The Kirkfallen Stopwatch

by J. A. Henderson

  “You mean an assassination squad.” Colin picked up a shell and threw it with all his might into the waves. It vanished without a ripple.

  “If you want to put it that way.” Naish put her hands behind her and cracked her back, a gesture that reminded her of Doctor Kelty. “But now the powers that be feel the Stopwatch Unit would be more useful if they became part of an experiment on Kirkfallen.”

  “Forced retirement,” Edward added acerbically.

  “Every two years, eight members of the Stopwatch Unit, four men and four women, will be moved here. They’ll have been partnered up and the women will all have had a child.”

  “Whether they wanted to or not.”

  “It’s called following orders, Edward,” Naish said pointedly. “It has been impressed upon the Unit that this deep cover operation is of the highest national importance.”

  “The consequences of disobeying these orders were impressed upon us too,” the man sneered.

  “The idea is that you will train your children from birth to hunt, farm and be totally self-sufficient. A new generation, trained in survival techniques.”

  “A new assassination squad in the making.” Colin turned his back on Naish and watched the soldiers hauling planks of wood that was to be his home. His prison.

  “It gave me the leeway to issue the islanders with weapons, so they could teach the kids to shoot.” Naish retorted. “You may need that advantage someday.”

  “Do we have to go over this again?” Colin was unrepentant. “Haven’t you tortured us enough?”

  “Be quiet for one minute, will you?”

  The teenager lapsed into churlish silence.

  “There’s only a very small, very high up band of people who know the real purpose of Kirkfallen.” Naish continued. “The Stopwatch Project Mark III. Each pregnant woman has been injected with an ant/human pheromone concentrate, designed by Doctor Markus Kelty, which is then absorbed by the foetus.”

  “A fact none of them are too happy about, I imagine.” Edward thought about his own child, back in one of the huts, and fought to suppress his anger. “I’m certainly less than pleased.”

  “They were willing to kill and to die for their country,” Naish cautioned. “Now they don’t have to do either. Think of it as a blessing in disguise.”

  “It’s a pretty damned convincing disguise,” Edward snapped. “And I never killed anyone. I was a radio operator.”

  “Each child is completely normal – the pheromone overload doesn’t even show up in the bloodstream.” Naish refused to be drawn into an argument. “But when the children reach a certain state of puberty – just as they turn sixteen – they’ll release a storm of alarm pheromones which will drive anyone around into a homicidal frenzy.”

  “The Stopwatch Unit won’t be affected, of course.” Edward gave a bitter laugh. “We all have sociopathic personalities, which make us immune. Handy, since the pheromone emissions are amplified by both humans and ants, causing a plague of total rage.”

  “That’s right,” Naish continued. “If everything is hunky dory out in the world, any child about to release pheromones will be quarantined in the old MacLellan Base until its emissions are over. The land around Jackson head will be regularly saturated with insecticide, so there’s no chance of the infection spreading. That child will then be deemed safe to return to the USA. Its parents will be released from all obligations to the army and given a very handsome pension.”

  “And if everything isn’t hunky-dory?”

  “If world events reach a point where the existence of the United States is threatened, the children on this island closest to sixteen years old will be taken and infiltrated into the danger zone. Soon after that they will release their alarm pheromones and Europe, Africa, China, India and Asia will turn into a bloodbath. All threat to the USA will be wiped out.”

  “God, that’s cold.” Edward bowed his head.

  “That’s why their ages are two years apart,” Naish pressed on. “Those twenty four Kirkfallen children can combat any future threat for years to come, whenever that menace may arise.”

  “And millions of people will die.” Colin spread his hands in a last futile attempt at reason. “Nothing justifies that. Nothing.”

  “What if the whole race is on the brink of the abyss?” Naish felt the need to argue, despite her own distaste at the situation. “What if this is the only way to stop mass pollution or a nuclear strike by terrorists?”

  “Don’t even try to defend this or give me some greater good crap.”

  “I won’t.” Naish warily scanned the sky. “In fact, I’ve been lying to the people behind the scheme.”

  She made the statement so plainly that it didn’t register on her companions for a few seconds. Colin and Edward stared vacantly at her.

  “Could you repeat that?”

  “Kelty said nobody else would be able to duplicate his research and, as usual, he was right. Annoying man that he was.”

  She gave a regretful sigh.

  “He left me a batch of serum – enough for two dozen injections. Then he told me what it actually does.”

  “What am I missing here?” Colin looked suspiciously at his companions.

  Edward shuffled uncomfortably, stirring the sand with his boot.

  “Kelty told you what he was up to.” Naish cottoned on immediately. “Didn’t he?”

  “He hinted. I bet I can guess.”

  “Then tell Colin.” The woman made a snap decision. “I figure he deserves to know.”

  “I think Kelty managed to synthesize a different type of pheromone,” Edward said. “Not the Attack Pheromone but something called a Mandibular Pheromone. One that makes people co-operate their actions rather than kill each other.”

  “Correct. And that’s what the children coming to this island carry inside.” Naish drew closer to the men. “If one of these kids is seeded into a population, it won’t destroy anyone. It will influence them. They’ll be pacified. United. Loving, hopefully.”

  “Oh, well that’s fine!” Colin exploded. “Playing at being Gods wasn’t enough for you people. Now you’ve moved on to creating them.”

  “I haven’t got a lot of options here!” Naish wiped salt spray from her eyes. “I’m just a figurehead. But I’m older and wiser than I was when I began working for Kelty. I won’t be responsible for mass carnage, no matter what the reason.”

  “But we don’t really know what an outburst of Mandibular Pheromones will do either.” Edward argued. “What if it turns everyone into some kind of zombie?”

  “Better than killing each other.” Naish spread her hands in exasperation. “Pheromones exist, Edward. Someday, some other country will figure out how to use that as a weapon. And they will use the attack pheromone. There won’t be people like me and Kelty around to double cross them.”

  “Who else knows about this?”

  “Only the two of you.” Naish took Edward by the arm. “Right before he died, Kelty asked you be put in charge of Kirkfallen. The Stopwatch Unit are trained to obey orders without question, but they won’t take kindly to being posted on this barren dump. Kelty thought you’d be a stabilizing influence.”

  A tinge of jealously crept into her voice.

  “I think he admired you.”

  “If I’d known being stable was going to land me here, I’d have gone on a rampage long ago.”

  “You would have ended up on Kirkfallen anyway, just not in command.” Naish gripped Edward’s arm tighter. “You have to make sure these kids are brought up in the most decent and open minded way you can, because they may have the power to make the world work together. They have to be educated, able and self-sufficient and environmentally conscious. Traits the world can use.”

  “So you entrust their upbringing to a bunch of sociopaths!” Colin raised his hands to Edward in a conciliatory gesture “No offence buddy.”

  “None taken. I’m a bit perturbed by the idea myself. What if the Stopwatch Unit kill the children or t
ry to use them as bargaining chips?”

  “Out here you’re hardly holding a strong hand,” Naish replied. “Anyone who pulls a stunt like that will cease to exist for real.”

  “I agree, that’s a fairly powerful incentive to behave.”

  “Listen Edward.” Naish lowered her voice, even though the three of them were utterly alone. “I believe there are silent people, high up in the military, who want a war. They will use these children, whether there is a real threat to or security or not.”

  She folded her arms defiantly.

  “Only they won’t get the result they expected. The kids will produce the Mandibular Pheromone, rather than the Alarm one. ”

  “This makes us traitors to our country.”

  “Of course it does. But I now consider myself a human being first and a soldier second.”

  “What if we reported you?”

  “I’d be dead within the hour. And heaven knows what will happen to you and the children.”

  “And we’ll just take your word for this?” Colin arched an eyebrow. “How do we know it isn’t a ruse to stop us causing trouble?”

  “She’s telling the truth.” Edward looked shell-shocked. “Kelty said he had a plan to make everything right.”

  “If I could go back and change the last twenty years I would.”

  Naish ran fingers through her short bobbed hair. It was a gesture that made her look uncertain and vulnerable.

  “The inhabitants of Kirkfallen are stuck here and I can’t do anything about that. But you’re also the Stopwatch Unit, which means nobody will check on you. You’re an elite military squad and top brass can’t conceive of you not doing your duty. You’ll be visited twice a year by a submarine from Radcliff naval base. Medical check. Provision drop. That’s it. Anything more obvious and other nations might start getting curious about this little operation.”

  She turned to Colin.

  “As for you? Wrong place, wrong time.”

  “Story of my life, isn’t it?”

  “Since you were a carrier yourself, we knew for sure your offspring would have the genetic makeup to absorb pheromone injections.” A surge of surf enveloped the woman’s legs but she made no attempt to back away. “So, I recommended you be part of this, rather than having you die in a convenient… accident.”

  “Thanks for nothing.” Colin stared at the ground, his emotions in turmoil.

  “I don’t want to sound melodramatic, but the fate of the world rests on your shoulders.” Naish turned to Edward. “You up for the challenge?”

  Edward thought for a moment. The he saluted. A proper salute, this time.

  “The Stopwatch Unit is at your disposal.”

  Apathy swung her legs off the bed.

  “But you’re not on the island.” she said to Colin. The boat gave a lurch and she put a hand on the wall to brace herself. “What happened? Where’s your daughter?”

  “I imagine Kirkfallen has excellent medical resources now,” her uncle replied quietly. “And some of the Stopwatch Unit are trained medics. But when the colony started there were only a handful of us and Radcliff Naval Base was seven hours away.”

  His foot began to drum on the floor again and his fleshy chin quivered.

  “I didn’t want to have a child. But she was such a tiny, pretty thing.” Tears trickled down his cheeks. “I thought she had a cold. Nothing to worry about. Then she just… died.”

  “Oh.” Apathy came and sat on the bunk beside him, uncertain of what to say. “Uncle Colin...”

  “It’s all in the past.” But the tears still came. Apathy took his hand and squeezed it.

  “Did they let you go after that?”

  “Not with what I knew.” Colin wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and sniffed loudly.

  “I escaped.”

  46

  Kirkfallen Island:

  1996

  The funeral was a brief, almost insignificant affair. All the island’s inhabitants were there - the Stapletons, the Ainsworths, the Watts and the Waltons. Three of the families carried their own children – a painful reminder to the Waltons of what they had lost. But there was nobody else on the island to look after the babies.

  Afterwards they made their way back to Edward Stapleton’s cottage and silently drank whisky, emptying one of the few precious bottles on the island. The infants were asleep in the bedroom, oblivious to the tragedy.

  Libby Walton was hunched listlessly in one corner, ignoring everyone else. It occurred to Edward that he’d never asked her real name. Though she was older than Colin, the poor kid couldn’t be more than nineteen. She must have been one of the final recruits to the Stopwatch Unit and now she was stuck here with nothing but regrets and a partner barely knew. A girl with no happiness in her future and probably not much in her past.

  “We need to inform Radcliff Naval Base about this,” Wentworth Watt poured himself another shot of whisky.

  “What for?” Libby Walton snarled. “So they can dig my kid up and do an autopsy on it?”

  Colin stared at the floor, unable to give her any comfort.

  “I need to talk to you all outside.” Edward picked up the bottle. “Let’s give these two a few moments alone.”

  Neither Colin nor Libby acknowledged him, lost and lonely in their misery. The rest followed Edward out of the cottage.

  “We need to decide, right now, what this community is supposed to be.” Their commander shut the door behind him. “We’ve been royally shafted and I don’t think anyone here would disagree.”

  “I have to say, this isn’t what I signed up for.” Geoff Ainsworth scratched his thick neck. “Ain’t gonna do much defending my country sitting on this rock.”

  “It’s a bum deal.” Alison Ainsworth agreed. She was a short dumpy woman, whose green eyes shimmered with dissatisfaction. “I’m never gonna get my figure back.”

  “We’re the Stopwatch Unit.” Sonja Watt took a sip of her whisky. “We carry out the jobs nobody else will do.”

  “No. We’re the Stopwatch Unit because we don’t have any qualms about killing.” Edward lowered his voice to be certain that Colin and Libby couldn’t hear. “I don’t think our superiors even see us as real people.”

  “What are you getting at?”

  “On this island, I’m your Commanding Officer. I’m also just like you.” Edward placed his hands on his hips. “From now on, if you’re going to obey orders without question, you’ll obey mine.”

  “If you think I’m gonna cow-tow to you every day for the next fifteen years, you’re gonna be sorely disappointed.” Geoff Ainsworth snapped. “Far as I’m concerned? We’re as good as prisoners.”

  “That’s the spirit.” To the other’s surprise, Edward gave a broad smile. “The beauty of sociopathic personalities, eh? They don’t respond well to unfair treatment.”

  “Not much we can do about it.” Sonja voiced what they were all thinking.

  “Maybe not.” Edward mentally crossed his fingers. This was the moment. If he could bind them all in complicity, right now, there was a chance he could make this whole scenario work to his advantage. Part of him felt bad about using a dead baby to further his aims, but he shrugged it off. He guessed he had that kind of character.

  “We’re not gonna tell our superiors about the kid dying. She was a Goddamned American citizen and they were going to use her as a weapon from the day she was born.”

  He folded his arms defiantly.

  “I’m done blindly obeying. From now on, this is our country, to defend if need be.” He stamped his foot on the springy turf. “So the first thing we’re going to do is help the Waltons escape.”

  The others stared at him in disbelief.

  “What?” Edward spread his hands. “They’re no use to anyone. They’re certainly not part of the experiment anymore. They’re no more than kids themselves.”

  There was silence from the rest of the group.

  “Or you could just sit back and take what’s been done to you l
ike good little soldiers.”

  “They couldn’t make it anyway.” Geoff Ainsworth took the whisky bottle from his ‘wife’ and swigged, not bothering with a glass. “The three boats we’ve got aren’t much more than glorified canoes. It’s 250 miles to the mainland and none of us are sailors.”

  “Colin’s been boating on Lake Champlain since he was a little boy,” Edward countered. “That boy’s better trained in survival techniques then we are. And he doesn’t have a child to slow him up,” he added unnecessarily.

  “Even if they reached land, the army would hunt them down.”

  “Not if they thought the Waltons were dead.” Edward took the bottle and swallowed heartily. “Come on,” he gasped, the alcohol burning in his throat. “We were trained in subterfuge.”

  “What’s in it for us?”

  “A sense that we’re at least partly in charge of our own lives?”

  It was the moment of truth and they all knew it.

  “Well?” Edward prompted. “Are we going to stand together on this?”

  The group bunched together, whispering to each other. Finally, Alison Ainsworth raised her glass.

  “If I put my ass on the line for you, I expect to be treated as an equal.”

  “We all do.” Sonja Watt added.

  “You got it.”

  “You still haven’t explained how you’ll pull this off.”

  “Right before dawn we take a bag of planting seed and scatter it over one of the boats. Come daylight there will be a flock of seagulls obscuring the craft. With the clouds that are always draped over this place it’ll make those vessels invisible. Under that cover you start stripping the boat and throwing the debris into the water. I’ve been watching the currents and I’m pretty sure the flotsam will end up on the rocks at Pittenhall Ridge. Leave nothing but the bare hull and motor.”

  “That’s pretty clever,” Geoff admitted, seeing immediately where the plan was going.

  “Colin and Libby will set off under cover of dark tomorrow night.” Edward swigged from the bottle again. “Next day we report that we’ve found debris from a missing boat at Pittenhall. That the Waltons must have died trying to get away with their daughter. Agreed?”