?’

  ‘I used to transport prisoners before I got into courier services,’ said Jenny. ‘I find that desperate men tend to do desperate things. Wouldn’t you agree, Bill?’

  Bill noted the sarcasm. ‘So, you were the pilot who took the man to Sydney?’

  ‘Yes, I was.’ She paused. ‘Although I don’t remember telling you where I took him.’

  ‘I have your file, Ms Waterson. I also know of the incident you’re referring to.’

  Jenny’s eyes narrowed. ‘Who are you?’

  ‘I told you, I’m a World Government investigator. What was your stowaway’s name?’

  ‘I don’t remember. Why does that matter?’

  ‘Ms Waterson—’

  Jenny stopped him with a hand. ‘If you want to continue this conversation, then please address me in the right way. I’m still an accomplished Grade Four pilot, work or no work.’

  ‘My apologies, Captain. You see, the man you shuttled to Sydney that day was looking for me. He’s a product—and an innocent victim—of the World Government’s dirty little secret.’

  Jenny clicked her fingers. ‘That’s where I know you from.’

  ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘He asked for you when he kidnapped me. I didn’t make the connection until now. Who was he? And why did he want to find you?’

  Jenny listened as Bill gave her an abridged account of events, explaining who Stephen was—an alien in trouble—and introducing Laura. Her face flashed up in the corner of the screen. He finished with a brief explanation of why he and Laura needed her help now—to warn the Indigenes. ‘Will you at least consider it, Captain?’ said Bill.

  ‘Is this a joke?’

  ‘I assure you it’s not.’

  Jenny ran her hand over her hair. ‘You’re telling me that man I took to Sydney was an... alien... from Exilon 5?’

  ‘Yes.’ He omitted the part about how the Indigenes had been created from human test subjects.

  She shook her head and muttered, ‘It makes sense now. He had zero social skills.’ She looked at him. ‘And you want me to fly my craft to the passenger ship so you can board illegally?’

  ‘Yes.’ His patience wore thin.

  Jenny turned away and paced to the sofa. ‘I have to think about it. You’re asking a lot from me.’

  ‘I’m about to ask even more of you. You’ve got forty-eight hours to give me a reply. We need to move fast on this. Tell nobody about our conversation, not even family members. I’ve masked my signal. If this reaches government ears I’ll deny everything.’

  She turned, walked back. ‘It’s not like I’ve any friends left in government anyway.’

  ‘Contact me using this code.’ Bill typed out a number on his DPad and held it up for Jenny to see. When Jenny picked up her own DPad, he said, ‘No, memorise it.’

  The pilot took a moment to commit the sixteen-digit code to memory. Afterwards, she said, ‘I’ll contact you soon’. She disappeared from screen.

  Laura’s face replaced Jenny’s. ‘That went better than I expected,’ she said. ‘You were a little less tactful than I hoped you’d be.’

  Bill had to agree. ‘What do you make of her?’

  ‘Well... she’s a woman with principles, and she might help if it’s for the right reasons.’

  ‘Do you think she’ll go for it?’

  Laura glanced at her watch. ‘My lunch break is almost over so I have to go. But I guess we’ll find out in a couple of days.’

  16

  Robbie squirmed in his seat. His anxiety set Susan on edge. The edge of the bucket seat cut into the back of her legs, making everything worse.

  ‘How long do we have to stay here like this?’ asked Robbie.

  ‘Who the hell knows?’ said Joel.

  ‘I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.’ Susan squirmed to gain relief. ‘My legs feel like they have a bunch of weights tied to the ends of them.’

  A tingling sensation started around her knees and spread down towards her ankles. The sensation stopped then started again. It became more intense with each start, until it felt like invisible hands rolled her skin between thumb and forefinger.

  Joel had closed his eyes and was smiling.

  Susan concentrated on the force field applying rhythmic pressure to her skin. The heaviness in her legs instantly lightened. She examined the four tubes sticking out of Robbie’s arm. A pouch covered her private parts, its only job to collect and remove urine from her body.

  While Joel relaxed Robbie remained on edge. She thought about her job to ‘lure’ volunt
eers to their advanced genetic manipulation trials. Susan had always been able to put people at ease. She believed it was why the World Government had made her the face of the trials. Part of that persuasion had to do with her looks. The trials had used photographs of her, with the tag line: ‘Stick with the treatments and we can make you genetically perfect like her’. Both her beauty and her ‘gift’ had bolstered the volunteer numbers from ten to over four hundred in three weeks.

  Susan wasn’t genetically perfect, and not all problems could be solved with the promises the trial had made. The commercial manipulation clinics used nanoids to re-program existing genes to make people taller, or permanently change their eye colour. Susan’s volunteers at the Toronto lab were people who came expecting miracles. Success with ‘imperfect’ volunteers was rare, but what they learned helped to improve commercial treatments at the clinics.

  So how had Susan suddenly become a ‘volunteer’ herself?

  ‘Do you think somebody will check on us soon, Susan?’ said Robbie.

  ‘I have no idea,’ she replied through a yawn. The massage on her legs relaxed her too much.

  ‘Wake up, Susan.’ Joel snapped his fingers. ‘We need to stay alert.’

  ‘I’m trying.’

  ‘We’ve been here for hours,’ said Robbie. ‘Why don’t we just try calling out?’

  Joel grunted. ‘We tried that an hour ago. Didn’t you notice how dead our voices sounded? That music they play has no echo or reverberation. The place is obviously soundproofed.’

  ‘But we can’t just sit here and do nothing,’ said Robbie.

  ‘Christ... Shut up.’

  ‘Cut it out, Joel,’ said Susan.

  Despite Joel’s warning, Robbie called out anyway. The sound flattened the second the words left his mouth. Undeterred, he kept trying.

  ‘I told you it wouldn’t work,’ said Joel. ‘Take the free advice next time, kid.’

  Susan was tired of the bickering. ‘If it helps Robbie to do something, let him yell a bit longer.’