Thicker Than Blood (14 page)

"How many do we need to inject me like before" Mark pulled his clarks over his eyes, and motioned in the air, "Lets see That drop of blood had about 10000 nanites, times 1440 drops per pint times 5 pints times 10000 nanites. We need 72 million nanites. Our goo is about 20 percent nanites at this point and we have about 3 pints of it divided by twenty percent is about two giant horse needles full of nanites." Joe winced. "One small problem." "What?" "They are floating in the chemical equivalent of cyanide drain cleaner right now." "What is cyanide drain cleaner?" Mark just shook his head. "Nothing we can inject you with grease monkey, that's all that matters." Joe realized Mark wasn't being literal. He turned a little red. "Nerd." Mark smiled. "Anyway, it doesn't matter because they might just kill you. What if I set something wrong." "Then don't change anything." "Huh?" "Copy the info from mine, they were already in me." "I still need to separate the nanites from their birthing fluid." "Ewww." Joe made a face. "I need another pair of eyes. I need to call my cousin." Joe winced and looked down his nose at Mark. "Remember, he doesn't like us?" "No he thinks we're young and foolish, it's different." "Kento doesn't." Mark stared into space. He turned to Joe shaking his head. "Do you ever complete a sentence?" "No."

Kento could not even hear Joe breathing hard over their footfalls. I can see his cheeks are flushed. His lips are slightly open and I see his breath. But he doesn't seem tired at all. Kento slowed his jog from Joe's pace and examined the twenty two year old's posture. He's slouching too much but his feet are falling evenly. He seems to be completely unfazed by the exercise. Kento switched his half broom stick to his left hand. He ran out in front of Joe as he spoke. "Joe, watch me." Kento pointed to Joe's right hand. "You are bending your wrist too much on eight. Imagine your sword is trapped between two parallel boards. You've only got two inches in the third dimension. Right now you hand would be raw meat covered in splinters." Joe began to swing his half broomstick more evenly. "That's good, but you are still slouching. You change the shape of your back when you slouch." Joe straightened up. He looked at the A-Team van as they jogged by the front gate. "Were you looking at the van or at your sword. You just sliced your thigh open, to look at a van you just jogged by one hundred times." He looked as sheepish as he could while running and swinging a stick. Kento switched the stick back to his right and began to count aloud in tune to his hand motions. "One, Two, Three." As they jogged around the old warehouse, Kento tried to keep his mind focused on counting aloud and performing the basic sword exercise flawlessly. Joe spoke as they ran and swung. "So what did you do to separate the nanites?" His stick began to wobble along it path as he spoke. "Focus Joe." Kento warned his student. "I have to warn you, I do not have a complete filtering technique down yet. This may take some time."

Unlike Joe, Kento's stick seemed to operate independently from his mouth. "Mark said you were almost done." Joe was staring forward. "Mark is very excited." Kento couldn't help but smile. "How long?" Joe slipped out of his routine. Kento glanced at Joe. "Well it all depends on the programs we wrote this morning." "What did you write?" "Joe, watch your extension on five." "Okay." "We actually wrote two routines. First we ran the soup through coffee filters. The nanites pass right through. We had to replace the filters many times though, they kept melting." "Mmm soup." He gasped a little. "Then we spun the whole batch through the centrifuge. We had to run it a couple dozen times." "Okay." "Now the nanites are back in the bowl, mostly decontaminated" "Okay" "About one percent have been programed to push all non water molecules and atoms into large blobs" He took a deep breath and looked at Joe. "Switch" He switched his stick to his left hand. Joe grabbed the stick with his other hand. "What about the other ninety nine?" "Counterclockwise first with the left hand." "Oh." Joe awkwardly switched directions. He turned a little red. Kento noticed the change and complemented him. "You're swinging a deadly weapon while jogging for twenty minutes, and holding a conversation on molecular chemistry. You're doing fine." "Sure." He was beginning to even out his pattern again. "The other ninety nine percent are programmed to absorb all glucose they can find, and swim away from the other one percent," Kento breathed. "We are hoping that after enough time, all contaminants will be collected into visible floating blobs." "How long." "Today maybe, perhaps as long as a week away. We'll keep checking a sample every few hours in the Microscope." Kento simply said, "Slouching!"

"Okay." Joe stood up straight as he ran. "How do they swim?" Joe breathed. "They seem to have some jet system, but we can't see how the inside works. Stuff goes in holes in one end and out the other. I don't really understand how they don't get jammed." Kento grimaced as he jogged. I have to tell Joe, he thought. He may not realize how different things will be now. "Joe I'm going to mail some nanites around today." Joe's broomstick made a smacking noise as he crashed it into his thigh. He stopped running, eyes wide. "What?" He asked rubbing his leg with an absent mind. "You okay?" He hoped Joe hadn't bruised himself. "Shouldn't we hide first?" He kept jogging in place, no longer practicing his forms. "I understand most people don't think like me, but we need as many people as possible to know about this. So far we have the only hard evidence of a military cover up, a fraudulent government agency, a bogus study paid for by a mysterious budget, failed scientific analysis of a valid theory, and a secretly developed mature technology that could cure disease but is instead being tailored to build supersoldiers." "The second they know we know, we will either disappear or die. Unless we can tell enough people that they can't jail them all, this secret will die with us." "Shit!" He was still rubbing his leg. He began jogging again, faster than before. Swinging his arm through motions that Kento taught him earlier that day. He sped to catch up. He saw the fear and anger in Joe's motions. "Sometimes it's better to hold back." Joe ran faster. "You need to save that energy for the people that deserve it. Don't let it go now." He stopped and faced Kento. "How can we fight them?" "We can't alone, but if the news gets out there is a chance." "If this gets out my aunt goes to jail." "Who's to say that wouldn't happen anyway. Joe, in total sincerity, do you believe she is a smart woman?" "Of course."

"Why would she want to get involved in this?" "I don't know." "She did it to help you." He stood silently, clutching his stick. "I bet she was working on a cure for you just like us. The difference is, she tried to work with MIR, but we see her collaborators for what they are. This is why I'm telling you to save your rage. It's righteous, and you will need that power in the near future. Justice is to reason, as strength is to victory. Do not waste the power your sense of injustice affords you on fury with no good end." "I need to talk to her." "Now that is a good place to start. I think we are done for today." He bowed forward. "You did well with the sword." Kento started walking but then turned. "When you talk to her you should get a lot more medicine, who knows when you will have health insurance or even a normal doctor again." He nodded and looked back at Kento. "How long until your soup test?" "Should be another hour." He was walking fast now. Joe turned back to him as he opened the gate to the parking lot. He looks distant, a little more adult right now, Kento thought. "Thanks for the lesson." Joe half smiled. "My pleasure." He smiled back and waved. He noticed a familiar car at the far end of the parking lot. It was Amman's. Something doesn't add up with Amman. How does a nuclear scientist even get out of Iran alive, much less into the United States. What are the odds of Amman finding us by chance? He wondered. I had better get those packages out soon. Too many variables. Too much left to chance.

Teressa was alone in her office staring at her laptop, the faint hum of florescent lights the only noise. The whole wing has been practically abandoned since Joe was injured. A shrill ring pierced the silence. Teressa jumped out of her seat. I'm really on edge, she thought. I have to put this behind me. "Hello, Dr. Graceland speaking." "Aunt Teressa." It was Joe's voice on the phone. "You were supposed to call me yesterday." "I'm sorry. I was tired after the meeting." He mumbled. "How did you know I was here? It's Thursday. You know I don't usually work today." "I tried your house." Several voices were audible in the background. "I need to get more medicine." Strange, he's not due for three more months, she thought. I shouldn't mention it. This is a perfect opportunity to talk to Joe away from others ears. "I'm on my way home I can meet you there?" Teressa lied, she wasn't planning on going home for three more hours. Teressa heard loud voices through the phone. "Joe, who is that? Where are you?" "I'm sorry Aunt Teressa. I can't meet you today." Oh great, who knows how little protein Joe has left. "Joe if you need more clotting protein, you should meet me today." She heard yelling in the background. She could swear she heard an Arab accent say the words, 'Stupid children, you're playing with fire.' "I'm sorry I can't. How about tomorrow night?" Joe's pitch rose with the noise behind him.

The accented voice yelled again. "Stop taking chances then!" Teressa realized her hands were ice cold. "Joe what is that yelling?" "I'm at work!" He was yelling over the ruckus. "Some argument over hydraulics!" Teressa didn't believe him. Those people are really angry. It sounds more like an ER than a robot shop. "Are you sure everything is okay?" "I have to go. See you tomorrow night. At your house." Click. Teressa held the phone to her ear long enough to hear the dial tone. Joe has never hung up on me. Somethings not right. Teressa pressed a button on her phone. He called from the warehouse, she thought. She pressed the call back button. The phone rang eight times. He was just there, she thought. She dialed his cell phone number. It rang four times and his voice mail answered. "Hey Aunt Teressa, I'll call you soon. Leave a message." She didn't. Damn. What if he hurt himself ? What if he is on his way here? She dialed again. "Hello," a gruff voice answered. "Sergio. Somethings wrong with Joe." "Oh no, not again." His voice lifted and octave with stress. "He called asking for more medicine, and there was some sort of argument going on at the robot garage." "He has two months' worth here," Sergio reported. She paused to think. "Maybe he hurt himself?" she wondered aloud. "He might have been trying to go to my place because it's the closest." A risky injury would explain the admonishment she heard. "Are you there now? Is he coming over? I'll be right there." "No wait," Teressa said. "He knows I'm at work, so if he has protein there, he'll come home to get them. That's the next closest place. I want to make sure he is not really hurt. I'll be right over." It will be good to see Sergio again. And even if Joe is not hurt, I'll have a chance to talk to him. Find out what just what he knows and who he's told. "I'll see you soon. I'll try Mark's cell," he suggested. "Keep him there. I won't be long."

Kento looked Amman in the eye as he spoke. "Okay forget the governments and terrorists. What would you do then? Would you use the nanites to heal yourself? Or would you just throw them away?" Amman just stared back at Kento. Joe could swear he saw him twitch. "Okay, so then why are you here. Why are you helping us? Why did you even show up that first day?" "To stop my cousin from hurting himself." Mark shifted in his seat. Kento raised an eyebrow, "So blood is what's important to you. Okay. What if your son was dying? What if your son could die from something unless you had them handy to save him?" "It's not worth the risk. They would be taken from me. Allah's armies cannot be stopped until they are all dead. They answer to a higher calling." Joe eyes opened wide and his stomach churned. He had never heard the Iranian mention Allah before. He looked at Mark and he looked unfazed. He was angry and confused. Kento continued his cool questioning of Amman, "Of course they could be stopped. If everybody knew about nanites and how they worked, the fanatics could be stopped. It would be just another arms race and the better economics would win." Amman responded bitterly, "The US government is not the best economy anymore. All of Islam would win that arms race. Americans are dumb idealists. They don't actually know how anything works." "You can't know that, so instead of fighting this battle yourself, you put your faith in elites that exclude you and everyone else. You are the one who is arrogant. So certain that you can judge people to handle your affairs for you. Assuming that the people around you are incompetent, and people you don't know more wise." Kento sounded more driven as he talked. "I will not listen to this any longer." Amman threw his chair down as he got up. He grabbed his notes off the table. "No, they stay here." Kento motioned to his notes. "I don't trust you." Joe started walking toward Amman. Damned if I'm going to let him get away. Mark looked stunned. Amman looked at Joe. "What are you going to do sick fool? I only have to hit you once." He scowled as he talked. Kento reached across the table next to him and grabbed his sword. "I'd be more worried about me." Amman blinked. He dropped the papers on the floor and walked to the door. "You will regret this day the rest of your lives!" he yelled. Amman slammed the door behind him. Joe felt his blood boiling. Mark's head was in his hands. His cell phone was ringing, but he ignored it. "That was inevitable," Joe said. "Unfortunately, I think you may be right," Kento said. "What will he do?" Joe wondered aloud. "I don't think there is much he can do. We don't know enough about how they are built." "What if he has some nanites already?" Mark looked unusually pale. "I don't think it changes anything," Kento said. "It just means we need to get more people involved. I'm mailing those samples tonight." Mark looked nervous. "Tonight? I guess we had better get packing." "I'll have to mail the nanites that are still in their soup." Kento looked distant as he spoke. "Could one of you stay and finish filtering the rest?" Joe looked at Mark. Mark was sitting with his head in his hands, oblivious to Kento. He looks completely destroyed, Joe thought. Here was his cousin claiming to protect him and acting like a terrorist in the same breath. He probably can't do a good job tonight. It's up to me. "I'll stay," Joe volunteered. "I'll crash here." "Thank you Joe." Kento smiled. "Mark can show you how." Mark looked up and nodded his head. Kento walked over to the diminished bowl of toxic nanite soup. He spoke as he walked. "If anything happens, if we get separated, we should meet at my dojo in Queens." They nodded in agreement.