by Bryan Tann
“Mom!” she screamed again.
“I’m alright! Are you okay?” Horatia called from the upper floor.
“I’m okay. Julius is hurt! I think I finally stopped him!”
“He hasn’t been stopped, Mila! You don’t understand! King he…”
John stepped out from the shadows again, taking a running step as his bones snapped into place he extended his leg out, flying into her with a kick that landed into her chest sending her out of the building again.
As she rolled to her feet, she was met with punch after punch that rocked and rattled her brain and organs. Each shot landed faster than the previous, with more force.
As she felt her body hit the ground, she knew that it was only a matter of time before his attack came again. She knew that she couldn’t withstand any more punishment like he’d just delivered.
As her vision grew hazy, in desperation she sent a nearby car soaring into him with everything she had left to give. Sending both man and car through a row of telephone poles before pinning his prone body to another building, forcing him to spray blood on the glass of the windshield.
She reached her hand forward finding his molecules, beginning to make them rush and collide faster and faster.
“Cook, you son of a bitch. Die!” she roared.
“John! Stop this! Stop it now!” Queen could feel the heat, and she wasn’t anxious to feel how hot it could get. While John was distracted, she sent more nanobytes to his brain, trying desperately to cut the blood to his carotid artery. As the microscopic organisms rushed to obey their mother, they finally blocked the flow. Mustering up just enough force to shove the car five feet away from him, awareness hit him and he fell to the ground losing consciousness.
She tried her hardest to keep the process going, but she spit blood to the ground and dropped to her knees weakly unable to maintain the onslaught. As she began to lose focus, she saw the men coming forward with their guns drawn.
“I’m sorry, Mom.”
10
“What the fuck happened? Who the fuck is monitoring his vitals?” Matheson roared.
“Sir, its odd,” another soldier sitting beside Drake replied, “according to these medical scans, it almost looks like he was he choked out, sir.”
“Choked out?” Matheson scoffed.
“Yes, sir. This EKG is showing that his heart was pounding as though it were trying to send more blood to his brain. This other scan shows that the blood was cut off by something unforeseen and that’s what dropped him.”
“Could the girl have done that?” Matheson questioned.
“Hard to tell what her capabilities are in that regard, sir. His core body temperature exploded much the way that happens whenever she goes for her ultimate attack. It wouldn’t make sense for her to cook him from the inside out and choke him out.”
“So it was a glitch or something?” Matheson roared.
“Unknown,” replied the med tech.
“Goddammit! Drake! You tell those men to advance in. The primary target is weakened enough. I want her pacified and ready for evac. Capture her traitorous cunt mother also and we can take her in!”
“Yes, sir!”
As Drake relayed his orders, Matheson stared at the screen in greedy anticipation as his men began to advance upon Mila.
“John? John can you hear me?”
He lay still on the ground weakly, his head pounding mercilessly as consciousness returned to him like a tortoise in a race.
“John? Can you hear me?”
“Yeah Queen, I can hear you. What happened?”
“She isn’t our enemy, John!”
“What are you talking about? What happened?”
“Mila Hunter isn’t our enemy! Matheson used a trigger word on you. You…you scared me, John. I don’t want you using me to be that monster! Promise me!”
“Slow down, Queen!”
“No! Promise me! Don’t become a monster! I…” the confusion in her voice surprised him as she had always sounded so confident. “I don’t want to be a monster,” she said finally.
The words struck him. In that moment of clarity, he realized how important she was to him. Not just a voice in his mind, but a companion. The only one he could depend on. A trigger meant brainwashing, mind control. No one would tell him the truth if he asked. All he could trust was the voice from within.
“I promise, Queen. We won’t become a monster. But I can’t promise things won’t get bloody.”
“I do not mind bloody. But you were…”
“A monster.”
“Yes. But she isn’t bad, John! If she was bad, she would have done bad things while you were doing what you did. She didn’t!”
“Okay, Queen. Okay. She’s not bad. I can hear the squad moving in. We have to help her, and then we need to get the hell out of here!”
“Okay. Let’s go say we’re sorry.”
Mila groaned weakly as the soldiers began to advance on her, their guns drawn on her.
“We got four others!” she heard over the soldiers’ radios.
She looked toward the building she and the others had been inside of and saw Julius’ face contorted in pain as he was forced to keep his hands over his head, the butt of the M16 one of the soldiers carried shoved into the small of his back to keep him moving.
Jameson followed behind the soldier that was ushering Julius out of the building. His jaw hung awkwardly as it was dislocated, the skin around the joint just under his left ear damaged.
Ryder limped gingerly, his left arm cradling his ribs as he walked. Her mother walked along with him supporting his right side. The soldiers howled in laughter when the soldier behind Ryder and Horatia tripped the injured man and sent him and the older woman toppling to the ground.
Mila started to sit up, and the world was a flare of stars, bright light, and agony as a rifle butt slammed into her head and knocked her to the ground.
“Don’t move, you little bitch,” came the cruel voice of Commander Matheson.
“Delveccio, check on Baker. Get him on his feet you hear me?” Matheson snarled.
“Sir, yes, sir!” one of the nearby soldiers replied.
Matheson stood in front of Horatia as she was led to him, she looked to the larger man with a snarl of disdain and hatred.
“Korvin,” she greeted him icily.
“Dr. Hunter. Never thought I would see you again.”
“Believe me, this does not make me happy at all to see you.”
“You always were a stuck up bitch, Horatia.”
“And you have always been a fool. A mindless, crude, disgusting fool,” Horatia replied. She spat the words as though they were the foulest to ever pass her lips.
“You wound me. Boy oh boy though, President King will be so happy to have you and your daughter in our custody.” He looked to one of the soldiers as a black cloth bag was thrown over Mila’s head to blind her. “Maybe he’ll be so happy to let some of my boys have her for a few rounds.”
“You fuck!” Ryder growled lunging toward Matheson.
The older man side stepped the attack and sent a short, controlled left hand into the injured man’s ribs causing him to lurch forward and fall to his knees.
“Now, now, son, don’t take it personal. I’m sure you won’t get all high and mighty now will you, Ryder? See son, you and your little girlfriend have killed some good men in this country’s military during your terrorist activities.” Matheson planted a harsh kick to Ryder’s face sending him onto his back.
“So don’t try to get all tough guy when I discuss a little bit of payback her way.”
“You’re a pig, Matheson!” Horatia roared as she sent a massive wad of saliva into the man’s face.
Matheson’s laughter howled into the night as his left eye instinctively closed as the saliva splashed into his face and ran down his cheek like a phlegm filled tear.
“You know, Horatia, you would be just an extra if I took you back. Your death though? I sure as fuck don’t think
that would matter much the President. Not in the slightest.” He nodded to the soldier closest to her. “Mr. Smallman, show this traitor what this country does to those that betray it.”
“With pleasure, Commander,” the soldier, Smallman, replied. As he reached to his hip to pull his field knife, he looked past Matheson and turned white.
As Delveccio advanced on John’s prone body, he knelt down.
“Baker? Hey Baker, you fucking freak let’s go get up! The Commander wants you!” He looked over his shoulder and gestured for three other soldiers to come to help him.
“Come on, Baker, we won’t hold it against you that you got your ass kicked. You didn’t do to…”
The words were caught in his throat as John’s hand shot forward and gripped his Adam’s apple and squeezed viciously causing blood to fill his throat, and Delveccio choked silently on his own blood.
“Holy fuck!” one of the soldiers exclaimed as they advanced on the scene.
John sent a hard boot into the lead soldier’s groin, lifting him off the ground by at least four inches. He pulled his knee back to his chest, chambering his leg and let it explode out like a jackhammer into the jaw of the closest shoulder.
A wet crack of impact and the sound of teeth scattering to the pavement were replaced with the sound of the soldier’s neck snapping. John then sent another kick to the soldier whose hands were gripping his groin, shattering the man’s pelvis, sending him to the ground.
The last soldier raised his rifle to open fire. John grabbed the barrel and bent it effortlessly before slamming his forehead into the soldier’s nose. As his mouth opened to groan in agony, John shot his right hand out and grabbed the man’s lower jaw and with a short, quick, jerking motion dislocated the man’s jaw.
“Mr. Smallman, show this traitor what this country does to those that betray it.”
“With pleasure, Commander,” the soldier, Smallman, replied.
John’s attention was redirected to the main body. He locked eyes with Smallman whose face had gone white with shock.
John grabbed the knife off of the body of Delveccio and sent the knife soaring through the air, between the eyes of Smallman. Horatia blinked in surprise as the man’s body fell to the ground.
“What in the fuck?” Matheson roared.
John took two long strides and sent himself at the soldiers that had Mila restrained. A shot to one of the soldiers’ ribs, and an elbow placed to another’s temple. As the man’s body began to fall, John snatched his sidearm from his waist and fired a single shot to the head of the soldiers that held Julius, Jameson, and Ryder.
He pulled the cloth from Mila’s head. She looked to him, confusion etched deeply in her face.
“Get the hell out of here! I’ll buy you sometime! I wasn’t trying to hurt you I swear…”
He hissed in pain as Matheson slashed at his bare chest with his field knife.
“What in the fuck is your major malfunction, Baker?” Matheson roared as he slashed at John again.
John blocked the attack and sent a punch to Matheson’s jaw that staggered the man.
“You goddamn apes don’t you let those traitors escape!” Matheson roared as Mila elbowed another solider that attempted to grab her and sent another three flying, clearing a path for the other rebels.
John roared as hot pain went through his body when Matheson’s knife went into his stomach. He gripped the Commander’s wrist, and twisted it causing Matheson’s body to awkwardly follow where John was leading it and was sent to the ground with a perfectly executed judo throw.
Mila sent unseen attacks to the last of the soldiers in her way as Ryder led them to a nearby sedan.
“Go! Go! Everybody in! Let’s get the hell out of here!”
“Wait!” Horatia yelled.
“No time! We need to get out of here!” Ryder yelled as he gripped Horatia’s arm to push her toward the backseat of the vehicle.
“He’s right, Mom, we have to go!” Mila shouted as he got into the passenger’s side seat and got the car started using her telekinesis. Jameson helped Julius into the passenger’s side backseat. Horatia looked to John one last time. He screamed in agony and his body jerked as Matheson reached behind himself and jabbed him in the stomach with a hidden weapon and maintained contact.
“There’s nothing we can do now, let’s get the fuck out of here!” Ryder yelled, pushing Horatia into the car, slammed the door shut then jumped into the driver’s side seat and drove off at break neck speed.
“Drake!” Matheson roared as he shoved the taser prod into John’s stomach again causing him to wail in agony. “Get on the comm and get Bravo squad after that car on the double! I want them!”
“Yes sir!” Drake replied over the communicator. Matheson sent another jolt of electricity into John that dropped him to his knees. Matheson then pressed the prod directly to John’s heart, sending him back onto his back and held the prod firmly in place as the electricity arched and cracked. His screams went high pitched as his body wailed involuntarily in spasm.
“Then put a call to Oregon. Tell them to have restraints ready for this piece of shit! Tell Newton that his little science project is defective!”
Matheson kept the prod in contact with John’s flesh until he finally stopped screaming and lay still, his flesh sizzling from the impact.
“You’re going to learn what happens to traitors in President King’s America, Baker. Prepare for the ultimate fucking discharge solider.”
Matheson jammed the prod into John’s flesh roughly. The electricity arched, yet no sound came from John as he lay still.
11
“There is no way,” Dr. Newton protested as Dr. Tee relayed the message sent.
“Commander Matheson has no reason to lie to you, David. It seems as though the subject failed in the field.”
“But how?” Newton demanded.
“He turned against our forces and made it possible for Subject Mila, Doctor Hunter, and key members of the resistance to escape.”
“That’s impossible! The conditioning triggers were in place to ensure that didn’t happen!” Newton yelled.
“It is possible if the Nanobyte Hive somehow developed a Queen,” Dr. Tee replied calmly.
“No. That is not even an option, Nobu. That could not have happened!” Newton growled.
“And why is that, David? Because you do not want to have happened?” Tee replied in a condescending tone.
“No! Because I made sure that all contingencies were in place to ensure that a Queen was not possible! He cannot have a Queen!”
“All of the signs are there. They’re subtle, but they are in the blood work.”
“No! You’re wrong, Nobu!” Newton roared, gripping the younger doctor’s shirt collar, shaking him vigorously.
Tee growled. He weaved his right hand between David Newton’s grasp and took a single step to force the older man to release his grip.
“His blood test show slight traces of the Queen’s enzymes in his blood! Every blood test has them, David! It would be easy to miss, but goddammit it is there! I just found it! It is right here in black and white!” Tee shouted angrily pointing to the papers on his desk. “You know what that means! He needs to be put down immediately and we have to start all over again!”
“No!” Newton yelled in anguish.
“David!” Nobu Tee shouted. The older doctor seemed to pause for a moment. “You need to get control of yourself. Right now. We can get another candidate. Remember that we knew that there was a chance that Baker would not work out. Remember?”
“Yes, Nobu, I remember,” David growled pushing the smaller man away. “You do not understand! I do not have the time to go through all of this again!” He looked to his former protégé, bitterness etched on his face. “I need that Hive, Nobu.”
“David, your condition…”
“Is progressing faster than expected,” Newton interrupted. “I already need regular doses of nanobytes in my blood to keep it at bay. I need a Hive.
I cannot continue the standard nanobytes injections. They are dying off faster than the cells can be attacked.”
“David…” Nobu began.
“I’m dying, Nobu. By my calculations I will not last a month. I can already feel it. I do not have time for us to select another candidate and go through all of this.”
“We will keep this between us for now, David. There will be another option,” Dr. Tee replied.
“And what option is that?” Newton asked angrily.
“Oh, you will be surprised. For now though, get some rest. Matheson will be returning with the subject. While it was a success, from a certain point of view, a Queen is not acceptable. We will take the data that we have to perfect the procedure, do away with this subject and take our tissue samples. This changes nothing, David.”
“You’re right, Nobu. You’re right.”
Nobu turned and left the room, leaving the older man alone with his own thoughts. He sat down to his computer and began typing up his report. When he finished, he opened his desk drawer and looked to the bottle of scotch that greeted him.
“Options? What is in that mind of your’s, Nobu?” he asked. He unscrewed the cap to the bottle. He threw his head, and the bottle backward. As the liquor free flowed down his throat he leaned forward savoring the internal heat it brought him. He drank more, deeper the second time around.
“Commander we are beginning our final descent to the airstrip,” Drake said at attention.
“Excellent. Has the traitor been maintaining the regular methods of pacification?”
“Yes, sir. We set an automatic administration of electric shocks at no less than one hundred thousand volts,” Drake replied.
“Good. Maintain the voltage until we get to the facility and until Doctor Tee says otherwise do you understand?” Matheson growled.
“Yes, sir,” Drake replied.
