Asterion by Kenneth Morvant Page A

challenge the status quo. If Burnsom succeeds, we may never have the strength to overcome the oppressive austerity he calls utopia. Education and enlightenment of our fellow citizens is the only way. However, be careful whom you show this to, as our enemies are many. The data device you possess holds the key to further communication. It will inform you when new information is available and dispense that information to you. Guard it well. It is our sword of freedom for all those who seek it.”
    With that, the screen goes blank and so does Taylor’s face. He sinks back into the couch and begins to process the many thoughts running through his mind. After a few minutes, his mind snaps back into action mode. “I must find Christine.” He calls her phone, but it goes unanswered.
    Taylor heads out the door and to his car to search for her. Feeling a bit paranoid, he feels like someone is watching him or worse, he is in the crosshairs of someone trying to stop him. “Get a hold of yourself.” He reassures himself, “Situational awareness, just like in the military.” His training kicks in and he scans around and moves cautiously with every step. He goes to her apartment. There is no answer at the door and her car is gone. He goes to the parks, restaurants and shopping centers they frequented, but no success. He returns home later that evening. With no answers or leads, he feels helpless. Sitting on his couch, his head in his hands, he strains for one more idea that might help him find her. Tossing and turning that night he finally falls asleep, exhausted from the tough week and the problems he faces now.
    Taylor sees an unlit building complex hugging the ground, silhouetted against the last light of dusk. Several long grey clouds hang overhead. Silent sentinels hovering over a foreboding site. He gets the feeling that what he sees is not all there is to this vision. A feeling of foreboding about the evil contained within its walls. Horizontal windows reinforce the linearity of the structure. It is an anonymous place with no name and mystery inside. Taylor enters and walks down wide sanitized halls lit only by the dim lights that follow his motion down the hallway. Brushing against the potted plants generates a small dust cloud. The plastic plants are as lifeless as the building, yet they screamed out warnings to hapless trespassers who mistakenly wandered this way.
    Still breathing heavy from his workout, he reaches the lab. He submits to a retinal scan, handprint, key and code challenges to his access to the lab. He enters and the bright surgical lights assault his eyes. He shields his eyes until they adjust to the harsh lighting. The equipment inside, advanced beyond any on the planet hums away driven by multiple super computers. The humming drives into his brain, an unrelenting vice squeezing his ears. His head throbs. He proceeds through the lab to a door labeled with nuclear and biohazard labels. His heart pounds, his fear is growing as he ventures deeper into the lab.
    Taylor goes through the same security screen that confronted him at the entrance to the laboratory. The door locks retract with a cold, crisp click and the voice announces, “You have ten seconds to enter the bio-lock.” Entering and closing the door, he undergoes a full body scan. Every part of his body is compared to his master scan in the database. Defeat the security measures up to that point and if you are not legit, security will deal with you. The trespasser, never be heard from again becomes just another missing person to those who knew them.
    Entering the maturation chamber where experiments grow and develop after the genetic engineering and incubation processes are completed, he stares into the open crib. Looking at the occupant, he ponders what went wrong. How could this have happened? All the prior experiments had worked out the problems and multiple successes had led Taylor to believe that we are ready for the final iteration of the genetic