by C. S Luis
“Mission Fifteen, sir.”
“The one in the high school with the aggressive Minder?” I nodded. “When did the simulation short circuit?”
He rose, taking the otoscope and examining my eyes and ears. It was strange having him hover over me and conduct the examination, usually left for his assistants to handle.
“When she attacked me. I wanted to push her away and I thought about it.” He took my temperature next, running a digital thermometer across my forehead.
“You thought about it?” I nodded and could see a quirk in Dr. Nicholson’s mouth. He was pleased. He moved away picking up the tablet from the examination table where he had laid it. He took notes. He always took notes- it was a thing I could always catch him doing, even outside of the lab. Not that I often saw him elsewhere; he was a very private man.
“Do you know why you were selected as a recruit for The Company, John?”
“I was selected for my attributes.” All the boys shared a qualification of being an orphan.
“Have you ever been told what those are?”
“Yes, sir, my abilities. I am a Venator.”
“Not yet, but soon. You are stronger and faster than the other recruits, because of your advantage. You know what that is?”
“I’m an anomaly.”
“Correct. And as such, you are unique in so many ways.”
“May I ask something, sir?”
He looked displeased I had interrupted his evaluation, but I couldn’t get his name out of my mind. “You may…”
“Where is Jack?” I wanted to know what kind of answer he would give me, after just seeing him outside.
“Jack has been transferred to another facility.”
I didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t been truthful. I figured there were reasons for that. Jack was a little rebellious, something that nicked at the director. He hated disorder. And Jack was all about disorders. Did I actually miss Jack?
“Will I see him again?” I forced myself to ask. I needed to see his reaction.
“I’m certain your paths will cross. Jack will be sent on his own mission soon. Just as you will be.” His answer didn’t surprise me. I blinked.
The director rose. He was reading through his computer tablet. The crease on his brow indicated he was consumed with the research in his files. His lip curved sideways slightly, and there seemed to be a gleam of victory in his features.
He turned quickly toward the door. “I will return promptly.”
He left the room and I found it difficult to stay still. Rubbing a hand over my head, I looked around the room. I honestly didn’t know what much of the tools were for. I’d never had an aptitude for medicine. I thought of Jack, thought about what the director had said regarding him being sent on a mission soon and I would follow. I was both excited and terrified at the thought of being out there. Excitement won out. All the simulations I endured wouldn’t compare to being out in the real world.
I had known Jack for a long time, I couldn’t remember ever not having him around until the live simulation a few weeks ago where he shot the trainer in the leg. He had been reprimanded for it. Soon, I would get my chance like he was getting. He had seen the world a lot sooner than I had. And I hated to admit, I was curious about what was out there.
Leaning back on the examination table, I thought about the outside world. I felt anticipation curl in my stomach. I’d been trained in the customs and behaviors of people on the outside for future missions, but was too valuable to be risked amongst the possible aliens and Mindbenders. It was far too dangerous. Even now, I could feel the simulated death from an alien product protecting the Mindbender. If I failed in a legitimate mission, that death would be real, permanent. An electrical shock wouldn’t bring me back.
I watched the old-fashioned clock in the room, the second-hand spinning in a hypnotic circle. Five minutes; then, ten. I closed my eyes, lying back. I would take a rest until Dr. Nicholson came back. I’d been riding high on the adrenaline from the simulation room, it was waning now.
Hello?
Why are you inside my head?
I don’t know. Why are you inside mine?
“Recruit Slater?” A hand on my arm jolted me back to the present. Had I been dreaming again? I rubbed at my cheeks, looking at Dr. Nicholson in surprise. The man was looking at me, head tilted to the side as if he was calculating something.
“Sorry, sir. I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Do you know why?”
I hear voices in my head, I thought, swallowing back the urge to tell him. It hadn’t been an order; I could make the choice to ignore it. I shook my head. Dr. Nicholson tapped a few things into the tablet.
“You said something about an assignment, sir? About sending me out, too?”
“Yes, you are being sent south. More details will follow once you’ve completed your training, of course.” He set a folder down on the examination table, took a seat on the nearby stool, and began typing into the laptop.
More training, I thought.
“You will be briefed en route. As this is your first assignment, you will be assigned a guardian. His name is Joseph and you will meet him as soon as you leave this room. Become acquainted with him. You are a unit now. You must depend on him, just as he will expect the same from you.”
“Why do I require a guardian, sir?” Dr. Nicholson glared over at me from his seat and almost immediately I regretted my question. Hadn’t he already told me?
“You are a valued asset to the Company. And it’s Company protocol as a valued member to have a guardian.”
“Do you, sir?”
Dr. Nicholson pressed his lips together slightly; I swallowed the rest of my questions. The director’s clear blue eyes seemed to indicate I was prying a little close to questions I shouldn’t be asking.
“I do,” the director answered dryly.
“May I ask what my target is?”
“At the present time, there is only speculation of a source of energy in a local school in El Paso, Texas. I want you there to conduct a thorough walk-through. Get your things together, you’ll be there for a year.”
A year, I thought.
The thin line of his lips wrinkled as he noticed the look upon my face.
I nodded.
“It should be an easy target for your first assignment.”
I wanted to argue. I was hoping for a serious challenge to prove myself on the field. I never expected to be placed in a school as my first mission. What kind of assignment was that?
Dr. Nicholson stood up from his rolling doctor stool and moved to leave the room. He paused in the doorway. “I know what you are thinking, John, but this is an important mission. Don’t fret; you will prove yourself. I expect great things from you.”
It was as if he had read my mind. I guess the look on my face was an obvious disappointment.
With regards to the role I was expected to play, I looked the part, I was after all just fifteen myself. I would fit right in with the rest of the students. Just another new student.
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir,” I said, saluting him. Dr. Nicholson smiled and walked out, leaving me to dress.
I stepped out, nearly forgetting what Dr. Nicholson had briefed me on. I looked into the folder that had been left for me on the examination table as I stopped outside the lab rooms. The long, barracks hall was cold and dim. It was a wonder people could see each other.
Inside the folder, I found details on the location. It was a high school just like Dr. Nicholson had said. I found a picture of my target. A man in his thirties that could be someone’s uncle, or father, or best friend. I didn’t even know there was a target to be examined, but it looked like The Company had been keeping tabs on him for some time. There was nothing concrete in the file, just the note he was a possible person of interest. There was no mention of him in Dr. Nicholson’s notes. Maybe he was of no interest to the doctor.
I stared at his face taking in the image. He looked harmless. Furt
her notes penned by Dr. Nicholson specified other important details he wanted me to focus on. He underlined the word source in one section: find the source of energy if any markers indicate are in the building. If nothing found, report back.
“Do you understand what you’re looking at?” I heard a voice say from behind.
A tall tan-skinned man in a dark suit and tie was standing behind me. He looked professional all around. He was wearing a pair of clearing glasses, they were called Thermal Identification Goggles, because they detected odd interference. I knew that from my studies. He must have been testing them.
4
Joseph, The Guardian
“I’m pretty sure I do,” I firmly answered him furrowing my brow. He removed his glasses and narrowed his dark eyes at me. His brown color contrasted with the light color of his hair. He was a tall big fellow, wider built like a football player. Brawny and big, most guardians fell under the same profile.
“So quick to temper they warned me about you.”
I had that quizzical look on my face wondering just who the hell he was and who had been talking about me.
“You’re easy on the eyes, too.” He smiled. “Definitely a handsome one.”
“Huh?”
He laughed now. “I’m Joseph,” he answered my silent question. I often wondered if guardians were made within the labs, instead of recruited like the hunters.
“I’ve been assigned as your guardian. I’m sure Dr. Nicholson, already informed you about that. I will be assisting you throughout your first assignments.” He observed me briefly, I assumed getting the feel of me, as I was doing with him.
“Assisting? I thought you were just going to be a guardian. I do not need assisting with anything. I’m a hunter. I don’t need help in that part.”
“Have you ever been outside these walls?” He neared, bringing us face-to-face. I was ready for a fight, my body edged for a challenge and action. I was made for confrontation.
“You’re still green…fresh. A fighter you might be, but if you’re not properly introduced to the shit out there, it can screw with your game. It won’t matter what you are in here, if you’re not prepared out there.” He tapped the side of his head, then stepped back and flashed me a wide grin. I was breathing hard and heavy with the adrenaline in my body racing through my veins.
“Relax, kid.” He patted the side of my shoulder. Kid?
I kept my composure. It was all about control. Know when to move on your opponent, John…the staff sergeant’s words had been drilled into my head; now, they came to keep me calm.
“I’ve done this before.” I glared at him.
“Everyone is assigned a guardian, or a security detail; they’re all the same. I’m pretty sure the doctor explained that to you. He’s thorough about protocol and rules. He’s a stickler for these things.”
“I’m not a kid? It’s John Slater.”
He laughed. I already knew I was gonna like him.
“Okay, John Slater, let’s get your feet wet,” Joseph said wrinkling his lip.
“Excuse me?”
He looked me over. I felt uncomfortable for a moment.
“Is that how you always dress?” he asked.
“It’s my uniform, of course,” I responded.
He shook his head. “Well you can’t go out looking like that. Follow me.”
“Where are we going?”
“You haven’t been out, so let’s get you out. First, let’s get you into better apparel.”
“What?”
“Your clothes, kid; you need a better get up.”
Moments later I was in the locker room of the Academy getting fitted for new clothes. Joseph left me in the locker to retrieve an item.
He returned promptly holding a plastic bag. Inside were a few items of clothing. He handed them to me.
“What’s this?”
“Your new apparel,” he said. “Don’t worry I’ve done my homework on what kids of today are wearing. You can’t go out like that.”
“What’s wrong with the way I’m dressed?” I asked.
“You seriously want me to answer?” he asked.
I blinked. Did I? The look on my face asked the question my vocal cords swallowed.
I took the items as he handed them, two pairs of pants- one pair of jeans, the other a pair of slacks- and an assorted style of shirts. I tried the jeans and t-shirt first. I didn’t like them. Joseph seemed to think it fit right.
“No.” I said taking the shirt off. “This isn’t me.”
I took the collared shirt from him and put it on instead with the slacks. This was more me.
He said nothing as he placed the shoes on the bench, two pairs- one pair of dress boots the other tennis shoes. That was an easy pick. Joseph picked up his phone.
I glared at him wondering what he was doing with the device.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Taking notes, kid. A good guardian needs to know what you fancy,” he joked, “and if this is it, I have to make sure we have these items and whatever else you’ll need. Always have to be prepared...” He said placing the phone in his pocket. I didn’t know what to say. It was an action I never thought I’d see – my guardian performing his tasks. Of course, I’d read about it, but it wasn’t the same.
Before I knew it, we sat in a car driving out of the facility. I was in the front seat dressed in a pair of slacks, a pair of black dress shoes and a cotton shirt Joseph dubbed “the uniform of a teenage boy.” He insisted on the added touch of goo. He pushed my ash blond locks back with some hair product that he squeezed out of a tiny bottle.
There was something about Joseph; something different. He wasn’t just acting the guardian type. I knew from the curriculum what was required of a guardian. How one was to act and display themselves. Professional above all else, but there was a difference about him, just watching him. It was evident from the way he behaved and the way he spoke. I guess a guardian needed to be a good fit for their hunter. It seemed like Joseph and I fit perfectly.
The roads from the facility were long and deserted with no buildings to look at. They stretched and went on for miles. The first signs of life were off-road restaurants. I jumped with excitement and hoped that Joseph had not seen it.
Eventually, we reached the city. My eyes nearly popped out. There was so much to see, my head was spinning and in my stomach a fluttering of butterflies trying to escape through my chest. I thought I would pass out.
My first outing. I couldn’t stop staring at the buildings and people. I had seen things on computer screens from within the facility, but never the real things. This was a different experience altogether finally witnessing them out in the open.
We pulled into a large parking lot with a large building. It looked like a school from my recollection of images and lectures during my training. Besides, there were the obvious yellow buses parked at the side of the building. In our lectures, we were taught that the big yellow buses indicated a school. The simulations were all created to appear in the same manner and give the same feeling of being a real school.
The vehicle came to a complete stop between two cars and Joseph turned off the engine. He reached into the side panel of the passenger seat, I watched him take out a computer tablet and scroll down the screen.
“What are we doing?” I asked. I wanted to get into the hunting part of the job, into the action. We were just sitting out here. What were we waiting for?
“Waiting,” Joseph said.
No shit, I wanted to say, but chose to go in a more diplomatic way. “Waiting, for what?”
“The target. What else?” He glanced over at me and smiled. I guess he could feel I was dying to get out and begin working.
“I thought we were hunting, taking someone down,” I argued overzealously.
He laughed, and I crossed my arms, frustrated with his lack of response.
“Kid, what do you think hunting is all about? This is part of the hunt, sitting in a car or where the fuc
k ever they send you and waiting, observing your surroundings, counting your exits, scoping out your ways around the place. You need to observe and know-how your gonna approach the target. You can’t just run in there unprepared.”
He noticed the look on my face, questioning his reasons to sit around and do nothing.
“Sometimes, these targets are far deadlier. You’ve studied the different kinds in your curriculum studies, right?”
I knew what he meant. There were different oddities other than the product that escaped The Company faculties thirty years ago and the Mindbenders. The Company’s product was an alien specimen that had been accidentally unleashed on the population. Our job was to retrieve them. Mindbenders were of utmost importance. At least, according to the director.
“A good Venator approaches its target with stealth. Lucky for you, your appointed target is not so difficult.” He pushed the tablet onto my lap. A girl’s face appeared on the screen.
“Is this our target?”
Joseph was looking into the distance. “Yep,” he simply said without turning.
“So, what are we doing?”
“Pick up?” he said.
“Pick up?” I repeated in the same blank tone I looked at him with.
He looked back at me, chuckling. “Our assignment is easy. Pick the target up, deliver the product to the facility. Done.”
“That’s it?” I said impatiently.
“Yep.” He looked back over at me with a big grin. I think he was getting a kick out of this. I stirred in my seat. I wanted to go out on the hunt. I wanted the rush I felt when I was racing after my target. The simulation always got me pumped up and it was the only thing that eased me. If I went too long without feeling the adrenaline coursing through my system, things tended to happen like the simulation accident.
“It’s not that easy, kid. You also have to act the part.”
“I can. I’ve done this before, Joseph.” I wanted to assure him that I was fully capable of doing the job entrusted to me.
“Yeah, on a simulation. This is entirely different, kid. I’ve seen your stats, but that’s not what I’m talking about. You have to act the part.” I didn’t understand, and he knew it. “Sometimes, you have to pretend to be someone else, John. At least until you get close. Do you understand that? There are far more roles in this line of work, kid. Hunter, Venator that’s just one…” I must have looked confused, because he continued. “Just read it.” He dipped his head acknowledging the tablet he’s already slid onto my lap. “Get briefed and learn to recognize your target. The details are on the file.”
