Manufractured, page 12
“The last time I checked, he was also on death row with me, and the fifteen others.”
“Yeah … that leaves another six members of your little group roaming around the country, planning to do who knows what.”
“I get it,” Dwight drawled. “This is where you tell me you’ll spare Lucas if I rat out the others. Don’t waste your breath; I’m not a snitch.”
“It’s entirely up to you whether or not you cooperate. I read the file on your brother, and I’ve spoken with the agents who’ve interviewed him. It’s pretty obvious you’re the one who introduced him to your world, and now you’re going to allow him to be executed. Do you ever look in the mirror, Dwight? Your brother trusted in you to guide him through life, and you taught him to hate the world.”
“Shut up, man!”
“It’s true, isn’t it? Your brother never wanted to get caught up in your madness, but he didn’t have a choice. He needed you, and you led him straight to death row. I’m giving you a chance, Dwight. You tell me what I need to know, and I guarantee you your brother will not be executed. I’ll also make sure he gets the help he needs.”
Dwight began trembling. “I know I failed him. You … you don’t have to tell me that. Our mother was a two-bit alcoholic; they took us away from her when I was eleven and Luke was five. She didn’t even know who our fathers were. I promised Luke I would always be there for him.”
“And I’m giving you that opportunity to be there for him,” Dave pressed. “This is your final chance for at least some form of redemption. What’s it going to be, Dwight?”
Dwight lowered his head into his hands and sighed. “What do you want to know?”
“Tell me where your pile of goodies came from, and give me those names. That will help your brother’s cause.”
Dwight hesitated a long time, still holding forth some vestige of resistance. Then he sighed heavily and leaned forward to rest his forearms on the table. “My connection informed me that the weapons and bombs came from some out-of-country arms dealer referred to as The Network, but if you want to know who they are and where they’re from, I have no clue.”
“And the six AXE members still on the lam?”
“I guess your Intelligence people aren’t so intelligent after all. The list of all those involved, including their real names, was encrypted in my flash-pad, the very one your goons took from me when I was arrested. I encrypted the info with a code, which obviously even your experts weren’t able to break.” Dwight paused a long time. Then, clearly reluctant, he began explaining how the information could be retrieved. “Now, before you go all crazy on me, there is one individual on that list who never gave me their real name,” Dwight warned him. “I know nothing about them. They went by the name of Jupiter, and desperately wanted to be part of the movement, but at the same time demanded to remain completely anonymous.”
“And so how did this Jupiter contribute to your so-called movement?”
“By sending us much-needed funding, along with a dozen large vials of a deadly toxin called helcin. At first I planned on just storing the stuff away, but then I was contacted by someone who really wanted it badly—they wanted it so desperately, they ended up paying me $25 million, which of course your goons confiscated from the warehouse.”
Dave tried his best to remain in control, but he was vibrating with anger. “You rotten bastard—that’s the same bloody poison that killed one of the finest men who has ever served this country! Do you know how deadly that stuff is?” he shouted, pounding the table with his fist. “Who the hell did you sell it to? Tell me who it was—tell me now!”
Dwight leaned back and waved a casual hand. “Do you think for a second they were going to reveal their identity to me? They paid me the money, and that’s all I cared about.”
Dave paused to regain his composure. “Did you get any contact info, or see anything? You had to have made an exchange at some point.”
“Whoever it was really trusted us, because they left the bag of money at the warehouse gate and drove away. Once we counted it and saw it was all there, we brought the vials of helcin to the gate, and they came back and picked them up.”
“Was all the money in order?”
Dwight grinned. “$25 million.”
“Wow, they trusted you with $25 million—but then again, I guess it’s not difficult to trust a lowlife scoundrel after you’ve just given them counterfeit money.”
Dwight’s grin vanished as if his face had been wiped clear. “What are you talking about?”
“They conned you, Dwight. The money wasn’t real. Now, do you recall what kind of vehicle they were in when they made the pick up?”
“That money was fake?”
“As fake as can be,” Dave said smugly. “Now, what about the vehicle?”
“It was some old black van … Look, I’ve had enough of this. Take me back to my cell.”
“Okay Dwight, but let me tell you, I not only have the influence to have your brother’s execution stayed, I can also make it happen a lot sooner. Heck, I can even get you a front row seat. So, like I said, it’s up to you.”
“I’m being honest,” Dwight protested. “It was just some old black van with a rusty license you couldn’t read.”
“How many people were in the van?”
“Two for sure. The guy on the passenger side came out of the van. He was a big guy wearing a long black coat and a gray hat and a pair of fancy sunglasses.”
* * *
After his interview with Dwight Wagner, Dave Perry met with Nicole Kratz and Gil Robichaud.
“What were you able to get out of him?” asked Gil.
When Dave related what Dwight had told him, Nicole exclaimed in horror, “You mean to tell me there are twelve vials of that stuff out there? If a few specks of the stuff instantly killed General Gibson … oh my Lord!”
“In some bizarre way this all seems linked,” Dave mused. “We’ve got this guy wearing sunglasses paying for the helcin with counterfeit money, leading us to believe he’s involved with killing the school board employee and the general. And then we have what appears to be the same guy suspected of killing Kurt Hollis because Kurt supposedly knew the truth about LRS.”
“Not to mention the country’s foremost scientist lying to us about the cause of LRS, and then taking his own life in the midst of all this. And what about the investigation into Professor Kinsley?” asked Nicole.
“All the information we’ve complied on him shows that as much as he cares for the environment, he cares for his fellow man that much more. The man’s like a saint,” replied Gil.
“I recently spoke with some of my associates who’ve been involved with several hospitals, and they praised the work he did with Vexton-Tech, creating machines to aid those with everything from mobility issues to serious respiratory conditions. He also spearheaded the creation of several devices helping to aid the mentally challenged,” said Nicole.
“And apparently he donated many of those machines out of his own pocket. That sure doesn’t sound like a person who would coerce a doctor into lying about an illness affecting young Americans,” added Dave.
“Yeah, but then there’s the anger directed at Ahar, and the president, for that matter. We can’t forget the fact that he used the term ‘superstar scientist’ to describe Ahar, the same term that appeared in the threat,” said Gil.
“There is no doubt the man is fanatical when it comes to the environment, but I don’t believe he had anything to do with any of this,” said Dave.
“I think we may have been purposely misled,” said Nicole.
“What makes you think that?” asked Gil.
“The voice expert we had analyze the audio file told us there was definitely no match. And even though that alone doesn’t rule out Kinsley, I believe whoever is behind the threat used the ‘superstar scientist’ term to purposely make us look in the professor’s direction,” she replied.
“I agree with Nicole. I think we’re wasting our time looking at Kinsley. It’s my belief this is a whole lot bigger than some dispute between new age environmentalism and traditional science. Unless something else comes up, I think it would be wise to eliminate the professor as a suspect,” said Dave.
A member of Dave’s staff sent him an urgent flash-message, and he excused himself and stepped out of the room to open the file.
“I think we may have something here,” he said when he returned a few minutes later. “I’ve had a member of my staff reviewing all of Dr. Ahar’s World Connect broadcasts, including those that weren’t actually aired. This is one of those.” He scanned the view-file and sent it to the flash-screen at the front of the room.
The episode was titled “A Kentucky Morning.” Dr. Ahar’s Chronicles had been recorded in several settings. Most often the setting was in one of his labs, but others were set outdoors. “This one was recorded three years ago on his Kentucky farm,” Dave said as the view-file started.
“It’s been a while since we’ve recorded a show out here,” Ahar began in his usual relaxed tone. “Thankfully, it’s one of those splendid Kentucky mornings. Today I’m going to be providing some important information regarding safe and healthy farming. Before I do so, I want to send out congratulations to my darling daughter, Anya, who was awarded Student of the Year in both Advanced Biology and Environmental Science today at New York City’s prestigious Summit University.
“As I move over here to the barn … let me just open the stall … there we go. Speaking of Anya, this is her horse, her pride and joy. This guy’s a feisty fellow. Anya named him Jupiter. For some reason unknown to me, Anya has been fascinated by astronomy since she was a child, and Jupiter is her favorite planet. Now, let’s move on to take a look at …”
When the clip ended, Nicole, Dave, and Gil looked at each other in dawning comprehension. “Anya Ahar … Jupiter … the person who supplied Dwight Wagner with the helcin,” Nicole murmured.
Gil nodded. “I think we have something.”
“There’s no doubt, Gil. In a way it all adds up, considering that whoever made the helcin had to have really known what they were doing,” Dave said.
“If it is her, then the question now becomes, why?” Gil said.
“Dwight Wagner claimed he didn’t know who Jupiter was, but now that we have reason to believe it could be Anya Ahar, I think it’s paramount we bring her in. I also think we should speak with the other members of the group to see what, if anything, they know about her,” Dave suggested.
“I’ll brief the president,” said Nicole. “Do whatever it takes, gentlemen. If Anya Ahar produced that helcin, we need to get her off the street.”
* * *
As Dave Perry and his associates had discovered in prior attempts to elicit information from the imprisoned members of AXE, they were extremely guarded and did not wish to be seen as snitches. Dave realized that even if they were aware of Anya’s involvement, they would most likely remain silent. Fortunately, he caught the break he was hoping for when former Wagner associate Morris Johns admitted to introducing Anya to the movement, and he was more than willing to speak openly about the matter.
“So, Mr. Johns, Agent Long has informed me that you’re the person who introduced Anya Ahar to AXE. Why are you opening up about this now?”
Johns shrugged. “Since we’re now exposed, our truthfulness will benefit those who choose to follow our path. AXE is bigger than us. It will become a way of life. I also know for a fact Anya will eventually turn herself in.”
“And how the hell do you know that?” asked Perry, perplexed.
“The youth of America need her.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“You’ll have to wait and see,” Johns replied, his tone flippant.
“Do you know Anya’s current whereabouts?”
“Not physically. But spiritually, she is present within this very room,” Johns answered, grinning.
“How did you first meet Anya?”
“Her father did some consulting work for my father’s international engineering firm, and I met her then. But it was at Summit where we bonded as friends. She was considered an academic genius. Even her professors were in awe of her. Me, I quit after my first year. Anya and I used to talk for hours on end.”
“What kind of things did you speak about?”
“Life in general. Although Anya had so much going for her, she was angered by the current state of America, just like I was. We both believed the War Within had left the country directionless.”
“Why AXE, Mr. Johns?”
“I first met Dagger at an extremist rally.” Johns gave a brief, ironic chuckle. “We came from two different worlds. He was a street punk and I was some privileged rich kid, but we both viewed life in the same way. I was impressed with his street smarts. He told me how he used to dream of starting a new political movement.”
“AXE?”
“Yeah. But he needed funding to get the movement started.”
“I take it he came to you looking for that funding.”
Johns nodded. “Yeah, I gave him some cash, but we also started working on a doctrine for the movement.”
“And Anya,” Dave probed.
“She shared the same vision, and helped out with the funding, as well as the creation of our doctrine—to help set out our agenda.”
“Agenda?”
Johns sat up straight. “We believe it’s time for the youth of America to be heard and take charge of this country. We believe if America’s youth take control, hypocrisy would be eliminated and we will never face the prospect of another War Within. Dagger was so right when he said ‘An old mind is a stubborn and jaded mind, while a young mind is open and positive.’”
“And your youthful open-mindedness decided it would be wise to blow up six government buildings, killing loads of innocent people?” Dave said sarcastically.
“We had to make a harsh statement; casualties were unavoidable.”
Dave slowly shook his head. “‘Unavoidable.’”
Johns’s face flushed and he leaned forward. “Soon—very soon, you and the rest of your delusional PBA followers will be old news. Little by little the extremist underground across America will continue to unite, and yes, Mr. Perry, we will emerge victorious, bringing about this country’s rebirth.”
“With helcin as your shield?”
Johns sat back. “Ah, helcin … that was Anya’s special contribution to the group. Boy, did she ever work hard on making that stuff. Originally it was all going to be stored away for our movement, but somebody came and made Dagger an offer he couldn’t refuse, so we decided to sell it, and direct the funds toward AXE.”
* * *
After all the relevant data relating to Anya had been compiled, Nicole arranged to meet with Arthur Fine in the Field of Honor. While she waited for him to arrive, she gazed at the framed photos of her loved ones on her desk and thought about the fragility of life. The last few months had taken a real toll on her. As hard as she tried to always look on the bright side, she was finding it difficult to maintain her positive outlook. After the War Within ended, the country believed America would rebound stronger than ever. She, like many others, believed in the adage that sometimes the only way to appreciate goodness was to face evil. After such a wicked civil war, one would have thought a lesson on the value of life had been learned, but as Nicole and others quickly learned, this wasn’t the case.
Moments later, Nicole was contacted by a guard at gate A3. “Director Kratz, your guest has arrived.”
With her security team in place, she made her way to the gate where Arthur Fine waited in a white grand-electro. The navy blue tinted window on the driver’s side slowly began to lower. Nicole leaned toward the open window. “Hello, Arthur … I see you brought company?”
A young lady in the passenger seat turned her head toward Nicole. “I’m Anya Ahar. I’ve come to turn myself in.”
Nicole instantly called upon the Freedom Home agents, who took Ahar into custody, escorting her and her attorney into the Freedom Home interrogation room. Anya readily admitted to manufacturing the helcin, providing funds to AXE, and partaking in the creation of the AXE doctrine. Nicole sat in the back of the room as Dave Perry was called in.
“So, Miss Ahar,” Perry demanded, “where is that damn helcin?”
“I don’t know. Dwight Wagner sold it.”
Dave stood in front of her, arms crossed. “Why are you here, Miss Ahar? Why did you turn yourself in?”
“So I can save the youth of America.”
“And how do you propose to do that?”
“After my father took his life, I began studying his LRS report, and although he was threatened into lying about the cause of the illness, my father was definitely trying his best to find a cure—”
“Enough of this crap,” Dave cut in. “Tell me where that damn helcin is!”
“I don’t know,” Anya snapped.
“Hold on, David. Let’s hear her out,” said Nicole, moving toward the front of the room.
Dave whirled toward her. “Damn it, Nicole, this woman is a terrorist! I have no interest whatsoever in what she has to say about how she plans to save the youth of America. The only thing I care about—and you should care about—is where that poison is!”
“My client has told you she doesn’t know,” said Arthur. “I will not allow her to be unfairly badgered.”
“Oh, don’t start with me, Arthur,” Dave retorted. “How can you sit there and defend this pathetic excuse for a human being?”
“I don’t want to pull rank on you, David, but you’re getting out of line,” Nicole said firmly. She turned to Anya. “Please, Miss Ahar, continue where you left off.”
Anya gave Perry one last glare and turned to Nicole. “As I was saying, even though he was forced to lie, I know my father was actually trying to find both the cause and the cure. But he chose the incorrect methods of analysis.”
“Are you saying your father didn’t know what he was doing?” asked Nicole.
“Oh no, my father was a brilliant scientist, but as time went by, I think he became more interested in being a celebrity. I think he lost his edge.”
