Because of the concussion I received, I was unable to do anything for several days… X contacted me when he knew I was better. We were on the computers; communicating to each other when he told me the reason he had wired the two buildings to blow up. "It was obvious to me that Mr. Warren was interested in the bounty that had recently been placed on you.
"I noticed a change in him at some point, especially after I reviewed his cell phone records; yes I had his mobile phone bugged just in case. You see, I never trusted him in the first place but I knew I could trust you."
"Why didn't you tell me," I asked, my own mind full of suspicion against him. He laughed his little, ugly laugh and replied; "I knew that I could trust you, which brings me to telling you about the real reasons for my contacting and hiring you." He stopped, waiting for me to say something. So I didn't say anything and agitated him.
"I want us to meet in person because I do not believe you will understand the science of the events that are too take place in the following years. Of course, without your help, I could not fulfill mankind's destiny."
Mankind's destiny, I thought with wonder and he had my curiosity; he must've seen it because he said, "Meet me at the corner of 34th and 17th streets in downtown; I will be in a limo and you are to be waiting on the single black bench. Precautions, you see." Then the screen flickered and his face faded from the monitor.
Again I thought, what have I gotten myself into? Mankind's destiny; I hope he's not a someone that needs to be in an asylum or something… He certainly had that look to him…
-_-
An hour later a limousine pulled up with windows so tinted it was impossible to tell if there was a light on inside the vehicle; I was waiting in downtown where I was to be waiting and the window slowly rolled down. X was sitting on the opposite side of the bench and he looked at me through the frame of the window and said, "Please join me, Ms. Asazi."
I got to my feet and someone whistled as I bent down to get into the limousine. I was wearing a black, fabric trench coat with tight leather pants and a nice blue shirt; I wanted to whirl and shoot the fool that I had unintentionally gotten attention from but I didn't.
I slammed the door and a purplish bug with green legs rolled the window back up; I remembered the little electronics' name after a few seconds of hard thought. I looked at Dr. X and tried to stop it but I couldn't…I gasped in shock and his face remained blank and then everything else hit me…
He was legless with nothing to help him walk…and then I remembered everything about Xynan and I cried out in grief… This was Xynan, the one that had taken me in when I was so young and helpless. This was Xynan, the one that I thought I had fallen in love with when I was so young…and helpless…
I tried to speak but couldn't for there was a lump in my throat. Now I knew why he had seemed so familiar, seemed so peculiar. Oh God, how could you have let him survive, I silently asked…
'Dr. X' said, "Judging from your reaction to my appearance, you remember me now."
I couldn't lie…but I couldn't speak so I just nodded…I nodded a yes…
And he sighed in disgust; I wasn't sure what he was revolted by but it was obvious he was aghast. He said, "Yes, Asazi, it is I, Xynan; but you will speak this to no one for Xynan is dead. He died over a decade ago and Dr. X is now…Xynan was then, I am now. Do you understand?" I swallowed and nodded. How could you have let yourself survive, if God didn't have a hand in it? I would've rather died then lived on without legs…
"I've been busy with several projects, Asazi. Since Xynan died, science has become a main part of my life and I have followed it since Xynan died. You may think that the past caught up with you but, in fact, it never left. Never. I knew where you were at nearly all times but I couldn't do anything about your troubles because of my…handicap."
He's completely lost it, I realized and then thought, but that means he could bring in good money… After all I might be able to pull a few stunts on him…
"I wish to show you my dreams and why I need you to help me fulfill them. Are you interested in bettering the humankind?"
I nodded, playing along, and then I said, "I wish to better them by getting rid of the filth."
He smiled and alleged, "That's one way but I have a few better ideas; ones that are probably even more violent but will completely better the homo sapiens; we will, without a doubt, trigger mankind's next step in evolution."
He silenced himself for a few moments and then said, "You probably think me insane but that will change when we arrive to my home… For now, just think, Ms. Asazi. Think…"
I replied with silence, turning my head to stare out the window and…think about how small the world was…
-_-
"Neo-Humans," Dr. X said with what could've been a smile as machines attached him to some kind of wheelchair he had made for his body. "I'm going to mutate us Homo-Sapiens into Neo-Humans, much more powerful and intelligent beyond Einstein. I have already created one successfully—not counting a certain number that don't even know they have the gift—despite many unsuccessful attempts."
He somehow moved the wheels without touching them towards a control monitor. We had been taken to a private airport, then transferred to a helicopter that Xynan…X flew without touching; probably something to do with his 'trilibugs'. With the helicopter we had flown out into the ocean and to an abandoned oilrig. I didn't ask how it was abandoned for fear of hearing something I didn't want to…
"My first experiment was done in a day and age that you were familiar with…and people that you were familiar with…" I frowned and then I realized what he meant...the numbers! The numbers in my head are from his experiments…Alex was his experiment, I was his experiment…and I'm one of those few that don't know that they have the gift…but I do know…
Dr. X continued, "Yes, the small group of four that you were with; I never got see your results your sophomore and junior years due to…disagreements with a certain scientific officer, but I know that at least one of you was successful. Well, back to the present, the Neo-Human I have is currently unavailable but that will change as experimentation continues…I'm trying to repair my main project, the one I've been studying that has captured my heart to complete is much more extravagant."
"I've developed four different plans to use different methods of mutating homo-sapiens into Neo-Humans. The first is still the most effective and most widespread; a nuclear bomb armed with certain elements mixed together to mutate the strongest victims of the effected areas into Neo-Humans; the elements act as…steroids, if you will. They increase the human's brain IQ, strength, learning abilities, and other various subjects. The only reason I haven't deployed any of these tactics is because I don't know the reproduction capabilities. The Neo-Human I have now is a female and I need a male so I can see if the formula is worth using on a mass of people. Millions will die but I destroy New York City then I will have approximately six thousand Neo-Humans at my control, ready to mutate the rest of the world. They will be invincible…"
Bomb New York City?! No way, I thought, quickly analyzing the problem I had put myself into…I was working for the biggest nutcase on the planet since Hitler…he doesn't want to better humanity, he just wants invincibility and security.
"Do you understand, Asazi? The power that Earth could have, the knowledge…we could go out and conquer the galaxy with our evolution. We might kill many on the world but those that will survive will breed and the first generation of Neo-Humans will be born."
I hesitated and tried to think…so I said, "I believe I see what you're saying. But I need some time to rest and think. Do I sleep here now or what?"
"Yes, yes, of course. Forgive my imprudent manners; I was eager to share with you my lonely life's work. Just follow the trilibug." One of the tiny machines jumped out from nowhere and started its little legs toward a hallway. I looked at X and he nodded…so I followed, gathering my thoughts on what was happening.
I've been working for a madman…let alone, a successful madman. How could I have gotten myself into this? And he said that he had been keeping an eye on me my whole life, the whole time I thought I was safe—my heart went cold. …Did he send the people to kill Torin, Travion, and Summer? Is he the one responsible for bringing me out of the heaven I'd always dreamed of? I began to taste bittersweet flavor of betrayal on my tongue and a barely controllable rage begin to set in on my mind; the whole picture began to set it on my mind.
He had retrained me; he had put me right back into the battlefield, bringing all my reflexes and instincts into action. He let me get comfortable so he could experiment on my friends and me, so he could study and analyze me. So he could use and try to control me for his own purposes… …And to think that I once thought I cherished him.
The trilibug stopped and a door opened to her right; she stepped in and was surprised by the neatness and size of the room. It was very large, with blue walls and a king-size bed; a sofa was off to the left and on the same wall as the door, a bulletin board ten feet long and as tall as the ceiling was on the wall, covered in a variety of guns and various weapons. Man, where's he get the money for this stuff? There were two other doors in the room and one of them revealed a huge bathroom, the other a hallway that led to a target range, with another wall of weapons and ammo.
I went back to the bed and sat on it, and in a few minutes I was lying under the covers, trying to figure what I could to stop Dr. X from harming all those people…
-_-
The plan I had come up with was much simpler than I thought my conclusion would've been but at the same time, it had its complications; every mission he sent her on that involved mass destruction, she would botch it up when she could but the hard part was keeping it masked…
Unfortunately, the next morning, Xynan—Dr. X told her, "Alright, your performances were unbelievable but I need to know if the experiments that were performed on you in early years had any effect for the better…this means years of training…the whole time you will be paid and free to do what you wish on the weekends. Is this all right? You will, of course, be getting paid in good fortune, that I can guarantee you, since you have access to your bank account any time that you are outside the oilrig…do you agree, Ms. Asazi?"
I quickly analyzed the situation; years of training…that means he's going to continue his experimentation on the Neo-Human when he's not working with me…there won't be any way to stop him unless I do this… "Okay," I said, and he nodded with satisfaction. "Good, for your first part of training, you will go to this large rectangle over here," he pointed as he started rolling his way towards a large pad with colors flashing in different places…
"Anticipate which color will come next. It's observation that will save you in a battle and being able to see formations and…patterns…" I jumped onto a blue one that lit up, then onto a yellow one and the I saw the numbers beginning to swirl through my head, calculating every possible pattern there could be—I stopped it and just jumped to a red one that I knew wouldn't light up. "AA," I shouted as light electric shock went through my foot; I instinctively jumped off of the huge pad. "What the hell was that," I yelled.
Dr. X wore a disenchanted expression and was muttering something to himself…after a moment he said, "Let's move onto something else, shall we? Your…abilities aren't as I anticipated. Let's move onto my simulation grid."
He rolled his way through various hallways and I followed; the room we penetrated, when we finally got there, was huge. I blinked. And it was empty. There was nothing there except a number pad on the wall next to the door; Dr. X rolled over to it and typed in a six-digit code, the first four numbers being 3-2-7-5, the rest I missed. When he pressed what I figured was an enter button, the room changed almost immediately, into a raining environment; it was Florida, palm trees here and there and a beach…clouds swirling overhead revealed that there was a hurricane.
Memories flooded back into mind. FLASH! I shivered and glanced back at the storm. It was coming, the clouds swirling and beginning to cover up the moon. I remembered seeing these storms on the news…
Me and my mom used to watch the news every now and then. One time it talked about these huge storms that had strong winds and ferocious rain and nasty floods… I snapped my fingers, trying to think of the name of them… Hurricane! That was it…the weatherman also said that people died in hurricanes, especially when not in a safe place inside…I had nowhere to go…a shelter? Were there any shelters in Miami, home of the beach? Of course there is! There's gotta be a hurricane shelter somewhere around here. I left the park and started jogging around town. I was in a nice neighborhood; there had to be a storm shelter somewhere. The wind slowly began to pick up and sped up a little more…
I glanced up toward the skies. The moon was gone now, dark clouds moving in on Miami, the clouds swirling slowly in a circle. FLASH!
"…Happens in here will happen in real life," X was saying. "This sort of technology is only seen in the movies but in fact, it's been around for over a year; it's just a challenge to get a hold of it. Do you understand?"
I blinked and said, "What's the main point?"
"That whatever happens to you in here will happen to you for real; the pain is real though the bullet isn't…the computer's make it real. They control the air in the room and will force it into you like a bullet, and it's rather excruciating…I think you've been shot though so I won't describe what it's like. We're going to use this room for training purposes only. We're going to start off very light, very simple." Suddenly, there was a gun in her hand and I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I jumped to my left and raised the pistol at the movement to see a man holding a rifle pointed at me; I fired three rounds, each one piercing his left side, one probably hitting his heart.
I hit the ground and rolled back up, jumping to my feet. I was suddenly in camouflage clothes and they were soaked with rain. I looked for Xynan but couldn't find him; his voice was suddenly filling the room, "The reason the fake rain is affecting you is because the computer's control the air and with that ability comes the possibility of adding molecules to make t humid, hot, cold, and many other climates and possibilities. The ground is actually air programmed to have its pressure give away like the environment's ground would. For example, a sand dune would feel like a sand dune as you go up; the pressure and/or the density of the air under your feet makes it feel like sand or whatever texture there is going to be. The colors are there because there are projectors that project the color of a tree of air, so you know that there's a tree there. Like I mentioned earlier, amazing technology; very expensive and hard-to-find."
I looked around and he had one last comment before I was thrust into an engaging fight; "Your reflexes will save you—if you have control of how to react to them." Almost right after he said that, four people were coming over a hill in the distance, each one with rifles in their hands and looking around. I jumped for a nearby push, splashing in the mud.
The adrenaline began to flow freely and took a quick glance after a few seconds of hiding; one was ducking behind a bush on the hill and the others had all taken different positions on the hill, giving them perfect angles of the scene. If one took a hit, the others would know almost exactly where to look." I turned the other way and saw the one farthest to the left, sweeping the area with the scope his rifle. I had to take the shot; I raised my pistol and took aim…I fired and missed, fired again and his head burst open. Moving fast, I rolled more to my left, revealing the hill and their positions, as well as mine. I fired four more shots, two of them hitting two different targets.
I cried out as mud suddenly started flying up in front of me and hitting my eyes; I jumped up and then dove back to my hiding place behind the bush, trying to rub the mud out of my eyes. "You see Ms. Asazi, that not all reflexes are for the better. You leapt to your feet as an instinct and revealed your whole position to the last target. Be careful, because he's still out there and I can't stop him."
I felt like cussing X out for this but I didn't…because he was right. My reflex exposed my whole body to the enemy and he probably took shots at me…I stiffened my grip on the pistol and looked around a corner of the bush. The target wasn't where he had been and—gunfire erupted and I started to pull back but my foot slipped in the mud and I fell on my back, crying out as I scrambled back behind the bush. My target had moved a full ninety-degrees of an angle, almost ready to shoot me where I thought I was safe. Light training, I thought with antagonism.
Searching for my target in the thick rain, I saw a flash of movement and I pulled back. I knew where he was; now it was just trying to hit him. I turned around the other corner of the bush and saw his gun sticking out from behind a bush. It started to swing up as his hat came into view; I raised my pistol and as soon as I saw skin below his hat I took the shot, sending a bullet straight through the forehead.
A few seconds later the environment disappeared; she was still soaked as Dr. X entered the room from the way they had come in. "Well done, Asazi…I was hoping your performance would be better than I anticipated and indeed it was. You should rest now; go to your room and I'll have something brought to you." I nodded and left the area, trying to gather my thoughts on what had happened; right before I stepped out of the doorway, my clothes returned to normal and were dry. So why does a bullet wound stay…? Oh, because the air pierces and hurts the body; the clothes were undone before I stepped out… Amazing is right, I thought. I warily went back to my room and sat down on the sofa…the training was going to be much harder than I had thought…
-_-
The food had been brought by a group of trilibugs that balanced it on their backs, like a group of ants carrying a huge plate of food. I ate it hungrily, it being the first thing I had eaten all morning. The food had tint of something that I hadn't tasted before but I figured it was just one of Dr. X's personal spices and that I had better get used to it.
Over the next few months we worked in different environments of the room; I came to call it the Hell-To-Be Room, since it seemed to do everything I couldn't stand or almost couldn't take. Every fight was a challenge and every fight was a very close victory.
Until one time it was too much…
I slipped silently through the trees, walking lowly and cautiously; I was looking for a meadow because I knew that's where all the targets were…my plan was to find the meadow and then climb a nearby tree and snipe out the individuals. I had lots of ammo so I knew this was going to long and agonizing. I had a sniper rifle strapped around my back, a pistol and another rifle that I could put around my back but had in my hands.
The environment was quite simple, actually; it was thick, pine-tree forest, and everything was wet, as if a lot of rain had ceased to fall, making most everything I stepped on quiet. There were clouds overhead so the day was gray and dull and, simply put, my kind of fighting weather. I pulled out a pair of binoculars and studied my surroundings and found the meadow…estimating the distance from myself to the meadow, I found which tree I was going to climb. The meadow was a good four hundred yards away, my tree about a hundred fifty from the pasture. The field had very tall weeds and the objectives were going to be hard to hit. The tall pine-tree didn't have any branches for the first forty-to-fifty feet of it's body, but judging from the thickness of it, I could climb it in less than a minute.
I had learned a lot and was probably in the as good shape as a U.S. Marine or Navy Seal. There were unbelievable ways of training people without guns as a motivator; for instance, I learned to climb these kinds of pine-trees very fast because a pack of rabid wolves was chasing me.
I made my way very vigilantly through the woods, toward my tree. I was positive that I was getting very close to the danger zone, positive that there had to be enemies nearby. I stopped behind a tree and glanced around it, my breath held because the weather was cold and someone could see my breath. I couldn't see anyone or any motion and my tree was just twenty more yards. I scanned the trees around me for anyone that could be up in them and—there! Somebody was in a tree; I gently slipped back behind the tree, careful that no sudden movement would attract his attention.
I slipped my regular rifle into its hold in my back as I slipped out my sniper rifle…then I slowly turned back around the tree and took a knee, the scope's motion coming towards my eye…the pinpoint was to the right of my target and I tenderly moved it to the left, focusing in on his heart; he wasn't looking my direction at the moment…I squeezed the trigger and the quiet phft of the sniper rifle penetrated the air. I pulled the rifle away and looked at my target; he was slumped against a large branch bulging from the tree. I smiled and pulled back around the tree to put the sniper rifle away; if anyone looked at that lookouts position, they would see that he was still up there and wouldn't think anything of his position because they would assume it would be harder for me to see him if he was like that. Complicated, but extravagantly strategic; I pulled the regular rifle back out finished the way to the tree.
Scanning the area again one last time, I slipped the rifle back around my back and started scampering up the tree; that was the main problem with climbing these trees…you had to climb really fast or you weren't going to make it. Hoping no one would notice the quick motion of me going up the tree, I kept going when I heard a bullet slam in the tree below me, where I had been a split second earlier. Cursing, I kept going up the tree and the bullets followed, getting closer each time when suddenly, bark erupted in an upward direction from the tree right next to my eye and I had to stop myself from crying out.
I stopped climbing and a bullet hit next to my ribs and another above my head. Then I slid down the tree, ignoring the pain that came from it scraping off the skin on my arms; at about twenty feet I jumped from the tree, letting gravity take me the rest of the way. I landed in a bunch of pine needles and grabbed the rifle as I got to my feet.
As I quickly found cover, I tried to find where my attacker's positions. There were two that were shooting at me and no doubt the others were closing in on where I was. Frantically I searched for them but I couldn't see anybody; I kept the rifle up and saw motion come from a bush about fifty yards away…someone was behind it because I could see through parts of it and the background kept getting interrupted. I packed my firearm and pulled out the sniper rifle, quickly taking aim and disposing the foe with one headshot.
I ducked back behind my shrub and searched the trees but saw nothing. There was nobody that I could see but I knew I could be seen. I looked at what I could see of the paddock and saw a figure aiming at me; no, I thought as I raised the swiftly raised the rifle but before I could take aim I dove to the side, and he fired just over a second later…if I would've tried to shoot him, I'd have been shot…
Angry and using small shrubs and plants, I kept my back hunched and walked to the nearest tree and leaned against it, calculating where his location was from my last angle to the present one. Hoping he hadn't moved, I took a prompt glimpse of where he had been and he began to move his rifle towards me; I jerked my head back behind the tree and readied the rifle. I then swung around the other edge of the tree and brought the rifle up to my eye, took aim, and fired before he could get a shot off. I missed but it caused him to get scared and drop to the ground; I followed him with my scope, and then sent a bullet through his spinal cord, immediately getting back behind the tree after I had taken the shot.
The adrenaline was flowing madly through my veins but I somehow stopped my vision from turning blue and doing the number thing; X can't know that I can do that…if he does, I'll become a guinea pig just like that Neo-Human that he's working with… A thought suddenly flashed across my mind…wait a second…I've never seen the Neo-Human…how do I know that he even has one? He might be bluffing…but why would he bluff about something like that? What would be the point…? Blinking, I quickly brought my attention to the present situation; X was always able to see what was happening in the Hell-To-Be Room and she had to pay attention.
I saw activity in the corner of my eye and instinctively brought my rifle up to my eye to see someone moving between trees. When he popped out from another one, I killed him and ducked back behind my corner only to—, "AAA," I cried out as a hammer of a gun smashed into my face. I fell back to the ground, my right hand reaching for my hunter's knife underneath my body; I silently unsheathed it as the assailant kicked me in the ribs.
I heard him cock the hammer of his gun and I whirled around and threw the knife blindly, my other hand going for my pistol; he dodge the knife, his voice showing surprise, his eyes showing more surprise when he heard the pistol shots in sync with the bullets stabbing his chest four times. I got to my feet and got behind the tree, wiping the blood from my nose and the cut that had somehow cut across my cheek.
There was another gunshot and I scooted over because bark spewed from a tree in front of me. How many are there, I wondered as I picked up my sniper rifle. The meadow was over a hundred yards away…if I could get into the those tall weeds then maybe I could become the hunter because right now I'm definitely the prey. The grass or weeds or whatever it was was a good six-feet tall and probably easy to make your way through. Easy to get snuck up on, too, I mentally noted.
Putting my sniper rifle away and getting the regular rifle out, I sprinted to the next tree successfully. I did it again, and again, and then three more times, getting ever so close to the edge of the field. The seventh time I sprinted for the next tree, a shotgun went off and I felt a couple pellets go into the back of my leg; I fell to the ground as I ran but got back to my feet as quickly as I could and got to the tree. The pain was bad but not as bad as a regular bullet; I just have to ignore it. Running again to the next tree, another shot went off but nothing hit me.
Dammit, I thought, no way I can make another run without getting hit…but he probably thinks I'm going to go for it… I stepped out from behind the tree on the opposite side of the one he was expecting me to come from and saw him crouching against a tree; I shot three rounds and his body vibrated, falling back on the ground. I watched him for a second to make sure he was down, and then sprinted again for the next tree.
I examined the new area I was in and found that there wasn't anybody that was easy to see but I did see one person hiding behind a plant about forty yards away; he was probably waiting for me to come out into the open…I raised the rifle and didn't hesitate to pull the trigger.
I tried to remember the very short briefing Dr. X had given her… "There will be no more than twenty adversary's but no less than seven. Intelligence shows that they are average-to-good marksman and are a very strategically enhanced group. This one you will want to take very slowly, Asazi…very carefully. Time doesn't matter but when you start, you will be an hour till sunset. Keep that in mind…" I frowned, knowing there was something else but I couldn't place it. An hour till sunset…perhaps I could get on the other side of the meadow and wait over there for dark to come, then go hunting…by then they'll all be getting antsy.
With a renewed determination and a hopefully hopeful plan, I ran to the next tree without incident…then ran the ten yards to the grass line and it was like running through a wall…I was suddenly surrounded by grass that was eight feet tall and more than easy to hide someone in. Stepping as softly as I could, I made my way through the field, my pistol now equipped with a silencer and my other hand armed with my last hunting knife. I tried to keep my tracks clear but bent grass was very hard to fix so after awhile I gave up on it.
Slowly moving through the meadow and very carefully looking for any kind of motion, I continued…suddenly a guy leaped out from the left and I slashed wildly with my knife, clawing his face apart and killing him almost instantly… I grimaced at the mess and wiped the blood that was on the knife onto his clothes, and then kept going. It felt like I was going in a straight line but I wasn't sure…I had completely lost my sense of direction; it was like I was in a maze.
How many were left, I wondered; I had walked at least a hundred fifty yards when I came to the other end of the meadow. There were fewer trees, which meant less cover, but also less likelihood that her enemies would be glancing this way. Slipping my weapons into their appropriate places, I left the meadow and silently walked to the nearest tree, immediately scampering up it as fast as I could. It was shorter than most of the nearby ones, about twenty feet in height, but I was a perfect sniper position.
It was as I was climbing that I finally noticed how dark it was; the sun was probably already gone from the horizon and darkness had envelope the area. There was still a blue-grayish tint my eyesight but in less than ten minutes, it was going to be dark and a night like a New Moon, because of the cloud cover.
I got comfortable in the tree and pulled out my sniper rifle, activated the night vision on it and began to scan the other end of the meadow for my opponents; by now they had to know that she had escaped their little trap and was probably beyond their limits…it was just a matter of what they would think about that…
I spotted one in my scope and looked around the target for any others, only to find that there were six of them crouching, a couple moving their arms every few seconds…they're having a meeting, I realized. I smiled an evil grin and began to aim at the guy that had the closest cover…I embraced the trigger and he fell back, a cry echoing through the milieu; I quickly gunned down those that hadn't instantaneously found cover, leaving two targets to go. I could hear shouts and yells, which told me there were more than two targets left overall.
Suddenly, both of the two guys that had survived my ambush ran out from their hiding places at the same time; I hastily shot one through the head and then turned a little to find the other one but he was nowhere to be seen…where'd you go you little—there! He started running out from behind a tree and I fired three rounds, the second two going through his chest and head. It's hard to hit people in the dark, especially when they're that far away, I complained silently.
Pulling the sniper rifle away, I squinted, searching the area for movement…whoever was left probably knew that their partners' meeting had just been screwed and was probably either scared shitless or just going to wait for awhile, for my guard to drop or something…sorry bud, not me. I've stayed awake sixty-four hours straight and I'm pretty sure I can do it again. My belly rumbled and I added another thought, I don't know about my tummy though…
I leaned back and took a deep breath…things got quiet…and after awhile, sleep began to tug on my eyes…I didn't fight too hard and fell asleep, according to my watch, for about an hour. When I woke up I was instantly alert, afraid that they might've snuck up on me but instead, the leftovers had created a catastrophe. The meadow was burning; the field of grass that made you invisible was burning to the ground. They had obviously started the fire at the ends of the field and it was closing in on the middle, and—shit! They did this so they could see where I was! I put the sniper rifle away and frantically climbed out of the tree; if I hadn't already been see, then I would soon, when that meadow was gone. I started running from the pasture, up a hill that would hopefully give me a position when I heard a shot, and a gunshot following it.
I dove for the ground and, as I flew through the air, I heard a bullet wiz by my ear. I quickly rolled to the nearest tree and tried to catch my breath and calm down; the adrenaline was flowing and the numbers were trying to start up again. NO, I thought as I gripped the tree, keeping myself from reacting to the numbers swirling around. I cannot give in to those or the program…I have to fight! I pulled my standard rifle out and leapt from behind the tree, shooting rounds to nowhere; I saw a quick flash of light and a split second later my hip exploded in pain. I ignored it and shot at where the gunshot had come from; the sounds of an automatic rifle went off and I saw rapid bursts of light start to fly up. He was dead, just pulling the trigger as he fell back.
More gunshots other than my own filled the air and my sniper rifle flew from my hands and a bullet ricocheted off of the gun and into my side. Crying out in pain and at the sniper rifle flying away, I fell to the ground and tried to pull out my other rifle. The pain was overwhelming but I fought to stay calm and think clearly; panic wouldn't help me at all.
The rifle in one hand, the other holding my side, I slowly got to my feet, the heat of the flames burning on my face and lighting my position. I started to run across the meadow, through the flames; this was the only way to do it, to take them by surprise and throw them off. I was a rat in a cage if I stayed over there. I saw someone and shot the rifle once and they fell to the ground. Another motion too big to ignore and the rifle shot two more rounds until the figure fell to the ground. I kept running, even though I felt my pants were catching fire.
I was almost completely across the field and had killed four more when two bullets came from different directions, one piercing my left leg and the other going into my right shoulder; the impacts through me off balance, not to mention the pain suddenly flooding my brain. I hit the ground, dropping the rifle while rolling and rolling until the momentum slowed and friction pulled me to a complete stop. Wincing and howling in pain, I tried to get to my feet but didn't get past my knees when there was suddenly a boot in my vision; the next second, my face gushed with pain and blood as I flew back from the kick in the face.
There were more, multiple kicks sent into me, too many to count and then they stopped…I opened my eyes to find two guys standing over me, a look of disgust on their face as one of them started to raise a pistol in my direction…
I pulled out my second hunting knife and executed the throw so swiftly that I don't think neither of them saw it coming. The knife sunk right into one the guys' foreheads and the other male gave a start…I used that to my advantage and spun my right leg at his feet, pulling him from the ground. He fell back and hit his head on a log; the last I saw before I closed my eyes in abhorrence was the insides of his head spilling from his head.
I suddenly felt a shot of air fly through my abdomen, blood shooting out in front of me. Yelling in pain, I fell forward, twisting as I fell to see my attacker… He hovered over me, a gun in his hand and a gleam in his eye that said he had won. I fought the pain that was seizing my body and got to my feet, jumping at him; it surprised him but he quickly raised his gun and put another bullet in my shoulder. I hit him, my hands instantly reaching for his head and twisted it, breaking his neck…
Almost immediately the environment was gone and I landed on a cold, steel floor, my vision fading and…pain…horrible pain….
-_-
The next few months I was either in bed or rehab. The injuries I had sustained were extreme and X seemed very worried about me handling future missions…I'm not sure how many months I spent healing and out of business… Most of it is just a blur of X injecting drugs into my veins and me sleeping. And he kept me constantly updated on his "Neo-Humans"…one day he had come in very excitedly and was claiming to have created a male Neo-Human…
That scared me…because if he knew I saw the numbers, then he would try to breed me with him. And that would not be right…
-_-
Finally, I was ready for action. I was to retrieve a computer disk that was in the headquarters of some agency called INTERCEPT; X said that if I got the disk, the plans for 'revolutionizing' the human race would be complete…I knew what I had to do, and it might've risked blowing my cover, but by now it didn't matter…I had to stop X before he destroyed the planet.
I was inside the building without a problem. It was twenty-story building with high security but that doesn't matter when you've got technology like Xynan…like Dr. Xs'. I was also out without a problem, which was good and bad—I didn't have an excuse to destroy the disk.
So the mission was completed and he praised me for it…and it wasn't more than a day later that I walked in on him watching TV…he looked at me as I entered and he said, "Watch this, Asazi…I believe that he was one of your friends in high school."
It was Alex Mann, performing in the Master Dome…I stopped and watched, breathless at some of the things he was doing and, when the show ended, his smiling face looking into the camera, Dr. X looked at me and said, "I have a new plan."
He left me and I went to my room…and began to cry…
Images of me being happy in high school and spending time in athletics with Alex, and going on dates with Torin all flooded my thoughts…and the thought that made me cry harder was…what would Torin think if he saw me now, saw me killing people without hesitation…?
I wept, harder and harder, realizing I had become as much a monster as Dr. X…he brainwashed me into a cold-blooded killer…he killed me and created what I am now… He will die… And that thought made me sob even more…
Author's Note
It's almost over…let me know how it is coming along…the next chapter will be really long so don't go into it unless you know you have the time for it. Thanks SO MUCH to those of you that have reviewed this story. Your reviews are one of my few motivations and I hope you continue to let me know. (and keep the constructive criticism coming too; as much as I hate it, I know I need it J)