by Lucien Black
My name is Carnal and I’ve been in his employ for more than 12 years now; second to Caitlyn or the Defiler, as she preferred. I was a professional thief using my reptilian transformation powers when Purge found me running from the cops. He helped me escape, took me under his wing and became my mentor, teaching me how to be a criminal mastermind, like him.
Interact’s abilities allow him to create and manipulate technology of any kind. At his disposal, an allotment of weapons and gizmos the like few have ever seen. His body suit offered him some protection from harm, flight, enhanced strength and a few other abilities.
Genocide, Purge’s personal bodyguard was quiet and deadly. Stealthy like a ninja, Genocide once faced 15 men at once and never took a scratch. Purge said he used to be part of some special paramilitary unit, but the rest of his background is a mystery.
Methodically, Purge stepped over bodies and kicked the freshly deceased limbs from his path. He strode to the desk in the center of the circular shaped room. Gently, as a mother lifting a baby, Purge lifted the large, leather chair and tossed it effortlessly across the room. Opening his flowing black robes, Purge kneeled to the man huddled behind the desk.
“Now that I have your attention, Mr. President, let us discuss the terms of our agreement?”
Chapter 7
Four Years Later
The sun hung low in the early evening sky. The city was busy with commuters trying to get back to the countryside before the nightly curfew kicked in. Ever since the Protectorate came to power, everyone lived on a sun up/sun down schedule. They could still carry on their normal lives, but only at the Protectorate’s governance.
The old man stood patiently at the entrance to the alleyway, maintaining his watch on the target. He was about 65 years old from the look of it; balding and wrinkled, but his skin was tough, gritty. In his mouth dangled a lit cigarette, kept perfectly in place by years of practice. He wore simple clothing; black jeans, a gray long sleeve shirt and a black vest. He checked his watch.
“Getting impatient in your old age aren’t you Hunter?” a voice said over a hidden microphone lodged in the old man, Hunter’s ear.
“Just don’t like to be late Calin,” Hunter responded, “Is Sara’s team in position?”
“Just about,” Calin Scott responded, “you better get up to the roof and into position.”
“Roger, on my way,” Hunter flicked the cigarette to the ground, turned down the alley and headed to the fire escape ladder. Slowly and painfully, he took each rung with careful step. His bones ached and his prosthetic left arm was little use to him while climbing.
When he reached the top, Hunter paused before he swung his legs over to the roof. He took several deep breaths and thought to himself that he was far too old to keep this pace up. After a few seconds, he swung himself over the ledge and onto the roof. He rose to his feet but remained crouched low. He quickly walked to the edge of the roof nearest their target.
“Ok, Calin. I’m in position. Do you think Sara’s ready to do this on her own?” Hunter probed.
“Sara’s tough and her team is made up of our best operatives. She will do fine. I’m more concerned with you. Are you going to be able to…?” Calin began to speak but was abruptly cut off by Hunter.
“Don’t even finish that sentence, soldier. Remember I’m the one that trained you,” Hunter barked as he reached into his vest. He pulled free a long cylindrical object and placed one end against his neck. He depressed the small button located on the side of the object and with a quick jolt, was injected with some adrenal stim. Stims, created by the military, gave soldiers a quick physiological boost in times of trouble. The Resistance was able to procure a few cases of these and they definitely came in handy for the old man.
“And you trained me to make the right decisions, Sgt. Major Carl Hunter. Now can you hold position?” Calin demanded confirmation.
“Roof will hold,” Hunter replied. “Eye in the sky out.”
Chapter 8
Two blocks away, Sara Scott, Calin’s younger sister, sat in the back of a small-unmarked black van, readying herself for her first solo assignment. Her black leather waistcoat hung open to reveal her black t-shirt. She checked all her pockets to make sure her gear was in place, then reached into her pocket and used the small black rubber band to pull back her long brown hair into a ponytail. In her early twenties, Sara’s face showed signs of battle fatigue. Dark circles under her eyes and stress lines showed wear on her soft skin. Her eyes, still bright blue, were round and still showed signs of hope.
She glanced at her team; they too were readying themselves for the mission. Each one wore similar outfits, adopted by the Resistance fighters; black on black, some with coats, some without. She had grown up with many of them but this was the first chance she had to lead them into battle.
Her brother, Calin, the leader of the Resistance movement had spent the better part of Sara’s teenage years leading his flock against the Protectorate. With their parents dead, Calin was both brother and father to Sara. She admired him for his leadership abilities and spent the last three years or so watching how both he and Hunter grew the Resistance from a few radicals to an entire network of freedom fighters. They both took their jobs seriously and she took every opportunity to study their leadership, taking both their victories and their failures to heart. She knew she was ready, but she looked at her teammates and wondered if they felt the same way. She shook her head as if to shake off any bad pre battle blues and turned back to her mission.
It was simple; there were a number of young children, all suspected genetic anomalies, holed up in a vacant third floor apartment in the heart of downtown. The Protectorate used these children to fuel their armies and develop genetically enhanced super soldiers; bled them dry like batteries and sucked the psychokinetic discharge their powers gave off. The process was so intense that it left the children lifeless hosts, discarded once the process was complete. The collected energies were then transferred to willing volunteers, giving their new hosts the same powers as the children.
Calin and team, with the help of some inside information, had discovered one of the secret labs, known as The Twelve, a few miles from their current location. The Resistance launched an attack and was able to destroy the lab but not before uncovering the truth behind these experiments. They also uncovered the next potential targets; today’s being on the list.
With the security breach, the Protectorate had moved up their timelines and started hitting these locations faster than the Resistance could clear them. The Resistance had good intel that these children were to be picked up tomorrow. Sara’s team was to get into the building unnoticed, find the kids and get them to the sewers and to safety. Everything had to go off without a hitch.
“Sara,” Calin’s voice echoed inside the van from Sara’s communication unit, which she had not yet placed in her ear. She picked it up and set it in place.
“Roger,” she replied.
“Eye in the sky is in position. Time for you guys to move out,” Calin ordered.
“This is Strike Force 1, on the move,” Sara replied, turned to her companions and gestured to them with a quick nod. She lifted a small handgun, cocked the first bullet in the clip into place and holstered the weapon. The other men all followed suit and the man named Sean moved to the doors at the back of the van. In order, they all jumped from the back of the van and started toward the building.
The curfew left the streets relatively empty. Most people returned quickly back to their domiciles to avoid any potential punishments for being late. The few people that walked the streets were often locals that liked to push their boundaries. After a few hundred yards of fast walking, the team made it to the entrance of the building. Sara glanced up and down the street and no one had taken any special notice of them. She looked up to the roof and signaled to Hunter that she was in position. She saw a quick flash of light, Hunter’s response. Sean opened the front doors and the other two men quickly slipped inside. Sean follo
wed and taking one more glance down the street, Sara entered the building.
*
“Calin, Hunter here, Strike Force 1 is inside,” Hunter remarked over the communications device.
“Stay alert, I don’t want any surprises,” Calin replied.
“Roger that,” Hunter responded. He quickly leaned back over the rooftop and glanced up and down the street. So far, nothing was amiss.
Chapter 9
“What the hell am I doing here?” Jack Ander thought to himself as he stood in the hallway on the fifth floor of the apartment building. The word kept ringing in his head; hero. The kid on the plane told him that there were children that needed his help. Normally he didn’t care, but for some reason, this time it felt different.
The plane crashed in the mountains just on the outskirts of the city. Jack woke a few hours after the crash landing, and when he did, there was no one left on the plane. He searched the wreckage for survivors but there was no trace of anyone else.
“They need you Jack,” the voice came from nowhere and rang in Jack’s ears. He dropped to the ground from the shock of it. “Find them. Save them.”
Then, there was silence. There was no trace of the boy…no source of the voice that called out to him. Alone and confused, Jack searched the debris for his personal belongings and started down the mountain. Carefully making his way down, Jack slipped and fell inside a small crevice landing firmly on his back onto a cold metal floor. When he rose, he saw that the room must have seen some combat because everything in shambles. Large electronic devices were crushed and broken. Giant glass tubes, still filled with water, cracked open. He had never seen anything like it before, except in science fiction stories. He got to his feet and wandered the facility.
In the debris, Jack found a few pages that were burned on the edges from a fire, but still legible. The first page was an inventory sheet and disclosed addresses and “product” scheduled for pick up.
“The Children Jack,” the voice cried out.
At that moment, everything changed for Jack Ander and he knew what he had to do. He made his way to the city and began his search for the addresses listed on the inventory sheet. Each location was vacant by the time he arrived. Some showed signs of struggle, but in all cases, the children were already gone. This time, he hoped he wasn’t too late.
The building was six stories and Jack and already searched through floors six and five and found nothing. He proceeded downstairs to the fourth floor. Door to door, he searched, opening doors that he could open and listening to each as he walked by. He proceeded to the stairwell and started down to floor number 3. As his foot left the last step and made it to the third level of the building, something happened. His heart fluttered, his head started hurting. This was it.
He continued down the hallway, walking slowly past each door, not stopping until he made it to the apartment number 311. He stood in front of the door. His entire body pulsed as if all the blood in his body was moving ten times faster then ever before. His palms started sweating and his heart was pounding. He reached his shaking hand to the doorknob, hesitated for a moment and grasped it. With a pop, his entire body returned to normal. He paused a moment, wondering what had just happened, but gave it no mind and turned the knob.
Slowly he opened the door and peered inside. The room was quiet and the window coverings closed. The little light that emanated from the windows left a dull shadow in the living area. He walked into the room and gently closed the door behind him. Jack turned and looked around the room; all was quiet. Jack walked farther inside the living room and carefully stepped so as not to make much noise.
The living room was empty except for one chair, left behind by the previous residents. Jack slowly moved to the kitchen where he found some scattered trash; mostly candy wrappers and some cans of soda. Crossing back through the living room, Jack entered the hallway that led to the two bedrooms.
He paused for a second in the hallway and listened but heard nothing. Just as he was about to proceed to the smaller of the two rooms, Jack heard what sounded like a muffled cry followed by some whispers coming from the larger room. Slowly, Jack entered the bedroom and moved to the closet. Opening the door Jack saw before him five small children, the oldest, and a girl, no older than 10 all huddled together in the room. The youngest was the only one crying, but they all looked petrified.
Jack put his hand out and said, “It’s all right kids. My name is Jack and I am here to help you.”
Chapter 10
Outside, Hunter continued to watch on the apartment building. He checked his watch and said to Calin, “Team’s in too long boss, has Sara checked in?”
Calin responded, “Yes they did and they just took position on the second floor.”
“Good I…Calin…” Hunter said slowly. “We’ve got a problem”
*
Jack finally convinced the children to leave with him and he was walking them through the apartment, trying to figure out his next step.
“Ok kids,” Jack started, “I am going to check out the hallway and see if anyone is around. You wait…” his last statement was cut short as the outside living room wall exploded; debris filled the entire living room. Jack had the sense enough to jump in front of the children and cover them as best he could. When he turned to see what had happened, Jack saw the shadowed form of a man standing in the open space.
The man moved forward and in the fading light, Jack could see he was wearing a suit of black leather that covered most of his body with the exception of his arms. His face, weathered, with a scruffy black beard, was wrinkled in a sneer. His hair pulled into a ponytail was black and long. On his back were two bladed weapons.
“Who the hell are you supposed to be?” Jack said sarcastically.
“The name is Cleave, and I believe you have something of ours,” Cleave responded while pointing to the children huddled together, hiding behind Jack.
“Them. You want them?” Jack said. “I’m afraid I can’t let you take them.”
“You gonna stop me?” Cleave remarked with a wild grin on his face.
Jack turned to the kids and yelled, “Run!” As he shuffled them down the hall, Jack felt the grip of Cleave’s hand on his shirt collar. With a jerk, Cleave yanked Jack back into the living room. The kids made it back to the bedroom. Cleave, laughed as he picked Jack from the floor with one arm and tossed him to the other side of the room. Jack landed against the wall with a thud and slid to the floor.
Cleave, pleased with his work, slowly walked over to Jack’s body. He reached down, took Jack by the neck, and lifted him from the ground. “So I ask again Hero, are you gonna stop me?” Cleave turned and threw Jack head first into the kitchen area and he landed behind the counter. Cleave made his way to the kitchen and pulled from his back a large black axe. The blade, almost three feet from tip to tip was mounted to a thick black shaft. Cleave drove the axe into the kitchen counter and split it into two pieces. He reached out, grabbed one of the pieces, and threw it to the side.
Jack was on the ground, his body ached and his mind was cloudy. He knew that Cleave was above him and he clambered back against the other side of the kitchen.
Cleave stood watching him, axe in hand and said, “Any last words?”
Jack knew at this point there was nothing he could say to change what was about to happen, so he closed his eyes and waited for the final blow, but it never came.
When he opened his eyes, Cleave stood with his arm reared back ready to strike, but invisible force kept him at bay. Jack looked behind Cleave and saw the older of the small children standing in the living room. Her eyes were black and her pale outstretched arm was glowing with the same blackness as her eyes. Suddenly, the black glow exploded from the girl’s hand and tore through Cleave’s chest like a spear. He writhed for a moment, and then dropped to the ground with a loud thud.
Jack stood slowly, staring as the black glow slid back to the girl and her eyes returned to normal. She dropped to the ground in a li
feless heap. Jack rushed over to her and found that she was still alive, but the exhaustion overtook her body and she fainted. The other kids came one by one out of the back bedroom and looked at Jack. He scooped the girl up in his arms and turned to the other kids, “We’re getting out of here. Let’s go.”
Chapter 11
“The Protectorate is here!” Hunter screamed through his microphone.
“What? Say again?” Calin said over the communication device.
“I have four bogeys flying in fast,” Hunter said as he peered through the telescopic sight of his rifle. “I can see Cleave and Card, but I can’t identify the other two.”
“I’ll radio Sara; hold your fire, until it’s absolutely necessary,” Calin ordered as he switched over to Sara’s frequency.
“Sara, Hunter just reported four bogeys moving in on your position,” Calin announced.
“Damn. I thought our intel said they weren’t moving until tomorrow,” she chirped back.
“Our man on the inside isn’t usually wrong. Abort your mission,” Calin ordered.
Sara replied with a quick, “Negative.”
“Sara, you have four genetically enhanced beings moving in on your location. The four of you can’t possibly withstand an attack. I repeat, abort!”
Calin waited for the response but there was none. Instead, a loud explosion ripped through the communication device, so loud that Calin ripped the receiver from his ear. Recovering from the shock Calin tried again to raise his sister on the comm. “Sara!” Calin yelled into his communication device, but Sara had already signed off. “Dammit. Hunter come in. What the hell just happened.”
