Chapter Zero

by Phoenix Hays

  Chapter 0

  LINEAGE, Volume 0

  Phoenix Hays

  Published by Phoenix Hays, 2018.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter 0 (LINEAGE, #0)

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  To my wife and kids with all my love. Never stop working toward your dreams.

  Thank you, Sydney Schulte. Your editing has made me a better writer.

  Contributor: Steve Lewis

  Memphis, Tennessee. Noon.

  The smells of greasy burgers and French fries wafted through the small sports bar.

  A waitress appeared from the back and walked over to the only customers in the restaurant. Setting a small plate with cheese sticks and marinara on the table, she smiled at the two men sitting there. “Can I get you gentlemen anything else?”

  The two men in front of her were dressed for business. A robust man wearing a shirt and sport jacket sat to her right. His hair was cropped short, and he had a neatly trimmed goatee. His broad shoulders twitched in response to her question, but he didn’t look up from the data pad in his hand. Across the table from him sat a balding man wearing a black suit over his white shirt and red tie. He was in shape but not nearly as built as his companion.

  The balding man scanned the waitress and saw the name on her badge. “No, I think we are fine, Brandy. Thanks.” He watched her walk away and turned to the other man after she was beyond earshot. “Duke, why are we on Beale Street?”

  “I like eating here, Richard,” Duke said, gaze still focused on the data pad.

  Richard grumbled and straightened his tie.

  Duke scrolled through the information on the pad and tugged at his goatee. “Weather report shows rain this afternoon in Florida, but it should be clear by evening. We can take off this afternoon and land after the storms move through.”

  “That’s what I mean,” Richard said. “The CEO of Space Vision has too much to do to be at some sports bar snacking on cheese sticks.”

  “Richard, if it wasn’t so helpful in your role as security chief, I’d tell you to relax more often.”

  “I’m sure you would.”

  “The truth is I asked you here because it’s far enough away from the office so we wouldn’t have to worry about eavesdroppers. Nobody in this place has any idea who we are.”

  “Why are you worried about eavesdroppers?”

  “Never mind,” Duke said. “How is the development of our secondary location?”

  “Victoria is putting the final touches on the living quarters while Miyako is finishing the hardware and software upgrades.”

  “And if we needed to completely move our Memphis operation there?”

  “Why in the world would we do that?”

  Duke looked up. “There are quite a few organizations chomping at the bit to get the tech we use at Space Vision. If our Memphis offices are ever compromised, it might be necessary.”

  “It would certainly take time,” Richard said, rubbing his chin. “You know Site B was only designed for testing secret projects.”

  “Of course.” Duke turned his attention back down to the data pad and scrolled through the info on it. “It seems like everything is ready for tomorrow’s launch.”

  “We’re close but that’s what I was saying. Sanjeed is on-site overseeing the launch preparations, but he needs all the help he can get. I should be there right now managing the security teams.”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  Richard leaned forward. “Duke.”

  “What?”

  “Why did you ask me here?”

  Duke locked his eyes onto Richard’s. “Adam is running an analysis on an anomaly we picked up last week.”

  “An anomaly? What are you talking about?”

  “You are aware of our Stargazer Project, yes?”

  “My understanding is it’s some study of the outer solar system, but I don’t know the details.”

  Duke lowered his voice. “Last week’s measurements picked up something that shouldn’t be there.”

  Richard sat back in the booth and took in the room around him for the first time. The black wall reaching up from the floor abruptly stopped just above the backs of the booths and changed to a mahogany colored wood paneling. Monitors, evenly spaced on the wall, showed replays of the previous night’s basketball and hockey games. Beside the closest monitor was a dark blue basketball jersey with light blue trim that had the word “Grizzlies” on the front. Next to the jersey was a shelf that held a basketball with numerous signatures on it. On the other side of that monitor hung a framed Tennessee Titans football jersey. He looked in the other direction and saw a yellow hockey sweater with a saber-toothed tiger’s head on it, and he immediately recognized the Nashville Predators’ mascot. He rubbed his temple. “I don’t understand why an anomaly in your project required a meeting in this wonderful establishment.”

  Duke reached over, took a cheese stick and dipped it in the marinara sauce. “It didn’t have to be here, but it did require a meeting with you,” he said, then took a bite.

  Richard crossed his arms and stared back at Duke.

  “I need you to prepare a report on what it would take to increase security at our offices here in Memphis,” Duke continued. “I’m talking tech, staff, anything needed for a complete picture on protecting the people and information at Space Vision from external threats.”

  Richard uncrossed his arms and raised one of his hands to his mouth. “What kind of external threat?”

  “I don’t know,” Duke said. “I need you to be imaginative. Put yourself on the other side of the table. If you were trying to get to either our people or our projects, how would you do it?”

  “OK.” Richard nodded in understanding. “Is that all?”

  “Unfortunately, no,” Duke said, leaning back. “I also need a report on preparing Site B to be able to handle a full relocation of our staff and tech — including upgrading the existing security protocols.”

  “But Site B is just a bunch of fields in the middle of nowhere.”

  “It may be, Richard. But it’s necessary all the same.”

  “What timeframe are we talking about?”

  “I need the reports quickly. Can you have them to me by the middle of next week?”

  “Possibly. I will need Adam’s help in compiling everything.”

  “That won’t be a problem. Come on, we’ve got a launch to oversee.”

  Duke tossed a twenty on the table and grabbed another cheese stick. He slid to the edge of the booth and stood up. Richard did the same, and the two men headed toward the door.

  Blinding light shined around their silhouettes as they stepped out onto Beale Street.

  Southwest Ohio. Evening.

  Victor Bayham wrapped his right wrist with one more round of athletic tape. He tossed the leftover roll into the locker in front of him and reached up to close the door. His eyes landed on the faded photo taped to the back of the door. Three men in camouflage uniforms, one of them a much younger version of himself, smiled back. Victor’s eyes darkened and he slammed the locker shut. Turning his back to the locker, he headed toward the door at the front of the room.

  Entering the gym from the hallway that led back to the locker room, Victor stopped and took in the clusters of activity in front of him. Thirty to forty people were exercising throughout the gym. In spite of the air conditioning trying to pump fresh air into the room, the air was thick from humidity and collective sweat. Some may have considered the smell combined from sweat, rubber, plastic, and metal off-putting, but to Victor, it smelled like work. Directly in front of him were a pair of boxing rings and he immediately recognized a blond man – Val Stone – sparring with someone
in the ring to the left. Stone landed a punch against his opponent’s chin, sending the man to the floor. The blond stepped forward to stand over the man and spat on the floor next to him.

  Victor shook his head in disgust and looked down at his silver wedding ring.

  I would love to go a round with him and show that punk up again but I promised Mary I wouldn’t heavy spar anymore.

  Heading to the right and away from any potential confrontation, Victor passed the ring and weaved his way through a section of the gym where people were running on treadmills, riding stationary bikes and climbing stair machines. He entered an open area of the gym where a man and woman furiously jumped rope and several people lifted free weights. Finally, he reached the corner of the gym where three punching bags hung from a frame attached to the wall. A speed bag was located on either side of the row of heavy bags. They all hung there, silent and still, waiting for someone to use them. He approached the black bag with a tape patch on it and started shadow boxing in the air. After warming up, he moved closer to the bag. He struck the bag with single punches or kicks and then proceeded to move through a series of combinations. Between each set, Victor shifted his weight around the bag. The bag started to swing from the repeated impacts, and Victor moved in and out with it. He breathed out sharply with every strike.

  “You up for a rematch, old man?”

  Victor stopped, grabbed the bag and turned toward the voice.

  Behind Victor, Stone stood there in his white shirt and blue trunks with a smirk on his face. He pushed his blond hair away from his eyes as he waited for a response.

  “Maybe another time, Stone,” Victor said, gasping for air.

  “Did a little workout wear the ancient one out?”

  “Shut your mouth, son. If I remember correctly you were the one with your back on the mat the last time we sparred.”

  “You got lucky last time but I’m surprised you can remember anything at your age. Come on, you can handle one round.”

  Victor looked around to see a small crowd forming to watch the confrontation. “Fine. One round. Give me five minutes.”

  “Take all the time you need. I’ll be in the ring.”

  Stone strutted off laughing with some of the men who followed him.

  Victor watched him leave along with most of the crowd.

  A gray-haired man walked up to him. “You don’t have to do this, Victor.”

  “I’m not going to let this punk push me around, Charles. Even if his parents just bought this gym from you. You know that.”

  “I know, but one of these times you are going to bite off more than you can chew.”

  Victor grabbed his water bottle off the floor and took a big swig. He stormed over to the equipment wall where several head guards hung. He chose a red one that matched his trunks and slid it over his head. “If that ever happens, you can say you told me so.”

  “That’s never been a goal of mine.” Charles patted Victor on the back as he headed toward the ring on the far side of the gym.

  Victor stepped up to the side of the ring and climbed between the ropes. Stone was already there, leaning against the opposite corner with a smirk firmly planted on his face.

  “You ready, old man?”

  Reaching for the strap hanging from one side of the head guard, Victor pulled it under his jaw and attached it to the other side. He slid his mouth guard in, rolled his head from side to side and bounced on the balls of his feet three times. Victor slid his free hand into the sparring glove his arm held against his body and looked over at the man sitting behind the bell. He pointed at the man and the bell sounded.

  The crowd around the ring erupted into cheers as Victor and Stone closed the distance to each other.

  Victor circled to his left. Stone matched the movement. Stone lunged forward to feint a punch, and Victor reacted, sliding back and to his right. Stone stepped forward again and managed to land a jab but missed the hook that followed. Victor landed a jab of his own as he circled away.

  Stone stepped in again, and Victor started by taking a step back. Stone lunged, but Victor stepped forward and moved to his right. He unleashed a pair of jabs to Stone’s ribs followed by a hook that glanced off Stone’s head. Stone staggered back and smiled.

  “Nice combo,” Stone said.

  He regained his composure, lifted his gloves and stepped toward Victor once again. This time when his head bobbed, Victor repeated the move to step into it — but this lunge was a fake. Stone caught Victor at the perfect range and unleashed a series of punches. The first left glanced off Victor’s shoulder but the right following it landed square on his ribs. Victor winced in pain as Stone knocked the wind out of him. Victor was powerless to stop the incoming left connect to the side of his face. He staggered backward and dropped down on one knee.

  A few cheers came from the crowd.

  “You don’t have to do this,” Charles yelled from outside the ring.

  Victor pushed himself back up to a standing position. He moved toward Stone, who greeted Victor with another flurry of punches. Victor managed to deflect the first two hits, but the third caught him in the side. Sharp pain screamed from his ribs. Stone landed a punch to Victor’s head, and Victor dropped to the mat.

  More cheers came from the crowd.

  “End this, Victor!” Charles yelled.

  The bell rang as Victor started to get up.

  “Good round, old man,” Stone said with a sneer.

  Victor spat his mouth guard out and looked up at Stone.

  “I didn’t hear any bell.”

  “No? Suit yourself.”

  Stone took a step back and raised his gloves again. Cheers from everyone in the crowd filled the gym.

  Victor stepped forward and blocked a punch from Stone. He ducked under the next punch and landed a heavy right on Stone’s upper stomach. Stone wheezed from the impact and tried to respond with a right of his own. Stepping just outside Stone’s range, Victor avoided the feeble attempt and then closed the distance again. He landed a left in Stone’s midsection and then stepped into an upper cut that was perfectly placed on his opponent’s chin.

  Stone fell backward onto the mat, and a ten-count declared Victor the winner. The crowd roared. Several people climbed into the ring to tend to the dazed man while Victor limped back to his corner. He leaned up against the ropes.

  I almost feel bad for the jerk, but he had it coming. I’m probably going to have to find a new gym now.

  Victor looked up and started to take a deep breath, but the stabbing pain in his side stopped him. He gritted his teeth.

  Charles leaned over the ropes to talk to Victor.

  “That was a close one.”

  Victor fought through the pain to manage a weak smile as Charles stepped through the ropes to help him out of the ring. Charles ducked under one arm to support Victor, and they made their way back to the locker room.

  “Relax, I got ya. Let’s get you home.”

  ***

  Turning the key in the lock, Victor opened the front door of the small ranch house and walked inside.

  “Mary?”

  “I’m in the living room.”

  Victor hobbled into the kitchen, opened the freezer and took out a bag of frozen peas. He pressed the bag against his swollen left eye and turned the corner into the living room.

  Mary shifted to look toward her husband and her jaw dropped at the sight of him. She threw the shirt she had been folding onto the couch and ran over to him.

  “What happened?” She asked, her eyes wide.

  “Just a sparring session at the gym.”

  Mary’s surprise immediately transformed into anger. “You promised me you wouldn’t fight anymore.” She reached around Victor to help support him and he flinched when her hand touched his ribs.

  “Eh. You should see the other guy,” he said, trying to hide his pain behind a smile as he fought to stand straight up.

  “Not funny,” Mary said as she helped him sit down. She scowled and cro
ssed her arms as she stood back up.

  Victor shifted the peas in his hand. “What do you think about planning a camping trip for the family? We haven’t gone yet this year.”

  Mary cornered her husband, pointing her finger at him. “Don’t change the subject. You can’t go putting your health in jeopardy when we need to be saving money. The air conditioner isn’t going to fix itself.”

  “Honey, I’m fine. I’ll work extra hours at the shop to cover what we need. It’ll be good for us all to get out in the woods.”

  “You think you’ll be able to get that approved?”

  “Easy. Cars have been rolling in like people are trying to make them break down.”

  Mary sighed and reached up to rub the corners of her eyes. “Fine,” she said, dropping her arms. “When do you want to go?”

  Victor took a deep breath and hobbled up to his feet. “I’m thinking next month. How does that sound?”

  “Depends on what’s available at the campground but I’ll call them tomorrow morning. Now go shower,” Mary said with a smile. She threw a towel at him. “You stink like a wet dog wearing old socks.”

  With a chuckle, Victor nodded and headed down the hall. “Thanks, hon.”

  Florida. The Next Day.

  Shielding his eyes, Duke smiled at the Space Vision rocket in front of him. Sunlight glinted off the nose cone hundreds of feet above the ground. White steam rolled from the bottom of the rocket, partially obscuring the view of the engine cones. Sounds of ocean waves rolling into the beach beyond the launch pad were carried to Duke’s ears by a cool, salty breeze.

  “Mr. Evensen, I’m sorry to bother you.”

  Duke turned to face the apologetic speaker and recognized his Director of Space Initiatives. “Sanjeed, you are no bother.”

  “We are getting ready for the final launch preparations, and I think it is only fitting you give the final command.”

  “I’d be happy to,” Duke said. “Lead the way.”

  Sanjeed turned and faced a nondescript door located near the corner of the building. He waved a key card in front of the door, opened it and walked inside. Duke grabbed the door and followed him. They walked along several hallways and up a flight of stairs to arrive at mission control.