by Richard Lori
The Parallel
Conspiracy
By
Richard Paul Lori
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Copyright © 2012 e-Verse Media www.e-versemedia.com
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2012951300
ISBN: 978-0-9884741-1-6
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PROLOGUE
“What the hell!” exclaimed Dr. Henry Manders as his head spun towards the rapid staccato of snapping sounds. His first thought was one of the machine’s electrical circuits was shorting out. That is until his eye caught the contorted face of Agent Miguel Pena standing at the opposite end of the control panel. The agent seemed frozen for a fraction of a second before he convulsed and plummeted to the ground with a thud. As Pena slid down, he revealed the form of another, shorter man behind him whose hand held some type of weapon. The constant din of the fans cooling the equipment crammed into the lab had masked the sound of his entrance.
Dr. Manders’ body drew back with a sudden start, but he recovered his senses enough to demand, “What are you doing in here?”
The corner of the stranger’s mouth curled up in a snarling smile when he said to the physicist, “That’s funny. I was just about to ask you the same thing.”
“Just doing some routine checks.”
“Come now, Dr. Manders; at this time of night?” The man eased towards him, weapon extended. He gestured with it as he asked, “What is that you have connected to the control panel?”
“Nothing. Just some test equipment.” His voice juddered a bit with the blatant lie. Dr. Manders was used to always telling the truth so had difficulty with this little deception.
Agent Pena had been right. The people behind the unauthorized use of the machine he had built were not fooling around. They were dangerous. Until now, he had not taken the warnings seriously enough, but Pena’s limp body piled on the floor was proof of it.
The physicist pointed towards the agent. “Is he dead?”
“No, I just stunned him.” The intruder continued his slow progress towards Dr. Manders. “That’s some kind of handheld computer, isn’t it? Are you pulling data off the machine?”
Although that was what they had been doing, he did not want to admit it. Instead he said, “I told you, it’s test equipment.”
As the stranger drew nearer, Dr. Manders recognized him. There were so many people connected with the project, and he was always so absorbed that he could not remember half their names—just the faces.
“Do you have authorization to be in here?” demanded Dr. Manders, hoping to gain control of the situation.
“Let’s not worry about my authorization right now but with what you’re doing with that computer.”
“This is my project. I don’t have to explain anything to you people!”
The intruder continued to advance and was getting very close now. He said, “You’re right. You don’t have to explain anything because it’s pretty obvious what you’re doing.” A twisted smile came to his face as he continued, “It’s too bad. Things just won’t be the same around here without you.”
“What do you mean?” asked Dr. Manders, his foot scuffing along the smooth concrete floor to take a step back.
Only a few feet from the physicist, the man closed the gap with a lunge and jammed the stun gun into Manders’ chest. The scientist tried to dodge aside, but the weapon caught him enough to furnish its ill effects.
He was amazed at how the little snicking sounds emitted from the weapon could produce such a violent reaction throughout his entire body. The extreme tension in his muscles caused by the shock felt as though searing flames were engulfing his flesh down to his bones. His mind numbed, but he remained conscious as his limp body fell to the lab floor. The burning sensation of overworked muscles ceased, but it filled his body with such utter fatigue that the slightest movement seemed impossible.
“All right, come in and help me move these two!” the man called out.
The physicist’s drooping eyes rolled up as the man towering over him moved towards Pena. Although with some difficulty, he was able to refocus his vision when his eye caught sight of someone else entering the room.
A second, larger man came in and went to the agent lying on the floor, hoisting the flaccid body onto his shoulder. The two intruders took Pena to one of the large rack panels, which Dr. Manders knew to contain high-voltage equipment. He was horrified when he saw the first man open the door to the cabinet and the second man throw Pena into it.
The electrical arc blinded the scientist when the agent’s body shorted out the panel. When his vision cleared, he saw the charred body as it slapped to the lab floor again, the pungent smell of electrical smoke and burning flesh assaulting his nose a moment later. With growing panic, he tried to move his limbs, but he was too weak.
Dr. Manders could feel his muscles trembling from the enormous effort to move as perspiration seemed to exude from every pore of his skin. They were walking towards him now, and there was nothing to prevent him from suffering the same fate as Agent Pena. He would soon be dead and was helpless to do anything; he could not even call for help. The terror peaked when he was elevated onto the larger man’s shoulder.
As the inevitability of the situation took hold, the physicist calmed and began to think his last thoughts. His main concern was for his daughter and how she would be forced to go on without him. While his work had always been important to him, his daughter was the most precious thing in his life. They had been inseparable for so many years and his death would devastate her.
The second cabinet door was unbolted, and they thrust his body inside. His world burst into an explosion of stars. The billion points of light coalesced into a face he recognized—the vision of his beloved daughter. The visage did not last long though as her cherished face dissolved into inky blackness. With its fading, so too did his life.
CHAPTER 1
