فصل 8

Chapter 8: The Safe House

According to the GPS our next destination was 7.3 miles from where we had picked up the cars, a distance we covered in less than fifteen minutes. The safe house was a small, ordinary-looking brick home in an ordinary suburban neighborhood. The yard was manicured enough not to warrant complaints, but simple enough not to warrant attention. The house was dark except for the front porch light.

Jack pulled into the cement driveway on the west side of the house. The drive was narrow but widened in back at the entrance of a two-car garage.

“I’ll wait to pull in,” Jack said. “In case we need to make a quick getaway.” “Good idea,” I said, trying not to sound nervous. I realized that part of me was waiting for the worst to happen and I was ticking like crazy.

Wade pulled the black Hummer up next to us. In spite of our situation, he was grinning from ear to ear. “This baby is sweet,” he said. “I never thought I’d get to ride in one of these, let alone drive one.” “I’m going to check things out,” I said to Jack. “If it’s a trap, just get everyone out of here.” “Warriors don’t leave a man behind,” Jack said.

“What are we doing?” Wade asked.

“Just keep your car running until we’re sure it’s safe,” I said. I turned to Ian. “Can you give me a hand?” “Sure, man. I’ll give you both of them.” “It’s your eyes I need.”

“I’ll give you both of those, too.” The two of us got out of the cars and walked to the edge of the driveway, looking cautiously at the dark house.

“What do you think?” I asked.

“It’s empty,” Ian said. He looked around at the neighbors. “Neighborhood looks legit. A mom helping a kid with homework, a family watching TV, a couple eating dinner.” “All right, let’s go in.” I rapped on the Hummer, and Jack pulled into the garage, followed by Wade. Everyone gathered in the driveway.

Taylor came up to my side. “You okay?” “Yeah. Why?”

“You’re ticking a lot.”

“I’m nervous.”

“But the house is okay?”

“It checked out with Ian.”

We walked up to the back of the house, but as I reached for the storm door Ostin said, “Stop!” I looked over at him.

“What if the door’s booby-trapped? I saw this show where the bad guys had rigged all the doors with plastic explosives, so when the cops opened the door—ka-boom!” Ostin threw his arms out in demonstration. “Everyone’s dead.” We all just looked at him.

Ostin shrugged. “It was a cool show.” “I’ll open the door,” Zeus said. He twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open, then stepped inside the dark house. “Hey, McKenna, how about a hand?” “Sure.” She lit up her hand, then stepped into the house behind him.

“There’s the switch,” Zeus said.

Taylor and I walked in, followed by everyone else. Jack was the last to enter. He still looked anxious and glanced around before shutting and locking the door.

The home’s interior was as ordinary looking as its exterior, which, I suppose, is what a safe house is supposed to look like. I mean, if the place stands out like a zit on your nose, it’s not going to be very safe, right?

We were standing in the kitchen. On the counter was a bulky, brown envelope, and I picked it up and pulled back its flap. It was filled with money.

“Check this out,” I said, holding up the cash. “They left us money.” “That’s some serious coinage,” Jack said.

“I’ll count it,” Taylor said, taking the envelope from me. She riffled through the bills. “Ten grand,” she said. “Even.” “That was fast,” I said.

“I’m good at counting.”

I took a handful of bills and put them in my pocket, leaving the rest on the counter.

From the front room Ostin shouted, “Michael, check this out! This is one sweet computer.” I walked into the other room. I was no expert on computers—I left that to Ostin—but it looked like a serious piece of technology. “Can we use it to get the data out of Grace?” I asked.

“I’m on it,” he replied.

I was glad he had found something to distract him from his parents.

“Is there anything to eat?” Taylor asked. “I’m really hungry.” “Me too,” Abigail said.

I opened the fridge. It was empty. “Nada.” “We passed a pizza place about a half mile back,” Jack said. “Wade and I could go pick up something. What kind of pizza do you guys want?” “Pepperoni and anchovies,” Wade said.

“No anchovies,” Taylor said. “They stink.” “I second that,” Ostin said. “Who eats anchovies on pizza?” “Only about a billion Italians,” Wade replied. “And they’re the ones who invented pizza, so they should know how to eat them.” Getting a history lesson from Wade, especially about food, was more than Ostin could stomach. “In the first place,” Ostin said, standing, “no one knows who invented pizza. In the sixth century, Persian soldiers baked bread flat on their shields and covered it with cheese and dates. So you could argue that they did. Secondly, there are not a billion Italians in the world, not even a hundred million. In Italy there are—” “Agh!” Wade shouted. “Will someone shove something into his mouth to shut him up?” “Pizza would do nicely,” Ostin said. “Without anchovies.” “Just get a bunch of different kinds,” I said to Jack. “There are ten of us. How about three large?” “I’ll get some drinks, too,” Jack said. “Everyone’s good with cola?” “I want lemonade,” Taylor said.

“Me too,” said Abigail.

“Diet cola,” McKenna said.

“Write that down,” Jack said to Wade.

Wade looked around. “With what?” “Then remember it,” Jack said. “All right, I’ll be back. But not too soon. I need to test out the Hummer.” “Can I come?” Abigail asked.

Jack looked pleasantly surprised. “Sure.” “Thanks.”

Taylor looked at me and grinned. Jack had told us earlier that he thought Abigail was hot.

“Wade,” Jack said, “you don’t need to come anymore.” “What?”

“Abi and I can handle it. Just chill here with everyone else.” “He can come,” Abigail said.

“No,” Jack said. “He doesn’t want to.” He looked at Wade with a threatening glare. “Do you?” Wade frowned. “Nah, I’ll just chill.” “Let’s go,” Jack said, opening the door.

“Okay, we’ll be right back,” Abigail said.

After they left I said, “C’mon, Ostin. Let’s start uploading.” I looked at Grace. “Are you okay with that?” She nodded. “That’s what I do.” Ostin powered up the computer, then turned to Grace. “So how do you transfer data?” “First I need to touch a metal part on the computer.” She glanced back at us. “I should sit down. Bringing it up is hard.” “Hard?” Taylor asked. “In what way?” “I guess it’s sort of like vomiting,” Grace said.

“Oh,” Taylor said.

Grace put both hands on the computer and began concentrating. Suddenly her eyes rolled back in her head and she began trembling.

“Holy cannoli,” Ostin said. “Look at that.” Files suddenly began filling the screen. Grace continued until a screen popped up that said MEMORY FULL. She groaned, slumping forward.

“You okay?” Taylor asked, taking her by the arm.

She nodded. “Yeah. It just hurt a little.” “Wow. You filled the computer,” Ostin said. “It has a terabyte of storage. You must have downloaded most of their mainframe.” He looked at me. “We need a bigger computer.” “We got a lot of it, though, didn’t we?” I asked.

Ostin nodded. “We got a boatload. Let’s see if we can find your mom.” He lifted his hands above the keyboard as if he were a pianist about to start a performance. He typed my mother’s name into the computer’s find function.

I held my breath. Taylor took my hand as we waited. A screen came up.

NO MATCHING FILES

My heart fell.

“I’ll try ‘prisoners,’” Ostin said.

NO MATCHING FILES

“Maybe they use a different word,” I said. “Is there a GP file?” “Let’s see.”

Ostin typed in “GP.” About two dozen folders came up. “This one has the most information, let’s see what’s inside.” He clicked on it. “Holy cow,” he said. “Look at that.” There were thousands of records with names and mug-shot-type photographs.

“What are those numbers?” I asked, pointing to a series of numbers that appeared beneath each record.

Ostin glanced through the numbers looking for a pattern. “I’m guessing the first is the GP’s serial number, like they give convicts in prisons. The second, based on the recurring sequence, appears to be a date, probably when they were admitted. I know how to verify that.” He typed in a number. A picture of a terrified Wade appeared on the screen. “Yep. It’s the day admitted. The third . . .” He hesitated, slowly rubbing his hand over his forehead. “Hmm. The list is sorted by the serial numbers, but you’ll notice the last numbers seem to show up in clumped sequences. I’m betting it’s where they’re being held—they’re just using a number instead of a location.” “That’s not going to help us,” Taylor said.

“On the contrary,” Ostin replied. “It will tell us how many Elgen facilities there are.” “What’s that?” I said, pointing to a folder that read: CONFIDENTIAL MEMOS: STARXOURCE PLANTS “No idea,” Ostin said. He clicked on the folder.

MEMO

Mr. Chairman,

Please find requested report of Starxource development. Note: All countries with populations of fewer than 15,000 are deemed irrelevant unless there are recognizable political ties that may allow us future development in larger economies; i.e., Saint Barths—France. (Grid Infrastructure development will be detailed in alternative report.) Beta Control Countries

Anguilla

(Starxource Functioning 100%)

Christmas Island

(Starxource Functioning 100%)

Cook Islands

(Starxource Aborted)

Falkland Islands

(Starxource Functioning 96%)

Saint Barths

(Starxource Functioning 96%)

Operational Starxource Plants/Combined Populations: 115,597,166

Palau

21,000

British Virgin Islands

28,213

Gibraltar

29,441

Monaco

35,881

Saint Martin

36,824

Cayman Islands

54,878

Greenland

56,890

Bermuda

64,237

Dominica

71,685

Jersey

97,857

Aruba

101,484

Tonga

103,036

Grenada

110,821

Samoa

184,032

Finland

5,405,590

Zimbabwe

12,754,000

Taiwan

23,200,000

Peru

29,797,694

Tanzania

43,443,603

Plants Under Construction (PUC)/Combined Populations: 32,623,410

Portugal

10,561,614

Greece

10,787,690

Chad

11,274,106

Under Negotiation/Combined Populations: 1,010,135,758

Poland

38,092,000

Sudan

45,047,502

Spain

46,196,278

South Korea

48,750,000

Italy

60,600,000

France

65,073,482

Philippines*

94,000,000

Pakistan

187,000,000+

Brazil*

192,376,496

India*

233,000,000

*Top 10 Populous Countries

Within 24 months we will be providing power to 19.89% of countries comprising 46% of the world’s population. The current global economic stagnation provides an ideal political and socioeconomic environment to allow our entrance into these countries that might otherwise be wary of our global growth and Elgen control. It is our estimation that within 48 months we will control the energy and, subsequently, the economies of 78% of the world’s population.

Dr. C. J. Hatch

“It’s from Hatch!” Ostin said.

“It sounds like he’s talking about global conquest,” Taylor said.

Ostin clicked on another folder. “Check this out.” He pulled up a video screen that showed a large logo.

“It’s a news story about the Elgen,” he said.

“Run the video,” I said.

Images

Ostin clicked the play button and an attractive, professionally dressed woman with a British accent began speaking: REPORTER: In global news, Elgen Inc., an international energy conglomerate, has announced a new source of cheap, renewable energy. Elgen’s Starxource power plants promise to “light up the globe” by delivering economical, renewable, and environmentally friendly power to the world.

The video cut to a shot of Dr. Hatch.

“Die, you pig!” Ostin shouted.

“Quiet,” Taylor said.

REPORTER: Dr. C. J. Hatch, CEO of Elgen Inc., told reporters that the Starxource project would revolutionize the world in more ways than just affordable power bills.

The audio came up on Hatch.

HATCH: Currently more than twenty-five percent of the world’s population lives without electrical power. It is Elgen Inc.’s goal to remedy this problem within our lifetime. The benefits of our Starxource plants are innumerable, as will be the relief of human suffering . . .

“Human suffering,” Ostin said bitterly. “The man invented it.” “Shh,” Taylor said.

HATCH: . . . and other sociopolitical factors, such as freeing children in underdeveloped countries from gathering wood and fuel all day, so they can attend school.

REPORTER: The technology behind your Starxource plants is more confidential than the formula for Coca-Cola, but rumors are that you have created sustainable cold fusion.

HATCH: The process we’ve developed might best be compared to cold fusion; however, there is no environmental backlash. Starxource plants create no nuclear waste, and there is no danger of a nuclear core meltdown like that experienced in Chernobyl or during the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

REPORTER: When will the first Starxource plants begin operating?

HATCH (smiling): They already are. Elgen Inc. has been operating mini–power plants in developing countries for more than three years now, and the benefits to the local communities have far surpassed our greatest hopes. We are now preparing to operate in more populated countries.

REPORTER: Tesla, Edison, and now Dr. C. J. Hatch. Clean, cheap, and renewable energy from Elgen Inc. Finally, some good news for a change. I’m Devina Sawyers. Back to you, Mark and Carole.

After the video ended we all sat quietly.

“Hatch said the Elgen were going to control the world,” I said. “If they control the world’s power, they control the world, don’t they?” “But it doesn’t make sense,” Ostin said.

“What doesn’t?” Taylor asked.

“Cold fusion’s not their bag. The Elgen scientists are biologists, not physicists. It doesn’t make sense that they would invent or discover something outside their field of research. It would be like a pizza chain building cars.” Taylor pointed to a folder next to the one Ostin had just opened: ER Protocol. “What’s that?” Ostin looked at it. “ER . . . Emergency room protocol?” Ostin clicked on the file.

MEMO

Dr. Hatch,

Due to your recent report of the likelihood of additional ER21 escapes, the board wants to know what protocol has been initiated in order to deal with a potential outbreak. There is concern that due to the organisms’ short gestation periods, an epidemic of ER could quickly spread near one of our Starxource plants, jeopardizing our control. Do the ER20 and ER21 propagate outside the controlled environs, and if so, for how many generations? We have reviewed the press coverage you enclosed concerning the recent ER outbreak near our Puerto Maldonado plant. What is our status to date?

“What’s an ER21?” Taylor asked.

“Never heard of it,” Ostin said. “It sounds like a virus, which is something the Elgen would do. But what does that have to do with a power plant?” He turned to Grace. “Do you know?” Grace shook her head. “I’ve never heard of it.” We continued reading the chain.

MEMO

Mr. Chairman,

The outbreaks of ER20 and, more specifically, ER21 in Puerto Maldonado have been contained. It was fortunate for us that this outbreak occurred during the rainy season, as the ER cannot withstand the direct application of water due to the specimen’s biological mutations.

Dr. C. J. Hatch

MEMO

Dr. Hatch,

How can you be certain of the successful containment of the ER20/ER21?

MEMO

Mr. Chairman,

We have developed sophisticated el-readers for detecting ER20/ER21 over large areas. Also, the properties of the living ER20/ER21 make them highly visible in darkness.

Dr. C. J. Hatch

MEMO

Dr. Hatch,

Fortunate as it may be that the Puerto Maldonado situation has been contained, it is of concern to us that it was only by “fortune” that a near catastrophic situation was mitigated. Please respond to our initial inquiry. Do the ER20 and ER21 propagate outside the controlled environs, and if so, for how many generations?

MEMO

Mr. Chairman,

In regard to your inquiry about ER reproduction outside of captivity, the ER20/ER21 do, in fact, propagate the genetic mutation that is developmentally favorable for the rapid production and operation of Starxource plants. However, scientists at our Kaohsiung, Taiwan, plant have developed an ingenious solution. We have genetically altered the next phase, ER22, with a 92% iodine deficiency, far less than is available in any natural environment. The ER will die within 72 hours without the supplements we provide. Our beta test of ER22 in the Aruba, Puerto Maldonado, and Taiwanese plants has proven successful, and we will be neutralizing all ER21 as soon as we can replace them with the ER22, as not to disrupt our current power production and potentially damage our grids in those regions.

MEMO

Dr. Hatch,

Due to the short gestation period of the specimen, is it possible that some ER could survive longer than 72 hours and reproduce?

MEMO

Mr. Chairman,

In response to your recent inquiry, the answer is no. It is not possible.

“Any idea what that’s all about?” I asked.

Ostin shrugged. “I need to do a little detective work. The memo said this ER escape made the news. We’ve got a date here and a general location.” He looked at me. “This might take a little while.” “Then I’m going to take a nap,” I said. “Wake me if you find something.” “Will do,” Ostin said.

I walked out of the front room to find a bedroom.

Taylor followed me out. “Michael. Can we talk?” “Sure. Let’s go in here.”

We walked into a bedroom. I sat at the foot of the bed and Taylor sat cross-legged on the floor.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Yeah.” She looked down at her hands. “How long are we going to stay here?” “I don’t know. The man didn’t say.” “Can you call him?”

“I don’t know.” I lifted the phone from my pocket, and it immediately lit up. For the first time I noticed that it didn’t even have a keypad. “It’s not designed to dial out—only to receive.” I looked over at her. “Are you sure you’re okay?” “No,” she said. She lowered her head into her hands, her coffee-brown hair falling in front of her like a veil. “All of this is my fault. And now Ostin’s parents are gone, and Jack’s house is burned down. If I hadn’t looked for the Elgen online . . .” I sat down next to her on the floor. “Taylor, you can’t keep doing this to yourself. You’ve seen how high-tech the Elgen are. It was just a matter of time before they found us.” “What if they take my family?” “Then we’ll rescue them,” I said. “Just like we’re going to rescue my mother.” She looked at me, forcing a smile. “Thank you. I’m glad . . .” I waited for her to finish but she didn’t. “You’re glad . . . what?” “Can’t you read my mind?” she asked sadly. “You could before.” “There’s got to be a lot of electricity between us,” I said.

She looked into my eyes. “And there’s not?” I smiled, restraining my impulse to tic. “That’s a different kind.” She put her arms around my neck and laid her head on my shoulder. “What I was going to say was, I’m glad I have you for my boyfriend.” “Me too,” I said. “Sometimes I have to pinch myself.” She pinched my arm and smiled. “You’re so cute.” We sat there for several minutes, and my thoughts drifted to something I’d been hiding since my first meeting with Hatch. I forgot Taylor could read my mind.

She jerked back, her eyes wide. “Why are you thinking that?” “Thinking what?”

“You know what. About dying.”

“It’s nothing,” I said.

“Dying isn’t nothing. It’s a very big something.” “Why were you listening to my thoughts?” “It just happens. Sometimes I don’t even know I’m doing it.” She squeezed my hand. “Why were you thinking that?” “It’s just something Hatch said. I don’t know if it’s even true. . . .” “What did he tell you?”

“He said four of the other kids have already died from cancer caused by our electricity, and I have more electricity than they did.” I looked into her eyes. “He said I might be dying.” Taylor looked as if she didn’t know how to respond. “Was he lying?” “I don’t know. You know him better than I do.” Her eyes started to well up with tears. “You can’t die, Michael.” “Believe me, it’s not something I’m trying to do,” I said.

She put her head back on my shoulder, and I held her for several minutes until Ostin barged into the room. “Hey, guys. You’ll never guess what I just discovered.” He stopped and looked at us. “What’s going on?” Taylor sat up, pulling her hair back from her face. “Nothing,” she said, her eyes still red.

“What did you discover?” I asked.

He looked back and forth between us, then said, “I figured out what the ER20 and ER21 are. Dudes, you’re never going to believe it.”