Manipulator

by Thom Parsons

  Somebody has driven straight into the back of us! Nick realised. But if somebody was trying to injure them purposefully, then surely they would be dead by now? Somebody is toying with us.

  “What was that!?” Eli shouted forwards from the back of the van.

  “I don’t know!” Nick called back, the stress evident in his voice. His heart rate was rising rapidly, mostly out of fear. The truth was, he didn’t care who it was. He just focused all of his attention on the need to get the van out of there and back on the move as soon as possible. Sitting in one place for too long was going to get Owen and Kate killed. If the PRoGRaM Prison Security teams tracked their access point and shut it down, the two of them were as good as dead.

  He tried the van again. To his relief, it started up on the first try. Perhaps the shock of the second crash had done something to jolt the engine back to life.

  Nick looked out of the passenger side window as he was about to drive, but before he could put his foot down a black car pulled up alongside them. At first Nick just expected that it was someone driving up to see if they were okay. But then, he noticed that the driver was wearing a full face balaclava.

  His heartbeat skipped as the man behind the mask looked straight through his window and made eye contact. For a second, the two of them stared at each other, before the man in the mask began to raise his hand from beneath his window.

  This is it. Nick said to himself in his head as his mind almost completely froze up. This is how I die.

  Nick shook slightly through fear as the man in the mask raised his hand. He half expected to see a weapon, but to Nick's surprise, the man in the mask held nothing. All that he did was waggle his one finger at Nick as he shook his head from side to side, smiling maliciously beneath the balaclava.

  Then without warning, the man in the black car put his foot down on his accelerator. Tyres squealing, he drove off manically without a care for anybody else on the road, satisfied that he'd delivered his message.

  What the hell kind of a message was that? Nick thought, snapping his head back into action and putting his own foot down now that the engine was working without issue.

  “What the fuck was that?” Eli asked quietly once the air had settled and the tension in the atmosphere had evaporated. Nick took a second before answering, clearly shaken up by what had just happened.

  “I think… I think it was a warning.”

  Chapter Forty Eight

  Date: December 11th 2035

  Location: PRoGRaM Prison System

  “What the hell was that?” Kate shouted in panic, her voice still muffled coming from underneath her mask. Whatever had just happened had thrown both her and Owen to the floor. But whatever it was, it only seemed to affect the two of them. The PRoGRaM Prison System and its inhabitants were completely unphased by the shockwave.

  “Something on the outside,” Owen said back to her, his eyes wide in fear. Not that Kate could see them through his mask. He needed to keep his cool, for her at least. But on the inside, he was terrified.

  “The outside of what?” Kate asked, worried that she already knew the answer.

  “The outside of PRoGRaM,” Owen said dauntingly, letting the realisation that something could go terribly wrong wash over him. Slowly, he began to stand himself upright. “Something is happening outside.”

  “I don't understand?" Kate stated, following Owen's lead and getting herself upright. I really don't understand. Ethan never warned me about this…

  “Why do you think we keep the body still whilst the mind is in PRoGRaM?" Owen said, feeling slightly annoyed that he had to keep explaining himself. "The last thing that you want to do to somebody whilst their consciousness is somewhere else, is to move them.”

  “Something’s happening to the van on the outside. Something that's shaking us about,” Kate realised, genuine shock evident in her voice.

  There was another shockwave, throwing the two of them back to the ground once again. Something is horribly wrong about this. Owen thought as he hit the floor. Have Nick and Eli crashed the van? Are we under attack? Maybe it's something as simple as a pot hole?

  “We need to move. Now,” Owen said with a deep sense of urgency in his voice. He stood up, letting go of the fear that had kept him tied to the ground this second time. He looked over to the corner where Alex was, and began to march his way more urgently than he had before.

  “Alex Morgan,” Owen said to him in a monotone voice, keeping it on one level as he reached the man in the corner.

  Alex let out a small scream which quickly faded into a whimper. He was afraid to look up at them. Something was clearly wrong with the man. He wasn't reacting the way any normal person would. But then again, nothing about this world was normal. What has PRoGRaM done to this man?

  Owen wished silently that Alex still had enough of his mind left to help him. All Owen had to do was get him out of the Prison System. Even that was proving to be a challenge. There was no way that they were going to get Alex to come with them. Short of opening up a portal underneath the three of them, it didn't seem like Owen was going to be able to get Alex to move.

  But then an idea came to him, and against his better judgement, Owen made a rash decision. He reached around and unclipped the back of his mask so that it came loose. With both hands he pulled the gas mask up over his head, removing it completely before throwing it to the floor. Something inside Alex changed. Signs of recognition crossed his face as he looked up at Owen from his curled up position in the corner.

  “Do you know who I am?” Owen asked, crouching down on one knee to meet Alex at face height. He stared back into Owens eyes whilst he calculated his answer.

  “Archer.”

  Chapter Forty Nine

  Date: December 15th 2035 (Present Day)

  Location: Unknown

  “So,” Victoria said. “Somebody else that knew who you were?” Her words were cold and questioning.

  “It was starting to add up,” Owen replied. “Pieces were coming together. Everything that was happening, it all seemed to be connected. And I was caught right in the middle of it.” He stared at her as he spoke, refusing to back down to her questions.

  “And you had no idea who Alex Morgan was? Even though he knew you?” Victoria asked questioningly.

  “No,” Owen said suddenly, attempting to push the suspicion away from him. “Until that point inside the PRoGRaM Prison System, I’d never met the man.”

  “And that was the same for Marcus Ortega I suppose?" she asked, condescendingly. “You’d never met him until you were inside PRoGRaM and he knew who you were?”

  “Exactly,” Owen said. “But, you don’t believe me do you?”

  “No,” Victoria said bluntly, shaking her head quickly as she spoke.

  “Well I’m sorry,” Owen replied, refusing to accept her judgement on him. “I’m telling you the truth. I didn’t know either of them at the time.”

  “That’s a strange choice of words,” Victoria noted. “At the time…”

  “There’s a reason I chose those words,” Owen said. “Because just like the rest of my story, there was always something more going on than what met the eye. Remember, these men orchestrated Annie’s death, and I was there when that happened. I was married to her for Christ's sake, so of course they were going to know who I was.”

  Victoria conceded. “That makes sense I suppose.”

  “Of course it does,” Owen replied. “Just listen to the story. Everything I’m saying… it will all make sense by the end. Trust me.”

  Chapter Fifty

  Date: December 11th 2035

  Location: PRoGRaM Prison System

  “Archer,” Alex said to Owen, repeating his last name back to him. “Archer. Owen Archer.”

  “You know who I am,” Owen said menacingly to him. “And I know you, Alex." Owen quickly reached out both of his hands and grabbed Alex by the collar, pulling him up out of his curled up position in the corner and up to his feet. "Now. Tell me about Annie A
rcher.”

  “No. No. No. No,” Alex repeated back to him, saying the word over and over again. It dawned on Owen that the Alex Morgan that stood before him, the Alex Morgan that he was looking for, was certifiably mad. Not in a dangerous way, but before Owen stood a man who was not in control of his own mind.

  “Annie Archer,” Owen said louder, shaking him slightly and tightening his grip around Alex's collar as he did so. Repeating her name was clearly having some sort of effect on him. Alex flinched every time Owen said her name. He knows who I am. He knows who Annie is. He has answers. I want those answers.

  “Come with me,” Owen said, dragging Alex by the collar towards the door to the shack that the three of them were stood in.

  “Owen! What are you doing?” Kate asked, her voice muffled, but Owen could still hear the shock through the distortion of her mask.

  “We’re leaving here,” Owen spat at Alex, completely ignoring Kate’s question. He dragged Alex forwards, but the man was struggling to walk upright. Owen pulled him up, and spoke directly into his ear as they walked. “I’m taking you back to your PRoGRaM Headquarters. The one just outside New York. Do you remember that place? I'm going to take you there, and you’re going to show me everything that I want to know. I know it’s hidden inside that head of yours somewhere.”

  Owen lurched forward and kicked open the door to the shack. He pushed Alex forwards through the door, then stepped through quickly after him, followed by Kate.

  “Owen, get us out of here,” Kate said urgently, noticing that the situation outside had intensified. In the time that Owen and Kate had been inside trying to make sense out of Alex, the small crowd of people that Owen had confronted only minutes before had moved closer to the house where Alex was. Curiosity was getting the better of them and they wanted to see what was going on.

  Directly in front of them, Owen manipulated into existence a portal. Slowly but surely, this portal expanded, the darkness within it getting bigger until it was just the size that he needed it to be in order to fit the three of them through. It was their escape route, a doorway that would lead them straight from the PRoGRaM Prison System and directly back into the main PRoGRaM world.

  More specifically, PRoGRaM Headquarters.

  Shocked looks crossed the faces of the crowd outside as the portal opened. Everybody took a step back, standing away from the portal, and standing as far away as they could from Owen and Kate.

  Led by Owen, the three of them stepped through the portal on the wall in front of them. Together, they all left one PRoGRaM world, and stepped straight into another.

  Chapter Fifty One

  Date: December 11th 2035

  Location: PRoGRaM

  Behind them, the portal closed up into its centre point the second that Kate, Owen and Alex walked had walked through it. The ground beneath them changed instantly from the Prison System's rough gravel, to a solid, expensive feeling wood. Their shoes clicked and clacked across this new wooden floor, echoing through the space they occupied.

  Here they were again. Back inside the common room at PRoGRaM's Headquarters. The very same room where Owen had, only days before, got some answers from Marcus Ortega. And now I'm going to get more out of Alex Morgan.

  Owen released Alex’s collar and pushed him angrily forwards. Unable to hold himself up, he fell to the floor. Hitting the ground, he slid across the polished wooden floor beneath him due to the force of Owen's push. Alex cowardly looked over his shoulder before his eyes grew wide, suddenly realising within himself that he was no longer inside the Prison Sphere.

  “I’m free?” Alex screamed out questioningly. They were the first two words that he had managed to string together in a coherent sentence since Owen had met him. “I’m free!” He shouted out again excitedly as he jumped up from the floor and started dancing around, eyes wide at his new surroundings.

  “You’re not free yet,” Owen said to him coldly, stepping out in front of him to stop him from fidgeting around the huge room. Stopping him from moving did something inside his mind. Something inside Alex clicked as he noticed exactly where he currently was. His eyes moved fast, darting from corner to corner as he took it all in.

  “You know this place?” Kate asked him sharply, noticing the change in behaviour. Her voice was muffled still as she spoke out from behind the gas mask she wore, protecting her identity from Alex. “You remember this place?”

  “PRoGRaM. PRoGRaM. PRoGRaM…” he muttered quietly as he looked around, seemingly terrified.

  “ALEX!" Owen shouted at him, snapping him out of his madness. “Annie Archer,” he said, repeating her name to him once again. Owen wasn’t willing to play games. He was here for answers, and he'd be damned if he was going to leave with nothing. Alex was a different kind of man to that which Marcus was. Alex was certifiably insane. There was no use trying to get a conversation out of him, or trying to talk to him reasonably like they had managed to do with Marcus.

  With Alex, Owen had decided to just go straight for the answers.

  If he wanted the second piece of the puzzle, he had to be quick about it. The people running the PRoGRaM Prison System could cut Alex’s connection at any point. They would kill him in the process of course, due to him being in a different PRoGRaM world, but Owen wasn’t sure if that would even mean anything to the people in control.

  “Kate. Look-out please. Watch for trouble,” Owen said as he slowly guided Alex down into the chair in the centre of the common room. Owen had sat him in the exact same place that Marcus had been not two days before. Kate was watching the corridor this time. Keeping an eye out for anyone else that could possibly be there. Owen wasn’t looking for a repeat event of what had happened to Marcus. This time, the two of them were ready.

  “You have been here before,” Owen said, looking right into Alex's eyes as he spoke. But he couldn't hold the mans gaze. His eyes flickered too fast, never looking in one direction for more than a second. “Somebody has altered your memories. They did it to Marcus Ortega,” he continued. Something clicked inside Alex upon hearing that name. There’s something about names that triggers this guy.

  “Marcus Ortega,” Owen said again, testing his theory that he had about the man. One of his eyes twitched slightly. It was time to push him harder.

  “Marcus Ortega,” Owen started. “Alex Morgan. Ethan Darkes. Annie Archer." Alex was beginning to crack, but Owen was just getting warmed up. He raised his voice, speaking the same words, louder and louder.

  "Marcus Ortega. Alex Morgan. Ethan Darkes. Annie Archer. Owen Archer."

  And then Alex did something he hadn't done before. He stared right at Owen, holding his eyes still for the first time, finally matching Owen's gaze with his own.

  "Now listen to me," Owen muttered, talking slowly and quietly whilst getting right into Alex's face. "I’m damn sure that someone, somewhere has messed with your head and your memories. But I’m also sure about another thing. There’s something still in there, some memories that haven’t been hit yet. There are answers still in your head, and I want them. Now think, Alex. Think hard.”

  Alex leaned back and began to subtly shake in the chair. Silence hung in the atmosphere for an unknown amount of time. Owen panicked as he watched the man sit deadly still in front of him. Have I pushed Alex too far too fast? The man is fragile as it is. Have I just broken him? Nothing's happening…

  "Eli," Owen called out into the air. "I might need your help with this one. Alex is a little unstable. See if you can isolate the memory we're looking for and force it to project out." It wasn't uncommon for people to be unable to recall memories. If that was the case, they just needed a little push from the outside. Whoever was working externally had the ability to isolate timeframes inside a person's mind and almost force them into thinking about something from a specific date.

  Alex’s voice burst out in the air. Divine intervention from outside. Another piece of the conversation. Yet… in the audio that Owen was hearing around him, he noticed that Alex's voice wa
s different. It was relaxed. It was normal. And more importantly, it was coherent. A far cry from the Alex that he had in front of him now. What happened to you recently? Who did this to you?

  “And me,” the regular voice of Alex echoed throughout the common room. “It’s been a long, long time since I’ve seen this place. Doesn’t seem to have changed too much!"

  Satisfied that he was about to get everything that he had come here for, Owen sat down on another nearby chair and let Alex project his audio memories out around the room.

  ". . . Impossible!"

  ". . . I’m sorry, I can’t turn this opportunity down.”

  Silence fell over the room in between the very small pieces of dialogue that Alex was adding to the conversation. Once again, Owen was only getting one side of it. Someone else has been here interfering.

  “Is that it so far?” he asked Alex's silent, unmoving body. “You didn’t talk much back then did you?”

  Alex didn’t respond. Owen counted himself lucky that he could even get any information out of him at all. They waited for some time for the memory projection to continue. Owen looked over his shoulder quickly at the door to the common room. Kate was still stood outside, looking nervous and feeling on edge. Who can blame her? Neither of us want a repeat of what happened last time.

  Finally, the voice of Alex came back once again and echoed out around Owen. He had one last thing to say. One last thing that would spark Owen without question.

  “…Why Annie though? Why does it have to be her?”

  The words turned Owen’s blood cold. Why Annie though? Why does it have to be her? He couldn’t stop himself after he heard it and the words instantly sank in. Owen bared his teeth and jumped up off the chair that he was sat on and bolted like lightning across to where Alex was sitting. Owen reached out and grabbed him tightly around the neck with one hand whilst he used his other to get a grip on Alex’s shoulder, pushing him down forcefully into the chair so that the man couldn’t escape from him.