Border of the sun

by Aditya Mewati

  BORDER OF THE SUN

  BY

  ADITYA MEWATI

  Text copyrighted © 2016 by Aditya Mewati

  To my mom, Geeta Mewati,

  and

  my dad, Ashok Mewati.

  CONTENTS

  CONTENTS

  PREFACE

  THE MESSAGE

  P R O L O G U E

  THE BEGINNING

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  32

  33

  34

  35

  36

  37

  38

  39

  40

  41

  42

  43

  44

  45

  46

  47

  48

  49

  50

  51

  52

  53

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgment

  PREFACE

  G E N E T H E R A P Y

  Genes are the building blocks of inheritance. Passed from parent to child, they contain instructions for making proteins. If genes don't produce the right proteins or don't produce them correctly, a child can have a genetic disorder, and may even develop a cancer.

  Gene therapy is an experimental technique that uses genes to treat or prevent disease. To treat cancers such as brain tumors, one of the procedures being studied is adding a gene via a disabled virus that makes the cancer cell susceptible to other drugs. The reason for making the cancer cells susceptible to other drugs is that many times it is impossible for a surgeon, no matter how skilled, to remove all of the tumors. By using a vector that only infects rapidly dividing cells, only the cancer cells in the brain will be infected because the other cells don't divide. Using this technique gives the patient a better chance of getting rid of all cancer.

  The most common form of gene therapy involves inserting a normal gene to replace an abnormal gene.

  The major controversy involved in gene therapy is how far should the manipulation of the human genome be taken. Most people would probably agree with correcting diseases that cause death or cause a person to not function normally, but the major arguments begin when people begin talking about using gene therapy for enhancements, such as cosmetic purposes, making someone taller so they can play sports, or genetically engineering the perfect baby.

  Although there is much hope for gene therapy, it is still experimental

  Till now gene therapy was merely a part of a theory or we can also say—part of some stupid science fiction novel—Until PharmaGen, an Australian based multinational medical company, developed a practical way to cure genetic disorders using gene therapy. But their research was never made public... no one knows what happened. Police records and every document from 4th August 2015 to 16th August 2015 were destroyed. Many people lost their lives, and it all started with a highly classified project, The Project Outlander…

  THE MESSAGE

  It's a boundary; it's a border,

  separating two worlds.

  It helps in maintaining the order,

  Without it, everything will be in chaos, everything will be blurred.

  It's a boundary; it's a border,

  separating us from the gods.

  It's actually like a warder,

  That protects us from our furious lords.

  But that day is not far away,

  when the giver of life will grow with rage.

  And We will be the ones to pay,

  As we will be helplessly stuck in our cage.

  And if you don't want the world to burn.

  All you have to do is ... just cross the border of the sun.

  P R O L O G U E

  Antarctica, 23 June 2013.

  The sun had parked itself close to the horizon, pretending to warm the cold, merciless land of Antarctica. But it was useless. It was frozen hell. It was like thousands of icy shards piercing and pricking your body.

  David could not believe that one month ago he was cursing his own luck to be the part of this stupid methane deposits research team—just keep digging ice—to keep the record of methane deposits. So boring!

  But now, he didn't feel bored. He could feel his heart pound in his chest. He could feel his temples throb with excitement. He could—

  His radio crackled. "Slow it down David!" Issac said over the intercom. Isaac rode on a green snowmobile, right behind David. Keeping the distance of twenty feet between them for safety.

  David snorted but slowed down his sky blue color snowmobile.

  He wore a thick, white, woolen parka and gloves. His eyes were hidden behind gray protective goggles, which kept blurring his vision as the water kept solidifying over the glasses.

  He had to regularly stop his vehicle to clean his protective goggles, which irritated him. But he was eager to reach the location so he just ignored the frosting goggles.

  His radio again crackled, " Do you see anything?" Issac asked.

  He slowed down to survey the surroundings. He squinted through his frozen goggles. Nothing. Just the cold desert and the thin line of horizon separating the blue sky from the white land.

  "Are we lost?" He asked Issac.

  "No...man," Issac said, "We are almost close. I think it will take ... ten more minutes maybe."

  "Okay," He said. But he was very sure that they were lost. "I think you should take the lead."

  Isaac's snowmobile droned past him. David waited until there was approximately twenty feet distance between them, and then he twisted the accelerator. The vehicle raced forward, sliding on the gentle white slopes; Although there is nothing gentle about Antarctica; Especially its weather.

  As they raced forward, huge icy plains rolled into view. But still no sign of any humans or a big truck.

  "I think we are lost," David said.

  "No, we are not!" Isaac said, pointing toward his left. "Look."

  David turned his head toward where Isaac was pointing, and saw a giant yellow snow-truck parked on the thick icy plain. He could easily see four small human-like figures scattered around it. Two of them were down on their one knee. One guy drilled in the ice and the other one stood leaning against the truck.

  They both banked toward the left, and stopped next to the yellow truck, and killed their engines. David swung his legs off the snowmobile. Pushing his protective goggles over his head, he made his way toward the man standing close to the truck.

  "Hey Aidan–" he said. He could feel his cheek calloused from the coldness.

  "What are you doing here?" Aidan Barked. Frosty breath came out of his mouth. "I had told you to stay in the facility!"

  "Relax man... we are here to just check out," Isaac said.

  "Go to hell," Aidan said.

  "You're welcome, Boss," David murmured, louder than he had intended.

  Aidan glared at him but said nothing. He shifted his attention toward the horizon and just kept staring at the setting sun, which bathed the land with its mild orange light.

  Isaac nudged David and pulled him away from the truck. They made their way toward the man, who was drilling in the ice. The chugging noise from drill's engine filled the evening air.

  "Don't distu
rb him," Anna said. She was kneeling on the floor, her both gloved hands propped against the icy surface.

  David and Isaac strolled toward her.

  "What do we have here?" David asked, peering over her shoulder.

  "We are still not sure," Anna said. Her cheeks were completely red. Even in this deathly coldness, her blue eyes were filled with warmth.

  David could not help smiling.

  "What?" Anna grinned. "Why are you smiling?"

  David shook his head. "Nothing," he said and knelt next to her and peered inside the frozen surface. He could see small, black spherical—no, not spherical—but an uneven rocky mass frozen beneath him.

  "Is that a spaceship?" Isaac asked.

  "Oh come on...too small for a space ship," Anna said.

  "Maybe a meteorite," David suggested.

  "Can be..." Anna nodded.

  "It's useless!" the man who was using the driller bellowed, "We will need some bigger equipment."

  Anna glanced at the setting sun. "I think we should leave before the gravitational winds pick up."

  And they returned back to the facility.

  ONE WEEK LATER.

  Leaning against the railing, David stared below him as the two men moved the big ice cube with the help of the electric crane. The ice cube was eight feet wide and was holding something black color distorted object inside it.

  They placed the cube on the central table. Aidan pulled out a small flamethrower and started heating the ice cube. Isaac stood next to him.

  The door behind David hissed open, and Anna stepped in. She smiled at David and slid next to him. She stared down from the balcony, at the cube.

  "It's pretty big," she muttered.

  "yes," David said. They silently stared at Isaac has he melted the ice cube.

  "How much time will it take to melt the whole thing?" Isaac asked Aidan.

  "At least two hours..." Aidan said. "But I will need one more man with me to melt this thing."

  "I'll do it," Isaac said, "Where is the other flamethrower?"

  "In the store room," Aidan said wincing.

  "Okay," Isaac said and ran toward the spiral staircase. Climbed upstairs. Shot a smile to Anna and David, and thundered out the door.

  David stared at the melting cube and yawned.

  Anna giggled. "Take some rest."

  "No. It's okay."

  "Seriously...you need rest. Look at your face. You look so tired these days," she said and gently squeezed his hand.

  Aidan below them grunted.

  "Okay," David said. He shot a resentful look at Aidan, and set out to his cabin. He crossed the cramped corridor that enveloped in red light, and spotted Isaac with a small flamethrower.

  He Stepped in his cramped up cabin; Snuggled in his bed and dozed off.

  He woke up with a start and heard Anna yelling in terror. He jumped to his feet and ran for help.

  He made his way through the corridor and found her slumped on the floor, surrounded by the people. He pushed through the crowd and saw the airlock door sealed close. He could easily hear the cries of Isaac and Aidan in agony. And soon their voice died out.

  He crouched in front of Anna. She was murmuring something under her breath. Her eyes had lost its warmth and were taken over by the coldness.

  "Anna what happened?" he asked apprehensively. "Did you seal the door?'

  She kept murmuring, and her chin trembled.

  "Anna?" He put his arm around her shoulder.

  "It's-s in the hhairr..." she whispered and stared at him with her brooding eyes.

  "What?"

  "It's in the air." she repeated, her eyes gaped in terror.

  THE BEGINNING

  Pulau Sumba, 4 August 2015

  TWO YEARS LATER

  The helicopter thumped forward, skimming over the surface of the Indian ocean. It flew over many small lush green islands and was heading toward Pulau Sumba, a medium sized island to the north of Australia. Although, the passenger inside it had no idea about it.

  It was blazing hot. The Helicopter's gray and maroon surface gleamed in the afternoon sunlight.

  The helicopter raced forward and soon a lush green island rolled into view.

  The helicopter circled the island, searching for a place to land. After a few minutes, the pilot decided to land on the beach.

  The sand swirled into a small tornado, as the helicopter approached the beach. It bobbed over the sandy shore and righted itself.

  The pilot sighed in relief when the landing skids touched the sandy surface. He killed the engine and the sand storm around it died out.

  The helicopter door flung open, and a man wearing green military uniform jumped out from the helicopter. He pulled out a man wearing a red shirt and blue faded jeans, who had his head covered in black cloth; his hands were cuffed behind his back. Another man in military uniform jumped behind them and both the uniformed men steered the guy away from the helicopter and toward the forest.

  An Asian guy in uniform was standing next to an open Jeep at the edge of the forest. He had a big scar running down on his face.

  They steered him toward the Jeep. The Asian guy in the uniform motioned them to remove his mask. They pulled off the mask and revealed his face. He was a bald, old man, in his early sixties. He coughed and gasped. "Cough... cough... Next time, at least, make a hole in it... for me to... cough... breath."

  The Asian guy in the uniform grinned. "Good afternoon, Dr. Alex Bill."

  "Where am I?" Alex said and surveyed his surrounding.

  "You are somewhere... safe... and will be safe until you'll follow the orders."

  "You ordered them to bring me here?" Alex asked, scowling. He felt afraid. But yet decided not to show his fear to the men around him. He had understood that he was an important man for them. This was because of the way the soldiers had behaved with him throughout the journey. They had fulfilled his requests. They provided him the medicines for controlling his blood pressure. They untied him when asked to do so. They gave him the food, which was more healthy than his wife's cooking standards. The only thing they refused was not to cover his face before landing on the Island.

  "No. My leader did... "

  "Your leader...?" He had thought that the guy standing before him was the man in control.

  "You will meet him soon. Anyway, I am The general Dong - sun. I'll be escorting you to the camp."

  They made him sit on the back end of the open Jeep, his hands were still cuffed behind him. Dong-sun sat with him, and one uniformed man sat in the driver seat and another one on the shotgun seat.

  The Jeep roared forward, bouncing on the snaking road that was carved in the forest. Alex Bill soon realized that his abductors were carrying pistols with them. He thought about tricking and disarming them. But somewhere in his mind, he knew that he didn't stand a chance against them.

  The forest rolled by under the bright blue sky. He kept gazing at the passing trees, and spotted many human-size figures hanging on the trees, and soon realized that they actually were real dead bodies. He shuddered. And then he saw few Asian children playing soccer at the edge of the road, but they all were carrying Ak-47 with them. He also spotted small sheds with corrugated rooftops. The sight distraught him.

  He glanced back at his abductors. They all were wearing military uniforms, but he knew that these guys did not belong to any military.

  "You picked me up...in middle of my holidays," he said.

  "I am sorry about that, Doctor," Dong-sun said and stared at him with the brooding eyes.

  "You Abducted me from France and brought me here...in some Indonesian island...Why?" Alex asked indignantly. Now for the first time, he felt like crying.

  Dong-sun looked pleased. "So you have realized that we have brought you in Indonesia. We had to do it quickly... Before the Interpol realize that you have actually been abducted. You know you are a very important man. All because of your research and notable works in biology."

  "What do you mean?" Alex said. />
  "Genetic therapy," Dong-sun said, smiling.

  "Genetic therapy? why do you need—"

  "We don't need it. I mean we need it. But later..." Dong-sun said and again smiled.

  Alex stared at him as if trying to read his mind. The Jeep bobbed over a stone.

  Dong-sun cocked his head and whispered in Alex's ear. "We know that you were the part of the Outlander project."

  His heart sank into his boots. "What do you want from me?" he gasped.

  1

  Sydney, 5 August 2015

  Even before receiving the call from his client, Karthik Peri was having a bad day.

  He had woken up late that morning, and being an early-riser, he hated the feeling of being late for work, which was in a law firm. But this was not necessarily the bad part.

  The bad things started when in hurry, he crashed his new BMW into a garbage truck, which was parked at the edge of the road. He stepped out of the car, slammed the door shut and evaluated the damage.

  "Oh... no," He muttered and scratched the back of his head. He had wrecked the right headlight of the car. He looked up at the sky and roared, "So this is how you want to play? Huh? Then bring it on!"

  The garbage truck door swung open, and a man wearing a sleeveless shirt, showing his buffed arms, climbed off from the driver seat. He bellowed "Hey, you!"

  Karthik glanced around and behind him. "Me?" He said, pointing himself.

  "Yes, you!" The man stomped toward Karthik.

  Karthik glared at the sky and grunted. "I was just kidding, man! Come on!"

  The man stopped and gazed up and then back at Karthik. "Whom are you talking to?"

  "God! Of course." Karthik said, throwing his arms in frustration.

  The man scratched his hair, and glared at Karthik and said, "You are making fun of me! You are going to pay for this!" He dashed at Karthik and tugged his collar.

  "Lis...ten...I'm rea...lly...Sorry," Karthik Stammered, "I ill—,"

  "You will sue me? You're threatening me!" The man bellowed and he pelted his right fist into Karthik's stomach. Karthik crumpled on the floor, holding his stomach. "I meant...I'll pay you,” he muttered.