Madman's Monster

by Michael Louis Weinberger

  Larson waited again without altering his gaze and I heard Lei muffle a chuckle at my momentary muteness.

  "Having said all that Mr. Jacobs, why is it that I need you to give me permission to tag along?"

  Damn, I hated being out witted. It was worse for me than losing a fight...and I haven't lost a fight, except to Alpha, in over fifty years.

  "I can only think of one reason Major."

  "What might that be?"

  "You don't know what you are up against. We do, and I can promise you that if you were to try this on your own you would fail and probably be killed."

  Larson smiled, "I think I have more than enough experience to be able to handle myself."

  I smiled, but it was Lei who gave voice to the elephant that was in the room, "your friend Zach probably thought the same thing."

  Larson spun and glared at her, but quickly softened, "No, he knew better, which is why he asked me to come along."

  All of the power and bravado went out of his words and Larson dropped his head as the old pain he had been carrying around lanced through him. I deflated my ego quite a bit as well, and walked over to Larson and put one hand on his shoulder, "It sounds to me as though working together we will have the best chance to find him, don't you think?"

  He nodded and when he looked up I could see how grateful he was from the look on his face, but there was still something lingering in his eyes that appeared concerned.

  "There's something else, what is it?" I asked calmly.

  “It’s not that I don't appreciate all this, but can the two of you handle yourselves?" Before I could answer Larson quickly followed with, "I'm sorry to have to ask, but I am going to need to know whether I am going to have to watch out for you two or if we can watch out for each other."

  "I understand." I really did and that fact surprised me, "and yes, we can more than handle ourselves."

  Larson nodded, "Would you object to letting me see for myself?"

  Lei sighed, "Is that necessary?"

  "It always is good to know what your teammates capabilities are, or the lack thereof, before beginning any mission."

  Lei looked as though she was going to protest more, probably something about not having the proper attire, when I said, "No, it's not a problem. How would you like to do this?"

  Larson picked up his phone and pressed the speed dial button again, "Hey Dar, yeah it's me again. Could you ask Sergeant Wilson, Corporal Nash and Lieutenant Takage to meet me at the pit?"

  "The pit?" Lei said as she scowled at me, "Well that just sounds lovely."

  "Thanks Dar," Larson hung up the phone, "C'mon, let's get the two of you some fatigues so you don't ruin your clothes."

  Ten minutes later Lei and I were both wearing camouflaged fatigue pants and the basic olive drab T- shirt that several of the other soldiers were wearing as they went through their daily training regimen. Larson drove us to one side of the base, stopping the Jeep in front of what initially appeared to be a large hole in the ground. The three of us walked to the rim and looked down to see a spectacular obstacle course and three soldiers at various points in the course."

  "Okay," Larson began, "this is pretty simple stuff, but will tell me all the information I need to know. The idea here is to get through the course as fast and efficiently as possible." He pointed to what appeared to be a wood tower with a large knotted rope hanging off one side. At the top was a platform where a soldier was waiting next to what appeared to be a table. "Lieutenant Takage is at the first station on top of the tower, where he has a standard AR-15 loaded with nine rounds. The objective once you climb the rope is to shoot all five targets as quickly as possible with as few shots as you can. Slide down the pole then work your way to the next station, which is on the other side of the wall."

  The "wall" Larson had indicated was only about fifteen feet from the sliding pole and was a sheer vertical wall with only a few rock climbing polymer hand/foot holds. "Once there Corporal Nash will present you with a sidearm. Enter the house and take out the targets, but be sure not to shoot the civilians." The final stage will require you to climb through the net, get past Sergeant Wilson, and exit through the door at the far end of the pathway."

  Larson handed me a pair of binoculars and pointed to the final station. I could see the net laying six feet off the ground and extending horizontally to a pathway blocked in by two vertical nets. Standing midway between them was Sergeant Wilson who was wearing combat training pads. "The Sergeant is going to physically try to keep you from reaching the door." Larson looked sheepishly at Lei, "He will try to physically restrain you and you will need to engage in order to get past him. Don't worry about the Sergeant, those pads will protect him from injury so don't hold back."

  Lei looked at me, "At least there’s no goddamn water hazard."

  Larson actually laughed at that, "Okay, so who's going to be first?"

  I was about to volunteer when Lei pushed me out of the way, "Me!"

  Larson was surprised by the enthusiasm, but shrugged and said, "Any questions?"

  "Nope!" Lei was downright giddy. Hoo-boy, I thought, this is going to be interesting.

  Larson pulled out a stopwatch and yelled out, "runner in starting position!" and each of the three men on the track raised an arm indicating their readiness.

  Larson turned to Lei, "If you need to stop just raise one arm like those men just did. Understand?"

  Lei tsked, "Let's do this."

  "Really ma'am, most recruits don't make it through on the first try, or even the twentieth for that matter, and I don't need you to finish to understand what your abilities are."

  "Are you going to say "Go" or do I just jump in when I want?"

  Larson shook his head, "On my count. Three, two, one, go!"

  Lei let out an excited high-pitched squeak as she ran down the incline to the rope.

  To Larson I said, "The course doesn't look all that impossible. Why does it take so long for your people to get through it?"

  "It's the combination of physical exertion that the rope, wall and net put on your body immediately followed by the need to be precise and methodical that keeps recruits from passing right away. Usually they are too tired to aim properly with the AR-15, or not calm enough at the second station to avoid shooting the civilians. Assuming they reach the Sergeant at the third station they don't have any fight left in them and they get pinned pretty quickly."

  Lei stumbled on the loose earth underfoot and slid the remaining distance to the rope. She grabbed a hold and pulled herself off the ground and began to climb.

  There was no way that Larson could have known about the kind of upbringing Lei and I had as we grew up in the tunnels of the silver mines where my people had hidden for so long. Rock climbing was part of how we got around and our bodies developed differently over the decades as we spent our lives in such a strange manner. Climbing was as second nature to us as walking, so when Lei began to effortlessly climb hand over hand up the rope without using her legs I thought Larson's jaw was going to dislocate as it dropped open.

  "Whoa," was all I could hear the man say as I shook my head.

  "She's just showing off." I offered.

  Lei spun her whole body around and dangled from the rope as she peered back at the two of us as we watched her. Then she gripped the rope with one hand above her head and the other at waist level drawing the short section of rope taut between her hands. She pulled her body in close and, with the T-shirt yielding to the rope, sandwiched it with her ample breasts. I winced and rolled my eyes as Lei stuck out her tongue, crossed her eyes and proceeded to do slight pull-ups with the rope sliding erotically between her breasts.

  "Um...?" Larson looked confused, and just a bit uncomfortable, "that's a new one on me."

  I groaned and managed to mumble, "Definitely showing off."

  I could see Lei smiling at how uncomfortable she had made the two of us and ended her little exhibition by swinging herself up to the platform, without taking the hand extended to
her by the Lieutenant until after she had both feet solidly. The man handed her the AR-15 and pointed to the firing range. The Lieutenant watched through binoculars as Lei fired a total of seven rounds before he tapped her lightly on the head.

  "Nice," Larson said out loud although probably to himself, "only missed twice."

  Lei slid down the pole and scaled the wall with the same expertise she had used to conquer the rope, and then flipped over the top gracefully before dropping down with as much ease as when she ascended. She ran to where the corporal was standing, took the sidearm from him and made her way into the maze that simulated the interior of a building. I couldn't really see what was happening but could hear a series of two shot bursts.

  Larson was nodding approvingly until there was a single shot and silence. Larson turned to me and smiled, "Oopsie-daisy."

  Lei's unmistakable voice rang out in a loud screech of frustration, "FUUUUUUUUUUCK!"

  I started laughing as did Larson.

  "Guess we can scratch one civilian," he said.

  There were two more two shot bursts and then Lei ambled out the other side of the maze. Her face was distorted with anger and she threw the sidearm down instead of putting it on the small table in front of the horizontal net.

  "Uh oh," I said, "she's pissed now." I turned to Larson, "Better let the Sergeant know he should cover up."

  Larson was still laughing, "Oh, he's got a lot of padding on. He'll be fine."

  My face went serious, "No, really. Tell him to watch out."

  Larson looked at my face and frowned as all laughter went out of him, "What's up?"

  I looked back and saw that Lei had just finished climbing over the net. She appeared to be slightly out of breath, but still had plenty of energy in her stride as she moved to the Sergeant.

  "I cupped my hands one each side of my mouth hoping to amplify my words as I shouted, "Lei! Don't hurt him!"

  Larson frowned at me then watched as Lei's footsteps came to a halt a few feet away from the Sergeant and she flipped me the bird.

  The Sergeant moved forward and reached out for Lei who immediately grabbed his outstretched wrist while stepping back and pulling the sergeant off balance. Then she spun to one side while keeping his wrist tight against her body and the Sergeant had to stagger/run to keep from falling over. Lei quickly reversed her spin and the Sergeant flipped neatly over and hit the ground. Lei let go of his wrist and sauntered lazily to the door, opened it and walked through.

  Larson looked dumbfounded, "That man is one of my best hand-to-hand instructors and she just walked over him like he wasn't even there." He turned to me, "Who the hell is she?"

  I wasn't ready to give a full confession as to Lei and my origins. Let's face it, even after seeing just how much we "civilians" could do, it was still going to be a huge leap to take from "capable" to "vampire" even if we weren't the mythological kind from the movies.

  On the other hand there was some obvious logic to letting Larson know exactly what our abilities were, so I thought another little demonstration might be in order.

  "We've had some special training." I let the statement hang in the air as Larson waited politely for me to elaborate. His silence made me edgy and I volunteered, "Do you really need to know our history or is it more important to understand what we can do?"

  Larson shrugged, "Knowing your history might help me understand your skill set."

  "True," I held out my hands apologetically, "but we all have our classified information." I had hoped that the words I used were something that he could wrap his mind around and were as non-offensive as possible. It was also then I realized how much I wanted this man's help and didn't want to alienate our partnership before it had begun.

  We stood there in silence until it once again became awkward and I asked, "Want me to take a run?"

  "Am I going to see something that I haven't so far?"

  I nodded, knowing what I had planned, "Yes, and tell all three men to wait for me at the end of the course."

  Larson peered at me, "All three?"

  "Please."

  "They aren't in the pads..."

  "I promise they'll be fine."

  Larson looked at me for a beat and then pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

  "Lieutenant, would you and the Corporal please join the Sergeant at stage 3. Thank you."

  We waited until all three men were standing between the vertical nets at "Stage 3" and raised their arms to indicate that they were ready.

  "You remember the signal to stop the test?"

  "Raising my arm or calling out quit.”

  “Okay, on my mark. Three, two, one, go!"

  Chapter 14

  I ran down the incline and grabbed the rope, without slipping on the dirt as Lei had, and scaled to the top just as easily, minus the erotic teasing. I could feel the familiar strain in my muscles as I climbed and it gave me a sense of nostalgia for home, or at least, what I had always called home. I flipped up and onto the platform rolled to the table where the AR-15 sat and quickly fired five rounds. I didn't even look to see where the shots had struck, I didn't have to, I knew I had hit every target, maybe not all in the center ring, but definitely in center mass. I set the rifle down and looked at the pole that I was supposed to slide down. The ground was about twenty-five to thirty feet down and I looked over to where Larson was standing. Okay, I thought, demonstration time. I blew out a breath and stepped off the edge without taking hold of the pole.

  Normally the only way a person could manage to land without serious injury from that height was to hit and roll with the landing and thereby redistributing the forces that would be traumatic to the feet, legs, hips and so on. I landed on my feet, without rolling or crouching, with as much ease as if I had jumped off a dinner chair. I looked back to Larson who was slowly lowering the binoculars from his eyes, but I couldn't see the look of astonishment that I was sure covered his face.

  I turned to the wall and saw that it looked to have been built with four by four wood planks. The hand and footholds were screwed in by bolts, but I pushed my fingers into the slight cracks and lifted myself up the wall by my fingertips. It was something that all natural rock climbers work toward, but I'm sure it appeared to Larson as if I were scaling the wall like Spiderman. When I reached the top I quickly glanced toward Larson but he wasn't there. It made me hesitate for a second but I let the confusion go, jumped down from the wall and walked to where the sidearm lay waiting for me to enter the maze. I moved easily enough through it and two bursts into every "bad guy" without shooting any of the civilians in the process.

  I moved on to the horizontal net that was hanging like an elevated floor two feet off the ground and extended about twenty feet across. I stepped back about ten paces then turned and ran at the net. Leaping off my left foot I dove forward, extending my body in mid leap as I saw the net pass below me, then I tucked my head and twisted in preparation of the roll. I sailed over the end of the net and landed on my shoulder as planned and rolled with the impact coming to my feet at the completion of the roll.

  It was a good thing that I ended up in a standing position too as the corporal didn't wait for me to make my way into the last part of the course and instead charged me as soon as I landed. He went for my legs and I barely avoided the tackle as I twisted to one side. The Lieutenant was on me a second later and I had to grab his arm to keep him from striking my face. Then the corporal dove for my legs again and this time he got a grip around one ankle severely limiting my ability to move.

  I could hear the Sergeant's footfalls as he approached as quickly as he could, given the oversized pads he was wearing, and I countered the two men holding me by rolling my body and trapping the Lieutenant's arm as I held it with my hands. I used my legs to trap the corporal's arm in a similar fashion and arched my body back tightening the lock on their joints. Both men shrieked and began tapping my body in submission from the pressure I was putting on their extremities and I released them just in time to receive a right ho
ok across my jaw from the Sergeant that sent me sprawling.

  I stood and was surprised to taste blood in my mouth. It was my own, but my body reacted as if it were a drug and I was an addict that screamed out for more. I could feel the adrenaline surge through my body and a warm sensation flooded me as the need twisted my guts around.

  I turned to the Sergeant as he came at me again. This time I let him hit me and barely registered the jab as it struck my face. He followed it up with a boxer's combination that sent another right cross to my already throbbing jaw, a left hook to my ribs and right uppercut to my solar plexus. I stood there and took every blow without defending myself and I still barely felt any of the blows. Sensing that his strikes didn't have the desired effect the Sergeant clasped his hands behind my head in a Thai clinch and tried to pull my head down to strike with his knees. I didn't bend and instead smiled at the man behind the protective facemask. Blood had stained my teeth pink, but I don't know if the man realized it because I pushed out of his clinch and threw a punch into the padded helmet he was wearing. The sound of the impact was a muffled "thump" but the force still sent him reeling back a couple steps. I closed the distance and struck again, this time the force of the punch lifted his whole body off the ground.

  The Sergeant fell in a heap and drunkenly raised one arm to the sky; unfortunately, in the state I was in it's meaning didn't register with me and I pounced on top of the man's chest hammering two more blows to the face mask before I heard the polymer crack. I was about to hit him again when I felt two sets of hands grab me from behind. It was the Lieutenant and Corporal trying to pull me off their man. I backhanded the Corporal, which sent him careening to the ground, but the Lieutenant I grabbed by the throat with one hand and by the belt with the other. I stood and lifted the one hundred and eighty pound man over my head before throwing him aside like a sack of potatoes.

  I reached down and pushed my finger through the reinforced bars of the facemask and ripped the entire headpiece off the Sergeant. The man was unconscious, but I didn't see his face as much as my eyes focused completely on the small pulsation at one side of his neck. I was about to kneel down when someone slammed into my chest and took me to the ground. I wrapped my arms around the new assailant and felt the familiar shape of Lei's back right before she pressed her mouth to mine. Lei's kiss was violent and forced itself upon me as she grabbed the hair at the back of my head and held on. I tried to push her away and get back to the unconscious Sergeant in order to satisfy the bloodlust that was overwhelming me, but as I pushed at her waist she used the created space to toss her legs around and trap my body in a scissor lock.