The Files of Martin Stein ( Completed )

[TheMacroprosopus]

Oooo Holy shit, this is good. Frickin' wicked suspense!

[Witcher Wolf]

I'm going to go with Stupon on this, this is getting better and better MaWa, keep at it!

[mawa]

I'm glad you like it Now, a lot of answers will be revealed. Don't be fooled though - the story is far from the end. Expect next chapters in the near future.

Chapter VII

Thrown in a corner of the room and tied up, James could only examine the surroundings. He noticed that the room has two more doors. One of them opened thus revealing some more sense offenders.

“Check the corridor,” one of them ordered “If someone is still alive, bring him here.”

“A bullet in a head would be a better solution, methinks.” Another one retorted.

“Not this time. Now move!”

Two Resistance fighters obeyed and exited through the door James came in. The two Clerics were fortunate. The thing that puzzled James was why wasn’t he shot on the spot.

“Would it depend only on me, you would be already dead, Grammaton scum!” One of the guards spitted in Crow’s direction and was about to kick him.

“Whoa! Easy, Jack! Not this time,” Jackson, the man in charge, cooled down the guard’s eagerness.

“What a shitty day,” Jack snorted, “Grammaton finds our hideout and I can’t even pay them back”.

But it was other thing that stirred up Crow’s attention. Another group of sense came from the adjacent room. One of them looked familiar.

The man looked at Crow’s direction and, after a moment of hesitation, came closer.

“You looked for me, you found me,” the man said. “I am Martin Stein.”

„Your notes made it a lot easier.“ Crow replied.

The chemist didn’t answer. He was wondering, from where to begin, since he had a lot of things to explain. But before he started to speak, the corridor doors opened and a unconscious Cleric was dragged inside and tied up. Crow recognized him.

The scientist recognized him as well. His facial expression changed rapidly.

“Gabriel!”

The wounded Cleric opened his eyes and looked at his father, still balancing on the verge of consciousness. He couldn’t move and he hadn’t his firearms anymore. The man he was supposed to capture came closer and leaned over him, trying to raise his head.

“I failed,” Gabriel realized with full clarity, when Cleric Ross was dragged inside as well.

“Why?” the young Stein asked with all the strength he could gather. The last thing he expected was to ask such a question – to ask any question.

“Damn you, Crow!”, he thought.

Martin looked at his son, ignoring other two captives. The Cleric required medical attention, that was beyond doubt. The fact he couldn’t count for one in these conditions, was also obvious. The conclusion… The old man shook his head.

“While you have faith… son, I was brutally deprived of it.”

Gabriel would tell his father about the monstrosity of his treason, of the blow his betrayal dealt to Libria – he would use the words he was taught all of his life. But the Cleric somehow knew – he couldn’t explain how – that these words won’t suffice. It was the first time he was genuinely puzzled.

“What happened?” This was the only thing he was able to say.

“Maybe I should wait till their dose will wear off, so they will fully understand – but Gabriel can’t wait that long.” The chemist thought. “That leaves me no other choice.”

He decided to speak.

“It started from a series of experiments fifteen years ago,” the scientist started, “The task of our research group was to improve Prozium II in several ways. Primarily it was all about prolonging its effect, adjusting the dose and improving the injectors. The experiments were a success – to an extent.”

“What do you mean?” It was Crow, who asked.

“We improved Prozium II as much as it was possible, yet the Vice-Council wasn’t satisfied. He temporarily suspended the program. Still, the idea returned right after Preston’s rebellion. The Vice-Council wanted us to develop a new generation of Prozium, which would work permanently.”

“What did he mean?”

“At that stage we didn’t know. Not until something happened.”

“What was that? Crow’s curiosity wasn’t satisfied.

“A simultaneous research on a new synthetic substance was conducted. It’s a poison, which kills within ten minutes. The curious thing we discovered is, that the lethal effect of the substance is inhibited by Prozium. Besides, the poison remains in the system for a much longer time than Prozium. We started to experiment. We mixed both substances. Perhaps this was the point when I started to see the implications, but I carried on. First, we experimented on mice which, after the Prozium worn off, died. Their life could be prolonged only by injecting the next doses of Prozium – right until they worn off.”

Martin Stein looked Gabriel and the other two captives into their eyes, to see if they understand. He saw attention, but he sensed that they’re still missing the point. A look of Gabriel convinced him that he needs to hurry.

“The report hit the Vice-Council’s desk,” the scientist continued, “and we got the order to continue with the experiment. More,” he said bitterly, “we were provided with a human subject”.

“And?”

“We calculated the dose and injected it. It worked like a standard dose of Prozium. When the time came, we gave him another shot – the last one. Then we waited till the dose wears off.”

“What happened?”

Stein shook his head, unable to speak for a while.

“It was horrid.” He said eventually. “The man died in pain. The poison causes a gradual paralisys, gradually shutting down all vital functions. The man couldn’t take his breath. He knew he was dying.”

“Of course, the Vice-Council got the report on desk,” Martin continued angrily, “The answer we got was: “The experiment goes in the right direction. If you manage to keep the poison permanently in the system, that will be perfect.”. I made my decision then.”

“Martin,” Gabriel’s voice alerted him, “Radical problems require… radical means. Were people loyal, such experiment wouldn’t have to be conducted.”

Martin Stein stirred. He didn’t expect such an answer.

“Loyal to what? To the dose? I know you, Clerics see the dose as an ultimate value, as the foundation of Libria. But, as one of the creators, I see something more. The idea was to save humanity from the destructive emotions of World War III. Libria in its current shape was pretty much a way of survival – at least I believed it should be. I have experienced the pre-war times, son. And I realized, when I saw the results of the experiment, that we have chosen the wrong enemy. It is not human emotion we should fear – it is lack of moral constrains.”

“But you’ve seen the cruelty of war…”

“Yes. And I know human emotions were used by those, who had interest in waging this war. They calculated – exactly as we do. And I have also seen the war that we are waging.”

“There is no war..”

“Really?” The amount of anger, sarcasm, sorrow and bitterness in Martin’s voice surprised even those Resistance members, who could hear the conversation. “Then what do you think you’re doing? Why is the Tetragrammaton constantly expanding? Why is it, that the V Department is ordered to research weaponry, toxic substances and Prozium instead of things that would help in raising this world from ruins?”

“As long as the enemy exist, we must be prepared.”

Martin shut his eyes, in order to stop the tears which wanted to be released. Another slogan was like a smack for him.

“Think, Gabriel,” he whispered, “with all the resources that are being used to wipe out the Resistance, it is still present. Despite the propaganda, which you call teachings, despite the presence of the Tetragrammaton – there are still people willing to risk their life, willing to choose the life off the dose. If the Librian way of life is the right one – then why do people still rebel against it?”

Gabriel didn’t say anything.

“I’ll tell you more.” Martin continued. “The dose doesn’t ensure loyalty and Father is well aware of that. That’s why you hear the teachings all day long.“

“What do you want to say, Martin?”

“That while I made my decision, I was on the dose.”

It was now Gabriel who felt like being smacked. His eyes widened and he stared at Martin in disbelief. He couldn’t understand his reaction.

“Why? I’ve taken my last dose maybe forty minutes ago.” The Cleric thought.

Martin, guessing the question, said:

“You are loosing blood, son, thus there is much less Prozium in your system. Gabriel, you are starting to feel.”
The Cleric was struck by this statement. He couldn’t accept what he heard.

“Gabriel,” the old man said, “If you weren’t wounded, if you were standing right before me, armed – would you point your gun at me and shoot me?”

Gabriel Stein closed his eyes and, to his surprise, he found out, that the answer wasn’t that easy. Finally he said:

“I can’t accept what you have done… but I wouldn’t shoot.”

These were his last words. Martin couldn’t hold back his tears anymore. In fact, he didn’t want to.

It took a while, before Martin Stein was able to speak again.

“What happened after you made the decision?” Crow asked again.

“I decided I must use my knowledge for other purpose… for humanity.” The scientist replied. “I started to set up my private lab. You can’t imagine how much nerves and paperwork it did cost me. I was under constant observation, so I had to watch out not to make any false step. But eventually I did it. My plan was to start a research on the antidote, which would remove the poison from the system. I must admit that the research was much harder than I expected, especially that I continued simultaneously my primary research. I had few moments of doubt, I must admit. But the help came from the most unexpected way.”

“Namely…”

“Incidentally, once I had to stay in the Tetragrammaton laboratory until late, my path crossed with the one of Frank Revan. I met him when he did the maintenance work on the laboratory computers. I noticed he was looking through some classified information. He didn’t notice me at first. I approached him and asked him a few questions. He knew I caught him red-handed, so he didn’t even try to lie. Once I became sure he works for the Resistance, I asked him for help. He agreed to cooperate.”

“In what way, besides sabotaging the network?”

“He gained access to some critical files regarding the toxin, which made me able to complete the research. As soon as I created the antidote, I asked him to help in my escape, which he did. In case he was caught, I smuggled some cyanide for him.”

James decided that he won’t tell Martin that the cyanide proved useful. Not yet.

“There are still things I don’t know.” Crow said.

“Ask.” Martin replied. “I want you to know everything. I want you to understand.”

“The ultimate solution,” the investigator started, “I mean the folder with chemical formulas. Was it your antidote research?”

Stein looked at Crow with horror.

“Yes, these were my first experiments. If Dorn has them…”

“He does.” James interrupted.

The scientist cursed.

“It’s not the matter of the fact, that the formula will be lost,” he explained later, “I have the necessary knowledge here,” he pointed at his head “ and on a CD, which is here. But he will see the direction of my research and use my results to his advantage. I can’t exclude the fact that, based on my results, he’ll be able to ultimately refine the drug.”

“And the single German document you stored on a CD?”

“Ah, this one. It was written in case the Vice-Council prevails – a letter to the next generations. I’m pretty sure no-one will able to speak German, but I had to use this language. To make up for it, I intend to attach this,” he showed another CD, “A German-English dictionary. And a back up of my research – so they would be able to recreate the antidote.”

“You thought about everything, didn’t you?” The Cleric asked.

“Except for the damn folder, yes. But I’m afraid that all humanity will pay for my mistake.”

Crow was about to ask another question, but he found an answer, when he looked at Martin’s legs.

“Sweeper boots.” He thought. “I was right.”

Crow stirred. He finally learned about Stein’s motives and the dose blocked any emotional response. But as he reached to his beliefs on Libria and on loyalty, he found out that the experiment is in conflict with one of his fundamental beliefs: that the loyalty is a matter of choice. Sense offense meant escape to the Nethers and risk of being captured and executed – as a cost of feeling emotions. What was puzzling, that despite the risk, many decided to become sense offenders. And those, who will have the Prozium III injected, will be deprived of this choice. Crow didn’t regard the choice between life and certain death as a choice at all.

“Interesting,” he thought as another, completely unexpected, question aroused: “How is it to feel?”

He didn’t dare to ask it aloud – not in a presence of a Cleric. Crow looked at Ross – but Andrew’s facial expression remained enigmatic.

It wasn’t long until Crow’s watch started to beep.

“Yes,” he thought, “I will finally know how it is like.”

Prozium started to loosen its grip on Crow. Emotions, previously held in check, started to surface, like creatures running out of air and racing to catch a breath. James blinked and shook his head. A strange sensation of dizziness, which he felt, didn’t let go. Despite the fact that he sat, he felt like he was going to collapse. The barriers between reality and imagination have fallen and visions started to appear.

“Do you understand the importance of loyalty, Investigator? It is critical that you understand.” DuPont’s smug face was as distinct as if it was real. The gun he pointed at Crow looked like real as well.

Suddenly DuPont’s face transformed into the face known in the entire Libria – the face speaking from the screens.
“There is no enemy nearly as vicious and dangerous as human emotions,” Father said, “It was the hardest one to fight, for emotions were an incurable disease, inherent to every human being. Fight it, Crow!”

The vision changed again, showing another familiar face.

“You upset me, James. I heard your progress is unsatisfactory. I heard you can’t handle two guns at once. What’s a use of a man, who isn’t suitable to be a Cleric? Tell me, how will Libria benefit from you?”

“I will tell you, Mr. Crow,” a face of a Tetragrammaton trainer appeared, “it is true that he doesn’t have the required movement co-ordination and can’t handle two guns at once even to save his life. But his mind… he would excel in any kind of administrative and investigative work.”

“You mean: to topple papers? What a great and useful service…”

“Tetragrammaton is something more than just the Clerics, Mr. Crow. We can further train his instincts and put to proper use the talents this boy has – not those you want him to have.”

Then the visions changed faster. Along with those from Crow’s past, such as the moment he was sworn, with those completely unreal – the city in flames and the wastelands burnt by the sun.

Eventually Crow woke up, still not sure whether it’s still a vision or not. His doubt quickly dissapeared, as he suddenly felt enormous physical pain; every single muscle hurt.

“Damn,” he groaned.

“Not good” The scientist thought. “Jack, can you give me the dose of Prozium you’ve taken from the captives?” he asked.

“You’re kidding, right? Of course we destroyed it. Hey, it ain’t Equilibrium Centre.”

“Idiot!” Stein lost his composure. “This man needs a reduced dose of Prozium. He is going through an extremely rare withdrawal process, which only five people out of one thousand experience.”

“I guess he’s out of luck” Jack smiled nastily.

Luckily one of the Resistance fighters still had an PIU unit with a single Prozium vial. Martin took it and injected half of the dose into James’ neck.

Indeed, the reduced dose of Prozium eased the pain.
“I think my motives will be easier for you to understand now. Had it been Prozium III in your veins, you would be dead by now.”

Stein looked in Crow’s eyes and finally saw what he was hoping to see – realization.
Still, he was concerned.

“Will he be willing to feel, after he experienced the withdrawal?”

The chemist came back to the other room, hoping that Crow will be strong enough. He also thought with anxiety about Cleric Ross, whose apparently emotionless expression bothered him. Still, he had to put these thoughts aside for the moment, since he had to take care of another matter.

“Jason,” he said to one of the younger offenders, “I am giving you the vials and the CDs. Bury the CDs in a place you see fit and deliver the vials to the nearest safe hideout. The antidote must not be found, do you understand?”

Jason nodded and hurried through the other door.
Stein could only hope. But his hope was put to the test, as he heard a sound of a bell.

“Shit!” Jackson yelled “They found us!”

[Sontin-JudasFm]

Oh wow...this has to be the best part yet! And you were right, things are starting to slot into place Desperately looking forward to more ;D

[Witcher Wolf]

Very nice MaWa. I like the way you have answered a few questions, but now of course you raise many more.

[mawa]

Thanks for your comments, guys

As for new questions - well, you'll have to wait till I write the next chapters. The preparations for my last exam were pretty time consuming and I have to use all of my creativity for my current school assignment ( a very first formal charge ).

Besides, I have to think some of my further ideas through.

[Libby]

Right...even more apologies. I've been really swamped with SATS and such but it's nearly half-term and I've had a bit of time to read stuff.

I am doing the 'edge-of-seat' thing here. I love the suspense you're creating...and all with prozium sluicing through the 'main' characters veins...or is it? Very clever. Can't predict what's going to happen, so very Agatha Christie. Love it!

[mawa]

Finally, after 2 monts it's coming again. Enjoy!

Chapter VIII

Indeed, the crude alarm system installed in the compound proved accurate. The search team called for reinforcements, as soon as it became clear, that something happened to the Clerics. One of the Sweepers noticed a sense offender dashing out from a nearby compound.

“A sense offender!” The Sweeper stated. “I think we found their hideout!”

“Great work, Janson” The Sweeper Commander replied. “Since we have to do without the Clerics, let’s do the following: Smith, you and your men will surround the compound. Decker, take your men and wait in the house where the Clerics had gone – just in case. As soon as this place is surrounded, we’re going in.”

“Yes, sir.”

They went in hard. The sense offenders attempted to form some resistance, but it was obvious they don’t stand a chance.

“Let’s get the fucking outta here! To the passage!” Jackson yelled.

His companions didn’t have to hear him twice. Most of them managed to escape through the passage, before the Sweepers bursted in. Martin Stein was out of luck though.

“There they are!” One of the Sweepers noticed the hostages. He also noticed Martin Stein and was about to shoot him, but Cleric Ross said:

“Don’t shoot. The Vice-Council wants him alive!”

The Sweeper hesitated. He kept his gun aimed at Martin, but but after all he didn’t shoot.

Another Sweeper drew his combat knife and freed the hostages.

“Sir ...,” he asked, “how did they capture you?”

“They set a couple of proximity grenades” Ross answered. “One of them killed Cleric Stein.”

“Clever” the Sweeper stated. “And they escaped!”

“Decker’s men will deal with them. Now get the hostages to the van. Davis and Norris will search the rooms and, as soon as they finish, we’re getting out of here!” The Sweeper Commander ordered.

“Yes, sir.”

Martin Stein was handcuffed and escorted outside, where a police van arleady waited. James and Andrew followed him as well.

Crow still felt pain, caused by the withdrawal. It was bearable, dampened, but still present. And it wasn’t only physical.
Emotions caused this pain as well.

“Sir.” One of the Sweepers noticed, what was going on. “Your dose worn off.”

“I couldn’t take my interval, since I was tied up. Besides, my PIU was destroyed.”

The Sweeper reached for his PIU and asked:
“Do you wish to dose now, sir?”

Crow knew there was only one correct answer to this question.

Martin Stein knew his fate. Thrown into the police van, he could only hope that his message will be heard. Although he knew he will be found, it happened sooner than he expected.
Martin Stein did what he had to do. He could only hope he did the right thing. If he miscalculated, everything would be lost.

* * *

“Aside from the fact that you were taken hostage, you did remarkably well, Investigator” the Vice-Council said, as James Crow and Andrew Ross were on the debriefing.

“Thank you, sir.”

“It’s inconceivable that such a high ranking person turns out to be a traitor” DuPont said. “What did he tell you?”

The question alerted Crow. He knew he couldn’t reveal how much he actually knows.

“He said he lost his belief in Libria.” Crow answered eventually.

“Interesting. Did he say something more? About a research perhaps.”

“Yes, he mentioned an experiment. A major research on Prozium. Something about refining the drug, so it works permanently” Crow improvised.

DuPont looked at James warily.

“Cleric?”

But Cleric Ross confirmed Crow’s version. He sensed his intentions and understood as well that he can’t reveal his knowledge of classified information.

The Vice-Council observed both men for a moment.

“Good. You may both leave.”

Still, he wasn’t reassured. A clerical instinct told him that something is wrong. As far as he hasn’t noticed anything unusual in Ross’ behaviour, Crow’s attitude bothered him. DuPont remembered his reaction to the fact that Gabriel Stein was assigned to this mission and was even tempted to arrest Crow.

He decided to observe him first. He also decided to keep an eye on Ross – just in case. Assigning him a new partner sounded like a good idea.

There was another matter the Vice-Council planned to take care of. Expecting Dorn to come within few minutes, he smiled smugly, as a new plan began to form in his mind. All that he needed was a few pieces of information.
The scientist came as expected.

“As you may – or may not know, Martin Stein has been captured.” The Vice-Council started. ”His act of treason will be punished, but before the processing occurs it would be a good idea to gather some additional information on his research.”

“I have nothing to hide.” Dorn answered.

“I do not doubt it,” DuPont replied, “But it’s not the experiment I’m talking about.”

“I’m listening.”

“As the expedition pulled out, I checked all records on Martin Stein. A most interesting thing is, that four years ago he was granted a permission to set up his private laboratory. In the light of his recent actions it would be quite logical to assume that he was planning to conduct a research. His research.”

“The notes!” Michael recalled.

“Tell me what you know.”

“Based on his notes,” the scientist started, “I assume he was working on an antidote.”

“Which he managed to complete” The Vice-Council interrupted. “Otherwise he wouldn’t have escaped, would he?”

“Yes” Dorn agreed.

“Two things” DuPont said. “First: find out what you can on the antidote. Second: I’m going to give you the authorization to talk to Stein. Get as much information as you can. Just in case, I’ll also assign an interrogator to help you in... technical issues.”

“Yes sir.”

“Good” the Vice-Council said. “You may leave now.”

As the scientist left, DuPont smiled.

Martin Stein raised his head as the door of his cell opened, revealing Dorn and one of the Clerics, dressed in a navy blue uniform. Only the fact that Martin was tied to his seat prevented him from what he was tempted to do, namely punching his former colleague.

“It’s sad that we had to meet in such unpleasant circumstances,” Dorn started. “But I must know something more about your private little research.”

Martin’s hostile look ensured Dorn that he is going in the right direction.

“Yes, I can see that you know where I am heading” Michael continued. “The antidote. Where is it?”

“Hidden” Martin spat.

“Where?”

“Out of your reach, Dorn!”

“Wrong answer” Dorn smacked the captive. “I’ll ask you again: where is it?”

“Suffice to say: it exists.”

“I know it does.” Michael sighed. “The question is: where is it hidden? As an old friend I would recommend you to speak. Or,” at this moment Dorn smiled discreetly, ”I will be forced to leave you in more skilled hands.” He said, glancing at the Cleric.

“Apparently I should had been more cautious while choosing friends,” Martin sneered.

The next blow was much stronger – strong enough to cause bleeding from Stein’s nose.

“Watch your tone!”

“Why should I ?” Martin said icily “I will be dead anyway.”

“Yes,” Dorn replied. “But there’s a difference between quick and slow death. My companion can explain it better then I. And now excuse me, I must go out for a moment.”

“Go to hell and don’t come back” the prisoner thought furiously as Michael left.

“You have never interrogated a prisoner before, have you?” The Cleric thought, having no slighthest intention to heed Dorn’s suggestion. Not that he avoided such methods – but he knew that they didn’t always prove effective. He decided to start from the beginning:

“Tell me about the antidote. What is it?”

The scientist glanced at the interrogator with interest. Sensing his chance, while Dorn was still absent, he decided to answer the question.

“It is supposed to nullify the effect of Prozium. By Prozium I mean the new and deadly generation of this drug, which will be introduced very soon.”

“Deadly?” The Cleric thought with interest. He was about to ask for more details, but, warned by the instinct, refrained from doing it.

“Where is it?” He asked instead.

“I won’t tell you.” The prisoner snorted.

“An answer of a man, who has nothing to lose” the interrogator stated. “But is it really the case?” He observed the prisoner cautiously.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not the only Stein, are you?”

“Bastard!” Martin’s eyes widened.

“Yes…” the interrogator said, noticing Stein’s reaction. “I knew Gabriel Stein. It was quite a surprise he got killed, given the fact that he was one of the better Clerics. But at least he remained loyal and died for a legitimate cause.”

The scientist clenched his teeth.

“Still, we’re not so sure about Steins’ sense of loyalty anymore,” the Cleric continued. “You could help us in restoring our faith in you and your family if you revealed the antidote’s location.”

This blow was accurate. Martin remained silent, wrestling with his thoughts.

“Loyalty” the scientist barked eventually. “I had a significant part in creating the system you serve now. I served it as well with my best abilities, until I was forced to revise my loyalties. There is a new generation of Prozium to be introduced, which will kill anyone who will miss the dose – accidentally or not. It’s not what Libria was about!”

“If this is the case, we should look forward to it, shouldn’t we?” The Cleric asked. “Besides, I’m waiting for your answer. Two more sense offenders won’t make any difference for the city furnaces.”

“They’re innocent!” Stein shouted those words out.

“Yes” The interrogator replied flatly. “But who, besides you, really cares?”

They both knew the answer.

“I don’t know the exact location of the antidote,” Martin sighed. “I had it hidden.”

“Clever” the Cleric thought.

“Whom had you given it?” he asked.

“One of the Resistance members, of course.”

“How much of the antidote did you manage to produce?”

“Two vials.”

At this moment, a clerical instinct spoke again. The prisoner didn’t lie, the Cleric was pretty sure about that. But there was something more that begged for an answer.

“I’m not a scientist,” the interrogator continued, “but I’m pretty sure that if there’s an antidote of any kind, there must also be a formula.”

“Dorn has it” Stein retorted.

“Really?” The Cleric squinted. “Well, to be honest, it’s highly unlikely.”

“Is that so?” the scientist sneered, trying very hard not to show any trace of anxiety.

“Yes. Now I’m going to show you something.” The interrogator said and left the cell for a moment.

A creeping feeling has awaken in Stein. He had to admit, that this Cleric really knew where to hit – and this was much more painful than Dorn’s brute force. Preparing for whatever might come next, he knew he must be careful.

Still, he wasn’t prepared for what he saw. The Cleric brought something that looked like a briefcase.

“I guess this laptop is yours” the interrogator said with a hint of satisfaction, sitting opposite the prisoner. “The search team found it in the sense offenders’ hideout.”

Martin lost his cool and uttered a few German swearwords.

“Yes” The Cleric muttered as he switched the laptop on. “Why would you take it with you to the Nethers? That would be pointless, unless there would be something important, wouldn’t it?.”

The chemist didn’t say anything.

“You don’t make things easy, Stein” the Cleric said, turning the laptop in Martin’s direction. “I should have expected that this system is password protected. Now, what’s the password?”

The scientist frowned.

“Your resistance is useless” the Cleric said, noticing Martin’s reaction. “I’m pretty sure your schematics are stored here. Whether we will be able to access this system or not, you won’t have any use of it anymore.”

“But it still makes a difference.” Stein drawled. “Choosing between destroying the data or handing it over to Dorn I would choose the former.”

“Why?” The Cleric didn’t understand.

“Because that would hinder Dorn’s research” he said, not without satisfaction.

At the same moment Michael Dorn entered the cell.

“How is it going, Cleric?” he asked.

“We’re getting somewhere” he replied. “Now, I think this thing would be useful for you.” He said, pointing at the laptop. “It is Stein’s laptop.”

“Indeed, Cleric, indeed” Michael answered, approaching the table.

“But you are going to need a password.” The man said.

Dorn looked at the screen.

“Do you have to complicate everything, Martin?” he finally asked.

The prisoner observed his former colleague with contempt and didn’t bother to answer.

“The password” Dorn threw in.

“Forget it, Dorn.”

“Remember what I said, Stein.” The Cleric reminded.

Martin fixed his eyes on the floor, concentrating his efforts on keeping his cool. Two conflicting thoughts began their struggle once again, this time with increased intensity. The moment he feared most – the moment of the final decision came and he felt almost physical pain as he realized what he must do.

“No” His voice was hollow. “I cannot tell you that.”

* * *

Jason was looking around nervously. He buried the CDs given by the scientists in a safe location, but there were still the vials of antidote to be delivered. Barely escaping from the compound, he hid in the ruins, continuing his run only when he was absolutely sure that he’s the way is clear. The next hideout wasn’t that far and, as far as he knew, it was still temporarily safe.

He glanced back and, after a brief rest, continued his run. The surroundings seemed completely deserted and eventually Jason noticed the hideout, located in one of the ruined houses.

The young sense offender bursted into the house, but suddenly a single gunshot wounded him in his leg.

“Freeze,” he heard a voice “You’re coming with us.”

Jason turned his head and noticed two Sweepers aiming at him.

[Sontin-JudasFm]

Wow. And wow...and more wow This is some really good stuff MaWa; it's moving at a good pace and is brimming with cliffhangers. I'm eager to see more! ;D

[mawa]

Chapter IX

Already in his unit, James Crow looked at the mirror, seeing a pale, emaciated face and a weary look – a result of his life style. This day was more exhausting than the others and even a cold shower didn’t get him back on his feet.

After he finished the shower and put on his casual clothes, he took his PIU unit, which he got as a replacement. James opened it, looked at the amber vials, took one of them and examined it. It was like a promise of a calm night, a night without pain. He remembered the withdrawal all too well and didn’t want to experience it again. Although he knew that this kind of response of his system is abnormal, this knowledge wasn’t any comfort to him.

James put the vial back into in place and put the PIU against his neck, wrestling with his thoughts. He needed some sleep but, on the other hand, he knew that the night time is the only possible time to skip a dose, since there was no-one to watch him.

He decided to take the risk and skip the dose.

It didn’t take long, before the pain struck again. James hissed, but he decided to withstand, hoping that it’ll eventually go away. The real and surreal visions – the visualizations of James’ subconscious - came as well.
The minutes of pain seemed like hours to him. Biting his pillow and trying to be quiet, in order not to be heard, he was tempted to dose.

Crow didn’t know how long it lasted, but eventually his pain started to wane and, after some time, it went away.
Still, he didn’t get up from his bed, as if not entirely certain, whether it’s all over. Only when he was absolutely sure the symptoms won’t return, he lifted himself shakily. He made few unsteady steps towards the window, still shaking, but finally able to walk and finally free from the grasp of Prozium – completely free.

Suddenly, a feelings he couldn’t name, flooded his mind.

“What’s happening?”

Crow needed air. He opened the window wide, allowing a cool breath of air.

It was dark, but the night was almost completely cloudless. James looked at the sky, observing it with fascination. The stars shone brightly in constellations, creating an illusion of unusual nearness. Outlines of the cityscape, dark but still visible, seemed to be taken from a dream – the high, massive buildings of steel and concrete were now replaced by vague shapes.

Crow’s vision started to blur. Puzzled, he wiped his eyes and realized, that his fingers are wet.

“Weird.”

He tasted the strange liquid only to state, that it tastes salty.

A sudden surge of fear struck James unawares. It was a fear of someone lost on an unknown territory, left in the dark, where logic failed. That was too much for him. He sat by the wall, overwhelmed by what he felt and buried his face in his hands. Furthermore, a creeping, paranoid feeling that someone saw him in the dark, kept nagging him.

Fortunately for him, the initial storm passed a few moments later. James looked around tentatively and as he found out that the worst is over, he felt enormous relief. He got up from the floor and decided to look out of the window once again.

A breath of cool wind felt strange at first and it made Crow dizzy. He breathed it in greedily, like an animal looking for a trail and looked again at the clear sky.
He wasn’t able to describe what he felt when he saw the sky full of stars, but he felt it belongs to those kinds of feelings, which he would want to experience.

“Dizzying heights… and abysmal lows”.

Having gone through the latter first, now he started to experience the former. The complete silence and darkness, after bringing him fear, now brought him peace. He realized that for the next few hours no-one will be observing him and no-one will be there to report him to the authorities.

The only thing that really bothered him was the lack of definitions and lack of understanding of what he’s going through. It was a beginning of something new and incompatible with his whole life and experiences. James felt he needed guidance which couldn’t be provided by the system he served. Mere thought of a next withdrawal filled him with dread and he wasn’t sure whether he’ll be able to skip the dose ever again, but the experience itself – no matter if positive or negative – was too unusual to be waved aside. James felt the urge to understand.

Still, despite the experiences of this night the tiredness grown, slowly but constantly. He knew he’ll have to get up to work, have a new case assigned and, what was most important, find someone who could guide him. Eventually, he fell asleep, not knowing that it still isn’t the end.

The subject of dreams didn’t belong to those covered during the Librian education, nonetheless Crow was about to experience one.

Libria, the city-state of steel and concrete stood among the wastelands, the same as in reality. It took a while before James noticed a single, but fundamental difference: it was completely abandoned. Not a single Sweeper patrolled the streets, not a single citizen wandered taking care of his matters. Only Father’s face could be seen on the screens as usual.

“James Crow, are you going to leave me as well?” Father spoke unexpectedly.

James stirred, surprised.

“Where are the others?” he asked.

“They’re gone,” Father answered, “Misguided by those who defied my teachings, they left this city to their doom.”
James looked around the main square where he stood.
“Do you see? There’s no-one”.

“But,” Crow asked, “Where could they go, when there, outside, there is nothing but the ruins?”

“They didn’t leave in the way you think. They are lost for the society, closed in their own worlds, so preoccupied with their emotions that they’re unable to contribute. I feared this might happen.”

“Fool!” a very familiar voice with a distinct foreign accent interrupted. “It is you who caused that.”

“Explain.”

“He has chosen an invincible enemy” the man, who turned out to be Martin Stein started. “He wages war with the human nature, imposing such a strict control that people withdrew to the only oasis of freedom they had left – their internal worlds.”

“That’s the result of feeling.” Father interrupted.

“No” Martin disagreed. “Since the beginning of mankind people were feeling. I have lived in the times when we were free to feel. What is happening now is abnormal.”

“Free to feel” Crow repeated. “But what about control?”

“It’s the part of the process. People somehow had to cope with them without the drug, hadn’t they?”

“But how?”

No one answered. The outlines of the buildings started to blur only to fade away few moments later.

James suddenly sprang out of his bed, painfully bashing with his leg against a desk.

“Shit! What was that?”

He found himself again in his room and the pain ensured him that he’s back in reality. Still, although he tried, he couldn’t figure out what happened a moment earlier.

“Where was I?”

The visions seemed so extremely vivid that they could be regarded as real. The voices seemed real as well. The city was exactly as he remembered, except it was completely deserted.

Crow’s heart beat like mad and his thoughts were in complete chaos. As if it wasn’t enough for him, he noticed that the sky started turning intensely red.

“Now what?!”

Alarmed, he opened the window and ended contemplating the view unable even to catch his breath. Crow, exhausted with endless questions, stood there completely overwhelmed by the sunrise, observing the varying tints of red. The buildings, usually gray, turned orange, which gave the cityscape almost impressionistic quality. Forgetting about his questions, for a moment James forgot about his own existence.

The sensation he felt was impossible to process, but its intensity was beyond words, causing a feeling strangely resembling physical pain.

This night James’ self was shattered into pieces and reassembled into a new quality, for the time being completely beyond his comprehension. His mind stopped working as it did before, preparing a place for his newfound, still forming sense of emotions. And he somehow knew it was merely a beginning.

* * *

Sarah Ross watched her husband out of the corner of her eye. He came back later than usual and she could swear that something in his behavior was slightly different. She learned to notice such signs, even if she afforded herself to skip the dose only during the night time.

“You’re later than usual” she stated flatly.

“Today was a busy day” he replied.

“Come on!” she thought. “I know that something happened, I can see it!”

Andrew didn’t say anything else. He preferred to keep the events of this day for himself, still processing what he had heard during his captivity. Against his years of training, something forced him to think about it. It surely wasn’t logic. He couldn’t pinpoint what caused that he saved Martin’s life by misleading the Sweeper. Luckily his mystification worked, since the grunts usually don’t ask questions.

Martin Stein… it was the most difficult case, in which Ross participated, not only because Martin was one of the highest ranking officials ever who changed sides, but there was also something in the man himself that bothered him, something in his behavior. Cleric Ross had a nagging impression that this encounter was planned. The fact that he and Crow weren’t killed on the spot, that the sense offenders, including their leader, were strangely obedient to the scientist – they weren’t to be simply dismissed. Ross noticed that this man was extremely methodical in his sense offence. It wasn’t a wallowing in the newfound emotions, but an arduous journey, of a more deliberate nature.

The Cleric took off his coat and headed to the bathroom, intending to go to sleep. After taking the shower he took his PIU that he got as a replacement in order to dose, but he didn’t manage to. The injector was stuck.

“Great!”

Ross first thought whether not to use his wife’s PIU, but after a moment he hesitated. The damage has been done. Stein’s explanation caused an escalation of a deeper, more subtle process which started way earlier. Slowly, imperceptibly but steadily his loyalty eroded. Some kind of internal brakes held him in check within certain borders and now he felt he’s dangerously close of crossing them. Could Stein feel that way as well?

“Dose doesn’t ensure loyalty and Father is well aware of that” Andrew recalled this statement. There had to be something deeper than emotions, something unaffected by the dose which guided humans. And this very thing told him to skip the dose.

Meanwhile, Sarah skipped her evening dose once again. EPPTs and a presence of a Cleric caused that she didn’t want to risk skipping her dose in the daytime.
The nights without the dose brought her an aching feeling of loneliness, despite – or maybe because of – the presence of her husband by her side. But it also brought her dreams – intense and vivid, never experienced under the dose. They caused that every morning she dosed with a hidden, but present reluctance.

As she laid down next to Andrew she felt a strange need to take a risk as she did sometimes. Her husband laid facing her and trying to sleep. She laid on her back pretending that she’s sleeping and waited till his breath will become even. Then she faced him and stroked his hair, as gently as she could, fearing that he might wake up and notice. Sarah instinctively took back her hand; to her relief, his breath was still even. Still, this was painfully insufficient for her. She brought her hand closer once again.

“Don’t do it, it’s crazy!” her self-preservation instinct warned her.

“It’s my husband!” her feelings responded.

“He’s a Cleric! Touch him and you’ll be dead!”

“As if I was alive right now! What kind of life is it? I can sleep with my husband in one bed, but I can’t even touch him!”

“Take your dose.”

Sarah ignored the warnings and stroked his cheek, not caring anymore for the punishment. A dismal feeling that she would rather end her life in the city furnaces than take her dose or limit herself to her secret night time thoughts and feelings grew stronger every moment.

“Now you’re dead.”

“Better dead than incomplete.”

She felt the texture of his skin and its warmth, trying to capture and to record it. Her heartbeat accelerated, stimulated by her attraction towards Andrew and fear of what might happened any moment.
Suddenly she felt a powerful grip on her wrist, which caused her to hiss with pain.

“He noticed! This was imminent!”

The grip loosened a bit, but Andrew still held her hand. He was now wide awake.

“How long?” he just asked.

“Two months” Sarah answered.

“Impossible. I would have noticed.”

“No. During the daytime I was on the dose. Could you let go of my hand now?”

“No” he answered, but there was something highly unusual in his tone.

“What were you trying to do?” he asked.

Sarah felt embarrassed.

“I don’t think anyone who’s on the dose would understand.” She said quickly to gloss over this feeling.

“I think I could,” the Cleric answered once again with this different quality in his tone.

Suddenly she felt a weird sensation. She could have sworn that she felt Andrew’s hands massaging her wrist.
“What…?” her eyes widened.

“Well, it’s a reflex gained by the years of training” he said with his most instructive tone. “And it happens that I forgot for a moment that you’re not an armed rebel.”

“I’m an unarmed one” she replied.

“True. You have no firearms. But there are weapons which will render helpless even a Cleric” he replied with distinct amusement, putting his left hand on her hip.

Sarah trembled, hardly believing in what’s happening.

“How long?” She managed to ask after a while.

“One hour” the Cleric answered seriously. “My PIU unit got stuck.”

“Better late than never” she answered, putting her hand back on his cheek. Andrew once again registered this strange, yet pleasant sensation which woke him up.

“Have you tried that before?” he finally asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean – within the last two months…”

“Yes…” she said with sadness.

“You knew the risk?”

“Yes.”

“Why were you still skipping the doses when you knew the consequences?”

“Let me ask you something” his wife replied, bringing closer to him. “Would you dose now?”

The Cleric closed his eyes, overwhelmed by the intensity of his feelings. What was happening now seemed completely unreal, although his senses assured him that this isn’t the case.

“No” he answered.

“Then you know the answer to your question.” She nestled into him.

Andrew felt like his every nerve was played like a musical instrument. Not entirely sure what he was doing, he responded to her caresses – uncertainly, clumsily but sincerely.

“I don’t understand” he whispered.

“It will come. Formerly people had all of their lives to understand, to learn.”

“Then this is my first lesson?” Andrew asked.

“Yes” Sarah stated. “But there are more to come, many of them very painful. Be prepared.”

Andrew Ross was to become a very diligent student, but at this time neither he nor anyone else knew about it.

[Witcher Wolf]

I echo Judas' statement thoroughly

[mawa]

Author's note:OK, I know this chapter is short - but I felt it should stay that way. I hope you'll enjoy it, feedback is highly appreciated

Chapter X

Michael Dorn sat in the lab analyzing his research results. Without his dose of Prozium he would be furious, whereas under the dose he only felt something like mild irritation. But still, he felt – and he considered this fact as a problem.
Prozium III was ready, according to Vice-Council’s wishes. It was only the matter of ingredients and their proportions. Once taken, Prozium III would accompany every single Librian for his lifetime. The time of introducing the drug was almost due, but another problem suddenly appeared: the antidote.

“Martin, do you have to complicate everything?” Dorn thought.

He attempted in vain to recreate the antidote by himself, hoping to understand it.
If he had access to Stein’s laptop it would spare him a lot of trouble. Martin’s notes already made his research easier, leading it in the right direction. But there was still something missing, something vital.

“Some help, some hint would be highly appreciated” the scientist thought.

“Mr. Dorn, there are two vials of an unidentified substance to be analyzed,” a voice of a lab assistant distracted him.

“Two vials,” Dorn thought and suddenly he recalled the information he got from the interrogator after Stein was questioned.

“Where did you get them?” Michael asked.

“One of the patrols caught a sense offender carrying those” the man answered.

“Show them” the scientist ordered.

The lab assistant left the vials on Dorn’s desk and left.
Michael felt a distant echo of excitement. He immediately got down to work. If his assumptions were correct, he wouldn’t have to worry about gaining access to Stein’s laptop anymore.

Obviously there was still an important thing that needed to be done. He had to inform the Vice-Council as soon as possible.

* * *

“What Martin Stein revealed to you, Cleric?,” the Vice-Council asked a man in a navy blue uniform standing in front of him.

“He managed to produce two vials of the antidote,” the Cleric started, “and had them hidden in an unknown location, but that isn’t a problem anymore.”

“Specify” DuPont ordered.

“One of the patrols caught a sense offender carrying two vials of an unidentified substance” the man reported. “I’m almost absolutely sure that this is the antidote.”

“Almost?”

“Well, in order to be absolutely sure, we handed the vials over to Mr. Dorn for further analysis.”

“Perfect. If that’s it then it’s everything we need.”

“Is this all?” the young Cleric asked.

“No,” DuPont with difficulty refrained from smiling, “There’s one more thing. I’ll call here your new partner.”

“New partner? Now that’s interesting” the man thought.
“May I ask who is it?” he asked aloud.

“Yes,” the Vice-Council answered, “It’s Andrew Ross, Grammaton Cleric First Class. He’s very experienced, one of the best, but I need you to observe him and report any suspicious behavior to me.”

“Yes, sir” the Cleric answered.

Just a moment later Andrew Ross came in.

“Cleric Ross, I would like to introduce you your new partner,” DuPont started, “Kurt Donovan, Grammaton Cleric Second Class.”

Andrew acknowledged his presence with a nod.

“Cleric Donovan is a talented, ambitious man” the Vice-Council said to Ross. “I hope you will guide him, so he can learn further from your experience.”

“I’ll do my best” Ross answered.

“Good. You both may leave.”

While heading back to the Cleric’s Department Andrew wondered, whether the Vice-Council considered him as an idiot. Ross knew DuPont’s true intentions and he didn’t like the fact of being observed by Cleric Donovan. It reminded him of a similar case five years ago. A zealous Cleric as a partner was the last thing he needed right now.

The Vice-Council was in a triumphant mood. Everything went well so far and only some kind of disaster could stop him now. Without the antidote there were no other threats, no other obstacles. According to the reports, the sense offenders movement was very limited and it was only matter of time, before they would be defeated. The only thing that needed to be done was to observe and remove uncertain elements.

“It’s just a matter of time” he thought. “A very short time.”

* * *

The Stein family was brought into the Hall of Destruction. Crow, Ross and Donovan observed them closely. As an honor, which James and Andrew considered to be dubious, they were allowed – obliged, in fact – to participate in the combustion. With his clerical training and newly found knowledge, Andrew analyzed their behavior. Martin was both furious and broken down, while his wife and daughter were just slightly confused at most. It was clear to Andrew that the female family members were on the dose and it’s most likely that they never went off the dose in their entire lives.

James’ conclusion was similar. There was clearly something wrong. He kept asking himself why Martin’s family members were here. Of course it wasn’t a first case of that kind he witnessed. But it still felt wrong, making James’ efforts of pinpointing the culprits pointless.

“Why convicting the innocents?” he asked himself. “What’s the point?”

Crow felt like leaving the place, but he knew he can’t. Despite the Prozium the awareness of the fact that it was his investigation that finally lead to the execution, made him feel uneasy. Even the internal excuse, that it was his job sounded pathetic in these circumstances.

Contrary to his stony expression, Andrew struggled as well. He concluded it would be much better if he hadn’t stopped the Sweeper from shooting Martin. Unfortunately, some mistakes couldn’t be repaired.

The convicted scientist looked with hatred at Donovan. He already knew that the antidote had been found – the Cleric remembered to inform him about this fact before the execution.

“I had the right – even a duty – to risk my life for this cause. But did I have the right to risk the lives of my wife and daughter?” he thought bitterly.

The flame burnt him quickly - along with feelings of self-hatred and defeat.

[Witcher Wolf]

Good stuff there, short and sweet

[mawa]

Author's Note: The story is coming to the end now. It's the last chapter - the Epilogue will come as a final update very soon. Enjoy!

Chapter XI

James Crow was digging through the Central Database, but he wasn’t working on a new case. Moreover, such term as new case didn’t exist for him right now. Now that Martin Stein was dead he felt – he knew – that now it’s just a matter of time before the new drug will be introduced – and he intended to find out when will that happen.

Of course it wasn’t an easy task. Everything that could regard Prozium III was classified. Or – was it really everything? Of course the direct approach would fail. But it happened more than once that James acquired what he wanted by more indirect queries.

Suddenly, he got an idea. He knew that the Tetragrammaton network was connected with the Equilibrium Centre. It was a convenient solution, used frequently by appropriate persons – mainly from the Research Department - and sometimes by the Investigators. Crow didn’t need to make use of it before – not until now. He figured that – classified or not – introducing a new drug had to leave some traces in the records – like mention of a new substance, not used before as an ingredient. After all, the personnel had to know what to produce and how.

James started searching the documents, starting from the oldest ones and wrote down the substances usually used for producing Prozium. The search results were discouraging – it seemed that there was no trace of a new drug.

After a moment of thought he suddenly experienced a flash of insight. Wondering, why hadn’t he thought about it earlier, Crow checked the latest storage records and the results surpassed all of his expectations.

Of course there were plenty of things mentioned – but only one was stored in similar quantities as the rest of the substances used to manufacture Prozium. As Crow started to dig deeper, he found out that the delivery came just few hours earlier. He also found an entry, which really answered his question: the estimated storage time was seven days.

He disconnected from the network and attempted to form a plan. Martin was dead and there was no-one who could sabotage the production process. There was still the antidote, but, as he soberly concluded, he couldn’t place his hopes in two vials of the antidote.

“Two vials against one hundred thousand Librians on the dose... that’s nonsense” he calculated.

If he knew that the vials were found he would consider thoughts about them even a greater nonsense.

James sighed. He wasn’t used to being helpless. Everything was planned for years, held in greatest secrecy. Now the project was practically completed and nothing could interfere with its implementation now.
His watch beeped reminding him of taking his dose. He injected it, knowing that it was still Prozium II.
But others didn’t know what was about to come in seven days.

“Of course! How could I miss it?” the thought struck him completely unawares. The plan that formed in his mind was both desperate and strikingly simple: maybe Crow couldn’t stop the process, but he still could thwart Vice-Council’s plans by making a top secret project an open secret.

James logged again to the Central Database, this time in order to dig out all of the e-mail addresses. He knew it’ll take ages to do and he hoped that no-one will disturb him. Methodically, department by department, he eventually got the e-mail addresses. The few phones in between, fortunately for him, turned out to be not so important. He had plenty of time to work in silence and solitude.

He started to write about everything he learned about Prozium III, without missing any relevant details. After copying and pasting the e-mail addresses he got and hitting the “Send” button he knew he sealed his fate. The punishment would be swift and inevitable.
But James Crow didn’t care. If his plan worked, then the whole thing would be worth it, despite the consequences. If not – then he knew he’ll have to leave as well, since in the new world order there would be no place for him.

* * *

Andrew Ross checked his e-mail and got a single message – it was neither an order nor the internal newsletter, which already was highly unusual. As he opened it, he couldn’t believe his own eyes. Luckily, he dosed not long ago.

“Clerical training surely didn’t cover this!” he thought as he was reading it.

He read the message once more, carefully observed by Kurt Donovan. It read:

To everyone!
There is a top-secret and deadly project aimed at every single Librian. There is a new generation of Prozium to be introduced. It contains a poisonous substance which causes imminent death. Its effect is inhibited by Prozium, so the only way to prevent it is to take another dose. The Vice-Council knows about that – well, he ordered to begin this project. It was so secret that only the Vice-Council and two researchers – Michael Dorn and Martin Stein – knew about it. The latter was executed for revealing this secret and developing the antidote. The research lasted years and it was completed eventually.
Even those of you who are truly loyal to Libria should beware. The new Prozium will be introduced in seven days. You would dose it, not even knowing about it. Father – or should I say the Vice-Council - doesn’t trust you.
Every single Librian will fall a victim – maybe except of the Vice-Council who, aware of the project, wouldn’t want to inject a poison in his veins. I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out, that he was off the dose all the time.
I’m giving you the choice which you wouldn’t get otherwise. I was forced to revise my loyalties and I know I will be punished. I’ve chosen already.

“It’s madness!” he thought as he finished. He didn’t suspect Crow of having suicidal tendencies, but now he had to revise his opinion.

“Why?” he kept asking himself.

Andrew closed the e-mail client and peeked at Kurt. The young Cleric read the message carefully, but Ross was unable to determine what he thought at the moment.

“Seven days…” he thought – and with this thought he finally understood James’ intentions.

The Librians deserved to know. If this knowledge would cause some of them to skip the dose, then maybe not everything was lost.

“Maybe the truth is the only thing that we’ve got” Andrew thought.

* * *

“I think you should see this, sir” Donovan’s voice was loud and clear.

The Vice-Council looked at the printed message and read it carefully. He felt exposed and humiliated, all the more that he didn’t expect that move.

“Thank you, Cleric. You may leave” he said eventually, barely managing to control himself.

As soon as Donovan left, he took a blank sheet of paper and started to tear it into pieces. He asked himself, how could he make such fundamental mistake. He should had listened to his intuition which told him to arrest this Investigator. He should had, but he hadn’t – and the consequence of this negligence lied in front of him.
He read the message once more, amazed by its relevance. As if out of spite Crow even managed somehow to determine the day, when Prozium III was supposed to be distributed.

DuPont wasn’t so angry in his entire life. Now he was in trouble. Of course he could deny everything and hope that everyone will believe, but the damage has been done. There was a real danger that people would start asking questions – especially James’ colleagues from the II Department. Damn Investigators… Maybe this specialization wasn’t that good idea at all? They were always asking too many questions.

Finally he knew what to do. He took his phone and dialed the number to the Equilibrium Centre. His order was short:

“The production is to be finished in five days, not seven.”

“That’s impossible. We received the substance just few hours ago. We won’t manage to finish the production within five days.”

“I won’t accept any delays, understood?”

After a moment of silence the interlocutor finally answered:

“Yes, sir.”

DuPont could only wait.

[Sontin-JudasFm]

I love it; it's all tying in together very nicely now! Can't wait for the next part ;D

[mawa]

Author's note: Finally I completed this story. Given the fact that I started writing it 1 year ago, it was just about time. Big thanks to all of those who commented on this story and followed it. Especially big thanks to ClericAldarendil for his valuable opinion, which kept me motivated.
Enjoy and tell me what you think.

Epilogue

“Prozium is your source of life. Without it you’ll die – because emotions – hatred, rage - cause death. It’s our road to freedom. Our great society deserves to be free – free from threats, free from the rebels that violate our peace. I will lead you to this freedom – to the ultimate perfection.”

Andrew Ross knew that this wasn’t only a metaphor. Prozium III was implemented. He could recognize its effect – the new drug was significantly stronger than its predecessor, which showed in people’s indifferent expressions and apathetic looks.

He desperately hoped that there are still Librians who heeded Crow’s warning and skipped the dose while there was still time. Of course he knew that most of them didn’t have the chance to learn the truth. But those who got the message and their families – at least some of them – knew.

Andrew’s wife standing by him, was one of them. She was afraid of skipping the dose completely, but faced with the facts she took this risky path. Andrew taught her to hide emotions and observed her. He was a demanding teacher and she, understanding the situation, did her best to satisfy him. So far, no-one saw through her, but there was still much to do. The thing that most worried him were the blood-testing patrols. Andrew was lucky he hasn’t encountered any so far, but so far no-one invented a method of fooling an EPPT. That meant that they would get every remaining sense offending Librian, eventually.

For a brief moment the Cleric thought about James Crow. Last time he saw him was when he was lead by the Security straight to the Hall of Destruction. He was on the dose, that was clear from the first sight. Still, there was something odd in his behavior.
“You wanted to die, didn’t you, Crow?” Ross asked inwardly.

He understood this choice, in a way. After all, being a sense offender in this new society required a rare, special kind of courage.

Andrew hoped he’ll have enough of it.

THE END

[Sontin-JudasFm]

A brilliant ending to a fantastic story. I liked the way you didn't tie everything up but instead left it open; that was a great touch! I'm only sorry to see it end

[Witcher Wolf]

*claps*

Bravo, Bravo!

*ends clapping after a long time*

I always like to have unanswered questions myself...there's always room for a sequel or side story that way. Excellently done MaWa.

[mawa]

Yay!

Judas, Wolf - I'm glad you liked it. About the sequel or a side story - well, I was actually thinking about it. Maybe I'll write one - but it's highly unlikely that it would be a full-blown sequel. I was thinking rather of a short side story.

We'll see...