Chapter Two
The Long and Winding Road
At the lab, I was exploring the rest of the lab, except for Level 13; I then entered the control room to find Hope going through the wreckage.
'Oh, morning Rex,' she said.
'Hey Hope, what're you looking at?' I asked.
'Bits from the control room, last night, I've been having dreams. Dreams I've never seen or heard of,' she said.
'Oh yeah, do tell?' I asked.
'It was like I was in the middle of this fight at the United Nations building with a man wearing a gauntlet,' she answered.
'Those aren't dreams, those are my memories. Since you're my nanites, it's possible you may have some of my memories. Which explains why you know so much about me,' I said.
'That makes some sense, still I'm puzzled to why Dr. Kazan won't let us access Level 13,' she said.
'Maybe there was a breach and that he contained it,' I said.
'Maybe, but something doesn't feel right,' she said.
Dr. Kazan then appears in front of us. I see that you two are awake. How're you feeling?
'Much better, I spent most of last night thinking about how to shut down the barrier,' I said.
Oh yes, that. I appreciate the help and I doubt there's nothing you can do about it.
'There is, when I first walked through it, I noticed something floating above the roof of the lab,' I said.
It's possible that could be the barrier's external power source. I see where this is going, if could connect the external power source to the lab's computers. You may have a shot at the shutting it down. To do that, we need to get the generators in the basement back to full power. This place has been running on emergency power for years.
'I'll head to the basement and see what I can do with the generators. Try to stay in radio contact,' she said.
'You're sure about this?' I asked.
'We both share the same powers, duh,' she said.
'Okay, I'll fly up and see what I can with the external power source,' I said. We both head in opposite directors to deal with the barrier.
Back at the junkyard, Dr. Kieran, Sasuke and the other Providence gears up with their new weapons and equipment.
Bobo is not too happy that he isn't receiving the equipment. 'Ah, how come you lot get the fancy armour?' he asked.
'Since you got active nanite cells, Vladimir can't possess you.' Sasuke gives him improved blasters. 'These modified blasters should emit light particles powerful enough to weaken Vladimir,' he said.
'I assume you got a plan?' Kieran asked.
'Indeed, once the containment unit is activated. It deploys a stasis field, surrounding Vladimir and luring him into the unit,' Sasuke answered.
'That takes care of one problem. What about curing him?' Dr. Holiday asked.
'It wasn't easy, but I managed to find a way around it by storing these conductors inside the unit and they're connected to pressure pads which Rex can only use,' Sasuke answered.
'Well, that's nearly everything, what about the barrier?' Bobo asked.
'I'll open it up for a couple of minutes to allow us in,' he answered.
'Right then, let's move out,' Kieran yelled. They then left the yard, got into the transport and drove over to the lab.
Back at the lab, I used my powers to fly up to the external power source. 'Hope, I'm at the external power source. It looks like its using anti-gravity technology to keep itself floating,' I said.
'Okay, I'm in the basement with Vladimir. Be warned, once the power is restored, it'll trigger the automated defence system,' Hope said on the radio.
'Thanks for the heads up.' The external power source then activates its automated defence system. 'Uh-oh, it looks like the external power source has an automated defence system,' I said.
It then opened fire at me. 'We didn't see that coming. Keep it distracted long enough until the power is back online,' she said.
'That's easy for you to say.' I went for the attack and I was able to shut down the defence system. 'Okay, the external power source's defence system is down. But it's still emitting the barrier,' I said.
'All right, be prepared, I'm about to turn the power back on,' she said.
'Right then.' I then saw something in the distance. 'I see something in distance,' I said.
'It's probably an animal or something, get ready,' she said.
As it came close it was a Providence transport unit. 'Wait, it's Providence, they arrived,' I said.
'Here goes nothing.' That's when everything, the power came back on and so did the defence system. Suddenly, a small hole opened up in the barrier and the transport got through. The small hole then closed itself back up. The defences opened up fire on the transport unit. 'I'm heading back to the control room to shut down the defences,' she said.
'You better hurry, Providence is getting hammered down there,' I said.
'Will do,' she said.
I flew to the ground where the transport unit is and opened the door to let them out.
'Am I glad to see you,' Dr. Holiday said.
'We need to move before the defences hammer us,' I said.
'You don't have to tell us twice. Move it or lose it, people. Double time, now,' Kieran yelled.
I managed to get everyone out of the transport and begin to make our way to the lab. 'I hate to rush you, Hope. How's it going with shutting down the defences?' I asked.
'I'm in the control room now. I'm shutting down the defences now,' she said.
The defence system has shut down as we entered the lab. 'That was too close, are you okay, Hope?' I asked.
'I'm fine, but Dr. Kazan is nowhere to been seen. He said he was heading to the security drone room to shut down the drones,' she answered.
'All right, I'm meet you in the control room and I'm bringing friends,' I said.
'Okay, Dr. Kazan has come back and has possessed one of the drones. Oh no,' she said.
I heard screaming coming from the control room. 'We need to move,' Kieran said. We rushed over to the control room to find a possessed security drone holding Hope. They aimed their weapons at the drone. 'I must thank you both to taking care of the defence system,' it said.
'You haven't changed at all, Vladimir,' Sasuke said.
'Ah Sasuke, I knew you would come crawling back. Just like you done six years ago when you activated the barrier to keep me trapped here,' he said.
'I had no choice, it was the only way to prevent you from escaping,' he said.
'What're you talking about?' I asked.
'In case you didn't know, Dr. Kazan murdered Dr. Akira Yoshiro six years ago before the event,' Bobo said.
I was shocked to hear this as I got my sword out. 'Is this true?' I asked.
'Every word, a year ago, a tourist accidentally stumbled upon this place. I possessed her to get the CD I recorded shortly before my mutation. I influenced her to sent CD to you,' he said.
'Figured as much, what do you want?' Dr. Holiday asked.
'Safe passage out of here and for you to deactivate the barrier,' he said.
'Sorry, it's not going to happen,' Sasuke said.
'Pity, I was hoping it would end peacefully,' he said. The possessed drone left the room with Hope as his hostage. Three more security drones arrived and they started firing as us.
'You two, keep the drones busy while we go after the doctor. Have you got any ideas where they might be heading?' Kieran asked.
'My guess is that would be heading to Level 13,' Sasuke answered.
'I always wondered what's up there, let's move,' I said.
Two Providence agents stayed behind to deal with the security drones. While the rest of us head up to Level 13, we took the elevator up to Level 13. 'Be prepared for the worse,' Sasuke said.
We arrived at Level 13 to find a foul smell running through the level. We were shocked to find decomposing bodies on some of the operating tables and we begin to search the level for Vladimir and Hope. 'What happened?' a shocked Dr. Holiday asked.
'This is where the experiments took place,' Sasuke answered.
'The place where you were investigating an unusual genetic anomaly,' I said.
'Vladimir told you, didn't he? Not exactly my father's best work. We were hired by the U.S. government to investigate an unusual genetic anomaly,' he said.
'What kind of anomaly was it?' she asked.
'At first, there was nothing unusual about it, until we examined it further. We discovered that the anomaly was in fact damaged DNA. Not just damaged DNA, but it was mutated,' he answered.
'Mutated, how is that possible?' Bobo asked.
'That's what the politicians have been asking themselves for the last fifty years,' he answered.
'You mean to tell that this mutated DNA dates to the 1960s?' she asked.
'Yes. During the first months of the project, we made little progress. That was until a colleague came with an idea that would change everything. He suggested that we should blood tests to confirm who the child's parents were. We discovered something very interesting. It turns out that the subjects all contain half human DNA, while the other half is of a unknown origin and it varies between subjects,' he answered.
Kieran picked a deceased patient's chart. 'According to this, the subject's DNA is half human and half unknown. Also, the subject possessed some telekinetic ability. And the subject wasn't an EVO,' he said.
He then puts the chart down. 'Like my father, I too had suspicions about the project. Most of which was the question about whether the U.S. government was withholding information from us,' Sasuke said.
'Why not just quit if you and your dad had suspicions?' I asked.
'I did consider the thought, but we were reminded what would happen if we left the project,' he answered.
'What would've happened if you left the project?' Kieran said.
'We could face trial and they would charge us with treason if we left. That didn't leave us with a lot of options,' he answered.
'That and they would make sure that anyone who left the project gets the death penalty,' Vladimir said.
We managed to catch up to them. 'Let her go, Doc. This could end one way or the other,' I said.
'You're right,' he said.
He gets a blaster out and shoots a piece of Dr. Holiday's armour. 'That can't be good,' Sasuke said.
'Finally, fresh meat,' he said.
Vladimir leaves the drone and possesses Dr. Holiday, her eye pupils and colour change. 'It's been a year since I possessed a human being,' she said.
'Get out of her, now!' I yelled.
Hope then runs up to me. 'Love to, but not until you deactivate the barrier and provide me safe passage out of Africa,' she said.
'Not going to happen,' Sasuke said.
I then summoned the cannon and out at aim at a possessed Dr. Holiday. 'You think going to shoot me will solve your dilemma. Let me tell you something kid, I killed dozens in the name of science, fear me,' she said.
'So, I defeated and cured a thousand EVOs, fear me. Now you mention it, I have killed someone before,' I said.
I then stand down and deactivated the cannon. 'You did what?' Hope asked.
'It was a year ago, hey Bobo, remember the time when we visited the children's ward over at San Diego?' I asked.
'Yeah I remember and I got the scars to prove it,' he said.
'I took a break from entertaining the kids. I entered the main ward and that's where I met him. He was an EVO who was dying from cancer. He told me his life story, he was a war hero who earned a medal fighting in the Vietnam War. He told me how every kill he made during the conflict haunted him during the rest of his life. And that's where he asked me to do, to put him out of his misery. At first, I didn't want to do it, given that I wanted to preserve life, not to destroy it. He told me not to worry and that everything will be all right. I had a hard choice, accept the request or decline it,' I said.
'What happened?' Hope asked.
'I did it, I killed him, put him out of his misery. Since then, it haunted me every time when I close my eyes. I wanted to cry about, but I can't and I ask myself, is this normal not to cry after ending a man's life,' I said.
I noticed that the possessed Dr. Holiday is shedding tears after hearing the revelation. Dr. Kazan then leaves her body.
I don't know how you did it, but you haven't impressed me. You forced my hand.
He then flees the scene. 'You better go after him. It'll set up the containment unit,' Sasuke said.
'I'll keep Dr. Holiday company,' Kieran said.
'That leaves you, me and the hottie. Speaking of that, where did you meet her,' Bobo asked.
'It's complicated, come on,' I answered.
We pursued Vladimir to another part of the lab. The lights came on when we entered the room. 'Where are we?' Hope wondered.
Besides being a genetics lab, it was a good place to pursue other opportunities.
'Such as,' I asked.
Weapons testing and discovering whether the anomaly had the potential to become a weapon of mass destruction. We experimented a bit and what I'm about to unleash and possess is a result of that research.
A huge door then opened and we see a huge creature standing there, lifeless. Vladimir then possessed it and it came to life. 'It just came to life,' Bobo said.
'Yep.' We got out of the way just as it attacked us. 'Now, it's attacking us,' I said.
'I'll cover you while go in for the attack,' he said.
Bobo provided cover fire, while I and Hope summoned our mechanical fists and attacked the creature.
'Bobo, come in,' Sasuke said on the radio.
'We're a little busy in the weapons lab,' he said.
'We nearly got the containment unit set. You lot need to find a way to get Vladimir back to Level 13 so we can spring the trap,' he said.
'Acknowledged, hey, if you two done beating the crud out of thing. We need to head back to Level 13,' he said.
'What, giving up already,' I said.
'Yeah well, we need to move now and bring him with us,' he said.
We head back to Level 13 and the creature pursued us. We reached Level 13 just and the creature managed to catch up to us. It was exhausted and collapsed onto ground as Vladimir left its body.
So much for the creature. I got you lot cornered, is there anything you want want say before I kill you.
'Just one, duck,' Bobo said.
We ducked just Sasuke activates the containment unit and the stasis field. Vladimir then gets trapped in the stasis field and it sucked into the unit. What gives, what've you done, Sasuke.
'Something I should've done a long time ago and that is bringing you to justice to answer for your crimes,' he said.
Let me out, I want out.
'To cure him, you must place your hand on the pressure pad,'
'Precision curing, it's something unheard of, but I might give it try,' I said.
I placed my hand on the pressure and I gave it all as I tried to cure him. I became exhausted after a couple of minutes. Even you don't have the power to cure me.
'He may not, but together we can,' Hope said.
'Are you sure you're up to this? Who knows what'll happen,' I said.
'It's either that or let him stay EVO for an eternity. I never gave up on you the moment we met,' Hope said.
'All right then, let's do it,' I said. We both place our hands on the pressure pads and gave it our all as we were able to cure Vladimir. The containment unit exploded as he changes back to his human form.
'No, no, this is impossible, I'm cured,' he said.
Kieran stands beside him as he puts handcuffs on him. 'Uh-uh, that what I said when I first heard about,' he said.
'I'm deactivating the barrier, given that there's no need for it. I can't thank you enough for bringing Vladimir to justice,' Sasuke said.
'Hey, for a junkyard owner, you sure know a lot about science,' I said.
'Indeed, let's celebrate,' he said.
We left the lab with Vladimir in custody, while I carried Hope. As we were about to leave the lab and head outside, a sniper from nowhere opened fire on Sasuke and assassinated him.
'Stand down or do I have to turn this situation into an international incident.' A mysterious man walks up to us. 'Col. Eli Jamieson Moss, head of the Special Projects branch for the C.I.A,' he said.
'Was that necessary, you just assassinated Sasuke in cold blood,' Dr. Holiday said.
'He knew too much and was deemed a liability, Dr. Holiday,' he said.
'But he helped capture Vladimir. Without him, he could've walked free right now,' I said.
'Don't you think I already know that, kid? We've been investigating Vladimir shortly before the event. And the evidence the late Dr. Yoshiro gave was damning enough for a conviction. Now hand over the good doctor or don't make me order my sniper take a shot at you,' he ordered.
'Fine, we'll play ball,' Kieran said.
He then hands Vladimir over to Col. Moss. 'No harm done, oh and do give White Knight my regards,' he said. They left with Vladimir in custody and took Sasuke's body with them.
'One other thing, this place feels exposed,' she said.
'I already got that covered. You might want to get away as fast as possible from this place in the next five minutes,' he said. After we left the place, a couple of jet bombed the lab to kingdom come. Sometime later, we returned to the base as Dr. Holiday examines Hope.
Six arrives at the base. 'Sorry I couldn't be there, I was on a prisoner transport assignment in Canada,' he said.
'There wasn't much going on, but I'm more curious about what Hope is,' she said.
Six then notices her. 'Who is she?' he asked.
'More like what is she, she's a full human/nanite hybrid,' she said.
'How is that possible?' he asked.
'Even I couldn't figure it out, but her fate looks grim. She doesn't have that much time left.' I entered the lab. 'How did it go with White Knight?' she asked.
'He gave me a real earful for going to South Africa while suspended. But he removed the suspension and he's going to have some words with Col. Moss. How Hope doing?' I asked.
'I'm afraid I got some bad news. She's dying,' she answered.
'What, she was healthy sometime ago,' I said.
'Yes, but when you two cured Vladimir, she used up most of her nanites just to restore him back to his human self,' she said.
I panicked. 'We'll find a way to reverse this,' I said.
'It's not simple, her existence and her creation from your nanites is unheard of and maybe a rare phenomenon,' Dr. Holiday said.
I begin to cry and grabbed her. 'Do have you any idea what it's like to be the only one to communicate with machinery and cure EVOs? Every time when I touch an EVO to cure it, I see their memories, their childhoods and all the things that they cherish and make them unique. After that, I begin to cry, wondering what it's like to be in their shoes to experience a thing like they been through, not the EVO bit, but the memories,' I cried.
I let go of her. 'Rex, I didn't know you felt this way and I want to say thank you for telling him about the incident at the hospital. Not many people would want to put someone out of their misery, at least you made the right choice,' she said.
Hope then gets up and gets off the operating table. 'How much time do I have left?' she asked.
'A few hours, maybe less. If I were you, I better make the most of it,' Dr. Holiday answered.
'Listen to me Rex, I knew from the beginning that my existence would be short lived. Like she said, I better make the most of it,' she said.
We both left the base and had ourselves a good time. We explored Cape Town, pummelled some EVOs along the way and showed Hope how to have a good time. A few hours later, we sat under a tree to watch the sun set.
'Wow, I haven't had this much fun in ages,' I said.
'That's easy for you to say, I'm still new to this.' We both noticed the sunset. 'Is the sun sets always this beautiful?' she asked.
'Every time, but every sunset is different. It's like watching a day end, while a new one is about rise sometime soon,' I answered.
'I want to say thank you for being there for me and for showing a good time,' she said.
'It's like what I said back at the lab, we both have a lot in common, besides sharing the same powers,' I said.
'I guess that's true. When I slept for the first, besides dreaming of your memories. I also dreamt we were in a park, having a picnic and watching the sun all day. Do you ever have dreams like that?' she asked.
'Not exactly, all I dream about is fragments from my past and number of fights I been through,' I answered.
'Oh I see.' She then notices that she's beginning to phase in and out. 'My time is up, there's something I wanted to do since we first met,' she said.
'Oh yeah, what's that?' I asked.
She gave me a surprise kiss on the lips. 'Goodbye,' she said. She then turned into ash and disappeared. I shed some tears after she died. I headed back to the base and I went into the guest quarters. Dr. Holiday stops by and slips a business card underneath the door. I picked it up to read that it's the phone number of a psychiatrist. I put the business card down sleep.
Meanwhile, White Knight contacts Col. Moss. 'Now this is a surprise, Knight. You ringing my office, what can I do for you?' Eli asked.
'You can start by telling me why my agents spotted you and your Special Projects branch outside the lab?' he asked.
'The lab contained a lot of classified information. I can't let you or Van Kleiss have it, it would upset the balance of things,' Eli answered.
'What about Sasuke's assassination, that seems hardly just,' I said.
'He knew too much and was posed as a threat to national security. So we had to balance the books on that one,' Eli said.
'I thought we have a deal,' White Knight said.
'We still do, you need me for these files relating to nanite project. While you provide this world its best hope to solve the EVO problem. However, anything relating to its sister projects stays classified until further notice,' he said.
'If I found out your withholding information, I will come after you,' he said.
'Sorry, but I still hold all the cards, have a nice evening,' Eli said.
He then hung up on Knight and he makes another phone call to a Providence agent. 'White Knight, I was wondering when I was going to get another call from you,' she said.
'Are you in the middle of something Crimson Queen?' he asked.
'Nah, I'm in Tokyo, doing some window shopping,' she answered.
'I got a new assignment for you,' he offered.
'I'm listening,' she said.
'Its long term and it may involve some infiltration and undercover work,' he said.
'Keep talking,' she said.
'I want you to investigate Col. Eli Jamieson Moss. I got a stark feeling that he may be withholding some information that is critical to solving the EVO problem,' he said.
'Where do you want me to start?' she asked.
'Try a junkyard in Cape Town, South Africa. There's an office there that may contain some leads,' he answered.
'No problem, I'll book the first flight there and see what I can find,' she said. She then hangs up on White Knight. Three months later, I'm sitting in a coffee shop in Baltimore, having a drink and that's where I encounter Hope again.
'Hey Hope, I was wondering when I get to meet you again,' I said.
'I was in area; I see that you're doing well. What brings you all the way to Baltimore?' she asked.
'I'm on an assignment, tracking down a former associate of Quarry's. A bank accountant named Idris Bell,' I answered.
'I see, I'm glad you're doing okay,' she said.
'The last three months have been hard. You were the only person who ever knew and understand how I felt,' I said.
'I feel the same way, Rex. I wish I could've lived a bit longer, to tell you how much you meant to me,' she said.
'Same here, what you did in that lab wasn't your fault or mine. We both did what we have to,' I said.
'I guess you're right, still it was worth it to see justice served for what Vladimir committed,' she said.
'Well.' I then raised a mug. 'Here's to you,' I said.
I then put the mug down. 'I better get going, see you on the other side,' she said. She left the coffee shop and I realised that it was all just a daydream. Even though she's gone, but at least she's still a part of me, which brings a smile to my face.
'Rex, come in, do you read?' Six asked over the radio.
'I read you loud and clear,' I answered.
'Idris has been spotted and is on the run. He's heading northeast and I and Bobo are in pursuit,' Six said.
'Okay, I'm heading to your location to intercept Idris,' I said. I left the shop, transformed my legs into a hover cycle and headed northeast. At least I now know that Hope is doing okay, which is good.