Manipulator

by Thom Parsons

  Owen broke eye contact first and turned his gaze back down to the floor whilst holding his head in his hands. Eli didn't press the matter further and just decided to leave Owen alone for the time being. The man obviously wasn’t in the mood for talking at the moment, and who could blame him? Instead, Eli moved off and walked around an adjoining room, attempting to get a feel for PRoGRaM Headquarters. This place was the most incredible feat of PRoGRaM code engineering that he had ever seen. Unexpectedly, one of the walls in the new room that Eli was standing in morphed to a solid shade of white. Gradually, words began to appear on it.

  “Nick's sending us a message!” Eli shouted through to Owen in the other room. This is a crucial moment. He thought. What can Nick possibly have for us? “Owen? Do you want to see it?”

  But still, instead of getting up and going into the room where Eli was, Owen just sat sulking in his chair and stared into nothing. “What does it say?” he shouted back, unwilling to move.

  “That we need to leave PRoGRaM. Now.”

  This peaked Owen’s interest. He sat up and quickly stretched his arms, meaning to get up from his seat and go and see the message, but Eli walked back into the room before he could stand up.

  "What's happening?" Owen asked as he stood upright and faced Eli.

  “Remember the de-scrambler I ran on your video message? The one that started all of this? Nick says that it’s finally finished running, and we’re sure as hell going to want to see it.”

  Chapter Eighty Eight

  Date: December 13th 2035

  Location: Staten Island, New York

  The all too familiar feelings and physical repercussions of exiting PRoGRaM had finally taken its toll on Owen. This time around, he was worried that he was never going to wake up, his body felt like a deadweight trying to drag him down to the ground below. But his mind was tougher than that.

  The endless cycle of entering and exiting the digital world of PRoGRaM had almost crippled him, both physically and mentally. Owen violently convulsed on the sofa, instantly throwing up the contents of his stomach onto the floor. He hadn't exactly eaten much in the last few hours, so hardly anything came out.

  I can’t take much more of this.

  He wretched again and again until nothing more was willing to leave his body. Nick wasn't in the room to help him, and Eli was still half unconscious from the PRoGRaM exit himself.

  Light headedness quickly took over and forced Owen to relax deeply backwards into the sofa. Nick came running back into the room just in time to see Owen close his eyes and let the darkness take him.

  Together, Eli and Nick waited for Owen to recover. They both knew that in the end, all that Owen was going to need, was time. At least after this, the man's journey with PRoGRaM was over. They had no further capacity to head back into its digital world. They were spent. It was almost midnight before Archer came back around, a full hour after passing out.

  "I'm sorry for earlier," Owen said quietly, offering an apology to both Eli and Nick. They were the first words that he had spoken after his ordeal of exiting PRoGRaM. He sounded just as bad as he looked. ”Back in the car. I was out of line with the way that I spoke to you both. I over-reacted and blew my top."

  ”It's not us you need to apologise to," Nick answered quietly. There was something there in his tone of voice, something that told Owen that his apology was accepted, but he couldn't quite say for sure. Nick angled his head slightly and nodded in the direction of Ethan, who was slumped face down awkwardly into a wooden dining table nearby, clearly still unconscious. Eli had securely tied the man up to one of the six oak chairs immediately upon entering this safe house. None of them were willing to take any chances whilst Ethan was here.

  "It's him you need to talk to," Nick continued. "Not that I'm saying he didn't deserve it… But hell, you could've handled it better."

  "I have nothing to say to him," Owen said.

  "Don't worry about it,” Nick replied. “If anyone's got reason to be angry, upset or just damn pissed off, then it's you. I don't blame you for your reactions anymore. This situation is truly fucked up, and just for the record? I think you’re handling it pretty well.”

  “Thanks Nick, I appreciate that.”

  “Now, saying that, this next part is going to be difficult.”

  “Why?” Owen asked quickly and urgently, trying to read Nick's face for the answer. It's more bad news. It has to be. “What’s happened?”

  “Eli managed to defragment the video file that you were sent. The one that started this mess. The video and audio quality have now been massively cleaned up."

  "Can we see who sent it?" Owen asked excitedly.

  "Yes," Nick answered with a single word, seemingly refusing to go into more depth than this.

  “Well, this is good news, isn’t it?” Owen said whilst trying to force out a smile, but it was difficult considering that every inch of his face ached from each word he spoke and every muscle he moved. “Finally, another lead?”

  “That’s what I thought, so I watched it whilst you and Eli were inside PRoGRaM. It’s… not what I was expecting. That’s why I pulled you both out. You’re going to need to see it to believe it."

  "Then show me?" Owen asked, wondering what the hold up was.

  "Are you sure you want to see this now? Do you not want to wait and rest first?”

  “You said a few minutes ago that you thought I was handling all of this well?” Owen replied, confused by the man's logic.

  “I didn’t say you weren’t,” Nick said whilst shrugging his shoulders, “But I'll be honest with you. This next part is really going to fuck you up.”

  “I’m ready," Owen said. Am I really ready?

  "Lets see it.”

  Nick stood up from his seat and grabbed the top of his monitor with his right hand. Slowly and carefully, he turned the monitor around so that it pointed in Owen's direction. With his eyes wide in anticipation, Owen looked at the screen. The video happened to be paused right at the beginning, ready and waiting to play.

  Nick was right. The picture quality was perfect. Owen could see just who had sent them the cryptic video message in the first place. But out of everybody that he had suspected, this person had never once crossed his mind.

  Speechlessly, he stared into the screen.

  Staring back at Owen Archer was… Owen Archer.

  Chapter Eighty Nine

  Date: December 15th 2035 (Present Day)

  Location: Unknown

  “You couldn’t tell me this at the beginning of the interview?” Victoria said, looking and sounding more than a little bit annoyed. “The fact that the person who sent the video, was in fact… you?” she finished saying as she pointed to him angrily, her face looking stern.

  “I felt it made more sense if you didn’t know everything from the beginning,” Owen said calmly, refusing to rise back to her level of anger. “Just like how I didn’t know everything from the beginning.”

  Victoria stared back at him silently before lowering her hand. She took a deep breath in and her face relaxed back into its emotionless stare as she finally conceded to what Owen had said. “I see your point.”

  Owen gave her a professional nod as if to say Thank You before he continued. “it was only when I saw the raw video that something inside my head clicked. Like turning on a light that hasn’t worked in a long, long time. It brought back memories that had clearly been taken from me. Memories that had been taken by PRoGRaM. I had no memory of ever sending that video. Well, not until I saw the unscrambled, raw version of it. Seeing myself do something that I had no memory of was what brought the memories forward. It was what sparked them back to life.”

  “I thought that PRoGRaM was foolproof? That once memories were erased, they were gone forever?”

  “I never said that,” Owen said with a little smile on his face. Even though he was competent in the use of PRoGRaM, it was true that there were so many things he didn’t know about the device. Did it really erase memories? Or
did it just cut the cord in your mind to them to stop them from being accessed? If it can be broke, then it can be fixed.

  Victoria didn’t respond. He was expecting more questions about it, but instead he got nothing. She just sat there staring down at her notepad, continuing to write down her notes on God only knew what. Owen decided to lift the silence by continuing from where he left off. “It’s still a new technology, so there are bound to be bugs and flaws that need to be fixed.”

  “Then what did seeing this video do to you?” she asked as she stopped writing in her notepad and looked up at him. “What did it make you remember?”

  Owen waited before answering, staring hard into Victoria’s eyes.

  “Everything.”

  Chapter Ninety

  Date: December 13th 2035

  Location: Staten Island, New York

  “Your name is Owen Archer,” the video version of Owen said as clear as day, speaking directly into the camera. He looked panicked and sounded heavily out of breath. He was flustered, but more importantly, he was scared.

  In the background of the video, behind where Owen was stood talking into the camera was a single door leading into the room. It only stood out because the present day version of Owen noticed that it had been barricaded. A single, heavy desk was wedged perfectly underneath the door handle in an attempt to prevent anyone on the outside from entering.

  “You were born on February 27th, in the year 2000. By the time you are watching this, you will be 35 years old. Don’t be surprised to see me, I can guarantee you that this is real. Today, is your wedding anniversary, and Annie is not with you. But she should be, and there are people to blame for that. First of all, a very important address that you need to know. 45 Redford Avenue. That address will mean everything to you, and only you know why. I will keep this short, because I don’t have much time.”

  Owen, Eli and Nick watched as the barricaded door in the far background of the video started to move slightly. The handle moved up and down. Someone was trying to get in! Someone's chasing him. Owen realised. And he knows it too. But why…

  His trail of thought was broken by a huge banging noise in the background of the video. The situation behind the video version of Owen seemed to have escalated. Someone had begun to kick at the door, intent on breaking in. Whoever was on the other side was getting impatient.

  The Owen in the video quickly glanced at the noise behind him to see what was happening, before turning back to face the camera in order to continue his message, speaking slightly more urgently than he had been before. “There are three people responsible for Annie not being there. Their names are Marcus Ortega, Alex Morgan and Ethan Darkes. You must find these three. They, and only they, can tell you the truth about everything.”

  The noise coming from the background of the video was gradually getting louder and more violent. There was no being subtle about it anymore, someone was clearly trying to bash the door in, in a seemingly desperate attempt to get to Owen.

  Whoever was behind that door was making some serious headway with every kick that they landed. Whoever was trying to get in was so close.

  The door in the background was slightly ajar now. The desk that was barricading it was slowly getting pushed out of the way. They’d be on top of him soon enough.

  “They can tell you the truth about Annie,” the Owen on the video continued to say, speaking faster and more desperately than before, knowing that his situation was turning hopeless. “That’s because they had everything to do with it. Fight for the truth.”

  The message was over. The present day Owen watched as the man in the video punched some sort of command into the keyboard that lay on the desk in front of him. Whatever he did caused the video to quickly cut off. The display turned black, leaving only the words *END OF TRANSMISSION* to be seen in bright white lettering on the screen.

  This day is getting weirder and weirder by the second.

  The three of them stared at the dark screen in silence. Nick and Eli, who were stood on either side of Owen turned their heads slowly to look in his direction. All eyes were on him now.

  "This video…" Archer muttered quietly under his breath. Nick and Eli tensed up in anticipation, awaiting some sort of answer. They waited for him to say something… anything that would enlighten them as to what was really going on.

  This video. Owen realised. This video is the final key.

  Something deep inside of him clicked. This video was the final push that he had needed. He could feel those forgotten nerve endings in his brain firing up all at once, allowing him access to something long lost and forgotten. Owen felt a joyful feeling overpower him as everything gradually came back into his minds eye. His emotions took over, allowing him to search inside his rediscovered memories for all the answers. Within seconds, he found everything he was looking for. Ethan was right.

  It had been right there in front of me the entire time.

  “Oh my God,” Owen said forcefully. “Guys. I remember everything."

  Chapter Ninety One

  Date: November 22nd 2035 (One Month Earlier)

  Location: PRoGRaM Headquarters

  The rain was pounding down hard, but that didn't bother Marcus Ortega as he exited his car, holding an umbrella up to cover his head. He picked up the pace as he walked towards the old, huge country mansion that he hadn’t seen in years. It looks just like it did when I left it. He thought to himself as he stepped underneath the awning that hung above the huge double doored main entrance.

  One of the huge wooden doors slowly began to open without even as much as a knock. Someone had seen him coming. Marcus pulled down his umbrella and shook it slightly in an attempt to throw the rain off it, before looking up at the man who now stood in the open doorway. Standing there looking back at him, was Ethan Darkes.

  “Ah ah ha!” Marcus shouted out joyfully with a smile on his face. The two men embraced slightly, patting each other on the back several times before releasing and shaking hands.

  “It’s been too long my old friend!” Marcus said happily, with a little chuckle evident in his voice. Too long indeed. Almost two years…

  “Marcus!” Ethan reciprocated with enthusiasm in his tone. “Come on in,” he said as he gestured with his hand, welcoming Marcus into the huge old mansion. “Everyone else has just arrived.”

  Marcus walked forwards into the huge house as Ethan closed the door behind him in an attempt to keep the nasty winter weather out. Together, they walked. Their footsteps echoed out off the wooden floor as the sound bounced across the huge, empty grand hall. Marcus took in his surroundings, feeling the nostalgia of being back in a place that because of him and his colleagues, had changed so many lives.

  After a long walk, the two of them reached the outside of a room on the complete opposite side of the house. Ethan led the way, stepping through a door and out into a spacious common room. Marcus followed, and inside, found two of his old friends and work colleagues. Alex Morgan and Owen Archer. They all greeted each other happily and exchanged pleasantries whilst Ethan lurked suspiciously in the background. Surely there's a reason as to why he has gathered us all here tonight? Marcus pondered.

  It had been almost two years since the four of them had gone their separate ways. Marcus knew for a fact that Owen had left in order to head up the FBI's New York Memory Analytic Team, working with a programmer called Nicolas Sinclair. As far as Marcus was aware, that was what the man was still doing. He wasn't sure about Alex. The last thing that Marcus had heard was that the man was working on something called The Atom Project, but he had no idea at all on what that could be.

  And as for himself? Marcus had no notable achievements over the course of the last two years. He had barely worked. But that wasn't a bad thing. That was exactly what he was going for. He had taken an early retirement and had planned to spend the rest of his days travelling the world. So why did I agree to come back here?

  But Ethan? Marcus had absolutely no idea what Ethan had been up to for the las
t two years, but he had a feeling in his gut telling him that he was about to find out.

  “It’s good to see you all again,” Ethan said as the noise and pleasantries began to evaporate out. A collective nod occurred from all of his guests almost simultaneously as they looked around at each other.

  “How have you been?” Marcus said, speaking to Ethan, hoping to talk to his host a little more.

  “I am good thank you,” Ethan replied courteously. “I trust that all is well with you?” Marcus gave a slight nod in return without breaking eye contact.

  “Shall I pour us all a drink?” Ethan asked, talking to everybody in the room this time around.

  “Of course," Marcus replied, speaking out first. "I never turn a drink down!”

  Ethan turned to look at the other two men in the room. “Drinks for everyone else?”

  “I wont say no,” Owen said, speaking out quietly. They were the first words that Marcus had heard him say. He seemed to be keeping to himself more than normal. Owen wasn't an outspoken man, but he wasn't usually this quiet either. Once again, Marcus wondered just what the hell was going on.

  For him, this had all started up just one week ago, after a brief phone call from Ethan. The man was insistent that the four of them meet up again at PRoGRaM’s Headquarters. He kept saying that he had so much to share with everyone and that everything was about to evolve. It sounded like the ramblings of a madman, but if anything, Marcus saw it as an opportunity to meet up with some old friends.

  “And me,” Alex replied to Ethan in regards to the drink. “It’s been a long, long time since I’ve seen this place. Doesn’t seem to have changed too much!” He spoke enthusiastically.