by L T Anderson
Johnny held up his free hand to the crowd. “All right, everybody. There’s nothing happening here. Everybody just go back to your business.” He tugged on the pole. “Let’s go, buddy. You’ve seen enough.”
Johnny guided Curtis back to the sidewalk and into the hallway leading to the elevator.
Although Curtis’s leg was cold from the wet and his neck raw from the ill-fitting collar, he was thankful to be back into the safety and dignity—if you could call it that—of the empty corridor.
A soothing female voice emanated from the overhead speaker in Levi’s conference room. “Pardon, Leader. Mr. Logan is in the city and en route to your location. ETA is approximately two minutes.”
Levi scanned the table. “Our SOUL Chybrid initiative is designed to take advantage of the lowly Bystanders, who continue to do what they do best—nothing. This does not mean they will not see what is coming at them. They will not only see it, they will embrace it. John Logan will head up a vital part of this project. Specifically, he will work closely with the youth of Tremayne.”
A sharp-dressed member in uniform raised his hand.
“Yes, General.”
“Why the youth? We recently destroyed the Punks’ organization. It was Changer against Punk. Adult against adult. Need I say we prevailed? There were no youth involved in any battle or altercation.”
Levi smiled and looked around the table. “Suffice it to say we believe that when we capture the minds of the youth, they will be ours forever.”
“So, what good is our mighty Changers military machine?”
A low murmur of agreement spread among the military members present.
Levi stopped smiling. “I have debated that myself, General.”
Angelica raised her eyes to assess the general’s reaction.
Dr. Rasmus jotted notes into an electronic tablet.
The military fell silent.
Levi clapped his hands once, then rubbed them together. “With that, before Mr. Logan arrives, I am going to ask all but my inner circle to adjourn to your regular duties. I thank you for your attendance.”
Changers military personnel and attendees from the corporate marketing team rose and pushed their chairs in under the table. They dutifully shuffled out the double sliding doors and into the War Room.
Angelica smiled at Levi. “I do detect a bit of unrest among the military, Leader.”
“I trust you have protocol in place to manage any issues that might arise.”
“My department is embedded in the military, sir.”
Levi smiled. “Of course it is. Good work.”
Curtis paused momentarily outside another set of slick stainless-steel doors. The metal sleeve around his neck dug into his collarbones as he pulled down on the top of it to relieve pressure on his throat. Blood seeped from the cuts on his neck and soaked into his T-shirt. His signature Mohawk had long since flattened.
Johnny guided his prisoner-on-a-stick through the round multi-tiered War Room. Technicians at computer terminals paused to view the spectacle. Johnny gazed around the room, looking up and smiling as he waved to the technicians.
A computer operator in the top tier nudged the man next to her. “What a jerk, you know?”
The man shook his head. “Last time I witnessed anything so degrading was when they paraded Krystal Peterson through here.” He lowered his voice and leaned in to his coworker. “In a way, I’m glad she escaped.”
“Better watch what you say,” the woman said. “We could both get in trouble for that comment.”
Two guards entered the conference room in front of Curtis and Johnny. Conversation at the table came to an abrupt end as all parties present looked up.
Levi stood. “Logan. What’s this?”
Curtis surveyed the Changers around the table. His stomach churned.
“Hello, Levi,” Johnny said. “I’ve brought a prisoner. A high-ranking Punk.” He glanced at Curtis and smiled. “At least he used to be high-ranking.”
Angelica didn’t hide her irritation. “Why?”
Johnny locked eyes with Angelica. “First of all, I don’t answer to you.”
“But you answer to me,” Levi said. “Why is this dreg in my conference room? And I suggest you weigh your answer carefully.” He shot a look at Angelica. “This is a security breach.”
“Leader,” Angelica said. “This man has the highest security clearances. He could have brought the entire Punk leadership in here and no one would have questioned it.”
“Logan?” Levi said.
Johnny tuned his demeanor specifically for the moment. “Leader, this is Curtis Dyer. He is formerly a second level commander in the Punks’ organization. He is a defector from the Punks and wants to undergo the Change. There is no doubt in my mind that as a former Punk, he would be valuable to us.”
Levi sat down. “Ms. DeMone, what are your thoughts?”
“On the surface it sounds like a positive development. However, he would have to undergo comprehensive debriefing to gain approval from my department.”
Levi appeared irritated. “I don’t know, Logan.” His voice took on a whiny tone. “This isn’t the same scenario as Peterson. She basically grew up in our organization. She wasn’t embedded so deeply in the enemy camp when she came to us.” He flitted his hand in the air. “There’s so much for this one to learn.”
Xander cleared his throat. “If I may. We are well beyond primitive Neural Lace technology. We can teach this man everything he needs to know in a matter of minutes.”
“Is that wise?” Angelica asked. “If we allow this man to become one of us, why not feed his brain what he needs to know incrementally? As he proves his worth and loyalty, provide him with additional information. I see no sense in bringing an unknown up to our level of knowledge.”
“I agree,” Levi said. “Doctor?”
“That sounds reasonable. I wasn’t suggesting we accelerate his knowledge to our level. Only that we have the capability. It wouldn’t be such a waste to bring him into our organization.”
Johnny smiled. “Exactly what I was thinking.”
Levi eyed Curtis up and down. “Remove the man’s shackles, Logan. He looks barbaric.”
Johnny spun the electronic thumb wheel at the base of the pole and unlatched the collar. He handed the pole to one of the guards.
“He smells,” Xander said.
“The smell of a Punk,” Levi said. “We’ll have the office disinfected when we’re done here.” He looked at Curtis. “Have a seat, Mr. Dyer.”
Thank God, Curtis thought as he seated himself at the chair nearest him. He felt the grit inside his shirt on his back despite the plushness of the chair. He knew the smell was from dried blood, sweat and urine. He looked at Levi. “Thank you, sir.”
Levi smiled. “Well, we’re off to a proper start. So you want to be a Changer. Have you made any financial arrangements to pay for the procedure?”
Curtis kept his hands in his lap. His mind raced. He thought of Dion and Ryker. He thought of his parents. Mostly, he thought of Krystal. He measured his words. “Well, sir. I don’t have any money to speak of. But I believe what I can bring to this organization in terms of intelligence about the inner workings of the Punks will more than pay for itself.”
“How so?”
“Well, as far as I know, the Punks don’t know my whereabouts. The last they knew, I was working for them. I know their modes of operation and their emotional tendencies, down to the individual.”
“And what do you have against the Punks? Why the change?”
Curtis looked at Angelica and Xander and their assistants, then back at Levi. “I was recently demoted by the Punks, sir. And I believe the demotion was unfair and unwarranted.”
“Why did they demote you?” Angelica asked.
This will seal my deal, Curtis thought. “Because I prevented them from murdering a Changer.”
Angelica glanced at Dr. Rasmus.
Levi raised an eyebrow. “Well, Ms. DeMone? Doctor?”
Xander nodded once.
Angelica shrugged. “It may be worth a shot. But if we ultimately allow this Punk to become a Changer, my team will be watching him closely. He won’t be able to wipe his ass without us knowing about it until I get a warm and fuzzy.”
“Very well,” Levi said. “Guards, get this man cleaned up. We have much to discuss with him before a final decision is made. The Change is not something to be taken lightly.”
He looked at Johnny. “Have a seat now, Logan. Time will tell if your little gamble pays off. In the meantime, I have some people I want you to meet.”
Chapter 11
Connecting Dots
A gust of wind accompanied Krystal as she entered Dion’s quarters at Checkpoint One. Fred Garrison and Thomas Dennis, engaged in quiet conversation, sat comfortably on an eight-foot-wide leather sofa facing the door. They looked up as the door swung shut.
“Peterson!” the two scientists said in unison.
Krystal suppressed a smile. “Not meaning to sound trite, but you two look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
Fred stood and walked around the large glass coffee table to Krystal. “Krys. I don’t know whether to hug you or look for an escape route.”
Krystal finally smiled. “Hugs are fine.”
The hesitation Fred had displayed moments before was gone. He embraced Krystal and smiled.
Krystal returned the hug, one-armed.
Fred stepped back and held her shoulders. “I have to say, you are absolutely the last person I expected to see.”
Thomas strode across the room and hugged Krystal. “It’s so good to see you, Krystal.”
“I can’t believe you two,” Krystal said. “What are you doing here, anyway?”
Thomas shook his head. “No place else to go.”
“I can think of plenty of places I’d rather be,” Krystal said. “How’d you get out of the Underground?”
The pair looked at each other. “Felix,” Fred said.
“Me, too,” Krystal said.
The trio stood in silence for several moments.
“You really did a number on the Chybrids,” Thomas said. “I take it that was Dr. Yaz’s doing as well?”
“It was. I think you guys know he developed the skull-buster bullets for the AR-15. I used a shit-ton of those bullets to take down the Chybrids. And there’s plenty left over to provide to the Punks for any future attacks.”
Fred gazed deeply into Krystal’s eyes. He stepped back. “Either you’re not a Changer anymore, or I’m not.” He glanced at Thomas. “Check her eyes.”
Thomas looked at Krystal’s eyes, then Fred’s. “We’re Changers. She’s not.”
“Felix reversed the Change,” Krystal admitted.
“Wow,” Fred said. “I knew it was possible.” He looked at Thomas. “We brought the procedure out of the Underground with us, along with a lot of other information, when we left. But the Change has never been reversed on anyone. At least not until now.”
“Felix has the procedure memorized,” Krystal said. “Too bad he can’t reverse the Change on himself. He wants out pretty bad.” She hoisted herself onto a nearby barstool. “So, like I said before, what are you two doing here?”
Fred hopped onto an adjacent barstool. Thomas strolled across the room and leaned against the back of a leather love seat.
“It’s a long story, Krys,” Fred said. “Probably as long as yours. Suffice it to say, we got busted for talking to you after you escaped the Underground. We knew we were as good as dead—”
“Or worse,” Thomas said.
“Yeah, or worse. We knew we had to choose sides.” Fred shrugged. “While we were in lockup, Felix came with these three little Punk kids and broke us out.”
“Yeah,” Thomas said. “Those little kids drove us back here. But not before making a detour and rescuing a company of Punks who were under attack by the Chybrids.”
Krystal smiled. “The Three Amigos. They’re badasses for as young as they are.”
“Call ’em what you want,” Thomas said. “They saved our butts and a lot of Punks, too.”
Fred fidgeted with a cork coaster on the bar top. “So, anyway. We knew we had to choose a side. No one hates the Changers more than we do, Krys. We came to help the Punks in any way we can to defeat the Changers.”
Krystal stood and removed her duster. She walked to the far side of the room and laid it neatly onto the pool table. She turned around, folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the table. “I’m here to help the Punks as well. But I have something else on my mind that’s more important to me than the Punks’ organization.”
“Let’s hear it,” Thomas said.
“As long as you two have been here, have you heard anyone mention a guy named Curtis Dyer?”
Fred and Thomas exchanged glances.
“Just that no one knows where he is,” Fred said. “From what we’ve heard, he’s thought of pretty highly. I guess he took out a couple of our people—I mean Changers—who were embedded as Punks. Scotty Van Buren was one of them.”
Krystal raised an eyebrow. “Right. I heard.”
“Yep,” Thomas said. “Courtesy of your Curtis Dyer. Because of that, we heard Mr. Dyer was restored to his previous rank, second level.”
“Yeah,” Krystal said. “And he’s just gone. Just like that.”
Fred stood up and walked behind the bar. “Beer anyone?”
“Me,” Krystal and Thomas said in unison.
Fred popped the tops on three beer bottles and handed one each to the two. “So what’s your interest in Curtis?”
“I’m in love with him.”
Fred’s eyes widened. “Seriously? From what you’re saying, you had to have been in love with him when you were a Changer. That’s strictly forbidden.”
“Screw the Changers and their rules,” Krystal said. “It happened. So what? The Changers can’t touch me now.”
“So what do you want, Krystal?” Thomas asked.
Krystal chugged three heavy swallows of her beer. “To make things right between Curtis and me—the way they should have been before I fucked up.”
“How’d you mess up, Krys?” Fred asked.
Krystal stared at her bottle. “Last time I talked to him, I was way too hard on him. Look, guys, I was hard for a reason. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I knew I was heading back to literally save the Punks from the Chybrids. But the new me—my body, my weapons, my resolve—was all unproven. I didn’t know if I was going to live or die. I figured if I died, I wanted Curtis to think I wasn’t worth having. You know, so he could move on without me, just in case.”
Fred slid his beer around the moisture that had condensed under his bottle on the bar top. “Wow, Krys. That’s tough.”
Krystal guzzled the last of her beer. “No shit, Garrison. So, now that I’m no longer a Changer, I have to talk to him. We can be together now that we’re both free and totally human.”
Krystal looked up when Dion and Ryker entered the room. “Hey, guys. You’re just in time.” She underhanded her empty bottle toward the pair. When Dion sidestepped the projectile, Ryker snatched it mid-flight.
“Damn, girl,” Ryker said. “You want another one?”
“I’m good with one,” Krystal said. “So what’s our next move?”
Dion glanced at Fred and Thomas. “Did Krys tell you two we voted to keep you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Thomas asked.
Ryker reached behind the bar and grabbed two bottles of beer. “We took a vote. If Krystal stays, you stay. You’re all staying.”
Dion looked at Krystal. “To answer your question, no one believes the Changers are done with their shenanigans. No doubt they know we slaughtered the Chybrids.” He nodded at Krystal. “Thanks to you. Best we can guess is they’ll come back at us with so many Chybrids we don’t
have enough of your special bullets to stop them all.”
Krystal shook her head. “You’re way off base. My bet is they’re hoping you think that so they can attack with something else.”
“That makes more sense than what you said, Dion,” Fred said. “The Changers are in a constant state of development. Even if they thought they would defeat you with the Chybrid attack, their research and development is ongoing.”
“So translate that for us,” Ryker said, handing a beer to Dion. “Are you saying there will be a wave of new and improved Chybrids?”
Fred shrugged. “I don’t know. But by now, they know the Punks are still standing. And even if they weren’t, the Chybrid project never stopped. The next wave, if there is one, will be with an upgraded version of what they just sent.”
“I’ll take another one,” Thomas said. “Get with the program, people. You need to change your way of thinking. You need to be more forward thinking.”
“Meaning?” Dion asked.
“Meaning just because you got lucky and Krystal saved your asses this time doesn’t mean you can let your guard down.”
Two-way radio banter caught Ryker’s attention as he stood behind the bar. He turned up the volume on the overhead speakers.
“The whole day started weird. Once I found out the Chybrids were down at Checkpoint One, the absence of people in Tremayne didn’t sit right.” The voice was Nico’s.
“Copy that, partner,” the Unit Two Punk replied. “We’re taking Little Man into custody now. We’ll bring him to headquarters and see if he knows anything.”
“10-4. In the meantime, get that Jane Doe to the hospital ASAP. I’ll follow up with Adam for additional details.”
“She’s en route now, Nico. You might want to have someone meet her at the hospital for whenever she regains consciousness.”
“That’d be me,” Nico replied. “I’ll head there shortly.”
“Sounds good. I’m out.”
Jimbo broke in from the Depot at Checkpoint One. “Nico, it’s Jimbo. Do you copy?”
“Go, Jim.”
“Sounds a little hectic there. Contact Dion ASAP. Let him know what’s happening.”
