Hybrid: Project Vigil

by Samuel Bohovic

  “The hell is she doing here?” John asked.

  “She gives us the key from the house. I got this, stay in the car. Never thought life with you would be so hard.” Caroline sounded annoyed.

  “Deal with it.” John corrected position of his sunglasses.

  It took about ten minutes to arrange all things. Then Caroline knocked at John's window.

  “Unload!”

  John reached for pistol under seat next to him and unloaded it then he put it back to it's box.

  A car pulled over in front of next house, Caroline smiled on sight of it's passengers. John put down his sunglasses to see them better. A man and woman. Immediately after stepping out the woman headed towards Caroline.

  “You are back! Where have you been those years?” The woman asked while hugging Caroline.

  “Work.” Caroline said trying to evade the question.

  Then the woman caught sight of John.

  “And who's that? Your boyfriend? He is very handsome.”

  John pretended to look for something in the car.

  A flash of panic ran through Caroline's face.

  “No. Actually he is my son. His name is John.”

  John stopped pretending and shook hands with the stranger.

  “Nice to meet you, I'm subject...I mean John.”

  She smiled.

  “Nice to meet you too John. I'm Miranda Stonebridge, I know your mother for years.”

  Miranda would talk a lot longer but Caroline stopped her.

  “So now you know each other. Miri excuse us we need to move in.”

  “Yes of course, I'll come later.”

  She said as she left.

  “Who the hell was that?” John asked when she was far enough.

  “My friend from college. Don't worry she is nice just sometimes a bit over-talkative. Now carry your things inside before the rest of it arrives.”

  It took John over two hours. He picked a bedroom on western side of second floor he also claimed basement for weapons and equipment. He was about to start setting up computers in the basement when rest of things arrived in big truck. They brought everything John took and more. Looks like Caroline was the one looting before them. John carried most of things to the basement.

  He started to set up database and multiple screens. His space was limited to two small tables, he ordered new furniture online with several other things. Garage was part of basement but car was still outside. Suddenly a door at the top of stairs opened, Caroline yelled at him.

  “Come out from that damn cellar John! We have guests.”

  Then a softer female voice said.

  “I can just go down, no need to yell at someone.”

  Soft footsteps on the stairs helped John remember one thing...he has all his weapons on a table behind him. There was no time to hide them and there was nothing to cover them with.

  “Hi, you must be John.” The soft voice said from behind him.

  He turned around.

  “Obviously. And you are?”

  He faced a black haired girl about his age. She smiled, he couldn't see much more in dim light of computer screens.

  “I'm Emily Stonebridge, I'm your neighbor. Why are you holed up in this dark basement anyway?”

  John thought of a lie that would explain why he has to wear gloves and long sleeve clothes.

  “I prefer darkness over sunlight.”

  “Why?” She looked confused.

  “I'm allergic to sunlight, it affects arms and legs. I can be out for some time but not too long. That's why I'm down here.” He was a good liar, years back C.I.A. agents taught him in case he is interrogated by enemy. Shock in her face changed to surprise.

  “I didn't know that.”

  “I don't blame you for that. Let's go upstairs it's complete mess down here.”

  She looked around.

  “You're right. Let's go.”

  John hoped that she couldn't see the guns.

  “Good. You can help me get UV filters on the windows.”

  He wanted to put screen foil they used back in facility on the windows so he can have bigger screens for computers. Now he had someone to help with that. While they worked she asked a lot of questions.

  “What do you like to do in your free time John?” Questions like this. Questions he didn't have answers to.

  “I like to read, run, computer stuff and sometimes I went shooting with my father. What about you.” Lies, lies, lies except running.

  “I prefer hiking over running, I can take you with me if you want. Mountains around here are so beautiful. I also like to take photos.” She had sweet voice, Gillian would hate her.

  “That would be nice. I could use seeing some trees after so many years in desert.” That was truth. He saw almost every terrain during training, but spent last year in desert.

  “I've always wanted to see desert.”

  “It's overrated.”

  Like this it went on for about thirty minutes until all second floor windows had screen foils on them. They stood in front of the big window on front side of house.

  “Why those UV filters have wires in left upper corners?” She asked after installing last one.

  “Check if laptop in my bedroom is turned on and I'll show you.”

 

 

  Emily came back from his bedroom. “It's turned on.”

  “Now watch this.” John watched lines of code on his HUD.

 

  All screens lit up with data from John's memory drives. Photo of Gillian was on the biggest part of screen.

  “It works.” He knew it will, but didn't really believe it.

  “Who is that? Your girlfriend?”

  For once John rather decided not to lie. “Yes, she is. I miss her.”

  “What is her name?” Damn it, she'll never stop asking.

  “Gillian.” The more he was thinking about her the more pictures appeared. He just raised his hand and swept them away from screens. He really missed her, after less that 24 hours.

  “Will you ever see her again?”

  “One day maybe.” And anyone in my way will die a horrible death. John added for himself. His thoughts summoned pictures of fighting.

  “What's that?”

  “Just some games.”

  When their guests left the house it was late afternoon and John was hungry. When he came down to the kitchen Caroline was expecting him.

  “How much you told her?” She asked with interrogative face.

  “She has no clue who I am, thinks I have sun allergy. What about the other one, Miranda it was?” John inspected contents of fridge.

  “Good, I hope you behaved nicely. Anyway what were you two doing upstairs? Don't worry I told Miranda same thing, Claire sent me message with details. What a smart A.I.”

  She gave John a plate with few sandwiches.

  “She helped me set up the screen foils. What else Miranda wanted? Except the thing about you having a son without her knowing.”

  “You used that? Good idea. They want to put some meat on the grill tomorrow, we're invited.”

  Their conversation in the kitchen lasted for hour. After it John went back upstairs to have a look at something, computers in basement can wait for now. He took the sheet of paper from Briggs and began to work. There was a small version of living room upstairs so he was comfortable. All he knew was on the big screen. Soon he added a photo to each name, later a personal file from C.I.A. database. It was hard to hack through it. At first he tried if he has access with his ID. Few times he went down for something to drink. Most of the time Caroline was on the phone. When he sat down again he had no ideas how to move forward. He started to focus, slow down breathing, focus. Sub-reality was same as he left it. Instead of thinking about the names he decided to find out more about Emily.

  "Why do you spy on her John?" Claire asked.

  “I want to know something more, that's not spying.”

 
; "So you'll have a file on her, some dirt if you need to blackmail her."

  “You think I'll have to?”

  "Maybe."

  When he gathered what he could, there wasn't much dirt he could dig up but lots of information on her. He woke up from sub-reality. Sun was about to go down judging from light. Twenty names, photos and some personal details were on the big screen.

  “Where are they?”

  "I don't know yet but I'll find out."

  “Good, good.” He was satisfied with Claire's progress.

  "What do you want to do with them?"

  Most of the men were from special forces. Recruited in early stages of project.

  “They know how to kill hybrids. They already killed some of us. If they ally with wrong people we're all dead. These men must be eliminated.”

  Chapter 10 - “Normal” life

  “If I may ask. What happened at that oil rig? Frontier?” Caroline said over Sunday breakfast.

  “We screwed up.” His memory played it again as many times before.

  He was in the helicopter heading for oil rig hijacked by some terrorists. He was young but it was his sixth real action. It was just before dawn, he could see first light on the horizon.

  He turned his NOD's on to see the rig not so far away. “One minute!” He pulled charging handle of his M4A1 backwards, round was loaded into the firing chamber. It wasn't so long after he was woken up when Pentagon gave “greenlight” for them to go in. Four squads of Hybrids alongside with two squads of SEALS were about to attack from air and sea. They landed on the rig. All lights were out. Then the hell broke out. They were everywhere! John found himself pressed against a wall in the middle of firefight.

  “That's not enough do blow a oil rig up causing an oil spill of enormous size.” Caroline interrupted his story.

  “There was more.”

  “RPG incoming on the right!” John ducked behind some crates, after the rocket exploded he sprayed shooter with bullets. He loaded his last mag. Somebody yelled. “Ammo status!” “Last mag!” John answered. They needed to get the bomb squad to disarm explosives around drilling mechanism, but they were pinned down by RPG and MG fire. ”Suppressing fire!” John yelled so everyone heard. At once all of them lined up their guns and hammered elevated platform where all enemy fire was coming from with bullets. Bomb squad moved through. As soon as they opened the door they ran out. “We set it off! Jump off the rig!” John didn't think twice, he leaped over the railing to the sea. Above him rig disappeared in flames. He hit the water hard. After he managed to catch his breath he

  contacted command.

  “HQ this is Crisis. We've lost the objective.”

  “So that's it. What about Sierra Leone?” She asked further.

  “You said only one a day.” John turned her audio recorder off. Caroline wanted to make record of every mission John participated in. Not all of them have been such a mess like this, just some of them.

  “You know that's the worst part of it.” John spilled some coffee over his right hand, but he couldn't feel it.

  “What?”

  “It's not the standing over coffins of your comrades that makes you miserable, not even healing your own wounds. It's that feeling in your chest. You know you did your best and despite that you failed and they paid the price. You know you did what you could but it wasn't enough.”

  John went back to his search. He moved the chair to better place.

  “We've got twenty names and we want to kill them all...”

  "You want to kill them all."

  “...and I want to kill them all. I don't know where they are. Claire tell me you have something.”

  ____________________

  30 minutes later

  “John, you can't do this!” Claire wanted to convince him while he was still at home deciding what weapon he should take.

  “He is here. I'm not risking it what if he tries to kill me again?”

  “That's different. Now you go there to kill him.”

  John was determined to kill the man. The one he saw yesterday. He couldn't believe they released all of them. This one lived alone, no family and not so far away.

  “I'm going out.” He just said to Caroline.

  “Okay, just be back for lunch!”

  He jumped into the car and drove it out of front yard. He drove at 100 miles per hour, nobody seemed to care.

  When he was there he jumped out of the car with pistol in hand. Door didn't give much resistance. What John found inside wasn't what he expected. The place was empty except...

  Audio recorder started playing:

  That moment I saw you I knew. I knew you will piece it together and you'll come. Come and kill me. I don't want to say that I regret what I did. I just...I don't want to give you the pleasure of killing me. But I want the pleasure of killing you...

  Then John noticed it, wires everywhere. The house was set to explode.

  When you knock on hells gate tell them I sent you...

  John walked back slowly but he started running soon. Explosion threw him across the front yard.

  "I thought we went to kill him." Claire said after he dusted himself off.

  When John came home Caroline was about to serve lunch.

  “How was your ride around town?” She asked.

  “Don't pretend you didn't hear it.”

  “Yeah, I knew you would be blowing something up.”

  John gave her a death stare.

  “Wasn't me. Someone tried to blow me up.”

  “Explains all the cuts and bruises on your face. Looks like it ended like Frontier.” She grinned.

  “Go to hell.”

  After lunch John took care of his wounds because his face looked like if he dragged it across a dirt road. After he wiped the dust and blood it didn't look so bad. John wanted to look good for their evening visit, he didn't want people to be curious. Good excuse wouldn't hurt. John thought that he should abandon his plan to kill those men. At least for the time he is here. Peaceful life could be fine. He could find some time to build all the machines he could use in battle.

  ____________________

  Next day

  On their visit to their neighbors John met lots of new people, actually it looked like there's half the town there. Mr. Stonebridge was a good man, funny and fair and he also liked shooting. He promised to take John to local shooting range. He even offered John a part time job in his shop. John kindly refused because he wanted to go to college.

  After some brainstorming with Claire they agreed to build a magnetic cannon. It may seem as an easy task, put some magnets on a tube plug it in and see what happens. But it's not that simple. It will be controlled remotely, it has to be able to take some damage, provide long range fire support, 50 miles would be nice, rate of fire about 4 rounds a minute, automatic reloading. Power requirements and overheating will be a problem. Most of parts will have to be ordered from bigger manufacturers but essential electronics could be made at home with John's resources. By the end of day they had blueprints, filled out orders and time schedule. It should be ready for first testing in two months.

  It was few hours after nightfall. John, some other hybrids and several squads of Marines waited for signal near some city in Iraq. Flashes of light ascended to the sky from anti-aircraft cannons. Somewhere a bomb exploded sending a huge fireball upwards. John watched it through a scope of sniper rifle.

  “So what do you see?”

  “I got two MG nests, four mortars and a truck. There are about twenty insurgents.”

  Next to him was their CO for the mission his name was Cole or something like that.

  “What about the building behind them?”

  “I can't see anything or anyone but looks like solid hardpoint, they could be holed up there just waiting for us to try to cross the field.” It could be a trap John thought.

  “It's just three hundred feet of ground and we'll cross it.”

  John watched few more minutes before radio chatter s
tarted. First was status report, all units were ready. Tanks were to attack from highway and infantry was supposed to attack from here and meet with tanks on the highway.

  “All units, Irene!” Irene was signal to commence the attack.

  John put the sniper rifle on his back and took his M4 from the ground next to him.

  “We're ready. Run!”

  They sprinted through the open field hoping that nobody will notice fifty marines.

  When they were about halfway to wall dividing them from insurgents John heard sound of mortar firing.

  “Mortaaaaaaars!!! Incoming!” He yelled as loud as he could. Then he heard familiar 'Whoosh' and explosion behind him. Wall wasn't so far away so he ran without stopping. He climbed over the wall and took cover behind some rocks. Machine guns started firing, bullets hissed past his head. There was no way to shoot from his position, but car wreck provided enough cover and good view. However he needed to sprint through machine gun fire. When he saw the gunner was reloading John got up and sprinted. Other gunner spotted him. Bullets hit the ground around John, but he didn't stop. He jumped behind the wreck. As he thought all MGs were exposed to him. Lining up the rifle was easy but then someone shouted.

  “Artillery strike incoming!”

  Two 155mm HE rounds reduced MG nests and their operators to dust. John stood up.

  “What the hell? I was just about to kill them.”

  “There will be plenty of others.” Cole said.

  “We could've spared artillery support for later. Now the whole goddamn city knows we're here.”

  “RPG!”

  Before John could do anything it exploded few feet in front of him.