The Nano Experiment

by Wid Bastian

  “That was truly incredible,” the general said from the Observation Deck.

  “We have confirmation. His ability is without question,” a colonel said.

  “Yes, but until we can duplicate his power in others he remains of little use to us. One man, no matter how gifted, can’t defeat a Plague army,” the general said.

  “It’s time to move to the next phase,” the colonel suggested.

  “Agreed,” the general ordered.

  “From this point forward, Neron is our first priority. We must unlock his secrets and do so quickly,” the colonel added.

  Chapter Thirty

  Cassia had moved from the sewers of Montreal to the ruins of Ottawa. She was stealthily bringing close to half a million of The Plague within striking distance of the capitol. This was a challenging maneuver that required skill and good fortune to succeed. Having plenty of skill she was glad fortune was also on her side.

  Kano was back and with him, she hoped, the intelligence she needed to deal with the threat from Neron.

  “Report,” Cassia said when Kano appeared before her.

  “We may have a problem. Three days ago the government ran a test and Neron was able to disintegrate one of our soldiers. I acquired this video from their security system.” Kano played video of Neron turning the caged Plague into dust.

  “I want to see him, the boy, up close,” Cassia ordered, talking faster than usual.

  Using a portable video device, Kano displayed a life sized holographic image of Neron in a target ball uniform. Cassia studied the image carefully. She moved around it in a full circle, taking in every inch of Neron’s physique.

  “What is so special about this boy?” Kano asked.

  Cassia did not react at first. She was completely engrossed in studying Neron’s image.

  “Cassia?” Kano asked.

  “What?” Cassia replied in a harsh, irritated voice.

  “The boy? Why is he unique? Do you know?”

  “If I knew I would not have sent you into the city to learn more about him. What are the government scientists saying?”

  “I believe they are baffled too. Neron’s physiology and the nanogene have created a power in him. It’s unlike anything we’ve seen since Forged Bay.”

  “Have they been able to duplicate his power?” Cassia asked.

  “No, but they are trying to do so in earnest right now. Selective and accelerated breeding, cloning, cellular duplication… they are covering the gamut of possibilities.”

  “Are you certain Neron is the only human with the capabilities he has demonstrated?”

  “Yes, Cassia. Of that much I’m certain. And I’m sure they are months, if not years, away from being able to duplicate his powers on any type of militarily significant scale.”

  “Leave us,” Cassia ordered.

  “I’ll go, but Cassia only you and I are in this shelter, there is no one -.”

  “I meant leave the image.” She hesitated and then added, “Now Kano.”

  Not remembering the last time he’d seen her so angry Kano left the room. He could feel Cassia’s mind disengage from his and erect a barrier.

  These feelings I’m having, Cassia asked herself, where are they coming from? She had purged herself of anything like human emotion decades ago, or so she thought. Yet Neron was bringing a memory back to life, the most potent human memory Cassia had, and with it a range of emotions.

  Despite her best efforts to control her thoughts, when Cassia looked at Neron’s holographic image she saw her son Ferris. Their physical resemblance was remarkable. While they could not pass for twins, they could easily be taken for brothers. There was about a minute’s worth of motion to the holographic image so Cassia watched it over and over again. Neron moved with a grace, smooth elegance, just as Ferris had.

  She was experiencing loss, pain, anger and, worst of all, affection. She had affection for Neron, the one human being who might be capable of destroying her and her entire race. This feeling was repulsive; complete anathema to her now fully developed hybrid nano being.

  These feelings had to be purged and there was only one way to do that.

  Neron must die and die quickly. Only his death would erase the last vestiges of humanity remaining within her.

  ^^^^^^

  “Do it again, Trixie,” Cenik said.

  “It’s boring,” Trixie said. “Pick something else.”

  “It’s not boring, is it Neron?” Cenik asked.

  “Not at all. I love the big cat,” Neron replied.

  After Neron had shown an interest, Trixie lit up. She closed her eyes and her body melted into a multi colored puddle on the carpet. Then, a few seconds later, the puddle became a Bengal tiger.

  “Awesome,” Cenik said.

  Trixie the tiger then walked over to Neron, who petted her and scratched her ears. The cat responded by softly growling and nuzzling closer to Neron.

  “The cat is definitely my favorite,” Neron said. “Although the horse and the dog are great too.” Trixie put her head in Neron’s lap. When she did, Neron’s buzzer sounded. There was someone at the door of his living quarters.

  “That’s probably Ezsra. Will you let her in Cenik?” Neron asked.

  When Ezsra came in, Trixie changed back into her human self.

  “Hi everybody,” Ezsra said. “Where’s Dash?”

  “He said something about listening to some new musical group at the City Theater,” Cenik said. “I’m just not up for traipsing around downtown. You can probably catch up with him if you’d like to Ezsra.”

  “Nah, I’m all for just hanging out. Are you doing okay, Neron?” Ezsra asked.

  “Sort of. Not really,” Neron admitted.

  “What’s wrong?” Ezsra asked.

  “I keep getting shot down by Nebo. I’ve asked him a dozen times for permission to go back to Alaska for a visit, to see what the new colonists are doing with my old town. I don’t want to live there; I just want to see the place again. It’s important to me and he treats my request like its meaningless.”

  “I keep telling you they will not let you out of their sight, their immediate control. You’re a prisoner, Neron. But then you’ve always been a prisoner. You couldn’t just get up and walk away from New Fairbanks now could you?” Cenik said.

  “No, I suppose not. I get it, I’m at risk outside of the city, but I want at least some say in my own life. Is that too much to ask?”

  “Sorry,” Trixie said. “We are assets and were not expendable. But I think they keep us all here more to silence us than to help us develop.”

  “What do you mean?” Neron asked.

  “I’m from Iceland. My parents are both still alive,” Trixie explained. “We can talk on the video feed, but the government won’t let me send them pictures of the school or the city. None of us can send pictures to anyone.”

  “I have no one to send pictures to,” Neron said, looking at the floor before looking at Cenik. “Is that true? We can’t send pictures to anyone in the colonies?” Neron asked.

  “Only pictures of us without a background. All communications are filtered through the military censors. The idea is anything sent out ends up in The Plague’s hands and the images will be used as intel,” Cenik explained.

  “Why the ban on travel?” Neron asked.

  “The risk is too great,” Ezsra said. “We’re too valuable to lose.”

  “What about ordinary people, you know all of the citizens here. Can they visit the colonies?” Neron asked.

  Trixie laughed and said, “Why would they want to? Soldiers go on missions there, but that’s it. Relocating to the colonies is strictly forbidden. I thought you knew all this Neron.”

  “That doesn’t make sense to me,” Neron said. “It doesn’t seem right.”

  “Right or wrong has got nothing to with it,” Cenik explained. “The authority of the government is absolute. We live under military rule. There is no other way for human beings to survive in this world.”


  “The Iss seem to live long lives without any help from the government whatsoever,” Neron said.

  “The Iss?” Trixie chuckled and moved closer to Neron, nudging up against him. “They’re a myth, they’re not real.”

  “The Iss are very real, Trixie,” Neron said. “I’ve seen them. Back home sometimes they would come out of the forest and watch us when we’d play.”

  “Nah. You’re making that up,” Trixie said.

  “I swear it’s true. They’re pale white but with the most amazing bluish tint to them.”

  “For real, Neron?” Cenik asked.

  “You guys don’t believe me? Why not?” Neron asked.

  “All of us have been told the Iss are nothing more than a legend. The government is very insistent about this, Neron. You better not tell anyone else about this. They don’t come right out and say it, but they make it clear – they don’t want us talking about the Iss at all,” Cenik explained.

  “That’s ridiculous. Back home our colony leaders traded with the Iss all the time. The Iss can sense when The Plague is around. They have all sorts of special abilities.”

  “Really, Neron,” Trixie said. “What you’re saying… I believe you, but we need to be careful. The walls around here have ears.”

  “That’s just…” Neron stopped talking. Why would the government lie about the Iss? Why couldn’t he go home for a visit? Why couldn’t anybody leave the city except for soldiers?

  More and more Neron realized the government had its own agenda, which was more than finding a way to destroy The Plague.

  Chapter Thirty One

  “You’re doing well, Neron. We are very pleased with your progress,” Nebo said.

  “Thanks,” Neron answered demurely.

  “I’m sorry about you not being able to visit New Fairbanks. Such a trip is just too risky at the current time – not only for yourself but also for the escorts we would have to send with you.”

  “Why is travel to the colonies forbidden?” Neron asked.

  “It’s not forbidden. Who told you such nonsense?”

  “It’s just a rumor then, I guess.”

  “Yes and not a very credible one. If you want answers, ask me. What I tell you comes directly from those in authority.”

  “Okay,” Neron said. “Anyway, you wanted to see me about something?”

  “Yes, and let’s not be so stiff with each other. Out there,” Nebo said, gesturing towards the school, “we have to display a certain degree of formality, but in here, behind closed doors, we can be more open with each other.”

  Neron’s internal lie detector was going off big time. Nebo was trying to deceive him in multiple ways. He had to be wary, very wary.

  “I wasn’t aware I was being too formal. I’m sorry, sir,” Neron said.

  “Terrence, your father, had gifts. He did not have your gift, but he was very special. Did your mother ever tell you about him?”

  “She told me many things, but nothing about any gifts he had. The day I arrived you said something about being his friend. How close were you?”

  Nebo hit a button and lowered the shades on his office windows. The late morning sunlight was intense and heating his office a bit too much for his comfort.

  “Terrence and I were about the same age. We were some of the first students at H-TEC. Your father was a great fighter, one of the most gifted soldiers I have been privileged to meet. In the ring he was unbeatable. He retired from The Circle as an undefeated champion.”

  Neron did know this about his dad. The Circle was a mock combat ring where men and women of the same size and weight fought each other with simulated weapons and full body contact.

  “Yes, I had pictures of my father as a fighter, even some video, but it was all destroyed.”

  “But hand to hand combat was not his true gift, Neron. His mind was extraordinary. Terrence could literally re-direct The Plague, give them orders. They obeyed his directions same as they would Cassia.”

  Neron took a minute to run Nebo’s comment through his internal truth sensors. He was confident Nebo was telling him the truth about this specific matter.

  “I never knew… that’s unreal. My father was killed by The Plague, or so I have always been told. How did it happen?” Neron asked.

  “Mistakes were made. I’m not blameless. So many times I’ve wished to go back to that day and not be so incredibly stupid.”

  Again Neron sensed no attempt at deception. Nebo was relating a true account, at least from his perspective.

  “The commanding generals at the time thought Terrence might be able to single handedly divert an entire Plague army. They knew, of course, that Cassia had caught on to the fact that someone was able to confuse her creatures. Desperation led to sloppiness, which led to disaster.”

  “I still don’t -.”

  “Cassia had a large force assembled in Norway. They were set to overrun the southernmost colonies there. Terrence was situated too close to the action. While he could still make the nano monsters bend to his will, he had no such power over the Kanos. Back then we did not have sensors capable of detecting them. Somehow one of the invisible devils slipped through our defenses, got by me and killed your father.”

  “You were guarding Dad?”

  “Yes, I was. I had considered the possibility of an assault by the Kanos. No matter what my commanding officer said or how absurdly over confident he was, I should have known better.”

  “What happened? In the battle, I mean?” Neron asked.

  “We were introducing the first of our radiation weapons at that time. While they were not nearly as effective as they are now, between your father’s efforts and the new weapon, we were able to drive off The Plague.”

  “My mother was bitter about my father’s death. She blamed the government. That’s why she gave me the dampening serum, she did not want me ending up like my dad,” Neron said.

  “You father was a hero, Neron, just as you will be.”

  “Heroes often die in battle. I don’t like that idea very much,” Neron said.

  “You would not be rational if you welcomed death. Know this son,” Neron did not like the way Nebo called him ‘son’, “I will not allow anyone to make the same mistakes we did back then. Your life is valuable. I will see you protected, in all circumstances and at all times.”

  Again Neron’s truth sensors were blinking red. He did not believe Nebo wanted to kill him, but he knew that his wellbeing was not Nebo’s first concern.

  It was just as his mother had always told him – the government takes care of its own. They exist only to serve the elites.

  ^^^^^^^

  “Huffing and puffing are we?” Dash said as he popped in and out of the group’s PT formation. “It’s a measly twenty k trot. You people are really out of shape.”

  “Some of us can’t move like lightning. Why don’t you stop buzzing around and run with us like a human being?” Ezsra asked.

  “I think… wait. We’re stopping anyway. We’re halfway,” Dash said.

  The instructor blew the whistle and the kids pulled up and bent over, breathing hard.

  “Why is it we have to do this straight up, while Dash gets a free pass?” Cenik complained.

  “Hey, it’s pretty pointless for Dash to have to run anywhere, but for the rest of us we need the exercise,” Neron said.

  “Did you cheat?” Ezsra asked.

  “I tried not to, but I can never be totally sure. I can’t just flip things on and off anymore. I’m pretty much the same all the time,” Neron said.

  “As a horse this might be fun,” Trixie said.

  “As a horse you could give me a ride,” Cenik joked.

  “For sure I would give Neron a ride but you’d still be running Cenik.” All the kid’s laughed at Trixie’s joke.

  It was cold, less than ten degrees, but the students chose to run outside anyway. They were wearing frigid weather gear and as soon as their blood got pumping they didn’t feel uncomfortable. The day was sunny
and there wasn’t a breath of wind. They were stopped on a very scenic spot overlooking the Labrador Sea, which was now frozen over. Their rations were hot soup and a cold sandwich.

  “How many people died in the latest attack?” Dash asked. He was done clowning around, for the moment at least.