Discovery

by Douglas E Roff

  “Maybe. Hard to tell with Derek. I don’t think their leadership keeps track anymore. Even worse, they have zero discipline and widespread apathy. Even if they do commit to some plan, I’m not sure we can really count on them. At least not in the numbers you require.”

  “Recommendations?”

  “None. Wait and see. Who knows, maybe this will all blow over. Certainly, that’s what Derek wants, for sure.”

  “Then I will kill him one day.”

  Enzo was puzzled. “Why? For what reason?”

  “I don’t like him. He annoys me. And he has a short, disloyal memory. He owes us. He owes me. I won’t soon forget his antipathy.”

  “I see.” Paulo detected a pronounced lack of support in Enzo’s response for sending Derek off to his ancestors. Paulo knew that Derek and Enzo were friends and had been for many decades. But this was business, not friendship, and the stakes were higher than personal loyalties or affection.

  Paulo continued, “Will he help with the plan if we get that far?”

  “That would be an affirmative. He’s fully on board with your request. But he also wants to know more about both our strategy and tactics.”

  “Doubtful I’d tell him anything other than where to go and what to do.”

  Enzo continued, “And he wants to know a lot more about the science.”

  “Again, no chance of that. Ever. Too risky to trust him and I don’t want any leaks to him or the Nobilus. Understood, Enzo?”

  “Understood. But remember, he did say ‘yes’.”

  “Good for Derek. In that case, I may wait and kill him next year.”

  Chapter 49

  “Hi Dad, what’s up?” Adam was at home working on a new project for the US Department of Defense when his cell lit up. “I thought you were out of town.”

  “I was, but then Misti sent me her latest translations and decryptions from the materials that Rod, and Cindy obtained in New Jersey and I had to cancel the rest of my trip. So, I’m back in town and would like to discuss a matter with you. Any chance you could drop by later today for a chat?”

  “Sure. This isn’t going to be an ‘I told you so’ gloat-fest is it?”

  “No. Not even close. This an entirely separate matter and there’s something I’d like your help with.”

  “How can I help? I’m not up to speed on most of the stuff you and Misti are doing. Or for that matter anyone else working on your little pet project.”

  That of course was a lie. Adam followed all the developments as described by Misti, but he didn’t want his father to assume he would jump in.

  “I need your input on something urgent and all I can say on the phone right now is that you’re the person best suited to carry out this task. In fact, you’re the only person who can do this.”

  “Computer elated?”

  “No. I need you to call someone for me. Then I need you to create some space and come to work with me on this project. At least for a little while, anyway. After that, we’ll see.”

  “If you want, Dad. I mean I’m happy to help but based on what Misti has shared and it hasn’t been very much, I don’t see what I can do. I’ve helped her on a couple of small things, really I’m just a computer geek.”

  “That’ll be the day. I think once we talk this through, you’ll see why I want you to do this for me and no one else. This is important, and urgent. I’d really appreciate it if you could humor me on this and let me make my pitch.”

  “OK then. I’ll come right over. See you in ten.”

  “Thanks Adam. I appreciate your willingness to hear me out.”

  Adam clicked off, then called out to Misti. “Do you know what the old man is jabbering on about? He’s being nice and it kind of creeps me out. Normally, he just calls over and tells me what I’m supposed to do. This kinder, gentler father is really freakin’ me out. I’m beginning to think he’s probably a pod person.”

  Misti was upstairs working in her home office but was used to Adam shouting at her from the floor below. There were times she just tuned him out, like a mom tuning out squabbling kids, and Adam rarely stopped to consider whether she was busy concentrating on a problem or not. He just interrupted and continued to do so until she responded. Annoying, but not worth fighting about.

  Misti happened to be taking a mental break from thinking about the decryption method that should be used to decode and translate some vital passages in one of the manuscripts Rod and Cindy had pilfered from the BioGen home office in New Jersey. The Gens employed a rich variety of language and encryption techniques that were novel and therefore difficult to break. There were days when her entire work output might be only a few sentences of usable material but even that could not be entirely relied upon, as the languages employed were often difficult to translate linguistically. She was often missing something vital, she believed, but did not know what that was. In truth, she thought her results were little more than educated guesses.

  “I’ll be right down sweetie. It’ll be just a minute.”

  “No worries. The old man has requested an audience with me right away, so I’m off to see the wizard. I’ll be back later.”

  Misti suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs, reading glasses pulled up and resting on the top of her head, and still in her jammies. “What did he say?”

  “Nothing really. Tried to pre-fluff me with some bullshit about him needing my help and I’m the only one for the job. But he says it isn’t a technology issue, so I’m not sure what he wants. Do you?”

  “No. Not exactly but it may have to do with those guys in Princeton. We’re still speculating that the guy you talked to on the phone in Tucson is the big shot running BioGen Labs. If that’s it, then I think know what Edward wants. But if you’re really asking if he has discussed why he wants to see you with me, the answer is no.”

  “I thought we already determined the real identity of ‘Sal’ from Tucson? And it is the guy running BioGen.”

  “All the evidence leads us to the conclusion that your ‘Sal’ and the President of BioGen are one in the same. Paulo Fortizi.”

  Adam continued, “He said he cut his trip short and came home because of something you sent him. Can you tell me more about it or is it some deep dark secret?”

  “Deep dark secret. But I’ll share it with you anyway, after you talk to the old man. And Adam.”

  “Yes?”

  “If your Dad is being nice, then you should be nice right back. If he’s trying, then you should too.”

  “I’m always nice.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “Traitor! You’ve crossed over to the dark side. Bad ju-ju from the move up here. Don’t let my Dad get in your head.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I just am tired of watching you two go at each other over ancient history. The past is the past. For all of us. Just try to hear him out and remember something.”

  “What?”

  “I believe in what he’s doing. There’s zero doubt in my mind that your Dad’s worst fears have been realized and if he says this is important, it very probably is. And if he says he needs you, then he very probably does. And he loves you. So off you go and try to be a grownup. For once.”

  “I’ll keep it in mind.”

  “Do it for me?”

  “Anything, you know that.”

  ***

  Life in Barrows Bay had changed dramatically since her move from Seattle. Misti had found a way to get Adam and Edward to communicate without all the negativity and vitriol that had permeated their previous patterns of behavior. Misti didn’t lecture either of her men, just reminded them casually that they were family and loved each other. She rarely took sides, just like Rod and Cindy, preferring instead to let the two stubborn mules wear each other out with their barbs, snide comments and criticisms. Both were like little children, and, occasionally, Misti would have liked them just to be in the same room together without being so disagreeable. But she worked on th
em both, subtly and quietly grinding away the rough spots and jagged edges that had accumulated over the years. She failed to apprehend the exact reasons for the unease, only that her guys both felt it and neither had the social skills to break out of a series of old bad habits. Over time, she began to understand that the toxicity of the secrets, lies and dissembling that Edward tried to use to protect his son had, in fact, often had the opposite effect. She understood his good intentions but also understood that his approach was doomed to failure with a man like Adam. Adam was socially awkward but razor sharp and intuitive. He could spot the absence of important and missing information as readily as could Edward. Who did Edward think he was fooling?

  Like many parents, Edward couldn’t let go of protecting his kid. At age twenty-six, Adam didn’t need or want his father’s protection any longer. Adam could make his own way in the world and his darkness wasn’t the disability Edward had once thought it was. It was about to become his greatest asset and Edward would be forced to come full circle on that topic.

  It took immense patience for Misti to raise the consciousness of both men who fought it at every opportunity along the way. Occasionally she wanted to throttle them both, one at a time. Given that one was her husband and the other her mentor and employer, she deemed it best to just manage them, their tempers and massive egos without their knowledge. Time and patience were on her side.

  And, anyway, it seemed to be working.

  ***

  Adam arrived at the big administration building and went straight to Edward’s office on the fourth floor.

  “Alright, Dad what’s so important that you had to come back from DC. Bethy kick you out? Again?”

  “Not this time, but she will eventually when she figures out what a mess I am. For now, we’re on cruise control.”

  “Then what?”

  “How much has Misti shared with you about her recent work? Anything?”

  “Not much. I guess nothing really. Why?”

  “She sent me this report yesterday. Would you mind giving it a quick read? It’s only ten pages or so. Just have a look and give more your initial impressions.”

  Adam took the folio from his Dad and immediately mentally scanned its contents. He was surprised by what he read, though he was less sure any of it could actually be true.”

  “This from the Library?”

  “No. This came from New Jersey. BioGen Labs.”

  “Any data to back it up?”

  “Plenty. We have all the embedded research and we have sent summaries for scientific verification and testing. It’s real.”

  “Who did the lab work?”

  “Palmetto Associates in Cleveland. Jacobson.”

  “His analysis was what?”

  “He has confirmed the chemistry and the biology but doesn’t understand the significance.”

  “Why not? Isn’t that why you sent it to him?”

  “God no. I just wanted him to verify the science and methodology. The rest doesn’t concern him.”

  “Until it does.”

  “Yes exactly. Until it does.”

  “Is that what you want from me? Analysis with no relevance?”

  “No. Not at all. Like I said, I need you to make a call for me. One that I can’t make myself, or I wouldn’t bother you with any of this. I know how you feel about the project but this information changes everything and I’m asking you for your help. I’m asking you as your father. Please help me.”

  Adam sensed that something was different about his father and that he, Adam, wasn’t being coerced into agreement this time. For the first time in a long while, Adam felt like he could say no, and Edward would accept his decision. He was tempted to say no, just to see what his father would say. Strangely, he didn’t want to this time; his Dad didn’t have that predatory glint in his eye. Somehow the old fart was on the level. This time, anyway.

  “Well, like I said on the phone, what can I do? And yes, to answer your question, I will help if I can. Just tell me what I’m missing.” Adam knew more than he let on but even with that knowledge he still had no idea what his old man wanted. From him, that is.

  “We believe, now we are convinced now, that the man who runs BioGen is the same man you spoke to in Tucson. My confidence in that conclusion is near 100%. Confirmed by voiceprint comparison. His real name is Paulo Fortizi and he seems to be over a hundred years old. I have a photo of him in 1939 before him immigrated to America. I have a photo of him taken three days ago. It’s the same man.”

  “So?”

  “So, he’s hardly aged a single day. Same guy now as then.”

  “Can’t be, right? Family resemblance maybe? Father and son?”

  “No, same guy. The guy who came here settled first in New York, then moved with BioGen to Princeton, New Jersey. The guy in the 1939 photo never died, not according to vital statistics anyway.”

  “In New Jersey?”

  “In America. In the entire country. He has kids now, but he didn’t then. He was forty-two years old in 1939. That would make him one hundred eighteen years old. Looks good for his age, wouldn’t you say?”

  “If it’s him, I want whatever he’s drinking. You’re absolutely sure about this?”

  “DL Main verified and researched. Bitsie did the work. I have a high degree of confidence in the results.”

  “Meaning?”

  “I jumped on and took a look myself. Her work was impeccable.”

  “No. I mean do you want me to check her work too?”

  “No. I want you to call Paulo Fortizi and introduce yourself.”

  Chapter 50

  “Why me? Shouldn’t it be you? I mean, you’re the one in charge of this project. It seems like you should be the one to do the talking.”

  “You’re probably correct but since you’re the only one who has ever spoken to him, I thought we should endeavor to keep the known circle small. If I were him, I’d be looking for you and trying to get my shit back, pardon my French. And if I were him, I’d also be looking to send you to the afterlife quickly before any of this story gets out.”

  “So, if you were him, I’d be a marked man and scheduled for erasure?”

  “ASAP, if you must know. Urgent exit from this veil of tears.”

  “Thanks for thinking of me then. I appreciate the opportunity to serve and die.”

  “You and your adrenalin junkie brother and sister-in-law all live for these moments. Intrigue, danger and action. The more the merrier. You shouldn’t pretend that you don’t. Misti either.”

  “Normally I’d be all over this. But you do realize that Misti and I walk down the aisle in four days. We’re leaving for Hawaii on Sunday and we’ll be gone for two weeks. Can’t this wait?”

  “No. It cannot. This is urgent.”

  “Why exactly?”

  “We need to … agitate a little. We need to wake them up and take them out of their comfort zone. We need to fuck with their heads and see what shakes out.”

  “You want me to bluff then, is that it?”

  “Of course. We don’t have much yet, so I need to know what their reaction is to discovery. If there’s a flurry of frenzied activity which we can track in their communications traffic, then maybe we struck a nerve. Or, if all is quiet, then it’s business as usual.”

  “And if it’s the latter?”

  “Hard to say. Maybe they’re cool, maybe they just feel safe and secure. I don’t want them doing nothing, I want them doing something. Something actionable and meaningful.”

  “How will we know? We don’t have anyone on the inside, do we?”

  “No, not an actual person but we do have seventeen nanite interfaces in play. We have infected all their off-the-grid computer systems and we are downloading everything from new research to email communications in and out of the building. And, we now have all their personnel files. Bitsie is tracking down, profiling and documenting exactly who all these folks are, where they come from and w
hat they do.”

  “And?”

  “They seem to have an odd family business. Seems everyone at the facility in Princeton is related, in one way or another. In fact, nobody works there who isn’t related. All one big happy family.”

  “Like us.”

  “Exactly like us if what you mean is all of us in Barrows Bay, Seattle and Oaxaca combined, times ten. They have seventeen hundred employees in Princeton. You don’t find that odd?”

  “Only if you tell me that all seventeen hundred get along really, really well. That would be creepy.”

  “They all get along really, really well.”

  “Thank you for that. Now I just feel inadequate.”

  “You shouldn’t but let me tell you this. All new hires are family, and each does a specific job at the Lab. No one has ever been fired or even disciplined and no one is ever promoted. They get assigned, and that’s what’s creepy. It’s like a whole dominance thing where each member is hierarchically placed into a specific role. Once hired, there is some moving around within the organization, but initial placement appears to be some sort of acclimation period, followed by permanent placement. Then, you don’t move. Internal stress and conflict seems to be minimal and disputes, which are rare, seem to be settled with finality by Paulo and his brother Enzo. A couple of employees have left the Plant for ‘retirement’. Then no sooner have they left the place than they disappear off the grid. Boom, gone. No record anywhere.”

  “New Jersey or the whole country?”

  “The whole world. They just disappear. Not dead, just gone.”

  “How odd. What else?”

  “They all live together in a master planned community and it’s just them. No outsiders are permitted. Deed restricted and legal.”

  “That’s not unheard of.”

  “Agreed. Sort of, anyway. Usually religious communities and usually totally informal. No plan. At least no written plan. But here, there is a written document and their plan seems pretty comprehensive.”

  “Still not totally sounding my alarms. Could be an ethnic or cultural aggregation couldn’t it?”

  “Could, but then there’s this. They have no retirement plan and no social security contributions. In fact, no retired employee has ever filed for social security, disability or any other government benefits or program. They leave and then they just disappear into thin air.”