by A. D. Winch
When Ursula was not with Keiko or the other crew members, she helped Alexander with the plankton tests or tried to contact Eric or put herself through a gruelling fitness schedule. Each week she would regularly go for runs, do exercise and lift weights. Her schedule was not limited to dry land. She would swim in the sea or go out in a Kayak that she had found hidden in the garden. She combined her sea exercise with searching for plankton and often brought samples back for Alexander and Andrea to analyse.
Tests were run on the plankton, and simulations run on the computers, to examine the possible effects of different concoctions on Ursula’s body. They finally decided on a cocktail of plankton, vitamin D supplements and olive oil that was barely edible but which Ursula could eat without retching. It was followed by a healthy shake of blueberries, rich cocoa, nuts and yoghurt which was far tastier. After each meal, Ursula let Andrea take blood from her arm to analyse. There were some improvements but it was too early to make definite judgements on her future. At this stage, Alexander and Andrea’s best estimate was that they could extend Ursula’s life by a number of months, but they were not confident.
Alexander tried to remain optimistic when talking to Ursula about her life expectancy, but the truth was that he didn’t have to. Ursula was feeling physically and mentally great. She could feel that she was stronger, faster and fitter. Even though it was overcast most days, she was still regularly outside and felt energised for being in the daylight. Consequently, she had adopted an Eric attitude of ‘it won’t happen,’ and her time with Arjuna had also altered her thinking. He had been teaching her about the power the mind has over the body. In particular, he told her how the mind is capable of helping people with illness. Ursula took this very seriously and felt that her change in thinking was helping her physically.
In spite of all her different activities, Ursula still managed to find time to focus solely on Eric. She was beginning to have more success. His thoughts went from being fuzzy to being confused, and emotions dominated his mind. His feelings were a mix of happiness and excitement with traces of anger and sadness. Ursula could not get a clear picture nor could she speak to him. She could not work out if this was a conscious decision by Eric or not. The only thing she could be sure of, which she told Andrea and Alexander, was that something was wrong.
Eric had remained at the military base in Poland for weeks now. There was some movement on the tracking device, but it was always within the confines of the base. Andrea felt that he was now unlikely to relocated and decided that it was time to make a plan to rescue him.
At precisely eight o’clock the next morning Andrea, Alexander and Ursula met around the large table in the kitchen. In front of Alexander, Andrea placed a large cup of strong coffee, and she gave Ursula the yoghurt and fruit cocktail they insisted she drink. Each of them had paper, pencils and a tablet. Andrea spoke first.
“Before we begin our plan I have a list here of the text messages that Captain Wang has been receiving.”
Andrea placed them on the table.
“It is probable that they are relevant but I cannot see how they will assist us in our plan. Can you see any connection that I can’t?”
Alexander looked over them.
“They are all from Oscar Wilde poems. I checked them on the internet - Sonnet On Hearing The Dies Irae Sung In The Sistine Chapel, The Ballard of Reading Gaol, Ave Imperatrix and, Rose and Rue. There are only two connections that I can see. The first is Oscar Wilde, obviously, and the second is my mother but she was killed. I don’t know how either can help us rescue Eric but at least we know we have a ‘friend on the inside.’”
“In that case we shall move on,” and Andrea took the list of SMS messages back.
“Eric is being held at the Stare Kiejkuty Military Intelligence Base in Northern Poland. It is, as the name suggests, a military base. We can, therefore, make the logical assumption that it is staffed with soldiers who have been trained to defend and to attack. This makes any rescue attempt for Eric extremely dangerous.”
“I agree,” nodded Alexander. “We also need to keep in mind that this is allegedly a ‘black site’ and used by US agencies, including the OSS, to hide prisoners. In this case, the prisoner is Eric. From the information I have found online; prisoners are usually flown into the small and provincial Szymany airport. These flights are announced at the last minute. The airport is paid just before it lands and the aeroplane, usually a Lear or Gulfstream jet, stays at the end of the runway away from prying eyes. A military vehicle meets the plane, which is quickly unloaded, and then the vehicle speeds away to the nearby base.”
“Are you certain that the information you have is correct as this is very important for us?” asked Andrea.
“As sure as I can be. The Economist magazine, Guardian newspaper and the BBC have all run articles detailing these practises.”
“Is this what happened to Eric?” Ursula asked.
Andrea looked at her tablet before replying, “Yes. It is clear when I plot his movements on the night he was moved. I can see that he was transported from England to Poland in approximately two hours. It is clear from the speed that he must have been travelling by an aeroplane of some description. I know am one hundred percent certain that he passed through Szymany airport.”
“Oh,” Ursula replied sadly.
“The question we must answer is how we are going to rescue him?”
“We can’t just bust him out,” Alexander stated.
“You are correct,” answered Andrea. “To ‘bust’ him out, to use your lexicon, is a highly improbable way of achieving our aim. The base will be guarded, and we would not even be able to get in. I have spent the night considering this problem, and I have concluded that there are too many unknown variables to commit to such a plan with any degree of confidence.”
“Did you decide on a different plan, Andrea?” Ursula asked.
“Yes. We have a higher probability of success if we do not try to ‘bust’ in.”
There was silence around the table. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts.
Ursula broke the silence, “We can’t just leave him there. We don’t know what they could be doing to him.”
Alexander moved uncomfortably in his seat as he spoke.
“We have a pretty good idea. We have suspected this for some time, but it has become clearer since we have been here. You and Eric have unique DNA. It is unlike DNA of any other human on the planet that we are aware of. Your physical and mental aptitudes are superior to the vast majority of humans and comparable to only those considered the best in their field or discipline. But you take this for granted.”
Andrea continued, “It is most likely that the OSS wanted you because you have these abilities. Now they have Eric they will most probably experiment on him and then try to map or use his DNA for themselves.”
“But why?” Ursula asked.
Alexander answered rhetorically, “Why did the British rule over most of the world? Because they felt that they were the superior race. Why did the whites govern over black South Africa or white Americans over the black slaves? Because they believed, they were the superior race. Why did Hitler promote Arianism? Because he believed in a superior race. History tells us that people hungry for power believe that we are not all equal and that a superior race will be victorious. You and Eric may be the start of a superior race. You may be the next evolutionary step.” he paused. “Anyway this is just our view and we may be wrong. Right now we need to worry about how we are going to rescue Eric, not what may be happening to him.”
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***
Chapter 34 – A Threat to National Security
Professor Schwarzkopf and Jean Kurtz were sat together in a compact room, in front of two blank computers. They were sat far too close to be comfortable, but the lack of space meant they had little choice. Consequently, they were both sat slightly at an angle, so they did not have to look directly at the other.
The screens flashed into life
, and Agent Angel’s face appeared in front of them.
“Let’s get straight down to business. You’ve had about two months with White King, what have you got for me?”
Jean Kurtz straightened up in her chair, “His results are extraordinary. The tablet he had been given tests his mental dexterity through specially designed games. His scores are frightening. His multiple intelligences put him in the top zero point zero, zero, zero, zero, one percent of the world’s population. According to his IQ test he is a genius and, with a score of one hundred and eighty-one, he ranks fifth in Dr. Jason Betts’ World Genius Directory.”
Agent Angel leaned forward towards the camera and rubbed his chin while asking, “What about its physical attributes?”
“We have had him lifting weights and he is competing with Olympians. The same is true for his running. We had him running a marathon distance on the treadmill. He came in at two hours twenty minutes and eleven seconds. That is not too far away from the male record and only just outside the female record. He is an amazing specimen. He is a super human!”
“It is not a human, Professor Kurtz. It is just a specimen. I thought I’d made myself understood on this matter.”
Agent Angel did not look happy.
“How is its mental well-being? Is it compliant?”
Jean Kurtz smiled broadly, “Oh yes. The drugs are working very well. It is docile, helpful and believes we are trying to help it. It also has no idea how long it has been here. When we need to, we simply sedate it for four or five days, and it is none the wiser. If it complains of feeling dozy or unwell, we just blame the poison and the people it was with before we rescued it.”
“Good, I’m pleased. Is it aware that it is a freak?”
“No. It accepts what it can do as normal and thinks everyone is capable of the same feats.”
“Interesting,” replied Agent Angel.
He leaned forward again and stared at them both, “Now then, the million dollar question. Can we use him to create Identical Hybrid Beings?”
Jean Kurtz looked over her shoulder towards Professor Schwarzkopf, who began to speak.
“Some people are happy to give good news but show their true nature when asked to deliver bad news.”
He shot a glance at Kurtz, coughed and then began.
“We can start right away. We have already extracted DNA and cells from most major areas and organs of his body. The process from this point is trickier. We need human eggs with their DNA removed and in the place of the original DNA we add his DNA or cell samples. It is difficult and time-consuming. We will need willing women to act as surrogates and to grow the IHBs inside their wombs until birth. It would have been easier if you had got the girl rather than let her perish. However, there is something else that you need to be aware of.”
“Tell me, John, I never thought this would be simple.”
“We have analysed his blood and his tissue. At first glance, it looks normal but when you run more tests it points to one vital fact – the boy’s life expectancy is short, very short. We believe that he only has about a year to live before old age kills him. This is most evident after he exerts himself. If I can refer to the weight-lifting or marathon running that Kurtz mentioned earlier. Yes, it is true that he is capable of extraordinary results, but afterwards we observe grey hairs on his head and wrinkles on his face. Not a huge amount, he does not look like me, but too many for a boy of his age. After these exertions, he rests and over the following days he seems to recover and his energy levels return. The physical signs fade, but they do not disappear entirely.”
“I hope you have a theory, John.”
“My first involves the other child, the girl he was with. She appears to have the same abilities, from what we have seen. I wondered if they were clones. Clones very often have a far shorter lifespan and die young from complaints that do not usually affect non-clones. However, Kurtz kindly pointed out that clones are identical and that the black girl is not a white boy. For once, Kurtz has been useful, and we are, therefore, in agreement on a second theory instead.”
Professor Schwarzkopf had to stop to cough. He drank some water and then continued his explanations.
“We think that the amount of drugs the boy is currently taking is interfering with his body’s natural healing mechanisms. The medication we are giving is negatively impacting on his life expectancy. We, therefore, propose that we remove all drugs, allow his body time to adapt and then continue with the tests. However, we need your permission to do this as it will also impact on his mental state and will probably mean that he becomes far less compliant.”
Agent Angel considered this for a while before replying, “Agreed, but on one condition. You start work on the IHBs using the existing DNA or cells and also send samples to other labs that I will select.”
“We can do that, Buddy.”
“Good and there is one more thing. I’ve said before that this specimen is a threat to our national security. I think you can now see why it is a threat, based on the superior test results you have compiled. Right now, White King may well be unwittingly helping with our future national security but let’s not get confused here people. It is neither a boy nor a child. It is abnormal, an abomination, Frankenstein’s fricking monster, and until we have our own superior specimens, it must be feared. It is a threat, and if it causes any trouble, it will be dealt with, in this vain, by my agents NOT by your scientists. Angel signing off.”
The screens went blank.
Over the next few hours, Alexander and Ursula proposed different plans to rescue Eric. Andrea considered each one carefully before giving her verdict. Eventually, they decided on one possible plan which Andrea thought was worth discussing further.
“This idea has the most merit and the highest likelihood of success,” she said.
“Okay, let’s go through it again,” Alexander began, biting his nails. “We will play the OSS at their own game. On the twenty-fourth of December, at around ten p.m. Ursula and I will land at Szymany airport in a Lear or Gulfstream Jet as the OSS have done on previous occasions. We will be met by Andrea in a military vehicle, and you will drive us to the base. At the base entrance, Andrea will pose as a Polish desk soldier and translator. She will explain that I am an irate OSS operative and that Ursula is a prisoner. Are you sure you can speak Polish, Andrea?”
“Oczywiście mogę mówić po polski,” she replied.
Alexander nodded as if he understood and continued, “Hopefully, they will then let us in. Once in the base we will follow the tracker to Eric. The base is made up of about ten buildings. It has been used by the Nazis and the Soviets in the past, as well as the Poles. Two internal areas of the base are now used by the OSS. I only have information on one that is known as Strefa B and is officially the home of the OSAW, that’s the Polish Intelligence Agency, but I doubt that they use it. The base is about two kilometres long by one kilometre wide, but all the buildings are located in the centre of this area. It lies between two large lakes and is surrounded by trees and two fences. There is an outer fence and an inner fence. Between them are streetlights that keep the fences permanently lit so that anyone coming close can appreciate the razor wire at the top. There are also watchtowers dotted around the fence.
The two internal zones are where we would expect to find Eric but at this point we don’t know the level of security once we are on the base. When we have Eric, we will drive out of the base to the airport and away.”
Alexander flashed a false smile and pretended his hand was an aeroplane taking off, then he shook his head.
“It’s not going to work. I think we stand a chance of getting in if I use my best acting skills. It will be Christmas, and the OSS has a history of arriving at random times out of the blue. I also think we could locate Eric, but I don’t see how we can get out. Unless they don’t notice Eric is gone, they will pursue us. If we choose to leave by plane, it will be easy to follow our movements by radar. We need to come up with a better plan of escape or we
don’t do it. It’s too risky. We’ll be giving them Ursula on a plate.”
Ursula disagreed, “We have to do it. Eric saved me. I need to do the same.”
“I must do it also,” said Andrea. “I am the guardian of Eric. I have failed to protect him, and I must correct this. I will go to Poland first. We must have more information in order to complete our plan and make it as accurate as possible. I will survey the base, meet soldiers stationed there and acquire the necessary vehicles.”
Alexander raised his eyebrows.
“Once I have done this, I will remain in Poland. During my stay, I will report back to you the missing details of our plan and any changes that must be made. I will also relay to you any additional skills that I feel you will need. We must use all our means in order to increase the likelihood of our success.”
Ursula looked alarmed, “You will be okay, won’t you?”
“What a strange question,” replied Andrea. “I am always okay. I will leave tomorrow. In the meantime, you must continue to try to contact Eric.”
Doctor Noel entered Eric’s room and sat on his bed. Eric was absorbed in a game on the tablet and muttered a friendly ‘hello’ without looking up from the screen. His hair had a few more grey strands, and he had one or two more wrinkles around his mouth.
“Could you pause the game for a minute, Eric, please?” Doctor Noel asked warmly.
Eric did as he was asked and placed the tablet on his bedside cabinet.
“Yes, Doctor Noel,” he smiled.
“I have decided to take you off all the medication that I have been prescribing for you and that we have previously discussed. It is true that it is fighting the toxins in your body but as you can see from the grey hairs on your head it is not completely successful. I think we have strengthened you enough to enable your body to begin to fight unaided. If I remove all medications immediately, it is quite possible that you will have a negative ‘cold turkey’ reaction. This may include sweats, nausea and emotional difficulties. Therefore, we will gradually reduce your doses over the coming days in order to regulate these issues until your body is drug-free. Are you okay with this?”
