UNFORSEEN EFFICACY

THE GENESIS FACTOR

VOLUME ONE

REWRITE

©2025 by Mason Denise Carlisle All Rights Reserved

 

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otherwise, without written permission from the author.  

 

This is a work of fiction and any resemblance

between the characters and persons living or dead

is purely coincidental.

 

ISBN: 979-8-89814-785-3 (Volume 1) (trade paperback)

ISBN: 979-8-3494-4732-7 (Volume 1) (Hard cover)

One

Narcus

Narcus had been gone for hours, Roberta thought, as she stood looking around the large dark empty warehouse he’d found for them, for the time being. It had begun to rain heavily after he left, saying he was going to purchase food. Roberta slowly walked to the only clean window in the room, and as she watched the rain fall, she hoped her husband was okay and would be in soon. She gently rubbed her swollen stomach and smiled. She was almost ready to deliver her and Narcus’ first baby, and she thought how the news of her pregnancy, at first, disturbed him. But he married her and was a perfect husband, she thought, smiling. He would be a good father she decided, but wondered why he would suddenly become nervous and uproot them from their home. This time, it was harder for Narcus to find a place for them, she thought, taking a deep breath and smiling when she felt the baby move.   

Narcus told Roberta he had no family, and he was very quiet most of the time, she thought. In fact, he certainly wasn’t what she considered a friendly man, and thought about the day they first met. He seemed to be running from something, she thought, gazing down at a stone she felt beneath her shoe. It was the same stone she’d been kicking around all day, and when it fell through a crack in the floor and disappeared, she almost cried. Roberta took a deep breath and wondered why she always liked the strange ones? She thought about how bashful he was when he noticed her staring at him at the outdoor market. He actually ran to avoid her, and she smiled remembering how she chased him away from the market. Just thinking about that day made her laugh. She wondered what made him stop running from her so suddenly. Whatever it was she was certainly happy it happened. It was the beginning of the most loving, and at first exciting, relationship Roberta ever had with anyone. 

She giggled again, thinking about the look on his face when she followed him around the corner and into the coffee shop. He looked lost as if he didn’t know what to do about her following him. It was as if he’d never dealt with anything like this before.  She slowly walked toward him and smiled sweetly at him. He didn’t say a word, and he didn’t run again. She remembered asking him why he was afraid of her, and he blurted out in the deepest, strongest voice she’d ever heard.

“Why are you following me?” She told him because he was so handsome, and quickly asked if he were married. Narcus seemed shocked she found him attractive and told her no, he wasn’t married, nor was he afraid of her. He walked away, and she continued to follow him. From time to time he would stop and glare at her but would say nothing. Then he finally stopped walking so fast and stopped glaring at her. He even asked her if she was lost. Roberta shook her head no, and smiled sweetly at him. She never left his side after that day, and he didn’t seem to want her to.

Loving Narcus was easy, Roberta thought, and although he never talked much, he was very affectionate towards her and always made sure she was safe. After spending a year with him, she realized there was something very strange about this man she was now so in love with. He was very smart and could speak many different languages, none of which she understood except Italian and a little English. He was good with numbers, she thought, remembering how often she found papers he was working on with strange equations she’d never seen before. What was he working on, she wondered. The cracking on the staircase alerted her he had finally returned.  Roberta slowly moved backward as Narcus taught her, warning her not to trust anyone, and also to never rush to meet him until she was sure it was actually he. 

It was Narcus, and it was obvious something was wrong. He stumbled when he reached the top of the stairs, and Roberta ran to his side. When she reached him, she realized he was hurt, and when he sensed her anxiety, he quickly told her some teenagers jumped him because they wanted his wallet. He assured her he was all right and told her they would be leaving after he rested a little while. He handed her the bag in his hand, and she helped him sit down in a space she cleaned up for them. He kissed her and smiled, and she slowly opened the bag, suddenly realizing how hungry she was, especially when she smelled the fresh bread. As she slowly took it from the bag, she wondered how Narcus kept it from getting wet. The bag around it was soaked, she thought.     

“Il miele di Narcus, voglio sapere perché dovevamo lasciare la casa del nostro (Narcus honey, I want to know why we had to leave our home)?” she softly asked.  “Il bimbo è dovuto presto e ho paura (The baby is due soon and I’m afraid).”

“So il mio amore. Lo penso’s il tempo l'ho detto ciò che continua ho delle informazioni di valore immagazzinate su qui (I know, my love. I think it’s time I told you what is going on. I have valuable information stored up here),” he replied, pointing to his head.  Roberta smiled because she loved to hear him speak. His deep voice made him appear so strong and always made her feel so safe. 

“Cosí, qualcuno l'insegue (So, someone is chasing you)?” she softly asked.

“Sempre il mio amore. Ma io ha trovato un sicuro per ed il (Always my love.  But I have found a safe place for you and the baby).  Io’m andare di lasciare il lei lí finché posso lavorare queste cose fuori (I’m going to leave you there until I can work these things out).  So che lei indossa’t vuole separare da me, mia moglie…ma posso’t tutti noi protegge chiudono in su me (I know you don’t want to separate from me, my wife…but I can’t protect all of us, they are closing in on me). Mie non posso più proteggere, ed indosso’t loro vuole lo trovare (I can no longer protect myself, and I don’t want them to find you). Lei porta mio figlio, e è una persona speciale (You carry my son, and he is a special person). Se scoprono di lei, la sua vita sarà in proprio come molto pericolo come il mio (If they find out about you, your life will be in just as much danger as mine). Per favore di capire mia moglie. Indosso’t vuole qualunque danno venirgli o mio figlio (Please understand my wife. I don’t want any harm to come to you or my son).”

“Che lei farà (What will you do)?”

“Non io’m sicuro ma loro devo prendere via dalla mia pista ancora (I’m not sure but I have to get them off my trail again). Posso’t lo promette che mai saremo sicuro non importa dove viviamo Roberta, non ama la maggior parte delle persone sono (I can’t promise you we will ever be safe no matter where we live Roberta, not like most people are).”

“Il Narcus, perché la lattina’t lei loro dà appena che vogliono (Narcus, why can’t you just give them what they want)?”

“Mia moglie, sono che vogliono (My wife, I am what they want),” he whispered.  Roberta had always felt that her husband was a little strange, but now she was afraid of him.  He sensed her fear and pulled her close to him, holding her tightly in his arms. “Lei hanno ragione, io’m diverso…ciò’s tutto lo posso dire (You are right, I’m different…that’s all I can tell you).”

“Nostro figlio sarà questa maniera (Will our son be this way)?”

“Sì, in molte maniere, ma sarà sicuro finché indossano’t sa circa il due di lei (Yes, in many ways, but he will be safe as long as they don’t know about the two of you).  Ho cambiato il suo nome e ho comprato questi documenti di identificazione (I have changed your name and purchased these identification documents),” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out an envelope. He gently placed the envelope in her hand and smiled. “Lei sono questa persona capisce lei d'ora innanzi mia moglie (You are this person from now on do you understand my wife)?”

“Sì (Yes),” Roberta whispered, kissing him gently on his trembling lips. Narcus was such a handsome man, she thought. He was tall with a full head of thick dark hair that fell across his shoulders. He had soft, full eyebrows and brown eyes. He never seemed to grow hair on his face, she thought. At least she never remembered seeing any trace of facial hair. His lips were slightly full, and his teeth were perfect and white, even though he smoked cigarettes and drank so much coffee. He had lovely, delicate hands, and they were so soothing, she thought and smiled, thinking how much she enjoyed every time he touched her. He also had a tremendous appetite, and she often wondered how he remained so thin.  She smiled and tightened her arms around him, hoping she wouldn’t remain so big after the baby was born. “Il Narcus, come lei io sa’m andare di dare la nascita a un bimbo di ragazzo comunque (Narcus, how do you know I’m going to give birth to a boy baby anyway)?” she asked, teasing him.

“Perché, voglio un bimbo di ragazzo cosí io’m andare di avere un bimbo di ragazzo (Because, I want a boy baby so I’m going to have a boy baby).  Poi possiamo avere un bimbo di ragazza per lei è che un progetto buono (Then we can have a girl baby for you, is that a good plan)?”

“Sì (Yes),” she replied and smiled.  How she loved him, she thought.  He always asked her if she was happy with what he decided was best for them.  It seemed important for him to know she was pleased with him.  She was very pleased with Narcus no matter how often he uprooted them in the middle of the night.  At least this time, they had a car, she thought, and she felt her eyes growing heavy, as they often did when Narcus held her close.

Narcus didn’t tell Roberta the whole truth.  Those who sought him were very close, and he was forced to kill two men to prevent them from capturing him and returning him to the research facility.  He never told her everything about himself because he loved her and feared losing her the way he lost the last person he loved.  He feared she would leave him, and he didn’t want to be alone anymore.  So, he decided the only place they would be safe was America, and the next ship to America left port at dawn.

*                    *                    *

Narcus timed their arrival to America well, and just as the ship docked, Roberta went into labor.  She was rushed to the hospital, and it was the last time she saw her husband.  She remembered seeing him as she was placed in the ambulance and watching him fade into the crowd of people surrounding the strange vehicle.  She had a feeling she would never see him again, and couldn’t shake the feeling he boarded another ship heading back to Europe. 

Roberta gave birth to a fine, healthy baby boy on January 27^th in the year 1954, as Narcus said she would, and she named him after her husband.  She had no idea where she would go after she left the hospital, and she cried because she missed Narcus so much.  The day she was to be released, she began to feel as if Narcus weren’t alive anymore.  As she dressed to leave, a nurse came and gave her an envelope, which she said had arrived for her a few days earlier.  She explained she was instructed by the man who gave her the envelope to hold it and give it to her the day she and the baby were released from the hospital.  Roberta nodded and slowly sat down in a chair beside the window in her hospital room.  She opened the large yellow envelope with slow, trembling hands and pulled out the papers, which included a letter from her husband.  It was written in English, and to her amazement, she could read and speak the language very well. 

My wife,

Forgive me for not being with you at this time.  It is impossible for me to remain with you any longer, as I could no longer hide from those who seek me.  I am only thankful I was able to see you and my son safely to America.  It is my hope that you and my son will live out your lives in peace now.  I have left you all I have, and I am comfortable you will be comfortable in this new land.  Yes, your husband was a wealthy man in our small country, but we were forced to flee after the truth about how I came to exist was discovered.  You will not see me again but know I loved you as I have loved no other, and I did this in the best interest of my family.  Tell our son about me and why I did this, and remember me, my wife, as I will always remember you. 

Your husband,

Narcus

Roberta cried as she read the letter, and in her heart, she felt her husband was dead.  She was left wondering why he was tormented for so long and why he was killed.  Although Narcus wasn’t there with his wife and new son, he did leave his family with enough money to survive without him.  Roberta was thankful she didn’t have to worry about how she would pay for a place to stay.  She found a nice apartment for her son and her and tried to adjust to her new surroundings.  As Narcus Junior grew, Roberta was reminded of her husband’s words concerning their son.  She noticed just how much he was his father’s son and, for reasons she was never sure of, never called her son Junior but Narcus.

Making friends didn’t come easy for Narcus Junior, and starting school was a big adjustment for him.  He was quiet in the beginning.  So much so the teachers assumed he was mentally retarded.  They soon learned they were wrong as young Narcus caught on to his lessons quickly and completed all his assignments faster than any other student.  Although Roberta was proud of her son, she feared he would draw unwanted attention to them if he continued to complete assignments faster than the other children his age.  She told him how afraid his father was because he was so smart, and she tried to persuade Narcus Junior to slow down and keep the same pace as the other students.  He was already beginning to receive more attention than was comfortable for Roberta. 

Narcus Junior tried to maintain a slower pace, but doing this bored him.  So, he decided to complete his assignments quickly and hold on to them until the other students turned in their work.  However, his teachers didn’t notice how fast he learned in the years that followed.  But it wasn’t only his intellect that drew attention to Narcus Junior.  By the time he turned fourteen years old, his features had become beautifully chiseled on his perfect smooth-skin face.  He had become a very handsome young man.  Roberta was happy that it was her son’s looks that soon became what caused people to pay him more attention.  She became used to it and realized it didn’t seem to be a bad thing to be smart in America.  Her husband was right to bring them to this country, she thought.  As she began to get ill, she no longer feared his intelligence or looks drawing too much attention but feared leaving her son alone with no relatives, sensing she would soon die. 

As Roberta’s health deteriorated, she felt it was time to tell young Narcus more about his father.  She spent more time in her bed as Narcus turned fifteen and realized her worst fears were coming true.  Narcus Junior also knew and was certain his mother wouldn’t make it until he was an adult.  He’d silently watched his mother grow weaker as the years went by and had become accustomed to remembering his mother the way she was when he was a small boy.  She was healthier, and it comforted him to think of her as she was. 

By the time Narcus Junior was sixteen, Roberta was spending most of her time visiting the hospital, and all they could tell her was her body was giving out.  They didn’t know what was causing it, nor did they know what to do to prevent it.  She was home from the hospital again, and although the doctors didn’t know what was draining the life from his mother, he knew exactly what was wrong with her.  Carrying him caused it, and although it didn’t show until he was ten years old, Roberta began to get weak immediately after he was born.  He had sustained her for as long as he could, but now she was too close to death. 

And one day, Narcus Junior hurried home from school, feeling his mother had taken a turn for the worse.  He found her lying in her bed, partially dressed, as she often was ever since she first showed signs of her deteriorating condition.  She would dress as much as she could before growing too tired to finish.  He looked around the house and smiled.  As always, she had started several things and become too tired to finish.  She had even tried to make him something for dinner but grew tired in the midst of her preparations.  He smiled through his tears, mentally finishing everything she had started, as well as mentally counting how many times she had to lay down and rest that day.  It was worse this day than it had ever been, he thought as he slowly approached her bed.  The closer he got to the bed, the more certain he was that his mother wouldn’t make it through the night. 

Although he knew this day would come, Narcus Junior wasn’t ready to think about life without his mother.  He’d hid from this day every time he looked at her, and he began to cry as he had never cried before.  How would he survive alone, he wondered; what would he do without the only family he had ever known?  Roberta saw the fear in her son’s tear-filled eyes and wished she didn’t have to leave him.  She weakly called him towards her, and he gently sat down on her bed and took her frail hand in his.  He slowly brought it to his mouth and gently pressed his lips against her hand, noticing it was already cold.

“Mom,” he softly said, and Roberta closed her eyes and silently asked God to watch over her son.

“Junior…I love you so much.  I don’t know what happened, baby…I’ve never been sick in my life,” she softly said, and as she spoke, his thoughts were full of guilt.  He had drained his life from his mother, and he was very pained.  He fought to clear his head because he wanted to hear what his mother was saying to him.  She was telling him about the day she met his father, and he could see it in his mind.  As she went on through the years, sometimes they cried, but most of the time, they laughed at Roberta’s stories about Narcus.  Narcus Junior knew most of what his mother told him about his father.  He even knew things his mother didn’t know.  He knew the people chasing his father weren’t chasing him just because he was smart.  He also knew he inherited the same thing those chasing his father wanted.  Narcus Junior knew they were scientists in Europe who sought his father, and he was glad he was an American citizen and had rights. 

As she requested, Narcus promised his mother he would not speak of his father.  He promised her he would continue to work at a pace that would not draw attention to himself, and as he watched his mother peacefully leave this life, he cried, vowing to keep what he was a secret. Narcus Junior lost his mother when he was sixteen years old.  He mourned in silence and buried her himself. She was his only friend, and he was hers, so there was no need for a funeral. He successfully completed high school without anyone knowing his mother had passed on. That’s how little anyone cared. He chose to go to college, deciding he wanted to be a doctor, and as he became a man, his level of intelligence and special abilities increased. He never moved from the apartment he shared with his mother. When he completed his services as an intern, he showed such keen ability that many hospitals offered him a nice salary to join their staff.  But he chose to begin at the county hospital where he was born, wanting to help those financially less fortunate. The hospital officials were glad he decided to join them instead of one of the more elaborate facilities. No one knew the real reason Narcus chose to remain at the county hospital. No one knew it was because visiting the room he shared with his mother after he was born calmed and comforted him, sometimes more than being in the apartment.      

He met the nurse, who was the last person to see his father, and they talked about how much Narcus Junior favored him. It helped him to be around people who remembered his parents. At night, alone in the apartment, he thought about them, and sometimes, he cried himself to sleep. These were the times he felt his father was not dead but lost in a strange land. It confused Narcus Junior because he’d believed his father forced the hand of those chasing him, but lately, he wasn’t so sure. Narcus Junior knew his father had been running all his life and could feel how tired he was. He also knew his father would never allow himself to be captured alive and wouldn’t dare leave his body for research.     

After the first time, Narcus Junior felt perhaps his father wasn’t dead, his thoughts were full of wonder. This only increased as the years rolled by, and he decided he was alive. In fact, he now had a clear vision of both his parents’ lives before his birth.  He also accepted the fact that he didn’t see his father as dead. However, he saw many things about his father’s life, and although the visions seemed to become foggy after his father gave the envelope to the nurse, he saw he was indeed alive.   

Narcus Junior understood why his father chose to leave him and his mother but wished he could join him now. He thought about where his mother was buried and wondered what drew him to the place where he laid her to rest. He was finally beginning to wonder about many things, especially the things he was mentally capable of doing. He was glad his father escaped from the center, and knew they would never leave him in peace. He knew love made his father part from him and his mother, and he couldn’t help but love him back. As he began to have visions about the research facility his father escaped from, a heavy fear settled over him. Suddenly he knew the day would come when they would begin to search for him. 

He missed his mother terribly, but the new fear made him feel grateful she was gone. Death had freed her and he was glad he was born in America. Although he knew they would search for him, he hoped it would be hard for the scientists to find him.  This great country protected him, and he was thankful for all the sacrifices his father made for his mother and him.  His fear also led him to become friends and lovers with a colleague. He was tired and afraid of being alone, and Theodore Timberline became the center of his world. He was older and also married to a woman who many felt treated him badly.  Narcus Junior felt sorry for him, and Theodore began to spend a lot of time alone with Narcus Junior in his apartment.