The Killing Code

by Craig Hurren

  Devlin continued, feigning lament. “Dr. Benson’s death was the result of an unfortunate assumption on the part of my Head of Security, Kurt Rygaard. Regrettably, I was not informed that she had inadvertently seen the hallucination scenario we designed to implant into Damien Fraser’s brain to get rid of Congressman Taylor and Matt Lewis. If I had known, we could easily have convinced the good doctor that it was simply one of Rothstein’s video games and she would still be alive – quite lamentable. If she hadn’t been so efficient in her work, Kurt’s error in judgment may have jeopardized my plans. “Don’t worry, he has been suitably reprimanded.” He smiled coldly.

  As soon as I was informed of Linus’ hallucineering theory, I could see its true potential and all I had to do was play on Rothstein’s greed to get what I wanted. A small price to pay in the scheme of things. You see, Devlin Industries represents only a portion of my true wealth and power - the rest is carefully hidden from public scrutiny. It has taken almost thirty years of single minded dedication but now my influence is well beyond measurement by current global standards.”

  “If you’re so powerful, why do you need technology to influence the President?”

  “Now you’re getting to the issue detective, you’re a bit of a plodder but I knew you would get there eventually. I find our politically correct systems and procedures rather tiresome. This is the most powerful nation in the world but our government is so busy tiptoeing around everyone else’s sensibilities that we look more like simpering cowards than the greatest superpower the world has ever known - and I own a significant portion of this nation so its future is of great concern to me. To answer your question detective, simply put, I am orchestrating the approval to use tactical nuclear weapons to put an end to the stupidity once and for all.”

  Alan looked at him incredulously. “You know you’re insane, don’t you?”

  Devlin laughed aloud. “Is it insanity or genius detective? They say the two are closely related but I don’t expect someone of your inferior intelligence to properly understand or agree with what I’m saying. You’re just like all the other sheep that do what they’re told and scamper when they’re frightened. It takes true courage and discipline to challenge the status quo, to face danger and adversity head on, and do what needs to be done.”

  Alan shook his head, smiling as if dealing with an unruly child. “Quite insane.”

  “If your goal is to infuriate me, you’re wasting your final minutes of life.” Devlin said calmly. “You will soon fall asleep then awaken to feelings of overwhelming despair in the knowledge that you will be convicted of murdering the three men I sent to kill you, and lose everything you ever had in life. The whole thing will be too much for you to bear and you will put your service weapon in your mouth and pull the trigger. There is nothing you can do to change that. The SSCH is summoning sleep hormones as we speak and the hallucination Rothstein designed will soon take over your conscious mind.”

  Dread fell over Alan’s face as he watched Devlin’s evil grin and laughing eyes.

  “So, now I’ve got your attention. Shall I continue?”

  Alan nodded in resignation.

  “I thought so. Now tell me detective, can you honestly say that you’ve never wished we would just drop a bomb on those ignorant, greedy, violent oil rich nations of the Middle East and be done with it? Aren’t you tired of America being held to ransom by third world royalty and psychotic dictators?”

  “So you think we should allow a greedy, insane, self serving, behind the scenes dictator like you to run the show instead?”

  “You’re welcome to your opinions Mr. Beach but I’m the one with the power so the decisions lie with me. I for one will no longer allow our precious resources to be wasted on futile games of international politics. I for one refuse to allow insignificant banana republics to continually outvote us at the United Nations when we dutifully give the same countries tens of billions of dollars in charity each year as our budget plunges ever deeper into the red. It’s time the ungrateful realized their folly in underestimating our resolve. It’s time we put America first and stopped pussyfooting around with these vacuous fools. What have they ever contributed to the civilized world but misery and suffering?”

  “You’re talking about wiping out millions of innocent people! Can’t you see how wrong that is?” Alan stressed.

  “There is no innocence in those countries.” Devlin retorted. “Do you really think that the men, women and children of these countries, who have grown up generation after generation, numbed to violence, and taught to despise us and our ideals of liberty, are innocents? You must be sadly misinformed. I can assure you that there are children as young as six years old in these countries, who would happily kill you just because you’re American. They are taught to hate us from birth by corrupt religious fanatics who bend the teachings of their holy book to suit themselves. Nuclear obliteration is the only way to rid ourselves of this menace and as a personal bonus, I will become even richer; since I own most of the facilities that are capable of manufacturing the weapons.”

  “You can’t really think you’re going to get away with this Devlin!”

  “Oh, I’m quite certain I will.” Devlin pointed to a security camera mounted on the ceiling and continued, “Do you see that camera Detective? When you fall asleep, it will begin recording and when you awake and kill yourself, it will be indisputable evidence. When you’re gone, Alex Devlin, the well known billionaire philanthropist and successful corporate executive, will call the police and they will quickly close your case and that of the three dead men in Jersey City.

  Your friends and family will mourn your loss with a bitter taste in their mouths and I will use Gelling’s invention like a puppeteer to manipulate global and domestic policy. Within two years, I will have ridden this country of simpering fools like you. I will cleanse the nation of the corrupting influences of false religions, welfare dependents, cowards, and criminals. America will soon rise past its former glories to fresh heights in my new world order.”

  Alan shook his head disdainfully but decided it was futile to antagonize the obviously power mad Devlin further so instead he asked, “Why did you need to kill Congressman Taylor and Matt Lewis?”

  “I could not afford to have that clever little weasel nosing around in my affairs and the congressman was the only remaining powerbroker in Washington who could have upset my plans. They had to go.”

  “But how did you know Lewis had damaging information on Devlin Industries and that he was meeting with Taylor about it?”

  Devlin smiled malevolently, “Senator Davies has been under my control for over five years and he called to warn me of Lewis’ plans immediately after he told him.”

  “So Davies is on your payroll?”

  “No, Davies is too ethical for bribery but too useful to kill. Good old-fashioned blackmail was what I used on the venerable senator. I arranged for a very attractive young woman to entice him into a well hidden affair some years ago. One moment of weakness and he’s mine forever.”

  Alan yawned widely and Devlin smiled. “You’re getting sleepy. It seems we are coming to the end of our discussion detective.” Then he called out toward the kitchen door, “Please, do join us Mr. Riley - and don’t try anything foolish. I’m sure you’ve realized by now that what my friend lacks in stature, he more than makes up for in cunning.”

  Startled, Alan looked up to see Jake being led in at gunpoint by the strange little man wearing an overcoat and hat. His heart fell in dismay to see the seemingly infallible Jake Riley at the mercy of this odd little assassin. His shock quickly turned to concern for his friend and he asked, “What are you going to do to him?”

  The little man, keeping a safe distance, had moved around his considerably larger captive to his right side. He smiled cruelly and in his thick South African accent said, “Where I come from, this is how we control unruly prisoners.”

  He lowered his aim to Jake’s knee and squeezed the trigger. Jake let out a loud in
voluntary grunt and fell heavily to the floor, holding his wound as blood oozed through his fingers.

  Alan was horrified by the despicable act and the assassin’s cold cruelty. His beady eyes darted to Alan and he said, “Now I can relax and enjoy the show and if your stupid friend here can stop his sniveling, he can watch too.”

  Alan was now yawning uncontrollably and Devlin, smiling smugly said, “It won’t be long now. Very soon, sleep will overcome you and the hallucination will implant. Don’t worry; once the killing code in your brain has done its job, we’ll give your disappointing friend a fitting farewell. Goodnight Mr. Beach.”

  Alan’s head slumped forward. Devlin went over and pinched the detective’s ear hard to be certain he was asleep then unlocked the handcuffs and replaced the Glock 9mm into its holster at Alan’s side. He contemptuously patted Beach on the back of the head then turned to walk back to his desk and out of the camera’s view. As he sat down, he clicked the remote to start recording but when he looked back at Beach, the blood drained from his face. Devlin’s gaze was locked; watching in stunned silence as Alan calmly raised his Glock to point it not at himself but directly at Devlin. The billionaire’s jaw dropped in shock and he tried to speak but nothing would come out. Beach smiled and in a mocking tone said, “Surprise.”

  The South African assassin started to raise his gun toward Alan but before he could get a bead on him, Jake loomed up from behind and smashed the heel of his hand into the side of the small man’s head, shattering the temporal bone and rupturing the temporal artery. The little man slumped to the ground with blood quickly filling his brain cavity. Before the assassin could die from excess intracranial pressure, Jake grabbed his Para .45 and pumped one of the heavy slugs into Rygaard’s knee. As the man shrieked in pain, Jake said, “One good turn…” and a few seconds later the South African was dead.

  “What…how…” was all Devlin could manage as Alan walked toward him to take his pistol from the desk.

  Jake pointed his Para .45 at his titanium knee. “Titanium beats lead every time.” he said.

  With Jake covering Devlin, Alan returned his Glock to its holster then reached up to the front of his neck and began peeling a layer of perfectly matched skin color latex away from his throat. He continued to pull the material all the way around the back of his neck until it finally let go with a comical ‘fwap’.

  “You were right Jake, that spider web stuff did the job. What was it…Golden Woven something?” He asked while carefully examining the tightly woven, gold tinged material inside its latex outer coating.

  “Golden Orb Weaver.” Jake said matter-of-factly.

  “Wow, that implant thing must be really small – I can’t see it anywhere.” he continued calmly. “Oh well, I guess they’ll find it at the police lab.”

  “Yeah, I guess they will Alan.” added Jake, as Devlin grimaced in disbelief.

  “And I bet they’re going to love this high definition recording of Devlin’s victory speech!” Alan said smiling as he held up his digital recorder.

  “I’d put money on it!” Jake laughed.

  Devlin’s face turned bright red with anger and he suddenly lunged at Alan, grabbing for the detective’s throat. Reflexively, Alan swung his left hand inward toward the back of his attacker’s right hand, clamping his fingers around the meat of the thumb. His right hand rose simultaneously to hook his thumb underneath Devlin’s hand as his fingers gripped the middle of the palm. Continuing the single smooth, circular motion, Beach twisted the business mogul’s hand counter-clockwise and past the shoulder, forcing him to his knee then onto his back. Alan held the hand tightly in place, jamming his knee into Devlin’s ribs then he knelt on his prostrate body and looked up at Jake for approval.

  “Ten out of ten grasshopper…ten out of ten.” Jake said proudly. “Now, do you mind if we get a bandage for my knee?”

  Chapter 19

  Alan leaned back with a sigh of satisfaction with Holly draped across his lap on the sofa. He stroked her soft brown hair then sadness briefly crossed his face as he traced his finger gently over the scar on her shoulder and surveyed the moving crates piled neatly in various spots around the room until Holly suddenly sat bolt upright, exclaiming, “It’s on Alan!”

  She reached for the remote to turn up the volume and they both watched intently as the special news bulletin began.

  *****

  “This is Marissa Wilson with our continuing exclusive coverage of the Devlin Industries conspiracy case. It’s been almost a month since I first broke this astounding story and I’m now standing outside the federal courthouse where the multibillionaire owner of Devlin Industries, Alex Devlin, and Eric Rothstein, the well known computer gaming tycoon are facing multiple murder charges, and several counts of criminal conspiracy, as well as sedition and potentially; treason. The role of Professor Linus Gelling, Head of Research and Development at Blue Sky Biotech, in the case is sealed by the court. The prosecutors so far, will not discuss the reasons for sealing Gelling’s involvement but a secret source has told this reporter he may have turned state’s evidence against the conspirators in exchange for leniency. Neither the Department of Justice nor corporate executives from the Devlin group or Blue Sky Biotech are available for comment.

  The evidence has mounted quickly and the US Attorney’s office has committed a team of the country’s top prosecutors to see this case to a speedy conclusion. A verdict is expected to be forthcoming within the next few days.

  I will keep the public informed of any updates as they come to hand. This is Marissa Wilson reporting from Washington.”

  *****

  Holly turned to Alan wide-eyed, “Wow…looks like she really owes you now!”

  “Yes, that should keep her off my back for a while. And there should be no hesitation if I ever need a favor from her again. The network has moved her to Washington on a permanent basis and her status is virtually untouchable. Apparently they’ve even given her an executive producer title.”

  “Well, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing – is she still going to be trying to get in your pants?” she teased.

  A cheeky smile creased Alan’s face, “Well, she’s only human after all.”

  Holly grabbed a cushion and swung it playfully into Alan’s face. “You tease!”

  He chuckled good-naturedly and wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t worry darling, I only have eyes for you.” Then he stared deeply into her eyes as sadness fell over him and he said, “I’m so sorry for what happened to you. I don’t know what I would…”

  Holly placed her finger over his lips and said, “Shhh…It wasn’t your fault. Besides, I’m more than capable of dealing with it – I’d better be or I won’t make a very good psychologist, will I. Now that we’re safe, I can look at the whole thing from a different perspective. This may sound strange but it was actually rather exciting – and I finally got to meet your boss!” she smiled playfully. “Don’t worry Alan, I’m fine; honestly.”

  They kissed deeply until Holly pulled away and pouted, “I’m going to miss you though.”

  “It’s only a few weeks Doctor Stuart. Now that you’ve finished your dissertation, you can move to New York and set up house for us. I’ll follow right after graduation.”

  “Do you really have to go through the whole training course?”

  “It’s the FBI honey; I don’t think they’re going to let anyone cut corners at the academy.”

  “Well, I thought that Jake’s friend would have been able to help you out.”

  “I think he’s already done more than enough. To get into the FBI Academy at my age and without having to go through regular channels is a big deal.”

  “Considering what you did, they should make you Honorary Director of the whole bureau!”

  “I’m sure I’ll be getting some leg-ups once I’m an agent. The president certainly was very expressive of his gratitude but this is the real world and any recruit who wants to be an agent needs to be properly trained
and pass all the required tests.”

  She sighed then looked away, “I know…I’m just going to miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you too but it’s not like I’ll be locked away in some kind of boot camp. I mean you can come for weekends and holidays. The training will be over before you know it and we’ll be together for good.”

  “I like the sound of that Special Agent Beach!”

  “Whoa, don’t jump the gun. It’s only Agent Trainee Beach for the next five months.”

  “With your experience and success as a detective, you’ll be Special Agent Beach soon enough.”

  “Maybe you’re right but if it wasn’t for Jake, I never even would have applied.”

  “Speaking of Jake, when are we going to see him and his beautiful new lady again? I’d like to thank the man who saved my future husband’s life again.”

  “Who knows? Angie’s very secretive about her location – she could be anywhere really. Obviously Jake knows where she is but I guess they’re probably onto some new case by now. With Jake, you never know – he’s one very motivated and disciplined man. Anyway, are you ready for dinner with Captain Walker and his clan?”

  “I just need to put some lipstick on and I’m ready. It seems funny to call him Captain Walker after becoming so close to him and his family while you were off saving the world.”

  “I wouldn’t say saving the world – more like catching a madman. Anyway, Tom deserved the promotion and having one of his detectives involved in the biggest case this country has seen in years didn’t hurt his chances. I’m really happy for him but at the same time, quite amazed that he was able to keep your rescue off the books. I still have trouble seeing him as a highly trained killer. He’s such a family man!”