by Tony Batton
"Me neither. Nobody really understands nanotech. The only certainty is its uncertainty."
"And that means they're going to come after you. Because they want what you have."
Tom shrugged. "Let them try. We'll be waiting."
"So, while we wait, what are we going to do?"
"Some things that will make a difference." His eyes sparkled. "I have one for starters."
Lentz had read the message three times before destroying it with a blow torch. Written on a generic brown paper bag with wax crayons, it had appeared, neatly folded, in the wrong section of her household recycling. She didn't know when it had arrived, but on reading it she was pretty sure she knew how.
The words and paper were now ash, but the message was still burned into her mind.
My father really is dead, but this is not over. I'm going to do something with this 'gift'. I just haven't decided what yet. Maybe I'm beyond help, but maybe other people aren't. For starters, someone in particular needs your assistance. I could do this, but I wouldn't have your... people skills. Follow the link below for more detailed instructions. Then burn this note.
Now Lentz stood outside King's College Hospital, her hands in her pockets, one of them wrapped around the small padded envelope. The data she had been provided with detailed that the individual she needed to intercept would leave at a certain time: she was not surprised to find the information was accurate.
George Croft's ex-wife, Julia, walked out through a glass revolving door exactly on time, her face a mask, devoid of make-up and of hope. She glanced up at the grey sky, then shuffled slowly over to the designated smoking area, a metal-roofed area with scratched plastic windows. Inside, she placed a crooked cigarette between her lips then started patting her pockets. Lentz got to her before she found her lighter.
"You really shouldn't smoke those," she offered.
Julia looked up with a shrug. Her eyes narrowed. "Do I know you? You look... familiar."
"I work with your ex-husband. At least in a manner of speaking."
Julia's face darkened. "I haven't seen him in two weeks. What's this about?"
"He's been... It's complicated."
"It's always complicated. So where is he now, or is that classified?"
"Your ex-husband is in custody. I can't tell you any more than that, but it's why he hasn't visited."
"He could have sent me a message."
"I'm afraid he couldn't, which is why I'm here."
"Well, tell him I hope they throw away the key. And that he rots." She turned away.
"From my perspective, he's a good man who made a difficult choice." Lentz removed the padded envelope from her pocket and held it out. "He'd want you to have this."
"I don't want anything from him."
"It's not from him exactly. It's... the result of something he started."
Julia narrowed her eyes. "I have seen you before. On the news. You work at CERUS."
"I'm the CEO, at least until they fire me, which they might do for giving you this." She placed the envelope in Julia's hands.
"What is it?"
"It's not a promise, but it is hope. Currently I believe you have none."
Julia opened the envelope and removed a glass tube. Inside a green liquid sparkled. "What is this? Some type of drug?"
"Medical nanotech, specifically attuned to your daughter's condition. I can't guarantee it will work, but there's a chance."
"What do you mean, work?"
"It's a treatment."
"You have a cure for cancer?"
"As I said, it's merely a hope."
Julia stared at the tube. "If there's even a chance, why me? Why can't everyone have some of your 'hope'?"
"That's a very good question: one I intend to put to the people making all this cloak and dagger business necessary. But, for now, I have a group of scientists standing by to support your daughter's medical team." Lentz handed over her business card.
Julia stared at it for several long moments. Finally she placed both the glass tube and card in her pockets. Then she reached forward and hugged Lentz tight.
"I wish you and your daughter all the very best."
Lentz watched as Julia hurried back inside the hospital. Then she glanced down at her phone. As usual there were a stream of messages: from Kate attaching a letter; from Reems, even though she was still in hospital, and from Banetti, once again asking to meet her for lunch. She quickly deleted it.
There was nothing from Tom. But something told her that, today, he wasn't far away.
She saw a shimmer out of the corner of her eye, a ripple in the air.
Then it was gone.
Acknowledgments
My thanks for choosing to read Resurface. If you did enjoy it, do consider leaving a quick review on Amazon or Goodreads - as an author, reviews are absolutely critical in getting noticed, and are always hugely appreciated.
As a thank you for reading, you can get a FREE short techno-thriller here (or type the following into your browser: http://www.tonybatton.com/free-story-from-interface)
I owe a great debt of gratitude to the many people who have encouraged and supported me through the long process of bringing Resurface to completion. A special thank you to my beta team who so willingly read (and re-read) the manuscript and provided feedback and criticism - it was invaluable in making the book better: Jin Koo Niersbach, Chris Turner, Maurice Murphy, Elli Murphy, Alex Bott, Joshua Allarm, John Nicholson, Imogen Cleaver, Paul Cleaver, James Boorman, Johan van Wijgerden, Mary Seear, Chris Ward, Tania Williams, Patrick Wijngaarden and Judy Bott.
If you have any comments, questions or feedback I'd love to hear from you. I can be reached via my website www.tonybatton.com.
Best regards
Tony Batton
London 2016
About the Author
Tony Batton worked in international law firms, media companies and Formula One motorsport, before turning his hand to writing novels. He is passionate about great stories, gadgets and coffee, and probably consumes too much of each.
Tony's novels explore the possibilities and dangers of new technology, and how that can change lives. When not writing, or talking about gadgets, Tony likes to play basketball and computer games with his two young sons. He lives in London with his family.
Get in touch with Tony:
@thetonybatton
tonybattonauthor
www.tonybatton.com
[email protected]
