Xica's Love Stories

The Dissolution of Formula 3XS21

My father was gone. His instructions were explicit. No phone calls to family members, no funeral and in no way admit any knowledge of the recent pass events, unless government officials requested such information.

I knew better than to deify my father. My father was an employee without an employer, a scientist with a blank check from the US Government. He and two other scientist had worked secretly for 6 years to develop a virus, which under certain circumstances, acted as a cure for cancer and other major diseases.

My life with my father as a single parent had been normal, except I always had security personal to accompany me where ever I went.

As the story goes, one of the scientist, was from Russia. The Russian government did not respond kindly to his defection. Threats were made.  All family members received personal round the clock protection.

My mother left my father and I long before, he became a person of interest in the world of biochemical research. Some people believed my father worked for one of the richest organizations in the world, while others believed he was a secret agent, and still others knew enough to say nothing. The truth was somewhere in between.

I had been given the best education money could buy. My bodyguards were instructed to attend college with me, to ensure my safety. My life had been controlled from morning to night with my father’s daily, weekly and monthly instructions.

My body guards were young, and never position themselves as security. They blended in with my environment. They were classmates, college buddies, shopping buddies, bar hoping friends, movie dates, and on one occasion, my high school substitute teacher.

Now, my father had called to say there would be no more instructions. I was told where to find the family’s finances and how to access the income. I was told to remember what he taught me and to live life like a lady with a mission. He told me if I didn’t have a mission, to find one.

My father didn’t say where he was going, or why. He just said that he would be away indefinitely and the less I knew, the safer I would be. He said that I was to answer all questions asked of me, by the authorities, as honestly as I could. However, if no one asked, I was to say nothing.

His last instructions were words, I had heard a hundred times before, “I love you unconditionally.”

I hung up the phone and did as my father had reminded me to do so many times before this actual day had come. I showed no emotions on the outside, yet my stomach was almost in my mouth with fear, doubt and uncertainty about my future.

I concentrated on holding my head up and putting one foot in front of the other until, I made it across the street to my car. When my father was traveling, we would often use the public telephone in the shopping mall. We were never sure, but believed that our pone lines had been compromised.

Once inside the car, I looked in the rear view mirror to find my security detail, who was parked directly behind me. She showed no signs of alarm, and neither did I. As I started up the car, I looked across the street to see my second security person, who had followed me into the shopping complex. He was getting into his car, as I started my own car and moved slowly into the traffic.

Once I reached the house, my family doctor was waiting for me. He had a puzzle look on his face and asked if everything was alright. I assure him that it was, but because of recent stress, I needed a sedative. I could only image why my father had instructed the doctor to meet me at the house. And I was equally surprised that I asked for a sedative, but I knew better than to divulge my father’s conversation to anyone.

Dr. Lowlier was a handsome man around forty, who had known my father and I since I was a young child. He actually was more of friend than the family doctor.

I had to get some sleep before leaving for the Bahamas the next evening, and then on to the Cayman Islands. The doctor did not ask question, and I provided no answers. After receiving permission from me, he prepared to gave me an injection. He hesitated, almost as if to wait for my non-verbal approval. He smiled, and I nodded my head in agreement with the shot. I could tell, he was pleased that I had silently questioned his loyalty. I had passed my first test.

I always knew my father was a scientist who worked on classified research projects for the US Government. It wasn’t until I reached the lock box in the Cayman Islands, that I realized how classified and dangerous my father’s work had been.

I had learned from my father to never travel directly to your place of business. I knew and understood to stop over in the Bahamas or in Jamaica before flying to the Cayman Islands. He was real big on camouflaging your final destination. I applied his tactics to my own travels and spent a couple nights at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, before catching a chartered flight to my final destination.

Paradise Island had always been an exciting place for me. During spring bread in college, I traveled to the Bahamas. Most of the kids went to Florida for spring break, but I hung out with the wealthy students whose parents strongly suggested the Bahamas, for spring break. The large indoor outdoor Aquarium was my favorite, not to mention the seafood and the beach. The 5 Star Resort will always be a special place for me because this is where I had my first sexual encounter. I used my old relationship with my college boyfriend to imply that I needed some privacy the next afternoon.

I used my afternoon of privacy, to catch a charter flight to the Cayman Islands. Once I arrived in the Cayman Islands, I went straight to the bank and offered my credentials to gain access into my father’s lock box. This is where I found out why my father had suddenly gone underground.

I sat within the plush secure booth in the safe deposit area, and begin to read. My father had insisted on a me having a good education, and it was my education which helped me to secure a basic understanding of what he had been working on. My father and his peers had hidden the complete formula from the government and private industry. It seems they too had secrets. The lock box was a massive circle of secrecy with scientific and medical words, which I didn’t understand.

It was my father’s personal notes, which helped me to gain a better understanding. My father wrote:

“When we realized that we had unlocked the basic formula to the development of an anti-virus, which was actually a virus, within a virus, we could hardly contain ourselves”

The balance of the notes were disarranged and appeared to have been written when he was under a great deal of stress.

“When we made the announcement to the Government, who funded more than 80% of the research grant, our program was suddenly shut down. We were told that the funding had dried up, and wasn’t in the new budget”

“We were locked out of our offices and only allowed back in, with an armed guard who escorted each of us, to collect our personal items. I inquired about “S21“ our research shark, but was not given an answer. Since sharks are believed to be immune to cancer and other major diseases, he would be of great value to any research project.”

I could only image that my father and his peers where upset that the research wasn’t allowed to continue. As it turns out, one of the three primary men went to Switzerland and started to do research for a private International company.

This particular research partner, meet with an untimely accident and was killed while reroute to London for a conference. In my father’s own hand witting, he wrote that he thought nothing of the accident, until two weeks later, the second of the three man team died of a sudden heart attack.

Of the three men, he was the most fit and active. The second incident left my father shaken. He wrote:

“I see no other way out, going underground is my only solution.”

His notes went on to instructed me to destroy certain notes and leave the rest in the lock box, for the Government Agency to find. Again, I was warned to be honest with the authorities, IF they contacted me. I placed the papers neatly back into the lock box, exactly how my father had them and wiped the box off with a napkin from my purse.

I realized that my father was gone, maybe forever.

I felt better, because, I had more understanding. I took mental notes and destroyed any and all evidence which would suggest that my father might still be alive.

Now it was time for me to start making decisions about how I would budget and finances and my life. For sure, two body guards wasn’t necessary, but than I thought, what if my life was in danger? If they weren’t able to find my father, they may turn their attention to me.

It appeared that the bulk of the formula for the anti-virus was in the lock box, without the US Government’s knowledge. I felt a cold chill, it was crystal clear why I needed to be more than cautious. I slipped the white envelope with bank account numbers for my personal use into my purse.

I notified the clerk, that I had completed my task.

When she arrived to assist me in putting the lock box back into place, I quietly said to her, “Please don’t keep a record that I have been here.” She smiled and said, “Yes, Madam, your father said, you were never here.” She turned and continued her work, as I left the bank, wearing sunglasses and large sun hat to disguise my appearance.

My charter plane was waiting and I was happy to return to Paradise Island for another night before returning back to the US.

Once at the hotel, I notified my security that I was back, and then ordered room service before falling asleep. It was during the night that I suddenly awoke and realized how much stress I was under. The question in my mind was, why would the government back away from the cure of all cures? Who and why would anyone want to stop such a cure?

I still have not found my mission. One day I work on my resume and the next day, I look out the window to see if there is anything suspicious. Perhaps in time, I will grow more comfortable with the silence and the emptiness, which I feel. The numbered bank accounts, which my father left me are sufficient.

The family from Russia has returned to Russia and the other family, moved away during the night. I have waited for over two years for someone from the government to call. No one has called, no one has ask questions. It’s like my father was nothing more than a shadow in their minds. 

by sandy ingram