Sparks of Chaos (3 page)

“Explain to me how this small boat constitutes an emergency or could cause us any danger,” Rex stated with a perplexed expression on his face.

“It’s not the boat itself that’s a danger; clearly there has been some type of an accident that has shipwrecked this man. The danger comes from the eventual search that could come. We never want to draw any attention to the island,” Armstrong explained.

“We are nowhere near any shipping lanes but we have had an occasional ship come by with no issues, why is this different? Rex asked.

“With the dangerous reefs that we have placed around the outskirts of the island, no boat of any real size could ever get close, let alone land on the island, however this life raft can. I have calculated that there is an 85% chance that he will land here on the small shoreline,” Armstrong said as he pointed to the very small strip of sand on the corner of the island, highlighting the route with his hand.

“What are our options?” he asked.

“Well, option one is to do nothing and the odds are over 99% that he will die before he can be found. The danger to us lies in a search for him and do we want his body found on the island? Armstrong explained.

“We could simply remove the boat and the body so they are never found,” Rex stated.

“Option two is to actively neutralize the threat by killing him ourselves and not waiting for nature to take its course. While our third option is to rescue him and bring him inside to save his life,” Armstrong continued.

“What is your analysis and recommendation?” Rex asked.

“In our cold calculating self-interest it makes the most sense to eliminate the threat by killing him and destroying the boat and the body. However the moral and ethical choice is to save his life. I don’t believe there is any way we can start our new society by murdering or allowing this man to die by our inaction. You have no choice but to save him,” Armstrong strongly stated.

“I don’t like it,” Rex said shaking his head “What do we do with him once we save him? Can’t we just tow him to somewhere he’ll be found?”

Using a hand gesture he focused even closer on the body in the rubber lifeboat and pointed out the poor emaciated condition of what looked to be quite a young man. “There doesn’t seem to be any time, he appears very close to death. I want your approval to save the boy,” Armstrong pleaded.

“I have a terrible feeling about this,” Rex said as he visibly shuddered, “We don’t have a choice I suppose, go ahead and bring him in.”

Chapter 7

On his way to the medical laboratory Rex wondered what kind of problems saving this boy was going to cause. He stepped into the room where he had created Armstrong and Tedford, to see them standing over a table where the body of a young man lay. They were examining the data displayed on the diagnostic table holding the boy.  The electronics built into the table, scanned, read and analyzed all aspects of the body placed upon it. The table had already drawn bodily fluid samples and having completed its full body scan analysis was now displaying a full three dimensional holographic image that seemed to float in mid-air where they were standing.

“So what is the prognosis?” Rex asked.

“We reached him without a moment to spare but even now he is close to death,” Armstrong explained.

With real concern and anguish in his voice Tedford said “The analysis shows that this is a terminal situation. His organs have all begun shutting down, he will die in a few moments and there is nothing in conventional medicine that can save him.”

“So if we do nothing further he dies?” Rex asked more to himself, as he already knew the answer. Looking for the first time at the miserable condition of the body laying before him, he said “It would almost be a blessing to let him go.

 “Sir, there is no time to wait, we need you to authorize the treatment before it is too late, you’re not really going to allow this boy to die are you?” Tedford implored.

“Saving him could ruin everything. If we save him, we will be stuck with him forever and we know nothing at all about him. Let’s be honest with each other, this is a serious risk we are taking here,” Rex responded.

“We can debate this later; we are running out of time. Remember you created us to provide counsel, to be a moral compass for everyone in this society. This is no longer an abstract discussion, there is a real flesh and blood boy lying right before us that we are talking about. I know you will take our advice and do the right thing,” Armstrong said quietly but firmly as he looked directly into Rex’s eyes.

“Why is it always so much easier to do the wrong thing and so much harder to do the right thing? Rex stated as he deliberately avoided looking at the dying boy. “Alright, go ahead and administer the treatment. I have a bad feeling about this; I think we’re going to regret taking this action.”

“Thank you sir, you’re doing the right thing. Now excuse me I must administer the treatment immediately,” Tedford said.

“Yes go ahead and proceed but you know what they say, ‘No good deed goes unpunished’ and I am going to hold both of you responsible if this goes wrong. Remember that. Place him in the secure apartment to recover until we can decide what to do with him and keep me informed of his progress,” Rex said as he walked out of the room and back to his work.

Waving a hand gesture over the table’s control panel Armstrong initiated the treatment into the dying boy’s body. “I told you not to worry, that Rex would eventually see reason. This development actually will be beneficial to everyone including Rex, even if he wouldn’t agree but the future grows shorter the longer we wait. By saving the boy he has just saved everyone including himself.”

“This moves our whole timetable up quite a bit. We will need to make some major adjustments if we want to manage this whole process to its optimum outcome. We took an incredible risk with this, what would we have done if he refused to save him?” said Tedford as he watched the electronic indicators of the boy’s health begin to improve. Tedford shifted his weight from one leg to the other as he gazed down at the boy himself and saw the tiny signs of his recovery. Tedford, like Armstrong was dressed as always in a formal black suit, although his was quite a bit larger to accommodate his taller and heftier frame.

Unlike Armstrong’s rather average and unremarkable appearance which belied his enigmatic and rather cunning personality, Tedford had a much more striking and memorable look. Tedford looked quite a bit like an old communist party leader from Eastern Europe or Russia. Thick and blocky with severe steel gray hair, he looked like he would have been at home reviewing the troops in a military parade. The formal black suit he wore enforced this caricature. Like Armstrong, his personality was very different from what his appearance would suggest. Tedford was pleasant, even-tempered, very empathetic and not aggressive. 

“There was no way we could have let that happen. I think it would be wise if I convinced Rex to assign you to partner with this boy instead of Professor Hauptmann,”   Armstrong told him.

“Interesting, I don’t think Rex will like that idea at all, how exactly do you plan to pull that off?” he asked.

“Just leave that to me but you will need to ensure that the next BLIs will be available on schedule. Have you prepared the proof of his identity to share with Rex?” Armstrong asked.

“Yes, I searched the news files and have the information you requested on the American college student Chase Riley who was sailing solo around the world,” he answered.

Chapter 8

What was he supposed to do now? Chase looked around the room and decided he would like to do a more thorough search of everything to find some clues as to his whereabouts. He certainly had the time and it wasn’t like there was anything else here to distract himself with. He was especially interested in examining the walls and the way the lighting worked.  First he wanted to take a shower.

He removed his shorts, picked up the shampoo and stepped into what he guessed was the shower area. There was no apparent nozzle for the water to flow from or any knobs but there was something that seemed to be a drain in the floor. Feeling the walls, they weren’t a standard tile or smooth but coated with an unknown substance like the walls in the other room.

“How do you turn this thing on?” He asked out loud. Chase was startled as water started coming out from the walls. It seemed to come out as both water and steam from the walls and the ceiling of the shower. Thinking that it might be voice activated he said “Off” and the water stopped. Well, that answered that question. He continued and was able to adjust the water flow and temperature by voice command and was even dried by a very pleasing gust of warm air. Despite the situation he was in, it was the best shower he’d ever had.

Putting his shorts back on, he walked back into his room and was stunned. His bed was made and there were clothes laid out for him. A table was added to the room and was loaded with a variety of food. More importantly an envelope was placed upon the table and on it was printed his name, Chase Riley. Opening the unsealed envelope he pulled out a letter that said:

Chase Riley,

Do not be afraid, you are in no danger. Anything you need will be provided to you.  We shall explain everything and all your questions will soon be answered.

The letter was unsigned and honestly, he didn’t know what to make of that. How exactly did they get those things in here with no doors and without him hearing anything? Just when he thought things couldn’t get any weirder, they did. At least he had some clothes to wear and something to eat; it was sort of like some freaky alien room service. Whoever had taken him, they knew who he was. Surprisingly, he wasn’t afraid, confused certainly but not afraid. He had been a lot more afraid when he was floating all alone and dying in that small boat. He would be getting some answers soon; at least that’s what the letter told him.

I might as well get dressed he thought to himself. Picking up the shirt and pants laid out for him, he noticed they were of the same soft, satiny, light weight material as the shorts they had provided. The pants were a navy blue and had a comfortable yet formal look to them, while the shirt was a crew neck pullover of a lighter sky blue. There were no underpants, but a pair of dark blue socks with black slip on shoes that oddly seemed to shrink to exactly fit his feet. The clothes fit incredibly well and felt like a flexible second skin. They were easily the most comfortable clothes he’d ever worn.

He turned his attention to the food. It was funny how he hadn’t been hungry since he had awoken. Considering that he hadn’t eaten in several days or so since his boat sank. Of course he wasn’t really even sure how long he had been in the lifeboat and he had no idea what date it was now. Needless to say, now that he’d seen the food he was hungry. The table was set with a variety of foods. He chose to start with the soup which had such a wonderful aroma it immediately made his mouth start to salivate. Tasting a spoonful it was an instant explosion of flavors. Nothing he had ever eaten had tasted like this, he was able to taste all the complexities in the meat, vegetables and broth and he quickly finished the whole bowl. A plate of meat and vegetables was equally wonderful and he wasted no time consuming it all.

There remained a bowl of what he guessed was fruit but were unlike anything he’d ever seen before. They were larger than a grape but smaller than a tomato and smooth skinned like both. There were at least ten different colors of what he thought of as globe fruits. Popping them one at a time he was amazed at how each one had a unique taste and texture unlike any fruit he had ever tasted. After finishing them off, he had a large mug of a hot beverage. It had a thicker consistency than coffee or tea and he tasted notes of buttery caramel, honey, chocolate and several other that he couldn’t identify or name. It was an extraordinary meal that left his stomach full and his mind full of additional questions. It left him even more confused now as to where he was. He finished his drink and without anything else to do went back to lie on the bed and wait for some answers.

Chapter 9

Rex sat on his couch making notes on several projects that he was working on when a chime sounded. Looking up he saw Armstrong and Tedford enter to brief him and discuss the situation of their visitor. He motioned for them to sit down and asked them “How is his recovery progressing and how soon before we can speak with him?”

“We are happy to report that he has fully recovered with no apparent problems. It has worked much faster than we expected, as you know he is the first person to be treated since yourself. That was many years ago and we have made great strides since then. We completed a full battery of diagnostic tests before we placed him in the secure apartment as you requested,” Armstrong reported.

“Are we prepared for what we are going to tell him and what are our plans for him now that he is here?” Rex asked.

Tedford jumped in to answer, “We have long debated how to explain all of this to our recruits and in many of our simulations it has not gone well. We are hopeful that due to the unusual circumstances and his current isolation we should get a positive outcome. It should be good practice for our upcoming inductees, the difference here is that we aren’t giving him a choice in this. One item of contention is do we tell him that this situation is permanent and other than controlled visits he can never return to his previous life?”

“Tell him the truth but maybe we share that little item with him later. He will eventually understand we did this for his benefit and that the alternative was death,” Rex ordered. “Based upon how he reacts to all of this, you can show him the island but the labs are completely off limits.”

“I suggest that we quickly find something for him to do, young men are full of energy and the treatment will only have accelerated that. We have many tasks that need doing and the busier we keep him the quicker he will adjust to his new circumstances,” Armstrong added.

“Agreed, what did you have in mind for him?” Rex asked.

“It actually may be quite beneficial that he has arrived when he has. We could definitely use some assistance with the building projects. There will be plenty to keep him occupied for some time. I will also use him in the planning for the acquisition of Professor Hauptmann.” Armstrong continued quickly before Rex could argue the point and said “We are going to accelerate the BLI production program and initiate Cheswick as our third member immediately. That will free up Tedford to be imprinted as Chase’s mentor/partner.”