Part 1 Chapter’s 14 to 16 in Untruthful Speech Ron Cisneros and Michael Padjen
Part 1 Chapter’s 14 to 16 in Untruthful Speech Ron Cisneros and Michael Padjen
Opening music
"Hello all you book worms and welcome to OH! For the Love of Books!, The show gives you a bit of narration from the books I read or ones you suggest for me to read. I'm your host, Jessica Vickery, and thank you for joining me on this journey.
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1st Main Point
We will start with the recap of chapters 11 to 13.
Chapter 11 Derek is “hired” as a deckhand and told not let Nick know that he is his son.
Nigel had received instructions from Elli concerning a pickup at Lerdell labs.
In chapter 12 the crew on the Serendipity brought in 500 ponds of lobster. They hope to bring in another 1000 pounds the next day.
But Skipper tells the crew they will be leaving early due to a storm coming in but they will get their full pay.
Skipper also advises them they will be making a pickup on the shores of Sols Cliff before heading back to the docks at Bar Harbor.
About one hundred yards from the cliffs they laid down the anchor and launched the small dinghy in the rough water.
Derek and Del go in a dinghy to retrieve the package that is supposed to be a surprise gift for Skipper’s wife.
Shots are fired at the dinghy after they retrieved the package and Del gets killed.
Justin the other deckhand shoots back at the cliffs so Derek can make it back to the boat. Justin then gets hit and dies.
Derek gets back on the Serendipity safely and they get the hell out of there.
In chapter 13 they make it back to shore with the package and head for Elli’s place.
Elli was the one who brought the package down to the cliffs and tells them that there was a change of plans by her handlers to do that.
Nick recognized one of the shooters from the Chinese food place he recently stopped at.
Elli decided Nick can be useful and help them.
Elli gets a call from Sam Wilder the head of security at the labs and says they found 3 bodies. 2 they recognized as the 2 young deckhands and the third was Young kid, wearing a suit and a knitted tie.
Then their front door comes crashing in and two men, dressed in black from head to toe, followed the door.
They steal the box and leave.
MUSIC
CHAPTER 14
The car warning light came on, indicating to Mack they needed gas. More importantly, Mack could see Stephanie needed coffee. Up ahead, he saw a Sunoco and signaled to get off the Blue Star Turnpike. He pulled to the pumps, got out, and proceeded to pump gas. Stephanie also exited the car, sprinting for her coffee. “Grab me a cup too!” Mack shouted. They had been driving for a few hours, and it was three-o-clock in the morning. As Mack was filling the car, his cell phone started ringing. Fumbling for his phone from his pants pocket, he could see it was a call from Nick’s cell with the familiar ring of “Twisted Sister, We’re Not Going to Take It” he set for his son’s ringtone. “Hello Nick, is that you?” “Yes, Dad, it’s me.” “Son, what’s going on; where are you?” “I’m in Bar Harbor, at Nigel’s.” “Nigel, who in the hell is Nigel?” “The Skipper.” “Skipper, you mean the captain? That man lied to me. He told me you left a week ago. What’s going on?” Stephanie walked out of the Sunoco with a coffee in each hand, and a package of Twizzlers clenched between her teeth. She saw Mack on his cell phone, looking upset, dropped both coffees, and ran over to him. By the time she got to him, she didn’t realize she still had the licorice in her mouth. Spitting them out, she asked, “Is it Nick, Mack, who are you talking to, tell me?” Mack could only shake his head. He couldn’t reply to Stephanie; he was questioning Nick intently. Stephanie wasn’t going to be ignored. “Mack damn it, who are you fucking talking to?” He placed his hand over the phone and said, “Yes, it’s Nick.” Stephanie breathed a sigh of relief. “Dad, we need to talk, something has happened here.”“Son, we were so worried, we are on our way to Bar Harbor.” “You’re coming here, when?” “We are about three hours away. Once we got the call from your Skipper, Nigel, whatever the hell his name is, your mother and I headed out.” “Wait, mom’s with you?” “Yes, of course. You know I couldn’t stop your mother from coming to look for you.” Stephanie waited patiently long enough, “I want to talk to our son, right now.” “Dad, I don’t want to talk to mom right now; I don’t have time to talk to you or her. I just wanted to call to let you know I’m all right and that I’m staying here for a while.”“Son, I don’t know what is going on, all I know we have not heard from you, and your boss lied to us. We are coming to Bar Harbor, and we are going to get to the bottom of this.” Mack could hear someone in the background saying. “Let them come.” “Dad, I got to go, but we will talk when you get here; the address is 27 North Chapel, Bar Harbor - bye.”
CHAPTER 15
Derek couldn’t hold back, “Holy Shit, Dad, this thing gets more out of control every second. We need to call the police.” “That’s the last thing we need to do. First, the police could tie us to three murders. I asked Justin and Del not to let on they were fishing with me this weekend, so I have to find out if they listened. I know the cops will be visiting very soon if they didn’t. Plus, your mom is in deeper shit if they find out she took all the research and backup to her project.” Elli was tired of listening. “Calm down and take some breaths. We need to think through this and not do anything rash.” Turning to Nick, “You know you can’t say anything to anybody at this point. All our lives depend on it. I’m sorry you’re involved, but all of us are in a nasty situation now.” “Yes ma’am, but don’t be sorry. I want to help any way I can.” Nigel couldn’t control his curiosity anymore. “Elli, what was in that box worth killing for?” “It was all the data, RNA, enzymes, and dosing equipment for the CRISPR project I’ve been working on the past couple of years.” “In layman’s terms, please….?” Elli explained, “Oh, sorry. Do you remember the breakout of a disease called SARS about 15 years ago? Well, it is a type of virus called a corona virus. Fortunately, it burned out quickly. It had an exceedingly high death rate, like 10%, and was spreading from China. The potential for a deadly pandemic was huge. We are talking millions of lives. The Spanish Flu in the early 20th century was also a similar type of virus. It killed a hundred million people.” “So how does that tie into your project?” “My project was using a relatively new gene-splicing technique called CRISPR used to fight viruses. It is young in its bio-evolution and can fight only one virus at a time, and has low success rates, mostly because if the virus mutates, the treatment can’t keep up. We were on the verge of creating what we called Intelligent Crisper or I-CRISPR, similar to Artificial Intelligence in computers, but at a genetic level. It would be able to identify any virus as corona and attack it. It would also recognize when the virus mutated, modifying its targeting method to attack the mutation. We tested it on coronaviruses and got nearly a 90% success rate in our lab tests. That’s about as layman as I can get. Does it make sense?” “Yeah, it does, so why would the Chinese want it bad enough to kill American citizens on American soil?” “Your guess may be as good as mine, but my guess is it’s not for good. We kept the project to ourselves; first, it was still in the lab, and we were not certain of success. There was little reason to make it public. We were wrong about that, though. It was successful beyond belief. The plan was to slowly release the technology to the world once we finished testing it on humans, but keep much of the key elements in US hands unless a corona pandemic threatened the world. If that happened, we would ride in like a white knight on his white horse, saving the day, while making many countries beholding to us at the same time.” “The other reason is if someone or another country obtained this technology ahead of us, they could release a coronavirus to the world while controlling the spread in their own country or other countries friendly to them. The potential for wreaking havoc in the world in terms of human and financial destruction could be an attractive option. The perpetrator of the disease could use the chaos to control just about anyone or anything without firing a shot while losing very few lives in their own country. That’s the evil version. Or they could come in with the cure after things degrade severely, making the world think they had benevolently saved them. Not a savior version, but a ruthless, repressing version. What’s your guess?” Nigel was almost speechless after hearing what Elli had to say. “That’s a terrifying scenario. After hearing your guess, I don’t need to make one. Is that why you talked so little about your work?” “Yeah, it is, but now we are all into this thing neck deep. If we don’t find a way to get that stuff back, we could be in big trouble, although the consequences we may face from the authorities will be nothing compared to a pandemic.” “We shouldn’t call the cops right now then. We may have to stonewall them for a while. When the time is right, I’m going to contact some of my friends, still slugging it out in the spy games. At a minimum, I’m sure they will be able to lessen our troubles. First, I want to see if there is anything we can do ahead of that. Derek, get the thumb drive from the security cameras to see if there is anything helpful there. Nick, come outside with me, and we’ll check the yard for any clues. Elli, think through the past few weeks to see if you can remember anything unusual or out of place. Let us know when Derek gets back.” Derek returned in about fifteen minutes. He had brought the video up to the point where the perps knocked down the door. “I didn’t see anyone else outside. The two got out of the Jeep with their masks on.” “OK, fast forward to them going out then.” Intently, they all watched as the two ran across the front yard, the smaller one with his arms around the box, the other, the bigger one, almost running backward with his gun pointed in the direction of the house. When they got to the Jeep, the smaller one opened the back door, placing the box gently on the seat. “Zoom in closer, Derek!” The smaller guy then opened the driver’s door, pulling off his mask before getting in. “That’s the same Asian dude.” Nick blurted out. The other guy was on the opposite side of the car and got in, pulling off his mask inside. You could see an argument between the two, going on in the car. “Shit, no make on him.” All of a sudden, you could see the bigger guy getting out again. He had his gun raised and was walking toward the house with a purpose. His partner got out and was yelling at him with his weapon raised too. It was apparent the big guy was coming back for more. His face showed “more” meant death. His partner was yelling at him and letting him know he’d be the next one shot if he continued. The big guy slowed down and was either going to turn and shoot, or blink. He blinked, dropped the gun to his side, and reluctantly returned to the Jeep. “Derek, rewind to the spot you see his face and zoom in as much as you can.” Derek hit rewind, stopped the video, and zoomed in to where if he went any further, the frame would be too blurry to identify anything. As everyone looked as hard as they could, Nigel, under his breath, but loud enough for Elli to hear him, said, “That can’t be him. He’s dead.” “That can’t be who, and how do you know whoever he is, is supposed to be dead?” “Elli, do you remember a guy back in the Argentina days who was the go-between from Castro to the Argentinians, and also was a key player in setting up and training the death squads? His name was Gustavo Peralta. That’s him.” “I know who you’re talking about, but only saw pictures of him. Why would you say he’s dead then? I don’t recall any news of his death?” “Elli, I saw him outside your place the night we escaped from Argentina. He was in his car, ready to come for you, so I took care of the problem. Evidently, he somehow survived. I think helping the Chinese steal your project may not be the only reason he’s here…”
CHAPTER 16
Nick hung up the phone with his dad and walked into the kitchen where Eliza and Nigel were sitting. “How did it go?” Nigel asked. “OK, I guess. I didn’t tell my dad much, only that I will explain why I didn’t come home when they get here.” What are you going to tell them?” Eliza asked, giving Nick an intense, glaring stare. “The truth, I have to tell them the truth.” “Nick, you know telling them what happened will place their lives in danger, too.” Eliza said with that continued stare. Nigel looking up at Nick, knew he could only be truthful with his parents. He had been with him for three months and felt confident he would keep calm with his parents. Nick’s reaction to what took place at Sols Cliff and Nigel’s home proved Nick was trustworthy. Nigel wasn’t concerned with Nick’s intentions, but genuinely concerned with his parents’. “So, what do you think they will say, once you tell them?” “Skip, they will probably tell me to go home with them and leave this mess to you guys. The last week has been well, a clusterfuck, but I have a chance to do something right, something that may affect not just us but also the world. I can’t go home after what I saw and learned. The other thing is if we go to the authorities, we may be putting ourselves in more danger than we are now.” “That does make sense…and your parents?” “I believe they would want to help once they knew what was at stake. My dad and mom are both educated and activists.” “Activists?” “You know, tree huggers. If they knew a virus could be created to kill millions of people, and what was in that box could stop it, they would want to help any way they can. They won’t be able to walk away from this.” “What about calling the authorities? How are you going to stop them from doing that?” asked Eliza. “The same way you convinced me we can’t let this go public right now. Listen, the last two months of catching lobster is a blur. What is not a blur is what happened in the last seven days. I’ve been scared shitless; I thought I was going to die - twice! If what you told me is all true, then this is bigger than my parents or me. If we can help stop this, then it’s worth taking the risk. Maybe my parents’ influence on me has taught me something about being part of a bigger picture; I will tell them that. I will tell them you guys have the experience to make this right, and any outside influence may jeopardize the entire planet. I will make them understand!” Nigel and Eliza looked at Nick and saw the passion in his eyes. Now they both knew they could trust him. Snores could be heard from the living room where Derek was sacked out. “You should all get some sleep. Your parents will be here in a few hours. I will keep watch,” Nigel said yawning. If the address Nick provided was correct, Mack and Stephanie were sitting in their car what they thought was the Skipper’s house. The home was a typical New Englander style. Other than the front door hanging from its hinges, the rest of the house looked well kept, with good paint, and flower pots aligned on the porch. The house didn’t look like what Mack expected. He thought the yard would be covered in weeds, with useless old boats. However, he would soon realize, this was not the Skippers house. “Mack, are you ready for this?”“I’m tired as hell, but yes, we need to find out what’s going on.” “Stay calm, and maybe I should go to the door first.” “I said I was tired, not upset.” Stephanie knew her husband and could see the anger in his eyes, but she was angry too. She always relied on Mack’s even-tempered personality and rarely saw him upset. She knew she would be the one Mack would have to calm down. But now they were both angry and worried about their son. Mack fumbled with his pack that was in the back seat. “What are you doing?” asked Stephanie. “I’m getting my gun.” “Is that necessary?” “I don’t know this Nigel fellow. All I know is our son has been with him for over three months and didn’t come home. Who knows what going on there? Found it.” Mack and Stephanie exited the car and walked up to the door. He questioned where he was when he noticed a fake wreath with ribbons on the door. Nick swung open the damaged door and let Mack and Stephanie in the house. Sitting at the kitchen table were Elli and Derek. Nigel was standing with a cup of coffee in his hand. “Coffee?” asked Nigel. “Dad-Mom, this is Nigel, his wife Elli, and their son Derek.” Mack and Stephanie were not in the mood for pleasantries and wanted answers now. Nigel smiled at them and gestured for them to come into the kitchen and sit down. Derek got up to give up his seat and waved them in. Mack looked puzzled by Nigel’s invitation but moved in closer. “Coffee?” Nigel asked again. This time he motioned to Derek to get back out there and keep watch. “Will somebody explain what the hell is going on?’ exclaimed Stephanie. “Yes, of course, but first, do you mind placing your gun on the side table?” asked Nigel. Mack kept it tucked in his back pants and was surprised Nigel could even spot it. “I prefer to keep it if you don’t mind,” Mack responded. Elli finally spoke, “Be my guest, but please don’t shoot your ass off.” All four sat around the table. Nick slid a barstool closer to the group. Nigel poured coffee for Mack and Stephanie and waited for Nick to speak. “Dad, Mom, I need you to put on your open-minded hats; a lot is going on. I will let Nigel and Elli get into the details, but I want to assure you I’m OK, and Nigel is not holding me against my will. Nigel, Elli, and Derek are good people. They are also not exactly the fisherman and researcher they appear to be”“Son, where is this going?” asked Mack. “Dad, wait, let me finish. Nigel is a spy for British Intelligence, and Elli works for the CIA and hates Communists.” “I really wouldn’t call myself a spy,” Nigel broke in. Nick continued, “Two of my shipmates were shot and killed by an Asian spy who later came to the house with an Argentinian death squad dude for the package of drugs we picked-up.” This time Stephanie broke in, “Asian killers, death squads, spies, CIA, and drugs?”“Honey, you forgot British Intelligence,” chimed in Mack. Stephanie was not amused and gave Mack her go fuck yourself look. Nigel could see this was not going well and Nick’s parents needed full details. He had to trust them; he had no choice but to talk.
MUSIC
Ok so I don’t think Nick is explaining things very well.
If it was my son telling me this I would be like what the hell are you talking about and we are so getting out of here.
Lets see if it get clearer for them next week.
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Outro Music
Well, that concludes my episode for today. I want to thank you all for taken the time to listen to me talk. I hope you have enjoyed this episode. If you like my podcast Subscribe to my show or “Please send me an email to jessvicvoice@outlook.com that’s (spell out the name). With suggestions of books for me to read on the show. Thank you again, and please join me next week on “Oh, for the love of books.” and as always, dream big and keep reading!