Project Apex (6 page)

Marcus wanted to cut in and suggest that, perhaps by giving his life for his country, the soldier had already paid more than enough, but he didn’t want to get kicked out of his own meeting room so he again chose to remain silent as Genaro went on.

“My team were tasked with exploring things which looked more like science fiction than anything we thought truly achievable. We were exploring genetic modification to enhance pain and temperature resistance, cell regeneration and things of a similar nature. Of course, technology at the time was grossly inadequate for such advanced experiments, and we struggled to make any headway. We had grand ideas, of course, just no means to execute them. That all changed in the spring of two thousand and one."

Genaro paused to take a sip of water, looking around the table to make sure he still had their attention. Satisfied, he went on.

"As these things tend to be, it was quite by accident when I stumbled on something which would change the direction of my career and research, and what indirectly brings us all here today. That something was an article in New Scientist magazine written by a man called Richard Draven who was exploring similar technologies to my department but on a much smaller scale. His article claimed he had discovered a new species of monkey in the Congo with amazing regenerative properties. Of course, we know that species today as the tiger monkey, so called for its distinctive yellow markings. At the time of its discovery by Draven, it was thought impossible for a population of creatures to remain undiscovered in a world which we humans wrongly assume holds no secrets to us. The article by Draven was borderline fiction, and he was universally blasted by his colleagues for indulging in such fantasy to the point where it damaged his career. I too scoffed, and yet, some of the things he mentioned rang true with our own research, which piqued my interest. As fantastical and indulgent as it seemed, I decided to seek out Mr. Draven in order to speak to him myself, if for no other reason than to satisfy my own curiosity. After numerous rejections of my requests to speak with him, he finally decided to meet with me, only because he was in London and had some time to kill between appointments."

Genaro paused for another drink of his water, and scanned his audience again, his eyes lingering for just a split second on Marcus.

"I wasn’t sure what to expect from Draven before we met. I think I had half an idea he would be some kind of weirdo, or as you Americans might say a goofball. I was certainly surprised to find upon our meeting that he was a perfectly respectable, intelligent man. He was very humble, very wary of me, especially in light of the way his name had been dragged through the mud by everyone in the scientific community. He had done his research too and knew who I was even if he didn’t know the nature of my work. Within half an hour of speaking to him, I was half convinced he was telling the truth in his article. By the time another hour had passed, I was absolutely sure and was offering him a place on my team. He, of course, declined. He said he was already worried about the damage the backlash would do to his already tarnished reputation, and didn’t want to further aggravate the situation. He did, however, agree to take us to the location where this specific species of monkey could be found as long as we were willing to fund the trip, as he had spent pretty much all of his funds on his own research. Of course, with the ridicule of the scientific community came the stoppage of grants and funding. I assured him I would raise the funds needed and that he should stand by and be ready to fly out. Sure that my superiors would be thrilled with such a potentially monumental breakthrough, I requested a modest amount of funding to go and retrieve a sample of this particular species of monkey in order to see if we could use it to further our research."

He smiled, and Marcus thought it was a bitter expression rather than one of fondness, an intuition which proved to be correct as Genaro went on.

"Sadly, my superiors refused to authorise the trip, claiming it was a waste of valuable resources that would be better spent elsewhere, which, as we all know is ironic considering the trillions of dollars spent by the US alone on their military programs. Anyhow, that’s not the issue here.  The decline of the funding was final, yet fortunately, something was just around the corner which would change the lives of everyone and make those in power change their mind."

"Nine-eleven, right?" Marcus said.

Genaro nodded "Exactly. The most important day in recent history was, as we all know a terrible tragedy, and yet it opened the door to my research. With war looming and a world shell-shocked and frightened, the quarter of a million I had asked for to do my research which could directly help the war effort seemed like peanuts. In fact, I was given an open budget. For the first time, I was given free rein to do the work I had been trying to do on a shoestring budget for the last few years."

"Did you and Draven find the monkey?" Marcus asked.

"I did. Draven didn’t come with me. He said he had changed his mind and was moving on to other projects. He had been invited to do some research in Antarctica and thought the isolation would be better to help repair his reputation. He did, however, give me extensive notes and directions which were enough for us to locate the animal, which we have since learned only inhabits that particular area of the Congo, or at least to the best of our knowledge."

"Was it true?" Harding asked. "About the regenerative properties?"

"If you mean was Draven lying, then the answer is no. In fact, he was quite conservative in his report."

"So he was right?" Harding said.

"He was more than right. He had discovered a creature which would change the face of genetics forever." Genaro knew they were all hanging on his every word and waiting for him to go on, yet he paused, clearly enjoying the attention. "We brought samples, both alive and dead, of the monkeys back to our facility in America and began our experiments. Almost immediately, we understood we were dealing with something far beyond anything we could ever have hoped to comprehend. This amazing creature had genetic markers which overnight made our prior research redundant. Cell regeneration. Self-repairing tissue. We showed our initial findings to my superiors, who in turn unrestricted our budget and told us to spend whatever we needed to further the research. As you can imagine, it was a dream come true. We were told to find a way to transfer the genetic properties of the monkeys over to humans as quickly as possible no matter the cost."

"Surely that's impossible," Marcus said, his mind boggling at the idea.

"Not only is it possible, we were successful. Humans and primate DNA is ninety-six percent the same. There are only minute differences between the two. There are actual examples of creatures in the animal kingdom who possess these same traits. Certain lizards, for example, can grow a new tail if one is lost during a fight. Starfish can also replicate themselves into a whole new animal just from an off cut of a leg. The problem had always been the vast difference in genetic structure. With the tiger monkey, that particular problem was eliminated. We were able to devise a product...call it a virus if you will based on the primate DNA. When delivered to a human subject, this virus would bond at a molecular level with its host, essentially fusing together to become a singular being and in doing so changing its properties."

"I’m not sure I understand,” Susan said, glancing around the table to see if anyone shared her confusion. “You’re suggesting you modified people's DNA?"

"It's really not that hard,” Genaro said with a shrug of his narrow shoulders. “You would be surprised at the breakthroughs in science and medicine which have never been made public. For example, have you ever heard of a president or royal family member being diagnosed with cancer? Why do you think that is?"

Glances were exchanged around the table at such a crazy idea, and yet it made sense.

“Don’t look so shocked,” Genaro said with a grin. “We’ve had a cure for it since the mid-nineties. The only reason it hasn’t been released is because the pharmaceutical trade is worth billions of dollars a year and it’s more prudent to keep the cure under wraps.

A murmur went around the table at the revelation, all apart from Marcus, who remained unmoved. "What did the monkey virus change?" he asked, pulling the meeting back on track

"Everything," Genaro replied, this time with a grin that was of admiration for his work. "Normally, human trials take years to be possible. In this case, because of the genetic similarity between species, it was quite straightforward. The results were astounding. Our brief was to create a brand of super soldier. One who was designed for maximum efficiency with few needs as far as sustenance and care. We achieved that and more. We called it Project Apex. Essentially we took the current flawed human DNA and changed it. Improved it. Ironed out the flaws and made it better."

"You're talking about playing god here," Marcus said, unsure if he was more horrified or offended at Genaro.

"I don’t believe in god," Genaro fired back. "Only science. Evolution. I deal in fact. Black and white. I deal in tangible absolutes. Surely, you of all people understand that? I’m led to believe your own work ethic is similar?"

For the second time, Genaro had shot Marcus down and put him in his place. Marcus was starting to develop a strong dislike for the Englishman.

"Back to your initial question about what our product changed. Let me put it into perspective.” Genaro put a finger to his lips as he considered how to approach it. “Imagine a man who feels no pain. Imagine a man who is immune to extreme temperatures. A man who doesn’t need to eat or drink. A man who doesn’t need to sleep. Imagine a man given access to the full potential of his brain, giving him superior intelligence, decision-making skills and the ability to process and use information in real time at an almost computer processor like level. A man with unlimited stamina, a man who barely ages."

"You make it sound like they are invulnerable," Marcus said, feeling his stomach tighten.

"Essentially, they are. Stab him and the wound will heal itself. Cut off a limb and within three months it will grow back. They are physically and mentally superior to the rest of us in every single way. They are us, but with the flaws removed and the positives enhanced. If there is a god, this is surely the design he intended."

"How is any of this relevant?" Harding said. "Has someone discovered this technology and plans to steal it? If other countries were aware of the potential of this, it could be a disaster."

"It's entirely relevant," Genaro said. “You all need to understand, this isn’t some kind of glimpse into what could be possible. This has been implemented already. We have Apex soldiers stationed in small units all over the globe."

"Wait, you're telling me there are people - genetically modified people out there right now?" Marcus said.

"Yes, which is why we called you all here today. It seems our testing was rushed, and there may be a significant problem with the programme."

"Not may be," Robbins snapped, speaking for the first time. "I've seen this first hand. Those bastards are out of control."

Genaro frowned and stammered, thrown off by the commander’s interjection.

"This is Commander James Robbins from Camp Blanding down in Florida,” Genaro said. “He was privy to an incident a fortnight ago which alerted us to a potential issue, one which I’m afraid to say has escalated enough for us to bring you all into this meeting today."

Marcus straightened in his chair. He had the feeling things were about to get interesting. The perpetually grumpy Genaro went on.

"Commander Robbins was on site when an argument at a basketball game at his base got out of hand between three Apex soldiers and several regular forces personnel. There was an.... incident which led to some unfortunate deaths."

"Let me jump right in there," Robbins grunted, shooting a glare at Genaro. "Let’s not coat this in bullshit. It wasn’t just an incident. Some of our guys got into an argument with your super soldiers and were butchered. Sixty-seven dead. Sixty-seven. Good men. Good soldiers trying to enjoy their downtime before your supermen came in and cut them to shreds."

"Butchered?” Susan said, flashing a worried glance at Harding.

"Yeah. It was a damn bloodbath." Robbins grunted.

"Did nobody restrain them?" Marcus said "All those people against three?"

"Who the hell are you?" Robbins snapped, glaring at Marcus, then continuing on before he could reply. "Of course, they tried. The base is a wreck. It looks like a fucking war zone. Thanks to these super soldiers this idiot created, we didn’t stand a chance."

"The time for pushing the blame is long gone," Genaro said, trying to regain control of the meeting. "We need to find a solution to this problem."

"Can’t you just call them back in?" Marcus said.

"You think we would have called this meeting if that was an option?" Genaro snapped. "We have over seventy Apex operatives stationed all over the globe. Days after the incident at Camp Blanding, as one they stopped following orders. It was some kind of coordinated mass decision which we don’t yet understand. A few days after that, they went dark. They have gone off the grid."

"So they've gone rogue?" Marcus asked.

"Yes, that seems to be the case. We have no idea where any of the Apex teams are, what they might be doing or why they have become so aggressive."

"It seems to me you people didn’t test this virus of yours before you starting screwing around with people's genetic codes," Marcus grunted.