Genomorph

Chapter 62

CHAPTER 62

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2005
1130 PST

Brandi opened her eyes to familiar surroundings and sat upright, confusion evident on her face for an instant. She was in a bed, a very familiar bed, and as she turned her head to the left, she saw Melissa smiling at her from an identical one a short distance away.

“Why do I keep getting stuck in this room?” Brandi sighed. She found the control to raise the bed into a reclining position, and then smiled at Melissa. “How are you feeling, love?”

“Like me,” Melissa said, adjusting her own bed. “It was very interesting and educational being you, sweetie, but I’m glad to be back to normal.”

“Well, that’s not exactly .…” Brandi started to say but stopped as the door opened and Susan entered.

“It’s good to see you two awake,” she said. “I was worried.”

“I told you we’d be fine,” Brandi said as Susan gave her a hug.

“It’s a mother’s prerogative to worry,” Susan told her, and then moved over to Melissa and hugged her too.

“So, did we save the world?” Brandi asked.

Susan smiled. “Quite likely. The FBI has made dozens of arrests and will make more over the next few days. It’s all being handled very discreetly; fortunately, there was enough evidence in the files your friend Karen uncovered to charge most of the major conspirators with enough to put them away for a long time.”

“Most?” Brandi asked, suspecting what the answer would be.

“The Man, as he is called, has been taken into custody,” Susan said. “However, there is nothing to tie him directly to anything illegal, and there is concern that he could divulge information that would prove embarrassing. Amanda suspects they are going to cut a deal. Also, Reginald Mercer managed to slip away before he could be arrested.”

“That won’t do at all,” Brandi said.

“Brandi, you’re not planning ….”

“Mercer I don’t care about; he’s a toad. But the Man … Mom, you have no idea how dangerous he really is,” Brandi said. “He won’t stop unless someone stops him. He’ll regroup and try again, because he wants power.”

“It took him decades to bring his plot to fruition,” Susan said. “He’s not a young man, sweetheart; I doubt he will be around long enough to try again.”

“That’s just it, he’s not a young man; he’s much older than anyone thinks,” Brandi said. “Mom, he’s like me … I mean, like Brandon. A significant portion of his DNA is Forerunner. They had a natural life span of hundreds of years.”

“How do you know this, love?” Melissa asked.

“The Forerunner computer told me,” Brandi said. “It had scan data on him. He’s almost a hundred years old, but he appears to be in his fifties. Being a hybrid of human and Forerunner will reduce his lifespan, but he could easily live another hundred years.”

“I suppose he knows this,” Susan said. “If he had himself scanned, he would have surely seen the data.”

“He knows, but he never had himself scanned,” Brandi said. “The GMU can scan in a passive mode, and it scans everyone that comes close to it and stores their data. No, he has always known; how, I’m not sure, but his actions show that he knows. That’s why he is so dangerous; I have to stop him.”

Susan looked at Brandi long and hard, trying to read what she was feeling. Brandi returned her gaze, and in her eyes, there was still a trace of the rage that she felt over the murder of her parents.

“Yes, I’m still angry,” Brandi told her. “I’ll probably be angry for a long time. But this isn’t about revenge; it’s about what has to be done.”

“At least wait until Admiral Hammerstein arrives,” Susan said. “He’ll be here in a few hours.”

“I promise,” Brandi said. “I’m not quite ready to take on the world again yet.”

“I suppose you’re both hungry,” Susan grinned.

“Definitely!” the two girls replied in unison, which started them giggling.

“I’d like to see the gang too; I really owe Matt an apology,” Brandi said. “I’m amazed Ryan was able to get around my lockout.”

As soon as she mentioned Ryan’s name, she felt the change in Susan and more so in Melissa. She looked from one to another, fear in her eyes.

“He’s going to be all right,” Susan said. “He was badly wounded in the battle, but he’s in a hospital now and resting comfortably. Amanda is flying Gretchen out to see him.”

Brandi sighed with relief and sank back into her pillow. She knew there was more.

“Tell me the rest.”

“Several of the SEALs were wounded, all minor,” Susan said. “Seaman Kelly was killed.”

Brandi nodded and said, “He was a good man. He just got married a year ago, and they were talking about having a baby.”

“Brandi .…” Susan began.

“I know,” Brandi said, the tears starting. “It’s all right to cry.”

Melissa got out of her bed and came over to hold Brandi as she cried. It was not the heart-rending sobs and tears of anguish she had shed for her parents, but a good, cleansing cry; a tribute to a fallen warrior that she had never been able to offer before. When she was done, she turned to Susan as she dried her eyes.

“When I was with the guys before the mission, I sensed something,” she said. “It was in all of them, a feeling … I don’t know how to describe it … like we were related. Do you think I can sense the warrior genes in others?”

“It’s possible,” Susan said. “You can detect things well beyond human senses. We can’t even begin to understand many of your abilities.”

“It was strongest in Matt,” she said. “The others, I don’t get the feeling they could be Genomorphs, but I think Matt has the Mother gene and some Forerunner DNA.”

“Well, he has no need to worry,” Susan said. “The GMU can no longer create Genomorphs. The components necessary vanished after your bonding was completed.”

Brandi looked away for a moment and was silent. When she turned back, she bit her lip nervously.

“That’s not entirely true,” she said. “I can restore the machine anytime. I had it display that message because I believe it’s true; we aren’t ready for that kind of power. I think what happened to me is ample proof of that.”

“You did the right thing,” Susan said. “The GMU alone is powerful enough to be terribly abused. I’m proud of you, sweetheart.”

“I thought about that,” Brandi said. “But the GMU could do so much good if we can figure it out. I did make a slight alteration to it as well, though; it can’t be used to alter someone’s gender unless I enable that function and you agree. In fact, for now it can only diagnose and treat disease and injury.”

“Learning to use that properly will occupy us for years,” Susan said. “I truly wish we could go public with it, but there is only the one machine.”

“You’d be swamped with people demanding access,” Melissa said. “That would lead to a whole new level of abuse; who gets to choose?”

“Exactly,” Susan said. “Now, you two must be starving. The cafeteria is open, so why don’t you get dressed, and we’ll get you fed.”

Melissa rose and began gathering up her clothes, but Brandi showed no inclination to get up.

“Now, I have some confusion that needs to be cleared up,” she said as she continued to lounge in bed. “If Ryan was hurt, how did you guys get down here?”

“I unlocked the elevator,” Melissa said. “I had the same nano-cyborgs as you at the time, so I just touched the panel and thought about unlocking it. It wasn’t the same way you have described it to me; I didn’t actually link with the security system, but I was able to get the message across.”

“Now, are you going to get dressed?”

Brandi giggled and hopped out of the bed, her armor morphing about her as she removed the gown she wore. After the armor formed, it morphed into the appearance of jeans, t-shirt and sneakers.

“That is just not fair,” Melissa said as she finished dressing the normal way.

*****

A short distance from Brandi’s room, Barbara Currant entered the room where the girl who had once been Evan Mitchell still slept. They were keeping her that way intentionally, using a Forerunner device that kept her in a comatose state without the use of drugs. It was necessary until they decided what would become of her.

The magnitude of what she and Susan had done had begun to sink in. The girl had no name and no past. When she was finally awakened, she would have all the knowledge a girl her age should have; she was extremely intelligent, and once she began living her life would do well, but she would need someone to watch her and provide a suitable role model. It was too risky to simply have her placed with a family; because she had been altered by the machine, she had a superior body and would never get sick. If she was injured, she would heal much more rapidly than a normal human.

It was also vital that she be provided with a stable and healthy environment, so that she would not take the path Mitchell had. Nothing had been changed to make her a ‘good girl’. She would face the same choices as any other human being.

Barbara felt a very deep responsibility for the girl; it had, after all, been her idea to transform her. Though she did not know it, as she looked at the sleeping girl, she felt much the same feeling that Susan had when she first looked at Brandi.

Satisfied the girl was all right, she returned to her office and sat down at her desk. She turned her computer on and called up Mitchell’s file. It listed a great deal of information, from his service record in the army to various tasks he had carried out for the organization. Brandon’s parents were not the only people he had ‘eliminated’. The file even listed his full name as Carl Evan Mitchell.

Barbara shook her head sadly and secured the file so that no one could access it. She was tempted to delete it entirely, but she did not. One day, it might be needed, though she hoped not.

After closing the file, she leaned back in her chair, thoughts racing through her mind. She had no children of her own; she had never really considered it. But looking at that pretty girl ….

“I think I’ll name her Carla,” she said. Barbara was certain she could get approval to take the girl in. Some kind of story would have to be constructed to explain her missing memories, and their relationship would no doubt be awkward at first, but she would feel better if the girl was close to her.

A knock at the door broke her from her reverie, and she said, “Come in.”

Martina Todd opened the door and entered the office, taking a seat before Barbara’s desk.

“How are you feeling?” Barbara asked.

“Better now that you got all that crap outta my head,” the young woman said. Fortunately, they had been able to remove most of the behavioral programming that had been implanted in her. “It does make it harder in some ways; without it, I remember more of who I was.”

“Tina, if I could have stopped him, I would ….” Barbara began.

“Dr. Currant, I remember how hard you tried,” Tina said. “While I was lying there, you fought with Mercer until he threatened to do it himself.”

“He had no clue how to operate the machine,” Barbara said. “I couldn’t let him do it; there’s no telling what kind of mess he would have made. I had my cover to protect too; if you hadn’t behaved as he wanted ….”

“Can I be changed back?”

“The process of altering a person’s gender requires an application of a great deal of energy from the machine,” Barbara explained. “Your body is saturated with that energy, and it takes a long time for it to dissipate. The same applies to your regression in age. According to the scan data, it will be at least ten years before we could safely transform you back into a male.”

“And even then I wouldn’t be exactly who I was before, right?”

Barbara nodded, “Mercer erased your original data matrix.”

“By then, I’ll probably be comfortable like this,” Tina said. “It’s really not that bad now; the few memories I have are more like a dream I can barely remember. I can’t really remember what it felt like to be a man; I feel like I have always been a girl. I just don’t know what I’m gonna do; all I know how to do is office stuff now.”

“Tina, you’re intellect was not tampered with, just suppressed while you were under the behavioral modifications,” Barbara said. “It’s true much of your higher education was erased, but you can learn it again, or choose a different career. If you need some time, I feel sure you can count on having a place here. Good office assistants are not that easy to find, especially those that would be cleared for this project.”

“Could … could I work for you?”

Barbara regarded the young woman as she considered the question. She had reviewed Todd Martin’s file; he had been one of the many members of the organization who truly believed they were acting to defend the United States. If he had been guilty of anything, it was a gross naiveté regarding what was happening around him. In fact, the first time he ever entered the lab was also the last, at least as Todd Martin. Tina deserved a chance, and it would be a good idea to keep a close eye on her at any rate.

Barbara smiled. “I’m not sure what the future holds for me either, but I do hope to remain a part of this project. There will be serious research done here now, and I would be glad to have you as my assistant.”

*****

At CTAG headquarters in Washington, Karen knocked nervously on Kyle’s office door. He had called and asked to see her a few minutes earlier, just after a lengthy call from the Secretary of State.

“Come in, Karen,” Kyle called out. As Karen entered the office, he motioned to a chair.

“So, how much trouble are we in?” she asked. Technically, CTAG had violated a few laws with their activities over the last few days.

“None,” Kyle said with a smile. “In fact, we got a big pat on the back.”

Karen smiled as she sighed. “Well, that’s nice.”

“More than that, we have a new mandate, or rather a modification to our current one,” Kyle continued. “The Secretary wants us to maintain a watch for evidence of alien technology being used by other nations. Mira is currently working on some new search protocols for mining data that may be related to such technology.”

“It would be foolish to assume we’re the only ones who have found it,” Karen said.

“I also mentioned your name,” Kyle said, his smile broadening at Karen’s obvious discomfort.

“Kyle, I didn’t do anything special,” Karen said. “I really just stumbled into the whole thing.”

“Well, as I recall from our first meeting, you’re quite graceful when you stumble,” Kyle said. Karen began blushing profusely.

“By the way,” Kyle asked, “do you own an evening gown?”

“No,” Karen said. “My clothes are all business, casual and, ah, well, more club wear than anything fancy.”

“You need to do some shopping then,” Kyle said. “You’re going to need one.”

*****

The Man and Reginald Mercer approached the door of the luxurious house, confusion and a good bit of fear evident on Mercer’s face. He didn’t understand why they were coming to this place, just a few miles from Amanda Breton’s estate. The Man rang the bell and waited, ignoring Mercer’s discomfort.

“Sir, if we’re seen here ….”

“Everything will be fine, Mr. Mercer,” the Man said. “I have the situation under control.”

The door opened to reveal a very attractive young woman in her late twenties, dark red hair flowing about her shoulders. Her eyes widened fearfully when she saw them, and then an instant later her expression changed, becoming blank, emotionless.

“Good afternoon, Sabine,” the Man said cheerfully. “This is my associate, Mr. Mercer. We would like to see the item I left in your care.”

“Of course,” Sabine said. “Please follow me.”

They followed Sabine through the house to a flight of stairs which led down to the basement. Sabine flipped a light switch at the bottom of the stairs, revealing a large indoor swimming pool. They went past the pool and a Jacuzzi and into an area with several pieces of exercise equipment. At the back wall, Sabine pressed her hand to the wood paneling, and a section slid away to reveal a heavy steel door.

The Man stepped forward and entered a code into the panel next to the door, and the sound of multiple steel bolts retracting could be heard. The Man entered the passage beyond the door and gestured for Mercer to follow, but Sabine remained in the basement.

“You may accompany us, Sabine,” the Man said. Sabine looked confused; she had never been allowed to go beyond the door before, but she obeyed and followed the two men into the passage.

“Sir, what is this place?” Mercer asked.

“A fallback in case of emergency,” the Man said. “I had it constructed a few years ago, shortly after Sabine’s mother passed away and she inherited this estate.”

“But who is she?” Mercer pressed. “I don’t recall her in any of our records.”

“Sabine has been keeping an eye on Amanda Breton for me,” the Man said. “It was she who informed me that Susan Covington was at Amanda’s estate. I’ve also used her to create several sleepers, most recently the head of the President’s Secret Service detail. She can be quite an enticing vixen when necessary.”

The passage continued on for about a hundred feet and ended in another steel door. The Man repeated the process of entering the electronic combination, and as the door swung open, the lights in the room beyond activated. Mercer gasped as he saw what lay beyond the door.

The chamber was not quite as large as the one in Nevada, which only made the Genetic Manipulation Unit seem bigger. Its gleaming silver components glittered in the light, and the conduits of pulsating purple plasma made eerie patterns on the walls.

“Yes, Mr. Mercer, this is where the original GMU was taken,” the Man said. He turned to Sabine and smiled.

“My dear, you may remember how to operate the machine now,” he said. “Please initiate a scan when I am on the table.”

Sabine nodded and moved to the control console as the Man took his place on the table. As Mercer watched, Sabine expertly manipulated the console. Around the crystal chamber, the silver spheres hummed and energy arced from them to the crystal atop the chamber. The scanning beam swept across the Man’s body, and then the hum of the machine died down.

“Excellent, Sabine,” the Man said as he rose from the table and walked over to the console. “Please remove your clothing and lay down on the table.”

Once again, Sabine obeyed without hesitation, quickly stripping away her clothing and then climbing onto the table. The Man now began entering commands into the console as Mercer shuffled nervously next to him.

“Sir, what exactly are you planning on doing?” Mercer asked.

“Planning for the future, Mr. Mercer,” the Man said.