[In Distress 02.0] In Pain

by Caethes Faron

  “I just need to check your identification and the identification of those traveling with you.”

  “You don’t know who I am? I’m Malcolm Price, the owner of Panacea. Perhaps you’ve heard of me?”

  “Of course, sir.” Worry entered the young man’s voice and Malcolm bet his eyes would provide more proof of his apprehension were they not hidden behind the black visor of his helmet.

  “Then I don’t need to tell you that I’m a very busy man. I’m already late, and I don’t take kindly to being harassed this way.”

  “If I may just scan your chip, sir.” His inflection indicated he was asking more than demanding. The officer could have scanned the identification chip embedded in the skin at the base of Malcolm’s neck at any time, but he wouldn’t do it without permission first unless necessary.

  “Get on with it.”

  The officer nodded and touched the side of his visor to begin scanning. It would catch the first chip it came in contact with and display the information on his visor. After a couple of seconds, he nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Price. Now I just need to identify the Zeds.”

  “What?” Malcolm’s voice dipped dangerously low. Even Stu, who knew never to fear Malcolm, trembled next to him. “Do you really think that wise? What possible reason could you have for inconveniencing me so greatly? Are you suggesting that I had anything to do with whatever idiocy those damn fanatics are up to now? I hope I misheard you and that you are really not insulting me by insinuating that I’m lying to you about traveling with my Zeds. Either my word is good with the police force or I can talk to the commissioner when I see him next week about the audacity of the department he’s running. Which is it?” Malcolm glared at the officer with all the hatred he held in his heart for this place.

  “I’m sorry, sir. I must have forgotten myself for a moment. Of course you are welcome to be on your way. I hope this wasn’t too great an inconvenience for you.”

  Malcolm fully accelerated until the city shrank behind him then descended to the road below. Everyone wisely stayed quiet. A bit of paranoia remained with Malcolm, and he didn’t want to risk reassuring his Zeds until they were safely in his compound where he knew they couldn’t be spied on.

  Physical comfort couldn’t be overheard, though, so he placed a hand on Stu’s shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile, or as much of a smile as Malcolm ever gave. When Stu didn’t appear convinced, Malcolm wrapped his arm around Stu’s shoulder and pulled the boy to him, placing a kiss on the top of his head.

  When home came in sight, Malcolm loosened his grip on the wheel. By the time he had the car parked in the garage, he had convinced himself of their safety.

  “Nick, I want to know what that was and who’s responsible.” Malcolm watched as everyone filed out of the cars.

  “On it. I turned my tab on as soon as the gates closed behind us.” Indeed, Nick didn’t even look up from his tab.

  Each man nodded to Malcolm on his way into the house, all except Stu, who wouldn’t leave Malcolm’s side. “What do you say we go into the theater room and see if there’s anything on?”

  “If you h-h-have t-t-time.”

  The kid broke his heart. “I always have time for you.” On the way upstairs, Malcolm sent a message to Will to let him know where he’d be. As expected, Will met him at the second-floor landing.

  “What’s wrong? Nick just went by talking about an attack or something.” Will’s face was etched with concern and confusion.

  “A bomb went off in the city while we were leaving. Given the direction and our location, it was somewhere in the political district.”

  “The fanatics?”

  “I think so.”

  Will fell in step next to Malcolm. “Hey, Stu, how do you like the new collar?”

  Stu startled a little at suddenly being addressed. “It’s n-n-nice. A lot more c-c-comfortable.”

  “Good. Was I right? Was the exchange easy?”

  “Yeah. You w-w-were right.”

  “See, I’m always right. Malcolm here’s already learned that.”

  “Oh yes, I have.”

  They situated themselves comfortably in the theater room with Stu resting his head on Malcolm’s shoulder and Will sitting on Malcolm’s other side. “It’s your choice, Stu. Whatever you want to watch.”

  Something about Stu brought out whatever paternal instinct Malcolm had. He tried not to think too much about the fact that Stu was roughly the same age as Will. His feelings for the two men couldn’t be more different. Strange how age seemed to melt away when he was with Will. Malcolm had never felt so intimately close to another man. It was as if Will was entwined with him in every way.

  Some action-adventure flick started playing. Malcolm had no interest in it. He only wanted Stu to escape the turmoil of the day. While he didn’t normally approve of this approach to problem solving, he figured a little time to adjust into normalcy after the upheaval of the day wasn’t a bad thing.

  A few minutes later, everyone started to trickle in. Tony took the spot next to Stu, and Rufus sat next to Tony. Carson and Syrus came in together and sat behind Malcolm. Last came Nick. When he entered, Stu paused the movie.

  “Before you tell us what you found,” Tony interjected, “I told Marcy we’re back and looking forward to dinner. She didn’t appear to know anything about an attack, and I didn’t say anything.”

  “Thank you, Tony.” Malcolm nodded to Nick. “Go ahead.”

  “It looks like it was in front of the Presidential Palace. From what people are saying, I think it was a car bomb that was stopped before it could hit the palace. There’s a lot of celebrating going on. The government is going to have to make an announcement.”

  “Word on any deaths?” Malcolm asked.

  “I’m not sure. Some of the president’s security are probably dead, but I don’t think any civilians are.”

  Malcolm nodded. He hated that anyone died, especially since the president’s security had no direct impact on the state of things, but some comfort came from the lack of civilian deaths. The fanatics did try to make statements with the least loss of life possible. Still, Malcolm worried about the recklessness of the group. The repercussions of their actions could not be accurately predicted.

  “T-t-too bad it didn’t k-k-kill the p-p-president.”

  “I don’t like that kind of talk, Stu.” Tony berated Stu with a sharp stare. “Him dying doesn’t help us, and us wishing for him to die only lowers us to his level.”

  Tony’s attitude impressed Malcolm, and he wished he could share it. While he intellectually knew Tony was right, he couldn’t deny his own thirst for revenge.

  “We’ll find out what the government wants us knowin’ soon enough,” Carson said.

  “Yeah. And none of you have told me how it went today. How are the collars? Do you like them? Did the change go smoothly? Did Malcolm kill anyone?” Will asked. “Please tell me I didn’t miss him killing a Geneticist.”

  Malcolm smirked along with most of the others. No killing, but there hadn’t been a single time he didn’t want to run off with whichever Zed was on the table while their collar was off.

  “They actually all seemed kind of scared of him. It was the nicest visit to the Eval Center I’ve ever had. Still creepy as fuck, but better than the past,” Nick said.

  “This new one certainly fits nicer than the past ones.” Carson ran his finger between the metal and his skin. “I’d say it was worth it, especially with what it’s goin’ to do for the movement.”

  “I never thought I’d get another collar, but you and Rufus and Carson did a fine job with it,” Syrus said.

  “I just hope it does some good.” Rufus had turned to the group so he could lip read.

  “It will.” Malcolm said it to reassure himself as much as anyone. “Did you hear anything from the movement about the new collars?” Malcolm turned to Will, wanting to know what happened while he was gone without compromising anything too sensitive.

  “According to he
adquarters, everything is up and running fine. I think they’d feel better hearing from you though.”

  “I’ll check in before bed.”

  Beep. Beep. This is a bulletin from the State Broadcasting Service.

  Together they watched the report on the violence that distracted the Geneticists from the fact that the greatest attack on their system was occurring right beneath their noses and with their consent.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  The DGI had placed all five hundred collars of the pilot program. The data overwhelmed Will when he had looked at it. Oculus had told him not to bother until he had a chance to clean it up into something usable. Five hundred data points and each one represented a person, a lifetime of wearing a collar.

  After all this time, it finally seemed as if things were going their way. The movement moved forward, and their family currently sat together in the lounge after a productive day of work capped by an enjoyable meal. Syrus, Carson, and Rufus sat together talking while Will played a game of cards with Tony, Stu, and Nick.

  A vibration from his Glass Tab prompted Will to check his messages. The only notifications he had set up to go to his tab at the moment were messages from Oculus or notification that the mole had made a drop.

  When he pulled the tab from his pocket, a blue dot pulsed in the middle of the square, indicating a drop. Curiosity got the better of him, and he expanded the tab to its full rectangular shape and pulled up the drop.

  Europania has been compromised. Cut ties now.

  Will read the message twice and checked where it had come from to be sure. He hadn’t been mistaken. It wasn’t from Oculus; it was a drop from their mole. But how did the mole even know? Right now, it didn’t matter. “Malcolm, I need you. In private.” He stood as he spoke and moved toward the door.

  The conversation in the lounge halted. Will didn’t bother looking around him. The mole had always pulled through for them in the past. Other than the sheer impossibility of what he read, he had no reason to believe the mole had gotten it wrong. Given the sensitivity and urgency of the message, he couldn’t afford to waste another second wondering over it. He walked as fast as he could toward the office.

  “What is it?” Malcolm had caught up to him and matched his stride so he wouldn’t pass him.

  “Wait until we get into the office.” He didn’t want to alarm the others more than he already had, and as far as they knew, Malcolm wasn’t involved in operations in any other nation-state.

  Once in their office, Will went straight to his desk and pulled up his computer. “I got a drop from the mole. All it said was, ‘Europania has been compromised. Cut ties now.’”

  Without saying anything, Malcolm activated his own computer. Will saw on his screen that Malcolm did the same thing he did: log in to Malcolm’s messaging account to see if anyone had reported anything. No new messages sat waiting.

  “What do we do?” Will asked.

  “Exactly what the message said: cut ties.”

  “But what if it’s wrong?”

  “It doesn’t matter. We have to shut down all of our connections to Europania. If their DGI did compromise them, we have to contain it. They can’t lead back to us.”

  “But Europania’s the only place where we have a direct line into a DGI.”

  “I know. That’s probably why this is happening. We got greedy and got caught for it. We can rebuild but only if there are enough of us left to do so. If it’s a mistake, one of the operatives will find a way to make contact.” As Malcolm spoke, his eyes never moved from his screen and his hands never stopped flying over his desk, typing and moving windows around. “I’m sending out a message to all Europania agents that includes a virus that should wipe their computers.”

  “They’re not supposed to keep sensitive materials on their own machines.”

  “I’m not trusting that everyone follows the rules. Besides, I don’t want their journals, diaries, schedules, anything read if they’re confiscated.”

  “What can I do to help?”

  “Search for any operatives in Europania and revoke their access to messaging after I get this sent off. Take any drop site we’ve set up for them offline. Any way we have ever given any agent in Europania to contact us needs to be terminated except for the emergency protocol.”

  Will didn’t know how many drop points the movement had set up for operatives in Europania. This could take all night. “Can we get Oculus’s help?”

  “He’s not online now. Besides, I’d rather wait until we see what happens before alerting him.”

  They worked in silence for the next hour until only the emergency beacon system remained.

  “Do you want me to shut it down?” Will didn’t need to specify. Malcolm would know.

  “Not yet. Let’s give it some time. It’s a completely one-way system. It should be untraceable. If we’ve made a mistake, this is how they’ll contact us. If we don’t hear something soon, we’ll know we did the right thing, and then we can shut it down.”

  Lyceum, the leader of operations in Europania, had the appropriate code to send across the emergency signal committed to memory. No one else would be able to use it. Will only hoped the agent hadn’t forgotten it.

  “So what do we do now?”

  “We wait,” Malcolm said, keeping his gaze on his screen, as if worried he’d miss a message.

  “How did he know?”

  “What?”

  “How did the mole know?”

  “I have no idea.” Malcolm finally faced Will. “That’s been troubling me as well.”

  “We have to try to find out who it is. We can’t keep going like this. If he knew something this big, we have to know how.” Will had wanted to discover the mole’s identity for some time, ever since he knew the mole worked for the DGI. If they knew who he was, they could make requests, help direct him to the information that would be the most beneficial. Malcolm had always turned down his request, citing safety concerns. It made sense. The mole would let them know his identity if he could. He must have a reason not to, but Will didn’t see how they could keep going. Until now, they had assumed the mole was simply a disgruntled employee. Now it appeared he had far more intimate knowledge than they wanted anyone outside the movement having.

  An alarm sounded from Malcolm’s computer. Will stood to see what had caused it. He leaned over Malcolm’s shoulder and read the message that came across the emergency beacon.

  We’ve been compromised. We are on containment protocol. This is the last message you will receive. The Spark of Life Movement is dead in Europania.

  Will’s stomach lurched. Containment protocol involved all the steps he and Malcolm had already taken. The message also meant Lyceum would commit suicide rather than be captured. Tears pricked at Will’s eyes. He’d worked with Lyceum directly. In an instant, he was dead, along with Europania movement. Years of progress, gone. It was unfathomable.

  “Dammit.” Malcolm stood so violently that Will had to stumble backward to stay out of his way. “I knew it was too great a risk. We shouldn’t have moved so fast, been so greedy. This is the price we pay. It isn’t worth it. If we keep charging ahead with no regard for the consequences, we’re going to set the movement back decades. We can’t keep being so rash.”

  “You don’t know what caused this. This is why we have to keep pushing so hard. We have to make real change happen before we’re all found out.” Will couldn’t stand to see Malcolm slow down. He’d only just gotten him back to work and focused.

  “I know exactly what caused this: our infiltration into their DGI.”

  “And we still have the intelligence from that. Between that and the work we’re doing here, we’re in a position to make something happen. We have to do it now.”

  “We have to be more cautious, or we’ll suffer the same fate Europania did. I can’t allow that to happen. I’m responsible for the safety of too many people. You realize the man who sent us this message is already dead, right? What would happen to you if I died?
If I had to take that step? Would I be able to? What would happen to all of my workers? You do know that our containment procedure includes you taking the pill as well. Your life’s barely started, Will.”

  “Better for it to be short fighting for what I believe in, than to be long accepting things the way they are.” He knew his words would hurt Malcolm, but he had to make sure he understood his feelings on this. Safety and happiness weren’t enough for him. It would never be enough until the collar was gone.

  “I know.” Malcolm sank back into his chair, deflated. “But I’m allowed my bit of selfishness in wanting to protect you.”

  “Yes, you are, as long as you know what the right thing to do is.”

  Malcolm nodded. “I do. We have to find out who the mole is.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  “I’ll pull up every drop he’s sent us and look for any similarities or anything that could be used to identify him.” Will went back to his desk and got to work.

  “That’s a good place to start, but I doubt he’ll have left behind any kind of footprint for us to follow. Most of the drops have been from Early Zed Development, right?” Already Malcolm navigated to a personnel directory they had for the DGI and pulled up the Early Zed Development department. The mole’s safety came secondary to the needs of the movement, and Malcolm needed to know how someone else had such sensitive information.

  “Yeah, that seems like the best place to start. How should we go about this? Do we look for a technical footprint? Try to trace the drops that way? Or do we look at the people?”

  “I’ll take a crack at the technical side. You start looking at the people. We’ll see if we meet somewhere.” Malcolm pulled up the drops to try to trace them. “But he’ll have covered his tracks. If he didn’t, he would have been caught by the Geneticists already.”

  “It has to be a Beta,” Will said. “No Alpha would give us this kind of information.”

  “Don’t let any prejudices, deserved or not, color your investigation.” Malcolm was inclined to believe it was a Beta as well, but he needed Will to operate with a clear head.