Goliath

“Don’t laugh at me!” Covah paces, his sudden anger causing his chemoweakened body to quiver. “You don’t know … you haven’t a clue about this sort of thing! The human brain consists of several layers, reflecting the evolution of our species. My team in Toronto performed physiological tests on overly aggressive, antisocial boys. We found their violent tendencies to be attributable to low levels of cortisol, a stress hormone released in response to fear. Children lacking sufficient levels of cortisol were committing violent acts before the age of ten. Think about it and it makes perfect sense. Modern man’s genetic programming originates from our primal ancestors. Morality is not inherited, it is a learned behavior, while violence—the law of the jungle—is encoded into our DNA. What if the lack of cortisol, or another hormone like it, has affected our moral compass? What if this is the reason one individual can commit atrocities against another without a second’s thought?”

“Simon—”

“This is the question I’ve sought answers to for decades, ever since those Serbian animals butchered my wife and daughters, ever since they set fire to me and left me for dead. The violence never bothered them, David, it seemed to … it seemed to intoxicate them. Can’t you see why this is so important to me? Can’t you see?”

David rests his hands on Covah’s shoulders. “I understand, Simon. And I want you to know that I’m here for you. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“Thank you.” Covah takes several shallow breaths, exhausted. “There’s so much to do, so much preparation. just before the surgical procedure, I’ll turn over control of the ship to you. You’ll be in charge of our mission. Are you up for it?”

“More than you know.”

“Good, good. Wait, what about the crew? What should we tell them?”

“Let me handle that. You need to prepare for surgery.”

“Yes, better you handle is …” The pale blue eyes twitch as Covah mentally reviews his to-do list. “I’ve already preprogrammed Utopia-One into Sorceress’s matrix. When the time comes, instruct the computer to disengage Utopia-One: Response Beta.”

“And if the Chinese refuse to release Tibet? What city have you instructed Sorceress to fire upon?”

“There are seven Chinese targets, all weapons facilities, one located in each of the country’s military zones. Six of them will be destroyed using Tomahawks. The seventh, the submarine base in Quingdao, will be hit with a nuclear warhead. Each population will be warned twelve hours prior to launch. After our example on Baghdad, civilian casualties should be light.”

“Destroying a few military installations isn’t going to change anything, Simon. The Chinese people want democracy, it’s the hard-line Communists who won’t let go. We need to strike at the heart of China—Beijing!”

“No, out of the question. A strike against Beijing will create a backlash, it will alter the perception of our own movement.”

“You’re right, of course. Forgive me. I’m just excited, you know, about finding a cure for your cancer.”

“Understandable.” Covah returns to his list. Suddenly remembers. “David, were you able to complete a thorough diagnostic on Sorceress’s plasmid DNA strands?”

David smiles. “No worries, everything’s normal. Turned out to be a short in the computer’s auditory feed, just like I said.”

“Progress always involves risk; you can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.”

—Frederick Wilcox

“We used to think our future was in the stars. Now we know it’s in our genes.”

—James Watson

“I am not advocating human genetic engineering as a good thing. I am just saying it is likely to happen whether we like it or not.”

—Stephen Hawking, British physicist

CHAPTER 23

Aboard the Goliath

Rocky enters Gunnar’s stateroom. He is waiting for her as planned, naked beneath the blanket.

“Hey, sailor. Is there room in there for me?”

He smiles, holding open the blanket, beckoning her in.

Rocky unzips the Chinese jumpsuit, allowing it to fall down around her ankles. She climbs into bed, feeling the computer’s eyes upon her. “Darling, I’m freezing. Cover us up, would you?”

Gunnar complies, pulling the wool blanket up over both their heads—

—preventing the scarlet eyeball from reading their lips.

They grope beneath the covers, Rocky pressing her lips to Gunnar’s ear. “Were you able to speak with Sujan?”

“Yes,” he whispers back. “He still supports Covah, but I think he can be swayed. Chau has been missing for a few days, and the crew is getting paranoid. They’re going to confront Simon about it tonight.”