by C M Dancha
Raul marveled at how every word, phrase or term which might imply that Phoenvartis operated under a capitalistic economic system was scrubbed from the World Council message. The word ‘corporation’ was replaced by ‘organization’. The ‘CEO title’ was changed to ‘Lead Associate’ and Phoenvartis globalized to be under the control of the bureaucrats at the World Council. Socialistic control of society would soon include all business, creative thought, inventions, and labor. The four Free Zones would be relics of the past within a few short months.
Freedom to be creative, do what you want and decide what is best for your family would soon disappear from the Free Zones. The same poverty, lack of initiative and malaise which infected the world decades before were certain to sweep the Free Zones. The World Council would control everyone and everything as a queen bee controls her hive. Everyone would be expected to work for the benefit of the World Council. And everyone would be expendable. Step out of line from the dictates of the central government and kiss your ass goodbye.
Now he understood why Mr. Sun was concerned regarding his ability to provide access to the CR47. The special bulletin he’d just read on the halovision would alter his plans. The three to four weeks he thought he had was now reduced to less than half. It would be stressful getting everything done in such little time, but his combat experiences had prepared him for situations like this. In fact, this was a blessing in disguise. The sooner he got away from Slice and Claude, the better.
"Sun, this is Hakala. The World Council announcement will push your cloning ahead quite a bit. Be prepared to clone within the next four days. Send me your top secret, crypto account number within the next four hours and I'll send you the account numbers I mentioned in our earlier conversation. The price is 50,000 credits. Half is due before cloning; the balance is due before the completed replicant is turned over to you. I want you to know that the success of your clone is dependent upon the quality of the host samples you provide. If your samples are defective or toxic, the cloning will be unsuccessful. In other words, there are no guarantees. Think about what I’ve just said and if you have any questions call me tonight."
Raul broke the contact and started a long, arduous walk to the cloning lab. A few short hours ago, he’d been looking forward to bringing his friend Rollie back to life. The release of the World Council announcement had tempered his enthusiasm. Now he wondered if it was such a promising idea bringing Rollie back into a world which was spiraling downward at an alarming rate. He wasn't sure a nice guy like Rollie had the spunk or grit to join the fight to rid society of the World Council and its minions like Slice and Claude.
His concern for Rollie's welfare evaporated when he saw the number of people milling around the cloning lab. In the center of approximately three dozen people were Slice and Claude. From what Raul could hear and see, there was a press conference in progress. News representatives were asking questions of Slice and Claude, recording their answers and taking posed images of the two men standing next to the CR47 unit. Raul noticed two of his agents moving among the guests. He presumed they were providing undercover security for the press conference.
"Do you believe this circus?"
Raul didn't have to look to his right to know the question came from Helmer Stanke.
"How long has this been going on?"
"It was already in progress when I got here about a half hour ago. Did you know anything about this?"
"Not a thing. Did you?"
"No. Apparently, we weren't important enough to be invited or told about this charade."
Raul and Helmer stood at the outer perimeter of the circle of people surrounding Slice and Claude. Although they couldn't see Slice, he could be heard explaining how the Phoenvartis Board of Directors had been disbanded. This news was followed by a litany of self-serving praise for himself and the World Council. Slice ended by wrapping his arm around Claude’s shoulder and congratulating him once again. With a big smile on his face, he thanked Claude for conceiving of the ReLife idea and pushing everyone to its successful completion.
"Ya know, Raul. I'd like to interrupt Slice right now and tell these news people exactly who thought of ReLife and was really the leader of the project."
"Helmer, do me a favor and don't say anything. Play along with this nonsense. I have a few surprises for our good buddies Slice and Claude, so let them have their day in the sun for now."
“Okay, ladies and gentlemen. We’re going to start a replicant cloning now. If you could move back beyond the glass wall partitions, we'll begin. Helmer and Raul, can you come over here and start the CR47?" The way Claude asked Helmer and Raul for their help was so smarmy that Raul wanted to throttle Claude right then and there.
Helmer and Raul weaved their way through the crowd of news people and guests to get into the cloning lab.
Raul stopped directly in front of Claude, so he couldn't leave the lab. He looked at Claude and whispered, "You and I are going to have a little chat tomorrow, buddy boy."
Claude was taken by surprise and recoiled at Raul's threatening remark. "Yeah, yeah, sure. Stop by anytime."
Raul loaded the contents of the thermal package into the CR47 and began the process to bring Rollie Sweats back to a world which was worse than when he left it.
16
PLANS FOR THE NEW ROLLIE
Five hours later, the Rollie Sweats' replicant was taken to the primate lab for recovery.
Even though the ‘new’ Rollie was in a semi-catatonic state, a medical doctor examined his brain activity, heart rate, blood pressure and physical response to light, sound, and pain. Easton, Raul, and Helmer stood close by, watching every test the doctor performed. A husky young man in his thirties sat in a corner of the lab keeping tabs on everything taking place and being said. He wore a uniform which Raul had never seen before. On each sleeve were patches identifying the man as belonging to the 3rd W.C. Expeditionary Brigade. A lavender-colored beret sat crookedly on his head. Raul wanted to ask him who he reported to and why he was in the lab, but the determined stare on his face and stiff posture told Raul not to waste any time trying to get information out of the guy. Besides, it was obvious who he worked for. Slice had assigned a sentry to the lab to protect the only person in the world who he believed knew where the World Council host samples were hidden.
After a thirty-minute checkup, the replicant was pronounced physically sound with no obvious maladies or defects. A thermal blanket was draped over the replicant's nude body to keep him warm during the convalescence phase.
"Mr. Hakala, why is Mr. Sweats lying nude in that bed? I thought you said he was killed a couple of days ago."
"Easton, Rollie has been returned to life from death. His body and mind have been replicated from samples taken from his original body."
Easton stared at Raul. Doubt spread across his face. "I don't think I believe you, sir."
"I know it's difficult to believe, Easton. But, it's true. It is now the twenty second century and there have been many technological and scientific breakthroughs since your time. In fact, the original Rollie Sweats is the person who led the team of scientists who figured out how to replicate dead people."
Easton stood motionless for several minutes thinking about Raul's explanation. As much as he wanted to believe Raul, the thought of bringing someone back from the dead was too far-fetched. It reminded him of a story he’d once read about someone named Lazarus who was raised from the dead. But neither Rollie nor Raul had lied to him about anything so he decided to wait until Rollie woke up and ask him for an explanation.
"Mr. Hakala, I have a question for you. If this isn't the real Mr. Sweats, then will this one remember me when he wakes up?"
"I don't know. I sure hope so. I hope he remembers all of us. It might take him some time to recover his full memory, but… well, let's hope it doesn't take long."
"You never told me how the original Mr. Sweats, my friend, was killed. He was murdered, wasn't he?"
"How did you come to that conclusi
on, Easton?"
"With the military man sitting over there, it isn't hard to conclude that someone wants to make sure nothing happens to this new Rollie Sweats. If that's true, then I concluded that the original Rollie Sweats probably died a violent and unexpected death. My deduction has at least a fifty percent chance of being correct."
"You're right. Rollie was shot in the chest by someone. We don't know who the assailant was but I'm hoping Rollie can tell us. Easton, I have to leave now. Do me a favor. When Rollie wakes up and can walk and carry on a conversation, call me on this micromic. All you do is say my name into the micromic and it will connect you with me. Do you understand?"
""Yes, I've watched you and the others use their communication devices enough to understand how they work."
"See you later. Keep a close eye on our boy." Raul patted Easton on the back and headed for the interlocking door. Pretending that he’d forgotten something, Raul made a detour into the kitchen and got an energy drink out of the cooler. The route from the cooler to the exit door passed within inches of the military sentry but Raul strolled past the guard as though he was out for a Sunday afternoon walk in a park. The guard made no effort to ward off Raul's approach or keep him at a restricted distance. This was exactly the reaction Raul had been hoping for from the guard.
For the next hour, Raul walked around the Phoenvartis campus and then spent another hour walking the Zurich promenade. His brain was analyzing every possible outcome to the plans he had already set in motion. The only wild card he worried about was Sedgewick Slice. The guy was so unpredictable, anticipating his every response was impossible. The best Raul could hope for was that Slice chose one of the reactions Raul predicted.
It wasn't as though Slice was a supernatural being. After all, Raul had manipulated him into cloning Rollie. Or, more precisely, he’d predicted that Slice would clone Rollie.
When he was satisfied with his plans, he stopped at the tavern where Gretchen worked.
"Hi, Gretchen. Can you sit with me for a couple of minutes? I have some good news for you."
Gretchen sat down immediately. If there were patrons waiting for her, they could wait until she was done speaking with Raul.
"Gretchen, did Rollie tell you about the cloning project?"
"Yes, he told me a few things. Why?"
Raul played with his fork for a few seconds before he answered. He wondered if what he was about to tell Gretchen was a smart thing to do.
"We cloned Rollie this morning."
Gretchen gasped. Her eyes opened to twice their normal size and her face flushed as though she were a schoolgirl hearing a dirty joke for the first time. Raul worried that she might faint.
"Is he okay, Raul? When can I see him? Where is—"
Raul grabbed Gretchen's hands and said, "Gretchen, listen to me. He appears to be okay. We won't know for sure for at least another twelve hours. He's recuperating now. His body has experienced a traumatic event and it needs all the rest it can get. When he comes out of the semi-catatonic state, I'll talk to him and then let you know his condition. We had a doctor check him over and he appears to be in good physical and mental health."
"Will he remember me?"
"To be honest, I don't know. We're hoping that he recovers all his memory." Raul hesitated for a moment and then continued. "Gretchen, I want you to prepare for the worst. He may not remember you or he may remember you but the connection the two of you had won’t be there any longer. In other words, his personality might be different, and you may not like the new Rollie Sweats."
Tears started to roll down Gretchen's cheeks and Raul instantly regretted saying anything about possible outcomes. A few minutes later, she stopped crying and composed herself well enough to go back to work.
"Raul, thanks for telling me. I can see my manager looking at me, so I should get back to work. Keep me updated, okay?" She leaned over the table and kissed him on the cheek.
"I will, Gretchen."
After dealing with Gretchen's tears and emotions, Raul was no longer hungry. He ordered a glass of wine and put in a call to Inspector Milkweed.
"Milkweed here."
"Jason, this is Hakala. I have a question for you. If I gave you the confession of a World Council member admitting murder, could you arrest and successfully convict him?"
"Are you talking about Slice?"
"Does it matter who it is?"
Milkweed lapsed into silence for a few seconds to think about how to answer Raul's question. "I don't know the answer to that question, Raul. It may or may not matter which World Council member it is."
"Okay, so what’s the answer to my original question?"
"Raul, a week ago, I would have said that I could convict anyone for murder if the case was solid. After seeing the proclamation this morning about globalizing Phoenvartis, I have my doubts. Between the two of us, I expect the Free Zones to be disenfranchised in a few months, perhaps even sooner. When that happens, I’d estimate the chances of convicting a World Council member for murder at zero. I know that's not what you wanted to hear but it’s the honest answer."
"Okay, Jason. I appreciate it. I may get back to you about this. Or… or forget I ever asked the question."
17
MAKING CLAUDE SEE THE LIGHT
At five in the morning, Raul's micromic woke him from a sound sleep.
"Mr. Hakala, this is Easton. You better come to the lab. A little bald guy and two military men came and took Rollie."
"Was Rollie awake or was he still comatose?"
"He was awake and looking around the lab."
"Is the guard still in the lab?"
"No, he left with Rollie."
"Okay. I'll be there in a couple of hours. I know who took Rollie and why. Don't worry. If anything happens before I get there, contact me. Goodbye, Easton."
Raul went back to sleep for another hour. There was no sense rushing to Phoenvartis. Slice was tipped off about Raul's lab visit by the guard wearing the lavender beret so he decided to come to the lab with a couple of thugs to kidnap Rollie. They probably took him somewhere on or close to the Phoenvartis campus for interrogation. All Raul could hope for was that Rollie's memory was foggy or he pretended to have amnesia. The longer Slice kept Rollie hidden the better chance Raul had of getting him back unharmed.
One hour later, Raul's micromic sounded again. He expected to hear Easton's voice but was surprised to hear Milkweed. "Hakala, what's going on at Phoenvartis?"
"Milkweed, I just woke up. What are you talking about?"
"About a half hour ago, we got an anonymous report about a scuffle outside of the main entrance to Phoenvartis. Two or three uniformed men forced a naked man into a hover vehicle and drove away. Unfortunately, the tipster didn't get the vehicle's number."
"Jason, I have no idea what this is about. I'm on my way to Phoenvartis right now and I'll call you after I check it out. By the way, did your source describe how the uniformed men were dressed?"
"Yeah. He said they were wearing light purple berets."
"Okay, thanks, Jason. I'll contact you later."
Raul took his time preparing to go to Phoenvartis. He still couldn't think of a good reason to rush there only to be stymied by Claude and Slice. Without leaving his apartment, Raul had learned about Rollie's kidnapping, that he’d been taken off campus and who had taken him. Now, it was up to Rollie. Raul prayed he could keep Slice at bay for at least a couple days.
When Raul arrived at Phoenvartis he was met by his two senior agents; Murphy and Zeggler. The expression on their faces screamed of confusion and embarrassment.
"Director Hakala, we're supposed to prevent you from entering the office area until approved by Claude Ekstrom."
"Really?" Raul smiled and gave a weak laugh which only added to the agents' confusion. They’d expected a violent reaction from their boss but got the exact opposite.
"Guys, call Claude and tell him I'm in the lobby and would like to see him but I can't be late for my meeting with Inspec
tor Milkweed. The Inspector and I have to go over a couple of murder investigations involving Phoenvartis employees."
The look on Murphy's face was priceless. He didn't know what to think. He was open to any explanation up to and including that Raul was playing a practical joke. Zeggler, on the other hand, was thinking about other things. Raul's first guess was that Zeggler was making plans to seek employment elsewhere.
Raul had to turn away from his agents and focus on something in the lobby, so he wouldn't laugh out loud at the stupidity of the situation.
"Director Hakala, Mr. Ekstrom would like to see you now."
As Raul passed the lobby security checkpoint, he asked his agents, "By the way fellas, which one of you saw a nude man dragged out of the building this morning?"
Zeggler opened his mouth to respond but chose to raise his hand instead. Raul walked right past him without waiting for an explanation. He’d asked the question about the nude man to verbally slap the faces of his senior agents. He was letting them know that he watched their every move and was keeping a scorecard on whether they were loyal to him or Claude.
When he got to the fourth floor, Raul entered Claude's office. He took an energy drink from Claude's cooler and then lit a cigar from Claude's private stock.
"Mr. Hakala who told you to come in here and smoke my—"
"Claude if you want to stay in that chair as the lead man at Phoenvartis, I suggest you shut the hell up and listen. I know you killed Callie. I have you on video, making those stupid snorting sounds you make through your sinuses, at the same time Callie was murdered. In fact, after tweaking the audio you can be heard congratulating yourself on killing her. And then, you laugh at Maxine and make a comment about how she’ll be blamed for Callie's murder. Oh, by the way? I also have the murder weapon which you left behind."
