It was a beautiful day in Langley as the sun had risen and its rays were shining on a neighborhood while one apartment building, in particular, had its bedroom shades drawn tight in one window as I was stirring, and not from the alarm clock or the rays of the sun.
"Sun up, sun up! Walk, walk!" the high-pitched voice made its way into my mind as it woke me up, the voice never failing to get up with the sun and force me awake.
"Oh boy, you're up! Yay, up! Outside!" the voice exclaimed excitingly while I sighed and sat up in my bed.
I felt the vibrations of my neighbor leaving the apartment and slamming the door shut, the voice in my head growing fainter and fading away as I got out of bed and went to do my morning routine.
Once I was done, I stared at myself in the mirror with tired blue eyes and used my comb to nicely brush my disheveled short black hair with a slight gray on the sides and also used a razor to shave the stubble on my face until I was finished.
I left the bathroom and got dressed in a black suit with black dress shoes, a white button-up shirt, and a black neck-tie just as my phone rang. I headed to the living room and took my untraceable Agency cell phone, answering it as I placed it against my ear.
"Code in," the man on the phone ordered.
"Adam Hanson, 92681," I recited my name and badge number on the secure line.
"The Director wants to see you Hanson...it's urgent," the man explained shortly before hanging up.
After hearing that, I had a quick breakfast and gathered my briefcase, keys, and wallet as I left the apartment and locked the door before I made my way to my '95 ford Tauris. Once I was outside, I walked to my car and before I could reach it, someone called to me.
"Good morning," the male voice greeted and I turned around just in time for a male german shepherd to jump up and try to lick my face.
"Oh boy, friend!" the dog cheered mentally and I chuckled.
"Good morning, Bones," I remarked and patted his head that was level to my chest.
"Sorry about that, I can never control him once he sees you," my neighbor Doug apologized as I scratched Bones' ears, and he almost sighed while I mentally told him that he was being a silly boy.
"That's alright because he's a whole lot better than the corgi that lives next door," I told him just to make him feel better.
"Well, have a good day. Let's go, Bones," Doug said as he pulled on the leash hard and Bones was forced to get off me as he and Doug left.
After that, I opened the passenger-side door and put my briefcase on the seat, then I shut the door and got into the driver's seat before driving out of the parking lot. Once I was on the road, I felt tense since I had no idea why the Director of the CIA wanted to see me so suddenly and it felt like I was walking into a minefield. When I arrived at the Agency building, I used my clearance to pass the security officer at the gate and drove into the underground parking lot until I parked near the elevator and got out of the car.
I gathered my briefcase and headed to the elevator, pressing the up button and going inside once the doors opened. I kept checking my watch as the elevator was heading to the top floor where the Director was waiting for me, wondering why I had been called to his office so suddenly and why it sounded urgent.
As I waited, the elevator stopped and the doors opened while I adjusted my tie, then I left the elevator and went past other employees as they kept working. I made it to the Director's office and knocked on the door, hearing him tell me to enter and I went inside before standing in front of the desk with my briefcase on the ground next to me with my hands clasped together in front of my belt.
"You wanted to see me, Sir?" I inquired and he nodded as he gestured at the open door.
"Shut the door, Hanson," Director Deutch ordered, prompting me to close the door while I felt confused.
"Forgive me for asking, Sir, but what's going on and why did you call me here so urgently?" I questioned.
"Sorry for all the secrecy but what I'm about to tell you is classified and your file in the Special Activities Division told me that you can be trusted," Director Deutch stated and he cleared his throat before adding, "We've received foreign chatter about an unknown terror group that just surfaced and are not only currently involved in atrocities in the Middle East, but also shady dealings concerning a Professor William Shepherd. Here's what we've been able to dig up on Mr. Shepherd."
Director Deutch handed me a file and I opened it to see a middle-aged man with graying brown hair and the file described that Shepherd is a brilliant geneticist who owned a company called Shepherd Laboratories and that he dabbled in biology and genetics, but I soon discovered that his recent project called Project 18 was controversial due to the machine being capable of altering DNA in canines and people in the scientific community had pulled out their backing while protests broke out in religious groups and animal rights activists.
As I kept reading through the file, I felt skeptical since this Project 18 didn't seem to be all that ethical and that Shepherd was playing God, though the file described him as a man that wanted to make the world a better place and Project 18 appeared to be the first step in doing so.
"Hmm, this Project 18 seems to be like something from Star Trek...this report is accurate?" I asked and Director Deutch nodded.
"Correct and as I said earlier, an unknown terror group has been doing shady dealings with Professor Shepherd but we haven't been able to find any information on them," Director Deutch explained and I looked up after reading the rest of the file.
"We have no intel on who they are or who the leader of the cell is?" I questioned after closing the file and placing it on the desk.
"Exactly, which is making the top brass in the White House very nervous since it's unknown how many members there are or what their motives could be," Director Deutch stated with an expression of pure seriousness.
"Professor Shepherd's file says that the scientific community cut their funding due to his new project...are we looking at a rogue scientist who's getting his funding from this group?" I inquired thoughtfully.
"That's what we want you to find out, so your mission will be to do recon on Professor Shepherd and notify us of the situation once you have gathered enough intel. Once you have gathered enough, contact your handler and then we'll proceed from there.
If you have discovered that this group is a serious threat to our national security, inform us immediately and we'll set up a raid on the main HQ of Professor Shepherd's company. Remember, this Op is recon only so make sure not to draw attention," Director Deutch instructed.
"Understood, Sir," I agreed and picked up my briefcase as I went to leave.
"One more thing, your gear will be with your handler until you update us of the situation and it'll be sent to you once we have decided that a raid will be set up," Director Deutch informed me.
"Yes, Sir...where will this recon mission be taking place?" I asked as I stopped at the door and looked back.
"Socorro, New Mexico and keep a low profile because we don't want an incident to happen and POTUS has enough fires to put out right now," Director Deutch warned and I nodded, leaving the office and heading to the elevator.
After I had left the building, I arrived back home and changed into casual clothes consisting of a red t-shirt, blue jeans with a black belt, and work boots as I packed a suitcase with more clothes and went back to my car. I drove to the airport and bought a ticket for New Mexico, getting on the correct flight and enjoying the calm before the storm while I still could. After the plane landed, I put on a pair of shades to block out the sun's rays and went to the car rental agency to get a car, then I drove to the nearest motel until I arrived and headed inside to the receptionist's desk.
I approached the desk and a slightly dark-skinned man behind it nodded at me in acknowledgment.
"Hola senior. Puedo ayudarte?" the man inquired in Spanish with a pleasant smile.
"Hola, soy americano entonces hablas ingles?" I asked and the man perked up.
"Ingles? Si, I speak English. American, huh...so, who are you and what brings you to New Mexico?" the man inquired curiously.
"My name is David Tanner and I'm here for sightseeing," I lied while keeping a straight face and the man chuckled.
"I don't know why you wish to come to this place because there's nothing to see here but sand and dust and pretty much nothing happens, though you should go to Florida since my el primo is enjoying himself in Miami," the man joked and I laughed slightly.
"Maybe another time. Anyway, I would like to rent a room if you have one available," I explained and the man smiled.
"Let me check," the man said as he took out a registry and looked through it for a short amount of time before closing it.
"You're in luck, my friend because room 217 is currently available right now," the man informed me and I took out my wallet before paying the man in cash.
"Gracias, senor," I said as the man handed me the key and I left the main building.
I headed to my new motel room and unlocked the door, heading inside and placing the suitcase on the bed. I opened the suitcase and took out a file that told me what I should do next, looking through it and seeing that I was to infiltrate Shepherd's home and tap his phone for any information on the unknown group that had been doing shady dealings with him.
After opening a secret compartment that held a listening device inside the suitcase, along with a recorder, I set everything up on the nearby table and closed the curtains to the windows to ensure that nobody saw what I was up to. Once I was finished setting everything up, I left the motel room and headed to my car until I got in and drove to Shepherd's house.
I arrived in a suburban neighborhood and stopped in front of my destination, getting out of the car and looking at the house that had a backyard that was closed off by a wooden fence. Not seeing a car in the driveway, I took my chance to head over to the house while making sure no one saw me and then I approached the fence before I pulled myself up and looked around.
I saw a doghouse with the name Scout on it but I couldn't see a dog anywhere in the backyard, which told me that Shepherd must've taken his dog out for a drive and I used the advantage to climb over the fence and carefully headed over to the sliding glass door that was closed shut. I reached into my pocket and took out my lockpicks, kneeling and using the lockpicks to fiddle with the lock on the door.
I unlocked the door and stood up before I opened it, walking into the house and taking in everything around me for a second until I headed over to the study. I went into the study and saw awards on biology, genetics, and other objects that proved Shepherd's success in the scientific field as I approached the phone on the desk and took out the bug.
I got to work and before I knew it, I had bugged the phone and made sure that other areas of the room were bugged until I was satisfied and I left the study. I had exited the house and locked the door while I headed back to my car and drove away, hoping that the signal on the bug was working that I would be able to hear everything that Professor Shepherd and the leader of the unknown group were saying.
Once I had arrived back at the motel, I entered my room and set up the receiver so that I would be able to listen in on Shepherd's phone calls for any information, then I put on a pair of headphones and turned on the receiver before hearing that the signal was running strong. I heard someone entering the study after a while and turned on the recorder until a male voice started talking on the phone, and I deduced that I was hearing Shepherd talking as most of his phone calls were about business-related chatter.
I kept listening until the next call got my attention when his tone of voice changed into anger and subtle terror, and I paid close attention for any information.
"General Parvo, what the hell do you want this time? Haven't you tortured me enough these past few weeks?" Shepherd growled and I scrunched up my face at hearing the name.
"Who the hell names their kid after a fucked-up dog disease?" I thought in sheer confusion but I shook it off and kept listening as a male gravely voice responded.
"Is the project done yet?" Parvo questioned.
"It's finished, now give me back my family and my dog, you bastard!" Shepherd demanded angrily and I could almost picture the man looking livid while gripping the phone in one hand while clutching his head with the other.
"Watch yourself, Shepherd, or I'll send back pieces of your family and your dog one at a time. Meet me in the loading dock in your company building tonight...once I get the machine, I'll give you back your family and your dog," Parvo said smugly.
"You're insane, thinking you'll use my project to create an army and wipe out world governments to take over everything. People will stand up against you," Shepherd stated and Parvo chuckled menacingly.
"I doubt that so don't be late or your family and your dog will suffer the consequences," Parvo threatened before he hung up, causing Shepherd to do the same before I heard him hit his desk in frustration.
"Damn you, Parvo, and damn you Jeffery for stabbing me in the back by working for that monster..." Shepherd trailed off and I heard him starting to cry before I shut off the recorder and the receiver.
Now that I had the intel I needed to hand over to Director Deutch, all I needed to do is contact my handler and wait for further orders but I felt very concerned by what I'd just learned. If this Parvo character was right, he would start a war against the entire world and God knows how many people will be killed in the process before he's eliminated. I removed the tape from the recorder and took out my phone, calling my handler and praying that we would be able to stop Parvo in time.
After I had informed my handler of the situation and met up with him to hand over the evidence, I waited for a few hours until I received a call from him saying that my new mission was to eliminate Parvo and take down the cell he was in charge of. Now I was meeting up with a Delta Force unit that would accompany me during the mission and the Sergeant that was in charge nodded as we all met up near Professor Shepherd's company.
"Agent Hanson, good to meet you," the man greeted as we shook hands.
"You too, Sergeant Matthews," I agreed and we all got suited up.
I put on a tan flak jacket, brown gloves, strapped on a leg holster and put on a black military helmet as I did a weapons' check with a Glock 17 and an AR-15 until I holstered the sidearm and loaded the AR-15. I looked at the delta operatives and they looked at me to see what I had to say.
"Listen up, we have a handoff occurring between Professor William Shepherd and a General Parvo-" I started to explain and saw most of the men looking at me in confusion at the second name before I added, "Yes, I know what you're thinking but save it until the mission's over.
Anyway, the intel provided to all of you should give you a better understanding of how serious the situation is so I don't need to tell you that we are dealing with a group that's planning to start a war against the entire world, and they'll use Professor Shepherd's latest project to give them an advantage.
It has been discovered that Professor Shepherd's family and his pet rottweiler are being held hostage so check your fire. We have been given authorization by the President and the Director of the CIA to use lethal force but make no mistake, civilian casualties are completely unacceptable so be sure to secure the hostages since they are a priority."
I kept laying out the plan while the delta operatives were listening and now it was time to move in and execute the mission as I reached for my radio.
"Alpha 1 to Actual, moving out to the target building now," I informed my handler, who was named John.
"Understood Alpha 1, be advised that we are seeing movement around the building so remain on high alert," John warned.
"Copy that, Actual," I responded and kept moving with the delta operatives as we slowly approached the large building that was in the middle of the desert.
I held up a fist and we all kneeled as I took out a pair of binoculars and scouted the area, seeing soldiers in black as they patrolled the area and I signaled the delta operatives to move up as we stood up and arrived at the building. We kept moving and took out any guards that were in the way, eventually finding ourselves in the loading dock as we all took cover in places that would make us hard to spot.
After a while, I saw a military transport truck backing up into the loading dock while a humvee pulled up next to it, just as I saw Shepherd entering the large room from the stairwell with an exhausted and desperate expression on his face. I spotted a man who left the back of the truck, the man looking like he hasn't slept in days with his eyes completely bloodshot and appearing completely nervous.
"William!" the man called out and Shepherd started glaring at him with a look of barely restrained fury.
"Where the hell is Scout and my family, Jeffery?" Shepherd demanded and his question was answered as barking rang out, a female soldier wheeling a carrier off the transport truck while two men forced a woman and two kids out of the humvee with MP5s.
I could see that the hostages were completely terrified as they were crying, their hands tied behind their backs and duct tape covering their mouths while tear stains were covering their cheeks. Shepherd looked horrified to see them in such a condition as the soldiers forced his family on their knees and stopped wheeling the carrier right next to them, just as a large imposing man with a blond mustache and a metal helmet left the truck while smiling unpleasantly.
"Good evening, Professor," the man greeted, his voice the same as Parvo's while he smirked and asked, "Where is the prototype?"
"It's underneath that tarp, next to the forklift," Shepherd replied as he gestured at an object that was covered by a tarp.
"Excellent...Groomer, Daniels, load the prototype," Parvo ordered, prompting the female soldier and another male soldier to salute before they headed over to the object.
Daniels got into the driver seat of the forklift and started it up while Groomer guided him to the back of the truck, Shepherd looking sick to his stomach as he glared at Parvo.
"Alright, Parvo, we had a deal so give me back my family and my dog," Shepherd growled as he pointed an accusing finger at the man, who chuckled in amusement.
"Certainly, just as soon as I get what I want," Parvo suggested while holding out a hand, causing Shepherd to hesitate for a moment until he put down a briefcase on the ground and slid it to Parvo.
"You made a very wise decision, Shepherd, since Project 18 will be in good hands and used to its full potential," Parvo declared as he picked up the briefcase and Groomer walked over to him before saluting.
"General, the prototype is loaded and safely secured in the vehicle," Groomer informed him with a Scottish accent.
Parvo looked pleased as he took out a key and went to toss it but he stopped and signaled to Groomer and a few other soldiers, prompting them to aim their M16 rifles at Shepherd and Jeffrey.
"What the fuck?! Parvo, this wasn't part of the plan!" Jeffrey cried in alarm and was forced to raise his hands.
"Plans change, Jeffrey," Parvo stated as he looked at Shepherd and added, "I know your type, Shepherd, you would've altered the plans and the prototype before our arrival just to slow us down. While I applaud your efforts, you're coming back with us to perfect Project 18."
Parvo looked at Jeffrey and said, "As for you...I'm very grateful for your help, of course, but you served your purpose."
Parvo empathized that by backhanding Jeffrey across the face, sending the man crashing to the ground with a bloody nose that looked broken and Parvo turned to look at Groomer and Daniels.
"Groomer, with me. Daniels, take the mutt, Shepherd, and his family to the back and keep an eye on them," Parvo ordered and I turned to signal the other delta operators that it was time to move in, then we all raised ourselves out from cover and aimed at the enemy soldiers.
"Freeze, US Army! Drop your weapons and put your hands up!" Sergeant Matthews ordered harshly, taking everyone off guard and Parvo pulled out a Beretta.
"Dammit, take them down!" Parvo demanded and chaos broke out after that as the soldiers instantly opened fire at us and we all shot back at them.
I saw Shepherd taking advantage of the distraction and sneaking over to his family, picking up a pipe and knocking out the soldier behind them with a heavy strike while I killed the other with two shots to the heart. I took out another soldier by shooting him in the head and looked back at the delta operators.
"X-ray down! Sergeant, have the rest of your men cover us while I take two shooters with me to secure Shepherd and the hostages!" I shouted and Sergeant Matthews nodded.
"You heard him, lay down cover fire!" Sergeant Matthews ordered and most of the delta operatives complied while I circled to the civilians with two operators right behind me.
We approached Shepherd and his family, causing all of them to jump at the sight of us but Shepherd sighed in pure relief when he saw that I was holding up a hand to placate them.
"Professor Shepherd? It's okay, we're going to get you, your family, and your dog out of here," I reassured as one of the delta operators used his combat knife to carefully break the zip-ties on the hostages and he removed the duct tape after that, then Shepherd's wife and his kids instantly hugged the man as they sobbed.
"William..." Shepherd's wife whimpered and the man didn't say anything as we all stood up and I looked at the reunited family.
"Alright, stay behind us and listen to whatever we say because we're going to be moving through a hot zone," I instructed and they nodded while one of the operatives lifted the dog carrier that held Scout inside and the other hauled Jeffrey to his feet.
"Whoever you are, thank you for saving my family and I swear I won't forget this," Shepherd stated and I gestured for them to stay close as we started moving to Sergeant Matthews and the rest of the delta operators.
"General, Shepherd and his family are escaping!" I heard Groomer shouting above the sounds of gunfire and I spotted Parvo looking enraged while he was firing at Sergeant Matthews.
"Shit, don't let them get away but don't kill Shepherd because we need him!" Parvo snarled as he loaded a fresh mag and fired again.
"Sir, do you want me to blow the charges?!" Daniels questioned loudly and Parvo shook his head.
"You idiot, you'll blow us all to hell if you set off the charges right now so absolutely not! Wait until we secure Shepherd and his family, then blow the charges after we're far enough away from the building!" Parvo refused as we made it to Sergeant Matthews and the other delta operatives.
"Hostages are secure, now take them out!" I ordered and aimed at Daniels, killing him with a shot to the eye and he collapsed to the ground.
"General, we just lost Daniels!" Groomer exclaimed in alarm.
"Dammit, pull out and blow the charges!" Parvo shouted in frustration as he and what's left of his troops frantically backed up to the truck and humvee while laying down suppressive fire.
"We can't let Parvo escape! If he escapes and figures out how Project 18 works, he'll be able to conquer the whole planet in a decade!" Shepherd notified us urgently with a look of fear on his face.
"You heard the man, don't let Parvo escape!" I exclaimed while we moved from cover to cover, killing any enemy soldiers that had the misfortune of finding themselves out in the open.
Suddenly, Groomer aimed at Shepherd's wife and was about to shoot her but Jeffrey dived into the way and got hit in the back while she fired, then I kept firing until I was forced to remain in cover while I dumped the empty mag and loaded a fresh one. I slapped the bolt release with my palm and slung my rifle so that I could reach over and drag Jeffrey out of the line of fire until I saw that he was dead.
The truck and humvee started up just as explosions occurred around us and I frantically signaled everyone to run as the place was coming down around us, forcing us to leave Jeffrey behind while the two vehicles sped outside and debris collapsed onto Shepherd's wife and kids as it crushed them into a gory mess.
"Susan, Jeremy, Rachel!" Shepherd screamed in pure horror as he tried to run back, but I grabbed him and he struggled to get loose.
"There's nothing you can do! They're gone and we're going to be next if we don't get out of here right now!" I shouted as I forced Shepherd to move towards the exit, just as an explosion occurred next to us and I was thrown against a wall while I bounced off of it and crashed onto the ground.
I groaned in pain while my ears were ringing and my head was spinning, forcing myself to get up with blurry vision and I didn't see Shepherd anywhere as I stumbled out of the loading dock and kept moving to the rendezvous point with Sergeant Matthews and the other delta operatives until we all stopped and turned around to witness the entire building explode and sink into the ground of New Mexico.
"Jesus Christ..." a delta operative trailed off in shock while I sat down to recover from our near-death experience.
"Parvo escaped with Project 18, Shepherd and his family are dead...fucking hell, this Op turned completely FUBAR and now we're seriously screwed if we don't find and stop Parvo fast," I thought as I clutched my ribs that were aching.
"Sound off!" Sergeant Matthews ordered and the other delta operatives made noises of reassurance as he turned to look at me.
"What about you, CIA? Are you good?" Sergeant Matthews asked and I stood up while waving it off.
"I'm solid, Sergeant, so let's check and see what condition Professor Shepherd's dog is in," I stated as I headed over the carrier that was put down, hearing Scout whimpering while I kneeled in front of the carrier and took out my lockpicks.
"It's okay, boy, we're going to get you out of there," I assured the poor dog while I started working on the padlock.
I reached out with my mind to calm down Scout and tell him that he was safe, but I noticed something was seriously wrong when I couldn't feel his emotions and I unlocked the carrier. I opened the door, only to be feeling far from happy when I saw a tape recorder inside playing and I shut it off before taking it out and showing everyone.
"There's no dog in here, it's a Goddamn recording," I informed the others and Sergeant Matthews sighed in frustration at the complete failure this mission turned out to be.
"Dammit...call it in, CIA," Sergeant Matthews said reluctantly and I put down the recorder so that I could reach for my radio.
"Alpha 1 to Actual," I said into my radio.
"Go ahead, Alpha 1," John responded.
"Situation's completely FUBAR...Shepherd and the hostages are KIA, General Parvo escaped with Project 18, and local emergency services are en-route to our location. Requesting exfil to our location, how copy?" I reported tiredly.
"Solid copy, Alpha 1, dispatching an unmarked black hawk to your location so sit tight," John said and I sighed at how this mission became such a shit-show so quickly while we all waited for extraction.
After we were picked up and I told the pilot to make a quick stop at a good distance from the motel, I gathered all my equipment and made sure to secure them in my suitcase while I also covered up any evidence of my existence by driving my rental car into the desert and setting it on fire.
I headed back to the helicopter and was flown back to the Agency, then I reported what happened and Director Deutch was completely unhappy but he reassured me that I had no knowledge that the mission would turn out that way and he told me to go home and rest so that I could recover from my injuries. The drive home after that was uneventful and long since everyone who lived in the suburbs was trying to get home at once and I wound up being stuck in a traffic jam for the better part of a couple of hours.
By the time I arrived home, it was late and the sun was just starting to set as I got out of my car and locked it before heading to my apartment. As I walked to my apartment building, I could hear dogs barking all around me and, along with those barks, came the psychic vibrations.
"Not man, not man."
"Strange, wrong."
"Bad."
The images and feelings I was receiving from the dogs' minds didn't make sense and it physically made me ill, which would sometimes happen if I received too many psychic messages or if the feelings were too strong. I should've been curious about what was going on with the dogs inside the apartment building since I've never experienced so many psychic messages before, but my exhaustion and the pain of my injuries were compounded by the sudden headache of so many voices hitting my mind that I just wanted to go to bed and pass out.
"Go away! This is mine, mine! Danger!" the corgi from next door yelled after I had entered the building and was approaching my apartment.
At first, my neighbor's dog didn't bother me much since the little guy was very territorial and barked at me whenever I came home, but the fear coming off of the dog made me pause just as I was about to unlock my door and the eeriness of the situation suddenly hit me before I listened to the dogs carefully.
"Bad smell."
"Bad man."
"Wrong man."
"Danger!"
I tensed up at how something about this felt seriously wrong and I went for my concealed carry on when I felt a presence behind me, just as I was grabbed from behind and my training started kicking in.
"Hold him," I heard the voice of Parvo order as I sent a nasty kick into the leg of whoever was restraining me.
The man yelped in pain as his grip loosened and I elbowed him hard into the solar plexus, just as a cloth was forced against my face and the familiar smell of chloroform made me struggle even harder while I kept elbowing the man to make him let go. My gun was taken out of my holster by one of my attackers as I tried not to breathe in the chloroform but I couldn't hold my breath in anymore and the first breath caused the chloroform to enter my lungs, making me immediately feel faint and sluggish.
My second breath made everything turn fuzzy and my head started spinning, then my third breath caused my eyes to close and I started to pass out.
"Hey, what the hell are you-" a faint voice called out and the sound of a suppressed weapon went off along with a grunt.
The last thing I heard was a body hitting the ground before I took my fourth breath and fell unconscious.
After being knocked out, my next conscious moment was waking up groggy from the chloroform and seeing that I was in a dimly lit room of some kind while I tried to swallow but my mouth felt dry with my throat and lungs burning, my mind fuzzy, and I could barely recall what happened. As I tried to move, I felt leather straps on my wrists and ankles that prevented me from moving.
"Uggh," I groaned quietly as I kept trying to get loose.
"He's waking up, General," I heard Groomer say and spotted her and Parvo coming into my line of sight.
"Perfect, now get his attention," Parvo said and before I knew it, I was rendered fully awake after being slapped across the face and I quickly looked around before noticing that I was strapped to a chair and that there was a table with many objects that would be used for torture.
"Now that you're paying attention, it's time you start to answer some questions. We found your wallet and it told us that your name is David Tanner but something told me that's not your real name, not to mention that the passports with the different aliases prove that you're a spy of some kind.
Here's how it's going to go, you will tell me everything about who you are and who you work for or my second in command will make things highly unpleasant for you," Parvo threatened and I remained silent as I stared at him with a stoic expression.
(Warning, scenes of torture)
Parvo looked at Groomer and nodded, prompting her to pick up a bucket of water and she splashed me in the face which caused me to cough and sputter as she picked up a pair of jumper cables connected to a battery. My heart started racing at the sight of her sparking the cables and she forced them onto my chest, then my vision turned red while intense agony ran through my body from the current of electricity that was coursing through me.
Groomer removed the cables and I started wheezing for air as Parvo leered down at me.
"Well? Are you going to talk or do you want us to make things worse for you?" Parvo questioned but I glared up at him and he looked back at Groomer with another nod.
Groomer approached me and flipped the chair I was sitting on, causing it to tip over and I grunted as my back hit the ground and Groomer placed a cloth onto my face before grabbing a gas canister. Groomer tilted the can and water poured onto my face, forcing me to turn my head away from the torrent of water while I made sure to take in small breaths of air so that I wouldn't drown. After what seemed to be forever, Groomer quit trying to waterboard me and put the can down until she lifted the chair back up. I coughed and gasped for air as I hung my head and Parvo grabbed my chin and made me look at him.
"Talk, damn you! I will break you, even if it takes us all fucking night!" Parvo snarled and he sent a fist into my face.
I was rendered completely dazed after that and I felt him undoing the straps on the chair before he threw me to the ground and two soldiers grabbed my arms. I was being dragged somewhere as my head was spinning from a combination of the chloroform and being slugged in the face, then I was thrown to the ground after we entered a large room and the soldiers restrained my wrists with shackles until Groomer moved a lever and I was lifted into the air by the chain that was attached to the shackles.
Parvo took out a knife and sliced my shirt open, ripping the fabric off my torso and Groomer took out a whip.
"Last chance, so talk or you'll know suffering that'll make hell look like paradise," Parvo growled and I simply glared at him defiantly until he backed up and nodded at Groomer.
Groomer walked in front of me a fair distance away and she swung the whip, causing pain to explode on my torso as I gritted my teeth to bear with the torture and I was put through so much agony after that for God knows how long but I never let them break me since I couldn't give them what they want.
Once a few hours have passed, I was hanging my head and wheezing weakly as I tried to stay conscious from the hell I was currently experiencing, then I heard Parvo shouting lividly as he slammed a fist against a wall and I barely looked up to see him seething in rage.
"Fuck, what the hell is he made of?! No sane person can withstand something like this for so long!" Parvo roared and he started hacking and coughing harshly until he wheezed out, "Lozenge!"
Groomer handed Parvo the lozenge and the man frantically took it until he was eventually breathing normally again.
"General, it appears that he is well trained at resisting interrogation for an extended period so we should try again tomorrow since we don't want to kill him without gaining any information he might have," Groomer pointed out logically and Parvo scowled until he sighed.
"Very well, but let's make sure he doesn't try to escape first," Parvo agreed reluctantly as he approached me and checked my shackles, then he grabbed my hair and forced my head up while he sneered at me.
"Are you listening? No matter how long it takes, I will get answers from you so welcome to your new home because you will be staying here for a long time," Parvo vowed with a sinister grin and let go of my hair before he, Groomer, and the other soldiers left the room the light shut off as I was left hanging in the dark.
I lost count of how long I had been held captive here and my sense of time had blurred into a mess, my hair becoming disheveled and a beard growing in since they were depriving me of food, water, and a shower to break me while they kept torturing me. I was feeling so weak from a lack of substance and pain while I was hanging from the chain, then the door opened and the light turned on before I heard footsteps approaching me and a hand grabbed my chin and forced my head up to show me Parvo and Groomer examining me.
"I'm surprised, most people would've broken by now but you're not like most people, are you?" Parvo muttered and a weak glare from me made him laugh as he added, "Even after all this time you still won't talk...such loyalty for your employers and your country, even though they had abandoned you."
"General, Project 18 is ready for testing," Groomer informed him and Parvo grinned.
"Perfect...after two weeks of trying to figure out that damn machine Shepherd sabotaged, it is finally finished but I'll need some test subjects first. Did you bring the mutt?" Parvo questioned and Groomer nodded.
"Yes, but the machine is still a prototype and it needs something to stabilize the animal's DNA or the process won't work," Groomer answered and Parvo frowned at that until he looked at me and a malicious expression took over his ugly face.
"Groomer, I think we have just what we need right in front of us," Parvo declared and signaled her to lower the chain.
Groomer headed over to the lever and pulled it, causing the chain to suddenly lower at a fast speed and I crashed to the ground with a pained groan before Groomer walked over to unlock the shackles and I was dragged away somewhere by two soldiers. After going through a hallway, I made sure to study the layout of the area for any exits so that I could plan my escape and then I was dragged into a large room that looked like a lab of some kind with scientists working on the machines.
I picked up the sound of a dog whimpering and whining, causing me to turn my head to see a carrier holding a male Alaskan Malamute inside while the poor dog looked terrified of his surroundings. I felt the distress coming off the dog and I sent out a soothing message into his mind, causing the dog to look at me while he relaxed slightly.
"Who are you? This is a bad place and the people here are not friends," the dog told me nervously in his mind as I was dragged to a large machine with a door that was hanging open.
I was thrown into the machine and I grunted as I hit the ground, then I wheezed while I saw the carrier being wheeled to me and the door was opened before the dog was also forced inside. The large metal door slammed shut and the large dog frantically started clawing at it to get it open, but it was useless and he whined as he padded over to me and nuzzled my face.
"I do not like it here...bad smells, bad people, the man with yellow fur on face smells wrong," the dog mentally said and I weakly reached up to scratch behind his ears.
"It's okay, we'll get out of here and I'll make sure to get you back home," I reassured psychically just as I heard the loud humming of the machine being turned on.
The dog whimpered in distress as I forced the last bit of my strength to crawl to the door and reached up to claw up at the window in a desperate attempt to get us free until pain exploded everywhere. I couldn't think as an intense agony ran through my body and I could faintly hear the dog howling while I convulsed from the pain with choking noises and foamed at the mouth.
I didn't know if I was going crazy or not, but I could've sworn my senses were getting more and more amplified by the second while my body seemed to be twisting and altering into something inhuman altogether. Just when I thought it would never end, the machine finally died down and I could barely stay conscious as the door opened with a hiss and footsteps approached while the steam surrounding me cleared up.
"My God...it worked Groomer and now we have our first loyal cano-mutant," Parvo stated gleefully as I felt a new strength and carefully stood up.
I wobbled as I noticed that something was seriously wrong with my size much larger and my senses a thousand times more powerful than before as the many smells of chemicals and sounds of the slightest things were hitting me all at once, and I gagged while I clasped a hand over my nose.
My hand bumped into an obstruction in front of my nose and I felt a sharp pain as a yelp exited my mouth, but what caught my attention was that the yelp sounded like it came from a canine and I moved my hand away just before I spotted something long and big just below my line of sight. I carefully reached up to feel it and to my horror, I discovered that the thing was a snout and that it was attached to my face before I started breathing heavily and a long thin tongue lolled out when I opened my new muzzle.
I quickly looked down at myself and felt nothing but panic and alarm as I saw my bare chest completely covered in fur with the coloration of a malamute, then I raised my arms and saw more fur with my hands showing sharp claws and my palms having paw-pads. I also saw that my boots have been ripped apart by the transformation and I could see that my feet were still normal, but they were covered in fur like everywhere else and my toenails were claws.
I backed away to try and deny what I was seeing and I made another yelp of pain when my back hit the wall and I looked behind me to see a bushy tail that had torn through the back of my jeans. I also noticed that the dog was gone and it took me a second to realize that the machine must've merged us and we became a new being that was a mixture of a human and a dog.
"What do you think, General?" Groomer inquired and I looked at her and Parvo while they both smiled at each other.
"He is perfect and now the first step of my plans to control the world has begun," Parvo declared sadistically and I glared at the psychopath that was grinning smugly, my hands trembling in a rage since I looked like a Godforsaken freak of nature and it made me feel completely livid.
Before anyone could react, I lunged at Parvo and his eyes widened at the unexpected attack before he was able to move out of the way in time, but I grabbed Groomer instead and wrapped a muscular arm around her neck while restaining her arms behind her back with my hand.
"Tell your men to drop their guns, you bastard, or I'll snap her fucking neck!" I snarled viciously after the soldiers in the room pulled out their guns and aimed at me while the scientists immediately backed up at a safe distance.
"How the hell is this possible?! The machine should've programmed your mind to obey me!" Parvo exclaimed in outrage while Groomer was struggling in my grip, but my new form appeared to be built like a tank since her kicks at my legs didn't even phase me.
"Last warning, tell your men to drop their guns or she's fucking dead," I threatened menacingly and empathized by putting pressure on her neck, causing her to choke and the soldiers looked at each other hesitantly since I was showing them that I wasn't screwing around.
"What are your orders, sir?" one of the soldiers inquired as I started moving Groomer to the exit, and Parvo leered at me until he shot me a twisted grin.
"Lower your weapons...let's give him a running start," Parvo ordered and the soldiers lowered either their rifles or handguns as I moved us to the door.
"You there, hand me your gun" I demanded at a soldier and he looked at Parvo, who nodded and the man reluctantly gave me his Glock before I took it with my free hand and I backed out of the room with Groomer.
"You won't make it out of here so why don't you just surrender and accept the General as your master," Groomer suggested and I put pressure on her throat slightly to send a warning.
"Shut up and keep moving," I growled as I forced her to lead the way and we found ourselves in front of the locker rooms.
I squeezed Groomer's throat and she struggled to get loose until her body slumped against me and I dropped her, heading into the men's locker room for a new pair of clothes until I broke open a locker with my new powerful strength and saw casual clothes that appeared to be the right size for me. I removed my jeans after placing the Glock on the nearby bench and got dressed in a green t-shirt, blue hoodie, brown cargo pants, and black boots while also grabbing a black ballcap before I spotted my reflection in one of the mirrors.
I was shocked to see that I appeared to be in my twenties again as most of my body was human, except for the head of a malamute replacing a human one and I felt my new muzzle as I tried to figure out how to move my ears. I also looked at the bulge that was in the back of my new pants and I hoped that no one noticed my tail once I manage to get to the next town, though I'm definitely going to look suspicious once I put my hat on and cover my inhuman face with my hoodie since I would probably look like the Unibomber.
I put my hat on and grimaced at how uncomfortable it felt for my ears to be pressed down but I ignored it as I grabbed the gun and an alarm suddenly blared throughout the facility, prompting me to quickly move out of the locker room and head for the exit. I made sure to avoid any soldiers that were searching the area as I made it to the exit, then I went through the door and covered my eyes from the sun that beamed its rays down at me.
I heard shouting behind me and reacted by quickly turning around and killing two soldiers with two shots before I sprinted out of the building and rushed to one of the cars in the parking lot. I smashed the window, still astonished that I was far stronger due to my new form and unlocked the chevy, getting in and leaning down to hotwire it. Once I was done hotwiring the car, it started up and I shifted gears before hitting the gas and sped away into the desert while Parvo and many soldiers rushed out of the large building and opened fire at me.
I let out a huge sigh of relief as I kept driving to any form of civilization, knowing that I needed to keep a low profile from now on and try to figure out a way to change back or I would have no choice but to live on the run for the rest of my life.
A/N Hello everybody and welcome to my new Road Rovers fic and I wanted to explain a few things before I continued with another chapter. The first thing is that I barely remembered the cartoon since I grew up in the late nineties and the show came out a year after I was born so when I saw Youtube videos of the show a few months ago, I took a look and wondered what would happen if a CIA Special Activities Operative/Vietnam veteran became a military advisor and field agent in the Road Rovers after being forcibly changed into a cano-sapien by Parvo.
The second thing is that I wanted to apologize for the torture scenes since I'm planning for the story to have real-life military tactics and express the horrors of war, the supernatural, and terrorism, so expect the story to have very uncomfortable scenes and the Road Rovers will be taking things much more seriously due to being trained by Adam and witnessing seriously disturbing things during their career.
The third and final thing is that Adam will be in charge and before you all complain about Hunter not being team leader, it makes much more sense for Adam to be team leader since he has the most experience and will be in charge until Hunter has enough experience to be promoted to team leader.
Anyway, before I go, I'm requesting anyone to assist me in real-life military tactics but if you don't want to help out, that's completely fine since I can always research it but it would be nice to get assistance from someone who has first-hand experience.
Well, let me know what you all think so far and stay tuned.
P.S Before I forget, Adam is a dog psychic if you all are confused about how he is communicating with dogs' minds and what kind of powers do you want Adam to have? I'm leaving it all up to you so let me know what kind of powers you want Adam to have.