The police officers look up at the sky and see what resembles a giant star approaching them. Within it, the figure of a large and dark creature spreads it wings. Their eyes become so watery and so extremely irritated, that they shut them tightly. After two minutes, one of the officers opens his now bloodshot eyes and wipes the tears off of his cheeks. To his astonishment, the two suspects have completely disappeared from sight.
Meanwhile, on board Indrid's ship, Barbara is sitting down as Dr. Frankenstein cares to the bullet wound in her shoulder. He grins as he sees her flesh gradually push the bullet out. He catches it with his hand and shows it to her.
“No surgery for you, my dear.”
Alexandria gazes at Barbara's wound as it heals and says, “That is so awesome.”
Henry steps closer and asks her in a perplexed manner, “What even made you do that?”
Barbara looks up at him and replies honestly, “My aim is better than yours...and you're my partner.”
Dr. Frankenstein stands up and asks, “So I have assumed correctly, Henry?”
“Yeah, doc. StarSun's planning on getting everyone sick and then releasing the vaccine later.”
“The Hegelian Dialectic.”
“That's what the CEO of Halo Security called it.”
Barbara's unfamiliarity with the terminology makes her ask, “What does that mean?”
Dr. Frankenstein takes a deep breath and explains. “Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was a 19th century German philosopher and prominent member of the Illuminati. He devised this particular dialectic as an effective tool to control the masses and maintain a certain order. You present a problem such as the manufacturing of a crisis to get the desired reaction and the public immediately cries out for a solution. Problem-Reaction-Solution.”
Sajjad tells him, “I propose that we go directly to the person who is currently working on this virus, doctor. We can try to stop this tragedy before it has a chance to happen.”
“I would not be at all surprised if Gary Jaeger played a part in his father's assassination, Sajjad. The God Complex can push a scientist to perform unspeakable acts for the sake of leaving his fingerprint in history. Therefore, I believe that the virus has already been prepared for mass distribution and what he is working on now is the vaccine. That would explain why an outbreak has not been reported yet. No...our best hope is communicating with Diana Garrison. She may not be aware of how potentially lethal that virus can be.”
Henry sits down next to Barbara and says, “You know, doc? You never did explain what exactly this virus is and what makes it so dangerous.”
Dr. Frankenstein sits down again and prepares himself for the recounting of events which were intentionally omitted from the history books. “Let me assure all of you that certain details of what I am about to say cannot be found in history books nor in your local library. Joseph Jaeger was a scientist specializing in the field of virology. He was a member of the NSKK, a Nazi motorist corps, from 1938 to 1942 and worked directly for the head of the Schutzstaffel as the lab chief of the Nazi's leading bio-weapons facility on Riems Island. The Nazis used the cover of a research institute for animal diseases in order to conduct biological warfare experiments and employed about twenty scientists. In 1944, there were two cases of a viral outbreak reported from Tajikistan and Turkey. Soviet scientists were sent to Tajikistan and discovered Crimean hemorrhagic fever while Joseph Jaeger was sent to Turkey to pick up a strain of Rinderpest which was later claimed to have been inactive. Those were, of course, cover stories to prevent the real truth from reaching their enemies. What was discovered in reality was a bacterium which was responsible for several of the world's most devastating pandemics in human history...including the Black Death. Yersinia pestis.”
Indrid steps forward and explains further. “It is from the Enterobacteriaceae family. The lethal pathogen, Ebola, is in actuality a strain of that bacterium. An outbreak in a typical city would be almost impossible to control. There's no known cure and a ninety percent chance of death if contracted.”
Dr. Frankenstein says in addition, “With Project Paperclip, the bacterium passed from the hands of the Nazis to the Americans. As outrageous as it may sound, the Russians and the USA refuse to destroy their stocks of yersinia pestis in case of a bio-terrorist incident. And now...it looks as if Miss Garrison is attempting to release another viral disease based on this particular bacterium and make a profit from the vaccine.”
Henry says bitterly, “Jesus. Me and my big mouth.”
Barbara cannot believe what was just revealed to her. She leans back and wishes that she could return to her previous simple, daily routine like any normal person. She remembers how she would shoot down all of the conspiracy theories thrown at her by her fellow police officers. Things are so different now. How can you discredit what is being explained if all that what was believed as truth are nothing but lies? Dr. Frankenstein becomes aware of Barbara's sullen state of mind and places his hand on her knee in an attempt to provide emotional support. She looks at him with a sense of disillusionment and shakes her head.
“I just don't know what to believe anymore. The truth is a lie and the lie is the truth.”
“This is an Orwellian world that we live in, Barbara. You have awakened from a deep slumber and now...you can see the sad reality in which humanity finds itself.”
Alexandria is standing next to her father with her hands folded behind her back and, after having attentively listened to the bleak history lesson which was given, suddenly comes to the realization that Fluffy is still wrapped inside of the blanket and in the rear of Joshua's Silverado! She softly touches her father's shoulder with her finger which makes him look at her.
“What is it, konfect? I have not forgotten what you have done so do expect to be grounded as soon as we arrive.”
“I know, dad. There's just a little thing that I forgot to mention.”
Dr. Frankenstein's demeanor shifts from that of curiosity to sheer distraught. He buries his face into his hands and says, “I am afraid to even ask.”
“Fluffy got hit by Joshua's vehicle and we put his body in the back of it. I just need to go and get him real quick.”
He raises his head and, while pointing his finger at her, says, “It is to retrieve him and that is all.”
Alexandria understands and turns her head to look at Indrid who also seems to be disappointed with her. She frowns and lowers her head while slowly walking towards Barbara. She sits next to her and says, “I really screwed up.”
“Everyone screws up from time to time, Alex.”
Indrid's space craft spins until it is facing east. The engines hum and the ship rapidly accelerates toward New York.
Twenty-eight year old Rikki Hillman is inside of a coffee shop in Sandy Hook, Connecticut waiting for her cup of espresso. She is an attractive young woman with long, brown hair that is always tied into a ponytail, and eye glasses. As soon as the cup gets placed on the counter, she receives a text message and reads it. Afterwards, she puts her phone back inside of her purse and pays for her coffee. While looking for a place to sit down and enjoy her beverage, a mysterious man dressed in a luxurious business suit with slightly long black hair, which is slicked back, and wearing circular sunglasses captures her attention. He finishes reading his newspaper and stands up to offer Rikki his chair. She expresses gratitude by nodding and asks, “Are you finished with the newspaper, sir?” The man grins and hands it over to her. As he walks away, she notices a pen attached to one of the pages.
“Excuse me, sir? You forgot your pen.”
“It's from my law firm, miss. You can keep it.”
Rikki sits down, takes a sip of her coffee and opens the page of the newspaper from which the pen is attached. She takes the pen and places it inside of her purse. On this page, ten random letters are underlined and various numbers from other pages are circled. She casually closes the newspaper and takes out her touchscreen tablet from her purse. Rikki accesses a CIA web site which is requesting a us
er name and password. She enters the user name obtained from the ten random letters and the password obtained from the circled numbers. What is next presented on the screen are pictures of a rather average looking, bushy-haired sixteen year old Caucasian male named Adam Eastman. She reads the details of the mission that is to be executed on July 13th, 2015.
Hours later, Frank Garrison is at his home in North Brunswick on Birchwood Court, New Jersey browsing through his collection of family photo albums stored on his laptop. As he sips on his coffee, he fondly reminisces on the memories of his daughter, Diana. She was so sweet and innocent in those times. He laughs as he glances at one photograph of her when she was five years old. She used her brand new white t-shirt as a way to clean her hands of the chocolate ice cream and displayed the brightest smile he had ever seen. Frank realizes that he did adopt her...but, at the same time, feels a love for her that clearly goes beyond that fact. He then selects a photograph of a top secret document from his black-op days. It's this photograph that changed everything. Now, she won't even send him a text message. Frank folds both of his hands and rests his chin on top of them contemplating whether or not he did the right thing by showing her this picture.
Joshua opens the front door of the house and quietly enters. He walks toward the living room and is about to call out to his grandfather but sees him working on his laptop. He decides not to disturb him and, instead, tries his best to look over his shoulder. Even though he has heard a lot of war stories, he's curious to see if there's any government secrets that he did not reveal yet. To his disappointment, he sees that his grandfather is involved in an on-line game of poker.
"I heard you coming from a mile away, son."
Joshua shakes his head in disbelief. Even at his age, his grandfather still possesses impressive survival skills. He replies as he shakes his hand, "Not even a ghost can sneak up on you, grandpa.”
Without warning, a bright flash lights up the entire neighborhood-similar to the effect of when lightening crashes. Frank finds it odd that thunder was not heard shortly afterward so he stands up and runs toward the front door followed closely by Joshua. They step outside to find all of the neighbors trying to figure out what caused that bizarre event. A few of them shout as they point their fingers upward, “Look! What is that?”
Joshua and Frank look up to see what looks like a moving star in the sky. Before they even have a chance to blink, the celestial anomaly is already gone. Their eyes meet a minute later and neither can find any kind of reasonable explanation for what was just witnessed.
Alexandria kneels down to pick up the blanket covered body of Fluffy and, once again, sits next to Barbara. She fully understands how upset her father is at the present moment and remains silent. Her chances of going out with Joshua are now zero. Barbara wraps her arm around her and tenderly says, “Sorry about losing Fluffy, Alex.”
“I can fix him, Barbara. I'm so stupid for doing what I did in the first place. He'll never trust me again.”
“I can't even remember the amount of times I sneaked out of my house when I was about your age. Yeah, it does take a while to build the trust again...but it'll happen because he loves you.”
Barbara's advice makes her feel somewhat better and she leans her head on her chest. She would feel even better if there was some way of seeing Joshua again. At the very least one more time.
Henry remembers the special moments he shared with Eleanor Weller while he used to live here in New Jersey. Those romantic walks along the boardwalk in Atlantic City and listening to the soothing waves of the ocean. He decides to gather up the strength to ask Dr. Frankenstein for permission to remain here just to see how she's doing. That is, of course, if she's still alive.
“Ummm...doc?”
“Yes, Henry?”
“I know it's against the rules but...do you mind if I stick around here for a bit?”
Dr. Frankenstein can't help but notice Henry's attachment to his previous life. To be in one moment in time one minute only to have it all taken away from you the next is a torment that he would not wish on even his worst enemy. His transition to this time period has indeed been commendable. Many would have gone into a deep depression and eventually commit suicide.
“All right, Henry. I believe that after what you accomplished at Bohemian Grove, you do deserve some time off.”
“Thanks, doc. This really means a lot to me.”
“Which city in particular?”
“Corbin City. I'll take it from there.”
“Indrid?”
Indrid replies without looking at him, “Initiating teleportation, Ludwig.”
Henry gets surrounded by the familiar light and vanishes from sight. Dr. Frankenstein takes a moment to observe the remaining members of his team. They have all suffered enormous pain in their lives at one point or another. Including himself. Whether it be mental or physical. The most frustrating aspect of this is that it never seems to subside no matter how much time has passed.
“Indrid. Let's go to Area 51.”
Indrid senses in his tired voice a touch of melancholy. To the point that a rare feeling of hopelessness flows throughout her mind. If only there were something that she can say to comfort him. Her fear is that any kind of effort that she makes to express her feelings may come off as unnatural and could therefore be misinterpreted as condescending. Especially after giving him her dreadful premonition of human extinction. She takes control of the ship and closes her eyes in an effort to push aside her emotions and listen to the humming of the engines. The craft illuminates the surrounding clouds and vanishes into the dark horizon.
Chapter IV
David Stubbe is attentively researching werewolf conspiracy theories on his laptop. He reads an article on Brian Gunn's website and takes a moment to chuckle at the so-called eyewitness accounts. If they had really come across a real werewolf, such as himself fully changed, they would not have escaped alive to tell the tale. On the same website, there is a breaking news report concerning a UFO sighting in the peaceful township of North Brunswick, New Jersey. He shakes his head and smirks as he views the clip which was recorded with a cell phone by one of the residents.
“Nicely done, Ludwig.”
David glances at the time at the lower corner of the screen. Seven-fifteen. Twenty more minutes until the complete emergence of the supermoon. It is at that moment that the moon is closest to Earth and his fury is at its most vicious. He shuts down his laptop, finishes his beer in a couple of gulps and makes his way toward a wall with Salvador Dali's self-portrait from 1921 hanging on it. After admiring it for a few seconds, he removes the painting revealing a panel with a numeric keypad that was hidden underneath. This is the location of his panic room. A titanium steel-reinforced compartment he uses to imprison himself during his werewolf phase thus preventing the possibility of endangering the public.
David enters the security password using the keypad. His heart drops and he becomes pale at the sight of the red light flashing which indicates that the password was not entered correctly. How can that be? As he tries again, a bead of sweat trickles down his forehead. Unfortunately, the result is the same. He stares in confusion at the keypad and is very certain that he, himself, did not change the security password. He bites his fingernails while trying to find a solution to his predicament...then quivers with fright as he sees the hair on his arms begin to grow thicker.
Sajjad stands next to Dr. Frankenstein and notices him in a state of deep contemplation. He uses his inhaler and says, “Doctor. Was it not Eleanor Roosevelt who said 'We must do that which we think we cannot'?”
Dr. Frankenstein gives him a warm grin and replies, “Yes, indeed, Sajjad. Thank you.”
He suddenly becomes startled by the unmistakable guttural growl of his friend as he undergoes transformation.
“David? Why on Earth aren't you inside of your panic room? The supermoon is completely visible!”
“Rrrrrr...no..shit!!!”
It is now that Dr. Frankenstein believe
s that someone has tampered with David's access panel to the panic room. The culprit may very well be an undercover operative following the orders of a StarSun executive. This is a warning.
“Try to remain calm, David. We're on our way.”
David screams in pain as his knees crack as a result of both of them repositioning themselves. The back of his shirt makes a ripping sound and splits to reveal black fur growing in a rapid manner. Then his face becomes elongated to form a snout and his teeth take the shape of sharp fangs with drool hanging off of them like slimy strings. Upon completion of his transformation, he lets out a terrifying howl and leaps out of the apartment window.
Dr. Frankenstein urgently asks Indrid while standing beside her, “Where is he right now?”
“David was on West 26th Street and is now heading south on Avenue of the Americas. In his present state, Ludwig, the restraints on the ship will only hold him for a short period of time. What do you recommend?”
“The supermoon augments his strength, speed and stamina to such a level that it would take an army to even slow him down.”
Joshua is driving along 8th Avenue on his way to Westchester County when he sees a commotion several blocks away on what looks to be West 18th Street. He gasps at the sight of a van getting hurled straight up into the air and smashing into a nearby building. He tries to focus his eyesight and whispers, “What the fuck is going on?”
A curious spectator on 18th Street is thrilled at the sight of a humongous wolf-like creature on a rampage in New York and decides to record the uncommon event with his cell phone. 'This shit is guaranteed to go viral on YouTube' is the thought that comes to his mind instead of the instinct of survival. The shiny object captures David's attention and he lunges at the mesmerized owner of it. The spectator does not make any attempt to move at all and continues recording. David grabs him with one of his monstrous hands and sinks his fangs into his head easily penetrating the skull. The sound of an agonizing scream is heard followed by the grotesque scene of flesh and bone getting ripped off of the young man's shoulders. He sniffs the air and catches the scent of something that makes him feel challenged. It's coming from further down the street. This makes him angrily slam the corpse on the street making blood and gore splatter everywhere. He then begins running toward the source of what he feels is threatening him.
Rise of the Fallen: Ascensionis Page 9
