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“What! It’s a joke, right? Please tell me this is just a stupid fucking joke!”

“Calm down,” Martin tried to reason.

“You want me to calm down? My wife was impregnated against her will by some stranger and you want me to calm down? Fuck you!”

Martin sighed. This irrational tantrum was completely unnecessary.

“Please calm down and listen.”

Martin kept his tone calm despite the fact that at moment Joseph could easily grab his neck and choke him to death.

Joseph took a few deep breaths and sat down. Although angry, he needed to know what had happened and why it had happened.

“Thank you. Your grandfather chose between your father and your uncle based on the two of you. Your uncle was the perfect man for the job; he was intelligent, resourceful and dedicated to his work. Many believed he was your grandfather’s favorite. Few were aware he didn’t waste time on minor things such as that.

“Your grandfather treasured not what one could once he had the job, but what one would do to get the job. To him this wasn’t a sacrifice; it was more like an offering.

“The right man for the job, if we were only to consider the intelligence and resources, would be your uncle. The appointed Chairman was your father. He proved his dedication when he sacrificed one of his sons. This was far more important than coming to work everyday on time and making profitable deals with several companies across the globe.

“Your separated raising provided Edmund with important information about your capacities. Technically speaking, you are even in most aspects, but a sacrifice was required and nothing is more important than family. Am I right?

“Unfortunately, we had a problem. Joseph’s sperm count was too low and Edna was sterile. The power must never leave the Parker blood. This is a rule that can never be bent, twisted or broken. Hence, the first sacrifice was made.”

“You mean…” Joseph was about to ask, but stopped.

“William is your brother. His part of the request was to allow his sperm to be used to impregnate Catherine. He would have to feign unawareness to the whole thing. It may sound simple to you and not that painful but like the saying goes, out of sight out of mind. Keeping him informed and constantly reminding him that he couldn’t do anything about it, changes things a great deal.”

The Director continued. “Your sacrifice, Joseph, was not performed but one is required unless you chose, right here and now, to give your approval to appointing Raines as the new Centre Chairman. If you do so, you and your family can simply go away.”

What a lame euphemism, Joseph thought. He had no way to give up. “What can I possibly sacrifice now?”

Martin smiled and answered. “Now is the key word. First we will do as planned: one year evaluation. After which we will have a new meeting and inform you of what is to be made.”

“Why don’t you tell us now?” Joseph asked.

“Sometimes time is of the essence, other times patience is a virtue. But the main reason is I don’t know yet. YOU are going to choose what you wish to sacrifice. You have one year to decide.”

The Director handed a folder to each. “All you need to know about your future job can be found here. I suggest you read it carefully and thoroughly so that no questions remain.” He got up. “Thank you for coming. That will be all.”

Joseph and Raines exited the room together, walked to the elevator and waited for the doors to open. Once inside, Raines pressed the button that would take them to the parking level. It was a short trip, nut enough time to clear things out, but Joseph decided to ask him anyway.

“How could you?”

“How could I what?”

“You know damn well!”

“I really don’t understand what you’re so nervous about.”

Joseph pressed the stop button and pushed Raines against the wall; he grabbed his neck and squeezed it hard. “This is my family we’re talking about.”

Raines punched Joseph on the stomach and managed to escape his grip. Both were gasping; Raines recovered faster.

“Not your family, mine. They were my children.”

“And yet you gave them away like they were nothing.” Joseph shook his head. “I can’t believe Edna married someone like you. I still can’t believe we’re brothers.”

“You must think this was all so easy for me, don’t you? I didn’t know Edna was sterile until they told me.”

“Who’s ‘they’?”

“Our father and Edna’s father,” he paused, “Martin Lemming. They planned the whole thing right from the start. They put us together. They put you and Catherine together! She was raised at a Convent. Do you know who founded that Convent? Our grandfather shortly before he arrived at America. So don’t come tell me about sacrifice. I was stolen and manipulated my entire lifetime. Fortunately for me, I got past it. I suggest you do likewise or you won’t make it at all.”

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s an advice. For free.”

Raines pressed the button again and the elevator reinitiated its descent. Joseph kept quiet the rest of the trip and when they finally reached the parking level he exited and walked quickly to his car without looking back.

------//-----

Catherine was kept unwise to the whole thing. Their marriage was going through a difficult phase and it was mostly because of him. He was doing his best to keep his family together. Just last night, she had told him she needed to get away for a while. Once Joseph realized she meant to go alone, he knew things weren’t going well. Even so, he preferred to have her far away but happy, than close to him but sad. A small sacrifice for a greater purpose, he told himself.

It was mid April, a time when many Centre employees took some time off. As the new Chairman – even if at a temporary basis – Joseph needed to focus on things. Maybe if he proved to be undoubtedly better than Raines, he wouldn’t have to sacrifice anything. Martin’s final words at the meeting made him unsure of such ideas.

Catherine’s aunt Dorothy was a nice woman. A few days there would do her some good.

The first weeks on the job were a little hard, but once Joseph got a hold on things, he began exploring into some new areas. The Centre had been involved in strategic planning, risk management, mostly things related to economics and management, plus some pharmaceutical resources. He intended to expand that research. Computers were his favorites – they had a lot of potential – right next to military planning, maybe even weaponry development.

Looking at the current state of the world, America needed to be prepared if something were to happen. And if, by any chance, a foreign nation decided to come in contact with him about a new weapon… Well, enough money on the table would easily buy his patriotism. Such thoughts no longer ashamed him. A few months ago, maybe. Not anymore. His only concern now was profit. He would make The Centre into a powerful organization, capable of destroying a small country if it meant more money on their bank accounts.

He would sell his soul – he would do anything to make The Centre something so influent, people would be afraid to whisper its name, it would be a myth – but he would not sacrifice anything anymore.

------//-----

Raines continued Joseph’s work in a way that, even Joseph had to admit it, was very good. Raines could be heartless, despicable but he was good at what he did. To some extent he was actually better. There were some areas that Joseph felt better not meddling in; Raines wasn’t so easily diverted by moral issues. If it meant more profit and power, it should be explored.

During the six months under Raines’ leadership, The Centre ventured into areas like genetic engineering, drugs and military armament. Some of those areas had been previously fully explored by Joseph. Raines proved him wrong.

Joseph could almost anticipate that when he and Raines were to be summoned by Martin Lemming and the Director and informed who the next Chairman would be. Joseph had done his best but he could almost anticipate Raines’ victory.

What he couldn’t – didn’t – anticipate – was Raines’ summoning him to a private meeting at his office.

------//-----

At 9 AM the next morning, Joseph and Raines were sitting face to face on Raines’ office.

“I brought here because I feel as brothers we need to stick together.”

“You’re not going to pull the brotherhood crap on me now, are you?”

“No such thing. What I am going to tell you is about sacrifice,” he paused. “More specifically, how you can get the job while not sacrificing anything of your own.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“During my first three months here I made some contacts with the Government and the Military. After further research I was introduced to a former scientist from the Nazi regime. He was the leading physician at Dachau, Dr. Werner Krieg. He’s currently using the name Martin Zeller for obvious reasons.

“He’s a very interesting man and we discussed many issues, but my main interest was his work. You see, Krieg was a visionary. Genetic engineering may be a new area HERE, but for the Nazis with their desire to create the Master Race it is yesterday’s news.

“Lives and moral ethics were meaningless; no experiment was questionable and the Nazis’ favorite test subjects were twins. In Krieg’s case, two young boys captured with their parents in Belgium.”

Joseph’s mind was starting to connect the dots, but he let Raines continue.

“When he told what their names were I could hardly believe it.”

“Sydney and Jacob?”

Raines nodded. “And that is why I asked you to come here. They will grant you the job, without the sacrifice.”

“How?”

“I learned a lot about Sydney and Jacob since then, things about where they came from and about their family. But, to make a long story short I am simply going to say this: they are our cousins. They are from a distant branch, but they belong to our family tree.” He emphasized the final sentence. “They have Parker blood.”

Joseph was appalled. “How… How did you discover this?”

“Talking to Krieg, going to Carthis. It wasn’t easy but it was worth it, wasn’t it?”

“I don’t know what to say. I… Why are you doing this? You could get the job easy if you had kept me unaware to all of this.”

“Yes, I could. But these past months have taught me something else. I’m a field man, not an office man. To tell you the truth, I prefer to spend my time performing experiments than attending meetings with boring corporal representatives who can’t decide which buttock they prefer to kiss. With you on the job I can have all the freedom I need.”

“What’s the catch?”

“No questions asked. I do what I want and I get my own lab here to do it.”

Joseph thought about the proposal for a while. If he said yes he would have the job, he would keep his family and as soon as he was in position, he could easily get rid of Raines once and for all. There were no advantages in refusing his offer so his answer was obvious. “Fine by me.”

They shook hands the way business men do, but neither smiled.

“Where do you want to install your lab?”

“SL-27.”

“27? The Centre only has twenty six sub-levels.”

“It has been closed for almost thirty years, but with some cleaning and structure reinforcement it will be fine.”

“OK. What’s your plan?”

------//-----

Joseph couldn’t believe he had agreed to Raines’ plan. It was too late to back off anyway. Not that he wanted to. Not really. It was like he considered at his father’s funeral. Lies are like viruses, they spread and contaminate everything and Catherine had been made an unwilling part of it.

The idea was to impregnate Catherine with Sydney’s sperm – Jacob had a low sperm count – hence maintaining the Parker blood alive, while pretending to sacrifice a son. It was condemnable, but way too easy compared to sacrificing one of his.

Being an expert in genetic engineering, Raines would have no difficulty impregnating Catherine with twins. It would be the only way it would work. One would be declared dead at birth and taken to a foster family where he would be raised under Raines’ watch. No questions asked. The other would be raised by Joseph and Catherine, and he or she would keep the family together.

Sydney’s and Jacob’s samples at the Centre’s Bodily Fluid Storage Facility would be exchanged with their own as a safety measure. Only Joseph and Raines would know of this.

Of course, there was the fact that Martin Lemming and the Director knew about Joseph’s dysfunction so they knew he wasn’t sacrificing one of his own. Raines had solved that matter. They wouldn’t lie about the children’s parentage.

They would present them as Raines’ children. He had decided to use them in a project he was developing. Joseph’s sacrifice was to keep Catherine in the dark about the whole thing and to kill her if she ever got to discover the truth.

Everything would be alright. All he had to do now was waiting.

------//-----

Raines arrived at his office at 8 AM and found a note on his desk. He recognized his brother’s handwriting immediately. The test had come back positive. He crumpled the piece of paper and tossed it into the trash bin.

THE END