Flash Fiction #2: Unwilling Assassin
“Conversion” refers to the complex surgical procedure by which a human being is transformed into a Tracker. The surgery is exceptionally risky — the melding of flesh and alien technology is fraught with complications.
The physiological changes are extensive and cannot be reversed. Statistically, this rarely results in a botched conversion.
Few doctors are qualified (or willing) to attempt the surgery. Fewer still are willing to go “on the record” when questioned by the Infomedia. Rumors of failed Tracker surgeries continue to cast a shadow over the Enclave’s elite medical facility. The ruling Council, citing Enclave Security, routinely labels these reports “unsubstantiated,” “classified,” and subject to vigorous Non-Disclosure Agreements.
Which leads to the proverbial “elephant in the room” question:
When a Tracker conversion fails, what becomes of the patient?
Targeted Protest
A phenomenon unseen since the foundation of the Enclave has resurfaced:
Protests.
And counter-protests.
The Givers — and their human collaborators — tighten their grip on the Enclave’s populace, but encounter unexpected resistance. Many Citizens aren’t happy with the new “Anodyne Initiative,” and are actively protesting it. Other Citizens, loyal to the Givers, stir up opposition against the protestors. Tempers flare and reckless hyperbole deepens the divide.
A further complication: Hyper-competitive Infomedia outlets send legions of journalists to report on the unrest, amplifying the conflict for the entire Enclave to see.
Enter the anonymous patient, product of a failed Tracker conversion. He awakens from a tranquilized slumber to find himself sprawled awkwardly on a bench in an urban park. He is surrounded by university students, office workers on lunch break, and journalists — a scheduled protest and counter-protest are about to begin.
His mind clears and he experiences a horrifying premonition. His frantic attempts at warning or fleeing are pointless, as he well understands. Courtesy of the Givers, he is his own executioner. A suicide bomber with zero desire to commit suicide.
The patient — forever an anonymous footnote — plays a brief but pivotal role in the Enclave’s history. The chain of events he triggers has far-reaching consequences, well beyond the immediate carnage and loss of life.
The odds against Amos Morgan, Aubrey Carter, and their ragtag team of Runners increase exponentially. Their options are being whittled away, one by one …
Scorpion (Tracker Book 3) available at:
All links via Books2Read
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