Chapter 10: Increased Efforts
"Search Team Bravo, do you read? I repeat this is HQ trying to reach Search Team Bravo, over." a military looking man yelled over his walkie-talkie.
He received only static, and in his frustration he threw the handheld object in to the wall, causing it to shatter on contact.
One of the other military personnel in the room glanced over with a raised brow, "Is everything alright, sir?" she asked, but got no response.
The balding man paced back and forth and stroked his graying beard for a few minutes before slamming his hands down on the console at his front.
"Damn it, that's the second team we've lost in an attempt to retrieve the girl!" he shouted in anger, but soon collected himself once again and made his way over to one of his underlings who was monitoring a screen filled with all sorts of data.
"Jordan, is it ready?" he asked while staring down at the man.
The man looked up and shook his head, "Not yet Lieutenant Biggs. We still have yet to run any diagnostics on its level of brain function, and we're still in the process of grafting the skin on to it." he explained to the aging lieutenant.
Biggs gritted his teeth and nodded, "I want that diagnostic on my desk in one hour, do you hear me?" he barked intensely.
"But sir, it would take at least three hours to get a proper diagnosis and we…" the man started to protest, but the lieutenant cut him short with a menacing glare.
"Very well, one hour." the man said in a low voice, and then turned back to the screen.
Biggs placed his hands behind his back and walked over to the main group sitting at a large terminal which displayed a map of the entire wasteland, and then some.
"Where is she now?" he asked one of the men sitting at the terminal.
"She left the cave a couple of hours ago and is now headed for a canyon along with her companion." he was told.
"A canyon…you don't mean…" Biggs trailed off and placed a hand on his forehead.
"Reaver Pass, sir."
The aging lieutenant stumbled backwards, "No, not even she is good enough to survive a place like that. She's no good to us dead…how long until they reach that canyon?" he asked with a determined look in his eye.
The man at the terminal pushed a few button and then turned to face the lieutenant, "If they keep up their pace, they should reach it within three hours, sir."
"Jordan!" the lieutenant barked as he glanced over his shoulder, "Prepare the helicopter strike team! I want you to send those choppers ahead of the girl and blow the entrance to that canyon to kingdom come! Once they've blocked the entry route, I want them to swoop in and pick the girl up!" he ordered.
Jordan ran his hands through his short brown hair, "But sir, they're four days ahead of us, even by chopper it'll take a good five hours before we reach that canyon." the young corporal advised.
"I don't care how long it takes, just see that it gets done!" he spat before walking out of the room.
Jordan shook his head and wiped the sweat from his brow. He grabbed on to the microphone at his station and clicked the button allowing him to speak with the airfield personnel.
"Attention," his voice boomed over the comm. system, "Lieutenant Biggs had ordered a tactical chopper assault on the entrance to Reaver Pass, and he wants any and all available pilots to load up and reach that pass within three hours!" when he finished, the pilots at the airfield just stared at each other until a resilient, "Now!" was shouted as a final command over the intercom.
The pilots piled in to their individual helicopters and within minutes were taking off towards their destination. The loud buzzing noise of the choppers filled the air and sent large clouds of dust up in to the air. A total of six choppers had been sent out, and they were flying as fast as they could in order to reach their destination on time.
Biggs stood at his window and watched the last of the helicopters disappear over the horizon, then turned around and took a seat at his desk.
Forty-five minutes later, the young corporal Jordan entered his office and placed a manila folder on his desk. Biggs eyed the folder, and then looked up at Jordan, who simply avoided his gaze and stood at attention.
The lieutenant slowly reached out for the folder, wrapped his fingers around it, and brought it close. He gently opened it up and inside laid a single white sheet of paper with a stream of data on it.
He stood up with the sheet of paper still clutched in his hands and walked over to the window once again. He read over the test results again and again until the paper fell from his grasp and drifted to the floor.
"My God…are these results correct?" the lieutenant asked his subordinate without glancing his way.
Jordan gave a feint nod, "Yes, sir. The diagnostic showed a 300% increase in brain activity since our last test. With the way things are going with the skin grafting, it should be ready for field testing within a few days. Our only worry is that it might not follow our orders, and it could very well turn on everyone and destroy this entire facility." he explained to his superior.
"That's where the girl comes in. She possesses the missing link in the chain which will allow us to have full control over both its body and mind." Biggs said to no one in particular.
He then glanced over his shoulder at the young Jordan, "Leave me, and don't bother me again until you have that girl in custody!" he snapped, and Jordan immediately left the lieutenant to his thoughts.