by E. E. Borton
“I can’t remember,” said Frank of Blue Team, “When I first got here two years ago, I didn’t even know there were mosquitoes in Maine.”
“Same here,” said Paul. “I’m from Florida. I thought this place would be frozen year round.”
“No kidding,” said Frank, scanning the numerous screens in front of him.
“What time do you have, Frank?” asked Paul.
“Three a.m.,” responded Frank.
“That sucks for you guys,” said Paul, raising a silenced pistol to the back of Frank’s head.
“Why do you –”
Paul squeezed the trigger, spraying Frank’s blood and brain matter over every screen in front of him. He fired another round into the side of Frank’s partner’s head before he knew what was happening. He locked the security hubs door and pushed Frank aside. He typed furiously on a keyboard in front of a screen identifying all the secured access points. One by one, the red indicator lights showed locked positions turning green. On one of the cameras, he watched the service entrance gate on the west side of the complex roll open. A few seconds later, he saw the camouflaged men rise out of the ditch and run towards the open gate. Paul’s men assigned to the gate dropped their weapons and placed their hands high in the air. It was the prearranged position all his men would take when they were approached by Ryan’s team. He was using the same playbook as Colonel Brown and turned his own security force against him.
The three assault teams quickly covered the distance to the main entrance of the lab. The four men from Red Team guarding the doors dropped their weapons and raised their hands when they saw Ryan approach. They stopped at the front desk and waited for Paul’s instructions from the security hub.
“Eagle, this is Alpha,” said Ryan, talking to Paul over his radio, “We’re in position.”
“Roger that, Alpha,” responded Paul. “First patrol is on the second floor moving east to the stairwell. They’ll be heading up to the third floor. Second Patrol is on the fourth floor and will be taking the west stairwell down to the first.”
“Understood,” replied Ryan.
“Bravo Team,” said Steve, “Take ambush positions at the stairwell and wait for the second patrol to exit. Charlie Team, take the elevator to the fourth floor and wait for the first patrol to show up. Move fast.”
Both teams acknowledged and snaked down the corridors to lie in wait for the security patrols. Ryan’s men were equipped with silenced automatic weapons to minimize alerting others who were still loyal to the Colonel.
Ryan, Dallas, and Steve turned and headed for the opposite stairwell which would lead them to the basement floor. It was the location of the security hub and the Didache section.
The Didache labs consisted of nearly the entire basement floor. They were divided into three sections. The middle section held all the treatment areas and equipment used for research. It resembled a large hospital intensive care unit with glass front rooms surrounding a central administrative kiosk. It was the most secure with four of the six guards assigned to the basement. Ryan’s team would be entering one of the two flanking sections holding most of the offices used for daily tasking by the scientists and technicians. It was the smallest of the three rooms and the least likely to have security guards. The Colonel and Alex were sleeping in their quarters in the opposite section, which also held his office and two large conference rooms. One of the conference rooms had been converted to a bunkroom for the three scientists who were the brains of Didache.
“Colonel Brown and Alex are still in their quarters,” radioed Paul. “Four Blue Team guards are in the lab, and two are posted outside of his sleeping quarters.”
“Got it, Eagle,” replied Ryan. “We’re moving down now.”
As the stairwell door closed behind Ryan, the door on the opposite side opened. The two men on security patrol didn’t have time to react as Bravo Team opened fire as soon as they stepped through the doorway. Their Kevlar body armor did nothing for their unprotected heads as the volley of bullets hit their marks.
“Alpha, this is Bravo,” said Derek, leading the team.
“Go ahead.”
“Patrol is neutralized.”
“Understood. Take your position down at the basement entrance and stand by for our signal.”
“Moving now,” replied Derek. He was leading Bravo Team because they’d be the first to reach Alex’s quarters. The other three men on his team were there to take out the two security guards posted at the Colonel’s door. If Alex were alerted to the assault, he’d easily be able to kill all three before they reached their goal. Derek was there for one reason: Terminate Alex before Alex terminated all of them.
The elevator doors opened on the fourth floor, and Charlie Team spilled out into the corridor. They hugged the wall as they moved toward the stairwell door. The second patrol would be coming through in a matter of seconds. They took their ambush positions as the knob turned. The first man walked through with no expectation that four heavily armed men would be waiting on the other side. When he appeared in the doorway, Charlie Team opened fire. The security guard’s head snapped back as the first of many bullets impacted his face. He fell into the second guard, momentarily blocking the volley of rounds. It bought him enough time to squeeze off one round before he was riddled with bullets. Even though they were on the fourth floor and Alex was in a deep sleep in his basement quarters, it woke the Marine with genetically enhanced hearing and alerted him to gunfire. Derek heard it as well.
The plan was to wait until Bravo and Charlie Teams eliminated the patrols before entering the basement. It would allow them to enter in full strength against the large number of security guards located in the largest section of the lab. The plan changed when the muffled sound of the single shot echoed down the stairwell.
Derek knew the most effective way to eliminate the super soldier was to catch him off guard. He also knew Ryan may have been oblivious to the sound of gunfire four stories above his head. If he didn’t hear it, he wouldn’t give the order to enter until Charlie Team joined them in the stairwell. Derek turned and told his team they were going in early as he pushed open the door.
The two Blue Team members stationed in front of the Colonel’s quarters glanced over at the opening door, expecting to see their own security patrol. Instead, they saw Derek with three shadows behind him bolt into the corridor. Before they could focus on the intruders, all four opened fire and cut them down before they fired a single shot. Derek shouldered his weapon and burst down the hall at top speed. His three team mates were over twenty paces behind him when he arrived at Alex’s door.
Alex sat up in bed, instinctively knowing something was wrong. He reached over and grabbed his pistol from the nightstand. Wearing only his boxers, he flung open his bunkroom door. The last person he expected to see was Derek. Before Alex could twitch a muscle to aim his pistol, he was blinded by a lightning fast punch which sent him crashing into the far wall of his room. Disoriented, he felt the pistol being ripped out of his hand. Derek quickly removed the slide and magazine, rendering the weapon useless. Alex held his arm up in a defensive position as his vision began to clear, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Derek from delivering another bone-crushing punch to his ear. The blindness returned along with a deafening ringing in his head. With two powerful and accurate strikes, the super soldier was nearly incapacitated.
Ryan’s radio sprang to life with chatter from Bravo Team as they entered the basement from the opposite stairwell. Ryan’s team immediately entered the basement and found no resistance in the office section, just as they had suspected. They moved quickly to the door separating them from the four security guards posted on the other side. A small window at head level gave them a clear view into the heart of the lab. Ryan peered through the window and saw the four guards on their feet looking in the direction of Derek’s position.
“They’re moving away from us,” whispered Ryan.
“They probably heard Bravo make entry,” said Steve.
/> As the first guard looked through the window, the door separating them from Bravo Team exploded in their faces. Derek used Alex as a projectile and launched him down the hall and through the heavy steel door. Two of the guards went down with Alex and the door on top of them.
“They definitely heard that,” said Steve.
“On me,” ordered Ryan as he made entry into the lab.
With his weapon already sighted on one of the two standing guards, Ryan ordered them to drop their guns. The two men spun around with panicked eyes. Ryan instantly knew they weren’t going to follow his commands. He squeezed the trigger and the first round found its mark, snapping the guard’s head back. The second guard managed to find cover when Steve’s first round only grazed his shoulder. The lab erupted in gunfire.
One of the guards taken down by the door recovered to his knees and began firing wildly in Ryan’s direction. Alpha Team dove for cover as the rounds peppered the wall behind them. The gunfight ended quickly as Derek calmly came up behind each guard and killed them at close range. Each man on the assault team, including Steve, jumped to his feet, but none of them lowered their weapons. From his cover position, Ryan could only see their shocked faces. He slowly rose and made eye contact with what was not allowing Steve or his men to stand down. It was the first time any of them had witnessed the transformation.
Breathing heavily, Derek stood alone in the doorway with the security guard’s blood dripping from his elongated fingers. He didn’t say a word as he turned his attention toward Alex lying a few feet away, broken and bleeding. Ryan walked slowly toward Derek, who was looking down at his former friend.
“How could you kill them?” asked Derek with blue veins bulging through his pale face. “Did you know they were going to do the same thing to you that they did to us? Peter and Richard were just scared and running for their lives.”
“They were rapists and murderers” wheezed Alex. “Just like you.”
“Joshua was the only one raping,” said Derek. “But you’re right, we did kill them. Not that it matters now, but they did this to us. They made us kill and we couldn’t stop ourselves. But you killed because you were following orders. The same man who did this to us turned you into a murderer as well. The difference is, you killed your brothers.”
“You’re not my brother, Derek. You’re a fucking abomination. You all are. You’re all going to burn in hell.”
“Right again, Alex, but I’ll be sending you first.”
Derek raised his hand high above his head and drove each razor sharp claw into Alex’s throat. With his other hand, he punched deep into his chest, forcing out his last breath. When Alex stopped moving, Derek picked up his body and started walking towards the Colonel’s office. Ryan and Steve quietly followed.
Before he entered the lab, Derek directed the three men on his assault team to secure the Colonel’s office and quarters. The door was unlocked and the Colonel was sitting at his desk adorned in his Marine dress uniform. When the men entered, he stood slowly and handed over his service pistol without firing a shot.
Derek coolly walked past his team and dropped Alex’s body on Colonel Brown’s desk. “One more for your collection,” said Derek as the Colonel took a step backwards.
“They really fucked you poor bastards up, didn’t they?” said Colonel Brown, cocking his head and staring at Derek’s mutated face. “They said it was impossible, but here you are standing in front of me exactly how they wanted to build you. Fascinating.”
“And who would ‘they’ be?” asked Ryan, walking in the room with Steve and Dallas.
“Ah, Agent Pearson,” said Colonel Brown with a smile, “The gang’s all here.”
“Answer my question, Colonel.”
“They would be the young men cowering in one of the rooms you passed getting to me. Those are the ones responsible for Derek’s condition.”
“Dallas.”
“I’m on it, Boss,” responded Dallas, leaving the room to find the scientists.
“And you must be Steve,” said Colonel Brown.
“I am. I want to thank you for the opportunity to kill those sorry assholes who jumped my men. I enjoyed it thoroughly.”
“I take it you’re the one who turned Paul against me.”
“I had a little something to do with it,” said Steve. “Kind of sucks not knowing who to trust, doesn’t it?”
“Oh, I never trusted him. I actually thought you’d kill him and the others before you got to me. The fact that he survived is of no consequence. It’s all been factored in the final solution.”
“The final solution?” asked Ryan.
“Oh, yes, Agent Pearson. Do you think I’d leave myself without options?”
“From where I’m standing, I don’t see any.”
“On the contrary, there’s always an option. And if you take a moment to think about what I’m going to tell you, you’ll understand my option will be the only one for you as well.”
“Humor me,” said Ryan.
“You see this sorry pile on my desk that used to be Alex? Well, he’s the one responsible for killing Peter and Richard and trying to kill Joshua and Derek. When he found out his brother Marines turned into serial killers, he saw no other course but to defend the honor of the Corps and try to salvage all the hard work conducted here at the lab. While under no direction from me, he ran a side operation shadowing your agents. When you caught up with Peter and Richard, he simply moved ahead of you and killed them. He also came in behind you and contaminated all the evidence linking them to the Didache Project.”
“So, your plan is to frame Alex for all the people you wanted dead,” said Ryan.
“The deaths were senseless. But in Alex’s deranged and altered mind, he viewed them as a threat to Didache. Just as he viewed you and your team as a threat.”
“That’s your story?” asked Ryan. “Alex is responsible for everything?”
“He is,” said Colonel Brown, handing Ryan a folder. “I finally broke through to him yesterday. He volunteered to sit down and produce a sworn statement documenting every step he took since Derek and the other three went UA. He showed a great deal of remorse and was contemplating turning himself in to the oversight committee. The same oversight committee and federal law enforcement officials who received my report yesterday. But it seems he changed his mind and tried to kill Derek and your team.”
“You’re a very sick man,” said Ryan, reading the fake documents handed to him by the Colonel.
“Really?” said Colonel Brown. “Well, then you won’t mind showing me the warrants. The warrants giving you authority to trespass on private property, kill my men, and arrest me. If you don’t possess any warrants, then killing my men becomes premeditated murder. And I know you don’t have them because Deputy Director Donaldson, your boss and my longtime friend, didn’t authorize any. Now, once again, you need to pay attention to what I’m offering.
“Alex takes the fall for the killings. He resisted arrest and was subsequently gunned down by your team which arrived after my call for help. You see, I had no idea he was out there trying to cover up the mistakes made by the project scientists.”
“And what happens if I don’t agree to jump in bed with you?” asked Ryan.
“The other FBI team arriving here shortly, sent by your boss after my request, will be arresting you and your men. I’ll still be submitting Alex’s confession to the committee and walking away with a slap on the wrist. The reality is, they’ll probably shut down the Didache Project for a few months while they conduct an investigation. And when they find it was a horrible series of uncontrollable mistakes made criminal by your actions, I’ll be back at the helm before the end of the year.”
“What fucking planet are you on?” asked Ryan. “Didache is finished. Even if you manage to separate yourself from Alex, when what you did to Derek and the other three Marines go public, the doors on this place won’t be opening again.”
“God, you are naïve, Agent Pearson,” said Colon
el Brown. “The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars backing the Didache Project. Do you really think they’re just going to close the doors because of one mistake? Do you really think, because a few people died while I created the perfect weapon against terrorism, they’ll simply throw it away? If you do, then feel free to arrest me. I’ll come peacefully. And before the ink dries on your paperwork, your own boss will set me free and throw your irritating carcass under the fucking jail.”
“You arrogant prick,” said Ryan. “One of those people who died was named Kristina Anderson. She was a sweet, intelligent, beautiful woman who didn’t deserve to die on a cold bathroom floor with a bullet in her head. But you decided the Didache Project was more important than her life. That’s where you fucked up, Chief.”
“Enough of your dribble, Agent Pearson,” said Colonel Brown, defiant. “Read me my rights so we can get this over with. I have a ten o’clock tee time with the Lieutenant Governor tomorrow, and I won’t be missing it.”
“God, you are naïve, Colonel,” said Ryan. “You actually think I’m here to arrest you.”
Dallas pushed the three young scientists to the floor when he heard the single gunshot from the Colonel’s office. He drew his weapon and rushed through the doorway. He lowered his gun when he saw Colonel Brown leaning back in his chair with a large hole still smoking in the middle of his forehead.
26
Green-Eyed Monster
Dallas stood silently behind Ryan. Derek moved into a corner of the office as his claws and fangs painfully retracted into his body. Steve walked past everyone and moved out into the hallway to check on his men. The death of Alex and Colonel Brown signified the death of the Didache Project.
Ryan wasn’t thinking about the consequences of his actions. He was thinking about Kristina. For a brief moment, he wondered if she would have been disappointed in him. He wondered if she would understand his solution. Colonel Brown was an evil, manipulative, and extremely dangerous fanatic who needed to be removed from the planet. He felt there were no other choices.
