| General Fiction posted March 15, 2020 | Chapters: |
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Origin on Manuel Kontroz
A chapter in the book Assassin Nation
Flashback Manuel Kontroz
by Bill Schott
Red Appleton, President of the United States
Jason Marr, Vice President
Connie Highland, Senate Majority Leader
Samantha Anthra, Chief of Staff to President Appleton
Manuel Kontroz, Assistant to the President
Ben Baker, aka Butcher of Baghdad aka Bobby Do, assassin
C. C. Connor, former Chief of Staff to President Sullivan
Millie Manowitz, twin sister of C.C. Connor
==========================================
San Francisco, California. Summer, 1978
Doctors Amp, Bolt, Watt, and Edison arrived together at the compound for the latest revelation from their leader, Dr. Wu.
"Any word on the twins, Dr. Wu?" asked Amp.
"I understand they are both deep in the political sea," he replied.
"Still so young. Only twenty-five, right? It has been a quarter century. Difficult to believe when I think of those two," said Watt. "They always appear to be half their ages."
"C.C. emerged from the conflict in Vietnam as a war hero," said Dr. Wu. "Millie has spent her time becoming a fixture in Golden State law-making. She is an oracle to many powerful people."
"Is this meeting to do with them?" asked Edison.
"No. I want you to meet a new child I have produced. He has been living here near Fisherman's Wharf. His name is Manuel."
Dr. Wu brought the other scientists into an open gymnasium area that was also a greenhouse, astrological observatory, and makeshift living area. There they saw a young man, gaunt and quiet, standing in the center of the mostly glass-enclosed structure.
"Manuel," called Dr. Wu to the slender, caramel-skinned man.
A blur appeared before the doctor that stopped suddenly with the young man practically breaching space and time to present himself before the doctor.
Dr. Amp, visibly stunned, asked, "Is this the invitro fertilization experiment?"
"Yes," replied Wu, grinning. "They are just now waiting on an infant in mainstream medicine. Manuel was introduced a decade ago."
"A decade?" questioned Dr. Watt, observing what looked like a twenty-year old man. "He doesn't seem to be a progeria sufferer."
"He's not, Doctor. Manuel has rapidly reached this state of maturity and I fully expect him to maintain it for another half century."
"This is incredible, Dr. Wu," said Dr. Edison. "I trust your research and lab notes are available for us to read?"
Before he could answer, a spitting sound and breeze passed Dr. Wu's head and became a bloody hole in Dr. Amp's chest. Another bullet zipped by Dr. Watt and zapped Dr. Bolt, who dropped dead to the floor. Two more silenced lead balls stopped in both Dr. Edison and Dr. Watt, silencing them as well.
Dr. Wu, who had dropped to his knees, now looked around for Manuel. One more shot smashed into the far wall with no apparent target. There were no more.
On a roof top seven hundred meters away, a sniper had been preparing to shoot the last scientist when a blur appeared in his peripheral vision. His curious death followed.
Manuel, who had triangulated the path of the bullets by noting the doctor's fallen angles, deduced the azimuth to the source of firing. He sped as fast as he could run, to the location and found access to the roof by way of the industrial down spout on the back of the building. Once on the roof he raced directly to the shooter and struck him twenty-two times. Each blow strategically hit a pressure point, ripped open a pocket, removed a sensory ability, and searched for weapons or identification.
When the killer fell dead to the tar and gravel roof top, Manuel had in his hands a small pistol, a flat Gerber rib-sticker, one hundred and four dollars in Canadian currency, a roll of Certs, and a standard cyanide pill that had been in a coin sleeve within a wrist band on the dead man's left forearm.
He quickly ran over the man's features, looked for important unnatural markings that may have been present, then hurried back in the same direction he had come from.
Dr. Wu had found a chair and was sitting slumped forward between his knees when Manuel returned.
"Are you injured, Dr. Wu?" he asked.
"Not at all, Manuel. I am unharmed. What of the shooter?"
"Neutralized, sir. I have also identified him as a Russian operative."
"Really! How do you know that, my son."
"He had the exact bus fare for Sacramento, in Canadian dollars. One can get a non-stop flight there to Vancouver after six p.m.," Manuel said matter-of-factly.
"Vancouver, British Columbia?"
"Russian hub for west coast business."
The doctor nodded his head in agreement. "You learned these things from whom?"
Manuel looked at him with a slight smile. "Common knowledge, sir."
Red Appleton, President of the United States
Jason Marr, Vice President
Connie Highland, Senate Majority Leader
Samantha Anthra, Chief of Staff to President Appleton
Manuel Kontroz, Assistant to the President
Ben Baker, aka Butcher of Baghdad aka Bobby Do, assassin
C. C. Connor, former Chief of Staff to President Sullivan
Millie Manowitz, twin sister of C.C. Connor
==========================================
San Francisco, California. Summer, 1978
Doctors Amp, Bolt, Watt, and Edison arrived together at the compound for the latest revelation from their leader, Dr. Wu.
"Any word on the twins, Dr. Wu?" asked Amp.
"I understand they are both deep in the political sea," he replied.
"Still so young. Only twenty-five, right? It has been a quarter century. Difficult to believe when I think of those two," said Watt. "They always appear to be half their ages."
"C.C. emerged from the conflict in Vietnam as a war hero," said Dr. Wu. "Millie has spent her time becoming a fixture in Golden State law-making. She is an oracle to many powerful people."
"Is this meeting to do with them?" asked Edison.
"No. I want you to meet a new child I have produced. He has been living here near Fisherman's Wharf. His name is Manuel."
Dr. Wu brought the other scientists into an open gymnasium area that was also a greenhouse, astrological observatory, and makeshift living area. There they saw a young man, gaunt and quiet, standing in the center of the mostly glass-enclosed structure.
"Manuel," called Dr. Wu to the slender, caramel-skinned man.
A blur appeared before the doctor that stopped suddenly with the young man practically breaching space and time to present himself before the doctor.
Dr. Amp, visibly stunned, asked, "Is this the invitro fertilization experiment?"
"Yes," replied Wu, grinning. "They are just now waiting on an infant in mainstream medicine. Manuel was introduced a decade ago."
"A decade?" questioned Dr. Watt, observing what looked like a twenty-year old man. "He doesn't seem to be a progeria sufferer."
"He's not, Doctor. Manuel has rapidly reached this state of maturity and I fully expect him to maintain it for another half century."
"This is incredible, Dr. Wu," said Dr. Edison. "I trust your research and lab notes are available for us to read?"
Before he could answer, a spitting sound and breeze passed Dr. Wu's head and became a bloody hole in Dr. Amp's chest. Another bullet zipped by Dr. Watt and zapped Dr. Bolt, who dropped dead to the floor. Two more silenced lead balls stopped in both Dr. Edison and Dr. Watt, silencing them as well.
Dr. Wu, who had dropped to his knees, now looked around for Manuel. One more shot smashed into the far wall with no apparent target. There were no more.
On a roof top seven hundred meters away, a sniper had been preparing to shoot the last scientist when a blur appeared in his peripheral vision. His curious death followed.
Manuel, who had triangulated the path of the bullets by noting the doctor's fallen angles, deduced the azimuth to the source of firing. He sped as fast as he could run, to the location and found access to the roof by way of the industrial down spout on the back of the building. Once on the roof he raced directly to the shooter and struck him twenty-two times. Each blow strategically hit a pressure point, ripped open a pocket, removed a sensory ability, and searched for weapons or identification.
When the killer fell dead to the tar and gravel roof top, Manuel had in his hands a small pistol, a flat Gerber rib-sticker, one hundred and four dollars in Canadian currency, a roll of Certs, and a standard cyanide pill that had been in a coin sleeve within a wrist band on the dead man's left forearm.
He quickly ran over the man's features, looked for important unnatural markings that may have been present, then hurried back in the same direction he had come from.
Dr. Wu had found a chair and was sitting slumped forward between his knees when Manuel returned.
"Are you injured, Dr. Wu?" he asked.
"Not at all, Manuel. I am unharmed. What of the shooter?"
"Neutralized, sir. I have also identified him as a Russian operative."
"Really! How do you know that, my son."
"He had the exact bus fare for Sacramento, in Canadian dollars. One can get a non-stop flight there to Vancouver after six p.m.," Manuel said matter-of-factly.
"Vancouver, British Columbia?"
"Russian hub for west coast business."
The doctor nodded his head in agreement. "You learned these things from whom?"
Manuel looked at him with a slight smile. "Common knowledge, sir."
Jason Marr, Vice President
Connie Highland, Senate Majority Leader
Samantha Anthra, Chief of Staff to President Appleton
Manuel Kontroz, Assistant to the President
Ben Baker, aka Butcher of Baghdad aka Bobby Do, assassin
C. C. Connor, former Chief of Staff to President Sullivan
Millie Manowitz, twin sister of C.C. Connor
==========================================
San Francisco, California. Summer, 1978
Doctors Amp, Bolt, Watt, and Edison arrived together at the compound for the latest revelation from their leader, Dr. Wu.
"Any word on the twins, Dr. Wu?" asked Amp.
"I understand they are both deep in the political sea," he replied.
"Still so young. Only twenty-five, right? It has been a quarter century. Difficult to believe when I think of those two," said Watt. "They always appear to be half their ages."
"C.C. emerged from the conflict in Vietnam as a war hero," said Dr. Wu. "Millie has spent her time becoming a fixture in Golden State law-making. She is an oracle to many powerful people."
"Is this meeting to do with them?" asked Edison.
"No. I want you to meet a new child I have produced. He has been living here near Fisherman's Wharf. His name is Manuel."
Dr. Wu brought the other scientists into an open gymnasium area that was also a greenhouse, astrological observatory, and makeshift living area. There they saw a young man, gaunt and quiet, standing in the center of the mostly glass-enclosed structure.
"Manuel," called Dr. Wu to the slender, caramel-skinned man.
A blur appeared before the doctor that stopped suddenly with the young man practically breaching space and time to present himself before the doctor.
Dr. Amp, visibly stunned, asked, "Is this the invitro fertilization experiment?"
"Yes," replied Wu, grinning. "They are just now waiting on an infant in mainstream medicine. Manuel was introduced a decade ago."
"A decade?" questioned Dr. Watt, observing what looked like a twenty-year old man. "He doesn't seem to be a progeria sufferer."
"He's not, Doctor. Manuel has rapidly reached this state of maturity and I fully expect him to maintain it for another half century."
"This is incredible, Dr. Wu," said Dr. Edison. "I trust your research and lab notes are available for us to read?"
Before he could answer, a spitting sound and breeze passed Dr. Wu's head and became a bloody hole in Dr. Amp's chest. Another bullet zipped by Dr. Watt and zapped Dr. Bolt, who dropped dead to the floor. Two more silenced lead balls stopped in both Dr. Edison and Dr. Watt, silencing them as well.
Dr. Wu, who had dropped to his knees, now looked around for Manuel. One more shot smashed into the far wall with no apparent target. There were no more.
On a roof top seven hundred meters away, a sniper had been preparing to shoot the last scientist when a blur appeared in his peripheral vision. His curious death followed.
Manuel, who had triangulated the path of the bullets by noting the doctor's fallen angles, deduced the azimuth to the source of firing. He sped as fast as he could run, to the location and found access to the roof by way of the industrial down spout on the back of the building. Once on the roof he raced directly to the shooter and struck him twenty-two times. Each blow strategically hit a pressure point, ripped open a pocket, removed a sensory ability, and searched for weapons or identification.
When the killer fell dead to the tar and gravel roof top, Manuel had in his hands a small pistol, a flat Gerber rib-sticker, one hundred and four dollars in Canadian currency, a roll of Certs, and a standard cyanide pill that had been in a coin sleeve within a wrist band on the dead man's left forearm.
He quickly ran over the man's features, looked for important unnatural markings that may have been present, then hurried back in the same direction he had come from.
Dr. Wu had found a chair and was sitting slumped forward between his knees when Manuel returned.
"Are you injured, Dr. Wu?" he asked.
"Not at all, Manuel. I am unharmed. What of the shooter?"
"Neutralized, sir. I have also identified him as a Russian operative."
"Really! How do you know that, my son."
"He had the exact bus fare for Sacramento, in Canadian dollars. One can get a non-stop flight there to Vancouver after six p.m.," Manuel said matter-of-factly.
"Vancouver, British Columbia?"
"Russian hub for west coast business."
The doctor nodded his head in agreement. "You learned these things from whom?"
Manuel looked at him with a slight smile. "Common knowledge, sir."
Progeria is a premature aging disease.
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