Redemption (The Alliance Series Book 1) (4 page)

              "No, you see how erratic the ones with the ability to think are? They must be controlled, turned into living machines if you will, that is the only way." The scientist said.

              “I guess you can’t stop progress." The other said.

I clicked off the laptop and pocketed the copied files.

              I felt betrayed.

              My nation was lobotomizing people to create killing monsters?

              There was no way.

              Anger began to build in my stomach. What was going on? Either we had a rogue group within the military acting on its own or there was a policy allowing this sort of thing to happen.

              I’m not ignorant. I know the U.S. isn't innocent of any wrong doings in our history, just ask Nathan’s people, but to use innocent men and women who volunteer to serve their country, putting their lives on the line. To use them as lab rats was wrong. They were removing their freewill, and that was a particularly kind of evil in my book.

              One of the reasons I do what I do is to ensure that people have the ability to get up in the morning and go to work without having to worry about something eating their children or some monstrosity from a fairy tale destroying their homes.

              I want them to have the freedom to live a normal plain American life. I have always believed my country used me because at its core it still wanted to ensure the same thing.

              These people were ripping the freedom right out of others hands. If I didn't get a grip on myself, I’d blow the roof off this place.

              Just then, I heard the doorknob turning and saw a man enter the front door.

              He was average height for an Asian, black, short hair with dark green eyes. He wore an expensive looking suit. Beautiful tailor made leather shoes and a deep green tie that matched the color of his eyes.

              His eyes freaked me out the most. They were deep green and filled with malevolence. I realized I had seen this man on some of the footage from the video and my instincts screamed for me to get out!

              He looked at me for a few seconds then looked at the laptop and started smiling. It was creepy.

              "So you wish to steal my knowledge do you? You and those two bitches who think they can take from me and get away with it? I will deal with you first, then I am going to find those two thieving whores and bleed them for days. I think I may eat the daughter while the mother watches, or maybe I will eat the mother while the daughter watches? I will not stand by and allow someone to take what is mine."

              With that, the little green-eyed man’s body began to shimmer, his eyes got larger and his face and body began to stretch. The green of his eyes began to show themselves in the green of his scales as a fifty-five foot dragon emerged from the little maniac’s body. The dragon extended his body and opened up his massive wings. They easily filled the house and the transformation caused the front of the house to collapse as the dragons body quickly pushed down the walls around him.

              I looked at the monster before me and realized I was in deep shit. On a mission like this, going up against a much more powerful foe, the best tactic was to catch them unprepared. He didn’t seem surprised to me. My fact finding trip was a success, but I was afraid it still might end in failure, namely my death.

              Instead of running like a mouse, ensuring a quick end, I did what most predators wouldn't expect from their prey. I attacked.

              I gathered all the anger I had boiling inside of me and channeled it to a point on the palm of my hand. I raised that hand, holding the .44 that housed the Arthur rounds, and screamed,

              "I might get me some new boots after all!”

              I released the gathered energy while at the same time firing a round I had aimed for the dragon’s heart.

              The effect was dramatic.

              A red lightning laced Arthur round flew from the pistol and hit the dragon just off center of his chest.

              The green dragon flew back and destroyed the rest of the side of the house he had already damaged in a heap of green scales and falling bricks.

              I took the commotion as a signal to run like a frightened mouse and headed back out the way I’d come.

              Before I could hurdle the fence I heard the sound of a house moving.             

There was also the matter of a dragon’s roar.

              I don’t know if you have ever had the pleasure of hearing a dragon’s roar. It seems to be one of those things that make grown men wet themselves. Luckily, I was a trained professional and I barely managed not to wet myself, barely.

              "How dare you use the bane of Arthur of Old on me you foul mortal worm! If you’re going to kill a dragon you better be damn sure you know where his heart is!” Bellowed ole green eyes.

              I chanced a look back and watched as the dragon stood up on his hind legs.

              The hole that the Arthur round had made was already healing itself.

              I knew if he launched an attack at me I wouldn't have been able to get out of the way.

              He reared his head back taking in a deep breath, then extending forward, unleashed a flood of green acid from his mouth.

              I didn't have much time to react, so I instinctively dropped down and curled into a ball. As the acid descended, I felt a sort of compression as if I had been placed in a chamber and the pressure was increased.

              The acid hit the shield that Nathan had created around me. I guess he was still paying attention. It flowed down following a path as if there was a glass bubble surrounding me.

              Where the acid hit it immediately began to eat away at the floor of the house and the walls.

              Some acid had successfully eaten away at Nathan’s shield and a small drop fell onto my hand that had been used to cover my head.

              It began to hurt and I quickly rubbed it on the ground.

              The dragon, having heard the incoming sirens from the local fire dept., grabbed the laptop and turned away from me squatting. He launched himself into the air.

              His tail followed his movements and came sweeping at me at what seemed like Mach 6.

              Nathan’s shield was still in place, even though it was beginning to dissipate, and it helped blunt the impact of the dragon’s tail.

              I was knocked off my feet and landed hard, banging my head. I saw stars for a second, and then watched the dragon launch himself into the air, all fifty-five feet of serpentine grace and classic oriental dragoness, and fly away with the laptop clutched in one of his claws. 

              I made it up to the room where Nathan had already begun packing and was almost finished. He looked at me and said. "Wow, and I thought this was supposed to be nice and quiet?"

              "Shut up." I said.

Nathan had most of the gear already loaded by the time I got up to our room above the all night market.

              The destruction of the house by the green dragon was going to ensure that this area would be crawling with cops and fire and rescue in no time. I wanted to get back down and see if I couldn’t find green lady and green girl before anyone else got to them.

              Just because Nathan and I didn't take them out didn't mean they were safe. I had some questions about Project Frankenstein that I wanted answered.               We quickly loaded the cameras and a couple other pieces of equipment into the black sedan that we had parked at the back of the market. I slammed the trunk and got in the passenger’s side while Nathan drove.

              Nathan had anticipated what I wanted and had already driven us back to the front of the market where we could watch the people coming and going. I lowered the window and slid out of the door sitting in the opening, trying to get a higher advantage so I could spot the woman and her daughter.

              It only took a minute to see them.

              There was a large crowd gathering near the destroyed house and the flow of people was in that direction.

              Not the greens, they were the only two people actually trying to leave the crowd.

              You could see them forcefully pushing against the people making their way to the street where they could hail a cab.

              I didn't do anything, I just watched.

              They made it to the street, away from the onlookers and as the sounds of sirens and flashing lights got closer, they were able to wave down a cab and got in. A moment later, they left, driving south.

              We followed them as they took the city streets, going towards the Bayshore Freeway.

              They hit the freeway and continued driving south; I had a good guess at where they were going. I looked at Nathan and we said at the same time. "Airport."

              "When we get there can you make sure we can have some nice, quiet time?" I asked Nathan. "I’d like to have a chat and don’t want to be disturbed." I said

              "Yup." Nathan answered eloquently.

              We followed them to the airport and watched as they got out of the cab. They had no luggage, which nowadays would be suspicious, and made their way into the departure area. I pulled up and got out; Nathan went to talk to the airport cop that was in the area, making sure no one stayed more than three minutes in the drop-off lanes.

              I followed them into the airport and watched as they went to a ticket booth and punched in some numbers on one of the automated teller machines.

              They soon walked off with tickets in their hands. They sat down in one of the large community seating areas. Back to back rows of individual seating. The part of the airport they decided to sit in was deserted. Good.

              I went over and sat down behind them facing away from each other. There was a small increase in air pressure and the background noise almost vanished. I could tell mom noticed something; she reached up and grabbed the necklace she was wearing, a small silver chain that had a carving of a momma bear and her cub. I said without looking back. "We need to talk."

              The reaction was immediate. Mom grabbed her daughters hand and almost launched out of her seat. She got about halfway up when she hit the shield that Nathan had erected around us.

              "I wouldn't bother." I said as l turned around looking at them.

              What I saw made my heart fall. The mom was clearly upset. She looked at me with desperation and fear in her eyes. Her daughter really didn't understand what was going on but she knew her mom was worried and it rubbed off on her.

              "The containment field is damn near impenetrable, not to mention soundproof. You can yell all you want and no one can hear you." I said.

              "All I want is to talk. Sit down and answer my questions and you and your daughter can go wherever you were heading." I said.

              "How do I know you won’t kill me the minute I tell you what you ask?" She asked. She spoke in measured tones, clearly trying to remain calm. Her English was understandable but I could detect a strong Asian accent.

              "You don’t." I answered, letting all the emotion drain out of my face. She looked at me for a few seconds, gauging my sincerity. She nodded and said, "Ask, I will answer what I can."

              "First tell me your names; I can't call you green lady and green girl." I said.

              She smiled very slightly and said. "My name is Chen, my daughter is Lijuan."

              "Okay Chen, who are you? You’re obviously not a green dragon." I said

              "I’m a scientist; I have been working for the People’s Agency for Scientific Research and Development." She offered.

              "What kind of work?" I asked.

              "My field is rather new. I am the foremost authority on machine and human unity." She said.

              "What like machines and humans singing together, holding hands?" I asked

              "No, cyborgs. I take human tissue and bond it to machinery. Not like artificial hearts, but replacing amputees with fully functional robotic limbs."

              "What about replacing arms with flamethrowers? You do anything like that?" I asked.

              "I had nothing to with those abominations. My work was at the microscopic level. I had no idea what they were taking my research for." She pleaded.

              "Who?" I asked. "Who took your research?"

              "I don’t know. They didn't tell me anything. Some men would come in once a week to see my developments then take what they wanted. I don’t know who they were or what they were doing." She said.

              "How did you get those files on your laptop?" I asked.