A. I. Evolution: The Coming of Christopher

Chapter 24

The courtyard out back of the hotel is deserted as I had suspected, and I guided Jane to a central table in the middle. The heat of the sun radiating off the stone, that fans out in a circle from the table under the small umbrella, means that we will not be able to stay here too long, before it becomes too hot for us, but it should prevent someone from getting close enough to overhear us.

Jane sits down heavily on the wicker chair as I scan the surroundings with my enhanced hearing, picking up the buzz of a few insects, but nothing human within ear shot. I sit down across the small table from her and lean forward under the umbrella to get as far into the shade as possible. "OK, I don't hear anybody close by, what is it that has you so upset?"

Jane takes a deep breath before starting. "OK, as you know, I designed the Nano Machines that we used to repair the damage to your brain after the accident."

"Yes, I am aware of that, what does that have to do with the fire?"

"Well, it was a scientist in China named Mr. Chung that gave me the idea to use Quantum Entanglement to get the machines working together. He was working on the same thing as we were here in the U.S. The only difference was that he was able to test it on a healthy human subject."

"I see. Let me guess, it did not go as planned."

Jane shakes her head. "No, we don't have all the details, but we do know that the subject, a Mr. Wong Fung, developed abilities that far exceeded yours, and it quickly drove him crazy. He managed to escape the facility they had him in and has been heading to the East Coast of the U.S. ever since. There is some concern that he is heading towards you, possibly to save himself."

"What? How could I help him? I don't know anything about the little critters in my head."

Jane turns very serious, as she leans even closer to me, dropping her voice to emphasize her words. "You don't need to. It is not you, but the Nanos in your head that he wants."

"Oh, I see. If they were able to heal me, then maybe they could heal him," I think out loud. "There is one thing I don't understand though, and that is how does he know about me? Is it not just you and me that know that the machines are still working?"

"Well, that is not necessarily true. I had no choice but to let my department head, a Mr. Ron Donahue know, in exchange for information on what is going on in China, but I trust him with my life. I don't think he is supplying information to the Chinese."

I shake my head. "This person is getting the information somehow."

"It could be nothing more than him knowing that you had them installed to heal you, and he is hoping that they are still working so he can use them. If the Nanos are enhancing him too much, then he could be slipping over into insanity, and willing to do anything to bring himself back from the brink."

I lean back, shocked at Jane's admission. "Is that something that could happen to me?"

Jane reaches over to place a hand on my arm in support. "No. Your Nanos were just supposed to heal you and bring you back to the way you were before the accident. The ones implanted into Wong, were probably designed to enhance his brain from a normal state to one of a much higher capability. It could very well have gone too far, or worse, is in the process of changing him too much."

"I see. So, you think he is after my little helpers to repair the damage done by his Nanos," I say out loud. "But why do you think he has anything to do with the fire?"

Jane reaches into her briefcase and pulls out the file marked Ultra Secret and slides it across the glass tabletop. "The suspect has been seen at numerous airports and he has managed to board planes and move steadily towards Bangor. He has only been spotted a few times, and it seems to be on purpose each time, as if to say, "here I come, try and stop me"."

I remember the news report on the person that had been spotted at the local airport for Bangor, and I realize that it now makes sense. I open the folder and glance at the papers in quick succession and stop dead at the picture of Mr. Fung. Jane picks up on my concentration. "What is it? Have you seen this person before?"

I think back to the person I saw out my window across the street and how he seemed to disappear from before my eyes. "Yes, it was the day after the game at Sam's. I was checking on the flights to come here when I happened to glance out the window to see the man in this picture outside my building staring up at me from across the street."

Jane shakes her head. "So, it is true then, he is after you and your Nanos. He has probably been studying you and can tell that your Nanos are still working. We need to get out of here and back to the lab in Seattle, where we can protect you from him."

Jane gets up quickly and grabs her briefcase and the folder from the table. "Let's go back inside. I will make arrangements to get us to Seattle and let Ron know that you have seen this man and we need to get you to a secure location."

"OK, I will run to my room and get my things and then meet you in the lobby. I think we need to keep moving so he doesn't have time to set up a place to detain me."

"Yes, there is a flight out to Seattle in about three hours. We can take that."

I head for the back doors to the lobby and Jane follows me inside. I carry on to the elevators as she turns towards the small sitting area to the left side of the Front Desk. The elevator door opens, and I step inside. My room is on the tenth floor, and I wait impatiently for the doors to open. They eventually do, and I exit, almost running down the hall to the far end where my corner room is situated.

I get to my door and swipe my room key through the slot in the door handle as a pressure forms in the back of my mind. I only have a moment to turn around as I crumple to the floor but catch sight of a man coming down the hall towards me. It is Mr. Wong Fung from the file I saw earlier, and the person outside my window on Sunday. My eyes close and I am gone, helpless on the floor of the hallway.