Genesis

by Filip Forsberg

  "I’ll come with you to the hospital."

  Dagmar smiled.

  "That’s kind of you. But what about your children? "

  "Henrik will take care of them of course."

  Dagmar nodded and looked at her daughter, she had always been so pragmatic, quick to find solutions.

  "Tell me about Henrik."

  Maja wiped away the last tears.

  "He's a great husband and I love him. We met ten years ago through mutual friends and married three years later. And we have two girls, Stella who is seven years and Lisa who is four. "

  Dagmar could hear when Maja spoke of her family that they meant a lot to her.

  Maja cleared her throat.

  "But why did you call? I mean, why right now? "

  Dagmar looked at her daughter.

  "After Arne's death, I went through his personal things. And I've found something. Something amazing. "

  "But why did you call me?"

  Dagmar stood up.

  "Wait here."

  Maja remained sitting in the sofa while Dagmar went out of the room and a few minutes later came back with what looked like a metal box. She set it down on the coffee table and Maja looked at the box.

  "What is it?"

  Dagmar sat down again next to Maja.

  "It's something amazing. Open it and you'll see. "

  Maja hesitated when she saw the marron-colored box. It looked solid, as it was nailed at the table. Thick, metal mountings trailed the edges and stretched up over the lid. She touched it. It was cold. She grabbed the thick lid and opened it. It clicked and the hairs on her arms stood up. A faint, shimmering light began to radiate from the box and she gasped when she looked into it. The inside was dressed in velvet and there were three indentations in it. Two of them were filled while the third was empty.

  Amber Group headquarters, Paris

  March 17, 2049

  The wait was excruciating, and she had to focus not to let panic take overhand. Marie sat quietly in the armchair and waited any sign of life from Jonathan. It had been several hours since they heard from him. Backmann came into the room and sat down at his desk.

  "They are coming soon with information."

  Marie nodded and glanced at the clock on the desktop. It was a little over three hours now since they heard something.

  "It’s too long, he should have been able to get some information to us by now.”

  Backmann rose, picked up his mobile phone and scrolled through the contact list and found their South American contact person. There was a couple of signals before somebody replied. Backmann pressed the phone to the ear.

  "This is the Backmann. Something new about the rescue? "

  Marie listened intently and tried to hear what the other person said but failed. Backmann listened and nodded to himself.

  "When do you expect contact?"

  He continued to pace back and forth while he was talking. Marie followed him like a hawk followed a mouse. In the end, Backmann went over and sank down in his chair that creaked under his weight.

  "Ok, thanks for the information. Ask Jonathan to contact us as soon as possible. "

  Backmann ended the call and put the phone down on the desktop. Marie could barely contain herself.

  "Well, what did they say?"

  Backmann's mouth widened into a smile.

  "He’s alive. He and David were picked up from the sea and they are heading towards Lima now. They are going to see a doctor who will examine them a closer. Once they’re finished with the medical check and on the way back, Jonathan will contact us via holo-link.

  Marie let out a sigh of relief.

  "Thank God." Her eyes welled up with tears, "and Melissa?"

  Backmann made a grimace when she saw Marie's eyes become moist.

  "No trace of her. There were only the two men picked up. There was no trace of her. "

  Marie felt how a wave of sorrow roll over her. She had met Melissa a couple of times and had been impressed.

  "No, No. Poor Melissa, and poor David. "

  "Yes, it’s terrible. I'll contact David as soon as they're back to see how we can help. They were on a mission that we hired them for and if Melissa has died during its execution, we have a responsibility to help. We need to make sure to get in touch with Jonathan as soon as possible to get more information. "

  Backmann sat quietly and pondered the events of recent days; this mission had given him a bad taste right from the start and it had only gotten worse as the days passed.

  "What are you think about?"

  Backmann's thoughts were interrupted, and he looked up to Marie, who had a troubled gaze. He frowned.

  "I don't know if I start to regret that I accepted this mission. It seemed so promising and the Buch-woman gave a solid impression. But anyway "he paused before he continued," I had a small alarm clock that rang when I talked to her, but I chose to ignore it. "

  Marie stood up, walked away to the bar cabinet and took a crystal glass. She opened a bottle of mineral water and filled the glass. She sipped it while she pondered.

  "Yes, everything with Mrs. Buch is probably not quite as it looks. I have requested further information from one of our researcher which I instructed to dig up more information. "

  Backmann leaned forward.

  "And?"

  Now it was Marie's turn to frown.

  "It's ready tomorrow. I have asked our researchers to hurry up. "

  Above the Atlantic

  March 17, 2049

  He woke up with a jerk, sat up and looked around. It took a few seconds before Jonathan remembered where he was. He was on the aircraft, which had taken off less than five hours ago from the airport just outside Lima. He had been exhausted and the doctor examining him had given him an all-clear and when the female stewardess had shown him into the private salon, his head had been spinning.

  The last thing he remembered was the flight attendant helping him off with his shoes and then nothing. He noticed that he was only dressed in T-shirt and boxer shorts. The soft duvet had slipped down, almost on the floor and the aircraft flew through turbulence and the shaking caused him to lay down again. He stared up into the roof. It still spun, not as much as it had previously but still. He tried to remember what happened after he came to Shooting Star. He remembered both Melissa and David and their mission.

  In his mind, he replayed what happened and how that woman had come aboard their boat. She had been so fast. So impossible fast that he could not understand it, it must be some sort of trick. He had never seen anything like it. He lay and pondered for a few minutes and tried to sort through the events in his head when he heard a faint knock. He glanced over at the white door.

  "Yes?"

  The door silently glided to the side with a hissing sound and the well-dressed flight attendant who helped him down into bed came in. Her face was friendly, and she smiled at him.

  "How do you feel?"

  Jonathan shrugged and tried to sound composed. He smiled.

  "Pretty good, actually. A little headache but relatively all right. "He paused," Thank you for helping me to bed. "

  The woman laughed, and Jonathan saw her white teeth.

  "You’re most welcome. You seemed to be quite exhausted when you came on board so I'm surprised that you didn’t sleep more. You got painkillers in liquid form when you came on board because you were in pretty bad shape."

  He stared at the woman. It explained the familiar relaxed feeling in the body. He pulled his hand over his face.

  "How long have I slept?"

  The woman checked her watch on her arm while walking around the bed and put a change of clothes on the soft armchair.

  "A little more than five hours, maybe five and a half. This is, by the way, a change of clothes. "

  He looked at the small pile of clothes on the armchair.

  "Thanks."

  "My name is Luna, by the way, and I will take care of you until we land."

  Jonathan nodded while sat u
p.

  "Jonathan."

  "I know. I have talked to Backmann. "

  Jonathan frowned.

  "You have?"

  She chuckled.

  "Of course. Backmann arranged that we would pick you up and take you towards Europe. "

  Jonathan tried to remember but failed.

  "Are we heading to headquarters?"

  Luna nodded.

  "Good, I have to talk to Backmann as soon as I land."

  Luna went over to a sink that was placed in a corner, filled a glass of water and put it on the bedside table.

  "Here are two more painkillers. When you have changed clothes, meet me outside. We have a holo-communication gear, so you can communicate with him directly via holo-link. Jonathan frowned when he saw the two white tablets.

  "Do you have such gear onboard the plane?"

  Luna laughed at his comment as she walked up to the door, opened it and stepped out.

  "Marie was right, you're pretty cute."

  * * *

  The door closed with a wheezing sound behind him and Jonathan glanced around. He found himself in a relatively long corridor with several small doors scattered along it. He took a few uncertain steps along the corridor when the door farthest away opened. Luna leaned out of the doorway.

  "This way."

  He followed her, and they walked in into the room two doors away from his. A slight man with thin glasses sat at an advanced control table and worked. The man glanced up when Luna and Jonathan came in. He nodded against Luna.

  "Ok, I can take it from here."

  Luna put her hand on Jonathan's shoulder.

  "Good luck."

  Before he had time to reply, she spun around and left the room. Jonathan looked around and saw the metal cube in the corner of the room. The man at the control panel studied him. A long, thin scar stretched down from his temple down along the man's right cheek.

  "I’m Jaxx."

  Jonathan looked at the man, he looked serious.

  “Jonathan. Nice to meet you."

  Jaxx nodded against cube.

  "You want to talk with someone? "

  Jonathan went up to the cube.

  "Yes, Backmann at the Amber Group."

  Jaxx nodded and adjusted a few controls on his control table. He pointed to the cube.

  "Please take a seat."

  Jonathan felt the soothing effect of the tablets when he stepped in into the cube. A pair of small glasses that hung down from straps. He pulled them over his eyes. Jaxx worked quickly.

  "Have you done this before?"

  Communicating through holo-link could be strenuous for some but Jonathan had tried it before.

  "Yes, I have. I’m ready. "

  Jaxx nodded, rose up and helped Jonathan buckle the straps that kept his body. He confirmed that everything was as it should and went back to his control table. His fingers flew over the controls.

  "Ok, here we go."

  At first, Jonathan only saw darkness. But the darkness slipped aside and was replaced by what could best be described as electronic mist. There was no better word for it, mist slid towards him and then over him, through him. He took a deep breath when a wave rolled over him. A faint shimmering light materialized on the edge of his field of vision and grew rapidly in size. A faint beeping sound chirped, and he adjusted a few controls on the gloves as he stuck in his hands in them. He was now suspended in the metal cube but for him, it was as if he was somewhere else. Jaxx’s voice was crystal clear in his headphones that he pulled over his head.

  "Contact established within three seconds. Two. One. "

  Everything shimmered again, and Jonathan saw both Backmann and Marie in front of him. The both rose when they saw him. Jonathan's heart skipped a beat when he saw Marie. She rushed forward towards him and stretched out a hand that slipped through his. The hologram that Backmann and Marie saw was so lifelike that it almost seemed that he was there in person in front of them.

  Only if you really tried or walked up to the hologram, it was basically impossible to see that the man they talked to be a hologram. Marie's outstretched hand slipped through his once more.

  "Jonathan!"

  A wave of relief swept through him when he saw her. She was as beautiful as always. The high cheekbones and the beautiful smile. He wished he could take her in his arms.

  “Marie. Good god, it’s good to see you."

  "I'm glad to see you too. How are you feeling?"

  He shrugged.

  "Ok, I guess. A bit tired but I'll cope. "He hesitated for a while before he continued," It's probably worse with David and Melissa. "

  Marie bet her lip.

  "Yeah, I read a flash report a couple of hours ago that she had been killed. What happened? "

  Jonathan re-told the mission and how the woman who called herself Umbra had shot Marie and how David and Jonathan had thrown themselves in the water. Marie glanced over at Backmann who listened intently. Jonathan had barely registered that he was there. Backmann lifted the holo-plate and pressed it. He held it up for Jonathan to see.

  "Is it her?"

  The picture on holo-plate showed a young woman. Beautiful, dark hair, about one and seventy centimeters tall, just over sixty kilos with green eyes.

  Jonathan nodded, and his voice had a sliver of repressed fury.

  "Yes, it was she. She shot Marie without any hesitation whatsoever. If David hadn’t thrown himself after Marie and me after David, we had both been dead now. "

  Backmann nodded.

  "Yes, we had a suspicion that she started working for the Rete Group, but we weren't sure. But we are now. She is one of the clones of the last group that was born on Tabula Rasa. "

  Jonathan's forehead wrinkled.

  "She’s from Tabula Rasa?"

  Backmann nodded.

  "Yes, from the last batch."

  The memory of Vendrick that, pumped on steroids, ran towards Jonathan flickered for his eyes. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He hesitated, unsure of how he would begin.

  "There was something about her. Something strange. "

  "What do you mean?"

  Jonathan was looking for the right words.

  "She was quick, really quick, I've never seen anything like that. I mean, she took four, five meters in a blink of an eye. Almost as she teleported or something"

  Marie frowned.

  "Did she have any aids or reached? Could it have been some sort of trick? "

  "No, but there was something about her. It was like hard to keep a focus on her when she was moving. When she stood still, you could see her clearly but just before she was moving like that too fast, it was just like she like slipped out of focus, as if she started to vibrate or something. "

  Backmann stood up.

  "I was afraid of this."

  Jonathan stared at him.

  "What do you mean? Do you know her ability? "

  Backmann walked over to a cabinet at the side of the armchair and poured a whiskey. He spun the glass in his hand while gazing down on it.

  "I’ve heard some rumors. Several months ago. That the last group of clones at Tabula Rasa got some..." He hesitated, "How do we say? Extraordinary abilities. What I heard whispered was that during the review of the cloning programs at Tabula Rasa it turned out that the doctors had gone far beyond the global, ethical direction of cloning. Not only that they experimented with human clones, which is itself is forbidden, but it also strengthens the different genes and characteristics; They could turn off and on different genes to breed previously unknown abilities. "

  "What kind of ability would it be?"

  Backmann took a sip of whiskey.

  "Some were given telepathic abilities. Others got faster, stronger. There was also a story about a female clone that had the ability to disturb the optic nerves in humans. It was an ability that might not sound especially sexy, but if you think about it, it would give a huge advantage. Imagine. What if someone could control the optic nerve of the person she met s
o she in principle could escape detection. Imagine what ultimate spy such a person would be. She could glide through a crowd of people without anyone seeing her. "

  Marie took a deep breath.

  "It sounds amazing."

  "Well, I didn't think about it at first, but now that Jonathan has met her, she seems to be real."

  Marie took a step closer to Jonathan. He looked tired. Not exhausted but worn. She wanted so very much to take him in her arms. She turned to Backmann.

  "But we're running a full debriefing when Jonathan comes home, right?"

  He glanced at Jonathan.

  "No."

  Jonathan knew what Backmann would say even before he said it. Marie’s voice had an edge to it.

  "Why not? You see that he is injured. "

  "We don't have much time. The woman that Jonathan met has a name. Umbra. It means shadow in Latin and confirms only what I’ve already suspected. She has previously been in related to the Rete Group. This means that they also are after the Fabergé-eggs. She already has one of the eggs and a big head start to Copenhagen where the other two are located. That is certainly where she is going."

  Jonathan’s face was hard when he looked over at Marie.

  "I'll find her, and I'll make her pay."

  Copenhagen, Denmark

  March 17, 2049

  His methodical gaze glided over the human mass that moved in front of him. The people emerged as a sluggish, mushy mass from the gates. Ib Knudsen was used to studying people in his line of work as a police officer. But Ib also had other sides to him not usually associated with policemen, he had a penchant for gambling and barely six months earlier he had fallen into debt with some shady types that he borrowed money for his gambling. And when he did not have the money to repay the loan, two unpleasant types had visited him a Sunday evening and explained the situation.

  Ib had been desperate if it emerged that he as a policeman had illegal gambling debt, his career would be over, but all had through magic resolved itself. Someone had paid his debt to the lender and the same day he received the visit of a man in the light costume who informed him that he now, in secret, was to report to him. Ib had not had much choice but he was astute enough to realize what it meant if he would not keep his promise.