Project Aurora (Hope Novak Thrillers)

by Daniel Pelfrey

As the explosions rang through his ears, Gomez said, “shit. We’re screwed.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “These are the additional ampules for Mills and Hawthorne.”

  “You said male and female wouldn’t be interchangeable.”

  “I know. I was cautious. But do you want to make a return as someone ten years dead, knowing your family would be in danger?”

  “No. But what will happen if we use these?”

  “At worst, we die.”

  “And best case?”

  “We’ll look like siblings for Mills and Hawthorne.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Probably female. But I’d take that over the alternative.”

  “I think I can too. But we’ll need some new mental conditioning routines first.”

  “How long will that take?”

  “Only a few hours. I will create some conditioning to give us the experiences a woman might have. We supplement that with the nanobots planting suggestions from the intensive web surfing we will also have to create the female personas after the DNA splicing is complete. Anything you’d like to be?”

  “Comfortable with who I will be is all I can think of for now. Can we add new parameters later?”

  “Good idea. Some of our conditioning will be based on our new looks.”

  “I think only one of us should go through the splicing and conditioning at a time.”

  “Splicing, yes. Conditioning will be done at the same time.”

  “Meaning, I’ll have a guy’s mind in a woman’s body?” Gomez cringed.

  “I’m not so sure. Zoe manifested as a somewhat unique identity. Of course, everything about Mills is unique compared to everything else we’ve done.”

  “But she remembered everything and who she’d been. This is a bit different.”

  “Rob, it’s like you said, we’re screwed. I’m not thrilled about what this means either. The alternative is unthinkable.”

  Being their predicament was his doing, Gomez decided Stein should get the choice of new identities. “So, which do you want?”

  “I’ll take Mills. Rob, wait until I have the conditioning basics set up. Four hours. How long do you think the changes will take?”

  “Probably longer than Zoe’s, considering the level we’re going to.”

  “With the additional conditioning we’ll need, that’s cutting it close. Hopefully, we don’t end up as Mills and Hawthorne’s twins.”

  “That might be easier to pull off for creating identities, but you’re right. Looking like siblings would be better. By the way, good thing we’re not overly tall men,” said Gomez. Both men were shorter than average. Gomez was five-foot-six and Stein five-eight.

  “Why?”

  “Don’t fancy the pain we’d be in if we’d lost too much height.”

  Stein smiled and said, “good thing I had all the excess preparation gear the others left behind moved over here. It includes a lot of clothing. Especially female clothing.”

  With this, Stein and Gomez shared a laugh, knowing the identity choices made by everyone. Both were also just past their fortieth birthdays. Everyone, including them, had created identities by putting them in their mid-twenties. They’d get the stolen years of their lives back by using the science the cabal forced them to use on others.

  For now, they had to be prepared for the future. While most of the Ranch’s scientists would slip into society, Mills’s team would return in ninety days to retrieve Stein and Gomez. Or at least the people who had been Calvin Stein and Roberto Gomez.

  THIRTY-EIGHT

  Calvin Stein looked down at Roberto Gomez as he thought about Smith and Hansen’s work to improve the identity transformation process. Using the nanobots to create the physical form and the mental conditioning was inspired work.

  It could be done quicker, leaving the gene splicing and DNA replacement to complete itself over time, without the painful side effects. Being able to program the new physical features took a lot of the guesswork of locking onto the correct DNA combinations. It made the entire process safer as well. The cabal would not be getting this research.

  Smith had the forethought to store it all on independent drives that would be destroyed later. The only people with that knowledge would not even know they possess it because of the mental blocks created during the personality conditioning in their transformation.

  When Hansen and Smith came to Stein, he wondered why they had not gone to Gomez. The genetic programs were under his purview. When Hansen relayed the story of how Gomez stole her research and sexually harassed her, Stein listened. When Smith, who had been helping Stein undermine the Cabal for years, showed him Fritz’s emails, Stein knew what to do.

  His interest in treating sexual predators came from his sister being raped as a teenager. Stein thought he could help these deviants overcome their urges.

  He failed.

  That led to his theoretical paper and notice by the cabal. Stein used the tools in front of him to address Gomez’s crimes.

  Justice, he thought.

  Stein had Gomez brought to an observation room after their meeting. Roberto Gomez was in a simulation that had been designed with him in mind. Stein slipped on the headset that would allow him to speak with Gomez. Charlie did likewise, as the simulation needed to appear authentic for Gomez’s mind to accept it fully as reality.

  ◆◆◆

  “Good, you’re awake.”

  Gomez tried to move from the bed, but he was restrained.

  “What are you doing?” Gomez asked.

  “We’ve been waiting for you to wake up, Roberto.”

  “We?”

  “Yes. You forgot there were three of us who aren’t able to slip off.”

  “Everyone else was gone already,” said Gomez with a look of confusion on his face.

  “You really think I could program the nanobots? I need Charlie for that.”

  “That hacker. He’s a waste,” Gomez said with derision in his voice while pulling on his restraints.

  “Yes. Smith is a damned good hacker. That’s part of why we’re here. He found your communications with Fritz and another outside source.”

  “Only part?” Stein could see the confusion on Gomez’s face. “What’s the rest?”

  “Turns out, you’re a bit of a fraud. You have good ideas, but your research assistant is the true genius in terms of the research you’ve touted as yours. That explains why she showed up three months after you. Oh, and you’re a sexual predator.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Hansen’s just spreading innuendo to smear me,” said Gomez.

  From the back of the room, Smith said, “you know I have all your emails? And camera footage from the Ranch?”

  Gomez was silent.

  Smith continued, “besides, you never had a chance with Hansen. Though, now, she goes by Hawthorne. She likes women.”

  Seeing Gomez’s silence, Stein picked up the conversation.

  “You stole her research, passed it off as your own. She filed a harassment claim against you. The Cabal sometimes is thorough in their background checks. Or, I should say, Charlie is selective in the information he passes along.

  “Once here, you had nothing to contribute. You confessed to Fritz. Bringing Hansen here was cruel. But Fritz kept you here to continue your harassment, to keep Hansen compliant. How am I doing?”

  Gomez stared up at the ceiling, no longer fighting the restraints.

  “Your silence proves your guilt.”

  “What are you going to do to me? The world thinks me dead,” Gomez smiled.

  “You know Charlie and Hansen are friends? But that’s beside the point. What Charlie and I are going to do is exact some justice.”

  “How?”

  “Glad you asked. We’re going to try the new version of the Safe Communities Initiative on you. Shame no one else will get to experience this variant.”

  “So, I’ll no longer be a sexual predator. That’s the best you’ve got?”

&
nbsp; “Actually, no. After the first run with Meyers, or should I say Mills? No matter. Hansen and Charlie got together to make the process better. The nanobots will create the physical form, leaving the gene splicing to clean up the DNA to match the new form afterward. Painless and quicker.

  “We’ve known about you for some time. We kept the extent of the changes in Project Aurora from you as a precaution.”

  “Project Aurora?” asked Gomez.

  “Those emails that didn’t go to Fritz went to someone in the CIA. They’ve dubbed it Project Aurora. Quite appropriate, considering Aurora was the goddess of dawn and new beginnings,” said Stein.

  Smith added, “with the nanobots doing the work to create the physical form, changing a person’s gender is no longer a dangerous proposition.”

  Gomez struggled again. Stein hit the button to sedate Gomez via the intravenous line in his arm. While still awake, Gomez was now groggy and would be compliant for the remainder of his existence.

  “When you’re next awake, it will be a whole new world for you, Larissa,” Smith said as he fitted Gomez with virtual reality headgear. It helped guide the transformation and initiate the mental conditioning of Roberto Gomez into Larissa Garza.

  ◆◆◆

  Stein and Smith removed their headsets. “The mental changes won’t take hold until the command code is spoken?” asked Stein.

  “No.”

  “Good, I want the last thing Roberto Gomez to see is the face of Larissa Garza.”

  “You know, Hansen’s input on the physical appearance is probably Gomez’s dream girl,” Smith said.

  He checked on the transformation process several times daily. It was evident early on that Hansen had changed the physical parameters of Larissa Garza. It was understandable, Hansen had an ax to grind with Roberto Gomez, but this was not part of the plan.

  The physical appearance of Garza was that of an overweight woman with a blotchy complexion in her mid-thirties. Fortunately, with the advancements in the transformation process, it was no longer a onetime proposition to change a person’s looks. Consulting with Stein, Smith adjusted the parameters of Garza’s appearance.

  “I understand the animosity, Hansen, I know I should say Hawthorne has. The personality conditioning that Garza is experiencing would not mesh with her current looks,” said Stein.

  “What should I change?”

  The enhancements made by adding the nanobots to create the physical looks gave Smith the ability to adjust on the fly. It would add time for the transformation process to reach completion, but not too much.

  The most significant part was the gene splicing. Even with the nanobots, the most critical change was replacing the Y-chromosome of Roberto Gomez. Once that occurred, the rest of the body’s changes would occur naturally.

  Within six months, the genetic profile of Larissa Garza would be complete. She would be a woman in mind and body, capable of having children if she chooses to.

  Looking at the outfit that Garza would wear upon waking up, a black miniskirt, a white button-down blouse with black two-inch pumps. Stein made a few changes to the personality conditioning as well.

  “First, let’s make a few changes to her clothes before we change her appearance. Charlie, lose the pumps. Replace them with red four-inch stilettos.

  “As for her looks, mid-twenties. Give her an athletic body, like initially planned, with an hourglass figure. We want Larissa Garza to draw attention to herself based on her being attractive.

  “Meanwhile, I’ll tweak her personality. She’ll be reasonably sensible, just likes to show off her looks. Make sure her clothes do that. Definitely, not promiscuous, a serial dater, though. She’ll prefer long-term relationships.

  “Also, I think I might let her former self have a bit of say once she’s awake. We seem to get better results that way. I’m not a fan of the complete personality overwrite. It feels wrong. Living life in the physical form of what Gomez chased after is punishment enough,” Stein said.

  “And if Gomez doesn’t like the idea of being Larissa Garza?” asked Smith.

  “I’ll explain that his male mental consciousness will be a passenger in Larissa’s body. He’d be a voyeur inside a young, attractive woman who is an undocumented immigrant willing to do just about anything to stay in this country. So, make her accent more pronounced too when she’s agitated.

  “Some of the advanced conditioning will come later. We don’t need anyone who isn’t loyal to stopping the Cabal running around with that particular skill set.”

  THIRTY-NINE

  The smell of bacon and coffee roused Zoe from her sleep. For a moment, she forgot where she was. Zoe smiled as she pulled closer to JR.

  Wait, she thought, if JR is here, who is making breakfast?

  Britney. She had Zoe’s keys, which included one for the main house. Might as well get moving, she thought. Zoe nudged JR awake, and said, “we have a lot to do today.”

  “What time is it?” asked JR. He sounded half-asleep.

  A quick look at the alarm told Zoe it was early. “It’s 5:30.”

  Zoe rose from the bed and slipped back into her jeans. She knew she needed a shower. Yesterday’s shirt and bra were left on the chair. Zoe grabbed the P320 off the nightstand and slotted it into the shoulder holster.

  Next, she slung it over one shoulder. She did not see any reason to put the rig on fully. Zoe intended to go back to her apartment, take a quick shower, and change into a fresh outfit.

  JR stirred on the bed, and asked, “do I smell bacon?”

  Leave it to a man, Zoe thought, the smell of food waking him up. She shook her head, realizing less than five minutes ago the same smell woke her. “And coffee. Now, get up. If you’re going to help us get Katie back.”

  Another thought entered Zoe’s mind. One from her conversation with JR at the cemetery. “JR, how safe are your father’s notes?”

  JR stopped untangling his shirt. “Very. Why?”

  “If I ask for them in the future, would you give them to me?” asked Zoe.

  A guarded look crossed JR’s face as he asked, “What would you do with them?”

  Zoe smirked at this, and said, “publish the story, the entire story that your father started.”

  “But, didn’t you sign a non-disclosure statement? Look what they did to you; to my dad.”

  “JR, they haven’t done anything to Zoe Mills. I haven’t signed an NDA. Daphne did that. And where is she?”

  A look of uncertainty and confusion gave Zoe the advantage as JR did not answer. “Someone would have to admit to multiple felonies to prove I am anyone other than Zoe Mills. You dad was a genius for having that tombstone placed,” said Zoe.

  “At the time, I thought he’d lost it.”

  Zoe crossed the room and put her arms around his neck. She pulled him closer and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I have a feeling there will be more people than Britney downstairs.”

  She then pulled away from JR and made for the door. JR reached out, took her hand, and asked, “how much of what you’ve done here has been planned?”

  Surprised, Zoe realized this was the conversation she never wanted to have. She turned back to JR, and said, “I was meant to do two things. Ensure your safety. The information your father collected is dangerous. I’m also a distraction.” Zoe stood in front of JR and made to place a hand on his cheek, but he pulled back. “Not to distract you. The people who started this, the Cabal. That’s who I’m distracting. Though, I can admit I’ve become distracted myself.

  “Initially, I was made about a dozen years younger. I looked as I did in my mid-thirties. That was supposed to be the extent of the experiment.”

  JR looked about to speak, but Zoe cut him off. “Please, let me get this out. I was still Daphne, though the idea of using a different name had formed in my mind. The researchers at the Ranch thought I was a prison inmate. I was inducted into this with Britney. And no, I won’t tell you her real name.

  “I convinced Cal, Dr. Stein, who I
really was.”

  JR still looked skeptical. “Every one at the Ranch is not there by choice. They are dead to the world. The Cabal has a lot to answer for. Once the researchers knew who I was, everything changed.”

  “How?” asked JR.

  “What they did to me became their way to freedom. Think about it. A new identity, down to the genetic markers. Even my fingerprints are different. Like me, they can’t go back to their old lives.

  “Daphne Meyers died the day she found out about your dad. That was when I convinced Cal and Rob, Dr. Gomez, the lead geneticist, to make me into what I am today. That’s where the most radical changes occurred, hair and eye color, skin tone and overall physical build. My increase in height was, unexpected, but welcomed.”

  “What about your accent?” asked JR.

  Zoe laughed and said, “complete accident. A song was playing in the background while I was undergoing mental conditioning. A country song, “Southern Girl” by Tim McGraw. It ended up shaping a lot of my new personality. In many ways it’s been a plus. Imagine me, behaving like Daphne.”

  A grin formed, and then JR laughed. “What’s so funny?” asked Zoe.

  “Imagine Daphne behaving like you.” He continued to laugh. Zoe joined in.

  “You pictured mom in my workout clothes, didn’t you? I’ve noticed you watching me.”

  JR’s laughter subsided. “Mom?”

  “It’s hard to explain. Sometimes, in my mind, I can speak to the part of me that was Daphne. She views Zoe as a daughter. Genetically, that’s what a test would show. It’s easier for me to refer to Daphne as mom.”

  “Why did you push to be changed more?”

  Zoe realized this was going to be another uncomfortable portion of their conversation.

  She sighed. “I’m sorry for this part. It would be easier to get close to you. I had intended to make sure you were safe. Protect you if I needed to. But this is where I was distracted.”

  “How so?” Zoe hoped JR was not glossing over this admission.

  “My changes are more than in appearance. Look at me, how old am I? Don’t bother answering. I’m twenty-four. Everything about me is, down to my hormones.