The Difficult Chapter 4

Last night, I finally finished my first full draft of chapter 4. It was the hardest chapter to write so far, I think, because so much is explained about the work they are doing at the Complex. I wanted to introduce the hybrids, have a scene where Zachary is introduced, figure out why these people were there for this particular presentation and why they feel "different" to Zachary than the federal/military guests in the past...and I wanted to show some sort of change in Zachary's behavior since the end of Chapter 3, when something was mysteriously done to him.

The good news is, I think I know who Paul Spencer is for the most part. He is an investor, and yes, he had been to the Complex years earlier and had seen Zachary from a distance. He's probably the most enthusiastic investor since he's been trying to get involved for about a decade or so (he's connected with the government somehow even though he's business), but he's approaching it differently than the other investors. He is focused primarily on Zachary for some reason, even making direct contact with him and giving him a business card to get in touch with him. This is VERY unusual-- he's under such tight control, no one ever contacts Zachary without going through Dr. Bergen's team first-- and it gets Zachary's interest. He feels like Paul treats him differently, makes him feel a little more powerful, more of a human being or something.

The question is, what is Paul up to? I think he wants to use Zachary for something, maybe some type of work, development of a product... but I've also been thinking of what it would mean if Paul was actually angling to take DOWN the Coalition because he doesn't agree with the ethical/religious problems this project entails. Or, he could be working with someone who has this goal. He's getting a financial hold on the project so it can be attacked from the inside.

I have to decide which way I want to go. Either way, Paul cannot be what he seems. He's good at what he's doing, even fooling Zachary and Dr. Bergen, but at the end of the day I think Paul will either be the person, or be working with the person, who will want to kill Zachary. (One: he has to die because he's an abomination, or two: he's intellectual property and if he escapes, he has to be stopped.)

And yes, next chapter will bring up the Zoe thing for the first time. Zachary didn't always live on the island; there was a time when the project split into two factions... one, the military kept active control over, and the other was more health-related federal official business. Zachary and half of the team went to the island so they could do the more controversial research in private; a few hybrids stayed on the mainland under tight military control. Zoe was left behind; had more obvious weapon-related characteristics. Zachary will vaguely remember a little girl... but since they left when he was about 4 years old, he doesn't have much of a memory of her.

I think Chapter 5 needs to illustrate his frustration again. Sure, now he is stuck with that horrible implant, and he is wearing an ankle bracelet to track his movements so he can't get far if he escapes, so he is limited to what he can do. But I think he'll find a way to break some rule again. It might be that he sabotages something (equipment, samples, doesn't cooperate with a procedure, publicly refuses to do something akin to a 'trick') again. He's bored and longing for the outside world in a BIG way. Bridget, after talking with the team, suggests it could be time to bring Zachary and Zoe together again. And bringing her to the Complex could possibly be the enticement he needs to want to stay there on the Island, happily complying with the researchers' orders.

They hope so, anyway. That's putting a lot of stock in his sex drive. As if that's the only thing he's after in escaping the Complex.

At some point, I also want him to coerce Amy, the girl in administration, to let him look up Paul Spencer on the internet. Just to show he's proactive in wanting to know more, rather than just sitting there waiting for something to be done to him.

Note to self: Go back and keep Chapter One at hand at all times. Match the tone and his motivations. Keep it consistent, especially now that things are getting complicated and the plot is taking off.