Seven Sins of Man Part 3

3

If you were to read someboy’s notes, it like reading into the life of the person. In this case, I am reading into the life of Godfrey and how he finds himself in this project.

I am Doctor Godfrey Price, a man of science and husband to a lovely woman named Doctor Janice Mead. We are a formidable team of scientist who made the breakthrough in nanotechnology using nantites to enhanced the human DNA to a level of unheard of. Our ambition was to assis the children born with deformaties of the mind or body limbs. Our research will allowed the body to recuperate and repair itself whin the DNA structure. We were given the grant and facility to do this under Global Research, and it was an open grant with no limits to its access. Doctor Janice was working on it with relentless devotion and it was not known to me that she was actually dying from an incurable disease. When I got to know about it, she forbade me to test it on her, as the product is not not ready. But I insisted and we did the test on her as our first human subject. It did work and she became healthy again, but we want to see the after effects and possible relapse in the serum. But it was on the insistence of Global Research, that we rollout Project God’s Way; enhancing the new generation thoughts ability.. We were told that forty nine children will join our test group and we will progress their development. The group will fall into seven sub-groups led by a mentor.

But we were not advised that Project God’s Way involved our serum in with a newly psychic serum. The two nanities actually complement each other and invoked something different in each of the subject. This was hidden from us until we Janice discovered it by herself. She was silenced by them to make it look accidental. They even got authorities to investigate me as the main suspect. I did not know all of this until much later and then it was the time I review all the tests report. I confronted the top and they gave me the ultimatum; work for them or leave Global Research. I chose the later but I was made to keep silence.

Project God’s Way was to find the perfect serum with nanities to develop the super soldiers. They programmed the seven qualities and called it the ‘Seven Sins of Man’. Each squad will have the seven chosen ones and the leader is Pride. But the project failed except for the group under Doctor Maddie. When I left, we still do not have the answer to Maddie’s group, which is why they took away the seven kids from Doctor Maddie. But she managed to hold onto Pride.

The seven children develop extra sensory powers like Pride can do mind sweep on living and non-living objects. She can move,push and also manipulate it. Graham; can duplicate anything he wants to up to seven of them. He is like greed which desire  more. Evie like her namesake envy can manipulate the mind of the people to be insecure or views friends as enemies. Angst is the fierce one with the fury of anger develop pyrokinesis or firestarter. Lois is Lust as she manipulate emotions like love, worries, and also fear. Gareth is the glutton of the group has the abillity to enlarge anything he touches and last youngest is Sally with the ability to slow down things like a sloth at work. All seven of them are powerful beings by themselves, more so Pride whose power is her mind; what she can imagine. Like the same seven sins, they are the epitome of evil in the ESP world.

The only way to prevent them from using their power is to stopped them from focusing on it. If they cannot focus, they cannot unleash their power. Or place a bullet in their head. There is one condition which we discover but not revealed to the subjects; The more they used their powers, their body will be strained by the action thus shortening their life years. On average we foresee each subject may not live beyond thirty years of age.

There are seven of us in the group. Now I remember them as the faces comes to my mind. We used to play together and I was eldest. I also protect Sally a lot as she is the butt of joke by Angst. He is tall dark kid with a bad temper. Gareth is the fat one with chocolates in his pants. I can’t recall Evie or Lois, as I think they are sisters. Graham is the red kid who plays by himself, and he likes the soldier toys which he will lined up in formation on the floor.

“Mum, we got to find them.” Maddie looked at me as we sat in this cheap motel on the road to some city I could not bother to ask where.

“But how? We have no access to Global Research and we are miles away from it. More to it, we are on the run. You tell me how?” Maddie is getting on the edge with so much happening in the last 48hrs.

“Get me to a library or a Uni. I can rout from there through the servers.” I don’t know why I mentioned that but I seemed to know. Somehow it just come to me from within me. Maybe we are more than ESP kids; we are intelligent ESP kids.

The City Library was about to close when we reached there, but I managed to convince the Librarian to let us in and used the unit in the Librarian’s office.

“Maddie, I am in. I think I know how to find them.” I managed to access the mainframe at Global Research bypassing all their security protocols and routed into the classified records. I managed to trace the six others and their last known guardians. I wanted to access more but then something shut me out. New security protocols has been activated and I am getting kicked out. I tried to get back in but everything is moving very slow like in slow motion. No, it can’t be; I think Sally is the one locking me out. She is sending something back to me.

“No!” The screen went black and I am now looking at the resetting of the unit.

“Its okay, Prude. I pulled the plug on the unit. You were screaming and I had to do something. So I just pulled it off the wall. You okay now.” Maddie is standing by me holding my shoulder. I looked at the console and I rebooted it up. I want to see more and clarify many things I have been shown earlier.

“Yes, Mum. I am better now. I got what we wanted. I think Sally shut me off. She’s good as made me move slower. But I am back now. I can prevent her form slowing me down. Meantime, Mum: I am sorry.”

“No, darling, You did not do anything to harm me. So there is no need to be sorry.” Maddie cuddled me closer to her as I let my emotions come out. I saw things that was not to be seen by the public or by me. But I seen them all. Including the things Pride did as per instruction. Pride was already an assasin and had committed some missions for the top levels. It was all hidden away in her mind.

“Mum, I killed Adam. I am so sorry.” When Maddie heard the name, she pulled back on her hold.

“Adam? Adam Phil? He died on his desk from a heart attack.” Adam Phil was Maddie’s fiance and they were to be married but he died of a heart attack one week before the marriage. He was Maddie’s co-staff at Global Research, and coordinator for the Project. I accessed the report that said Pride was asked to kill him by stopping his heart that evening. And I did it, or Pride did it.

“I knew Pride had a hand in it. She killed a specimen in the lab the same method before. I scolded her on it. When I saw Adam, I knew it was the same. That’s why I feared Pride has taken over you. That’s why I held back when I saw you at the door. I wasn’t sure if it was Pride or you then. If it was Pride, was she going to kill me too like Adam? Now you know why you cannot be Pride..... unless the situation calls for it. I took you out after that event. I knew they were going to use you and the rest of the kids for these type of experiments. They are mad people there.”

“Mum, I am so sorry..... I did not know.” I cling to her for apology as no matter if its Pride or Prude, I am the physical body doing the works. Despite all of these, she still seek to protect me.

“Hush, Prude. I have reconciled myself to Adam’s death. Now I want to save you from it. So tell me did you find anything we can do to reversed the effects?”

“I did not find anything, or I couldn’t when I was locked out. I think it was Sally. I can sense her presence.” My mind began to think of Sally as I used to remember her walking and dancing on the floor. She is always cheerful and ever up to antics so that people will looked at her.

“Then we have to find the rest so we can be kept together out of harm and reaches of Global Research. Show me the addresses. We need to move to the nearest and there on.” I wrote down the names and addresses so she can used it to get us there. And hopefully then we can rescue the others. Or die trying.

“Mum, we are too late. I can read from the console, the incoming comms on the Advance Team send to intercept me at the Library. They just confirmed that they are here now. They got the sonar unit; it will stop me from focusing. Their orders are terminate for you; Mum. I have to protect you.” I looked at Maddie to seek her approval for Pride to come out. Maddie nodded her consent.

“Be nice to me or I will be Pride if I need to tear you apart” I muttered those words to myself.I am now Pride, and Pride is angry. Very upset at the things that Global Research made her do.

“There is no greater sin than to asked others to commit it for you.”

The Advance Team consist of ten trained personnels armed with high powered rifles and assorted accessories. The team is splitting into two squads of five each. They are moving in from the both sides, ever cautiously. We are on the Ground Level and they are coming in now; not more than fifty paces on both sides of us.

My first target are the sonar sets; its not turn on as yet. Yes, they need to find me and focused it on me to work. I got to work it now before they turned it on. I need to turn on the sonar towards each other. The cross waves may short it out before I stepped out. Its now to move it, and I got the sonar facing each other. The units are trying to compensate for the other waves and thus create a bizzare mishap. The result is a minor explosion but enough for me to dispersed the exploded components into deadly projectiles which hit out at the team. Seven of them went down with nasty wounds leaving only three operatives still able to function. But their delay in reaction gave me the opportunity to fling them out of the doorways they came in. They slammed onto the outside road the same way Doctor Himes did in the lab; with crunching bones effect. It was then I felt the sharp pain on my back. I been shot at by a metal projectile. It contains some drugs which is making me dizzy.

Then I saw the one person I missed in my mind sweep earlier. Its my own mum. She shot me.

“Why, Mum? Why?” I am back in the car and we are traveling again. I reached with my left hand to my right back shoulder and rubbed the spot she fired me.

“I was afraid of you.... of Pride. I am not sure if she would kill me if she sees me. I am so sorry..... I just reacted. I picked up that gun when in God’s place. We just to keep one in our pocket when we were mentoring all of you. Just in case.....I am so sorry.” She is focusing on the road and yet her tears are streaming down her cheeks. She is in pain but she is not sure if I am who I will be may kill her. She still thinks of Adam and how he dies. She lied when she said she has forgotten him.

“Mum, Pride will not kill you. Not any more. I know her as she is me. Please don;t do that as you may anger Pride and I may not be able to control her anymore. Please listen to me. Prude has her under control. Believe in me. Please...” I am looking at her again to see her reaction but I see only fear. She needs time to understand me and Pride. As I need time to understand her plight and concerned.

The rest of the trip was silent although we stopped for gas and food. But our mind is in each other’s thoughts. Mine of trust and her’s of fear.

Graham was the first.

He is living with a foster family in a small town in some places known not to many. Its woods country and evrywhere you turn to are hills and low valleys with more woods cover. As its not the hunting season now, the woods are very quiet and not patronised by many at this time. As for Graham; he is now a High School student and helps out at his dad’s store during his free hours. He plays ball for his school and hardly goes out in the evenings. We had him monitored for the last week, and he does have one unique routine. He goes for long walk in the woods during the late afternoon alone.

We followed him that day.

He was walking as his usual pace along the country road before he turned off into the woods area. We followed suit on foot; sweeping aside low bushes and branches as we catch glimpses of him ahead of us. He seems to be moving fast and we are trying to catch up to him.

Then I stopped. I held out my hand to Maddie to hold her still. She stopped next to me, catching her breath while leaning on the tree trunk.

“Graham, I know you around us. Come on out. Its me Pride.” I can feel Maddie getting tense and she is reaching for the gun in her jacket. I stopped her with my hand on her and shook my head. She looked at me very focused as to see who is she talking to.

Pride or Prude.

Then I saw Graham stepping out in front of me. He is still the same as I last saw him, except maybe some inches higher than me in height. On my right is another identical Graham holding a branch in his hand. To his right is another one; this one holding a stone. There are another four more all around us.

“Hello,Pride. They told me you left. They told you killed someone. They told me you did not like us anymore. They....” I stopped him there.

“They did not tell you I still loved all six of you like my family. They told you lies so you will all hate me and kill me when you see me again. I know what they told you but the truth is I left because I saw what they were doing. Making freaks out of us.” I looked at the Graham standing before me. The only one not holding a item to hit me or kill me. “We are all freaks, Graham. You too. You have six of yourself standing before me now. They are not you, but your imagination. Your freakish power created them. You and me, the others; we are all freaks.” I can see the hesitation in Graham. He may be the second oldest, but he was never the leader. He will be at his corner, playing his own imaginary battles with his soldiers and talking to himself. He never tells us why he does that but now I think I know. He already has six others paying with him. Himself.

“Pride, I am scared. Why did you not take us then? Why did you leave us? You were our mum. And you too, Maddie. You left us to them. You said you loved us but you did not. You left us like our real parents.” Graham with the stone threw it at Maddie. I pushed it Maddie to jump before the stone could hit her.

“Stop it! Graham. No one left us. We were taken away. We were too small to understand then. I am sorry as I did not know how to stop them then. But I can now. I am here to bring you back to the real family. Would you let me do it now? I can’t promise you the future but I can assure you it will be better if all seven of us are back again.” I held out my hands to Graham to show him my true intentions. “We will protect each other.”

“No, Pride. You lied before. You said we will never be apart. But we did. Now you are lying again? I cannot live with lies. Thay make me do things I don’t want. They lied to me too. I had enough. I was thinking of going away before you came. But now I know I need to go. Away and far from everyone.” Graham had then pulled up a gun from his pocket. He took it out and put it to his forehead.

“No, Graham.” I don’t know what happened but I did what came to my mind then. I mind swept him to throw the weapon and flung him against the tree trunk. It worked as all seven of them dropped whatever they were holding and jumped onto the nearest tree trunks. They are all knock unconscious on the ground now. Then the six Graham vanished into nothing except for the one who was holding the branch. He is the real Graham.

“Prude?” I turned to look at Maddie who has the gun drawn on me. I nodded back and Maddie lowered the gun. I mind swept her to shoot herself in the shoulder with the dart.

I needed the time to think. Alone.

“Hi Mum. You slept very long. Here have a cup of coffee.” I handed over to Maddie a hot cup of coffee. We are in Graham’s hideaway in the woods, a little hut in the middle of the woods. He woke up soon after I knocked him down. He was very upset at being slammed onto a tree. But I soon calm him down after a brief ‘I dare you’ antics. Finally he accepted me back and we became family again. He carried Maddie on his shoulder and showed us his hideaway.

Graham was transferred to another mentor by the name of Doctor Frasier Brown. The doctor’s tenure with him includes a number of test on his ability and also getting him to do things which he never knew of like guns and arts. He was taught many of these including sparring with his own doubles. Two years ago, he was invited to join Doctor Frasier to live a life outside of the facility. They moved here and Doctor Frasier became Mr Frasier the Chemist. The two of them lived here and continued their works on some days or when the need calls, he will be driven to the location to do his work as an assassin. Todate, he carried out four sanctions successfully. Whenever he completes a mission he will come here to rest for a few days. On other days, he comes here to train alone, in stealth and marksmanship. I told him of Project God’s Way and Doctor Godfrey, and how I escaped with Maddie’s help. He was surprised and upset that we did not take him along then but I told it was Maddie’s decision. I also told him I am looking to help the rest and we will all retired somewhere. Safe and unknown to others. We will begin a new life. A normal life for once.

“Prude did you make me shoot myself? Nevermind, I think I know who. It hurts and I am hungry.” She reached for the food we had prepared on the table in the hut. I know how much it hurts and I wanted her to know how it feels like.

Graham told us to stay here till morning. Then he will go with us, and he will stay guard tonight. After all, there are seven of him and he knows the place well. We agreed as the walking in the woods earlier was tiring. I don’t know about Maddie but I slept that night.

“Prude, get up” Maddie is whispering in my ears. I opened up my eyes and saw Maddie looking over me. I shook off the morning effects and sat up on the bedding which I made last night. I can see Graham, or one of them in the hut. He is dressed like yesterday in his denims and jacket but this time he is carrying a rifle. Its a hunting rifle but its still a gun.

“Graham said they are here. He counted six of them in the woods. We need to get away before they find us.” Maddie is pulling me up to my feet, as I grabbed my jacket. Graham has opened the door and motioned for us to follow him. Its dark outside and I hate the dark woods; there could wolves or bears out there.  But I followed suit with Maddie and Graham. He led us through the woods to the right and we kept on running in the dark. I could see shadows on my right and left running parallel to us, but Graham point at himself. That is telling me; its himself or his doubles covering us. We ran for maybe half an hour before we stopped. Then we heard the explosion from where we were.

“They tripped the wire I set. Now we will run for the car which you left at the road.” He did not asked if we are tired or needed any rest as he was moving on again. We soon caught with him and later find outselves on the road about a hundred paces from the car. There are two SUV next to ours, and they looked the same as the ones which was in Doctor Godfrey’s place. More to it, there are two armed at the SUV.

“This one is on me.” I told Graham but he shook his head. I can see his double appearing from the woods jumping with acrobatic skills from the road to the hood of the car and lashing out with the feets at the guards. The two guards were caught unaware by the fast movement and the moment they hit the ground, two more doubles has landed blows to their face, rendering them unconscious. It was time for us to move to our car. But Graham stopped us, and motioned to us to use the SUV; “Its faster than yours.”

We grabbed our gears and loaded it on the SUV while Graham and his doubles ransack the other SUV for stuffs he may need. One of this doubles was on the SUV we are traveling a dn reaching for something under the hood. He came up smiling holding a black box, and threw it into the woods.

“Okay, time to go.” Graham recalled his doubles and they all vanished into thin air. He then jumped in the driver seat and start the SUV. We got in the back and sat back. “That was the tracker which is installed in the vehicles used by the team. I had that removed and I also fixed the SUV with a nice package. So where to, Maddie?” He was gunning the SUV at eighty miles an hour and the time showed 5:40am. I doubt we will see any policeman at this hour.

“I would suggest a big barn as I need to do something to you.” Maddie has her real gun trained on Graham’s neck. “We don’t trust you yet.”

One thing about country homes, there are a lot of barns to choose from. And Graham found us one which is abandoned and isolated. Maddie spent an hour on him, to removed the tracker in his left thigh and bandaged him back. She removed the unit and smashed it on the barn floor.

“I found this on Prude when I was examining her prior to her escape. On that day, I removed it out of her and threw her into the laundry cart. I left the bloody bandages on the top so no one will stop and questioned me. I pushed her out to the disposal area and transfered her to the disposal bin. Then when the area was cleared, I grabbed her into the car. The passing out of the gate was her idea and her mind who got the guard to opened the gate for us. If she had the tracker on her, the whole place will be lock down before we can get into the yard. They traced you through that and now we can go but I will drive for now. You need to rest; as its a deep cut I made.”

“But why the gun on my neck?”

“I had to be sure you will drive us to the place where we are safe. To be darned honest, neither of us know who is telling the truth or lies now. But time will tell us soon. And in those time, we just have to believed the truth is spoken here. I am the weakest among all of you and I fear the most. Of Pride and your doubles. So we will play it by ear and listen hard for any wrong moves. That is the basic truth.”

“Mum..... Maddie, do you really love me?” I just wanted to know more about this lady and more to it, I had to know if she does.

“Yes, Prude. That is the underlying truth since the day I brought you to my home. I never denied my love to you. And today,I am trying to love one more person. And in the days to come, maybe five more. But for now, I do love you very much, Prude.” She is looking at us and then back to me. She meant it. I can see it in her eyes.

“I love you too, Mum.”