A/N: Yeah man. I am slowly starting to bring back the action in this
chapter. It is not as much as before but hey, there is some. Also, I will
keep the short glimpses of humor (mostly showing Logan doing stupid stuff).
The cargo ramp lowered and Jerome pulled the truck out. Logan and Aya followed him out. Aya gazed around. The plane had landed in an open meadow surrounded by pine trees. The weather was barely above freezing and Logan was shivering madly. Aya handled the cold well from her previous residence in New York.
She spotted a camouflage tent next to a grove of trees. Outside of it were two jeeps and another one traveling towards them. The sun was bright in the sky. The jeep stopped about ten yards in front of her. The marine inside was busy searching for something in the glove compartment. "Boo Aya!" Came the sudden voice of Pierce who had come out of nowhere.
"Damn it Pierce, you scared the hell out of me. How the hell did you get here?"
"By copter."
Aya looked around. "Have you seen Logan?" She asked. Pierce shrugged. At that very moment Logan was seen in the distance riding the ATV on its back wheels while shouting in joy. "Jerome has shown me a whole new side of my boyfriend," Aya sighed.
"If you don't like it I will always be here," Pierce flirted. The marine came forward.
"Hey good looking," the marine said while making sure his radio was off.
"Can I help you?" Pierce asked in Aya's defense to the rude comment.
"No but Aya can," the marine answered. "You don't look a day older Aya."
Aya finally realized who it was. "Wayne, is it really you?" She couldn't see any features except for his face because of his uniform.
"You bet it is. So does it turn you on that I am now a marine? The police thing didn't seem to work." Pierce was red hot in jealousy.
"It's so great to see..." Aya was cut off.
"You gotta lot of nerve," Pierce yelled at him. "She is trying to work on a serious case and you're delaying her."
"Simmer down now small fry," Wayne barked.
"Who you calling small fry, shorty?" Pierce started pushing Wayne back.
They kept insulting and fighting over who had the right to flirt with Aya until Logan showed up and Pierce backed down. "Jerome said we gotta leave as soon as possible. Hop on, I'll take you to your four-wheeler."
"I ain't riding one of those," Aya protested.
"Okay, you can just ride in the truck with Jerome."
"Fine, I'll drive the stupid four-wheeler." Aya got on Logan's ATV and put her arms around him as they rode off.
"I can't believe she went with that guy," Wayne said to Pierce. Pierce nodded.
The three had stopped at the tent to get clearance. "Beautiful," Jerome said as he gazed through his infrared goggles. Aya put hers on. She saw a red dome surrounding the North part of the forest where the village was.
Logan wanted to see it too. He screamed in pain as the flash of bright light through his night vision goggles blinded him. "Such a dumbass," Jerome said under his breath. "Aya, lead the way."
Aya sped towards the forest with Logan close behind and Jerome was following from a distance. Aya felt the familiar sensation of her mitochondria going berserk. Logan, who never had the feeling, was swerving the ATV. Jerome was unusually calm.
Aya pulled over. Jerome stopped next to her. "What's wrong?"
"The mitochondria wall is gone."
"Not totally," Jerome said. He held up his hand, which had the fingers slowly melting away. With a flick of his wrist the fingers snapped back into place.
"Aya, can you teach me how to do that?" Logan asked as he stared in amazement.
"I can't even do that but Melissa could," Aya answered in an uncertain tone.
"Who is Melissa?" Logan asked.
"That doesn't matter," Jerome interrupted. "What does is that there are people about a hundred yards in front of us." Both Aya and Logan ducked down and peered in front of them. Two men in lab coats were smoking cigarettes outside of a brick building.
Jerome set three long metal briefcases on the ground and set two smaller boxes on top. He opened a green box revealing two dozen darts and opened a briefcase containing a sniper rifle. He loaded the dart and gave it to Logan and thus doing the same for Aya. He opened a red box revealing two dozen brass bullets, three inches in length. He loaded it into the third rifle and armed himself.
Jerome aimed the rifle. He fired sending the bullet silently flying through the air. It hit the lens of a surveillance camera and made it explode. "Shoot them," He said seeing the panicked appearance on the two men. Logan fired first, sending the man on the left to the ground. Aya then hit the other one.
"Did I just kill him?" Aya asked nervously.
"No, they'll wake in a few hours with a hell of a hangover."
As they entered the village the barrier had disappeared. Aya found a key card off of one of the men that was unconscious. The key card read Arthur Golemsten. She swiped it in the door of the one-story brick building. Logan and Aya entered as Jerome stayed behind to guard the equipment. Inside was one room with a row of computers and another door leading away from it. Ignoring the computers they went through the doorway.
Inside was a short red-haired man banging his head against the wall. "Whoa man, are you a rhino or something?" Logan teased.
The man looked at him, blood pouring down the side of his face. "Guy-sh, help me guy-sh. It hurts guy-sh." Immediately after a wail of pain his skin started stretching. The skin tone turned more pinkish and his arms shrank as his legs grew. A short snout formed on his face and his mouth filled with sharp teeth. The feet doubled in size and all the hair fell of his body. The human/creature stared at Logan as Logan stared back. The creature lunged forward, biting Logan's arm. In reaction Logan fired an entire clip of his uzi into the creatures forehead. It staggered back and was balanced on its hind legs, swaying back and forth. Not sure if was dead or alive Logan drew his sword and took a baseball swing hitting it on the broad side. The creature flew through the nearby window.
A set of hands appeared on the windowsill from outside of the window. Jerome pulled himself up with a furious look on his face. "Damn it, keep it down," he tossed Logan a silenced pistol. "And turn on your damn radios." He disappeared from the window.
Both Aya and Logan felt stupid for not turning on their headsets. "Oh my God," Aya gasped.
"What?"
"I just realized that was a neo-mitochondria creature from when Eve, my sister, had her powers."
"So what? To me a mito-fucker is a mito-fucker."
"I think they have given Eve back her powers." Aya leaned against the wall and slid to the ground with tears in her eyes.
The cargo ramp lowered and Jerome pulled the truck out. Logan and Aya followed him out. Aya gazed around. The plane had landed in an open meadow surrounded by pine trees. The weather was barely above freezing and Logan was shivering madly. Aya handled the cold well from her previous residence in New York.
She spotted a camouflage tent next to a grove of trees. Outside of it were two jeeps and another one traveling towards them. The sun was bright in the sky. The jeep stopped about ten yards in front of her. The marine inside was busy searching for something in the glove compartment. "Boo Aya!" Came the sudden voice of Pierce who had come out of nowhere.
"Damn it Pierce, you scared the hell out of me. How the hell did you get here?"
"By copter."
Aya looked around. "Have you seen Logan?" She asked. Pierce shrugged. At that very moment Logan was seen in the distance riding the ATV on its back wheels while shouting in joy. "Jerome has shown me a whole new side of my boyfriend," Aya sighed.
"If you don't like it I will always be here," Pierce flirted. The marine came forward.
"Hey good looking," the marine said while making sure his radio was off.
"Can I help you?" Pierce asked in Aya's defense to the rude comment.
"No but Aya can," the marine answered. "You don't look a day older Aya."
Aya finally realized who it was. "Wayne, is it really you?" She couldn't see any features except for his face because of his uniform.
"You bet it is. So does it turn you on that I am now a marine? The police thing didn't seem to work." Pierce was red hot in jealousy.
"It's so great to see..." Aya was cut off.
"You gotta lot of nerve," Pierce yelled at him. "She is trying to work on a serious case and you're delaying her."
"Simmer down now small fry," Wayne barked.
"Who you calling small fry, shorty?" Pierce started pushing Wayne back.
They kept insulting and fighting over who had the right to flirt with Aya until Logan showed up and Pierce backed down. "Jerome said we gotta leave as soon as possible. Hop on, I'll take you to your four-wheeler."
"I ain't riding one of those," Aya protested.
"Okay, you can just ride in the truck with Jerome."
"Fine, I'll drive the stupid four-wheeler." Aya got on Logan's ATV and put her arms around him as they rode off.
"I can't believe she went with that guy," Wayne said to Pierce. Pierce nodded.
The three had stopped at the tent to get clearance. "Beautiful," Jerome said as he gazed through his infrared goggles. Aya put hers on. She saw a red dome surrounding the North part of the forest where the village was.
Logan wanted to see it too. He screamed in pain as the flash of bright light through his night vision goggles blinded him. "Such a dumbass," Jerome said under his breath. "Aya, lead the way."
Aya sped towards the forest with Logan close behind and Jerome was following from a distance. Aya felt the familiar sensation of her mitochondria going berserk. Logan, who never had the feeling, was swerving the ATV. Jerome was unusually calm.
Aya pulled over. Jerome stopped next to her. "What's wrong?"
"The mitochondria wall is gone."
"Not totally," Jerome said. He held up his hand, which had the fingers slowly melting away. With a flick of his wrist the fingers snapped back into place.
"Aya, can you teach me how to do that?" Logan asked as he stared in amazement.
"I can't even do that but Melissa could," Aya answered in an uncertain tone.
"Who is Melissa?" Logan asked.
"That doesn't matter," Jerome interrupted. "What does is that there are people about a hundred yards in front of us." Both Aya and Logan ducked down and peered in front of them. Two men in lab coats were smoking cigarettes outside of a brick building.
Jerome set three long metal briefcases on the ground and set two smaller boxes on top. He opened a green box revealing two dozen darts and opened a briefcase containing a sniper rifle. He loaded the dart and gave it to Logan and thus doing the same for Aya. He opened a red box revealing two dozen brass bullets, three inches in length. He loaded it into the third rifle and armed himself.
Jerome aimed the rifle. He fired sending the bullet silently flying through the air. It hit the lens of a surveillance camera and made it explode. "Shoot them," He said seeing the panicked appearance on the two men. Logan fired first, sending the man on the left to the ground. Aya then hit the other one.
"Did I just kill him?" Aya asked nervously.
"No, they'll wake in a few hours with a hell of a hangover."
As they entered the village the barrier had disappeared. Aya found a key card off of one of the men that was unconscious. The key card read Arthur Golemsten. She swiped it in the door of the one-story brick building. Logan and Aya entered as Jerome stayed behind to guard the equipment. Inside was one room with a row of computers and another door leading away from it. Ignoring the computers they went through the doorway.
Inside was a short red-haired man banging his head against the wall. "Whoa man, are you a rhino or something?" Logan teased.
The man looked at him, blood pouring down the side of his face. "Guy-sh, help me guy-sh. It hurts guy-sh." Immediately after a wail of pain his skin started stretching. The skin tone turned more pinkish and his arms shrank as his legs grew. A short snout formed on his face and his mouth filled with sharp teeth. The feet doubled in size and all the hair fell of his body. The human/creature stared at Logan as Logan stared back. The creature lunged forward, biting Logan's arm. In reaction Logan fired an entire clip of his uzi into the creatures forehead. It staggered back and was balanced on its hind legs, swaying back and forth. Not sure if was dead or alive Logan drew his sword and took a baseball swing hitting it on the broad side. The creature flew through the nearby window.
A set of hands appeared on the windowsill from outside of the window. Jerome pulled himself up with a furious look on his face. "Damn it, keep it down," he tossed Logan a silenced pistol. "And turn on your damn radios." He disappeared from the window.
Both Aya and Logan felt stupid for not turning on their headsets. "Oh my God," Aya gasped.
"What?"
"I just realized that was a neo-mitochondria creature from when Eve, my sister, had her powers."
"So what? To me a mito-fucker is a mito-fucker."
"I think they have given Eve back her powers." Aya leaned against the wall and slid to the ground with tears in her eyes.