The Premise

by Andy Crossfield

  Jack checked his phone constantly while waiting in line, but no word from Colleen. By the time he made his way to the back with their order, the crowd had thinned and John had moved to a better table.

  "Jack, so good to see you buddy!" John said as he reached to help Jack struggling with the hot coffee and bagels.

  "Same here, John"

  "You living your books these days? John said as if he’d rehearsed the line thoroughly.

  "You’re not the first one around here to hold that assumption," Jack said, giving John a harsh look.

  "Oh?"

  "Yeah, I took a bunch of flack last night. Seems several of Tom’s friends think some kind of plot research contributed to getting him killed and it’s starting to piss me off."

  "Guess you can’t blame them though… nobody expects to check out by being…" John hesitated a moment searching for the right word. "exploded."

  "Yeah?" Jack shot back. "Well nobody expects to survive an explosion, and then be a pariah just for not dying either!" Jack bit his tongue and checked himself from saying more. He realized his sharp comeback was really a delayed reaction to having to hold his tongue and take the same comments from Tom’s friends the night before.

  "Sorry John, as you can tell, I’m not taking Tom’s death well. And criticism about the circumstances have me pretty bewildered I guess."

  "Understandable," John said thinking of ways to change the subject. "I really appreciate the time today Jack. I didn’t know what to think when we found the hacker rummaging through your data. So, you know this guy, or what?"

  "Hell John, this Downs guy has been everywhere we turn lately. If I told you what I’ve lived through these past few days… and what we almost didn’t live through, you wouldn’t believe it!"

  "We?"

  Jack’s expression changed from one of concern to a smile when he thought of Colleen.

  "Let me guess, a woman?" John grinned, prying for more details.

  "Not just any woman, John. A smart, beautiful, sexy, intellectual woman that has me twisted in knots these days. I don’t mean to go all dramatic on you, but she’s in danger right now– as we speak. I wouldn’t even be in this time zone if it weren’t for Tom’s service tomorrow."

  "What do you mean, danger?" John asked.

  "It’s a long story, but remember our meeting when you got me to agree to start the seminars?"

  John nodded, blowing on his coffee. Then he paused as he realized the way Jack phrased it, he may be setting up John for blame.

  "I got you to agree?" John asked with a skeptical look.

  Jack waved off his concern as if it didn’t pertain to his topic. "That’s how I remember it, but whatever. Remember the preface, the um, 'hook' we used to generate the crowd data?"

  "You mean the whole 'cure for crime' angle?" John replied, less sure blame was where Jack was heading.

  "Exactly! Well hold onto your lug nuts Johnny boy, I think she’s figured out how to do just that!"

  "What?" John replied at a volume that turned the heads of those around them. "You mean she’s found a cure for…" John stopped and lowered his voice, looking around to stare down the curious before turning back to Jack. "…crime?" he whispered.

  Jack nodded and sipped his coffee then took a bite of his bagel. "And it seems some people aren’t very happy about it. We think this Downs guy must have ties to the private prison industry; at least it’s the only motive we can figure for his actions."

  "Prisons?" John asked, struggling to follow the conversation.

  "Another long story, but this guy is serious. Deadly serious. I’ve lost track of the body count so far."

  "You mean murders?" John asked in a hushed voice as he scanned the room again for eavesdroppers.

  "Damned straight. Let’s see, thirteen prisoners and a scientist in charge of a nutrition project– they were blown up in the desert north of Vegas. The CEO of that prison I mentioned? He was recovering from gunshot wounds he got from killing three other people. Well he died in his hospital bed of suspicious causes along with the guard they had watching his hospital room. And of course Tom, how many is that?"

  "Good God Jack! You’ve got to be kidding."

  Jack shook his head and stared into space. "I only wish I was, John. Hell, I was stuffed in a trunk and left to, well, suffocate I guess. The only witness to the explosions in the desert? He was almost beaten to death in his protective-custody prison cell. The woman I’m involved with? She was mugged twice, her lab ransacked, and her assistant at her lab back in Chicago was beaten up pretty bad.

  "Of course do I have any hard evidence on him? Hell no! Not anything the police could use that is. It’s all circumstantial at this point. I don’t even know where this William Downs is. There’s only twenty something million results in Google!"

  "Well maybe I can help there." John said with a smile. "We traced the attempted hack to the DC area."

  Jack brightened. "Really? DC? That fits actually. The guy is connected like I’ve never seen… especially with the government. Were you able to tell how much data he got?"

  "Not much at all, as far as we could see. After getting in, he stumbled around long enough for a student to find him. At that point, we took the whole drive offline. It doesn't seem any files were downloaded. You were lucky I guess."

  "My friend, nobody should have my luck lately!" Jack said.

  "I don’t know about that Jack." John winked. "What’s her name anyway?"

  Jack’s smile returned. "Dr. Colleen Baker"

  "Got any pictures?"

  "No, but if you see her you’ll never forget her." Jack replied. "She has a body to die for and a curious, brilliant mind. Her face is kind and understanding, almost vulnerable, you know? And did I mention her eyes?"

  "Her eyes?"

  "They’re violet, John. Damnedest thing I’ve ever seen! I mean piercingly violet. I drown in them every time I see her. Everybody does." Jack’s voice trailed off as his thoughts drifted to a spot two thousand miles away.

  John sat there watching Jack’s transformation at the thought of this mystery woman. The one word he could conjure was one he feared using. "Smitten" stuck in his head but would not exit his mouth, stuck there, stillborn. He had known Jack Colder for over 20 years, and would never have believed he could fall so hard for a woman. After an awkward few minutes sitting there in silence, he set his coffee cup down and stood. "Well, that data isn’t going to compile itself! What say we give it a look, eh?"

  Jack roused himself from his daydream and agreed. On the way to the university to review the data, Jack tried again to reach Colleen but didn’t leave a message. He scolded himself for hovering and decided that was his last call today. If she needed him, she knew his number.

  After forty-six seminars, the data was more conflicted in it’s results than ever. Overwhelmingly, the data suggested the participants wanted to be told in advance of any efforts instituted to cure crime; especially efforts made by the government, and particularly if the cure meant subjecting each person to a serum that would modify their individual DNA. Since the only method available to administer the cure was by injecting the serum into a patient, prior approval of the idea was pretty much the only option. But voluntary inoculation created another obstacle.

  The data suggested people would only approve of the cure if everyone were inoculated at the same time. Nobody wanted to be left defenseless and at the mercy of those still capable of criminal acts. That fear might be founded, since not even Colleen knew if the effect of the cure would also disable one’s ability to recognize criminal behavior.

  "Now here’s a Catch 22 for you John," Jack said as he finished his summary findings. "People want to be told upfront, but they also want to have the cure universally administered. And the only way to accomplish that is to immunize everyone clandestinely. What we need is a serum that wipes their short term memory!" Jack said laughing.

  "Well, I’m not sure if this is an option, but couldn’t you just tell them you told them firs
t, and then say one of the side effects was short term memory loss?"

  Jack laughed, frustrated at the increasingly slippery slope universal immunization would create. "No, what we need is a serum that can be administered in the air and water. Like the strategy we created in our original scenario, remember?"

  "You mean the scenario that was designed to piss off the audience?" John asked wryly.

  "Maybe, maybe not." Jack replied, acting mysterious.

  Maybe not, what? Maybe not enrage the recipients?"

  "Well, let’s just say I have some new data to add to our project. The sample is small, but the reaction was, …I guess I’d call it unexpected."

  "How so?" John pressed.

  "It may be that there is a large segment of people in the population who know they have done wrong, have maybe even tried to go straight and failed, and would accept the cure readily. Like a smoker that keeps trying cures because they know the damage the habit is doing to them and to those around them."

  "I’m not sure that is a valid hypothesis Jack. Seems like junk science meets self-flagellation to me."

  "I'd have thought the same thing if I hadn’t seen it myself." Jack said as he busied himself in the results.

  "Wait, are you telling me you’ve already started inoculating people?" John said dropping the data he was reading.

  Jack cleared his throat. "This is where I decide whether to make you a co-conspirator or not old buddy. Believe me, I’ve turned this over in my mind a hundred times. I’ll admit, it’s hard to get past the irony of the situation."

  Jack paused again before saying more. "We wanted to be prepared with solid data on how to best approach the next arrival of life’s conundrufucks, and now it seems I’ve been a witness to the birth. I wouldn’t blame you if you got up right now and left. In fact, if I were any friend at all I’d probably insist you leave. After all, those in the know seem to expire more quickly than regular people. But I think you’d be safe in hearing that I’ve already got a test subject. A um, let’s say, hesitant test subject."

  "Who’s that?"

  "Are you sure you want to know the answer to that question? There is a lot at stake John. I’ve been honest with you, and I won't trivialize the danger, it’s real."

  "In for a penny…." John said as he shrugged his shoulders and readied himself for the answer.

  Jack paused for effect, then lowered his voice, "A politician."

  "Good God Jack, how hesitant?"

  "Uh, very hesitant, you could even say downright unwilling."

  Before he could elaborate Jack’s cell began to ring.

  "Colleen! I’ve been worried sick! Tell me everything!" Jack said holding up a finger to John asking for a moment.

  "Oh Jack, We’re safe, Sam’s safe! Kyle’s brilliant plan saved us!"

  "What do you mean, Kyle saved you?"

  "He was brilliant! You should have been here to see this Jack! Kyle rigged the elevator so we could stall it between floors, then he bluffed Winston into leaving Sam in the lobby while they rode up to the lab!" Jack could hear Kyle and Sam laughing and joking in the background.

  "He was masterful Jack! He was a maniac on the phone to those guys! Talk about thinking on his feet, I still don’t know how he did it!"

  "Well, where are you now?" Jack shouted, trying to make himself heard over the celebration on the other end of the call.

  "In the limo!" We’re headed to get Karen and find a hotel… somewhere safe. Kyle thinks we need to be unpredictable. Got any ideas?"

  "Well first, I wouldn’t go to the condo, have Karen meet you someplace crowded, just in case someone is on to you. As for a place to stay tonight, how about somewhere near PWK, the executive airport. I’ll be flying in tomorrow night to pick you up…"

  "Pick us up? Where are we going?"

  "Back to DC. I have a lead."

  "Okay, sounds good. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow Jack! You can help us celebrate! Gotta go and call Karen to tell her the good news! I love you! Bye"

  John sat for a moment and watched Jack’s relieved expression fade as he slowly returned to his current situation.

  "This is fucking real, isn’t it?" John asked.

  "Buddy, that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. It’s not too late you know. You can get up right now and leave. I don’t need to tell you any more, okay?"

  John waved his hand as if to brush away any concern. "Now," he said leaning closer, "tell me more about this unwilling politician…."

  Chapter 31 Evil's Root

  Sam stayed out of sight in the Private Cab as it circled Millennium Park while Colleen and Kyle went to the rendezvous with Karen. The park was getting crowded in preparation for a concert later that evening. They had agreed to meet under 'The Bean', a huge, shimmering, chrome plated, kidney-shaped monument that attracted thousands of tourists and photographers each day. Visitors walked around and even under the massive, highly reflective landmark and took unusual photographs of the city as it appeared reflected and distorted in the mirrored surface.

  The Bean was chosen because it was public, easy to find, usually crowded, and accessible to mass transit in case they needed to get away quickly. In the summer, the grounds held the largest outdoor restaurant in downtown Chicago, but this time of year the rink was being converted into an outdoor ice rink that was the biggest draw around.

  Colleen consulted a map to familiarize herself with the exits and other features of the city block sized park, and then decided to hit the restrooms while they waited for Karen. As Colleen and Kyle passed a wall of public lockers outside the skating rink, Kyle stopped. Something looked familiar.

  The keys in the empty lockers caught his eye. They were exactly like the one Mark had left him in the envelope! He pulled his key from its chain around his neck and checked the number again, #422. After a brief search, Kyle located the locker and slipped in the key. It turned, but wouldn’t open. Kyle checked the locker instructions– there was a $1 fee required each time the door was opened, and he only had three quarters on him.

  Kyle scanned the area hoping to find a change machine when he saw Colleen walking back towards him.

  "You ready?" she asked

  "Not yet, have you got a quarter?"

  "Sure, I think so." Colleen said as she began digging for the coin.

  Kyle dropped the money in the slot and turned the key. The door opened, blocking the contents from Colleen’s view. Kyle reached in and pulled out a large black backpack.

  "What’s that?" Colleen asked.

  "Something from Mark!" Kyle said in a hushed but excited voice.

  Kyle looked around to be sure they were alone, then loosened the strap from the buckle and opened the top. Inside was a heavily duct-taped box and a .9 mm pistol in a holster.

  Kyle looked at Colleen, who was focused on the gun.

  "From Mark?" Colleen asked, still distracted by the sight of the weapon. "How?"

  "After the explosion, I found an envelope with my name on it in the desert lying among the other papers scattered around his briefcase. I opened it, and inside was this key."

  "But, how did you know it opened these particular lockers?"

  Colleen's mind didn't wait for an answer. Before Kyle could explain, she began flashing back to the first time she met Kyle at the restaurant in Vegas. This situation seemed so familiar. She remembered him telling her a fantastic tale about how Mark had been killed, and how he had a charred briefcase to back up his story and how her first reaction was to doubt him.

  This time he had pulled another thunderbolt out of clear air and asked her to believe him again. And again, he had something troubling as proof. She searched Kyle's eyes for the truth.

  "That's the weird part," he pleaded, making solid eye contact with Colleen, "I didn't. I've been racking my brain trying to think what this could open, but there was nothing on the key but '#422', and Mark didn't give me any explanation in the envelope. It's just a coincidence that I happened on these lockers just now!" Kyle pulled
the key out and handed it to Colleen. "See? No markings!"

  Colleen turned the key over in her hand examining it closely. "Is this the key you asked Ramy about at his office?"

  Kyle nodded; shifting the weight of the backpack from one hand to the other, still eager to see what was inside the box.

  "I was going to explain after we left his office, but then when the explosion-" Kyle stopped. He really didn't want to relive Tom's death, and he could see Colleen was getting upset.