by Craig Hurren
“Oh, very droll. Can you explain for those of us in the cheap seats please?”
“It’s hard not to be amused by the uninitiated. I’ve studied many different martial arts since I was quite young and travelled throughout the world to train in different styles. Colored belts are really only used in commercial schools to keep paying students motivated. True martial artists have no interest in them unless they are setting up a school and most exotic styles don’t have belt systems anyway.”
“Exotic styles?”
“I mean non-mainstream styles such as Indonesian Silat, Filipino Escrima, Chinese Chin Na, and others from East Asia. There are also many very good Eurpoean styles which seem to be neglected by commercial schools.”
“And you do all of these ‘styles’?”
“I’ve studied many styles but there are too many to be serious about all of them. You could say I’m highly proficient in four, proficient in four others and reasonably good at another half dozen or so.”
“That sounds like a lifetime of study!”
“It is - but there are many similarities between styles. The human body is limited to certain movements and range so most styles only have minor variations between them. In real life situations, the number of truly effective techniques is not large so it’s more a matter of perfecting those and keeping the rest as backup in case you run into someone with similar skills. It’s a bit like war – it is best to keep a vast arsenal of weaponry but in most battles, artillery is used to soften the enemy from afar then tanks move in, followed by militia but if the enemy uses a similar strategy, it becomes a war of attrition so that’s where innovation comes in to minimize losses and gain ground.”
“Spoken like a soldier.”
“Probably because I am a soldier. I won’t go into detail but military service and martial arts have been my life.”
“I still can’t believe you know my lieutenant and that he was a Ranger.”
“Believe it - he was not only one of my Ranger Instructors but also a trusted friend and mentor. He recommended me for Special Forces training after Ranger School and my career took off from there. I was surprised when he left the military but I understood his reasons. It’s hard to have a real family life in the service and his job was particularly demanding.”
“I understand – it just amazes me that I have never heard about it before.”
“Most people who talk about being in elite military units are just wannabes who have never actually done it. True military specialists are not interested in bragging or telling tales – they don’t need to. I would imagine your HR department has his service record but they’re not going to tell anyone either so it makes sense to me that this is the first you’ve heard.”
“I guess you’re right. I’m just not sure how this will affect our relationship – especially since I now owe him for saving Holly.”
“Believe me; he would never feel that you owe him for such a thing, and if you’re smart, you won’t let it change anything. Trust me - that’s the last thing he wants. He has his reasons for not making his past public and I’m sure he would want you to respect his privacy.”
“You’re right – I guess it’s just taking some time to get my head around it.”
“Follow me; I’ve got something to take your mind off it.”
Jake walked to a keypad on the wall beside a frame which concealed the heavy, reinforced door to his armory and computer room. He punched in a six digit code and the magnetic bolt clunked into its keep allowing him to push the door open. Alan followed him into the room, wide eyed again.
“Your lifestyle is going to give me a heart attack!”
“It may seem overwhelming but this situation requires a steep learning curve. You need to overcome your astonishment and keep up.”
“I’m doing my best under the circumstances.”
“You sound like a pussy. Sometimes your best isn’t enough – just do it.” Jake said then turned and spoke to no one, “Open file – Lewis documents.”
Slightly insulted, Alan looked around as if expecting someone to appear from a secret doorway, when a large computer monitor above the workbench came to life and displayed a detailed document.
“OK, so now I’m in a science fiction novel.”
“It’s just voice activated computer. I find it useful to keep my hands free. Read the document detective.”
As Alan read, his mouth opened in amazement. When he finished the page Jake instructed the computer to open the next document and the next until Alan had seen all the most relevant files.
He rubbed his eyes and scratched his head then turned to Jake, “This is way out of my league! I’ve never heard of such conspiracy in movies, let alone real life! Is it all true?”
“Devlin has developed the largest and most powerful corporate juggernaut I’ve ever heard of. Who knows what he intends to do with it.”
“I don’t understand how he’s been able to do this! It goes against all anti-competitive laws – how did he get everything passed by the government?”
“Looks like antitrust limitations kicked in a few years ago and he couldn’t expand further without being caught. I guess he’s using Blue Sky’s invention to circumvent the legal hurdles. He now controls over forty five percent of all food production, forty percent of all healthcare services and pharmaceuticals, over fifty percent of all oil and gas production and over sixty percent of all weapons manufacturing and development in the USA. We don’t even know the extent of his holdings in Europe and Asia yet. His power in this country is well beyond that of the Executive Office and Congress combined.”
“How could the CIA or NSA or whatever let this happen?”
“It’s neither agency’s responsibility to monitor such things; responsibility lies with industry regulators and legislative bodies. Criminal activities on a federal level are the sole responsibility of the FBI but there has been nothing to tip them off about any such activity. Devlin has used his vast resources to cover every sign of anti-competitive activity through complex corporate holdings that would take a very gifted forensic accountant to uncover. Matt Lewis has been working on this for years and with the help of my computer hacker associate, this is what he uncovered.
It’s my guess that Congressman Taylor’s assassination was a convenient bonus but Lewis was the actual target. These files are not enough to indict or convict him but Devlin didn’t like someone getting as close to the truth as Lewis did. His meeting with Taylor was to expose this information and hope that Taylor was powerful enough to conduct a full investigation. That’s obviously not going to happen now.”
“Wow, this is a lot to take in! What are we going to do?”
“I can’t speak for you but I won’t rest until Devlin pays for what he’s done and his labyrinth of power is destroyed.”
“Count me in – although I don’t really know how much use I can be against private armies and power unlike I’ve ever seen.”
“Edmund Burke said ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing’. I hold that statement sacred and I chose to live my life by it many years ago. We may not have the influence, reach or resources Devlin has but we can certainly wage war. Your position with the police can open some doors and now that Walker knows the story, he’ll give you freedom to move. The most important weapons we have are surprise and stealth but before we do anything else, I had to secure our vulnerabilities. That’s why I asked if there was anyone you cared about. We need to make sure the only way they can get to us is head on and with Walker and Holly covered; they have no way to flank us.”
“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful or repetitive but are you sure that Holly is completely safe now. I mean the kind of influence and resources we’re dealing with – the whole thing just seems impossible.”
“Private armies have one major fault; their allegiance is purely financial and throughout history, the best soldiers are always those that fight for a true cause - not for money. What I’m saying is
that if Devlin does send more people against Holly or Walker, they’ll be going up against superior fire power, and their loyalties will be tested and found wanting. Walker will take the necessary precautions and I’m certain he’s taken Holly and his family somewhere that has no connection to any of them. He’s already enlisted the help of former comrades in arms and these are serious soldiers, not hired mercenaries. I have complete faith in him so put that out of your mind and let’s get on with our task.”
Still overwhelmed, Alan replied, “You obviously understand this kind of thing better than I do, and it certainly sounds like you’re on top of the strategy but we’re still only two men – and I’m no soldier!”
“Actually, to them we are only one man. As far as they know, you’re the one who dealt with your three assassins and they don’t even know I exist. Equilibrium can provide all the intelligence we need and I’ll provide the tactics and firepower.”
Jake clicked a remote control and his secret armory emerged from its hiding place. Alan’s jaw dropped and he whispered something unintelligible to himself. He recognized a few of the handguns, a shotgun, and one machine gun but the rest of the arsenal was alien to him.
“My God – it looks like you’re preparing for World War III!”
“It pays to be well prepared. It may seem like overkill to a civilian but each weapon here has specific applications and their deployment will depend on the tactics required for a given situation.”
“Well, you’re the expert. I’ll do what I can but I’m no killer – I have to follow the law.”
“You won’t be doing any killing. Your job is to stay safe right here and liaise with Equilibrium. You’ll direct investigations with your detective skills while I carry out any missions required. But first I have to show you something very disturbing.”
“And the good times just keep rolling.” Alan sighed heavily. “Now what?”
“I mentioned it in your hotel room just before Holly was abducted but I wanted to wait until Holly was safe and you were sheltered here before showing you because this really is quite unsettling. While I was following you in Columbus, Equilibrium hacked into Blue Sky’s mainframe and retrieved a highly encrypted folder called, ‘Project Hallucineers”
“That’s an odd name; what does it mean?”
“It’s a made up word combining ‘hallucination’ and ‘engineers’ and it’s a very accurate description of what Gelling’s team at Blue Sky have discovered.”
“I don’t understand – what are you saying?”
“I think it’s better if you read the files yourself. I know it will be hard to believe but when you think about it, the science could easily explain Helen Benson’s alleged suicide, the assassinations at the Capitol Building, and possibly why Professor Guthrie also seemingly took his own life.”
Alan glared into Jake’s eyes ominously then turned to face the voice activated computer’s LED monitor again. Jake commanded the system to bring up the file titled, ‘Minutes of Meeting - Project Hallucineers Budget, Staffing and Strategy’ and Alan read mesmerized.
The file was a complete transcript of the meeting and described in great detail how Professor Linus Gelling had posed a question to the board, “Can a hallucination be contrived and controlled to become so real as to supplant reality?”
This question and the science involved, later led to the hypothesis from which the professor began to develop the actual technology. The answer of course, would prove far more complex than the question; requiring an amazing combination of advanced pharmaceutical engineering, cutting edge computer programming, nanotechnology, dendrimer technology, and a specially designed delivery system, to produce a working model that could successfully manipulate conscious awareness.
During the meeting, the Head of Finance at Blue Sky Biotech had a rather different question, “With respect Professor Gelling, how would such a technology provide the appropriate ‘R.O.I.’? I mean what commercial application could there possibly be for such a thing, aside from recreational use?”.
“Ah yes, the ubiquitous ‘Return On Investment’. Well, I shouldn’t worry too much about that if I were you Mr. Farnsworth. The applications for such a technology are far more widespread and commercially viable than you may be aware. To name a few: proper control of psychiatric patients without tranquilizing agents or anti-psychotic medications, vastly improved quality of life for paraplegics, quadriplegics and other paralysis victims, relief from severe depression, reducing violent tendencies in psychotic criminals, and the list goes on - limited only by your imagination. Then there are the non-medical applications, such as inexpensive holidays for consumers in the comfort and safety of their own homes, use as a marital aid, speed-learning new languages, etc. - once again, only limited by your imagination. In fact, the sheer volume and monetary value of currently available products we could replace is staggering.”
Alan glanced up at Jake in disbelief then turned back the file and imagined how Farnsworth must have squirmed in his chair as he was suddenly brought to earth and reminded why Professor Gelling was considered by many experts as the ‘Einstein’ of modern medicine. He must have realized how foolish it would have been to question such a visionary.
The transcript continued, with Farnsworth saying, “My apologies Professor Gelling. I certainly didn’t intend to question your judgment. Obviously my imagination for such things is limited.”
“Not to worry; I’m sure you’re terribly good with numbers.” Gelling said.
Alan thought that Farnsworth must be good with numbers to become the Head of Finance for such a company but it seemed his head was in the clouds if he thought he was any kind of match for the genius of the company’s Head of Research and Development. He must have known that Linus Gelling was not only a board certified Neurologist and highly respected Neuro-surgeon, but also a renowned Endocrinologist and Professor of Clinical Pharmacology. Aside from his medical qualifications, there was also an MBA, majoring in Business from Harvard.
Alan considered how Gelling’s youthful appearance belied his sixty five years of life and that he was possibly the most highly qualified person in the United States of America, with his initial medical degree earned at sixteen years of age. There was no doubt that Gelling was a genius in the truest sense of the word. Despite this fact, he seemed a relatively humble man who was apparently a beloved mentor and supervisor to many staff and students.
The minutes continued, with Gelling saying, “Now it’s my turn to apologize Mr. Farnsworth. I did not intend to embarrass you but simply to make my point clear so that we can move on from doubt, to developing research plans and budgets for this project.”
“Thank you Professor and I shan’t interrupt again – unless it’s to offer constructive input about numbers.” Farnsworth said.
“Good, so we’re agreed. Here is my plan, with projected staffing and funding requirements.” Said Gelling and according to the minutes, he turned on the light projector and began his presentation detailing cost estimates, research protocols and techniques, and other corporate matters.
This was all just history now as research on the project dubbed ‘Project Hallucineers’ began with the purpose of developing the technology known as ‘SSCH’ or Site Specific Cyberceutical Hallucinogen. Now into its fourth year, advances came with uncanny speed in this normally slow moving, difficult and complex world.
Jake told the computer to close the minutes and to open a number of other files for Alan to read and sat back to reread them himself. According to the information, there is relatively little known about the human brain and there were estimated to be well over a hundred neurologically related chemicals, enzymes and hormones as yet unidentified by science.
Aside from Linus Gelling’s titanic intellect, in order to tackle the project, he recruited the best and brightest minds in the various fields needed to produce results. They included the diverse talents of: Eric Rothstein, Dr. Helen Benson, Dr. Ellis McDonald, and Dr. Brian Sanders, who held over fifty worldwide
patents for highly successful specialized delivery systems for various pharmaceutical and biotechnological therapies.
The goal was to develop a structure to contain a massive complex of computer programmed neuro-hormones which would attach, by means of a highly specialized delivery system, to the pons which surrounds the medulla oblangata, which is the lower part of the brain stem, and the cerebral peduncle. The implanted device would then release its payload to mimic a phenomenon known as Peduncular Hallucinosis, a very rare and little understood phenomenon which causes vivid and realistic hallucinations. It is thought that in Peduncular Hallucinosis, the pons secretes a specific neuro-hormone that triggers the peduncle to cause extremely realistic and vivid hallucinations in the small population of people who experience this condition. It is not known why or how this occurs but Gelling and his team had discovered how to exploit the phenomenon for medical use. The difference would be that the implanted SSCH would control the hallucination through Rothstein’s software programming, instead of allowing it to run wild and random, as it would in naturally occurring Peduncular Hallucinosis. Such an advance would have been impossible before today’s supercomputers, sophisticated diagnostics, and dendrimers but these scientific advancements are now happening at an exponentially faster rate than ever before.
Under Gelling’s leadership, the team had made full use of their combined expertise to develop the first working model of SSCH technology. This involved an incredibly complex combination of technologies. First there was the purpose built dendrimer, developed by Ellis McDonald, to hold the hormonal matrix which would convey the hallucination programmed by Rothstein to the pons of the brain. This was an astounding formation which, when viewed through an electron microscope, resembled tens of thousands of elaborately constructed snowflakes, assembled into a single unimaginably intricate, three dimensional structure. This dendrimer was the only design capable of storing the pre-programmed neuro-hormones required to achieve the desired result. Next were the unique cyber-active neuro-hormones created in collaboration by Helen Benson and Linus Gelling. These were the first chemical compounds able to store and release computer programmed information into the human brain, as a silicon chip would to a computer, and a scientific wonder unto themselves. Finally was the deceivingly simple looking delivery mechanism from Brian Sandler. This small grey piece of equipment resembled a tiny hot glue gun or a miniaturized phaser from a science fiction movie. Designed to be held in the fingers like a pencil, it had no trigger but worked by lightly pressing it against the subject, which would cause the machine to release a tiny amount of high pressure nitrogen, sufficient to propel the individual dendrimer along a barrel, then through the dermis and muscle tissue, right into the dura mater, where it would attach to the pons. They were beyond the cutting edge of nanotechnology and despite their intellect and intimate involvement in the project, even to the developers themselves, the whole thing still seemed like science fiction.
