Genesis Code, (Book 1, Genesis Series)

Chapter 14

That damn Indigene knew Bill and his team was watching. Both Caldwell and Page had defied Bill's orders to stay out of sight. Page had announced she would join the all-female walking group, while Caldwell had moved out of position to "get a better look".

He growled into the microphone at the disloyal pair. 'What the fuck's wrong with you two?'

No answer.

When Isla had trained with them, the ITF military out on the field was a hot topic at the dinner table. She'd struggled with their bullish behaviour that contrasted her teaching approach to assess all situations calmly. His wife had always been strong-willed, but their brawn put her at a disadvantage to her male colleagues, and also the Indigenes. It hurt him to think about the possible reasons why Isla might have disappeared.

He paced the carpet of his ITF apartment, feeling sick as his best chance of locating Isla slipped through his fingers. The orders to his team to keep their distance couldn't have been clearer. Now, the Indigene was gone and their plan to capture it in tatters.

Bill fiddled with his earpiece. 'Caldwell, Page. State your position now.'

He heard nothing.

If the Indigene escaped, chances were slim that it would risk another open-aired meeting. Gilchrist would be pissed, but Bill could handle her. ​What he didn't need was Deighton breathing down his neck.

At the first mission briefing to discuss tracking the alien, Bill had agreed to use officers familiar with the territory. But what surprised him today was their lack of surveillance experience. Now, he had no idea how to take control of the guerrilla-warfare enthusiasts.

His body twitched from the mix of stimulants in his system. Nervous energy and palpitations replaced his lethargy post sleep, just an hour ago. He perched on the edge of his chair and drummed his fingers on the DPad as he waited for a response from anyone in the field.

It had been a stupid move to send Ben Watson into the middle of a dangerous situation. But Bill didn't see how else to record the scene. Through the device inside the teddy bear Bill had seen the alterations made to the Indigene's skin. Its likeness to humans—both physically and in its mannerisms—unsettled him. He'd turned away the first time the Indigene got close to the hidden camera. But then he pushed aside his anger and turned back. That's when he saw the brown contact lenses.

Their ability to create technology and adapt to the human environment made them not only imaginative but highly intelligent. Yet they were also mindless killers. How could they be both? The Indigene said their race had lived on the surface before the humans arrived. Since reports of them hadn't come to light until a year ago, Bill assumed it was the terraforming explosions that had driven them underground. Was this "Stephen" simply curious when it went to meet the boy, or did it have a sinister motive?

Bill stood up and looked out the window at a tree-filled park with no Indigene. His only reason for catching Stephen alive was to find Isla. But the World Government wanted the alien for other reasons. Interrogation? Torture? World Government memos had mentioned co-existence—and their destruction. When the World Government scientists and geneticists got their hands on it, when they had finished their extensive tests, he doubted they would keep it alive.

That's why Bill needed to nab the alien before the truth died with it.

But the Indigene had not yet escaped.

He looked back at the DPad on the table, waiting for his team to resume contact. The device inside the bear was still recording but the grainy images were no longer useful.

For a moment he considered joining the pursuit to gain back control. But he was too far away from the chase to be of any use to his team. He had to rely on their eyes and ears.

Bill pulled the thin microphone closer to his mouth. 'Caldwell? I know you're out there and I know you can hear me. Answer me now, dammit!'

A heavy silence hung in the air. 'Who's down there? Is somebody going to answer me? Because if I have to come down myself, I'll find you and—' His heart jackhammered, forcing him to pull in a sharp breath.

He released the breath. Slowly. 'This is Taggart. Somebody had better pick up now. I'm not fucking about here.'

His hands quivered from a mixture of agitation and stimulants. He was sick of this shit. After today he was done with coffee for good. 'Jesus, come on...'

A voice broke through the still air and startled him.

'Jones here. Sorry for the silence earlier. It was necessary. Over.'

'Jones, what the hell is happening down there? I've lost both visual and audio. Where the hell is Caldwell?'

'Caldwell and Page took off after the alien. It absconded from the gardens moments ago. They are maintaining radio silence for the time being. Over.'

'Well, where's it headed?'

'Towards the Maglev station. The one in the New Victoria district. Over.'

He slammed his fist on the table. 'Jones, give me all of it right now.'

Jones continued, faster this time. 'The alien is closing on the main entrance. It already had an extensive head start on us, so following it has been difficult. The crowds have managed to slow it up for now. Caldwell and Page are on its trail, but if it gets inside the station, we will lose it for sure. Over.'

'Jones, I want you to keep this line open. I need regular updates. If we don't capture it today, then somebody will need to explain to Gilchrist why they fucked up. Got it?'

'Roger that, Taggart. Over,' said Jones.

'Oh, and make sure it's alive,' said Bill. 'Nobody is to harm the alien. Understood?'

Jones clicked off, sending Bill off to pace the living room again.

Today's insubordination wouldn't matter if he could just get a minute alone with the Indigene before it was carted off to the ESC or World Government.

The mission should have been a done deal. Everything had been so convenient: the second meeting with the boy, the recording equipment. If they came away with nothing, then Gilchrist, and eventually Deighton, would be all over him.

Another voice broke through. 'Officer Page here. We are pursuing the alien but it's too quick for us. It seems to know the streets well. Over.' Her breathless words indicated that she was on the move.

'Don't you dare lose it, Page. If it gets into the tunnel system, then we won't have a hope of tracking it.'

'I understand that, Taggart, but you need to know it's not looking good.'

'I don't want to hear it, Page.'

'The alien knows we're following and has altered its pattern through the crowds to try to shake us. As I've already said, we can't match its speed.' Page took a few deep breaths before continuing. 'The alien is already at the next corner. It's just a straight run now to the train station entrance. I've got to go. Over.'

'Shit.'

Radio silence and a few tense minutes followed without an update. Bill tried to practise patience but failed. They had to capture the Indigene and his team's best chance was to grab it before it entered the station. Before it disappeared in the network of underground tunnels for the Maglev train.

His uneasiness increased as he considered the similarities between the two races. The reports said the Indigenes were a crude and animal-like species, not an alien race with superior intelligence.

Had they perceived Isla to be a threat?

Yet, nothing about the interaction between Stephen and Ben Watson felt threatening. If he was being honest, none of this felt right.

A new voice shrilled through Bill's earpiece.

'Caldwell here. We are in New Victoria station. Over.'

'Tell me you caught it.'

'It's gone.'