S i b lings, p.5
S.I.B.lings, page 5
“We also have to locate the others who escaped with Chambers,” Monty added. “Those are going to be the toughest to reprogram.”
“If they want to be,” Wade added.
“The S.I.B.s with Chambers are not the bad people,” Ross stated. “They have been guided in a negative way. I mean look at us. Technically, we are all from the Society, with the exception of Wade. We turned out okay, with the exception of Drake.”
“Hey…” Drake protested.
Dane chuckled. “We were raised differently.”
“That is the key,” Wade stated. “The Chambers’ failure with their experiment was a misguided understanding of a simple biological fact. When there are emotional imbalances in human beings, they become psychopaths. When a multitude of psychopaths are released into mainstream society with one mission in mind, it puts us all in danger. What they were attempting to create were people who do not realize they are flawed—not irrevocably but flawed none the less. Just as each of us are.” Wade replied. “I believe the people we found can be given a new start, a new way of life. Especially the children.”
“I agree,” Drake added. “I think we should start an organization geared towards helping the S.I.B.s fit into mainstream society a little better. Another thing, the name S.I.B.s as it stands has a negative connotation connected to it.”
“I agree. I say we change it to SIBs for siblings, not an acronym for the Society of Intellectual Beings.”
“Think about it, when we find them, a number of them could very well be any one of our siblings.”
Monty sat forward. “Everyone grab the binder where your initials were found.”
“That’s another question,” Dane asked. “How do we know if any other generation has reusable alphabets like generation one?”
“Just as with Dane, there should be a notation next to the initial." Wade explained. “Until we dive into these binders, we cannot be sure of our summations. However, this will at the very least give us a starting point.
“Starting with the identifying numbers of the donors is our best recourse,” Monty stated. “We know that the first generation was the largest.”
“How do you know?” Wade asked.
It took Monty a moment. He shrugged. “I don’t know. The thought just popped into my mind.”
“That has happened to me too,” Ross stated. “Ever since I went inside that building, memories of small things have been popping in my mind.”
“Like what?” Wade asked.
“The vitamins…I remember taking them every night.” Ross stated.
“Yes,” Monty nodded. “Last week when I was taking my vitamins in the morning. My mind asked why I wasn’t taking my night vitamins.”
“Your mind just asked that?” Drake gave him a curious look.
Monty nodded then frowned at his little brother. “Yes, that is what I said. What of it?”
“Nothing, you were talking about yourself is if your mind and you are two separate entities.” Dane replied.
“Have you two experienced anything popping into your mind since we returned from Bristol?” Wade asked Drake and Dane.
“Women,” Drake replied. “That redbone pops into my mind all the time.”
Dane threw a piece of paper at Drake as he laughed. “You are always seeing women in your mind.”
“That may be significant,” Wade suggested.
“The women in my mind?” Drake frowned.
“No,” Wade shrugged his comment off. “The fact that Monty and Ross have memories of their time at the lab but you two do not.”
Ross and Monty glanced at each other then back at Wade.
“We were in the facility,” Ross stated.
“And we weren’t,” Dane countered.
“Exactly,” Wade nodded. “You two may have more memories that will surface at some point, because you revisited the place where those memories occurred. Since you two did not,” he pointed at Drake and Dane, "suppressed memories will not hit you.”
“But we did go inside,” Drake stated. “We helped rescue the women and children.”
“That’s true,” Monty nodded. “So why the impact on us and not them?”
Wade thought for a long moment. “I got nothing. However, it may not be a bad idea to get all of those memories from each of you. It may give us a better understanding of what we are dealing with.”
“Hypnotize us?” Drake questioned.
“Think about it.” Ross sat forward. “The last thing we need is for one of you to go into a trance like I did on Wade at the most inopportune time.”
“I don’t know if that is a good idea or not,” Dane stated. “Getting too much at once could be dangerous.”
“But it is something we should consider,” Monty stated.
“Let’s table it for now,” Wade suggested. “Our first priority is to find as many of the siblings as we can. See which ones are related to each of you. With any luck, conversations with them may help to release the suppressed memories.”
Chapter 8
Rachel was walking back to the kitchen when the front doorbell sounded. Making an about-face turn she was less than five feet from opening the door when Wade ran into the foyer.
“Don’t open that door.” He yelled.
“Why not?” Rachel frowned. “It’s probably Nate or my sisters.”
“I’ll open it,” Wade stated. “With all that has happened I’m taking every precaution with you.”
“Because you love me,” she smiled at him.
“Yes,” he kissed her cheek then went to the door. He glanced through the drapes at the window.
“Can’t your mind tell you who is out there, mind reader of mine,” she teased.
“I cannot read minds,” Wade replied as he cracked opened the door.
“Are you expecting the police or something?” Rachel’s sister Riley Fontaine brushed past Wade, followed by her sister Judge Regan Fontaine.
“Apparently he is,” Regan stated as she had one foot in the door and another on the porch. “I believe that is Nate pulling up. And it looks like Sapphire is with him.” She walked in scanning over her sister. “What’s happened?” She asked Rachel.
“It seems we had a few midnight callers,” Rachel replied.
“Do we need to take them down?” Riley dropped her purse to the floor after retrieving her gun. “Where are they?”
“Who in the hell are you supposed to be, Foxy Brown or somebody?” Rachel laughed.
“Don’t laugh Rachel,” Regan chimed in. “We are going to be whoever we need to be to keep you safe. You called us saying Wade would not let you out of the house. So, what’s going on?”
“You two came over here for me?” Wade asked with a smirk on his face.
“If we have to take you down to free our sister, yes,” Riley replied.
“Ease up oh militant one,” Rachel picked up the purse from the floor then took the gun from Riley’s hand. She put it back inside the purse then handed it to her. “Keep that handy for the real enemy.”
“Regan, it’s always good to see you,” Nate gave her a hug. “What are you doing here?”
Detective Nate Reigns, who was in the midst of dealing with the aftermath of an attack on the Richmond Police Department, was well aware of the situation with the Tysons. He had not had the opportunity to sit down with Wade to discuss it in detail. But he did understand the circumstances the family was dealing with. As far as the serum was concerned, it was also a challenge for the city. His best friend, Alex Burnett, who was also the man Regan had been in love with, was a victim of the serum. In addition, a number of deaths within the city had been connected to that same serum. When he received the call about the intruders he had automatically reached out to Sapphire Palmer, the director of an organization called The Administration whose sole purpose was to handle any domestic enemy of the United States. The person who was distributing the deadly serum was considered dangerous and at the top of their list to locate. Her agency had also been tasked with finding a way to counteract the serum’s effect.
“Rachel called saying she needed to be rescued,” Regan replied to Nate’s question.
“And of course, you and Riley came running,” Nate smiled.
“That’s what sisters do,” Riley stated.
“She does not need rescuing from me Riley,” Wade stated. “But we will come back to that on another day.”
“Good idea,” Nate nodded. “Wade, you know Sapphire Palmer.”
“Yes, we have met,” Wade shook her hand. “It is nice to see you again. My apologies for the circumstances.”
“No apology needed. We are here to help,” Sapphire stated. “Where is the data you collected?”
“Right this way,” Wade pointed to the kitchen.
“Sisters, you might as well come this way too,” Rachel stated. “Have you had breakfast?”
“No, and I’m starving,” Riley stated as she followed everyone into the kitchen.
“Well, it seems as though everyone is present,” Sapphire took in everyone as she walked over to the island and placed her briefcase on top.
“And good morning to you,” Drake started to rise.
Monty put his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Very married lady.”
Drake kept his seat. “I can still look.”
“That one will hurt you, Drake,” Nate warned remembering how the young brother was with the ladies. “How is everyone?”
The brothers all spoke to Nate.
“For those who do not know, this is Sapphire Lassiter-Palmer,” he put an emphasis on the name Lassiter. “Her brothers will kill you without thought,” he looked directly at Drake. “She is here to gather data. I am here to round up a few men. Where can I find them?”
“I will take you to them,” Ross stood. “It is nice to meet you in person, Mrs. Palmer. Feel free to zap anyone who steps out of line.” He glanced at Drake.
“Drake and I are going to be fine,” Sapphire stated as she pulled out her computer. “Are the binders holding the information that needs to be sorted?”
“Yes,” Drake stood with his binder then walked over to the island.
Regan, who was sitting at the island next to Riley, blocked his progress. “Sit down before you get hurt.”
“Why is it that everyone thinks I’m going to do or say something out of place?” He hissed.
“Because you always do,” Rachel replied. “He doesn’t mean any harm, Sapphire, he just doesn’t know how to keep his hands to himself.”
“No worries. I can take care of myself,” Sapphire reached over and touched Drake’s hand.
He jerked his hand away. “Ouch…damn! What the hell was that?” he squealed while shaking his hand.
“Just a little warning,” Sapphire informed firmly. She glanced around the table where the other binders were sitting. “If each of you will open the binders where they are, I can have the information scanned in a matter of minutes.” She pulled a wand from her briefcase then reached for Drake’s binder. He quickly pulled his hand away.
“Keeping your hand away from the fire?” Dane laughed.
“This isn’t going to hurt,” Sapphire smiled reassuringly. She pressed a button on the computer then scanned the binder in front of Drake. After a brief moment, the device beeped, and a green light appeared on the top indicating the number 782.
“What’s that?” Drake asked.
“The number of pages scanned into the computer.” She replied, then she walked over to Monty. She moved the wand over his binder. When it beeped, she went to the next repeating the process until each binder had been scanned. She stepped back to the island to look at the computer. Everyone watched as her eyes were on the information that was filling up the screen.
Riley stood then walked over to the other side of the island to stand directly behind her to watch the computer screen. “One thousand, two hundred and twelve pages.”
Sapphire walked back to Monty’s binder, checked the last page in the binder, then nodded. “Correct. Label that binder one.”
Riley keyed in the title. “Done.”
Sapphire then walked over to Drake. She smiled down at him as she did so. “So, you are baby Tyson, cute. Label this one binder three.”
“Seven hundred eighty-two pages,” Riley replied then keyed in the title. “Done.”
Sapphire checked the binder lying on the table in front of the seat Ross had vacated.
“One thousand ten pages,” Riley stated.
“Label this one binder two.” Sapphire stated.
“You captured all of the information from every page of these binders with that wand?” Dane asked in awe.
“I did,” Sapphire nodded. “Would you like to test one of the binders?”
“Hell yes,” Drake stated. “This information is important.”
“Turn to a page in binder number one,” Sapphire suggested.
“Any page?” Monty asked.
“Any page,” Sapphire nodded.
He turned to a page and gave the page number. They all watched as she keyed the page number into her computer. “Okay,” she nodded. “Begin reading any line.”
Monty began reading from the binder. Sapphire picked up where he was then read along with him.
All eyes were on Sapphire and the computer. “I have to get me one of those.” Regan spoke in awe.
“How long will it take to assess the data then put it in list format?” Dane asked.
“Once this information is loaded into our main server, we can extract whatever you need.” Sapphire explained. “We will insert your questions and the computer will compile the information then dispatch it to you.”
“I have read that computers now have this capability, but this is the first time I have seen one in action,” Riley stated. “The schools could use something like this.”
“I disagree,” Sapphire stated. “Computers of this caliber will hamper the learning abilities of children. I'm of the belief that children in K-12 school years should be encouraged to use their minds to calculate simple everyday things. They should not be dependent on computers for everything in their lives. If we go down that road, computers will eventually overrule humans. It is a similar flaw with attempting to have a society of people who rule simply on logic and nothing else. We are human beings. Every decision, every rule, every law should have a human element when made. And let’s face it, humans are emotional beings. We have a left side of the brain and a right side that function independently of each other, which gives us this thing called balance.”
“I agree,” Rachel stated. “That is why it is just as important for children to learn how to play jacks, or swing on a tire, as it is for them to calculate math problems.”
“And for people to play as hard as they work,” Regan added. “Balance is important to enjoy life.”
“For me to enjoy life, a few of these powerful computers would be helpful in the school system,” Riley huffed.
“Tell me something,” Drake asked. “Once the information is put in your server, will it be able to tell us how many babies were created from a specific donor?”
“Yes, it will also connect each of those births in order,” Sapphire stated. “Is that the information you are seeking?”
“Yes,” Monty replied.
“Good to know,” she began shutting down the computer. “Now, tell me where I can find the two men who you captured?”
“In the guest house,” Monty stood. “I’ll take you to them.”
Chapter 9
“You want to tell me what happened here?” Detective Reigns inquired as he stared down at the two men who were tied to a chair in the kitchen area of the guest house.
“These two were found attempting to break into the back door of the house,” Wade replied. “Monty and I confronted them.”
“Any idea why they were attempting to get into your house?” Nate asked.
“We have a theory or two,” Ross replied. “They remind me of the men who attempted to harm Rachel when we were in Bristol.”
"That's the reason why we called you Nate,” Wade explained. “I know that Rachel spoke with you concerning what happened when we were in Bristol. I thought it would be best to turn these men over to you. I know the Richmond Police Department is busy and they are not going to be able to give this situation the type of attention needed. I am certain these men are connected to Bradford Chambers, the man who created the deadly serum that has been wreaking havoc on the city. I’m not sure how, but I do believe your situation and ours are connected.”
“The serum connects us,” Nate stated. “If these men are connected to this Chambers person, we need to interrogate them.”
“When you say we, are you talking about RPD?” Wade inquired.
“No,” Nate turned to face the men. “These men will be turned over to another organization. They will be able to extract information from them that the police would not know to ask.” He looked at Wade. “I take it that is the reason you called me and not police headquarters.”
Wade nodded. “I believe things are happening around us that we cannot afford to waste a lot of time on. Going through the proper channels is going to take civil liberties into consideration before they do anything. I believe that working outside of normal channels will be the efficient way to deal with the situation.”
“The situation for the city is simple yet complicated,” Nate stated. “As Mayor Palmer stated in his press conference, we have an organization called P.I.E., it stands for Purity through Infiltration and Elimination, that has one goal, to preserve the purity of the superior race.”
“Not them again." Ross raised an eyebrow. "The blue eyes, blonde hair people we dealt with before."
“The very same," Nate acknowledged. "It seems the organization believes that men with blonde hair and blue eyes have special powers attached to them. They are in some way morally superior to anyone else on earth. Of course, I disagree. However, since you have those traits, you may have other thoughts.”
“I don't think that the color of your skin dictates anyone's brain power or moral standards. Those elements of life are determined by the makeup of each individual.” Ross stated, “However, I do believe that the people you are dealing with have a different ideology than the people we are dealing with. They are both after the same things. They want power and control of this country. They are just going about it in different ways.”
