Lennox Corporation: Book 1 in the Savior Series

by Mark Browning

  Claire came in looking like it had been quite a long day. We went over what was accomplished so far but she said she still had a few loose ends to tie up to assure my safe passage into the city. I thanked her for everything. Things were moving so fast, I really hadn’t had a chance to do that yet. She smiled, took my hand and said, “We both know what we have to do”. After she left, I reflected back to the Special Commander's statement. Might he be aware of my abilities, maybe even from the beginning? What else did he know? What was he really after with me? Those were a few of the questions forming in my mind. When Claire returned later that evening, she came and found me to finalize the details and solidify the plan. "Before we move on, would you mind answering a few more questions concerning the Nano-tech technology?" I said. Her eyes met my gaze and remained steady as she spoke, “I know this is important to you and I’m always ready to answer your questions”.

  I wanted to understand Nano-tech better, but more importantly, I needed to learn the vulnerabilities. Claire decided it was best to start from the beginning and I agreed. Apparently she was among the first to develop Nano-tech and began injecting herself early in the process to prevent Lennox Corp from testing it on unknowing members of the slums. She explained to me, back then only S.C. 1 existed and that Lennox Corp was not the only Corporation operating in the world. This was very confusing, mind you; all I had ever known was Lennox Corp, the cities, the slums and the Wasteland. My mother said this was the way Lennox Corp wanted it. They couldn’t risk losing resources and workers to other Corporations, as Lennox Corp was already the smallest and weakest of the remaining corporations. Apparently, there were two other Corporations operating beyond the Wasteland, Bliskin Corp. and Clarity Corp. Bliskin Corp was the big dog and a percentage of everything Lennox Corp and Clarity Corp produced went to Bliskin Corp for the right to operate. The next part really blew my mind. My mother had been part of the team responsible for the creation of Nano-tech. A few team members opted to inject themselves, which allowed the technology to advance at a rapid pace. In only a few short years, the team had Nano-tech targeting specific traits of a person, making them faster, stronger and smarter; but Lennox Corp’s favorite was smarter. After the advance of Nano-tech, Lennox Corp put a plan into motion to overthrow the other two corporations and take control. They began testing everyone, even the people in the slums, looking for people with above average intelligence. They then took these people away. No one ever saw them again. In the meantime, the residents of the slums believed they had given the people a better life as a member of the city. What she said next turned my stomach, “In reality, they were being taken to the Barge and placed into medically induced comas, pumped full of Nano-tech and hooked up to massive computer systems." I could now see the entire picture. “So, there are no servers; the people are the servers”, I said. My mother seemed pleased with my ability to understand the direction of this tragic story. She said to me with deep concern in her eyes, “You see now why I went into hiding? The only way to stop Lennox Corp is to take out that barge and kill thousands of innocent, unknowing people.” I could now see the moral dilemma she had dealt with her entire life. She said, “Now is the time to fight back. Lennox Corp is strengthening their forces and taking over the slums trying to drafting unwilling residents into combat to fight against the other corporations. They had all the brain power they needed; they have produced plenty of weapons, now they just needed an army. We have to stop them.” There was still much more I wanted to know, but I knew we needed to move on to the plan we had formulated. Claire said the pieces were set in play quicker than expected and I was good to enter the city tomorrow night.

  Lennox Corp had become arrogant, believing their cities to be impenetrable, but years of mistreatment to the city’s people had led to corruption against Lennox Corp. My mother had an entire network of workers on the inside that would be at my disposal if I needed them. I hoped to accomplish the task alone and be back in the slums before anybody knew what happened. It was nice to know that I had a support system within the city if things got complicated. The deeper in I went, the more it became about getting answers than revenge. I needed to take my time with the Special Commander and persuade him to talk. If Claire and I were going to take down Lennox Corp, the Special Commander could prove vital to our success.

  CHAPTER 13

  The City

  Claire and I developed a solid scheme for getting into the city. If everything flowed to plan, that part should be easy. Unfortunately, the only sure way to get out of the city without being detected is the waste outflow tunnel. Though not a glamorous escape, it gives me the best opportunity to escape the city undetected. Claire would make sure I had a vehicle available on the other side of the outflow. The more I reviewed the logistics, the more I realized I would never have the time I needed to interrogate the Special Commander while we were in the city. I needed to incapacitate him and drag him through the outflow tunnel with me. I had to get him back to my bunker where I could break him. We need his intel to dismantle Lennox Corp.

  Getting me into the city worked just as planned. My mother’s people created a small distraction near the guard tower of the East entrance. She paid the two men manning the post to inspect the disturbance without calling it in to the central security and they earned their credits. Claire had bribed the guards at the gate to look the other way while her friend escorted me through the checkpoint. Once we were past the checkpoint, he took me back to his lab and updated my micro-chip with security code giving me access around the city. He gave me a keycard and an address to a house where I could stay stocked with food, clothing and a vehicle to use while in the city. When I went to thank him, he rushed me to a door at the other end of the basement and said “good luck”. It seems the interaction among citizens is limited to work relationships, any interactions beyond that are discouraged, so this rush was not surprising. I laid low for the evening in my new house. Hopefully, the downloaded security code will allow me access to the places I need to go while shadowing the commander. My goal was to find the weakness in his routine so I could isolate and remove him without being detected. I hoped to be back at the bunker deep in discussion with the commander before anyone even knew he was missing.

  Claire’s contact Clarence had provided me with the Special Commander’s domicile location and that was where I planned to start. I arrived very early and took up a covert position. The Special Commander would never expect me to be here shadowing him, but he was highly intelligent and not to be underestimated. Once he left the house, I stayed quite a distance behind him but close enough to avoid losing him, using the crowded streets as cover. The first couple of days, trailing him through the city, I couldn’t help but notice that much of what we had been told about the city was a lie. I had heard about the interaction rules, but the atmosphere was one of a cold, dead city run by artificial intelligence. It felt like a tragic cultural sterilization had taken place. There was no interaction outside of work. Everywhere I looked, the mindless faces passed right by me, never even looking me in the eyes; work, home repeat. This society had relinquished the freedom of the true emotions that come with living like joy, anger, love, and hate to satisfy their superficial desires of physical perfection and monetary fulfillment. I always thought the Lennox Corp had enslaved the slums, but the reality is they have enslaved the cities and now they want the slums, my slums. I had seen all that I needed to see these last couple of days. I must shut Lennox Corp down for good.

  I spent 3 days following the Special Commander. He was a very particular man. Every day he ate breakfast at 7:30 a.m. in his Sun Room with the skylight open, followed by a rigorous 1hr. workout routine. He then closes the skylight and heads to the shower. Exactly 35 minutes after his workout his security convoy shows up and they begin their rounds. All day long he goes from branch to branch of the Lennox Corp security tree monitoring production and checking for inefficiencies and security protocol breeches. He never skips a branch. The day takes about 12 hours and has
a sinister grind to it. I never saw him eat lunch. So far, I have not seen an opportunity present itself during the day. He is surrounded by security whether in a car, on the sidewalk or walking the halls of the security branches. After he completes the review of the last branch, his security convoy drops him off at home. Here, he heads out to his sunroom, opens the skylight and stares at the sky while he eats his dinner. He takes in another protein paste about 30 minutes after dinner, and grinds out another 1hr workout. After completing the workout, he enjoys one last gaze through the skylight, about 10 minutes worth, and then shuts it down to head for the showers and bed. I will have to hit him at home. Anywhere else would be suicide even for me. I just had to bide my time and wait for him to make a mistake.

  I stopped following him to work and instead focused my energies on surveillance of the home and how he spent his time there. I began watching him every second he was home, waiting for my opportunity. I believed I had found a way to get to him, but I still had to get inside the house. In the meantime, I had Clarence pick up a few things I thought I would need. A few adjustments to his biometric security panel should give him a jolt, but less than 30,000 volts. I want him incapacitated not dead; not yet. I could then inject him with a tranquilizer. Hopefully, he won’t wake until we are through the outflow pipe. I spent almost 2 weeks watching him go through the same routine every morning and every night. His routine was unrelentingly diligent. I was thinking I would have to go kamikaze if I didn’t get in soon.

  Finally, the break I had been waiting for was here. He received a call and cut his workout short. He had headed to the shower without shutting the skylight. I watched as the security team arrived and he headed to the front door. I anxiously waited for him to leave. He glanced back at the skylight, as if talking himself into leaving it open, and headed on out for his daily rounds. I knew he would be gone 12 hours, and I only needed 20 minutes. I scaled up the side of the house onto the roof and dropped down through the open skylight. I immediately headed for the biometric panel and got to work. The tech was good, but outdated. You could tell they had grown comfortable in their security and lived without fear of attack, at least from outside the walls of the city. It only took me 15 minutes to wire the panel. Now it was a waiting game. After what felt like a very long day of anticipation I could hear the convoy rumbling up the street right on time. I tucked back into my cranny and prepared the tranquilizer as the Special Commander approached the door. Just like I had planned it, zap, and it knocked the Special Commander back on his ass. I could tell he was only dazed, so I moved quickly. I pushed hard on his flank, sinking the needle into his neck and putting him to sleep. I dragged his body inside, tied his hands up and wrapped him in a sheet. I cleaned up the area and carried him outside, throwing his body into the trunk. Through back roads and alley ways, I made my way to the outflow pipe. There was a curfew, so a citizen spotting me was of no concern, but if a patrol spotted us it was game over. I parked the vehicle as close as possible but the walk to the outflow pipe was still half a mile away. I stayed in the darkest areas I could find stopping every few meters to check my surroundings and put the Special Commander down. I could see the outflow tunnel but there were patrols in the area and no way to reach them right now. I stashed the commander’s body and watched to determine how many patrols I was facing. There were three 2 man patrols one of them was stationary guarding the Waste outflow pipe. It was clear they knew this was a weak point, and kept a presence around it at all times. I began clocking the patrols timing their rounds, and found a window for attack. The patrol on the outskirts had a 3 minute window where they were not visible to either of the other patrols. I focused on them first. Iwanted to keep it quiet, so swift and silent with my bare hands would be the weapon of choice. I made my way to the blind spot. There was a small outbuilding with old generators in it. I’m guessing it was an old workshop. I climbed on top to take a position. As they approached, I waited for them to pass under me, and leaping from the building I knocked both men down to the ground. I pinned one man with my knee grabbing the other man around the neck as I fell. I choked the life from the man in my arms then applied added pressure from my knee crushing the second man’s windpipe. The life fluttered from his eyes. I removed the men’s knives and made my way up to where the second patrol was working. I snuck right past them and took out the two guarding the pipe, dumping them down the chute. Just as I had expected the remaining patrol was making their rounds, no idea the other patrols around them were dead. I had no time to play with these two. I got within range and hit both of them in the back with the cold steel of the knives. I dragged the rest of the bodies over and dumped them into the waste outflow pipe. I needed to cover my tracks for as long as possible.

  Having cleared the way to the outflow chute, I returned to the Special Commander to find him still sleeping like a baby. I threw him over my shoulders and headed for the pipe. I took a deep breath and prepared myself mentally for what I was about to do. I dropped the Special Commander down the pipe first. I was right behind him following his sliding body through the waste outflow. This ride was not for the faint of heart, surrounded by trash and feces while being thrown around an old rusty pipe. This was not my idea of a good time. After what felt like an eternity we came spitting out into the Wasteland on top of a monster pile of waste and debris that had to have been collecting since the beginning of Lennox Corp. I fished the Special Commander’s body out of the sloppy mess and once again threw him over my shoulders. As planned, Claire managed to have a vehicle waiting for me. We had made it out of the city and now were only a few miles away from my bunker. I would have the Special Commander singing in no time. I turned my focus to the task at hand, but as I looked back, I couldn’t help but reflect on the truths revealed about the city.

  CHAPTER 14

  Interrogation

  A fter what seemed like an extremely long ride, with the stench of the outflow permeating everything, I needed a shower desperately, not to mention a little sleep. The commander would be a better candidate for interrogation if I saved his shower for later, plus I wasn’t ready to bring him around. He would wake up soon and probably in a panic. I didn’t need him waking me. Besides, I always prefer to interrogate a person when I am fresh, giving me a mental and physical position of power. I slept like a baby knowing that the Special Commander was locked up tight and in my possession. I woke up the next morning and as I passed him, I could see the fear in his eyes. I took my time getting to him. I took a stroll around the yard to stretch my legs. I made myself some breakfast and then sat over in the corner to read for a little while. After a few hours, I approached the Special Commander, strung him up by his under arms in a very uncomfortable position and removed his gag. He didn’t say a word he was waiting to see what approach I intended to use. I explained to him that this would go one of two ways: I ask the questions and he answers on his own or I ask the questions and force him to answer. The choice was his to make. I gave him some water and then put his gag back in. I then picked up my book and returned to reading. The psychological warfare would break him not the physical so I wanted to assert myself mentally right away and let him think about his choices. We both knew this wouldn’t end well but only I knew exactly how it would end. Once I had the information needed to take down Lennox Corp, I would crush his skull.

  The time had come to see which path the commander had chosen. I removed the gag and asked the commander “How long were you on to me?” He responded arrogantly “Not too long after I hired you for the first job.” My next question was an easy one “How did you know about me?” He chuckled and answered “When you do a job you best finish it. You took out Waylon’s Serpents, who worked for me by the way, but you didn’t get Waylon did you? Waylon watched from a lookout tower as you proceeded to take out his entire crew. In disbelief, he of course headed straight to me.” I then asked the commander, “How did you know I was still alive after the Bunker Busters exploded?” He smirked, “I didn’t. I was just being cautious after the s
tory Waylon told me. I knew you weren’t special just enhanced by Nano-tech. The thing I don’t know is how.” “We will get to that. I’m asking the questions and you are answering them remember?” I said reminding him who was running this show. This man was no stranger to the techniques of interrogation. I continued with my next question, “What is the barge and how do I find it?” He began laughing; I didn’t take him for the type who ever laughed. He responded, “Is that what this is about? You think you can take down Lennox Corp. Do you know what the barge is?” he said. I came back sharply, “Yes I do. It’s where they stock a ship with innocent people pumped full of Nano-tech and use their brains as servers to run Lennox Corp.” The look of shock on his face was priceless, I had him. I told him I also knew about the other corporations and the plan Lennox Corp had to overthrow them and rise to power. You could tell he was feeling defeated his entire demeanor changed. I asked him again, reminding him of the questioning rules. “Where is the barge and how do I access it?” “I can’t tell you that and you know I can’t.” He muttered. I fixed my hand into a firm pointed arrow and dug my fingers in between his ribs, moving them back and forth in the ribcage. He screamed out in excruciating pain. I looked him deep in the eyes as I whispered, “This will get much worse before it gets better. You will beg me to kill you. Answer the question and save yourself the pain and me the pleasure.” You could see that he was already starting to crack; he wasn’t used to being on the receiving end. It was time to solidify my position and speed up the process. I reached over with a pair of wire cutters and removed his left thumb. As he screamed, I took my small torch and cauterized the wound; the commander passed out. I sat patiently waiting for him to come out of it. After a few minutes, the pain brought him around. As he regained focus on me, I held the torch up where he could see it. I asked him, “Would you like me to talk for a few minutes while you get the details about the barge in order?” I could tell he still needed a little more time. I went on, “You wanted to know how I ended up with Nano-tech inside of me? Well Special Commander, I am Nano-tech!”