The Shox Gene Variant Page 19

  “Do either of you have a better idea?”

  ***

  Billy watched as Carina slept entirely covered by two heavy blankets. Down the hall, he heard Jonathan’s loud snoring from the spare bedroom. Both Carina and Jonathan were under doctor’s orders to rest, and it had not taken long for the two of them to crash. Hillary lay on the couch watching the news broadcast showing Raina with the President when Acey and Annie arrived.

  “Come on in,” she said.

  “How are they doing?” Acey asked.

  “Fine. They’re sleeping.”

  Hillary shut the monitor off knowing that the scenes on the moon would upset them.

  “How’s Dirk doing?”

  “As well as can be expected. His blood pressure was sky high. Norma has him confined to the house. You can imagine how he’s reacting to that,” Annie said.

  The worried look on Acey’s face was painfully evident. “Did you see Raina with the President?” Hillary asked.

  “Yes, she was great. Wasn’t she?” Acey asked, sighing.

  There was an uneasy silence while Acey and Hillary were drawn back to the circumstances leading to how they met Raina. “It doesn’t seem that long ago, does it?” Hillary asked.

  “Not really,” Acey answered.

  “What are you guys talking about?” Annie asked.

  “I’ve told you the story about how your Aunt Raina and I met.”

  “You told me that Dirk was the one to discover that she was your half-sister.”

  “That’s true, but the first time I met her, she was part of a cult called the Earthers. You’ve heard of them?” Acey asked Annie.

  “I seem to remember the name.”

  “Well, they were protesting at the Academy when she and I got into a scuffle.”

  “A scuffle! No way!”

  “Yes. I pressed charges against her. That’s when I met your father. He was a Private in the Guard back then and the one who handled the paperwork to have Raina arrested.”

  “You never told me that,” Annie said.

  Acey stopped speaking as the old emotions came rushing back. Hillary gave her a nod to continue talking.

  “I was living with your Great-Grandfather at the time. That was when he was framed for killing his best friend by a greedy Dean at the Academy. It was Raina who planted evidence at the scene implicating Dirk.”

  Again, she paused, digging herself deeper into a past that she wanted to forget.

  “How about some coffee?” Billy asked, coming down the stairs.

  Hillary nodded, and he disappeared into the kitchen.

  “So, what happened?” Annie asked.

  “Well, you know the rest of the story. We found proof that Dirk was innocent, and he was vindicated.”

  “So how did Dirk find out that Aunt Raina was his granddaughter?”

  Acey took a deep breath. Before she uttered a word, Billy walked in with coffee and pastries. “Help yourself. Got these fresh from the bakery this afternoon.”

  Annie watched her mother wipe the perspiration from her forehead. She noticed her hand trembling when Acey lifted the coffee cup.

  “Mom, I don’t need to know the details.”

  “Yes, you do. I mean, I want you to know. It’s who we are and how we came to be. It seems that my father and Raina’s mother had an affair while away on an archeological dig. The details were painfully documented in letters your great grandfather saved. He gave them to me to read.”

  Acey’s hand trembled as she put the coffee cup down. “Until then, I hated Raina for planting the evidence. I never connected the dots between my father and Raina’s mother. It was Dirk who saw her for who she really was – a confused young girl used by Earthers and a greedy Dean. It took a while for Raina to deal with the truth. It took me longer,” she said, now crying.

  “Mom, I didn’t mean to pry.”

  “You’re not prying,” Acey said, drawing Annie close to her. “It’s who we are. Those were the circumstances that brought us together and our love for each other keeps us that way.”

  She kissed Annie on the forehead. “I still have the letters. I would like you to read them to understand more about my father and mother. And even though you’re not my flesh and blood, I couldn’t love you more.”

  ***

  Aidan slinked through the streets avoiding the hordes of Replicants until he arrived at Sandra’s hotel. The guests and staff watched through the windows as the drama unfolded in the streets. Their doors were locked when Aidan tried to enter, and everyone eyed him with suspicion. No one would let him in. Several Replicants heard him shouting and approached slowly, blasters drawn.

  “Hey! Let me in!” he shouted, banging frantically.

  “I know him. Let him in!” Sandra said.

  The manager reluctantly opened the door and locked it quickly behind Aidan. The Replicants peered in but did nothing. Inside, everyone nervously watched them.

  “We have to get Gretchen,” he said, dragging her towards the rear of the lobby. “We have to get her out of Guard HQ.”

  “How? They’ve taken over the place.”

  Aidan looked outside. The Replicants stood in the streets as if waiting for instructions. “I don’t know if we will succeed, but we have to try if you want to see her again. We’re only two blocks away. I think we can get there safely.”

  “Then what?”

  Aidan shrugged his shoulders. “We’ll figure it out when we get there.”

  Sandra turned to look outside. The Replicants had not hurt anyone as far as she could tell. “Okay, let’s do it.”

  They took the stairs two levels down to the parking garage. Aidan led her to the other end and up the exit ramp which led out to a side street. Several Replicants stood across the street staring in the other direction.

  “This way,” Aidan said, heading for the parked vehicles across the street. Ducking behind one, Aidan peered out to survey the situation. “Stay here,” he said, running to the next block. He looked around the building and down the street leading to Guard HQ. Several vehicles slowly moved down the street. Replicants surrounded HQ. He ran back to Sandra.

  “The place is surrounded. I don’t know how we can get in.”

  His com link buzzed. “Aidan, we found a transmitter that Foster brought back to life. It’s not very powerful, but we were able to send a message back to Earth. How are you doing?” Captain Tom asked.

  “Sandra and I are a block away from HQ. It’s surrounded. I don’t think we can make it in. Did Earth respond?”

  “Not yet. Not sure they even got the message.”

  Aidan let out a sigh of discouragement. “We have to get Gretchen. I think she can help us. Is there any way you can create a disturbance and lure them away from the back entrance?”

  “According to the layout of the city we got from Acey’s mining company, there is a building with a tunnel that leads to the ventilation and electrical systems for buildings on that block, including Guard HQ. The passage you want is on level sub 4. Find a door marked D13. Not sure if it’s locked, but that will lead you into HQ,” Foster said.

  “Okay. We’ll try it. I’ll keep you posted.”

  Aidan told Sandra the plan, and they went from parked vehicle to parked vehicle, avoiding being seen by the Replicants. They needed to get into the building. From what Aidan could see, it looked vacant. “Let’s try to get in around the back,” Aidan said.

  They made it to the shipping docks, but ten Replicants were walking towards them. “Quick. We have to get inside.” Aidan said, pushing buttons to open the doors.

  Nothing happened. He heard the shuffling of the Replicants coming closer. “Shit!” he whispered, hitting the buttons again.

  “Over here,” Sandra said. She was trying to remove a drain cover in the ground. Aidan ran over and together they moved the grate barely enough to squeeze in. There was no time to explore the putrid hole. Aidan jumped down first and landed quickly in sludge. There was a faint ray of light. Sandra fell on top
of him.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said, wiping the muck from her face.

  “Down here. I see a light,” he said.

  They sloshed through to the other end where there was a door. It was locked. There was barely enough light to see. Looking around, Aidan found a heavy metal pipe. “Watch out!” he said, beating on the control panel.

  Sparks flew, causing a brief glimpse of vermin scurrying around. Aidan pushed the door, and it opened into a maintenance closet. He found a light switch and flipped it on. His com link buzzed.

  “Hey, we got in the building across the street,” Aidan said.

  “Well, you better hurry. The Replicants are on the move. I hear shooting all over the place,” Captain Tom said.

  29

  The sign on the wall said level sub 4. “We’re on the right floor,” Aidan said, looking down the hallway. “This way,” he pointed as they looked for door D13.

  “Here it is,” Sandra said.

  To Aidan’s surprise, it was open. It led to another corridor. Air scrubbers, along with electrical conduit, ran the entire length on both sides of the hallway. There was barely enough room for them to walk through. It was dark except for a dim light about one hundred yards down. They moved slowly to avoid tripping on cabling laying on the floor. Reaching the light, they saw that it was an array of LED’s connected to several power generators.

  “This must supply the buildings in this area, and this must be the door leading to Guard HQ,” Aidan said, pointing to the door slightly behind the equipment. “Are you ready?” he asked Sandra.

  She nodded, and he opened the door slightly and looked in. No one was around. He motioned for her to follow. From what Aidan could see, it looked like unused office space. There was a pair of elevators outside the office.

  “The holding cells are on level 2.” Aidan pushed the button, and the elevator doors opened. There was no one there. They moved into the elevator and hit the level 2 button. With no place to hide, Aidan stood in front of the door, blaster in hand, and waited for it to open. When it did, Aidan crouched in combat position ready to shoot. But the area was empty. He breathed a sigh of relief as they quickly moved to the holding cell location.

  “There she is!” Sandra said, pointing to the furthest cell on the right. As they got closer, Gretchen stood up and watched as Aidan tried the code to deactivate the force-field. It didn’t work.

  “They must have changed the code.” Aiming his blaster towards the device, he motioned for Sandra to move back and pulled the trigger. Sparks flew with several loud pops, and the force field went down. Gretchen came running out, and Sandra caught her in a long embrace.

  “They wouldn’t let me out. They called me a traitor.” Gretchen said. Gretchen’s confusion was written on her face. Sandra felt sorry for her daughter.

  They heard footsteps marching down the hallway.

  “Come on! We need to leave now! Aidan said.

  “What are we going to do?” Sandra asked.

  “Follow me. I have an idea.”

  ***

  Gretchen’s father stood at the table waiting for the arrival of the reports. His generals had secured all areas of the city and, except for a few renegades, the population had been subdued. He beamed with pleasure, watching the monitors.

  “Convene the high council. It is time we set our next phase in motion.”

  “Yes, Mien Furher,” his assistant acknowledged.

  He turned to his lead scientist. “How many have we lost?”

  “At last count, thirty-three.” He said.

  “They performed admirably. Have we secured the weapon from the Grays?”

  “We have, and we tested it several times. It works perfectly.”

  “Do you have video of the tests?”

  “Yes,” the lead scientist said.

  An awkward looking array of dish antennae clustered unevenly around a massive hole on the surface of the moon. The ground opened up, and a black metal structure ascended, holding a crystalline tube eighteen feet long. It glowed crimson red and was swung into position. An asteroid came into vision on another monitor.

  “This is the target we selected for the test,” the lead scientist said. “It was one of the biggest in the asteroid belt, about fifty miles in diameter.”

  There was an audible pulse when the crystal cannon discharged a white light, and in three seconds, instead of an asteroid, space dust remained.

  “Excellent work! Now, prepare it to target Earth.”

  “Yes, Mien Fuhrer!”

  ***

  Aidan led them down the hallway where the power generator was located. A group of Replicants were in hot pursuit.

  “In here! Quick” he said closing the door behind him.

  He studied the equipment and located the main trunk line feeding the electrical distribution system.

  “Aidan! Hurry! They’re coming,” Sandra screamed.

  “Head back where we started. I’ll be there in a minute. If I’m not there in five minutes, leave the way we came in and get back to the restaurant.” He gave Sandra his com link. “Call Captain Tom and tell him you have Gretchen.”

  Footsteps stopped by the door. It opened slightly allowing Aidan to see a crack of light.

  “Go! Now!”

  They took off down the hallway. Aidan pulled out his blaster and fired directly into the main trunk line. The explosion knocked Aidan across the room as a fireball shot up to the ceiling. Dazed and gasping for air, Aidan stumbled in the dark, feeling the walls as he crawled down the hallway. His lungs filled with hot smoke and the heat seared his eyes. He fell to his knees, laying there gasping for air. Was Carina’s vision coming true, he thought. The swirls of white smoke circled above him like storm clouds over the desert. He thought of the camping trips with Acey and Annie during the monsoon storms. Smiling, he called out to them. Someone grabbed his arms.

  “Acey, is that you?”

  Another pair of hands grabbed him under the shoulders and lifted him slightly up before he fell back to the floor.

  “Aidan, get up! We have to go now!”

  “Acey? Is that you?”

  Sandra shoved him from behind while Gretchen pulled his arms. He managed to stand and rested by leaning on the wall.

  “Let’s go!” Gretchen yelled.

  He stumbled down the hallway and through the sewer. When they emerged through the hole, the entire street was pitch black. They heard people screaming and caught fleeting glimpses of mass confusion and chaos. Aidan lay there catching his breath while Sandra contacted Captain Tom on the com link.

  “Captain, this is Sandra. I have Gretchen. Aidan is injured and needs medical attention.”

  “Hold on. Foster and I will be right there.”

  Gretchen listened to Aidan’s belabored breathing as she brushed the hair from his face. Sandra noticed the gesture.

  “Do you have feelings for him?”

  Gretchen pulled her hand back and turned away, hiding her embarrassment. When she didn’t answer, Sandra took her silence for a Yes.

  “Have you ever felt strongly about someone?” Sandra asked.

  “I wasn’t allowed to,” Gretchen responded, continuing to look away. “Father said I needed to keep focused on the Fourth Reich. There was no time to spend on foolish romances.”

  Sandra gritted her teeth thinking about all that Gretchen had been through. She put her hand on Gretchen’s shoulder. “Someday, my dear, you will find the right person. You’re beautiful and intelligent and have a lot to offer.”

  Aidan coughed and vomited violently at the same time the lights came on. The street was lit up, and they were exposed. Sandra turned Aidan’s head to the side until the spasms stopped.

  “Where are we?” he asked.

  “We made it out of the building. They must have found an alternate power source because the lights are back on,” Gretchen said.

  “I don’t see the Replicants,” Aidan said, raising his head.
<
br />   “I know. Something weird is happening,” Sandra said.

  A vehicle slowly drove down the street. Sandra recognized Captain Tom and Foster and flagged them down. “Over here,” she said, waving her arms.

  They loaded Aidan in the back seat with Foster and Sandra while Gretchen sat in the front seat.

  “What happened to Aidan?” Foster asked.

  “Aidan was responsible for the power outage. That’s how we were able to escape the Replicants after getting Gretchen out of the holding cell,” Sandra answered. “What’s been going on?”

  “The Replicants are in some type of stand down mode. We set up a command center in the restaurant and established communications with Earth on a secured channel. Federated Earth Defenses are preparing an armada to leave shortly. We were told to be the eyes and ears for them,” Captain Tom said.

  Aidan coughed and sat up. “We have to find where these Replicants are being spawned and destroy that place.”

  “Gretchen told us where the facility is located, but we don’t have the people or the weapons to destroy it. We’ll have to wait for the Armada to reach us,” Captain Tom said.

  They walked into the restaurant where several Citizen Guard and civilians had set up a makeshift communications center. Aidan was feeling better but still had problems breathing.

  “Captain! The monitors!” Foster shouted as they now displayed the flag of the Fourth Reich. Music played from 19th-century Earth which no one recognized except for Gretchen. “That’s the Nazi anthem,” she said, almost in a whisper.

  The music stopped and was replaced by a picture of Gretchen’s father surrounded by the Fourth Reich High Council. “Citizens of New Moon City and of Earth. We are now in control and have established this place as the new capitol of the Fourth Reich. Soon, citizens of Earth will be part of our glorious Aryan Nation. Those who resist will be eliminated. All hostilities from Earth must cease. We have weapons that can blow Earth apart in minutes.”

  A picture of an asteroid replaced his face, and then the monitor went white as fragments floated where the asteroid used to be.