Immortal (35 page)

“What about the damaged ones? The ones in the
crate?” Gabrielle asked.

“Oh were there damages aboard?” Adam asked.
“Again much of things that happen around here are automated, so I
was unaware that there were incoming repairs. They typically would
be repaired, reprogrammed with the latest software version, and
sent back on the next shipment.”

“And the barrel?” Jericho asked.

“You did not open it did you?” Adam asked,
with a touch of concern in his voice.

“No.” Replied Jericho.

“Good.” Adam smiled again. “It contains a
rare element, referred to as Promethium. In accumulated form, it
can be hazardous to humans. I am thankful you did not open the
barrel.”

“This element.” Jericho began. “Where does it
come from?”

“Typically it is found in sediment at the
bottom of the sea, but only in certain areas. One such area exists
right near New Sebastian.” Jericho looked at Gabrielle.

“The factory.” He said, as he remembered his
work there, and the careful process of how he had to locate and
capture the elusive particles. She nodded, as did Adam.

“Yes. That was one of the purposes of the
establishment of the factory in your village. Promethium was once
very much needed for our research. And even for our very survival.
We have since learned how to synthesize a similar element from
sediments found at the bottom of the ocean here, and have even
succeeded in improving upon its valuable properties as an energy
storage medium. It is this element that now powers the systems
here, and even the Guardians.”

“But if you no longer need it, then why is it
still being shipped here.” Jonah asked.

“It is part of our trade system with New
Sebastian. It was established long ago, and since we do not have
frequent communication with them, it continues. We empty the
barrels back into the sea, and reload the ship with needed supplies
and send it back. They need not know that we don’t require the
Promethium any longer. It is more important for the trade to
continue.”

“But why?” Asked Jonah. “If you disagree with
the entire concept of that society, why do you still help? Why are
you still perpetuating it?”

“The trade is an invaluable path to the
completion of our plans.” Adam said, as his smile slowly
disappeared. “This trade agreement allows us to have input into
many things in New Sebastian. And it is this pipeline that has
allowed us to move things to the very juncture that we are now
entering.” A sound emitted suddenly into the room. Adam looked to
Jillian, and she nodded. “If you will? Please excuse me.” He said.
“That would be your Premier, and I expect that he is very upset at
us all for having duped him into believing the return sequence had
been activated.” Adam stood up, gave a short bow and exited the
room. Jillian stood as well, and addressed the group.

“If you will? Please follow me. We have some
things that we must show you.”

“We are connected, sir.” Charles said to
Roger.

“Put it on the wall.” Charles keyed the
command into the comm panel. The wall lit up with Adam’s smiling
face.

“Send them back!” Roger yelled.

“Who?” Asked Adam, calmly.

“The specimens!” Spat Roger. “And that damned
traitor, Jonah!”

“Roger. You must calm down. You are not the
young man you once were.”

“And neither are you, you son of a bitch.
You’re not a man at all. I said, send them back.”

“And if I refuse?” Adam again responded
calmly.

“Then you have just received your last
shipment of Promethium.” Roger said defiantly, as he played his ace
card.

“And what if I said that we no longer need
it. What if I said, you can keep it.”

“You’re bluffing.”

“Am I Roger? Am I bluffing?” Adam still
smiled, as Roger began to fume with anger.

“This is ridiculous!” He yelled. “I am the
Premier, and I said-”

“Wait. Let me remind you, Roger. You are the
Premier of New Sebastian. You have no authority here in
Speros.”

“Speros, my ass! I don’t care what made up
name you gave to that stupid factory. It was designed to provide
for New Sebastian, and it will continue to do so, even if it means
killing every last one of you.”

“Roger, violence is not the answer.” Adam
said calmly. “It is true that we no longer require your shipments,
but we are quite willing to continue to provide you with the things
that you need.”

“At what cost?”

“No cost at all. But my new friends will
remain here.”

“That is unacceptable. They belong to me and
I want them back. Immediately!” Roger said, as he slammed his good
hand down on the desk.

“I am afraid that the matter is not
negotiable.”

“You’re damn right it’s not negotiable. Now
put their asses on that ship, and flip the switch!”

“No.”

“No?” Roger asked incredulously. “No? You
dare to tell me? The Premier? No?”

“I am sorry, Roger. Am I speaking a language
that you are unfamiliar with?”

“You son of a bitch.”

“Have you never been told no before?”

“If you don’t send them back right away-”

“What, Roger?” Adam asked calmly, as his
smile diminished. “What will you do?”

“I’ll…I’ll…”

“You’ll do what exactly, Roger?”

“I’ll activate the failsafe program!” Roger
said defiantly. Adam’s expression went blank, and his head dipped
slightly. Then he raised his chin, and his smile returned.

“The answer is still no.”

“I swear it, Adam! I will activate it!”

“Then so be it.”

“You know what will happen! You know that you
all will die!” Roger yelled. Adam nodded.

“I cannot protect you from yourself, Roger. I
am only glad that your father is not there to see the man you have
become.”

“Damn it! You are only there, only alive, due
to the stupendous mistakes made by my idiot father. He should have
listened to me. I told him to kill you!” Spittle flew from Roger’s
mouth in his tirade. “I am your Premier, and you will obey my
command.” Adam’s smile faltered.

“Alas. I had suspected as much.” He shook his
head sadly. “Premier or not, Roger, you will never be the man that
your father was.” Roger leapt from his chair, and knocked it over
in the process. He grabbed his comm device from the desk.

“Go to hell!” He yelled, and threw the device
with fury against the video wall. It burst into pieces and the wall
went blank. “That son of a bitch!”

“Sir-”

“Kiss my ass, Charles! How dare that bastard
say-”

“Sir!” Charles yelled.

“What?” Roger spat out.

“The rejuvenation procedure is ready.”

“I don’t have time for that now, you idiot!”
He bent down and yanked open his desk drawer. He ripped the secret
panel loose, and opened the security compartment. “I’ll show that
son of bitch who’s in charge.” He grabbed a handful of envelopes,
and threw them on the desk. He pawed through them, and knocked some
to the floor. He finally grabbed one and held it up. “See how you
like this, you bastard!” He clenched the top of the envelope with
his teeth, and tore it open. “Get my comm unit!” he yelled at
Charles.

“It appears to be broken, sir.” He said as he
held up part of the shattered device.

“Give me yours!” Charles handed over his
unit. Roger fumbled with it, as he balanced it with his injured
hand and tried to access the data slot with the other. He almost
dropped it. “Help me, damn it.” Charles stepped over and held the
unit, while Roger inserted the data chip. The display came alive,
and requested a password. He began to key in the series of
digits.

“Voice recognition activated.” The device
replied.

“Premier. Level one. Failsafe
Activation.”

“Processing.” The device replied. “Level one,
confirmed. Level two.”

“Premier. Level two. Failsafe Launch.”

“Processing. Level two, confirmed. Final
stage.”

“New Sebastian. Final stage. Initiate.” Roger
said as a smile crept across his face. “Processing. Final stage,
confirmed. Failsafe Launch sequence has been initiated.” Roger
flipped his chair upright with his foot, and handed the device back
to Charles. He sat down slowly.

“Let rejuvenation know that I will be down in
an hour.” He sat up in his chair, as his smile became broader and
he leaned back and placed his hands behind his head. “This should
all be over by then.”

Jillian had led them back down the elevator,
and Jonah was amazed as they reached the bottom floor and yet still
descended.

“How low are we going?” He asked.

“Several hundred feet below the surface of
the ocean.” She replied as the elevator came to a stop and the door
slid open. She led them down the hallway, then keyed a sequence of
commands into the security panel, and the door slid open and
revealed a large open warehouse lined with rows of shelving.
Gabrielle reached out and touched Jericho’s arm, as she remembered
the last rows of shelving she had seen, and the gruesome items they
had contained.

“This is the library.” Jillian said, as she
led the way inside. Jonah looked around in astonishment.

“Doesn’t look like any library I have seen
before. Where are the books?” he asked. Jillian laughed.

“No books here.” She said. “This library
contains DNA.”

“DNA?” He asked. She nodded.

“Years before the collapse of societies
across the earth, scientist began collecting samples of all of the
animals, plants, insects, and bacteria. Everything which made up
the ecology of our world. For hundreds of years they have been
carefully stored. When the waters began to rise, this great
structure was constructed. It’s been here for almost two hundred
years. And since his arrival, Adam oversaw the construction of
those many floors above the sea. If Adam is correct, we haven’t
much time. Follow me.” She led the way back out and across the
hall. The door slid open, and they stepped into the dimly lit room.
Gabrielle froze at the door. She saw rows and rows of tanks lining
the walls.

“It’s okay, Gabrielle.” Jillian said. “This
is the growth chamber. Each tank contains a species from the
library. We have been cultivating them for months, and soon,
another week or so, the first specimens will be viable. Here in
this room is the beginning of the new world.”

“Your new world.” Adam said, as he stepped
into the room behind them.

“I don’t understand?” Jericho said.

“Roger has activated failsafe.” He turned to
Jillian. “Would you please release the tether?” He asked. She
nodded, and turned and left. “Quickly now.” He said as he motioned
for them to follow him. “We don’t have much time.” He left the room
and led them back to the elevator. They went down a few floors and
exited again. Adam walked quickly down the hallway. He reached the
first door and it slid open. The room inside was obviously some
type of control room. Jillian was at work at one of the consoles.
The far wall was a video wall, showing a view of the outside, high
above them on the surface. They could see the ocean, the dock, and
the fact that the ship was gone.

“Where’s the ship?” Jonah asked
excitedly.

“It has been sent on a mission. There is a
precious shipment that it must pick up right away.” He turned back
to the open room. “It will rendezvous with us soon enough. This is
the control room of Speros. I moved the controls down here a few
years ago in preparation for these events. Though Speros is
perfectly capable of running itself, it is from here where you can
access the controls manually should you need to make a course
correction or to steer it away from danger.”

“Steer it?” Jericho asked.

“Yes. Speros is a ship.” Adam replied.

“A ship?” Jonah asked in disbelief. Adam
nodded.

“It’s been tethered to the ocean floor in
this exact location since it was first built. Only just now have we
released those tethers.” He stepped to a console and activated it.
“This is one of many data consoles in Speros. From any of these you
can access the entire data bank. It contains the history of mankind
as we know it. Right through the rising waters, and the Deathshead
plague.”

“The plague?” Gabrielle asked. Adam
nodded.

“The waters began to rise when the sun’s
temperature grew hotter. We’ve learned that every few thousand
years or so, the sun cycles through period of a hundred or so years
where its flare activity is far greater than normal, increasing
temperatures throughout the solar system. This resulted in the
melting of the polar ice caps, and the seas rising to the point of
covering the earth. We have entered the end of its most recent
cycle, and according to our measurements the seas have begun to
recede at a fairly rapid pace.”

“And the Deathshead? Is that the plague?”
Gabrielle asked.

“Well kind of. Yes it was a plague, but not
the one you refer to, Gabrielle. When you speak of the plague,
you’re speaking of the scanners in the village.” She nodded. “Those
scanners are not actually scanning for any type of plague. They are
designed to locate a specific DNA sequence of the person being
scanned. In the village they are used to locate and identify the
needed specimen for an impending rejuvenation procedure.” Jericho
gently grabbed Gabrielle as Adam spoke, as he saw her distraught
look. “I know this is hard.” He continued. “But we haven’t much
time.”

“So there is no plague?” Asked Jericho.

“Yes and no.” Adam replied. “There was a
horrible plague, referred to as Deathshead, which nearly eliminated
the human race. In the process of fighting this plague, humans, as
they often do, came up with a solution that resolved the problem,
in this case stopping the plague, but also made things worse. Much
worse as it turned out. The virus that was released that to stop
the plague, modified human DNA irreversibly. To cut to the heart of
the issue, no more babies could be born.”