by Ben Brown
“Your mother isn’t dead because of Zac. She’s dead because of Dominic! Dominic sends people off to fight his battles for him. It causes so much pain for everyone,” Lea said, taking Chinwendu’s attention away from Zac.
“What would you know about anything, you bitch! Dominic is a great man. He saved my mother and me from death. He loves his subjects; he has never hurt any of us. He only wants to help people like me.”
Lea got closer to Chinwendu and continued to talk. Zac decided to stay back and wait to see how Chinwendu would react.
“I’ve known Dominic for a long time, since before his enhancements. He has always been unpredictable, deceitful, and manipulative. He is also very violent. He killed my little brother with his bare hands. My brother died because he tried to stop Dominic from killing his own father.”
Chinwendu screamed back at Lea, “You’re lying! I know his father was trying to take Dominic’s powers away. Dominic had to run. He has helped countless people like me since. I would be dead if it weren’t for him.”
Lea stayed calm. “Dominic may have helped you and your mother, but he did it to achieve his own aims. That’s what Dominic does. He looks after himself. Have you noticed since he helped you that it’s harder to control your emotions, especially the negative ones? That’s because he’s made you that way. It makes you easier to control. You distrust everyone except him. I bet you even distrusted your mother, the person who really loved you.”
Chinwendu seemed taken aback by Lea’s remarks. She seemed confused. Zac could feel the hesitation within her.
“Dominic’s father gave him his abilities,” he said. “He did it to help Dominic’s fragile state of mind. But things went wrong when Dominic tampered with his own D.N.A. He gave himself abilities he should never have had. He’s now working to build a small army of people with similar abilities. He’ll then sell them to the highest bidder — or worse, he’ll use the army himself. In fact, he sent four of his subjects to kill me and Lea.”
Chinwendu clearly had mixed feelings. The things she was hearing were the complete opposite to what Dominic had told her.
“Dominic told us his father sent you to kill him. He also said you were very powerful and that if we could capture you, he would help you get away from his scheming father. You must understand he saved my life. Why would someone do that if they didn’t care?” Chinwendu was calming down. Zac could feel her begin to doubt Dominic’s seemingly saint-like demeanor.
“Dominic’s father did send us to find him,” Lea said, “but he doesn’t want his son dead. He wants him back where he can help him. Dominic’s father blames himself for the way Dominic is. He feels that by tampering with Dominic’s code, he is responsible for all the deaths that his son has ordered. Dominic’s mental health issues are well documented; if you like, we can show you. We’ve been allowed full access to all the records of British born subjects. Kennedy will allow you access to a computer terminal if you want to check. I promise all Zac and I want to do is help you.
“Think about it. If Zac wanted you dead he could have put a bullet in you, back on the Island. But he didn’t, he used a tranquilizer.” Lea was only a foot away from Chinwendu now, and as she spoke, she offered her hand.
Chinwendu took it and said, “I don’t know if you’re lying or not. But if this is a trick I will make you all pay.”
“It’s a deal. If we’re lying then kill us all. However, that isn’t going to happen. We will help you, Chinwendu, you have my word.”
Lea led the young woman to the computer that Kennedy had just set up.
Chinwendu sat at the computer for more than half an hour. She looked at Dominic’s medical reports and employment history. She even contacted some of his old work colleagues to ask what he was like to work with. Then she looked up Ian’s death records. Clearly, it was hard for her to read. Dominic indoctrinated all his subjects in the belief he was good, and kind. The expression on Chinwendu’s face painted a picture of disbelief, and disappointment. Finally, she looked up at Lea.
Lea’s eyes never left the screen, she seemed transfixed. Chinwendu could feel her pain. It was raw, intense, and almost overwhelming. Yet Lea showed none of it. Chinwendu knew that feeling; it had been part of her life from an early age. She knew that feeling could not be faked, it was all the proof she needed.
Chinwendu finally turned to Lea and said, “Okay, if all this is true, then how does Dominic have such a hold over his subjects? He is like a God to us. I would’ve followed him over a cliff, if that was what he wanted.”
“And now?” Lea asked.
“Now, I’m not sure. I still want to believe he’s a good man.” Her eyes drifted back to the screen. “But a good man wouldn’t kill like this. I still feel like I must help him. But the feeling isn’t as strong.”
Zac could hear Doc in his ear. “Zac, please place the computer data device near one of the computers. Then divert this signal through to your iPhone and plug some speakers into it.”
“You got it, Doc.” Zac clamped the data device to the computer. He then unplugged the computer’s speakers and plugged them into his iPhone. He placed it next to the PC. Zac hit the icon on the iPhone that looked like an old radio.
Doc’s face popped up on its tiny screen, as his voice came through the speakers.
As Doc’s face appeared, Zac could feel Chinwendu’s heart start to race. He put a hand on her shoulder, and she calmed somewhat.
“I have been monitoring your conversation,” Doc said, “and I have some information for Chinwendu which might interest her. Whilst you were unconscious, the medics took a blood sample from you and placed it in a remote lab that I have set up there. The results are remarkable.
“I knew that Dominic was using active nanites to control D.N.A, in an on-going effort to improve abilities. He is also using them to control his subjects. The nanites in your blood stream are increasing chemicals in your brain, which cause you to have paranoid tendencies. The nanites also force you to trust only Dominic. Moreover, when you have increased levels of endorphins or adrenalin, the nanites increase your violent tendencies to a point where it becomes almost impossible to control yourself. These nanites are also self-replicating, so you will have them in your blood stream for the rest of your life. That is, unless I intervene.”
Doc paused to catch his breath, “The problem is, the longer the nanites remain in your body, the more extreme their effects. I’m guessing the girl Zac encountered on the boat was one of his earliest subjects. That’s why she had a heightened tendency for violence. However, until I do an autopsy on the girl this is just my supposition.
“Zac, I have found a link between the Chinese girl, Chinwendu, and her mother. My late wife Joanne was an aid worker. She worked in each of their villages. She visited China shortly before Africa. I believe Dominic is checking out all the places that his mother worked. If he finds a potential subject along the way, he sees it as a bonus.”
Chinwendu thought about what the Doc had said for some time.
“If what you say is true, then why am I even listening to you?” she asked. “I should be pulling this place apart.”
Doc’s face nodded on the iPhone. “I understand your apprehension, but as I said, I believe you had your code changed less than two months ago. Is this true?”
Chinwendu confirmed his guess.
“Because of this,” Doc continued, “your D.N.A is still in relatively good shape. The nanites have to work hard to take control. However, as time passes this will not be the case. If we found you two months from now, then I believe you would be far less willing to listen. The nanites would have full control and you would just want to kill anyone in your way.”
“Okay, Doc, how can we help Chinwendu?” Lea asked. “You must have an idea, or you wouldn’t have asked to speak to us all.”
“I have more than an idea, Lea. I have a resolution to Chinwendu’s predicament. The data transfer device you placed on the computer has uploaded data straight into the mainframe at
your location. This data stream contains the software needed to re-program the nanites in Chinwendu’s blood sample. This should be taking place as we speak. Once we have re-programmed the nanites we will inject them back into her. They will hunt down the nanites in her body and pass on the new program. Once every nanite is re-programmed, the software will order a complete shutdown. The nanites will simply switch off. When this happens her white blood cells will begin to destroy them and Chinwendu will then begin to return to a normal state of mind.” Doc smiled as he finished, obviously pleased with himself.
“How long will all that take?” Chinwendu asked.
“Once the altered nanites are in your bloodstream a full shutdown should take about two hours. Returning to normal depends on the level of damage to your code. It could take an hour, a day or a week. I really don’t know,” Doc answered.
Kennedy walked over to the remote lab to check on the blood sample which contained the re-programmed nanites.
“The computer says that the nanites are ready for injecting.” He looked over at Chinwendu.
“Then it’s time. And it is also time for me to seek for more truths about Dominic and his plans,” Chinwendu said.
Martinez ordered a medic to prepare a syringe for the nanites. A minute or two later Chinwendu had the injection that would change her life for the better.
“Chinwendu can you tell me how Dominic recruited you?” Zac asked.
A pained look gripped Chinwendu as she began to recount her story.
“My mother and I lived in a small village deep in the jungle. My father and brothers were taken by the local warlord to fight against the government forces. That was five years ago. We never saw them again.
“My mother struggled to feed us, and as things got worse in the region, she decided we had to leave our village. We headed for Brazzaville, but things didn’t improve. We’d been on the road for about two days, when some soldiers from another faction captured us. We were beaten and raped repeatedly. This went on for many days.” Her eyes started to glisten as she fought back tears.
“Then, one day, the camp came under attack. All the soldiers were killed. We thought we were going to die, too, and we welcomed death. It would have been a release. However, when the door opened to our cell, instead of seeing yet more tormentors, we saw a thin white man. He held out his hand and told us he was there to rescue us.
“My mother was near death, and he nursed her back to health.” A tear finally escaped and ran down her cheek. “Then when she was well enough, he flew us out of Africa and brought us to America. We were with him for about a month before he told us why he had saved us. He told us that he could make us strong enough to avenge the deaths of my father and brothers.”
Chinwendu was weeping as she finished her story.
Lea hugged her. Zac couldn’t move. He was so shocked by what this poor woman had gone through. He thought about Dominic. It was true, he had saved their lives, but he had then exposed them to more danger. He only saw them as tools — weapons — which he could wield without compassion. These women deserved a second chance, and that had been taken from them. The fact that the life of Chinwendu’s valiant and brave mother was now over, sickened him. Chinwendu had lost everything she’d loved. Zac wondered if Dominic targeted people like this, it would make his job easier. People who are at their most vulnerable are the easiest to manipulate.
“Get something to eat and then get some rest. You’ve been through a lot Chinwendu,” he said as tenderly as he could. “I’ll also tell Doc not to perform the autopsy on your mother. We will store her until you are ready to take care of her funeral. Your mother has earned some respect, and we’ll show her that.”
Chinwendu looked up at him, her eyes still wet with tears.
“Thank you, Zac, and I’m sorry for misjudging you and Lea. I will do whatever it takes to repay your kindness.” Chinwendu already seemed different. She was more controlled even though it had only been a quarter hour since her procedure.
“Chinwendu, do you know where Dominic is, or how to find him?” Zac asked.
“I don’t know where he is, but we were told to make contact with a man called Smith. He works at a book shop in Manhattan. He would then tell us what to do next,” Chinwendu replied.
“Then I think you need to get in contact with him. Let him know you have a nice prize.”
“What prize are you talking about?” Lea asked.
Zac looked at her. “The prize is me. I think Dominic wanted me alive rather than dead. What do you think, Chinwendu?”
She nodded. “Yes he wanted you alive. That’s why mother and I were sent to talk to you. But he will be suspicious now — it’s been over twenty-four hours since the Island.”
Martinez cut into the conversation; he’d been listening to the exchange avidly.
“I don’t think that will be too much of an issue. Once Dr. Skinner told us about the events taking place on the Island, we did a full media blackout and locked down the Island. I’m sure no news got out, and I’m also sure Dominic is in the dark about what happened there,” Martinez continued. “No one linked to Dominic got off alive, except Chinwendu. Furthermore, all transmissions from the Island were blocked, except for the ones that were authorized. Like Zac’s and Lea’s. We have also prepared a cover story as part of our standard protocol for lockdowns. We are now ready to leak it to the press. The story will go along the line of: a terrorist group attacked the Island, three of which were killed by our forces. We could add that one terrorist escaped with a hostage in tow. Once the story has circulated in the press for a couple of hours, a spokesperson will go on record to confirm it. What do you think?”
Lea said, “I think it’s risky, but I think it could work.”
Zac nodded. “I agree it’s risky, but it’s worth a try. Get right on it.”
Martinez simply nodded and turned to Kennedy. “Prepare to leak the story. Also get the background on this Smith guy.”
“Chinwendu, could you give us the address of the book shop and his contact phone number please?” Kennedy asked.
“The address is, The Little Bookshop, Spring Street, Soho. I wasn’t given a phone number. I was just told to ask for a book called, Highlights in the History of Concrete by Christopher C. Stanley. Smith would then contact Dominic to find out what I was to do next,” Chinwendu replied.
Kennedy nodded and set to work. He was like an excited terrier, barking orders to his staff. They in turn did their jobs with incredible efficiency.
After about ten minutes, Kennedy returned and reported. “The story has been leaked to Fox news and CNN. In eighty minutes, a White House spokesperson will confirm the leak. He will give a rough description of Chinwendu, also adding that a hostage was taken, a British national. Of course, Zac’s details will be withheld. We ran a background check on the shop and Smith. Smith purchased the shop six months ago for cash. His background seemed good at a glance, but if you dig, his history only dates back a year or so. In short, we don’t know who he is. Neither the shop nor Smith are on any marked security lists.”
Martinez nodded. “Thank you. Chinwendu will head over there in an hour. She will say that she stole a boat and took the unconscious Zac with her.”
“Chinwendu managed to get Zac’s weapon and then shot him with a tranquillizer,” Lea added. “We will also implant her with a GPS device and a communicator. That way we can pin-point her location and listen in.”
Martinez took over the briefing at that point. He approached a large screen and brought up a detailed map of the Soho area. He used a laser pointer as he explained the plan in more detail.
“Zac will be left in this abandoned building.” He used the pointer to point out the location on the map. Instantly, a 3D holographic projection of the building appeared in front of the screen.
“Zac will be in this room on the third floor.” Martinez was now pointing at the 3D image.
“He won’t be tranquillized at this point, just in case things go wrong. Once the o
kay is given, a team-member, most likely Lea, will tranquillize him. We will have snipers covering the exit points and surrounding streets, here, here and here.” Martinez pointed at the three points on the map. “Kennedy will be covering the electronic surveillance from here.” He gestured to Kennedy.
Kennedy then took over the briefing. “We will be intercepting all phones and mobile calls made from the shop, as well as all the buildings within a two block radius. In addition, a dampening field will be set up around the shop in case there are any bugs inside.
“The dampening field posed us a problem. That problem was, how will we monitor Chinwendu? Thanks to Dr. Skinner we have resolved that issue. We will leave a small hole in the dampening field through which only one specific frequency can pass. There is a risk involved in this workaround. That risk is any bugs inside the shop could be transmitting on that exact frequency. However, the mathematical chances of that being the case are so remote it's not even worth calculating. Dr. Skinner has already modulated all the communication implants to that frequency. He has patched a relay from Lea’s communicator to our radio systems.
“We also have authorization for full satellite surveillance coverage. We should be able to see everything except the inside of the shop. There is simply too much concrete for us to penetrate with infer red cameras, at least, not accurately. Once Smith takes the bait, we will monitor all his bank accounts for fund transfers to see if any trails are left there.”
Martinez took over again as Kennedy walked back to his station. “Now this plan has been thrown together, and it has lots of holes. So everyone needs to be on their toes. Chinwendu, if you feel things are going wrong, then give a signal, and we’ll be in there in a second. We’ll bring Smith back here for interrogation. Needless to say Zac will be at risk while he is unconscious, but we can at least track him.”
“Actually I have some news on that,” Lea interrupted. “Doc thinks he could bring Zac around by causing a feedback surge through his communicator implant. It would hurt like hell, but Zac would come to in seconds.”
