Children of the Fifth Sun

by Gareth Worthington

  Angry, the policeman barked something at her in Spanish. Freya didn’t budge. Instead, she bore a stare into the back of Kelly’s head, willing him to turn around. He must have felt it, because he glanced backward. Her eyes were wide and eyebrows raised. He knew what it meant. Kelly sighed, rolled his eyes, and nodded. Now.

  Freya swiftly swung her right arm in an arc and smashed the butt of her gun into the side of the officer’s head. It sent him sprawling into the passenger door of the Toyota. Before the second officer could draw his weapon, Kelly had thrown a right hook that knocked the man to the ground. Without hesitation, Kelly dropped to the road and forced his right knee into the man’s neck. The officer struggled momentarily before passing out.

  “Fuck! This isn’t good.” Kelly rubbed his head.

  “We tie them up and put them in their car. Someone will find them tomorrow morning.” Freya had already grabbed one of the men by his ankles and was dragging him, face down, along the road. “Quickly, before someone else comes along and sees this.”

  Kelly complied and hauled his victim over one shoulder. Each man was placed in the back of the police car, a large, silver four-by-four. Searching the inside, Kelly stumbled upon two pairs of handcuffs. These would do. He heaved the two men into position so they rested back to back. He cuffed each man to the other, one set of cuffs per arm.

  “There.” Kelly grunted as he clambered out of the police vehicle.

  “But what about him?” Freya nodded to their driver.

  “They’ll surely check the plates and find who it’s registered to.”

  “I’d like to see them try. It’s got fake plates.” Kelly smirked. “We changed them for the first leg. He can put new ones on for his trip back. Figured something like this might happen. Cops stop people for no reason. Didn’t want anyone tracking the truck. Thought we could buy our way out of problems like that, but guess I fucked up there. Nice swing by the way. I’m impressed.” Kelly was walking backward to the rear of the police car.

  She smiled. An open compliment. Normally, they were concealed within some sort of flippant comment. “Where are you going?”

  “To buy us some time. We need to hide this car at the side of the road. Don’t want anyone offering assistance too early.”

  Freya nodded. “Good point.” She reached inside the car and turned off the headlights before yanking the keys from the ignition and throwing them away into the dark. She released the handbrake, slammed the door shut, and joined Kelly at the rear of the car. He was bent forward in a braced position, palms resting squarely on the rear window.

  “Ready?”

  “Ready.”

  They strained and pushed with their legs, forcing the car to move slowly, the gravel crunching under the tires. The initial resistance waned and the car picked up speed. Moments later, it was safely concealed by a large bush. They dusted their clothes off, jogged to the Hilux, and climbed back inside.

  “Go, esé.”

  The driver nodded nervously. “Si, Señor.”

  Location: Washington D.C., USA

  The Secretary of State stared blankly at the reports. She couldn’t read another one. Most of Nevada and California was now under control of FEMA and martial law. Despite their estimations about how this thing was supposed to spread, it was certainly causing serious damage. All arms of the military and national security had been called in to quarantine the states—no one allowed in, and no one allowed out. Hospitals were filling quickly, and the makeshift triage units were overflowing. While a General order had been issued to keep everyone in their homes, looting and opportunistic ransacking was still rife.

  The President requested the Secretary keep him updated on the virus, leaving him free to offer face time with the media in an attempt to calm the hysteria. Of course, the news stations were already making huge leaps, connecting the situation on the western seaboard with the exposure of the government files on the creature. As would be expected, the President had denied it all up until recently. He didn’t know the whole truth anyway. She had intended to tell him but, following another conversation with the Colonel, had decided against it. Complete deniability was what the President needed. Not for his sake but for America’s. If the people lost faith in their leader and in the government as a whole, things would get a lot worse. So instead, she would deal with this quietly. She had told the President to continue keeping the nation calm. She would deal with the Chinese for now.

  The Chinese were being extraordinarily quiet about the whole thing. If the U.S. had invaded Chinese waters and attacked one of their ships, why were they not declaring all-out war? Why only one attack on Area 51?

  She looked at her watch. Thirty minutes until her call with them. The last one had been strange. Lots of questions and very few answers. They had clearly been hiding something, but what? She picked up the coffee cup and took another sip. Eurgh. It was cold.

  The video conference system burst into life. He was early. That was unusual. The Secretary fidgeted with her white blouse to straighten it and tucked a lock of blondish bob-cut hair behind her right ear. Breathe. She crinkled her button nose and pushed answer on the screen.

  The doctor appeared. Dark circles hung under his eyes and a bristly beard cast a shadow on his face. “Madam Secretary?”

  She exhaled in relief. “Yes, you have more information for me?”

  “Some. We have managed to slow down the virus’s rate of replication by super cooling it, which is a good thing. It means we have the possibility to study it. The only issue is obtaining a viable host. The temperature we have to use is too low for the animals. They die before we reach it.” The doctor had grey bags under his eyes and pallid skin. He must have landed and gone straight to the laboratory to work.

  “Is there any way to confirm the origin of the virus? Can we definitively say it came from the Chinese?”

  “Not at this time. We are analyzing its structure. It will be a few more hours before we can cross-reference with known biological weapons in development. But, to be honest, even when we have its structure, there is no guarantee we can say it came from them, even if it did. They may have bought the technology from another faction, or worse, our intelligence on their biological weapons program might not be up to date.”

  “Damn. So what is your current plan of action?”

  “To figure out the genetic code of this thing, and if possible, develop something to slow it or even stop it. I’m basing my research on work originally published in early 2006. A team studying the Ebola virus, right here in this lab, announced a seventy-five percent recovery rate after infecting four rhesus monkeys and treating them with a drug class known as morpholinos. They are a type of compound that stops genetic material being translated and, thus, protein formation. Basically, it stops the virus from replicating.”

  The Secretary nodded.

  “We essentially have two problems. One is to figure out the exact genetic code of the virus, so we can create a morpholino to match the sequence—genetic antisense. The second problem is the delivery of morpholinos into adult tissues is quite difficult. The drug has to enter the cells. Systemic delivery into many cells in adult organisms can be achieved by joining the drug with cell-penetrating peptides. But too high a dose and the patient has quite severe side effects.” He paused to take a deep breath.

  “What’s the bottom line, Christian?”

  “Time, sis. I need more time.”

  “We don’t have time. Please, do all you can.”

  He nodded and then ended the call, leaving her once again in the dimly lit room, alone.

  She sat for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. Her one ally, her brother, was doing his best—not just in the lab but to be professional and give her the strength to do her job. He kept using her title—so sweet. She really needed him right now.

  Her hazel eyes no longer flickered with fire for her country and her position within the government. It had not been how she had expected, and certainly, the naivety of youth had driven
her along a path she was unsure she now wanted. What was the point of holding such a prestigious post if it was only to be the pretty face of America when in the presence of foreign powers? The military made all the decisions anyway, and the President took advice from them before anyone else.

  The video conference system sprang into life. This time it would be them. She cleared her throat and assumed as authoritative a position as she could while seated. After a deep breath, she pressed the answer key. The video screen flicked on, revealing the image of Li Xiaoping, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the People’s Republic of China. He was a plump man in his fifties with thick glasses and thin lips. As always, his face was expressionless, deadpan.

  “Minister Li, it is good to see you again.”

  “We have no time for pleasantries, Ms. Taylor. To be more accurate, I have no time.” His tone was flat.

  The Secretary eyed him. In all her dealings with the man, he had never been so forward or direct. It was always a game, a battle of wits and insincerities designed to veil subtle threats. His new tact made her nervous. “I understand, but—”

  He interrupted her. “Madam Secretary, what I am about to tell you is of the utmost importance and highly sensitive. The mere fact I’m divulging this information to you could cost me—well, let me say, more than my position.”

  “Please, continue.”

  “You and I both know a few weeks ago, a U.S. military group entered Chinese waters and assassinated the crew of one of our ships. In addition, this group stole an item from the crew of that ship.” Again, his voice carried no emotion. Before the Secretary could respond, he continued. “This invasion was related to a project that has been in operation for more than sixty years—a project regarding a life form found in Siberia by our scientists many years ago. A life form the U.S. Government saw fit to steal from us. These attacks on China would normally result in swift and effective retaliation. However ...” He paused.

  “However?”

  “However, I do not believe your President or ours wishes for war.”

  The Secretary nodded in agreement. “Of course, but—”

  “Madam Secretary, I will be frank and reveal only what I need to if you will do the same.” There was a crack, a slight quiver in his voice.

  She hesitated. Such openness from this man was unheard of. She couldn’t afford to kill this line of dialogue, so again, she nodded in agreement.

  “I assume your President is unaware of these attacks. In fact, I would assume he is unaware of the project in its entirety. Given the length of this operation, it is likely under control of the military.”

  She didn’t respond.

  “Similarly,” Minister Li continued, “our President is unaware of the last sixty years, too. Are you familiar with the Green and the Red Societies?”

  “Yes, but their existence has never been proven.” Secret societies? This is why he called her?

  “The Green and the Red Societies are very real, Ms. Taylor. They have existed since the latter half of the seventeenth century, mainly as an underground anti-establishment faction. Ultimately, they have utopian ideals—protection of the weak and justice for the innocent. They last rose from the underground in the 1940s to fight the communists but lost. Since then, they have infiltrated the highest levels of the Chinese Government. However, over time, there has been a division in the interpretation of the ideals.”

  “I’m not sure how all this fits together,” confessed the Secretary.

  “Members of the Green and the Red Societies were part of the original team that found the life form. However, after it was believed lost—when the U.S. Government stole it—our military took over all aspects of the remaining project. Since then, we—” He stopped.

  “You? You’re a member?”

  He didn’t speak for a few moments, but then nodded. “Do you know what the creature represents, Ms. Taylor? Salvation. For us all. But we are divided as to how that salvation should be achieved. A group of us believes destruction of Western power will be the only way. Your problem is the leader of this splinter cell resides within the People’s Liberation Army. He is the chairman of the Central Military Commission.”

  “And he authorized this splinter cell to let a virus loose in America?” the Secretary asked.

  “Yes. Once he had evidence your government had the creature and had cloned it, he was determined to retrieve it and wipe out your country.”

  “Do you have the antidote, to the virus, I mean?” She was perched on the edge of her seat.

  “No. For those of us who want to avoid war and embrace what the creature has to teach, penetration into the government is limited to peace keeping and academic posts.”

  “Goddamnit.” She didn’t mean to curse openly, but her inexperience had gotten the better of her. “I’m sorry, but then what is the point of our conversation?”

  “You are young, Ms. Taylor, and untainted by the world. My research on you, your charity and humanitarian work during higher education, led me to believe you would do the right thing. We cannot afford to hide now. We need to take action.” Any veil of pretense had vanished.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “We know you are no longer in possession of the life form. It seems you too are unable to control all aspects of your covert operations. But do you know where it is?”

  Should she trust him? Should she tell him the truth? He had been seemingly open with her. And she wanted to avoid war at all costs. “No.” The word slipped from her mouth. “We are currently looking for the team that has it, but they have gone AWOL.”

  “That may work to our advantage. You need to inhibit the ability of your military to find the creature—for now.”

  “Why? So you can find it first?”

  “No, Ms. Taylor. I do not want it in the hands of our military any more than in the hands of yours. Whoever has the animal is hiding it for a reason. We can only hope they also believe in peace and that it can be found through this being. Who is heading up the search for your rogue team?”

  “Colonel Robertson.” As she spoke his name, it was suddenly strange to her the head of the CDC would lead the mission to retrieve the creature. But she could ponder it no further as the Minister spoke again.

  “You must not let him or his team get near the life form. Please, Madam Secretary.”

  It was the first time she had ever heard him use the word please. It was unbelievable. “I will investigate further, Minister Li. But what of the virus and your military? They are sure to strike.”

  “I will deal with the Chairman. Tell your President not to retaliate. Tell him we do not want war.”

  “Okay, I will, but—”

  The Minister cut off the video conference, and once again, she was alone in the dark with a head full of chaotic thoughts. Time was running out, and although she couldn’t admit it to anyone else, she didn’t have a clue what she was supposed to do.

  Location: Callao, Peru, South America

  Kelly awoke with a start to the sound of a wet slapping on the rear window. K’in was peering through, his mouth slightly open, panting. Clearly he wanted Kelly to wake up. The playful creature had placed both hands on the glass. It took a few moments, but eventually, Kelly was able to focus on K’in’s digits. They looked different. He frowned and moved closer to the animal’s hands. Where was the webbing? He was sure it had been there before. Kelly touched the glass, wanting to feel K’in’s skin. He looked up and caught the creature’s gaze. K’in’s eyes were warm, almost loving. And blue. Kelly grabbed at Freya’s shoulder and shook her violently.

  She protested, forcing her eyelids apart. “What?”

  “Look at his eyes.” Kelly sounded excited. Freya pried herself from the warm spot on the old leather seat that had molded around her. She blinked away the sleepiness and tried to focus on K’in. K’in stared back. It was strange, and although she knew it impossible, he seemed to be smiling. Perhaps she was feeling him, or perhaps it was the huge iridescent sapphire ir
ises surrounding one-inch pupils. Like blue fire, different shades of cobalt and electric arcs of white danced within. Mesmerizing. She sat upright. “What do you think’s happening?”

  “Fuck if I know,” Kelly replied. He was gaping at the creature.

  “Señor,” interrupted the driver. “We’re coming into Callao.”

  “Make your way to the dock, pier forty-seven.” Kelly kept his eyes on K’in.

  “Kelly, look at me.” Freya gently pulled his face her way. She concentrated on his eyes, flicking her focus between his left and right eye. She turned to K’in. “It’s the same.”

  “What’s the same?” He seemed offended.

  “You both have the same color eyes. Exactly the same.” She pulled her hand away and sat back, glancing at Kelly, and then K’in, and then back again.

  “Don’t be stupid. Look at him. They are bright blue. Mine aren’t even close.”

  Freya surveyed him. He was right about one thing. When they’d met, his eyes had been a dirty blue, but now they had more life, more fire. “They are different too. See?” She pulled her smartphone from her jungle pants and quickly took a picture before Kelly could protest. She turned the device to reveal the display.

  Kelly gasped. “What the frig has Moby done to me?” He grabbed the phone from her hand and flicked on the camera so he could see himself. He pulled at his eyelids, grimacing in as many ways as he could think of. “Am I gonna turn into a fish? Shit, after the last couple weeks, I’m surprised I haven’t grown fucking gills and sprouted pink hair out of my ass.”

  “Nice, Kelly.”

  “It’s all right for you. You’re not the one who’s gonna grow fins.”

  Freya shook her head and turned away, leaving Kelly to continue examining his face.

  The truck shuddered to a stop. They were there. The General had been clear—they should stay in the vehicle and not expose themselves. The journey had taken longer than anticipated, and it was now broad daylight, which made it even more dangerous. Freya sat lost in her own thoughts.