The Island Project: A Thriller

by Taylor Buck

  Perry didn’t answer. He just looked out over the forest around them.

  The rain slowed.

  “You did your part quite well. Unfortunately, my boy, certain things become necessary when you’re dealing with discoveries that will revolutionize the future. And as much as I’d prefer otherwise, I sense the feeling…that you’re not going to keep this between us.” Perry slowly raised the gun and fixed it on Danner. “You know I can’t have you alive now that you have knowledge of this.”

  Danner had moved forward to within ten feet of Perry. He was now fully within a kill zone of Perry’s handgun. Danner’s intent was to move within striking distance—and use his machete for a kill. He knew Perry would pull the trigger. Danner knew he would kill him. But if he could just get within striking distance, his percentage of survival went up.

  Just a little closer.

  “What do you want from me? You want me to beg for my life now?” Danner said. He took a knee, kneeling down in front of Perry and inching in closer.

  Dr. Perry was taken back. “Good god, Rick. Don’t be a coward. Stand up like a man,” he said disgusted.

  Danner had closed to within eight feet of Perry. He knew that he would take a bullet or two if he attacked now, but he was out of options.

  It was now or never.

  Danner reached back and drew the machete from his belt. He held it away from his body and immediately tucked into a forward roll. He knew if he could protect his vital organs, and take the bullets elsewhere, he may be able to survive for a counter-attack.

  He dove at a 45-degree angle, attempting to make himself a leaner, more awkward target.

  The blast rang out.

  Danner felt the burn of the slug enter his left shoulder, but he continued rolling.

  Another shot rang, from extremely close range. It was deafeningly close. This time it hit soft tissue, embedding in his flesh—sending a sharp fire through his lower back.

  Keep going…

  Now.

  Danner was within reach. Perry stepped backward, only able to get the two shots off before Danner was within striking distance. Coming out of the roll, Danner got to his feet and swung the machete through the air. His strike was swift, holding the blade like a samurai warrior—with two hands evenly apart. The blade sliced through the air, splitting the raindrops. The path of the blade sustained in the air far too long…never actually connecting.

  Instead, Danner found himself turned halfway around—exposing the right side of his body completely.

  He had missed somehow…a critical mistake.

  Another gunshot blast sounded just inches away from his right ear. Danner waited for the slug to enter his skull, but it never came.

  Perry had missed too. He was off balance and his shot hadn’t met its target.

  Danner seized the opportunity to bring his elbow up into Perry’s left hand, knocking the gun free and sending it toppling over the side of the helipad.

  Perry was stunned, but moved in quick, throwing a right hook and connecting with Danner’s jaw.

  CRAAACK!

  Stars.

  Danner couldn’t see for a moment, everything went black.

  Dr. Perry had landed an explosive blow to the right side of his face. The pain was excruciating…and Danner’s vision was blurry.

  What the hell? How could an old man hit like that?

  Danner couldn’t believe the blow that Perry had just delivered. He couldn’t recall ever being slugged that hard before, and Danner had been in his share of fistfights. He felt like he had been hit with a Louisville Slugger. His mind was sending alarms through his nervous system, urging it to go into defensive mode—which meant possibly sending him into a seizure. Danner held off the warnings and attempted to focus and regain his bearings. The pain inflicted by the bullet wounds was getting stronger. Before he could shake it off, Perry landed another blow to his left temple.

  This time Danner was knocked to the ground. The machete fell from his hands, splashing in a pool of rainwater.

  “It’s a shame, Rick. Being beaten by an old man. I suppose I do have an unfair advantage…” Perry seethed.

  His words were warbled. Danner couldn’t make out anything Perry was saying. The receptors in his left ear had been severely damaged from the gunshot and the second blow had caused all audio sensory to become muffled—like his ears were filled with water.

  Danner could feel the warm blood soaking the clothing around his bullet wounds. The rain continued to fall, dripping over Danner’s battered frame.

  “Goodbye, Rick.”

  Suddenly Danner’s aural sensory returned. All at once—like a swelling wave, the hearing returned in his right ear and Danner heard Perry’s farewell…

  Not yet, he thought.

  Danner reached out and grabbed the machete from off the ground. He screamed out with a warrior’s cry as he rose to his feet. Then Danner swung the blade down swiftly on Perry.

  SSSHHHWOOOSSSHHH…

  It was a fatal slice.

  Perry yelled loudly in protest and threw his arms up to protect himself. The blade connected with both of his forearms. It was a quick blow, and it connected hard…surprisingly hard. Instead of cutting clearly through, the angle of impact caused the blade to slice down both forearms, peeling back a layer of skin with it. Perry again screamed out loudly in pain. The blow knocked Perry back onto the wet ground. He lay there in the rain with his arms extended out for protection.

  Danner stared down—astonished. He nearly dropped the blade. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

  Light reflected and bounced off metal sheets inside Perry’s arms. The peeled back skin revealed a layer of carbon nanotube honeycomb sheeting that ran along the exposed area—where flesh should be. His entire arms—both of them, were prosthetic weapons.

  Perry had enhanced himself.

  “People have been trying to defeat me for years,” Perry said and picked himself up off the ground. “But I’m a fighter, Rick. I myself, adapt. I myself evolve…”

  Danner’s head was spinning. He knew he was losing blood quickly. He began to feel the strength draining from his limbs. It was difficult to stand and he felt as if his legs were going to give out.

  Perry looked wide-eyed at his own arms, as if fascinated by them. He opened and closed his hands, watching the internal mechanisms spin and turn. His eyes were fixed open in intrigue. “Impressive, isn’t it? It was my choice to do this to myself. When parts of my body chose to fail me, I enhanced them. The only way to truly know the effectiveness of your science is to integrate it into your very being,” Perry said sounding exhilarated and very much like a madman.

  A noise came from behind them—the opening or closing of a door. Danner looked back to see two juggernauts racing up the steps toward him. Kenneth Braden was following close behind. Danner turned back around. The rain streamed down his face as he stared at Perry. His consciousness was slowly slipping away…the veil dropping…

  Danner knew this was it.

  He was dying.

  The juggernauts were now just a few feet behind him. He could sense them close. Danner breathed in deep and charged forward at Perry. He grabbed a hold of him just as the juggernaut collided into them. The impact from the robot lifted them off the edge of the helipad and into the air. In a split second they were in a free fall, plummeting down toward the ground.

  CHAPTER 52

  CERTA GROUNDS, BETA SECTOR

  16 OCTOBER, 8:15 A.M.

  Lee steered the jeep through the dense forest. They were deep inside the Beta sector now, heading toward the main entrance. The gate would be coming up at any moment. Meanwhile, Bennett was getting an update over the phone from Kam.

  “Ok. I was able to hack into the core files at CERTA and sift through some crazy stuff. Did
you know they have mind-controlled robots?” Kam asked amazed.

  Bennett didn’t have time to bring Kam completely up to speed. He was pleased to hear that Kam had already uncovered the competencies of the robots. It would make his next questions easier.

  “I’m aware…more aware than you could imagine. Kam, how far into the company access were you able to get?”

  “I’m at the heart. The files I pulled off that RFID included a decrypted access code that allowed a backdoor into their database. It was like a fortress. Their files are locked down with government grade encryptions. There’s absolutely no way I would’ve been able to get in if it weren’t for the access code on that keychain…even a hacker as good as me.”

  “Kam, the robots you mentioned…the mind-contro—“

  “The juggernauts?” Kam interjected.

  “Yes. The juggernauts.” Kam’s knowledge was detailed. “Are there any documents or files referencing them as weapons of warfare? Or anything detailing their use of unrestrained artificial intelligence?” Bennett asked.

  “Mr. Bennett, I’ve got pages and pages of info on these guys. I even have their access files…their test reports, operational diagnosis, command codes—”

  “Command codes?” Bennett snapped.

  “Yeah, they are operating by Virtual Agents. They’ve been receiving commands by two users: KBRDN and RPRY.

  Braden and Perry.

  Bennett put it together. Kam may be onto something.

  “Kam, this is very important. Can you input your own commands to the robots—give them directives?”

  “I don’t know. It kind of looks that way. I see the command log here. There’s just one problem.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I don’t know this language. The commands are written in a proprietary language. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” Kam said sounding slightly defeated.

  Bennett didn’t let it damper his excitement.

  They were so close. If Kam could access the commands, they would be able to stop the juggernauts.

  “Do you think you could get an understanding by browsing the command log?”

  “Maybe…” Kam didn’t sound optimistic. “This language is nonsensical. It’s certainly not rooted in any programming or system language I’ve ever seen. I’ll try though.”

  “Good. Kam, you deciphering this language could be a matter of life and death right now. We need you.”

  “Gee, thanks. No pressure, right?” Kam said sarcastically.

  “The gate’s just up here!” Lee shouted back.

  They plowed along the tiny path until they emerged out of the forest and onto the main drive. As they rounded a corner, the main entrance came into clear view. Bennett’s heart sunk. Not only was the main gate closed, it was being guarded by two juggernauts.

  THE SOUND OF intermittent sparks shooting into the air woke Danner and caused him to stir. Something electrical was shorting out and emitting sparks into the sky. The small clusters of fire were so close to Danner’s face, he felt them on his eyelids.

  He tried to open his eyes.

  They opened enough to reveal a headless juggernaut lying on its back next to him.

  Sparks were shooting out of its neck amongst the swarm of wires spilling out. Somehow in the fall, most likely the landing, the juggernaut had been decapitated completely. Its head lay intact about six feet to Danner’s right.

  Danner realized he was lying on top of some kind of mound. He knew without moving that he was on top of Perry’s body. It was still warm.

  Danner had survived the fall. He couldn’t believe it. Perry’s body must have cushioned the fall and the muddy ground probably helped by providing a supple surface. It was still a fifty-foot drop—there was no doubt Danner should have died. His body was coated with mud from head to toe. He attempted to move, but it was worthless. He knew he had broken bones from the fall.

  “You just won’t die, will you?” Danner heard a voice and the sound of boots sloshing through the mud behind him.

  It was Kenneth Braden.

  “No matter what I throw at you—you just keep on fighting.” He chuckled with an air of disbelief. “You’re a true testament of human survival. You and your friends, that is.”

  KELLY’S PHONE RANG. It was Kam.

  Detective Lee had the Jeep aimed straight at the gate, the engine idling while the juggernauts stared back at them. Bennett picked up the phone.

  “Kam, I’m a little busy at the—“

  “Mr. Bennett, I think I’ve got it!”

  “I’m going to run them over! Get ready!” Lee yelled.

  “Wait! Wait! If they don’t move…you’ll hit the fence. The blue lights on top of the fence are on—which means the electricity is on. If you hit the gate, we’ll all be electrocuted.” Lee withdrew his foot from the pedal at once.

  “Kam, what’ve you got?” Bennett asked. He spoke quickly.

  “The language…I get it now. They’re using a hybrid of two separate programs. I didn’t see it at first but it makes perfect sense! They—“

  “Kam, I need to know if you have command of them yet.”

  The juggernauts slowly began pacing toward the vehicle. One remained in the middle of the road, while the other disappeared in front of them. Then the robot suddenly reappeared in the trees. It was moving around to their side—flanking them. They moved gracefully in tandem, disappearing and reappearing again.

  DANNER TOOK BRADEN’S last comment to mean that Kelly and Tom had survived.

  “Well…not the girl. You can count her out for sure. I believe Carry took care of that.”

  Danner tensed.

  “I really couldn’t have planned this any better myself,” Braden said with a smile plastered across his face. “Perry’s dead, which leaves me as the next in line to assume ownership of company. Your friends won’t make it past the fence alive, so any remaining people with knowledge of what happened here will be accounted for…and you…”

  Braden’s eyes gleamed sinisterly.

  “Well, I get to be the one to personally remove you from this island once and for all.”

  Braden withdrew his boot out of the mud with a wet slurping sound and rested it on Danner’s neck. The two juggernauts to Braden’s left and right respectively moved in close to him.

  “It’s better this way,” Braden whispered. He breathed out through his teeth.

  Braden looked down at Danner through glossy, emotionless eyes. It was a disconnected gaze, belonging to a man who had withdrawn himself from reality…a psychopathic killer.

  This was it.

  Danner couldn’t help but feel utterly helpless, as he lay there, immobile. This was not the end he had envisioned. His eyes locked on Braden as he was dealt his fate in a horrible and inhumane manner.

  “YES, I HAVE complete command of them now,” Kam said. “Do you want me to shut them down?”

  “No,” Bennett replied.

  “No?” Kam responded, surprised.

  “I want you to change their target. Can you do that?”

  There was a brief pause.

  “Yeah…I suppose. If I the target’s in the system, but—“

  “Change the target to Kenneth Braden.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Do it, Kam.”

  Bennett could hear Kam typing on the other line. He was flying through the key commands.

  “Execute?”

  “Execute.”

  “All juggernauts?”

  “All of them.”

  Bennett heard the final keystroke hammered.

  “Done,” Kam informed.

  Bennett exhaled deeply. Then he inhaled slow, letting the oxygen fill his lungs. He felt as if he had held his breat
h throughout the entire conversation. Almost instantaneously, the juggernauts bolted from their location and disappeared into the jungle.

  “They left!” Lee said.

  Bennett nodded.

  “They left.”

  BRADEN SHIFTED HIS weight onto his right foot and pressed down hard onto Danner’s neck. Danner gasped for air as the oxygen left his body. Braden pressed harder and harder and watched on as Danner slowly lost consciousness. Darkness crept in.

  Suddenly…the pressure released.

  The weight upon Danner’s neck lifted and he felt the oxygen enter his lungs. He gasped loudly. Braden stepped back as a curious expression formed on his face. It was a confused look—and slightly pained.

  In an instant, Braden dropped to his knees and fell forward, landing on top of the decapitated juggernaut—his body limp and lifeless.

  The two juggernauts remained standing behind him—their mouths drawn back and the needles sticking forth. They remained that way for a moment and then stepped back and withdrew the syringe back into their jaws.

  Danner lay there catching his breath. It took a moment for the reality of what had just occurred to sink in. Once it did, a weak smile slowly spread across his face.

  He stayed conscious for a few more minutes until the sound of ambulance sirens approached.

  Then he closed his eyes.

  CHAPTER 53

  CERTA GROUNDS, BETA SECTOR

  16 OCTOBER, 8:27 A.M.

  The last thing Kam had done before he got off the phone was to open all doors and gates on the CERTA grounds. The large front gate swung open wide and Lee drove the Jeep through. As soon as they exited they were met by a slew of police cars and ambulances coming down the narrow road. Lee parked off to the side of the road while Bennett lifted Kelly out of the Jeep and carried her to the ambulance. The medics rushed out of the back with a gurney and helped Bennett lift her onto it.