by Allison Goh
Paul decided that they had to take a stand. Otherwise it looked as if this conversation would be wrapped up and they would be back at square one.
“No,” Paul said, “We won’t let you bully us over this. If you don’t tell us the truth and stop doing whatever you’re doing, we’re going to go to the authorities. You aren’t invincible!”
Patty linked her arm with her husband’s and said, “Yes, the others are on our side as well, we’ll expose you.”
The tension in the room was so thick, you could slice it with a knife. Paul and Patty were starting to feel lightheaded as they awaited Orion’s reply with bated breath.
Finally, Orion broke the silence and said, “You’re playing a dangerous game my friends.”
He cast a dark look at the pair who looked warily back at him.
“We’ve known each other for a long time so I’m going to give you guys a chance,” he said.
“I’m going to forget we even had this conversation today. Be content with the money and power I’ve given you and go on with your lives. Stop doing stupid things that won’t benefit either of you,” he said.
Without waiting for a reply, Orion walked out and beckoned his butler to show the Aculles out, instructing him that they would no longer be welcome at the house.
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Max thanked his informant for a job well done and told him that he had just transferred the remainder of his pay to his account. The unassuming man left and disappeared into the streets, leaving Max in the coffee shop alone with his thoughts.
What his informant just told him was invaluable. He had sent him to pose as an intermediary to lure the Green scientists out. In exchange for the documents that proved their connection to the Infinity Chip, they had agreed to reveal what they were doing in Sector A. They hadn’t revealed much, just saying they were working on a new project funded by OrionWan-Nutrienas and that it was related to their expertise in neuroscience, though they assured his informant that it was nothing directly related to the Infinity Chip.
Max wasn’t stupid. He knew that the Green scientists wouldn’t be truthful. After getting the documents they wanted, they wouldn’t hesitate to lie. And, Max knew what kind of master Orion was, as much as the Green scientists were double-crossers by nature, they wouldn’t dare betray Orion, much less so if they were working under him right now.
The true aim of the meeting was to plant a bug on the Green scientists and monitor their comings and goings. Now that his informant had planted the bug on both John and Linda Green, Max was sure he would uncover the mysteries in Sector A soon.
Max couldn’t finish his cup of coffee. As excited as he was that his plan succeeded, the knot in his stomach wound itself tighter as he couldn’t help himself from making wild guesses as to what lay in Sector A.
Giving up on his coffee, he walked out and headed home.
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Max spent the next couple of hours monitoring the live feed from the bug placed on the Green scientists in his bedroom at home. As he watched in interest, his throat turned dry as pieces of the puzzle began fitting themselves together in his mind. The knot in his stomach had turned into a fiery ball that was making his stomach churn.
Finally, Max decided that couldn’t sit on the information alone. Quickly, he journeyed to Kate’s secret laboratory, frantic to share what he had just seen.
Inside the lab, Max sat Kate and Billy down, and whipped out the small screen he had been monitoring for hours. Playing it back to the crucial moments, he showed Kate and Billy what he had discovered.
The video opened to a modern clinical landscape. The ceilings were high and the lights bright. The Green scientists looked to be in charge, as people in labcoats seemed to take the conversations with them very seriously and scurried back to work immediately after taking their instructions. The sound quality wasn’t great but from what they could make out, it seemed to be conversations as to the phase of experimentation they were at.
Their view changed as the Green scientists walked away from the previous location to a new one. Inside this new room, there were rows and rows of people seated on chairs, all of them looking forward and focused on a person giving a speech on a podium at the front of the room. The words from the speaker were difficult to make out but the tone was very monotonous and it seemed almost hypnotic. The people in the room listened motionless, their backs straight and they looked to be intently focused on the speaker’s every word. The speech ended and the people stood up. Then, silently, they exited the room in perfect files.
It was at this point that Max had stopped watching. He felt that he had seen enough and he had rushed over to show Kate and Billy. Clearly, something unorthodox was going on.
Now that Kate and Billy were on the same page as him, Max switched the video back to its live feed, hoping to learn more.
The camera now focused on two people, a man and a woman who stood in front of the room. This room was small but it was similarly outfitted with sterile white tile and bright lights. The man and woman both had sandy brown hair, were of medium build and dressed in an all black latex suit. The Green scientists met with several people in labcoats who in turn reported statistics of their experiments to them. Just then, the angle shifted as the Green scientists turned.
Orion had entered the room.
The room stilled as Orion entered. It was clear who was in charge here. The people in labcoats all stopped working and turned toward him but he dismissed them promptly with a wave and they quickly returned to their work.
A blonde lady in a labcoat turned to the two people in front of the room and said, “Exercise!” Her command was loud and clear.
The two people looked at her and then all of a sudden, simultaneously started doing jumping jacks.
Then, the blonde lady said “Stop!” and they proceeded to cease all action.
Then she said, “Fight!” and the two people turned to face each other and started punching and kicking each other. From the quickness of action, their blows seemed to be real.
It was bizarre. Max looked at Kate who looked back at him with equal confusion. Was this some kind of brainwashed cult?
After several more hours of monitoring the footage, they still didn’t have answers. One thing was for sure, Orion was planning to use those people for his benefit. They just didn’t know how.
But since the Green scientists were involved, they could safely guess that the Infinity Chip was involved. Their insistence that their work was unrelated to the Chip at the meeting with Max’s informant pretty much confirmed that it was in fact related.
Max’s neck ached from spending so many hours watching the footage. He turned his neck this way and that trying to ease the strain.
Knowing that those people being experimented on and/or receiving some kind of bizarre training were somehow linked to the Infinity Chip was making the dull ache worse. He felt a responsibility on his shoulders that he didn’t know how to ease.
Max returned home, disturbed at all he had just witnessed. He hoped he would have a good sleep tonight, he really needed it.
Chapter 10: The Ballot is Stronger than the Bullet
Mayor Wayne reached over his computer to press a button. He had an incoming call.
“Hello?” Mayor Wayne said.
“Hello Oliver. This is Orion,” the familiar voice sent a shudder down Mayor Wayne’s back. He really disliked the man.
“Remember the favour you owe me?” Orion said, “I want to cash it in now.”
Mayor Wayne paused. He had received two vials of the mysterious green substance from Orion Wan so far and they have helped his headaches immensely. He relied on them more than he cared to admit. However, Orion had hinted at their first meeting that the gifts came with a price and it looked like he was redeeming it now.
“Well yes…. but I’m really busy right now,” Mayor Wayne said, trying his best to change the topic.
“There’s been another terrorist attack,” Mayor Wayne said. “Paul and Patty
Aculle have been identified as the victims of the shooting. Shouldn’t you be more concerned about your friends now?” he said.
“That’s exactly why I’m calling Oliver,” Orion said. “I would like you to recommend me as the head of a special anti-terror committee. It would fit in perfectly with the government’s efforts to combat these recent attacks we’ve had.”
“A committee?” Mayor Wayne said, “What? Why?” he said, taken aback at Orion’s request.
“It will be beneficial for everyone Oliver,” Orion said.
“And…” Orion said, making sure to stress his last point, “I’ll make sure to send you your third vial. You’ll need it soon.”
Mayor Wayne gulped, “I can’t promise you anything…” he said.
“Make it happen Oliver,” Orion said, “If you treasure your peace of mind.”
The line went dead. Orion had hung up.
Mayor Wayne looked stunned. What was that all about? he wondered.
It was clear that Orion was holding the cure to the Infinity Chip over him. That much was clear. His pride had been a hurt by that. It didn’t feel good to be made use of.
But an anti-terror committee? What was that all about? Mayor Wayne crossed his arms, deep in thought.
A committee was actually quite a good idea. A special division focused on these recent attacks would be useful. He would get brownie points for suggesting it and to have Orion Wan, the richest man in Egalia backing it, Congress was sure to support it. They didn’t even need to use their own funds to resolve this public issue. Hmmm… This idea didn’t actually seem half bad.
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Kate face turned ghastly white when she heard the news. Paul and Patty Aculle had been shot dead in their office. The police were now looking out for a man and a woman, who were suspects. They had been captured on security cameras fleeing the scene.
Who on earth who be so daring as to assassinate two of the most powerful individuals in Egalia? And in broad daylight? Was it really the beginning of a terrorist movement as the media claimed?
Kate dialled Max’s number in a panic. This was a big setback to their plans to take down Orion, two of their most vocal allies had just been shot!
“Max, are you there?” Kate said, “Have you seen the news?”
“Yes,” Max said, “It’s unbelievable! Who would do such a thing?” Max replied as he watched the news replay over and over again on his tablet.
“Calm down Max. We need to re-evaluate our situation,” Kate said.
Max took a deep breath. His mother was right. “Yes mom, I’m listening,” he said.
“This compromises our plan to take down Orion,” Kate said. “Nothing seems to have happened after our meeting with the Alpha5. I know the Aculles organized a dinner party where they were supposed to confront Orion…. but now they’re dead!”
“Wait,” Max said, “You don’t think Orion has something to do with this?”
Kate was silent. She did actually have that suspicion but she didn’t dare confirm it.
“Mom?” Max said, “Was it really because of the dinner party?”
“Think about it Max, you were there. What happened?” Kate said.
“We had dinner then they all went into a room. I wasn’t allowed in but dad was there…” Max said, trying to recall the flow of events.
“Dad didn’t say much, he just said that Orion took off after they asked him about Ren…” Max said.
There was a short silence where both Kate and Max thought about what had happened and whether Orion was really behind the Aculles’ murder.
Max stared at the tablet in his hands again where the news reel was still being played.
Wait a minute! He had seen those two somewhere before. His heart skipped a beat as he connected the suspects’ profile to his memory.
“Mom, turn on the news!” Max said, “Now!”
“Don’t you think those two suspects seem familiar? Weren’t they the ones we saw…” Max said, his voice trailed off as he paused his screen and tried to increase the resolution of the two suspects’ mugshots.
Kate studied the suspect composite that the police had created. The suspects had sandy brown hair, medium build and were dressed in all black.
With a gasp, Kate said, “Max, it was those people! The man and woman at Orion’s lab! The ones doing the jumping jacks!”
Max sat up straight with a jolt, his mother had just confirmed what he had thought!
“You know what this means Max” Kate said, “Orion is behind this…”
Max sucked in his breath, too stunned to reply.
“Max, we have to tell the others, we have to ask them to do something!” Kate said, furious at the thought that Orion had gone so far as to commit murder.
“You’re right mom, I’ll talk to dad. He’ll talk to the others. They need to know about this.” Max said, hanging up and hastily dialling his father next.
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Ren tightened his grip on Paris as she sobbed against his shoulder, unable to accept the news that her parents had just been murdered in a terrorist attack.
When Paris had exhausted herself from crying, Ren tucked her into bed.
Stroking her hair and tear stained face, Ren sighed. This was unbelievable. Who were these terrorists and how dare they! Nobody messed with the Wan-Nutrienas family.
Ren left their bedroom and decided to seek his father’s counsel.
He entered his father’s study and was surprised to note that Orion looked relaxed, reading one of his precious leather bound books.
“Dad, have you heard?” Ren said, “Paul and Patty Aculle are dead!”
“Yes,” Orion said, “Poor Paris,” he said, his face betraying zero emotion as he uttered those words.
“Shouldn’t we do something dad?” Ren said, agitated that his father was taking this so calmly.
“It will all be taken care of Ren, exciting things are coming up…” Orion said, the corner of his lips twitched showing the barest of smiles.
Ren was shocked at his father’s reaction. How could he even smile in such a situation?
“But Dad! This is serious! Were these the same terrorists that shot ME?” Ren said, his features contorted in anger.
This got Orion’s attention. There was a moment’s hesitation in his eyes before he replied. He said, “Perhaps…”
Before he could protest his father’s underwhelming reaction, Orion interrupted Ren and said, “Don’t think too much Ren, I have it under control. You just need to trust me.”
“What are you talking about dad? We should all be actively doing something, we need to find the culprits!” Ren said, almost shouting.
Orion looked at his son sharply. He knew better than to raise his voice at him.
“I’ll handle this,” Orion said. Swivelling his chair so his back faced Ren, he said, “Leave me now.”
Ren stormed out, angry that his father was so cold-hearted in a situation that affected his own family.
Back in the study, Orion was agitated. He shut his laptop with a satisfying thwack.
He didn’t expect his own son to come at him like that. But then again, he had to remember that they were Paris’s parents.
Too late for that, he thought. They got what they deserved. Who asked them to poke their nose in other people’s business. That last visit to his home to confront him was the straw that broke the camel’s back. They proved to him that they were hell bound on exposing his secret. He had to get rid of them.
How dare Ren come in here and act so self-righteous. It was for him as well. If he hadn’t nipped this in the bud, his secret would have come out and the world would turn their backs against him.
Speaking of which, in his haste to handle matters this past week, he had almost forgotten Ren’s shooting. It was obviously not a terrorist attack as the media claimed. In fact, he had jumped on that bandwagon and made the Aculles’ deaths look like another attack.
Orion suspected that Ren’s shooting was an inside job,
perhaps one of the Alpha5. Perhaps even the Aculles, seeing as they had been so vocal about their complaints against Ren. He should have confronted them about it before they died.
That video at the hospital they showed him when they confronted him at his home. Thinking more clearly about it now, it was weird. To film that video, they had to know about Ren’s shooting in advance which meant that already knew about his immortality. But how did the Aculles find out? And why only now? All these years and they suddenly decide to expose Ren?
The timing was strange.
Orion stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Wait, he was forgetting someone! Kate!
It all made sense. It was only after her escape that this began to become a problem. Orion let out an exasperated sigh. Of course! It was Kate! Who else knew about Ren?
That fucking bitch. She had somehow managed to elude him but it was only because he never viewed her as a legitimate threat. He knew she couldn’t run forever, it was only a matter of time before he caught up.
But no matter now, Orion thought. No need to waste precious resources on small fry like her. Once he achieved his goals, she and everyone else who opposed him wouldn’t even register on his meter. He would have enough power to destroy anyone who dared oppose him.
Chapter 11: Quicksand
Max, Kate and Billy were in Kate’s laboratory in deep discussion. The past week had been an absolute nightmare. The news of Paul and Patty Aculle deaths was a major setback in Kate’s plan to clear her name and bring Orion to justice.
Paul and Patty Aculles’ funeral had been as low key as possible, out of respect for their two daughters Paris and Pamela, but it was impossible to keep the news quiet. Egalians were on high alert and petty crime had increased three fold ever since the shooting occurred. Word on the street was that if even the Aculles could be targets, no one was safe. It certainly didn’t help matters that the culprits were still at large.
With Egalians gradually turning the heat on the government and their efficacy, it was inevitable that Congress would declare a state of emergency. The kicker was that Orion had somehow managed to profit from the situation.
