The Samantha Project

by Stephanie Karpinske

  “You see these lines here? They’re markers. Genetic markers.” He pointed to the screen. “They tell me exactly where Sam has the enhanced genes. That means I can go directly to those spots and see how they’ve programmed the software that controls that specific part of her genes. So I went in and did that right here. You see?”

  “Yeah, Dad, but we don’t write software code. And I don’t know about Sam, but I’m not that up on genetic science.”

  “I am,” I said. “My dad taught me a lot. Genetics was his area of research. I was supposed to work with him this spring in his lab. I was supposed to go to Stanford in the fall and study genetics.”

  “Well, I’m impressed, Sam,” Jack said as he pulled up a new screen on the laptop.

  Erik looked surprised. “Me, too. Math is more my thing.”

  “Yes, Erik is like a human calculator,” Jack said. It hit me that the three of us really didn’t know that much about each other than our connection with GlobalLife.

  Jack continued. “So you know how genetic sequencing works and how scientists are able to manipulate genes by inserting DNA through vectors and—”

  “Yeah, that’s kid science,” I said, smiling over at Erik.

  Jack sat back for a moment. “Well, your teachers and modern textbooks don’t tell you about all the really cool stuff they can do with genes now. To be fair, I’m sure they don’t know. Many in the science community don’t even know this stuff is going on. The research I was doing 15 years ago at GlobalLife was cutting edge back then, so imagine what they’re doing now. Remember how I said that we were working on programming genes like you would program a computer?”

  “Yes,” I said. “It’s the same type of research Dave did in Minnesota.”

  “Well, they’ve really advanced the technology and it’s amazing.” He moved up to the laptop again. “See right here? This strand of DNA? And this marker?”

  I nodded. Jack continued. “The marker actually has a very tiny computer in it, telling your genes what to do. It’s like a mini processor. And I was able to analyze the programming for this one spot.”

  “How did you do that so fast?” Erik asked.

  “Because I recognized the program, Erik. They’re still using some of the same programs I built. Sure, they tinkered with them a bit here and there, but the basic structure is mine.”

  “Is this supposed to make me feel better?” I asked. “Because I thought we decided this genetic manipulation was a bad thing, at least the way GlobalLife is doing it.”

  “Yes, of course it is. Sorry to get off track. I’ve just been out of the research world for so long that to see something actually work is well, nice. But the bottom line is that by using some of my programming, they’ve left the door open for me to find out exactly what you can do. Which is good, Sam. The more you know about your abilities, the better able you’ll be to perfect them and use them to protect yourself.”

  “So what about Erik? Will this help you know how Erik’s enhanced genes are programmed?”

  “I’m not sure yet. He doesn’t have those markers, so it’s harder to locate the programming. Plus the software they used on him looks archaic next to yours. But I’m sure I’ll be able to learn some things by comparing his genes to yours.”

  “I don’t understand. Erik and I are almost the same age. Why is the software for my enhanced genes so much more advanced?”

  “I wondered that, too. My guess is that they were able to regularly update the software in those genetic markers because they had access to you. Every time you went for a vaccine, they could have been updating something in those sections of enhanced genes. Or when you went to the doctor, they could have done it then. If you’re like Erik, you don’t get sick, but were you ever in the hospital for anything?”

  “I had my tonsils out in first grade. And I had bronchitis as a toddler and was in the hospital for that. And then strep throat in seventh grade. They thought it had spread, so I spent time in the hospital for that, too.”

  “I’m guessing you weren’t really sick any of those times, Sam. Your pediatrician was likely working for GlobalLife and made those diagnoses so they could get access to your genes and the software in these markers.”

  More lies, I thought. I wondered if my whole life had been directed and controlled by GlobalLife.

  Jack pointed back to the laptop. “This specific part of the genetic code that I was looking at has a very sophisticated program associated with it. Basically, the processor takes information from your brain and runs hundreds of scenarios in your mind to help you get out of a dangerous situation. It’s the type of technology that would be very useful to the military. It could make GlobalLife billions upon billions.”

  “How would that even work?”

  “The scenario sequence is activated when it senses stress hormones have been released into your bloodstream. Not just any stress. The hormones have to reach a certain level—a setpoint built into the program. When it hits that setpoint, the brain starts coming up with all possible scenarios for getting you out of the situation. The scenarios are shown like visions in your mind. The visions might show you how to deflect a weapon or defeat an enemy. Whatever is needed.”

  “Come on, Dad,” Erik laughed. “Something like that wouldn’t really work.”

  “No. I think it would work,” I said, looking at them both. “I think it already did work. Erik, remember when we got Brittany today? I was driving the truck and we thought we were being followed?” He nodded.

  “I started to panic and my heart was racing. I wasn’t sure where to turn. I was afraid I’d make the wrong turn and run right into the SUV. Well, all of a sudden, I started seeing these maps in my head. And then I saw just one. It looked like a grid with a bunch of lines. One of the lines was green, like it had been marked with a highlighter. Then the line showed up right in front of me, right on the road, like a path telling me where to turn.”

  “I remember you saying that, but I didn’t know what you were talking about. I didn’t see any green lines.”

  “Yeah, so I thought I was seeing things. But I followed that line and we ended up here. And I would have had no idea how to get back here if it weren’t for that green line. That map in my head showed me the safest way to go.”

  “Exactly right,” Jack said. “That’s just how the program should work. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe that it actually works.”

  “Well, I know they didn’t give me that ability.” Erik sounded disappointed.

  As Jack tapped on his laptop, we heard noises in the side bedroom. It sounded like Brittany was looking for weapons again, going through drawers.

  “So any thoughts on how to handle Brittany?” Erik motioned toward the side bedroom.

  “Give her some time alone,” Jack said, ignoring the racket from the bedroom. “I think it will be a while before she trusts us.”

  “Aren’t people going to wonder where she went?” I asked.

  “I used her cell phone to leave some messages,” Erik answered. “When I was at her place, I texted her boyfriend. And her mom. Told them she left town with some guy. Wasn’t sure if she’d come back. That type of thing.”

  “Good. That should buy us some time,” Jack said to Erik. “But whoever was in that black SUV headed to her place will soon be asking questions around town. Your text messages might get them off track for a few days, but they’ll be back.”

  “So what are we gonna do?” I asked.

  “We’ll have to leave here—probably for good.”

  “Are you serious?” Erik looked at his dad. “This place is home. I grew up here.”

  “Erik, we’re lucky we were able to hide out here as long as we did. But now, with Sam and Brittany, well, it’s just too dangerous.”

  Oh great, I thought. Blame me. Now Erik would hate me, too.

  Erik didn’t say anything. “We can talk about that later, Erik. I need to take a look at some more of those genetic markers. Erik, I want you to start teaching Sam how to
use her abilities—at the least the ones that you both share. Sam, I know you had some training at GlobalLife but Erik has been training for years and he’s very good. You’ll need to learn as much as you can, as fast as you can.”

  “Sure, okay,” I said, trying to avoid looking at Erik.

  “Erik?” Jack jabbed his son’s arm.

  “Yes. Got it.”

  “Good. And sorry I didn’t make it to the store, Sam. I promise I’ll get you something different to wear,” he said, pointing at my clothes.

  Jack went back to work, leaving Erik and me alone.

  “I didn’t mean to disrupt your life like this, Erik.” I figured I might as well say what Erik was thinking. “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”

  Erik sighed. “No. It’s not. We’re the ones that brought you here. But I didn’t think all this would happen. That we would have to move. Things were just getting good, you know? I was finally feeling safe. I thought this whole thing was over. That I could start to live a normal life.”

  “And I ruined that.”

  “No, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m not mad at you, Sam. I’m mad at GlobalLife. And what they’ve done to me. To all of us.”

  I stood up. “Then let’s take them down. Let’s take whatever abilities they gave us and let’s use those abilities against them.”

  “And how do we do that?”

  “I don’t know yet. I just know that if they’ve turned us into some type of superhuman, then why not take them on using their own technology? I don’t want to run for the rest of my life, Erik. And I don’t want them to win. I hate them. I hate what they’ve done to us and to everyone we care about.”

  “We can’t take them on, Sam. For one, we don’t even know who ‘they’ are.”

  “Then we’ll start with just one of them. Or two. Or three. I don’t have all the answers, Erik. I just know that I can’t sit here and wait for them to come get me again. Or to hurt more of the people that I love. I won’t do it. Teach me everything you know. And I’ll teach you what I learned at GlobalLife. That’s a start, isn’t it?” I put out my hand to pull him up from the sofa.

  Erik seemed doubtful, but I could tell my enthusiasm had lit a spark in him. He stood up to face me. “Okay, we’ll train. But I’m not gonna be easy on you.” He said it in his head, testing my ability to read his thoughts without making any gestures that would let others know what we were doing.

  I kept a straight face and walked over to the other side of the room. “I’m done with easy,” I thought. “I want a challenge.”

  I waited for his response. “Good job, Ms. Andrews. Lesson #1 has officially begun.”

  Erik and I continued to work on thought reading for the next few hours. He was far more advanced than I was. He could listen in on a person’s thoughts right away, then quickly shut them out. I, on the other hand, struggled to hear people, unless I was really concentrating. And even then, it didn’t always work. But I had no problem hearing Erik, maybe because he was connected to me on his side.

  As we worked, Jack stayed in his lab and Brittany didn’t make a sound. Eventually, Jack left, staying true to his promise to get me some clean clothes that fit. He came back later that night with some pizzas and shopping bags full of clothing.

  “Dinner,” he called down to us. “I’ll bring it down there.”

  I ran up to help him while Erik stood watch in case Brittany came out. “Pizza,” I said, smelling it the second I reached the kitchen. “It smells sooo good. I have really, really missed pizza.”

  “Better than those GlobalLife nutrition pills?” Jack asked. “You think they could at least flavor them or something.”

  “Trust me. It wouldn’t be the same, Jack,” I said, opening the box. “That melty cheese, the soft bread, the smell of the sauce.”

  Jack laughed. “Maybe I should have bought three pizzas! Why don’t you take the pizzas down and start eating.”

  I took the pizzas downstairs and found Erik knocking on Brittany’s door. “Is she coming out for dinner?” I asked.

  “She says she’s not hungry.” Erik got some drinks from the basement fridge.

  “Well, I’m starving so I’m just gonna eat.” I grabbed a slice.

  “Guess all that mind work built up an appetite.”

  “What mind work, Erik?” Jack was coming down the stairs holding a stack of paper plates and napkins. “What have you been teaching her?”

  “We’re working on her telepathy. She’s having trouble turning it on and off. But I had a hard time at first, too. It just takes practice.”

  “Did you show her how to use her strength?” Jack asked.

  “No, but I will. We just started, Dad.”

  “I know. But you’re going to have to speed up her training, Erik. I was thinking when I was out that we should leave here sooner rather than later.”

  “How much sooner?” Erik asked.

  “End of the week? Maybe Saturday or Sunday?”

  “And where exactly would we go?” Erik was getting upset.

  “We’ll go west. I know people out there who can provide resources—places to hide. When I was out tonight, I met up with an old friend of mine. He lives just outside of San Antonio. He’s going to give us his work van,” Jack paused, “in exchange for the house.”

  “You’re giving him the house?” Erik threw his pizza down.

  “We’re not coming back here, Erik. And I can’t exactly have a public sale. Just calm down.”

  Erik ran upstairs and slammed the door.

  Jack sighed and took a seat next to me, grabbing a slice of pizza.

  “So you went to San Antonio?” I asked, trying to break the tension.

  “Yes. I couldn’t go to the local stores. A man buying a bunch of women’s clothing would draw suspicion. I got enough strange looks at the stores in San Antonio.”

  I tried not to laugh as I imagined him picking out clothes. “Thanks for doing that. I have some money. I’ll go get it.”

  “No, no. Don’t be silly. Heck, when you see what I picked out, you’ll be glad you didn’t pay for it.”

  I went over to check out the pile of shopping bags. Lots of jeans and t-shirts, some sneakers, a few hoodies, and some pajamas. “It looks good to me. This is all stuff I would wear.”

  “Good. You’ll have to share with Brittany. I’m guessing you’re the same size as her. Oh and that other bag has some, um, undergarments for you girls. I didn’t even try getting that stuff. I made the saleslady do it. I don’t know what’s in there.”

  I couldn’t hold my laughter in on that last comment. Jack kept eating his pizza, shaking his head as if trying to get the thought of women’s underwear out of his head. Having girls in the family was clearly not something he had ever prepared for.

  After dinner, Jack headed upstairs. “I’m going to go have a talk with Erik. Can you try to talk to Brittany?”

  Reluctantly I agreed. I knocked on her door but she didn’t answer, so I went in. Brittany was curled up in a ball on the bed. “What do you want?”

  “There’s some pizza out there. Want me to get you some?”

  “I told Erik I wasn’t hungry.”

  “Well, do you want to shower? Put on some clean clothes? Jack went out and got us some.”

  “Great. Some old guy is picking out my clothes now? No, thanks.”

  I sat next to her on the bed, trying to practice my thought-reading skills. Apparently my face gave it away.

  “I know what you’re doing,” Brittany said, sitting up. “I could hear you and Erik this afternoon. So what are you guys? Some type of freaks? You can read minds?”

  The plan to not tell Brittany about our abilities was short-lived. “It’s a skill. We have to practice it. I’m not very good at it.”

  “Can I do it? I mean we’re sisters, right? Is it genetic?”

  “In a way, yes. But not in the way you’re thinking.” I decided there was no use hiding everything from her. I wouldn’t tell her about Erik. He could do
that if he wanted to. But I felt she had to at least know about me. “There’s a lot you don’t know, Brittany. So here goes.”

  I proceeded to tell her about how I was conceived and what happened to me. I explained why I was captured and what had happened at the GlobalLife lab. I talked about Dave. I described my abilities—at least the ones I knew about.

  “I still don’t get it. Why would they make me just—normal?”

  I was hoping she wouldn’t ask that question.

  “I don’t know, Brittany.” I didn’t see any use in telling her Jack’s theories about her existence. “I just know that by being connected to me, you’re in danger.”

  Brittany accepted everything I said better than I could have imagined. “I didn’t realize you went through all that, Sam. Sorry about the stuff I said. I don’t really hate you.”

  She was being nice—too nice. I felt like something wasn’t quite right, but after all I’d been through, I had become distrustful of everyone. If we were going to be on this journey together, I had to start trusting her. She was my sister—my family.

  “Do you want some pizza now?”

  Brittany got up and stretched. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

  As we went out to get pizza, Erik and Jack were coming down the stairs.

  “Brittany, you’re up,” Jack said. His talk with Erik must have gone well because they both seemed to be in a better mood. “Did Sam show you the clothes I bought?”

  She looked at me to respond. “No, but we’re both excited to try them on,” I replied, smiling at Jack. Brittany was rolling her eyes but the men didn’t notice.

  “Well, good. I need to get back to work. I’ll probably be working all night, just to let you girls know. I’ll be quiet—try not to wake you up.” Jack went into the side bedroom and shut the door.

  “I’ve been sleeping all day,” Brittany said. “I think I’ll stay up and watch some TV.” Erik and I looked at each other. Time to read thoughts.

  “You wanna watch her?” Erik thought.