Author's Note: This has no connection to "Tales of an Eagle". This is simply another story, although you might see a few of my OCs from "Tales of an Eagle". The Main character/s will be none of my OCs though.

Any unfamiliar chemical name that will be used in this story does not exist. The Bio Institute in this story is made up as well.

Warning: This is rated "M" for how much violence I'll apply here, as well as the speech of the characters (Sorry, no lemons).

Oh, and just to let you all know: My collaboration with Rapture at Sea starts in Chapter 2 until this story ends.

!Read at your own risk, and check the genre to make sure of the story you're about to read! :D

Project: Scarlet

Friendly Intentions Gone Wrong

May 15, 2015: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro; U.S. Military and Environmental Bio Experiments Institute South American Branch

A night in Rio has never been so chilly. However, it was quiet, serene and no one dared to ruin such a moment of peace. Birds were flying to their hollows to prepare for the next day and simply bushed from either partying like the birds they are, or a bunch of other stuff. People were going home from work, excited to getting back with their families. Some were going to work for their night shifts. This was the usual routine of a majority of everyday human beings.

But there are some, or a lot of jobs that never cease. In fact, they keep working every day, with night shifts of course.

This one job, though, is a lot more different than the rest, and that is being a part of the Bio Experiments Institute.

In a distant island that is still within the vicinity of Rio, next to the jungles, a small secret U.S. Military Base is stationed there. The personnel mostly consists of scientists and soldiers, working excruciatingly hard, day and night, just to experiment on living creatures with the help of international scientists, for a good reason though. It was mostly to save the species of the experimented subject, by coming up with new strains of DNA which are compatible with other strains. That way, the experimented species will not entirely go extinct. However, the strain of which will be combined with the new strain must be of the same kind, meaning if it is an avian-related DNA that is being experimented on, then the strain to be combined with that must be avian-related as well.

However, the events that are about to take place will change the outcome of the personnel's' intended actions.

A leading scientist, by the name of Gabriel Sanderson, walks down the main hall of the building. He is halted to a stop by two U.S. Army Rangers for an I.D. check. Once Gabriel showed his I.D., he is allowed to enter the deeper sectors of the building. They do the I.D. check all the time just to make sure that no intruders will enter the vicinity and cause a Bio-hazard problem. Those things always happened in sci-fi horror movies and sci-fi horror video games alike. Extreme caution and observation is always heeded.

Now, about Gabriel, he helps in the experimenting of different species, mostly concerning the ones that are close to being or are endangered. He has been doing this for five years now, and so far, no Bio-hazard accidents or incidents occurred. He's well known for his past successions and seemingly flawless projects.

His current project is called "Project: Scarlet". As unfortunate news, the species of the Scarlet Macaws are depleting for unknown reasons. Why unknown? It's because the bird-smuggling was heavily suppressed by governments around the world, usually by Brazil, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and France, and yet their species are still failing to increase. So now, Gabriel and his international accomplices intend to save the Scarlet Macaws from the brink of extinction, while the world-wide governments will try to find out what's causing their decline. Other than that, it was also named Project: Scarlet, for they have decided to classify their subject as Scarlet. Her I.D. code is T-1432.

While he was on his way to the "Project: Scarlet Experimentation Room", he meets up with his colleague and close friend by the name of Frank Harris, who is also helping in the Project: Scarlet Experimentation. "Good evening, Gabe. How's my seemingly flawless friend, huh?" He said as he put his hand on his shoulder.

"Ah, I'm fine Frank. I hope you're doing fine as well." He said with an uneasy tone in his voice. He was nervous about the whole Project: Scarlet thing. Frank noticed his uneasiness and attempts to try and find out why. "Hey, buddy. What's wrong? Missed dinner or somethin'? "

Gabriel, without looking at his friend, replies, still with the tone uneasiness. "No. It's just that… this whole project on the Scarlet Macaws is making me nervous. I mean, what if I screw up? If I do, this whole institute will fall and the Scarlet Macaws will be extinct for sure."

"Calm down, Gabe! You succeeded in the past projects and nothing bad happened. What else is there to worry about?"

Gabriel realized what his friend was talking about. He's right on the account that he never failed on an experiment. But mistakes may occur anytime. He was honest about his opinion that it was only luck that had guided him through all of the experiments. Who knows? Tonight may be a time that Gabriel would commit a mistake and everything would go down to Hell. However, they're all about to find out, otherwise. "Well, I guess there's nothing to worry about. But like always, let's be careful. We'll never know what might happen."

Frank made two steps backward and lifted his arms. "Alright, then. You're the boss. Hey, let's get with the project. Those Scarlet Macaws won't stay save themselves, you know." And with that, they both made their way down the hall to the room where the project took place. While walking, they didn't say another word. Both of their hearts were beating pretty fast. Project: Scarlet was actually the biggest operation that they ever participated in. And assuming that it was a big project, any kind of mistake could not only endanger the personnel, but also the species of the Scarlet Macaws.

After 4 minutes of walking, the stopped in front of a door. The door was electronically locked and it requires an I.D. Of course, in an institute like this, an I.D. is always required. Gabriel took his I.D. out and swiped it on the card reader. The card reader made a beeping sound, signaling that the card has been verified, and the red light on the card reader switched to green. The experimenting room for Project: Scarlet was near a generator. Any kind of major technical problems may result into a huge explosion.

The door slid open to the side automatically and then the two scientists entered. Inside the room contained steel experimentation tables, lab instruments and the like. However, at the end of the room, stands a tall and wide glass tube filled with water. Inside the tube, is a Scarlet Macaw whose name was T-1432 or Scarlet, floating in the liquid. Wires are connected to different parts of her body.

Gabriel walked towards the experimental tube, passing by the tables and scientists and observed Scarlet, adoring her as she slept peacefully in the tube. "Ah, the beauty of such avian beings. You don't have to worry about pure extinction, my dear Scarlet, for your long-awaited future is about to unravel itself upon you and your fellow red-feathered friends."

With that remark, he turned to his fellow partners. As a concerned and determined scientist, he asked, "How is the new DNA strain coming along? Are the estimated chances of compatibility with other macaws positive, or negative?"

One scientist answered. "We are just about to inject the special DNA strain into her. It is a Blue-and-Gold variant. I just hope this will work."

"Are there any certain- well… upgrades to the strain?"

"Yes, sir. We added a chemical named HP-12. It is supposed to prevent any kind of harsh physical mutation to the subject." He said as he picked a bottle that said "HP-12" from a near-by chemical chiller. "Well, sir? Are you ready to inject the strain into her?"

Gabriel was about to say yes, but doubts still swam in his head like sharks going for their prey. He was still worried about what may happen. A minute ago while observing Scarlet, he sounded confident. But now, he's not sure whether this would work right. The only thing they can do is hope for the best, for there is no turning back.

After breathing slowly and heavily in the pressuring silence, he walked over to the machine next to Scarlet, which was responsible for the wires connected to her. On the machine, was a slot for a shot to fit in. Apparently, this machine injects whatever's inside the inserted shot into the test subject. While looking at the machine, his partners were looking at him, anxious to get the project started. He tapped his fingers simultaneously on the machine's flat top portion.

Frank came up to him and was holding a huge shot containing the strain. Gabriel looked at him with a smile. "Well, looks like someone wants to get this thing done pronto."

"Well duh! The suspense is killing me and the rest of the team!"

And with his comment, he slowly took the shot from his friend's hand. "There's no turning back, buddy. Let's hope this works." As he got the shot, he immediately inserted it into the slot, much to his suspense. Once a click was audible in the insertion, he turned the machine on.

They all backed up slowly as the wires connected to Scarlet started changing color. It seemed that the strain was already making its way into her. All of the scientists were getting excited. The biggest project in all of their time in the institute is now in motion. "The future of the Scarlet Macaws is in our hands. Only God knows what may happen as an aftermath."

Suddenly, just when everything started to look fine, the machine started sounding off an alarm. Gabriel immediately went over to the machine and was extremely appalled. It was overloading the strain into Scarlet's system! A specific measure was encrypted into the machine's injection process. If that is the case now, then why is it injecting all of what's inside the shot into her?

Fear was crawling up into Gabriel's spine. He knew something like this was going to happen. An overload of the strain could cause a painful and yet deadly physical mutation. He needed to do something, fast! "Shit! Why is this happening?" He screamed as he tried to open the machine's engine box. As he opened it, he tried to pull on the wires, but they were bolted deeper.

Feeling desperate, he called one of his partners. "You! Help me with this!"

"I'm on it." He said as he grabbed an emergency tool box from under the table he was near.

Frank had an option to use as a last resort. He took out his M92F and prepared to shoot the engine of the machine if the tools didn't work. While he eyed Scarlet, Gabriel and the scientist were trying to pry off the wires in order for them to cut it, therefore killing the machine. Scarlet's life was at stake, and so was her species.

Gabriel was getting scared and frustrated as he tried to pry the wires away from the engine. "Agh! Get the fuck out of there!" Suddenly sparks started flying from the engine. The machine was about to explode! And to make matters worse, the building's generator was close to them!

The sparks hit Gabriel in the face, making him wince in pain as he slapped his hand on the burnt part of his face while backing away. "Augh, shit!"

Frank came running towards him and tried to help him up. "Gabe, you alright? We gotta get outta here! The machine's gonna blow any second!"

"No! Not without Scarlet! I can't leave without her! She can't d-"

A sudden explosion erupted from the machine, cutting his reply. It was them followed by another explosion, coming from the next room. To make it short and simple, a chain of explosions erupted from all around the scientists. The last explosion however, was bigger. It was the generator. Its explosion caused the whole laboratory complex to go into a fiery blaze.

10 Minutes Later…

Gabriel's POV

Ugh… My head hurt like Hell. I'm just lucky that I survived the explosions. What the fuck went wrong? That damn machine worked fine in the past years! Why did it have to go wrong now? Or better yet, why did it go wrong anyway?

Holding on to my head with one hand, I opened my eyes as I tried to get up from the ground. I was absolutely appalled by what I saw around me. The whole place was trashed. The lights were out, but the emergency red light was on. I looked around more, trying to look for any survivors. But all around me were the bodies of my dead colleagues. Damn! Is there not at least one person alive?

Suddenly, I heard a moan of pain coming from my right side. It was Frank. Thank God, he was still with me. I completely stood up from where I was and scurried towards him. He was injured, but not heavily. It was just a gash on his ribs. At least there wasn't any blood spilling like a waterfall. "Hey, Frank! You alright?" I said as I helped him up to his feet.

"I… I th-think so. God! What happened? Why'd the machine go crazy? I mean, that never happened before!"

"I don't know. But we gotta get out of here before the whole complex collapses on us."

I got Frank back up. He picked his M92F from the ground and said, "I'll check on the others. In the mean-time, go and see about Scarlet." Scarlet! I nearly forgot about her. Oh, God! I hope she's alright. I made my way through the destroyed tables, destroyed laboratory equipment and wall debris as quickly as possible. I needed to make sure she's alright. It's bad enough that the whole operation has gone to Hell, but having Scarlet dead is much worse.

The red light did not illuminate the whole room well. When I got to the end of the room, I couldn't see the experimental tube. I was just about to ask Frank if he could switch on the flashlight that's on his M92F's LAM, but when some of the scattered wires sparked and briefly illuminated the end of the room, I caught a glimpse of the experimental tube… and it was EMPTY. Scarlet was gone! 'Shit! Where did she go? I hope nothing bad happened to her.

My train of thought suddenly crashed when two rangers went through the still-functional door. "Mr. Sanderson! Mr. Harris! C'mon, let's get out of here! There aren't any other survivors in the complex and the comms are down! We can't waste any more time here!"

I was about to reply when the alarm suddenly went off.

Alarm: Warning! Warning! Bio-hazard Level 4! I repeat, Bio-hazard Level 4! All personnel evacuate immediately! I repeat, all personnel evacuate immediately! Bio-hazard warning located in the Project: Scarlet Experimentation Room!

Damn! We were in the room! We were all about to bolt towards the door when the emergency security systems suddenly shut the door and locked us in. Frank lost his cool in the ensuing scenario. "Agh! The fucking systems locked us in! What the Hell are we going to do?"

One of the rangers tried to calm him down. "Just calm down, Mr. Harris. We'll find a way." He then turned to his partner and asked if there's any other way out. "Is there an alternative solution that we can use, private?"

The private scanned the room and eyed the wall next to the broken machine. The wall had a small opening and damaging it a little more might just break it, forming a larger opening for a human to fit in. "How about that wall over there? I'll go see about it."

While he was at that, I suddenly heard some noises. It sounded like… flapping noises. Could it be Scarlet? It might be. But then I also heard something else; something that macaws don't do. I heard a sinister giggle. Oh God. What else is in here? Or worse… what did Scarlet turn into? The thought of that just gave me the chills on my spine. "Guys… you heard that? That can't be Scarlet right?"

Frank then looked at me with disbelief. "Gabe, macaws don't giggle, unless they're just imitating someone. All-in-all, I mean, that's just down-right absur-"

His reply was cut off when something whizzed past our heads and hit the red light. Whatever threw that thing to the red light really pissed me off and at the same time scared the shit out of me, because our only large source of light was broken. All of a sudden, I heard the giggling again. Where the fuck is it coming from? This had better not be a prank. Because if it is, that prankster's going too far!

Frank and the sergeant were scared as well. The whole place was dark now, and the only light we have are from the AR-15s' flashlights that the soldiers had and from Frank's M92F LAM. "Okay… Now I'm freaked out. Hey uh… private. Are you done checking on the wall? 'Cause I really want to get out of this place."

I looked at the silhouette of the private, and he seemed finished. "Well… I guess the wall's weak enough. We could uh… break it down with anything we have here. Just be careful when we get to the other side, though. There's a lot of broken wires there and they're sparki-"

He suddenly stopped talking, and his cease was accompanied by a sick, damaging of flesh. After his cease, we heard a loud thud. I wonder what happened. I had to know. I just hope he's not hurt. Frank suddenly asked me, "What happened? Why'd he stop?"

"I don't know, but we'd better find out. May you turn on your LAM and point it to the direction of the private?"

And with that, he followed my request. And what we saw made all of us shout in terror. The private was… dead. He had a large steel fragment stabbed through the side of his head, and yet his eyes were still open. Who's doing this? It can't be Scarlet. I was just about to examine the private's body when we suddenly heard flapping noises again. Shit… It really is Scarlet. I mean, who else could've killed the private? It can't be Frank and the sergeant. They were behind me all the time. But then again, Scarlet's just a bird. She can't do that… Or maybe…

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Frank, whose voice jumped up in surprise. "Oh Shit! I think I saw a pair of eyes on the far corner." And he was right. There was a pair of eyes on the corner. Red eyes, that is. I was scared as well, but I needed to know who owned those eyes. "Sergeant, can you shine your light on that corner?"

"Yes sir." He then pointed his gun to the corner in order for the flashlight to point. I WAS able to see the being who owned those red eyes. And the sight of who owned those red eyes nearly made my heart jump to my skull.

It was Scarlet, brandishing a scalpel in her left foot, giving us a sinister smile. I couldn't help but freak out, not only because she was the one that killed the private, but she herself grew a bit in size and her talons on every toe were huge! The overdose of the strain must have caused her mutation. What's more is that her smile told us that she had an intention to… KILL US! "Shit! It's Scarlet! She's responsible for the private's death!"

"I'll neutralize her!" The sergeant then pulled the bolt on his rifle and fired away. And like lightning, Scarlet flew up and went around every direction, majestically dodging every single bullet that the sergeant dared to throw at her. He was able to shoot the scalpel off her grasp, but what she did next shocked me and Frank, in which we were both motionless and speechless. After dodging every bullet thrown at her, she dove directly for the sergeant's throat and dug her big and razor-sharp talons into it, which he didn't dodge in time.

The sergeant, now hopeless as the demonic macaw started shredding his throat, tried to get her off of him. But she was pressing her weight on him with full force. Blood started flowing out from the punctures on his throat like a waterfall as Scarlet detached herself from him, soaking his uniform and giving it a shade of red. Frank, who finally built up some courage, ran over to the sergeant. "J-just hold on to the wounds! Don't let any blood come out!"

"Be-urgh-hind you… Urgh!" The more air that he tried to gasp into his system, the more blood was pushed from the punctures on his throat.

Frank did not hear the sergeant's warning though. "What?"

I knew he wouldn't be able to heed the sergeant's warning in time, so I warned him as I ran towards him, for Scarlet came swooping back with the scalpel, aiming for his cranium. "FRANK, BEHIND YOU!"

But it was too late. Scarlet had already shoved the scalpel into his head. He fell next to the dying soldier, with Scarlet still standing on his head. I can't believe my close friend just died right in front of me! A while back, we were all excited to get the project done, and now, the one who we have been trying to work on just so her species would be saved, the one who I adored, just killed three people in front of me, especially my close friend. I know that this is going to be the end of me. But that doesn't mean that I'm falling down without a fucking fight.

As Scarlet pulled the scalpel out of Frank's head, she slowly turned towards me, flashed an evil smile and licked the blood off her deadly tool. She must've liked the taste of blood. I knew what I had to do. "Grrr… You're going to fucking pay for their deaths!"

I quickly lunged towards the now-dead sergeant's AR-15, took out a mag from his vest, loaded it in and started firing at the being who I once adored. Again, like lightning, she flew and swayed around majestically while evading the bullets. I gotta hand it to her. She really did look majestic when she did that. And then suddenly, I was thrown back into reality as she tackled me with supernatural force on the gut, violently sending me to the broken experimental tube. Shit... She fucking distracted me with her mesmerizing looks.

I still had the rifle in my hands, but the problem was that I ran out of ammo. To make matters worse, my guts felt like they were going to blow up any second. And the fact that my side was also aching like Hell… Things couldn't get any worse. Scarlet sure packed a punch. However, one thing was weird. A second ago, she was on my stomach as she tackled me, but now, after moaning and suffering from the pain I received, she suddenly disappeared.

Still holding on to my pained body, I closed my eyes for a while. I was hoping to God that this was all a nightmare. Why did this have to happen? This was the biggest project that I ever attended in my life! The Scarlet Macaws were about to become extinct even with the bird-smuggling suppressed. And after that damned machine screwed up… everything came to an end. Now, the one Scarlet Macaw that I have adored and observed for such a long time… tries to kill me.

All of a sudden, my sights came back to me as I felt a sharp pain on my chest. And to think I opened my eyes to find Scarlet right in front of me, holding on to the scalpel that is now embedded in my chest as she smiles wider this time. "AAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!"

It really was the end of me. And all my hopes of saving them… gone. "I… I… I t-try my b-best to save you and y-your species from e-extinction. I r-really did. W-what have you become?"

Before my vision started blacking out, Scarlet raised my chin with her wingtip and glares at me straight in the eyes. And what she did next surprised me. After giving me the evil smile once more, she replied, "Your worst nightmare." She actually spoke.

The last thing I felt before letting go of my life was a sudden slicing action performed on my throat. Scarlet slit my throat with her huge and razor-sharp talons, obviously happily showering in my fluids of life. This caused my dying to go faster. Remembering all my friends and family was the last thing that registered in my head before everything went black.

Scarlet's POV

Well, that was quite the entertainment. These human puppets really did well in entertaining me. Now to find a way out of this blasted place. I spent enough time wallowing in that filthy tube of theirs. I didn't care about my species. Only myself. So if anyone related to me ever disappears from this world, fine with me.

I carefully scanned the room, looking for an opening. I flew everywhere around the room and I found no opening. The crack on the wall was an option, but the other side was too- well, cramped for me. It's better if I find a ventilation system. I bet it's behind the bookshelves. I flew to towards the destroyed bookshelves and dug through the weak and burnt wood. But I did not find any vents. I checked under the tables, and there weren't any either.

I was beginning to think that this room will be my tomb if I don't find a way out. I stared at the tube that those idiotic humans kept me in. And then I noticed something behind the dark shattered glass. I went over to get a closer look, and I couldn't believe my eyes. It was a vent. I'm free!

I needed a tool, however, in order for me to open up the vent. I looked around once more, and then my eyes stopped to see that man's body. Gabriel… the one who adored me… That was true, to be honest. Hmm… Maybe I should've let him live. Nah! He'd probably tell me off to his government. I don't want to be tailed anymore.

I landed on top of his chest and took the scalpel out. Showering in his ichor really hit the spot. Well, time to let go of these pesky humans. I've got a world to explore… and slaughter its beings.

I flew back to the vent and unscrewed the bolts with the scalpel. Once I got that done, I removed the hatch. Thankfully, the vent was big enough for me to fit in, assuming that I have grown a bit in the process of mutation. I crawled into the vent, hoping that I would get out of this place. It took me quite a while to get through. The explosions made a few… changes to the vent's pathway. Big-ass dents, debris sticking out from every direction… I'm pretty sure that I will not be able to leave unscathed. But when I smelled the scent of nature, the scent that's usually around plants, I was motivated to escape from this Hell-hole.

Well, I did get cuts around me, but they weren't major, thankfully. Once I got to the end of the vent, I saw what was outside. Nature, at last! I'm finally free! With all my might, I hurled myself onto the vent's latch, and pretty much, I broke it down.

Now that I was finally outside, I can wander this world, and spread fear all around. Starting with the denizens of this jungle. No one can stop me from what I am about to do, and my soon-to-be-victims will go through a much more violent and painful way of leaving their life.

Author's Note: Well? How did it go? I hope it went well. I had quite a hard time coming up with this first chapter.

Please feel free to review. Give me the heads-up when you see anything wrong. I hope you enjoyed this one. This is my second story here.

By the way, I hope you read the note at the start of this page. I warned you about this being rated "M". :)

And if you noticed the way the violence was described, it almost sounds like one of Rapture at Sea's Happy Birthday stories. Actually, it really was his Happy Birthday stories that inspired me to try this story out in the first place. So the credit for the inspirations and descriptions goes to him.

More chapters are to come... So be prepared, for our feathery friends are about to go through a rough time. ;)