Eagle Eyes

Manticore was not the only covert military operation making genetically enhanced prototypes. In fact, there were many more all around the world. In Australia, there was one called Eagle Eyes. This is their story.

Chapter Nine

A/N: from now on I will use the name Jorri instead of Kaylee. Because that's her really real name.

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"How long have you been here?" Jorri asked.

"Two days. How long have you been here?" Mia answered.

"Just got here today. Where have you been?"

"Give me your hand, and I'll tell you."

"What?"

"Your right hand. Give it to me."

"Oh I see."

Jorri held her right hand out to Mia, who grasped Jorri's arm in her right hand, so that their barcodes touched.

(flashes)

A young girl stands in the middle of a classroom all alone. Another girl walks up to her.

"Will you be my friend?"

The first girl sits in the middle of a corridor, crying. Her friend sits next to her, hugging her around the shoulders.

"I don't want to go Lin." The crying girl whispered.


"I don't want you to go either Lee."

Lin sits in a room with an older man, who is asking her many questions.

"Why do you talk to the air, Lin?"

"I don't. I'm talking to Lee."

"Who's Lee?"

"She's my best friend."

"I see."

"No you don't. She's real. She moved away last year. Far away."

A boy walks up to Lin, who is sitting on a swing. He takes her hand, and stands next to her for a while, not talking. Then he lets her hand go, and gives her a hug.

"It'll be okay Lin. I'm sure she's fine. She just hasn't got enough time to write."

An older Lin is at a party. It's her 11th birthday. She looks around the room, wishing that Lee were there.

Lin sits in a classroom, surrounded by a group of people. They are all in their teens.

"What does it say Ashlinn?" one asks.

"It says she misses us, and wishes she were here. She also says that she still remembers most of you."

"From 9 years ago? And this is the first time she's written to you?"

Lin sits in front of a computer, typing a message to someone on MSN. The username is familiar, a quote that is really memorable.

Lin sits on a train, head against the window, tears running down her cheeks.

A door closes, but a glimpse of Lin is caught, heading out the back entrance of the shop.

(end flashes)

Jorri let her arm fall to her side. She looked up at Mia, shocked. Mia, equally shocked, stared back at her. It was minutes before they said anything.

"Ashlinn?" Jorri asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Mia nodded. "Kaylee?"

Jorri nodded, before enveloping Mia in a hug once again.

"God I miss you." Jorri whispered into Mia's ear.

"Me too."

The two girls hugged each other tighter, before letting go and turning around to face Vanessa and Elizabeth. Vanessa was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame, and Elizabeth was no where to be seen.

"Sit down." Vanessa half asked, half commanded.

Jorri and Mia sat down next to each other on one side of the table, while Vanessa sat opposite them. She folded her hands and laid them on the table, thinking of how to start.

"I take it that you know who you are know?" Vanessa asked finally.

"Of course we do." Mia replied.

"We used to be best friends in primary school." Jorri added.

"You went to primary school together? Hanna said nothing about that."

"Yeah. We were the very best of friends, but Lee, I mean Jorri, left at the end of year one. We wrote once or twice, then stopped. I don't know why. But then, about two years ago, Lee sent me a letter. It took me a year to write one back, and we've been talking since, through letters and emails."

"I see. And while you were in primary school together, you never noticed anything different?"

"Nothing. We thought that we were just regular kids. But we weren't were we. I mean, we aren't are we?" Jorri asked.

"No."

"Then what are we?" Mia asked, confused.

"Let me start from the very start. I take it both of you know a little about genetics?"

Jorri and Mia nodded.

"Good. Now, in Melbourne there is a covert government agency called Eagle Eyes. Why it's called Eagle Eyes is anyone's guess, but that's its name. The scientists at Eagle Eyes are attempting to create a 'perfect soldier.' To do this, they had to create a genetically engineered embryo, and then have a surrogate mother carry the child until it was born."

"Let me guess," Mia interrupted. "Me 'n' Jorri are two of these 'perfect soldiers'?"

"Yes. But let me tell you the full story before you ask any more questions. You were part of the very first unit of soldiers. They created you with a mix of either feline or canine DNA and human DNA. The males have canine in them, and the females' feline.

"There were to be three groups begun at the same time. There were to be the A1, A2 and A3 groups. You are a part of A1. There were to be thirty in each group, but there were only thirty surrogate mothers, and the director wanted all of the groups to be the same age. So they decided to split each group into three, and have the first ten of each group implanted, then after they were born, the next ten of each, and then the last ten after them.

"This worked, except for two things. The first was that none of the A1 group was in the womb for more than eight months, and the other two groups were in for the full length. The second was more serious. In the last group of pregnancies, three mothers from the A1 group tried to escape when they were four months along. They were chased, and two of the mothers fell, killing the child in their wombs. The other was caught unharmed.

"Those two lost babies were replaced. It took two months for the scientists to create two new embryos, but they were better than all of the others. Those two babies were born two months early, five months after the rest of their unit.

"It was only 10 months later that the nurses of A1 hatched an escape plan. They were going to take the ten babies, and run. The leader of these nurses was Hanna. They started the plan, but eight of the nine nurses were caught and taken back inside. Only Hanna managed to get out, with the two smallest babies, who were also the youngest.

"You two are the youngest of the A1 group. It is you who are the best of the A series, who were born so much later than the rest. Hanna took you both, and set you up with families who knew about Eagle Eyes. Both the families were not to mention any of this to you until your 18th birthday, unless something happen that made it vital for you to know. And that is why you are here right now. Eagle Eyes has many people out looking for you, and for the others."

"The others?" Jorri asked quietly. "There are others out here?"

"Not right here. But there are others. In '02, twelve of the A1 soldiers managed to escape. That makes 14 of you not in the facility, but out in the real world."

"Where are they? Our brothers and sister?" Mia asked.

"I don't know. Hanna might know, but I don't know where Hanna is either."

Mia looked at Vanessa strangely. "I thought you said you did know where she was?"

"Did I? Well, I'm sorry if I did, but I don't. She left to go somewhere about a year ago, and I have only heard from her once since, and she never tells me where she is. If you want her, you'd have to find her."

"And how do we do that?"

"I don't know Mia. I don't know."

Jorri turned to Mia. "Mia, are you feeling up for a road trip?"

"Hell yeah. Where to?"

"I don't know. But we'll see if we can find Hanna, or any of our brothers or sisters."

"Sounds good to me. Only thing is where to start? Vanessa, any advice?"

"Like I said, I don't know. All I know is that you have to stay out of sight, so to speak. Eagle Eyes is after you, you don't really want to draw attention to yourself. You'd be better to go into hiding. Which is what your brothers and sisters might have done."

"Where would they hide though?" Mia puzzled out loud. She looked at Jorri, who was confused as well. Suddenly, both their eyes widened.

"America." Jorri stated, just as Mia said, "The Pulse."

Vanessa looked at the two of them for a moment, before suggesting, "You might want to start out as soon as you can. If you want to go to America, you'll have to fly to Canada first, then head into American by foot or car."

"We'll start tomorrow, k Mia?"

"Sure Jorri. We can go to the travel agent and book a flight, and then get some gear to take over there."

"Uh-huh" Jorri thought for a moment, before turning to Vanessa. "Can you tell us anything about our brothers and sisters? Anything at all?"

"All I know I will tell you. There were 15 males and 15 females, and of those, 7 males and 5 females escaped in '02. The oldest four escaped, as did the youngest three, not including you two. The oldest, a male, was the Commanding Officer, and no doubt he is looking after all of the escapees. But other than that, I don't know I'm sorry."

"That's ok," Mia replied. "But would you mind if we leave, and go upstairs? Jorri can sleep in the guest room with me tonight, if that's ok."

"Sure, go on up. If you feel like eating, just let me know, and I'll get you something."

"Thank you Vanessa." Jorri called out as she followed Mia up the stairs.

"It's my pleasure."

~~

And there is yet another thrilling episode of Eagle Eyes. Again, I am sorry for the long wait, but you might just have to deal with it, cause I'm over my head with school stuff.

PLEASE REVIEW. I see no point in continuing if nobody reviews.