The Game Starts
1307 Words
CHAPTER Four
I awoke the next morning with a start, the last of a nightmare still hanging over my head. Michael's icy stare frightened me, and I could still hear his menacing murmur. Jenny was standing there, her calm countenance a sharp contrast to the anguish inside of me. We were up against a strong opponent, I realized, but Jenny was there to give me hope.
Over a quick breakfast, we spent the morning debating our next moves. We had hoped to find anything that might be used against Michael by delving more into his past. Carter, an old acquaintance, was the private investigator I contacted and he agreed to meet with us later that day.
The anticipation only grew as the hours passed. Michael had a huge impact and an apparently limitless reach. I was struck, the more I thought about it, by how little we understood about the man who had completely changed our lives.
Carter nodded sombrely to us when we eventually met him at a remote café on the outskirts of the city. Years spent negotiating the shadowy world of corporate espionage were evident in his worn face and keen eyes.
Low and gravelly, Carter said, "I've been looking into Michael's past." He is deeply involved in a lot of filthy business. Even links to organized crime and money laundering. The most fascinating connection I've discovered, though, is to a research center called EchoTech that he abandoned years ago."
I looked at Jenny perplexed. I said, "EchoTech?" "How is that relevant to us?"
Carter knelt forward, his gaze narrowing. EchoTech conducted certain very contentious genetic studies. A big scandal forced their closure, yet there are rumors that Michael never really lost interest in the idea. He might be applying the information he learned there to something significant."
A chill scuttled my back. Given his fixation on control and his unrelenting pursuit of Jenny, was EchoTech the secret to Michael's motivations?
"Do you suppose he regards Jenny as a kind of key to his research?" My head whirling, I asked.
Carter grizzled. That is conceivable. But it's difficult to say for sure without more details. I recommend you to search EchoTech's files for any hints. Part of their old files are now accessible to me. While dangerous, it might be our only opportunity."
A thousand questions whirled through my head as we left the café. Michael was truly after what? And just how far was he prepared to go in order to succeed?
Jenny and I labored over the files Carter had given us that evening. One name, Dr. Evelyn Hartman, the principal researcher on the EchoTech project, kept coming up again in the thick and technical paperwork.
A feeling of urgency grabbing me, I murmured, "We need to find her." She could know the solutions we need."
Jenny nodded resolutely, her eyes ablaze. "Let's get it done. Let's find out what Michael is concealing."
We located Dr. Hartman the next morning and headed out to see her. Living distant from the bustle of the city, she was in a calm, modest area. When we knocked on her door, a mid-fifties woman who appeared cautious answered, her eyes enlarging with recognition.
How about Dr. Hartman? I asked warily. You and Michael need to chat about EchoTech.
Her face turned pale, and she hurriedly looked about before letting us in. She continued, "You have no idea what you're getting into," her voice quivering. "Michael is not a guy to play about with."
In a firm voice, Jenny said, "We know." "But we have to know why he is aiming for us. Why was EchoTech truly founded?
Heaving, Dr. Hartman sank into a chair. EchoTech was meant to transform genetic engineering, she said. However Michael misrepresented our findings to suit his own agenda. His obsession was in developing a novel kind of control that might influence individuals genetically. He closed us down and vanished after the story surfaced, but I constantly worried he would come back."
Heart hammered in my chest. Michael had more hideous ambition than I had thought. "Does Jenny figure into his plans at all?" I asked.
Slowly nodding, Dr. Hartman said. Possibility exists. Michael won't quit unless he has her if he thinks she has a genetic or other key."
We were feeling a lot more afraid as we left Dr. Hartman's residence. There were now far bigger stakes and Michael's game was considerably riskier than we had thought. My head raced with ideas of how to shield Jenny from the approaching danger as we drove back into the city.
That evening I had trouble falling asleep. My head racing with both terror and resolve, I lie awake staring at the ceiling. I understood that facing Michael squarely and taking the fight to him before he could attack again was the only way to stop him.
I decided what to do early the following morning. My voice firm, "Jenny, we need to go to Michael's headquarters," I stated. "We have to face him and find out what he's actually after."
Jenny cast a broad, resolve-filled, fearful glance toward me. "Are you sure?" she enquired.
Nod I gave. It's the only path. Running cannot continue. This needs our taking charge."
I had a text message on my phone as we were ready to head out. Carter had said, *Watch out. Michael is aware that you will arrive. Check behind you.
I pushed the feeling of dread that had fallen over me. We had gone too far now to turn back. We drove to the slick, massive headquarters of Michael in the center of the city. Jenny was clearly tense as we got closer.
Inside, there was a pall of expectation. Michael showed us to his large, glass-walled office, which had a commanding view of the city. Michael stood with his back to us by the window, the lowering light framing his silhouette.
"Jude, Jenny," he replied, not looking around. Expecting you, that is.
Fists clenched, I tried to keep my voice steady. You want what, Michael? What motivates you to accomplish this?
He whirled to look at us, a chilly smile on his lips. "Control is what I have always craved. Authority. And the secret to that is with Jenny."
Jenny moved ahead, her eyes flaming with disobedience. I'm not Michael, your pawn. It won't work, whatever you're thinking."
Michael grinned more widely, a shivering sparkle in his eyes. But it will, OK. I have won already, you see. I knew you would come to me, and you did. I want you exactly where you are right now."
Realising how much he was manipulating me, a wave of fear passed over me. Michael had planned every step, trapping us. Before I could answer, though, the door behind us opened and armed soldiers entered the space.
Cold and unwavering, Michael said, "Take them."
We had to fight, I realized as the guards closed in. Jenny looked at me for a quick, focused moment and then she started moving. I was fighting to save the lady I loved when the room went into pandemonium.
I couldn't get rid of the impression, though, that we were playing directly into Michael's hands even as we battled. And I understood this was just the start of the nightmare as the guards overpowered us and hauled us to the door.
Michael's shadow was bigger than it had been, and I knew our battle was far from done. We were enmeshed in a dangerous and dishonest network with no obvious way out. We would persevere, though, that much was clear. We would fight till we died.
And I hung onto the notion that between us, we may find a way to stop Michael's evil schemes as the night drew near. There was no going back once the game had started.
- Writer
