Adapt (15 page)

The sun was out brightening the golf course that Daniel and Matt were playing on. “In you go, four over par,” Daniel said.

“That was a good game,” Matt said. “It’s easy to get back into it.”

“We will have to come more often,” Daniel said as he placed the putter in amongst the other clubs. The pair made their way back to the car.

“How is the investing going?” Matt asked.

“It’s not.”

“You’re not on top of it, then,” said Matt.

“I haven’t looked at it. I used to keep a close eye on the markets.”

“You will have to start now,” said Matt.

“I think I will,” he said as he put his clubs into the boot of Matt’s car. He got into the car and they made their way home. The roads were clear and they were back within fifteen minutes. Matt pulled up the drive, Daniel got out and took his clubs out of the boot. As he entered the family home his buoyant mood changed. Something felt wrong. He carried his clubs to the back door. The door was ajar by an inch. Open. He pushed it open further and scanned the garden from the step. Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned around. “The door was open,” he said as Matt appeared carrying his own clubs. “It was open.”

“So what?”

“Mum’s out, and Dad’s at work,” said Daniel.

“It was closed when we left actually,” Matt said. “I remember checking it. Take these to the garage,” he said passing the clubs to
Daniel. “I will check the house.”

Daniel took the clubs to the garage, keeping his eyes alert as he went. He returned to find Matt in the kitchen. “There’s nothing missing in the house,” said Matt.

“Did you check my room?”

“Yes, your games console is still there so no need to panic,” Matt said. Daniel walked straight for his bedroom. His jaw dropped on entering.

“I know what they came for,” he said.

“What? Who?”

Daniel pointed to the laptop. “My computer and phone have been moved,” Daniel said. “They have moved, someone has accessed them.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. A hacker working for the media. Maybe even Dr Cribson. Fuck.”

“They haven’t taken anything,” Matt said.

“Fuck. There’s nothing too low for these sneaky fucks.” Daniel slammed his fist into the wall. “Thieving bastards.”

“What have they stolen?”

“Isn’t it obvious? They have stolen evidence. They knew they were in the shit if a trace led back to them. I was so close.” Daniel stormed to the kitchen. “I need to ring the police.”

Matt followed him. “There is no evidence of a break-in, the locks are not damaged and your equipment is still here.”

“Fuck,” he shouted.

“There may still be a trace,” said Matt.

“Hopefully they were inept at sabotage.”

“Don’t let it drag you down.”

Dr Cribson looked toward the office window before looking back to Mr Con. He handed an envelope to his contact. “This is the last of the medical notes I will hand you.”

“Keep them,” said Mr Con. “Erase everything you have that could be used in court against you.”

“Why?”

“He has gone to a solicitor’s,” Mr Con said.

“What?”

“Yes, he has been talking to solicitors for a few weeks.”

“Where did he get the money? I have made it impossible for him to find work,” Dr Cribson said.

“I don’t know how he is paying, but I suggest you take cautious action.”

Dr Cribson stroked his beard, staring at the floor. “He has nothing, they will find his little story humorous.”

“We have been hacking his new phone,” said Mr Con. “He is putting things together, he knows that he was harmed on the ward. He knows about the medical notes, exposure to radiation”

“He has no proof,” said Dr Cribson.

Mr Con looked around the room before looking back to Dr Cribson. He said, “We have gained access to his old phone and his laptop, everything has been erased. Our tracks are covered but we must be cautious. A lot of people are implicated in this, none more so than you. Be careful and be prepared; a pendulum reaches its pinnacle of momentum then changes direction.”

“I should have ended this on the ward,” said Dr Cribson.

Mr Con shook his head. “I thought that was the plan.”

Dr Cribson leaned forward. “Very well,” he said. “I will close his case. I see him less now anyway. We have harmed him enough, there’s no need to put ourselves at risk. I don’t believe we will be caught. He’s the patient with an unbelievable story but, as you suggest, I will take cautious action. This case is closed.”

Daniel sat in the kitchen, pondering on what may have been had he contacted solicitors earlier. He knew someone had intruded onto his property.
These people will do anything to hurt me.
They had all trespassed and were proud of themselves. Within days they confessed; the jokes among the thugs ensued as he expected. Their words were an indication as to how impressed with themselves they were – self-congratulation for breaking yet another law in their pursuit of power over him. He thought of their taunts, rubbing in his face what they saw as victory.
You might want to
lock your back door in future / Over the fence and through the back / You were out / Thanks for the low fence / Knock, knock / You might want higher fences if your house is surrounded by fields / Not so private property / Did we add something or take something away?

He thought of a quote that he could possibly use as evidence. A news presenter; a simple sentence from a minion of Robert McLeod’s media empire. It proved to Daniel how close he had come to throwing one between the eyes of the Goliath. The reporter looked at the screen and in no context of anything that was being discussed on the news channel he used his name.
Daniel. That was a close call, really close.
There was no one called Daniel in the studio. He was eyeing Daniel through the TV as if he knew Daniel was watching.
I may as well forget it, they all got away with it. What can you do? You’re just a bus driver.
The moment reminded him of the first time it ever happened.
You apologise with a text.
At the time on that cold January morning he was unaware that the two breakfast news presenters personified the beginning of a conspiracy to destroy him. They had put his family through hell. Dr Cribson and Burger had performed as the sick, sadistic front line of assault, the sticks and stones. They were the two who had truly hurt his life. In a position with a duty of care, a job in which ultimately they should be helping, assisting, and providing support. They were two bullies out to destroy, harm and stamp on the wounded.
I didn’t break, my family didn’t break. And not one of us a coward.

It was sixteen months since he had left the ward. The court case he had wished for never materialised. The pendulum was static. Stalemate. They hadn’t killed him off, he never hit back. The media would no doubt continue their assault but it would fall on deaf ears, they would be slashing at ignorance. He had wriggled out of the clasp of his tormentors, escaping the pair who dragged their own profession into dark mud.

What Daniel had was far more important than a court case, more meaningful than tracing hackers and thugs. It stood for more than vengeance. He sat on the sandy beach, holding the hand of a young woman. Her name was Helena. When they had met on the train he was taking to visit his solicitor’s office seven months earlier he had thought she was the most stunning sight he had ever laid eyes on.
Beautiful
was the only word in his mind when a woman politely explained that he was in her reserved seat. Following his apologies he moved to the opposite side. She filled the table between them with books on anatomy, papers filled with medical words Daniel had never heard of, and her laptop. She worked away for twenty minutes before collecting everything and piling it back into her bag. She looked at Daniel and smiled.

“It’s been a long day,” she said. “I’m not doing any more this evening.” Daniel laughed and asked what she was studying. “Bio-mechanics,” she replied. Her voice was soft, and her words pronounced with finesse. Her understanding of science and language left him for dust; he was fascinated by her intelligence.
Stories of her studies were intriguing, as she wonderfully put into words her experiences of university life. She made him laugh from the moment they met, her sense of humour, sweet and tactful and all the more humorous for it. Every movement she made was elegant, from the way she would slip her long black hair behind her ear to the gentle hand movements she made whilst emphasising the subject matter she was conversing on. Her big brown eyes were inviting and she knew how to keep her listener engaged. He was besotted by her and would continue to be so. Her naturally tanned skin was like silk and at the age of twenty-two she was harmoniously vibrant. The sculpturing of Helena’s body was due to hour upon hour of rowing; she raced in the sport. Before their shared journey was through he asked her out. “I would love to,” she said. In the same way misfortune can come from unforeseeable circumstances, so can fortune – the unlikely chance that he would pinch the reserved seat of such an enchanting individual, who would delight him with her acceptance of his invitation.

Daniel sat with Helena, the beach was a rare golden sandy shoreline along the English coast. Behind them were tall conifers, in front of them was the sea; small waves glided toward them, breaking along the sand into a foamy blanket before retreating. He glanced at the woman beside him and then looked out at the blue water. He began to think.
We only have one existence that we know of. Only one reality that’s definite. There may be a heaven as religious doctrine would have us believe. There may be infinite, alternative realities in which we live out many possibilities. There’s only one you know is irrefutable, and only one chance to experience all it offers you. Whether that reality is a holographic physical void in which everything we interact with is nothing but an illusion. Maybe our senses are being deceived to believe in the substance of the medium they process, a universal deception. Whatever reality is, it’s real to you. It may be an elusive trick but when you feel you understand. When you touch, taste, smell, see and hear, your subconscious and your reality are moved. Combine these senses with another person’s reality, share your reality with another’s senses and you have the only reality that matters. The illusion everyone searches for, and, with this illusion, everything else means fuck all.

It was eighteen months since Daniel had left the ward. He walked into the room he had been waiting outside of for the past twenty minutes. “Take a seat,” said Dr Field. “We have analysed the results from your scans.” He paused for a moment to read through the documentation in front of him. The radiologist seemed hesitant. Daniel could hear his own heartbeat, the pores on his skin opened up. His stomach felt uneasy, like an unknown entity was wringing the organ like a towel, pulling and twisting. He looked at the doctor…….
Adapt.