Prologue
The man in the threadbare coat walked quickly through the crowded street, not noticing any of the scantily dressed women in the doorways or the street urchins begging for food or money. He dared not to look at the children for fear of one day seeing them dead. How many children had died at his hands, not directly, but by his actions? Too many to count. Yet, he was told it was for the greater good. He had once believed in that what he did would one day save mankind; however, those days were long gone.
He sidestepped a puddle as he turned the corner from the busy main street into a deserted, dark alley. Not slowing his pace, the man did not hesitate to enter the alley. No one, not even the homeless vagrants, would venture into this alley. It was rumored, and for good reason, that people often went missing in the areas surround this one dark and dirty alley…never to be seen again. Stepping over ancient refuse, the man walked purposefully towards the nondescript door at the end of the alleyway. This door was jokingly called the “entrance with no exit”. People may have joked and laughed, but they were not stupid enough to actually see if this door truly had no way out.
Stopping in front of the door, the man fumbled around in his pocket until he found what was needed. A keycard, white and blank, except for the logo of an all-seeing eye in the middle of a circular DNA strand, was what he sought. With a slight swish of his wrist, he slid the keycard to gain access to his final destination. A green light flashed and the door glide opened, making absolutely no noise. Quickly, he stepped inside the building, being temporarily blinded by the bright, white lights. The man removed his coat and hung it up on the coat rack, and then he replaced his poor men’s wear with a white lab coat.
Once outfitted in his proper attire, the man sat at his desk, filled with all the latest technology, such as smart glass, which replaced outdated computers. In front of him, the smart glass screen wavered, alerting him of an impending meeting. Where the clear glass had been was a perfect image of a boardroom filled with a long table and chairs, which seated people of various nationalities. At the end of the table sat an old man hunched over from arthritis and father time. “Mr. Gilroy, I am pleased that you made this emergency meeting with such speed and prompt, you must be commended for your exemplary professionalism. We,” the old man gestured to all the men and women around the room, “have been quite displeased with the last few test trials and their results. “ The old man picked up a document and read with his half-moon spectacles, “Here it states that Test 124 just ended a little over 24 hours ago, but with substandard results. None of the trial candidates survived, which is most certainly a problem, considering that you, Mr. Gilroy, promised not just standard results, but over and beyond what he asked for.”
A stern-looking Latino woman interrupted the old man, who merely looked at her with indulgence he would give a young child. Mr. Gilroy knew that this man was heartless and would order a child’s death rather than stop and help a starving child…all in the name of science. “Mr. Gilroy, what the benefactor is trying to say is that billions of dollars have gone into this project, yet we have had no satisfactory outcome. We had hired you, because you promised what no one else could, and yet you are failing like your predecessors before you. Do you realize how important this experiment is? The survival of mankind rests in these trials succeeding.” During her passionate speech, the woman stood up, pointing a finger at him, belittling him for something he could not control.
Smiling, the old man’s deep voice interjected, “We have come up with a solution for you, Mr. Gilroy, so you wouldn’t have to think so hard. We are going to up the ante and have several groups tested at the same time. We need this to be started immediately as soon as this meeting is adjourned. Remember no more of these.” Pictures flashed across the screen in front of him�"pictures of children and teenagers all dead from different means…and then just one picture. A single image filled the screen of the only survivor of the last test; even though, the board had not counted this crazed, wild teenager as a survivor. The teenager would never be allowed in normal society again, because he would be a danger to everyone, including himself. “Do you understand, Mr. Gilroy?”
“I understand.”
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