The Synchronizer

by Francis Tint

  “How long have you been working for Ashlea?” Blake demanded.

  “Since I joined as an intern a few months ago.”

  “That’s not what we’re talking about. How long have you been spying on us for her? How long have you been using us to advance your agenda?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Blake,” Tylor interrupted, “maybe we’re jumping to conclusions. We should give a chance for Rachael to explain.”

  “What’s there to explain?” Blake asked. “We’ve been chasing our own tail, dismissing Ashlea and HMID as possible links to all this, because she denied being on any program.”

  “I’m not on any program!” she insisted.

  “Then how do you explain the fact that Zach saw you take Imperiall.”

  “Imperiall is not on clinical trial.”

  “That’s true,” Zach added. “It’s the combination of Imperiall with the experimental drug, under activation, that forms the trigger chemical.”

  “That only means she is still hiding the fact that she is, or was, on C05I!” Blake insisted. “How else could we explain the fact that Rachael got activated that night by the shapeshifter?”

  “I have no clue,” Rachael said, on the verge of tears. “I never lied to you guys. I did not betray you guys. You need to believe me.”

  “Do you have the pills with you?” Tylor asked gently. Rachael reached her hand in the bag and produced a bottle of Imperiall. Tylor took the pills and examined them carefully. “These feel a little odd. They don’t look like the typical formulation. They smell slightly off.”

  Julia took the pills from Tylor’s hand, and commented, “What sort of crazy canine sense are you developing? They look exactly identical to any other Imperiall pills, and they smell like regular tablets. Completely odorless.”

  “Only way to prove it is to test it.” Tylor crushed up the tablets and dissolved them in water. Strangely, the pills Rachael gave them didn’t dissolve like regular Imperiall pills would. “Huh… this is interesting.”

  Blake took the beaker from Tylor’s hand and placed it over heat. Moments later, the granules started to deliquesce, resulting in a neon-green solution, resembling the trigger chemical. She pipetted a small amount and fed it to the spectrometer. “There,” she pointed at the results from the printout. “Solid proof she’s been lying to us all along. It’s the same chemical Ashlea uses to trigger superpowers in HMID patients. The same chemical Hermes uses in the Capacify program.”

  “I don’t know what this all means,” Rachael reiterated. “I’ve been on Imperiall for as long as I can remember. I was never on any program. I’ve always had my prescription filled the same way. The only change was that, since I joined Ashlea Edwards, my prescription’s been processed through Employee Benefits.”

  “That could explain how someone could’ve tampered with her medication,” Tylor suggested.

  “That’s way too convenient,” Blake said. “She must’ve been working with Ashlea all this time, distracting us from uncovering the truth.” She directed at Rachael, “You’re just as evil as Ashlea. Why did you even hide the fact that you’re on Imperiall?”

  “Because I’m ashamed of the fact that I have HMID!” Rachael cried. “I thought you would think less of me.”

  “Maybe we should give her the benefit of the doubt,” Zach added. “She’s been helping us all along, Blake. She helped decrypt your dad’s folder.”

  “We wouldn’t be close to where we are today without Rachael’s help,” Tylor concurred. “Just because Ashlea betrayed you doesn’t mean Rachael’s the bad guy too.”

  Blake looked at Julia and Corey, who’d been silent since Rachael entered. “I don’t know what to think. I’m staying out of this,” Julia said.

  Corey simply shrugged.

  “How can you guys still be blinded by her?” Blake declared assertively. She held up the glass of neon-green solution. “Isn’t this enough proof?” She replaced the glass firmly on the table and stormed out of her dad’s place.

  At a café near their office, Tylor gingerly carried a cup of black coffee and a cup of caffè mocha to where Rachael was seated. It had been a few days, and the group had not made any progress in locating the final piece of the puzzle.

  “Thank you, Ty,” said Rachael. “I really appreciate the fact that you called.” She took a small sip from her beverage.

  “I’m sure you’d do the same,” he responded sincerely.

  She sniffled, “Does everyone hate me now? Do they still think I’m a rat? What if they found out you’re with me? I don’t want them to alienate you too!”

  “No. Don’t worry, seriously. No one hates you,” Tylor said, placing his hands over hers on the table. “They still don’t really know how to process all the information. But with time, I’m sure they will see it through.”

  “She definitely was not confused about what to think of me.”

  “Well… Blake can be stubborn at times. And she’s not thinking straight right now. She’s not taking the news about Ashlea well. I mean, it caught all of us by surprise. You know how much she used to idolize Ashlea.”

  “I’m still having some difficulty registering all this. In the short time working there, I’ve only heard good stuff about her. Now, I don’t even know how to act natural in front of her, knowing she almost had me fly off the atmosphere. Are we supposed to just stay put at Ashlea Edwards and pretend everything’s normal?”

  “That’s what we agreed on so far. We don’t want to alert her, especially since we’re still missing a piece of the instructions. Also, we can gather more intel.” Noises from outside the coffee shop distracted Tylor. He turned his head and spotted a person talking on the phone in a car. He sighed, “Seriously, some people think they can be as loud as they want just because the windows are closed.”

  “Who are you talking about?”

  “Can’t you hear the man in the car?”

  “I can see his mouth moving. But no, I can’t hear what he’s saying.”

  “It’s like he’s yelling right beside me, complaining about his phone bills.” Tylor covered his ears with his hands. “Oh, thank god he drove away.”

  “Are you ok, Ty?” Rachael asked. “Something’s off since you came out of the coma. You also never told us what happened. What did you see at the warehouse?”

  “I… I feel fine,” he stuttered. “Everything’s kind of a blur now. I don’t really remember what happened,” he lied.

  “In the warehouse, it looks like you were talking to someone. Or protecting someone,” Rachael speculated. “Was it Blake? Did you see her in your hallucination?”

  Tylor looked visibly uneasy. Thinking back to the days in the abandoned warehouse was like revisiting his worst nightmare. He should’ve known that it hadn’t been the real Blake. There had been so many red flags. But he had let his guard down, and let his impulse take over. Blake falling in love with him? It was too good to be true.

  “I’m sorry, Ty,” Rachael apologized. “I didn’t mean to pry. I just… I don’t want to see you hurt. But… but you shouldn’t run away from your problems. That’s the mistake I made. I was ashamed of myself, of my HMID. I hid it from everyone, and look how it turned out. The episode at the warehouse was a huge trauma, and you’re letting it burden you. But we can help you. I can help you.”

  “The hallucination took advantage of my weakness,” Tylor responded. “I’m such a coward. I’m so weak. So pathetic.”

  “You’re not,” she refuted. “You’ve been nothing but brave. They all were under the influence until we destroyed the device. I was only immune because of the nanorobots. None of us was able to fight it. The influence was very powerful. You’re not weak.”

  He’d always blamed himself for what had happened. He’d even thought he’d been a burden to the group, dragging them down. Hearing Rachael’s perspective was refreshing. It helped him stay connected with the team and with the cause. “Thank you,” he replied genuinely. “Tha
nk you for talking me through.”

  “Anything for my favorite bartender,” Rachael replied in a bubbly tone.

  Back at work, Rachael was preparing a test sample when Victor abruptly entered the lab. “Rachael, can you make me some photocopies and type these up for me? Also, set up a meeting with the team. We need to get them aligned with our scaleup method.” He ordered without making eye contact.

  “Ok…,” she replied, “let me finish my tests first and I’ll…”

  “Just don’t forget,” he said rudely and left the lab.

  That insufferable attitude. Blake would never treat her like an administrative assistant. He’s clearly more than capable to make some copies, transcribe, and schedule meetings. What’s with arrogant leaders who’d always think they’re beyond menial tasks. Would it kill them to show some basic respect?

  Begrudgingly, she finished the clerical duties and sent the copies off through interoffice. On her computer, she hacked the IT security system to check Ashlea’s calendar. She had some offsite meetings scheduled at the time. It’d be a good time to check out her office.

  She took the elevator to the top floor, and walked past the hallway with rows of patient pictures. The sight of these pictures disgusted Rachael. They were just for show. Curing HMID was never Ashlea’s intention. It was only a front to hide her true agenda.

  She arrived at the door to the office, and pulled on the handle. Expectedly, it was locked. Although Rachael was not as skilled as Corey in picking traditional locks, digital ones posed no challenge to her. In fact, she had already given her employee card an all-access right. She got in with a simple swipe at the card reader.

  Blake had mentioned that Ashlea kept the lab notebook on one of the shelves. An old handwritten book should stick out like a sore thumb among filing binders. And there it was, sitting on the shelf waiting to be examined.

  As Rachael flipped through the pages to look for the hidden instructions, she heard the elevator chime. The doors opened, and she heard Victor step out, giving some condescending remarks over the phone. Instinctively, she triggered the do-not-disturb lock on Ashlea’s door, which disabled all card access.

  Victor swiped his card, but was rejected entry. He tried pulling open the door but to no avail. “Damn it. Something’s wrong with my card,” he spoke over the phone. “Can you call IT or security for me? I need to prep for this meeting at Ashlea’s office.” He hung up on the phone without a proper farewell.

  Delegation seemed like the only thing he knew how to do properly. And criticizing of course. None of this was helping Rachael’s situation, as Victor continued to stand outside Ashlea’s office checking emails on his phone.

  “SOS,” she sent Tylor a text. “In Ashlea’s office with the final piece. Victor at the door. Distract him please!”

  “OMG,” Tylor replied. “Let me talk to Julia.”

  “Quick!” As she typed the message, she heard the elevator chime again. Security must’ve arrived. They would be able to bypass the do-not-disturb setting. She felt her heart racing.

  “Julia’s going to call him. They’re working together on a project.” Rachael read Tylor’s text on her phone. Instantly, she heard Victor’s phone ring, disrupting his conversation with the security guard.

  Victor picked up his phone. “Julia, what’s going on?” He paused on the phone listening to Julia’s response. “Can’t this wait after my meeting with Ashlea? … Ok. This’d better be good enough to add to my presentation.” He hung up on the phone.

  “What would you like me to do, sir?” asked the security guard.

  Victor passed his card to the guard and responded, “Make sure it’s fixed, and come down after. I’ll be in the materials lab.” He retreated and took the elevator down.

  Rachael disabled the “do-not-disturb” setting, allowing the guard to test Victor’s access card properly. The security swiped the card, and the door unlocked expectedly. The guard gently pushed on the door to confirm, but did not enter the room. Rachael breathed a sigh of relief.

  After the security left the area, Rachael took the piece of paper containing the final part of the instructions, and hurried down the stairs.

  The group gathered before the instructions that formed the three parts of the Synchronizer at Zach’s home. “So, what are we going to do?” asked Julia

  “We should build the device!” Rachael suggested.

  “I think that’s a terrible idea,” Corey refuted. “I already think it’s bad enough we gathered all these pieces together. I think we should destroy them.”

  “I agree with Corey,” Tylor concurred. “Everything related to this has been nothing but bad news. I can’t imagine what good it will bring if we build this.”

  “If we burn this,” Zach added, “Blake will be real pissed.”

  “Speaking of which,” Julia said, “where’s Blake?”

  “Is she still mad at me? Does she still think I’m a traitor?” asked Rachael.

  “I’ve spoken with her earlier,” responded Corey. “She seems to have calmed down a bit.” As if on cue, Blake knocked on the door.

  The first person she approached was Rachael. She leaned in and gave her a tight hug. “Rachael”, she said remorsefully, “I’m sorry I accused you of being a traitor. I…”

  “I understand,” said Rachael. “I accept your apology. I know the last few days were difficult for all of us.” They smiled at each other, embracing a moment of sincere friendship.

  “Now we got that out of the way,” Julia interrupted. “We still need to decide what to do with these. Blake, what do you think? The group’s quite polarized on whether to build it or destroy it. It’s your father’s work. I think you should have a say on this.”

  Blake considered earnestly for a long moment. “Einstein’s equation made a significant contribution to our current understanding of the world. But some people chose to do bad with it, giving rise to nuclear weapons.” She paused before continuing, “We shouldn’t stop scientific progress. But we also have the ethical responsibility to make sure it wouldn’t lead to our destruction.”

  “So, what do you think we should do?” asked Rachael.

  “Destroying it would be undoing scientific progress. And I can’t bear to see my dad’s work shred to pieces,” Blake responded. “But, what good will it really do if we build the device? I think we should hide these in a safe place.”

  “And where is that?” Zach asked.

  “How about in Dr. Po’s lab?” suggested Tylor.

  “I can build a secure safe, and also modify the door so only we have access,” added Zach.

  “It’s decided then,” Corey concluded. Blake nodded in agreement.

  “I’ve built this safe,” Zach said. “It needs fingerprints from any two of us to open. The door to the lab is now equipped with retinal scanning.”

  “Woah,” Julia complimented, “this is super impressive. You sure you don’t work for the federal agents?”

  “Thank you, dear,” Zach said. “To complete the design, I need to input your biometrics.” With that instruction, the group queued up to get their fingerprints and retinas scanned.

  “Tylor, stop blinking,” Zach castigated. “We couldn’t get your retinal scan if you keep blinking.”

  “I can’t help it,” Tylor whined. “It’s just so bright.” He stepped back from the machine and covered his eyes with his hands. “God, everything is just so bright!”

  “Are you alright?” Julia asked gently.

  “Yes,” Tylor answered abruptly. “Seriously, you don’t need to yell.”

  “I didn’t yell,” she whispered, eyeing the group confusedly. Tylor continued backing away from any source of light, covering his ears with his head down.

  Rachael walked toward Tylor and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Ouch,” Tylor responded, “you just shocked me!” With that, he backed up to a wall. He could hear every breath his friends were taking, feel every bump of the uneven wall surface. Everything was magnificently bright, li
ke staring directly at the sun. He could feel his heart racing, the blood gushing in his veins. He sat on the floor hugging his knees. “What’s happening?”

  Zach took out his superpower-dampening device and cranked up the setting.

  Tylor slowly opened his eyes. His breathing calmed down. He gradually regained his normal senses. He looked up confused.

  “I think you’ve developed ultra-enhanced senses,” Corey explained.

  “Welcome to the party,” said Zach.

  Blake and Corey regrouped at Zach’s home lab. “This is quite a crazy gadget,” Corey said, “even to your standard. Will this actually work?”

  “The cup’s half-full, not half-empty,” Zach replied as he carefully put on an EEG electrode cap over Blake’s head. “Let’s get to this. I’m going to start up the machine, and measure some baseline activities. Can you think about a significant milestone in your life?”

  “Um… like what?” Blake struggled.

  “Like… when you graduated from college. That must be quite significant.”

  Blake thought of the day her name had been called up at convocation, receiving recognition on the Dean’s List. Years of hard work had finally paid off. Life had been so simple at the time. Her job had been lined up. She thought she had been set for life.

  Zach pointed at the neural signals from the EEG printout, “Look. Activities in the right frontal cortex, the precuneus, the left amygdala, and the left insula. All indications of joyful emotions. Regular activities in the limbic area, the region of the brain responsible for memories and emotions.”

  She thought of her first day as a permanent employee at Ashlea Edwards. She thought she had already planned out her whole life. But that had all come to naught, when she had found out the one person she’d admired the most had been likely the one responsible for her dad’s demise.

  “Woah, Blake looks very angry right now. The right hippocampus, the amygdala, the insula and the prefrontal cortex all lit up,” Zach commented. “Are you ok, Blake?”