CHAPTER 11
"Put your hands down, Dr. Kane, this is not a robbery and I have no desire to harm you, just do pot turn around!"
"What is this all about?" Martin asked, almost pleading. "What do you want from me?" Martin's voice was quivering but his thoughts were clear. He listened closely to the voice and tried to analyze the words and tone to get a feel for who this might be. "Do we know each other?" he asked. "Is that why you won't talk face to face?"
"I know you. Let us just leave it at that."
The muffled voice seemed purposely disguised so no identity might be revealed. Martin tried to assess his captor. Male, female, young, old, nationality? There were no concrete clues.
He got his nerve up and started to turn around when an arm extended hard into his back. "Not knowing my identity is for your sake, as well as mine, so stay the way you are and just listen!"
Martin stood very still.
"As my letter stated, I witnessed a scientific experiment that went awry. The scientist involved was trying to create the perfect cloning process," the voice became agitated, "and yes, before you ask, the scientist was well aware of the legal and moral ramifications but... it was a lifetime worth of work started long before the laws prohibiting cloning came to be. The scientist had worked for years and felt he was entitled to see his efforts through to fruition. Then, one day the prohibition laws were approved. Time was running out so the scientist actively sought the answers he needed to complete the project. I am sure you can understand how after many, many years of experimenting and then getting so close... you must keep going."
Martin could almost sympathize with the predicament as it was being explained and the obvious remorse in the way it was being described.
"That was when things got out of hand. There was so much at stake but because of the deadline for the new cloning laws taking effect, pressure and stress took hold and mistakes were made. I am sure I do not need to go into what happens when you proceed with an experiment without all the answers...and are desperate to achieve the solutions."
Martin knew the dangers of cloning experiments, first hand, "What got out of hand?" He demanded!
"Genetic markers were not properly identified but were used, anyway. Not just for cell identification but to alter cell composition and duplication. You see, the scientist was working from different sources of notes and did not correlate them correctly."
There was a desperate cry in the voice, "Do you understand what I am saying Dr. Kane?" The voice didn't wait for an answer, "The scientist ignored all the signs and went to the next step anyway and then continued on to the ultimate final step, to create a super human..."
Martin interrupted, "If I'm understanding you correctly, this scientist believed he could clone a human: not just plants and animals or dying body parts but a functional human being with specific DNA signatures, is that correct?
"That's essentially correct!"
Martin couldn't believe his ears. Remy and I once hoped to create cloned replacement parts for dying organs and eventually but now.... All of a sudden Martin had a million questions. He didn't think of the implications, just the scientific breakthrough. What about age factors, physical features?"
"Specific ages were believed to be possible through accelerated growth. The rest was like programming, just punch it in. Male, age 25, blonde, blue eyes, 6' 1" anything became possible. Then it happened. A genetic matrix started to form."
"No, that shouldn't be possible... a genetic matrix...."
"Believe me. It was nothing short of Dr. Frankenstein but worse.
"But in the proper hands," Martin tried to reason, "the scientific possibilities would be endless: eliminating disease, extending life... everything just needs to be properly controlled."
Martin was so excited he couldn't catch his breath; he calmed down and continued, "I believe with this information we can go to the government and the I.A.S. and prove this can be used for good and get the laws overturned, once they understand the laws prohibiting cloning are unfounded, in these circumstances . . . " but, before Martin could finish, the voice cut him off completely.
"No! Stop! You do not understand. You are forgetting, I told you the experiment went very, very wrong. This scientist kept pushing and ignored all the warning signs. The scientist began playing God! Dr. Kane, I now understand the reason the Anti-Cloning laws carry such severe penalties. Mankind is not ready to control such power. We are not meant to be God!" A note of great sadness came through and then a long pause before the voice continued. "Dr. Kane, these cloning experiments eventually produced, not a super human but the evil everyone is now calling 'Controller', that is why I so desperately need your help."
Martin felt the urgency in the voice and again began to turn toward it. He now realized everything he'd heard in the last few days about Controller was true. It was indeed a sentient being.
"No, do not turn around!"
Martin felt the outstretched arm pressing firmly against his back again...this time holding him in place.
"I'm aware of every scientist who might be capable of achieving this cloning process, certainly I must know you. If you accidentally created--"
"Uh, no, Dr. Kane, you misunderstand. I am not the scientist."
"Then why don't you give me the scientist's name? I'll talk to him, or her and we can work together and ..."
"Dr. Kane, if we were dealing with a normal person I might but this one is obsessed and believes Controller is no threat, just a spoiled child that needs guidance. You see, the scientist is my brother and he is quite delusional about this. I know if I reveal who he is, he will be destroyed. As much as that might be the right thing to do, I ur, just can't."
Now that Martin better understood, he tried harder to ascertain the identity of the distraught voice holding his attention. He listened for anything that would give him a clue but there was nothing familiar. Martin tried to ask questions which might help. "It sounds as if you love your brother very much, wouldn't you want to get him help? Maybe there is a way to see his experiment come to good, instead of evil?"
"That is why I came to you. I know him oh so well and the only possibility now is the one I have chosen. I believe the best way I can help, is to give you the information and hope that you and others like you, can destroy Controller before it does any additional harm and more importantly, before my brother is found out. Then, once the threat is ended, I would hope whatever information I have supplied to you today might be used for good. I have recorded the research on data disks which I will now play for you. But after you hear them, they will self-destruct."
Sounding very torn the voice went on, "I do this to protect my brother and our relationship. I know if he ever finds out what I've done, he will go completely mad and kill me and then commit suicide."
Martin tried to remain calm but for the first time in years, he wondered about Remy. Could that have been the reason he disappeared, in Paris so long ago? Did his experiment somehow go wrong? Had he committed suicide...? Not wanting to think such thoughts Martin inquired, "Why come to me, why not go to another scientist, or even the I.A.S? I'm sure you know that since their inception, they've been the power supreme in the scientific community. Or, if you don't want to go to other scientists, what about the computer industry, they seem to want to know more about Controller?"
"No, the computer people just want to exploit my brother's creation for their own gain. I still believe in the work that my brother was doing and realize, with a lot of caution, the answers he was able to obtain, could be put to good use. I know there are many corrupt people in the world who would try to turn this to their own benefit and I don't believe the I.A.S can guarantee the safety of a project of this magnitude, even in their protected scientific community. The impact of this type of discovery would be monumental, whether for good or evil. I now see how in the wrong hands, this is too volatile, that is why I have come to you?"
The tone in the voice suddenly changed, "Dr. Kane, I know you once worked with Dr. Marcel and that before his death, you and he were planning to announce a breakthrough in the cloning process..."
Martin interrupted, "How do you know about my work with Dr. Marcel?"
"I really cannot go into that but suffice it to say, I know a lot about you and Dr. Marcel."
Martin didn't understand how that could be possible, "Then, do you also know something about his death?" Martin was suddenly suspicious of the connection.
"Dr. Kane, all I can say is I did not have anything to do with his death."
Martin heard a deep sigh.
"Please, I believe in what you and Dr. Marcel were trying to do and just want to help. For the sake of all the best efforts of science, Controller must be destroyed and the only way is if you have this information." The voice was silent for a while and then added, "I must caution you, I do not have all the information and I do not know how important the missing pieces are... and just so you know, everything I have, Controller has too!"
The voice paused and Martin could hear a hesitation to continue.
"Please, you must work fast! Controller has the ability to learn from its programming and with time it will become so powerful it can never be destroyed!"
"But, don't you think you have blown a simple computer virus out of proportion?"
"Dr. Kane, if you truly believe that you have no idea of the magnitude of Controller's ever-increasing power. Believe me, I do! It's terrifying! Just think for a moment...what would happen if this computer virus invaded every aspect of the world's computer network and then had the ability to take total control," the voice waited for a moment, "and that is just the tip of the enormous iceberg that Controller is capable of. I have witnessed Controller's destructive power first hand and I am telling you it must be destroyed, immediately!"
The exasperation Martin heard in the voice seemed to calm down as he continued, "Oh and one more thing, if you are successful and then use the information to develop a cloning process, stop there! Never try to achieve custom design cloning! Humans shouldn't be designed like a new suit and then let out of the test tube. Never allow a genetic matrix to be formed or another Controller, or worse, will be the result. Believe me it is a death sentence for the world."
As the two shadowy figures stood in the early morning mist, the night's gloom and rain turned into a bright sun which came up on a beautiful day. Martin viewed the disks on the PVP; portable video pilot and committed the information to his photographic memory.
The voice behind him droned into his ear and when he indicated he was finished, the stranger took back the pilot. Then, once again, everything went suddenly silent. Martin had a momentary flashback to a time long ago when he had also memorized information. He began to wonder if there was a connection, when he realized, the voice from behind was quiet.
Martin called out, "Are we finished...is that everything you can tell me?"
There was no answer. Heart pounding, legs still shaky, Martin turned slowly and looked around. There was no one there. His legs gave out from the tension and he slouched against the car. Martin steadied himself and reached into his pocket for his key com disk. He panicked when he couldn't find it in his pants pocket. He was a creature of habit and always put his key disk in the right pocket. Martin searched his jacket and was becoming flustered, which was very out of character for him. "Calm down Martin!" he ordered himself to take control.
He knew he could open the car with any of the security protocols: fingerprints, voice recognition, DNA scan but that would cause a satellite uplink to the car data base and he didn't want anything that could place him there; especially not after what he heard. He looked up. The sun high in the sky reminded him that when he initially heard the stranger he put his arms up in the air and dropped the key com disk. Martin looked down. The disk was reflecting the sun on its gold surface. It was exactly where he'd dropped it. Totally relieved, he picked it up and clicked it to unlock his car. He slouched into the car. His body was still unsteady.
Finally, he was able to stop his hands from shaking. It's times like these I know I should have let them install the holographic-driver.
Martin pressed the ignite engine button to start the car. In a further attempt to compose himself he tried to remember the last thing he heard the voice say, "...if you are able to develop a cloning process, stop there! Never try to achieve custom design cloning! Humans shouldn't be designed like a new suit and then let out of the test tube. Never allow a genetic matrix to be formed or another Controller or worse will be the result. Believe me it is a death sentence for the world."
Note: Have you figured this out?