The Formula

By Don Viecelli

The Formula is a suspense thriller that starts with a brutal murder on Ares, a large space station orbiting Mars in the year 2094. Doctor Leif Johanson and his daughter, Ingrid, have discovered the formula for the ‘fountain of youth’. It’s a new anti-aging drug; each vial worth $5 million denom on the black market. The drug can regenerate living cells and make anyone young again. There’s just one problem. A powerful and ruthless drug producer named Ivan Hellstrom wants the discovery for himself. He attempts to eliminate all those who get in his way. He murders the doctor, kidnaps Ingrid and steals the formula. One man opposes him, aging Homicide Detective, Jack Helms. Jack has to rescue the daughter, bring the drug producer to justice and earn a second chance at life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Don Viecelli
• Release date: Aug 31, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370348596

Don Viecelli

The author lives in Arlington Heights, IL with his family. He attended Michigan State University and earned his MBA at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management in Illinois. He recently retired as a product marketing professional in the high tech industry and is now pursuing a writing career. He has always enjoyed science fiction and plans to continue writing imaginative novels that explore the future boundaries of real science. He writes science fiction book reviews on popular authors and lists them on Goodreads.com. He can be found on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and he has his own Website for science fiction readers. He is also a Member of the Writers of SciFi, a group of Indie Science Fiction writers and authors associated with BooksGoSocial. Drop him a line when you find a story you like.

Book preview

Description

The Formula is a suspense thriller that starts with a brutal murder on Ares, a large space station orbiting Mars in the year 2094. Doctor Leif Johanson and his daughter, Ingrid, have discovered the formula for the ‘fountain of youth’. It’s a new anti-aging drug; each vial worth $5 million denom on the black market. The drug can regenerate living cells and make anyone young again. There’s just one problem. A powerful and ruthless drug producer named Ivan Hellstrom wants the discovery for himself. He attempts to eliminate all those who get in his way. He murders the doctor, kidnaps Ingrid and steals the formula. One man opposes him, aging Homicide Detective, Jack Helms. Jack has to rescue the daughter, bring the drug producer to justice and earn a second chance at life. 

Copyright Page

The Formula

By Don Viecelli

Copyright © 2005 by Donald E. Viecelli. Registration Number TX-712-015.

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved.  No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Ebook cover page image and design is provided by Kerman Rodriguez.

This is a work of science fiction. All the characters, names, incidents, places and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any errors in editing, formatting or plot will be corrected in future revisions.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Positive reviews on various book sites are always welcome. It helps independent authors like me to reach a broader audience.

Smashwords assigned ISBN: 9781370348596

For Smashwords Readers.

Published by Don Viecelli at Smashwords.

First Released in 2005. Revision 4 published June 2020. Includes Excerpt from The Guardians - Book 1.

Word length approximately 85,391.

Sign Up For My Sci-Fi Newsletter!

Please sign up to receive My Newsletter for future announcements and special offers.

Dedication

This novel is dedicated to my parents, Jean and Julian Viecelli; to my many aunts and uncles and to Mary (Woodie) Anderson Weston who introduced my family to the beautiful beaches in North Carolina. All have passed on since this book was first written, but they continue to encourage my writing in spirit.

Special acknowledgement goes to Karen O’Connor, Brad Windley and Robert Pulse for their encouragement, helpful suggestions and comments in the writing of this novel.

Table of Contents

Description

Copyright Page

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Author’s Note

Excerpt From The Guardians - Book 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Profile

Chapter 1

Ares Space Station

It looked dark and forbidding outside. Mars was visible below, the sun just breaking the horizon as the Ares Space Station made its endless revolution around the red planet. Circling in the distance above were Mars’ two small moons, Deimos and Phobias—terror and fear.

Wolfgang Strossberg and five other passengers were seated in the shuttle car as it sped on rails from the central hub to the outer ring on a shift change. It was almost 10:00 p.m. Central Mars time. Wolfgang was dressed in a light blue security guard uniform. His face was partially obscured under a dark blue hat with a gold colored Ares security emblem above the visor. Wolfgang was six feet tall, muscular with broad shoulders. He had light colored skin, blond hair, thin lips and square jaw. The stolen ID card hanging from his uniform identified him as George Riley, a security guard who worked on the ring.

Wolfgang was wearing a lifelike polymorphic mask he had made earlier from a digital image of the real guard’s face. With contacts, his eyes were now a different color—green instead of blue—and his nose was slightly crooked, but he was confident his new face looked real enough to enable him to pass through the security checkpoint. He was on his way to the outer ring where the research labs were located. He had a job to do and he didn’t have much time.

Wolfgang glanced out the window at Mars. The entire planet was clearly visible today, a rare sight this time of year. It was the last day of northern spring in 2094, just before the summer season. Looking upward, he could see several shuttle cars moving between the two facilities in a constant blur of motion. As he approached the outer ring, a recorded voice announced over the public address system, Please prepare to dock. You are arriving at Location J, Level 5.

Wolfgang heard a slight braking noise as the shuttle car slowed down. When the shuttle car docked, the entry-ramp re-pressurized and the cabin doors opened. The safety harnesses released and the recorded voice said it was safe to depart.

The six passengers slowly exited the shuttle cars. Wolfgang followed in the rear carrying a small, black duffel bag. Since the outer ring did not generate any gravity, all passengers wore special shoes with magnetized soles to keep them from floating off the floor. As soon as the other passengers exited the shuttle car, they entered a separate line where they were scanned for illegal items and met by a security guard who checked their ID cards and cleared them through.

Wolfgang walked over to the employee security line, stepped through the scanner and handed his ID card to another guard. The guard looked at the ID and smiled. You must be the new guy working on Level 7? I’m Kurt. He offered his hand.

Wolfgang smiled politely and shook his hand. Nice to meet you, Kurt. I’m George. How long have you worked here?

Almost a year. They rotate us every three months. It’s easy duty. You’ll like it here. Let me know if you need anything.

Thanks. I’ll do that. Talk to you later.

That was easy, he thought. Nothing in his duffle bag looked dangerous. The guard barely looked at his stolen ID card. He followed the other passengers. They stepped onto a moving walkway and held onto the side-rails. Moving walkways carried workers around the entire ring and were used on each level. There were ten levels, each 3 meters high. Each level was sectioned into units and numbered. Elevators were used to access each level. The lights were bright and cameras monitored all movement. Security was a high priority since most companies conducted secret research and development projects on the ring.

This was not the first time that Wolfgang had been in this part of the ring. He knew exactly where he was going. He waited until the second elevator station came into view and stepped off the walkway. He waited for the doors to open and stepped inside. He punched the button for Level 7. A few moments later he stepped through the open doors and back onto a moving walkway. He was close to his destination.

As the walkway moved around the ring, Wolfgang checked to see if anyone else was present. It was clear. He waited for the walkway to reach Unit 767 that was marked above the door. As he stepped off the walkway, he put on a pair of synthetic gloves. He removed the stolen security ID card from his pocket and inserted it in the door. He heard a faint click and the door opened. Wolfgang stepped inside and the door closed behind him. He looked around. The room was empty. The lights were dimmed. He checked his watch. It was 10:00 p.m. He had to work quickly.

The room was not very large. It was a small laboratory containing a couple of work desks on the right with computers and office supplies held down by magnets or Velcro straps. There were two rows of lab benches attached to the floor near the back of the room, each bench covered with tanks, plastic tubes and glass beakers. Some of the tubes and beakers were half-filled with brightly colored chemicals in various stages of production. Large cabinets and storage lockers lined the walls. An assortment of bottles, each clearly marked with chemical names, were visible through the glass doors. Some very sophisticated equipment such as molecular combiners and electron microscopes were placed between the two lab benches. The real prize, though, was located behind the two desks near the first bench. It was a large safe, and it was one of the reasons Wolfgang had come.

First, Wolfgang had to disable the two security cameras in the room. He walked slowly to the first work desk and opened his bag. His back was turned to the camera covering the desk area. He didn’t want to send out any alarms by disconnecting or destroying the cameras. He just needed to jam the digital video signals beaming back to the security control room. He knew he would have between ten and fifteen minutes before a security guard noticed that something was wrong with the cameras in this unit and decided to send someone to check the lab. By then he would be finished with what he had come to do and would be gone.

Wolfgang reached inside his bag and took out a small plastic cube with a built-in antenna. It looked like a digital radio. He pressed the ON button. A green LCD appeared on the front of the device signifying a jamming signal was being broadcast. Any digital video signal inside the room would be disrupted until the device was turned off. The cameras would still be on, but nothing would be recorded and blank screens would be seen on the monitors if anyone were looking. Wolfgang knew there were so many units under surveillance that the problem might not even be noticed for some time.

Wolfgang grabbed his bag and immediately walked over to the safe. It was a Brinks safe, with digital lock, face and voice recognition system impossible to crack. He took out a second device, placed it over the lock on the door and turned it on. Magnets held it in place. It was a laser cutter. It took 15 seconds to cut through the locking mechanism. The lock turned red and then disintegrated leaving a small black hole. Wolfgang opened the door and looked inside.

There, sitting on the top shelf was a small tray with twenty vials made of unbreakable plastic. Each clear vial was 114 millimeters tall by 30 millimeters in diameter. The vials were filled with 50 milliliters (1.7 ounces) of a dark blue liquid, tightly capped at the top. Each vial was labeled with the words ‘RDF 19’ in small type. It was a revolutionary new drug, and he was one of only a handful of people who knew what it could do.

Wolfgang thought quickly. Only one more job to do. He looked at his watch. He still had time. Wolfgang was putting the last vial into his bag when, suddenly, he heard the door to the lab open and close. A man wearing a white lab coat stepped into the room.

Doctor Leif Johanson had returned to the lab a few minutes early. He was holding his smartcom in his hand, looking at the video picture in the small display. He listened to the message from his daughter, Ingrid. Please call me back when you get this. I need to talk to you.

Leif knew what Ingrid wanted, but he couldn’t talk to her now. He still had work to do and it had to be done tonight. He thought about the drug. The new formula was almost complete. He had one more test to make. Then he would call Ingrid back.

Leif put the smartcom in his pocket. He was so focused and deep in thought that he did not notice the open door to the safe until he looked up and saw a man suddenly staring at him. Leif was startled and confused for a second by the uniform. Who are you? he demanded. What are you doing here?

The man did not answer. He stood up and approached the doctor.

What do you want? Leif questioned again; then realized the obvious. This man was stealing the drug. Leif began to step backwards. He saw no emotion in the man’s eyes. They were cold and expressionless. Leif became afraid. He turned to open the door and escape. Wolfgang moved quickly and caught him by the coat. He yanked him off his feet and flung him across the room into the first workbench. There was a loud crash as Leif smashed into the lab equipment. He yelled out in alarm and tried to protect himself from the broken glass. Leif was stunned. He was floating helplessly in the air, arms flailing. He finally managed to grab the end of the lab bench and place his feet back on the floor. He was now fearful for his life.

Leif turned around. The man was moving towards him again. Leif picked up a beaker full of chemicals and threw it at him. Wolfgang ducked and grabbed Leif’s arm. He spun him around and put his right arm around Leif’s neck. He began choking him in a death grip. Leif struggled violently, but Wolfgang was too strong. Leif felt the pressure tighten around his neck until he could no longer breathe. He began to lose consciousness. His last thought was why this was happening. Sadly, he knew. He cursed the man responsible and thought about his daughter, Ingrid. She was in danger now, and there was nothing he could do to help her. Finally, all thoughts vanished.

Wolfgang continued to choke the doctor until he stopped breathing. Then he let go. Leif just hung there, a few feet off the floor. There were droplets of liquid and broken glass floating in the air. The lab was filling with debris from the struggle.

There wasn’t much time left. Wolfgang knew he had to finish the job and leave. He still had two more things to do. He quickly walked over to the computers on the two desks. He opened a small compartment and removed both memcards. He broke open the desk drawers and looked for more memcards, but he didn’t find any. Wolfgang put the cards in his bag. He was almost finished.

He wanted to make sure he left no trace of evidence that would lead back to him. He pulled out a small explosive device from his bag and set the timer for five minutes. He left it floating in the air. The bomb was powerful enough to incinerate the inside of the lab without blowing out the walls. They would think the doctor had an accident until further investigation. By then he would be long gone.

Wolfgang grabbed his duffle bag and walked to the door. The cameras were still disabled. He checked his watch. He had been in the lab for only ten minutes. He opened the door and looked around. There was no one on the walkway. He stepped outside. The door closed automatically behind him. He took the walkway to the next elevator and descended to Level 5. He passed several people on his way to a different shuttle car dock. Wolfgang had already checked through security when the bomb exploded. He heard a faint boom and felt a small vibration in the floor. The emergency alarms went off. He watched as several security guards raced passed the shuttle car dock.

Wolfgang waited for the shuttle car doors to open and walked on with a few departing passengers. He did not look at the cameras on board the shuttle cars. He kept his visor low over his eyes. His only thought was how he planned to disappear into the crowd and make his way back down to Mars. Wolfgang’s boss wanted these drugs and memcards as soon as possible. It was important not to keep the man waiting.

Chapter 2

Mars

Jack Helms was relaxing on a big leather sofa in his apartment on Mars. He was drinking an original imported Earth beer and listening to one of his favorite songs on the radio, a retro tune from the 2040’s. His apartment wasn’t big, but the views outside his windows were spectacular during the day. The apartment building sat near the edge of one of the deep canyons of Valles Marineris. The canyon below was six kilometers deep and stretched in both directions for over 1,000 kilometers. Currently, it was pitch black outside. The wind was picking up and blowing sand over the ridges into the depths of the canyon.

He knew it was cold outside, almost -50 degrees centigrade, but he had no plans to venture outside. Only miners and freight haulers worked outdoors on this planet. Even then, they were usually in freight transport vehicles going back and forth to mining sites where they dug iron ore or other raw materials for export to the processing centers on Earth.

Jack’s smartcom emitted an old tune. He took another sip of his beer and answered the call. The caller’s number was familiar. Hello, Tom.

Evening, Jack. It was his new partner, Detective Tom Wilkerson. They were both homicide detectives for the Mars Crime Division, a unit of the Space Law Enforcement Agency, SLEA for short. Jack was the Chief Homicide Detective, the oldest and most experienced detective on the force. Tom was much younger, a new guy. Tom had been recently assigned to the division and reported to Jack. Jack was planning to retire soon. He had put in his time, almost forty years on the force, and he was ready to go. He wondered why Tom was calling. It was almost 10:30 p.m.

You’re calling late. Is something up?

Yeah. I stayed to finish my case report and just got a message from Captain Black. He wants to see us as soon as possible. I thought I should let you know.

Jack wondered why Captain Black hadn’t called him directly. Just then he received an alert tone on his smartcom. Hold on, Tom. I think I’m getting the message. He put Tom on hold and looked at a video message. Sure enough, it was from his boss. Captain Black said there was a new development and to come in ASAP. He didn’t give any other details. Jack put Tom back on the line.

I just got the message. Do you know what it’s about?

It’s something to do with the incident on Ares. It’s on the news. They said someone was killed in an explosion. I’m trying to get more information.

Okay. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Jack terminated the call. He didn’t bother trying to find the news story. He finished his drink and walked to the bedroom to change his clothes. He picked out a clean suit and shirt. He grabbed a brush to comb his hair and looked in the mirror. Jack was sixty-nine years old. His 70th birthday was coming up in August, which was in six Earth months or about three months in the Martian calendar. Jack planned to retire soon afterwards. Most police officers retired when they reached 80. He was leaving early. He wanted to do other things before he was too old to care.

Jack rubbed his face. He had a straight nose and strong chin. His eyes were brown. His hair was turning gray and cut short. Jack didn’t feel like restoring it. He was six feet tall and in good shape. He worked out regularly to keep fit. His face was lined with years of stress from working long hours and from living alone.

The thought of being alone brought back some unpleasant memories. His wife had died in a car accident ten years ago. They were living on Earth in Chicago at the time. They didn’t have any children, a fact he was beginning to regret. He was a police detective for the Chicago homicide division when the accident occurred. The loss of his wife had left him alone for the first time in his life. He decided he needed a change in scenery after the accident and decided to try something different.

Jack accepted a new position with SLEA. His first assignment had been on the moon. A new city had sprung up for all the tourists who visited on vacations. Gambling and entertainment were the main attractions. It was a sign of the times. People were moving into space to work, live and play. Along with the people came crime.

Moving to the moon seemed like a good idea at the time. For one thing, Jack made more money. Then there was the excitement of living in a new frontier. The excitement wore off soon enough. After three years living on the Moon, he accepted a promotion and a new assignment on Mars. Now, after seven years living and working on Mars, Jack was ready to return to Earth. He had enough money saved up. He planned to move somewhere warm near the ocean. He wanted to feel the sun and wind on his face and listen to the waves pounding the beach. Jack felt restless lately. He didn’t like the feeling. Work was the only thing he knew to keep that feeling at bay. He was hoping this next move would make him feel alive again. He was even willing to settle down in a real relationship. He was ready for that, he thought. After all, he wasn’t that old.

Jack looked into the mirror one last time. He placed the gun in his shoulder holster and adjusted his suit. The gun was a standard police issue, fifteen-shot semi-auto handgun, specially designed for space duty. It was lethal and accurate at short distances. The bullets were designed to knock a man down without passing through him. He rarely used the gun. In all the years on the job, he had fired at an assailant less than a dozen times. Jack had only killed one man and that was in self-defense. Most of the new police officers carried laser-pulse guns now. Jack refused to replace his old-style handgun. He didn’t feel the lighter and smaller laser gun offered enough protection. He didn’t want to take chances at this point in his career.

Jack turned off the radio, left his apartment and entered a covered walkway. The apartment was on the edge of Marineris City, the largest city on Mars with over 100,000 residents spread out over five miles in every direction. Pressurized, moving walkways and underground transportation subways connected every major building in the city. No personal vehicles were allowed inside the city. Outdoor vehicles were kept in pressurized garages and used for work or personal trips. It was dangerous traveling outside on Mars in this environment. There were a few rich residents who had separate retreat homes outside the city, mostly on ridges overlooking the canyons. They used ground rovers or flying shuttlecrafts to get from one place to another. It made life interesting for a few lucky souls.

There were very few buildings in the city over ten stories high. Large dome structures were built over busy intersections. Some contained parks with real trees, grass, ponds and streams with wild birds, fish and other small animals running about. They reminded people of home. It even rained in some of them. Other domes included shopping and entertainment centers for the population. The biggest dome was located in the center of the city. It was called the Mars Space Depot and was the transportation facility for shuttle flights to and from Mars. The Mars Crime Division was located in a ten-story building next to the depot. That was where Jack was headed.

Jack stepped off a moving walkway at the first dome park near his apartment. There was a sign pointing the way to the underground train platform. He took the escalator down and waited for the next train. It only took a few minutes. The train stopped and he hopped on. It was not very crowded this time of night. Jack took a seat for the short ride to the Mars Crime Division building.

The train stopped under his building. Jack exited the train and rode the escalator up to the main lobby. He walked the short distance to the elevators in his building. He got into an elevator with two other people and punched the button. His office was on the eighth floor. He got off at the second stop. As he approached his office door, he saw Tom Wilkerson coming his way down the hall. He looked like he was in a hurry, but then, he always did.

Hello, Jack. Captain Black is waiting for us. Tom was