Invincible Heart: The John Baker Chronicles: A Permutation Archives Division (The Permutation Archives Book 1)

by Bryan Tann

  “C…choke on me. You little bastards,” he muttered weakly as his eyes began to drift closed again, unable to keep them open. The effort to speak tapping out whatever reserves he had left.

  The bites from the first rat continued its meal, and it was joined by others. Two different bites to his left hand, multiple to his legs, one at his lips was joined by various more to his ears.

  “They spent how much making me and I’m gonna die being eaten by fucking rats. Funny,” he thought to himself. The weakness wouldn’t let him care. His fingers wouldn’t twitch when the bites came. He could hear the fabric of his clothes tearing like tissue paper as the rats did all that they could do to get to his flesh. “How do I taste, you bastards?” A weak laugh filled his mind as he wondered if they would be anything like him once they devoured him.

  “See you soon, Queen. I won’t live without you.”

  Another hairy body joined the biting at his lips, biting at the flesh of his eyelid, and then claimed his left eye. There was no more pain. His instincts knew that he was being bitten, consumed, devoured, yet nothing hurt. Internally all he could do was laugh maniacally as he was stripped away piece by piece.

  More were coming. He could feel the weight of them as they climbed onto his chest to take their bites. He could feel something furiously moving at the crotch of his pants, tearing at the denim. An inward crunch told him that it had gotten the flesh it desperately desired.

  He could feel the biting at his lip cease, and something large pass his lips forcing its way between his teeth to begin biting at his tongue. It was then joined by another of its brethren forcing its way further inside the cavern, past the stalactites and stalagmites that were his teeth, attempting to go further down for its meal.

  As the first rat continued to bite hungrily past the newest arrival to consume the tongue, he could feel something…snap.

  His jaw slammed shut, bringing a terrified squeak from the tongue biter as half its body crunched and blood pooled down his throat. The second of the two began biting at the flesh of the cheek to escape its prison, furiously squeaking in rage while the half rat bled out down the cavern.

  The cave began to move as animal instinct of self-preservation took hold. The attempted escape was nullified as the rat’s head was caught in the cave’s movements as well.

  As the mangled, furry bodies slid into the cavern’s depths, the skeletal right hand began to regrow precious sinew, and muscle and gripped a nearby ball of flesh and fur and shoved it to the cave. The cave slammed down instantly, devouring the little feeder.

  “What do you have, Ruckus?” Karen asked after pulling over to answer her phone.

  “For the record you’re crazy as all hell,” Ruckus began.

  “Duly noted now come on, Ruckus! Where is he?” Karen asked impatiently.

  “You are literally about two blocks from him. Head east. From what I can see, he’s in some alley. River Road or something like that from what the map says. He isn’t moving, Karen. Either he dumped his phone or…” Ruckus began.

  “Thanks, Ruckus.” Karen ended the call and gave the motorcycle gas and followed the instructions she was given. “I’m coming, John.”

  When she pulled into the alley she shined the headlight into the alley and saw nothing but trash dumpsters and cans.

  “John?” she called out. When no answer came, she cringed when she heard the squeaks of rats. “Ugh! I hate rats!” she whimpered lightly, pushing back memories of the red eyed lab rats she feared.

  She flipped the switch for the high beam to further light her path. She could barely make out some movement at the end of the alley. As she rode closer, she could make out a single shadowy lump that seemed to be wiggling and squeaky. She turned off the high beams and inched closer.

  “Oh…my God…” she said as the smell of flesh, blood, mixed with urine and excrement attacked her senses. She gagged loudly, vomiting as the smell grew too much for her to stand.

  When the violent retching ceased, she was able to make out that the squeaks would cut off abruptly. Holding the bike as best she could, she used her feet to ease herself forward causing a few rats to scurry away from the scene while sending incredulous squeals at her back.

  As she got closer, more rats scurried away from the mangled, near devoured remains of a human foot within the remains of what was a boot. A large brown rat remained perched just at the ankle, hissing furiously to protect its meal.

  Her eyes were locked on the foot as more bile began to rumble within her stomach threatened to be released.

  A wet, sloshing sound soon followed and the near devoured flesh was a whole foot again.

  “J…John?”

  The rat that perched on the newly healed ankle hissed another warning at her and began to make its way toward her, its teeth bared.

  “You little fucker!” Karen hissed as her anxiety threatened to turn to full blown fear flight. The brown threat disappeared in a flash as it was snatched into the night. A loud crunch came from the shadows.

  She turned on the high beam again and gasped in a mixture of revulsion, relief, and fear.

  John’s healing left hand held a live rat wiggling for all that it was worth to be free. She could see the brown fur of the rat that had just been snatched slide into John’s mouth followed by its leathery tail.

  The still living, wiggling rat was then shoved into his waiting mouth as it squeaked as if to scream ‘Help me!’ only to be silenced when his jaws slammed shut.

  The hole where his left eye had been began to fill itself. His left hand reached to his crotch and snatched another rat that was gnawing on him. His right hand grabbed the other. The simultaneous buffet repulsed her, yet was fascinating at the same time.

  As the crotch eating rats were consumed, his eye filled back in perfectly and was followed by his eyelid. There was no humanity in his eyes as he reached for more. He fed with a ravenous hunger that made the rats appear to be tamed and pampered house hold pets instead of the wild scavengers of urban legend.

  The rats began to scamper, realizing that their easy meal was lost and that they were now the hunted.

  John’s hands moved with such speed and ferocity that she worried she would be next if he ran out of rats to feast upon.

  As the final rat escaped into the night, John was crouched, clothed in tattered rags that were his boots, jeans, and t-shirt. He stayed perfectly still with the look of a deadly panther on the prowl. His damaged body fully healed, yet his mind remained in its savage state. Gore dripped from his lips as he snarled at her.

  “John? John?” Karen asked. She moved to put the kickstand of the bike in place causing the creature to growl a warning toward her.

  When the bike was stable, she held her hands out in front of her, slowing dismounting the bike as the man beast sniffed in her direction, snarling wildly.

  “John Baker. It’s me; Karen Denton. I’m your friend. Remember?” she asked taking a step toward him.

  The predator snapped forcing her to step back a few steps as it moved closer to her in perfect, fluid motion.

  “John!” she shouted, taking a defiant step forward. “Queen! Come on help me here! Help me! Do I have to slap you like in the old movies?”

  The beast growled a warning at her as she took a step forward.

  “Oh fuck you!” she yelled at him. “You promised to help me, you asshole!”

  She was suddenly on her back with the powerful hunter standing over her in a crouch looking into her eyes.

  “Go ahead. I’m going to explode anyway,” she said defiantly. “You promised me you would help me. Remember?”

  “I’m back, John. You’re not alone. It’s okay. She’s our friend. It’s Karen. Remember?”

  “Queen?”

  “Who else would it be?”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Tired. So, so tired. But stop worrying about me, you lunk head! You need to snap out of it. You did well, you saved me. You saved us. We need to eat more, but remember; no peop
le.”

  “No people. We aren’t an animal.”

  “No. No we’re not. You’re acting like one. Now stop. Let her up. We have enough to be okay. You’re not alone, dear heart.”

  “Okay.”

  “John?” Karen asked.

  When he blinked and higher intelligence appeared to return to his eyes, she lifted her head slightly.

  “Are you in there?”

  “Yeah,” he said hoarsely. “I’m here. I’m alright.”

  “Good.” Karen smiled warmly before her eyes turned malicious. “Now get the fuck off of me! What in the fuck is wrong with you, John Baker?” she roared as John moved off of her and she got to her feet.

  “Do you know what the fuck I’ve been through? I almost fell down the fucking steps to get out of there, actually I fell the last flight! I twisted my other ankle starting the bike up because you have the goddamn pedal too fucking tight! You’re going to loosen that so I can ride it easier do you hear me?” she snarled jabbing him in the chest with a finger.

  “Shut up!” she ordered when he opened his mouth to speak. “I’m not done! Then you crash a helicopter? Are you insane? Well that’s okay. But then I’m looking for you and Ruckus is yelling at me and then you’re being eaten and…damn you, John Baker, if you die saving my life I’m going to kill you!” She then hugged him close.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay, John,” she said finally as she held him.

  “Me too, Karen. Me too. Thank you for coming back for me,” he said as he held her.

  “Well I’m not going to Monodono, Pennsylvania without you.” Karen chuckled.

  “Monongahela,” John corrected.

  “Fuck you. Put some clothes on. Lucky for you I also have an extra set of boots. We need to get out of the city before they widen the road blocks.”

  “You’re right, as usual,” John said to placate her temper. He disappeared into the shadows and emerged moments later dressed in blue jeans, white t-shirt, and black boots and strapped down his helmet. “Ready to go?”

  “Yeah,” Karen replied as John mounted the bike and she followed. “God I hate Chicago,” Karen muttered as John reeved up the bike.

  “Yeah. I’m not looking forward to coming back here ever again.”

  The two road off into the electronic light filled night, leaving the emergency crews to clean up the carnage that seemed to always come about when John Baker came to town.

  The two did not breathe easy until the city limits were lost to them, and they crossed into Indiana.

  32

  “Are you sure about this place?” John asked as he put the fuel nozzle into the bike and pulled the handle to refuel the motorcycle.

  “Yes, John. It’s on the list that Ruckus gave us. I know it’s a big chain and all, but if it’s on the list then it is good,” Karen replied. “Are you still…”

  “Dealing with the fact that I was almost eaten alive by rats? Yeah. Little bit,” John replied.

  “How is Queen?” Karen asked trying to change the subject.

  “She’s resting still,” John said simply. “She hasn’t spoken to me since we left Chicago.”

  “Oh. I’m…I’m sorry, John,” Karen replied.

  “Not your fault,” John said coldly.

  “From what I can tell,” Karen said unfolding the map from the saddle bag, “we are probably about an hour or so away.”

  “Sounds good,” John said shortly looking out toward the traffic as night subsided to day, but the overcast, and humidity in the air, told him that rain would be coming.

  “You know you can stop acting like an asshole anytime,” Karen said, looking up from the map with a piercing gaze. “I get it; you got hurt. But you’re okay now, John. You’re…”

  “It isn’t about me!” he shouted at her, his eyes narrowed to slits. “I…she…” John grumbled turning from Karen again.

  “What, John? What happened?”

  “Queen. She almost died!” John glared at her angrily. “They hit me with the Paralisix filled hollow points. One of them hit Queen. If she wouldn’t have protected herself…”

  “She’d have died? But how?” Karen asked as her burning anger cooled.

  “My Heart is different than a Nanobot Hive because of Queen,” John began.

  “How so? Whenever you have been sedated enough for tests, it hasn’t been clear what the differences are. I mean the rats that have had Queens in them told us some things, but…it was mostly speculation,” Karen said as the scientist in her came to the surface.

  “Those Nanos that Matheson has running around like they’re the real deal? They’re just fucking replicas of me, Karen. They’re shit. Those ‘hearts’?” John spat the word with disdain. “They’re useless pieces of shit. Lifeless fucking husks. Queen? She adapts, she evolves, she makes me stronger and faster to ensure that I’m the best that I can be.

  “She doesn’t just pump out nanobytes like they’re fucking clones. She births them. She creates them and they go into my body and they strengthen me. If Queen would have died…I would be alone.” A tear fell from his eye. “I can’t describe to you what it feels like. To be one with another like that. It’s just...losing her would kill me,” John said finally.

  “If Queen would have died…”

  “I understand, John,” Karen said taking his hand. “It’s okay. I get it. You thought you would have to mourn her, but you don’t.”

  “But she is hurt,” John said simply, pulling the nozzle from the bike’s fuel tank and returning it to the pump handle.

  Karen stood up from the bike and took his hand and then hugged him gently, rubbing his back affectionately. When their embrace ended she smiled to him lightly.

  “It’s okay, John. Let’s go see Dr. Teller. He can get this bomb out of me and then we can go see the Fallen Paradigm, then we can be free of King and all of this bullshit. We are going to be okay. Remember?”

  “Yeah. I remember,” John said with a small nod.

  “Good. Let’s go then,” Karen said with a smile taking her position on the bike, putting the map back into the saddle bag.

  John gave her a small smile, and got on the bike and started it up. He gave his chest a gentle, affectionate pat and pulled into traffic and with a loud rumble of the engine continued their journey.

  “Is that the place?” John asked not attempting to hide the disappointment in his tone.

  The bike pulled over on the state road, the engine rumbled in idle as the two looked out to the wide plot of seemingly wide open land with a single double wide trailer that looked to the majestic Monongahela River.

  “From what the directions say, John, that is it,” Karen said looking over the map again.

  “How is this guy going to remove the explosive from you in a goddamn double wide?” John asked incredulously.

  “John, you can’t judge a book by its cover,” Karen said. “Remember what Singer said? He's a hermit on a psycho pension, so of course he’s going to live out here in a trailer. If he can help, John…”

  “Yeah if he can help than it’s worth a shot,” John grumbled. “Alright let’s do this and get that explosive out of you.”

  The bike rumbled to awareness as John gave it gas and made the left off of the highway, driving down narrow pavement ignoring signs warning that promised that trespassers would be shot.

  After crossing the railroad tracks, John made a right navigating the bike toward the double wide then killed the engine after putting down the kickstand. They both removed their helmets.

  “It’s going to pour any minute now,” Karen said looking up to the darkening clouds.

  “Well let’s hope that our good doctor friend is the hospitable type then huh?” John smirked ascending the nearby stairs onto the porch and knocked on the door.

  When no answer came, John knocked again, banging a little harder.

  “It’s still early, John, maybe he’s still asleep,” Karen added calmly.

  “Yeah well, I don’t really have time to worr
y about being polite and respectful,” John replied pounding on the door again. “Let’s go, Doc, we’re on a fucking time table out here!”

  “John!” Karen admonished him.

  “What?”

  “Can you at least pretend that you weren’t reborn a few months ago and act like you have something resembling manners?” Karen patted him against his chest, forcing him to step away from the door, further down the porch before she knocked on the door calmly.

  “Excuse me? Dr. Teller? Please just talk to us? My name is Dr. Karen Denton and I used to work for Fuji-O’Hara at the Oregon facility and…well I really need your help. I have been implanted with an explosive that you helped invented and perfected the implantation device. Now I need your help to get it out of me, Dr. Teller. Please just give us twenty minutes?”

  Silence followed her heartfelt plea as John paced like a caged animal, ready to knock the door down to get to the doctor.

  “Leave your weapons at the door,” a disembodied voiced ordered the two of them.

  John looked around nervously, attempting to find where it was coming from.

  “I would hurry if I were the two of you. Storm is coming in fast and it’s going to hit hard,” the voice chided.

  John unclasped his chewed, heavy nylon duty belt that held the remaining flash bangs, pepper spray, and his collapsible batons and dropped it to the ground.

  “That all?” the voice asked.

  “Yes, Doctor, that is all. I swear,” Karen replied.

  “Alright step inside. Try any shit and that little implantation device of mine will be the least of your concerns.” The sound of a heavy lock disabling followed.

  Karen stepped forward, only to have John put his arm out to stop her. He opened the screen door then turned the knob to the wooden door.

  The door, far heavier than John imaged at first glance, had a false wooden exterior to hide the nine inch thick metal vault door that was disengaged. When the two entered, the door closed on its own and the bolt engaged.