The Genesis Illusion

Chapter 31

"Nothing, I was just...," Paul mumbled trying to change the subject. "What I mean."

"You have the antidote?" Ann asked, this time with a more confidence. "How..?"

There's no getting out of this now. I've got to tell them. They will discover my background, anyway.

Paul exhaled, resigned to telling his story, "I hope both of you will understand my need to conceal my real identity. My real name is Paul Jacobs. I spent time with your mother in Singapore over twenty years ago. It was me who uncovered her efforts to create the Arcadia movement using the obedience substance to gain potential followers and funding the operation with the sale of illegal drugs. I came here to find out what she was planning."

Sam and Ann stood silently, astonished by this revelation. "You lied about your connection to the Sydney Arcadia chapter?" Sam said, speaking in a calm matter-of-fact voice. "You lied about everything?"

"Not everything. I needed to find out about the Genesis mission so I infiltrated the Arcadia organization. But I am the inventor that manages the Innovatism Institute. And I really made many discoveries that improved lives."

Curiously neither Sam nor Ann appeared angry. Sam's question invited Paul to explain more about his situation. Silence again descended on the trio shrouding them so they could gather their thoughts.

Several moments elapsed until Ann couldn't restrain herself, and said, "My mother told me she, my uncle Lee, and her three most loyal followers had to leave Singapore because there were those that objected to her views and persecuted her. Uncle Lee later surrendered to the Singapore authorities in a plea bargain deal. They agreed to stop pursuing my mother and the rest of us in exchange for his guilty plea. He died from his disease while in their custody."

"Most of that is true, but she didn't tell you about being wanted for murder," Paul blurted out this shocking fact. "Several people died as she attempted to keep the Arcadia movement secret until it was ready."

Ann was aghast at this assertion. She didn't know whether to believe it but it explained why they ended up in a remote part of Myanmar, "But if you already have developed an antidote..."

"I have. After the Singapore incident I started my Innovatism Institute. The first thing I did was to develop an antidote. My partner, VK Nara, is in our mobile laboratory nearby and he has instructions to distribute the antidote formula to all governments who wish it in case of my capture or death." I'm in a better position not telling them VK already sent out the formula.

Ann now sounded increasingly desperate, "That means we won't have time to carry out my mother's planned re-education program. Armed with the antidote, when governments try to retake their land, many of our new citizens may join them instead of defending Arcadia. That would be a disaster. We've got to stop the launch. But how? My mother already ordered the launch sequence start, and she's in control of the abort codes. Our field commanders won't stop without them. The safe containing the abort codes has a bio-metric lock. We can't open it without her eye scan."

"Isn't there a fail-safe procedure for an emergency?"

Ann thought about what her mother told her in case of her death. "She implanted a microchip, I invented, powered by her own circulatory system. If the system stops the chip broadcasts a signal that opens the safe."

I can't open the safe with the bio-metric lock. Paul's mind sorted through other options to stop the Genesis mission. His thoughts turned to the antidote and how to distribute it to the millions affected by obedience persuasion substance. Even though the governments had the formula and the antidote was effective, he didn't have nearly enough. How could he get it to everyone who needs it in less than one day?

"Click," a single inconspicuous sound came from the computer at the back of the room.