Dr. Frankenstein enters Hangar 18 and finds Barbara and Henry speaking with each other. While approaching them, he says, “Due to the FAA issuing a nationwide flight restriction, I'm afraid your flight may be slightly delayed. I have requested an exemption, however, which should only take a few minutes to get approved.”
Barbara turns her head to look at the doctor and nods at him. She says, “I'm thinking about what you said earlier. All of this does seem to have been carefully planned.”
He strokes his goatee and tells her, “And I'm afraid that there isn't much that we can do except remain one step behind.”
Henry becomes annoyed and asks, “Why can't we just inform the CIA of what's going on? Not everyone can be corrupt, right?”
“We have no evidence, Henry. This is how the military-industrial-complex operates. One action leading to another. Many within our government simply do not see the big picture. It's a small faction who have the power to organize such plans and remain untouchable. I use the Project for the New American Century as an example.”
Barbara is familiar with what the doctor is referring to and adds, “Plausible deniability.”
He is impressed with her response and replies, “Yes, precisely.”
A few minutes later, his cell phone rings and he answers it by asking, “Do we have permission?”
Dr. Frankenstein nods at the helicopter pilot soon afterward confirming the approval. He salutes him and makes his way inside of the aircraft. He looks at his crew and says, “All aboard, people.”
Henry, having familiarized himself with every US aircraft in existence, stares in curiosity at the black, sleek and futuristic looking utility helicopter. It almost resembles the Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk with the difference being the noticeable physical alterations. The doctor disconnects the phone call and tells Henry, “This, my dear boy, is the UH-60N Black Hawk. A truly remarkable accomplishment. Not only does it have low-observable technology to avoid radar detection, it has been also equipped with digital camouflage. Not only that, it uses plasma energy as its main energy source.”
Henry takes a closer look and says, “That explains the replacement of the T700 turboshaft engines.”
Barbara interrupts the conversation by saying, “As much as you two are enjoying this touching moment of male bonding, remember that time isn't on our side.”
Henry chuckles and replies while stepping inside, “Hey! It's rare that the doc speaks my language!”
As they both sit down, Dr. Frankenstein shouts, “The maximum speed of this helicopter is 325 kph. Which means it may take thirteen or fourteen hours to arrive at your destination.”
While strapping herself to the seat, Barbara nods and says affirmatively, “Understood, sir.”
Dr. Frankenstein backs away and the pilot closes the door shut. He then hears the humming of the plasma engine and observes the four blades as they gradually spin faster and faster. The ceiling of Hanger 18 detaches itself from the middle and slides open to allow the military helicopter drift upward until it flies off toward the serene evening sky. While the ceiling is closing, Dr. Frankenstein says, “Good luck.”
Indrid is squinting in pain as she uses her tools to repair her ship's main computer. If she can at least succeed in booting X-301's operating system, she can command it to use the singularity device to return home. Moving her arms is such an arduous task due to her massive internal injuries. The entire cockpit suddenly lights up and the sound of the system activating makes Indrid close her eyes and sigh with relief. She slowly rests on her back and asks wearily, “X-301? What is your status?”
An unearthly feminine voice replies, “Structural integrity is compromised. Initiating repair procedure.”
“At 95 percent completion, activate the singularity device and set a course for Earth.”
“That is extremely dangerous and not recommended until....”
“Do it anyway.”
“Yes. As you command.”
Indrid closes her eyes tightly and whimpers in agony. It hurts to even breathe. She has never experienced pain to this extent but, in a way, it makes her feel more human than ever. She grins and says weakly, “I feel pain.”
Indrid feels so drowsy that she closes her eyes and it doesn't take long for her to lose consciousness. It is at this point that she flashes back to living inside of the reinforced bubble when she was a young child. Her chin is resting on her knees as she sits on the floor with her arms wrapped around her legs. She gazes down at one of her favorite books given to her as a gift by her beloved friend. Her only friend in this grim reality.
A loud tap on the plastic shield startles Indrid and she raises her head to find the young son of her caregiver, Dr. Victor Frankenstein. She asks in a very low voice, “Ludwig? Are you not supposed to be in school right now?”
“I'm not feeling well today, Indrid. I can stay home.”
Ludwig walks over to the nearby console and proceeds to type quickly on the keyboard. Indrid gradually rises to her feet and asks out of curiosity, “Wha...What are you doing?”
He places his finger over his lips and grins as the plastic bubble dislodges from the floor. It then slowly rises upward until Indrid finds herself free from her imprisonment. She can't help but give Ludwig a teary-eyed gaze in response to what he has done for her. She hears his thoughts at this point. “Come with me, Indrid. Let's get some fresh air.”
“But...your father, Ludwig. We can get in trouble.”
He extends his hand and, while still giving her his warm grin, reassuringly tells her, “My parents are going to be away for several days. It's really nice outside, Indrid. Let's go.”
She nods nervously in agreement and walks toward him while extending her pale-skinned hand. They are now holding hands and staring into each other’s eyes. Ludwig then proceeds to walk upstairs to exit the basement with Indrid following very closely trembling with fear. He has always resented his father's decision of having her forever contained inside of that bubble like a laboratory rodent. She is part human, after all.
They both arrive at the back door of the Frankenstein household and Indrid has already become mesmerized by the sunlight peeking through the thin slit of the curtains. She whispers to herself candidly, “I've never seen the sunlight before.”
Ludwig grabs hold of the doorknob and his eyes widen as he almost forgets a very important detail. He turns around to look at Indrid and reaches into his pocket. He then hands her an object which she recognizes and asks him, “Sunglasses?”
“We wouldn't want to frighten the neighbors with those eyes of yours, right?”
She smiles innocently and immediately puts on the over-sized eye wear. Ludwig can't help but giggle at this awkward sight. The sunglasses belong to his mother but they will suffice for now. He nods, turns around and opens the door to reveal the lush, green lawn of the backyard. While firmly holding her hand, he assists Indrid as she takes one step outside. The blades of grass tickle her bare foot at first but she soon becomes accustomed to this new sensation. She places her other foot on the ground and profoundly observes the tall, majestic trees ahead. A strong wind blows and the branches sway back and forth. Ludwig whispers into her ear, “Isn't this beautiful?”
After a moment of silence, Indrid replies in a low voice, “Yes.”
She kneels down, caresses the tips of the grass with her hands and says while a tear rolls down her soft cheek, “Yes, it is. I have seen pictures of a lawn but it doesn't compare to feeling it with my fingers, Ludwig. And the warmth of the sunlight together with the freshness of the air is so soothing.”
Indrid looks up at him with those large, black sunglasses and says, “Thank you, my brother.”
Suddenly, her flashback becomes interrupted by the unearthly voice of her ship saying loudly, “I repeat! We have arrived at the Solar System, Miss Cold.”
Indrid feels her ribs to find that they have almost completely healed. They are still somewhat sore, however. She sits up and says, “Understood. How much time on
Earth has elapsed since our escape?”
“Approximately thirteen hours, thirty-eight minutes and five seconds.”
Indrid Cold wastes no time sitting down on the pilot's chair and moves both of her hands forward. The controls give off a luminescent glow indicating activation and disappears soon afterward. She angrily looks at Earth and shouts, “I'm on my way, Ludwig.”
The engines of the X-301 glow brightly and the ship flies toward Earth in a matter of seconds. Hopefully, nothing tragic has happened during her absence.
Chapter XV
A green light flashes and the doorknob to CIA Agent Rikki Hillman's apartment front door turns until a click is heard. It gradually opens and the silhouettes of herself and Adam Eastman can be seen outside. Rikki enters, turns on the light and grins at Adam while saying gently, “Come in, Adam. Well, I should be calling you my little cousin, Alex Thompson, from now on.”
Adam looks down at his unresponsive feet and begins to sweat profusely. He is actually going to be living with total stranger now. For the rest of his life. This doesn't seem the right thing to do to such a kind woman. To become such a burden on her life. He gulps and tells her, “Maybe this is a mistake, Agent....I mean, Rikki.”
She is imagining to herself how nervous he must be right now. Perhaps he feels as if he is being a nuisance and rudely intruding. Such a nice kid. She takes both of his hands, stares at his eyes and affirmatively says, “This is your home now, Adam. No. This is our home. We're a family now, okay? Now. Get your ass in here and welcome home.”
He nods and steps inside of the apartment. His apartment. Rikki smiles and tells him, “There you go. Let's take your stuff to your bedroom, okay?”
Minutes later, Rikki tosses the luggage onto the bed and says to Adam, “I guess you can take it from here. Not much in here for entertainment but we'll fix that soon.”
She feels her cell phone vibrating and quickly answers the call by placing it next to her ear and saying, “Yes. Understood, sir.”
Rikki puts the phone away and tells Alex, “I have to go to work. My computer in the living room is unlocked so feel free to use it, okay? If you get hungry, help yourself to anything in the fridge.”
She unexpectedly kisses him on the cheek and runs out of the bedroom. He places his hand there and slightly blushes from embarrassment. He shouts, “Be careful out there!”
Rikki replies loudly, “Always!” and the front door slams shut. Now there is nothing but silence. He walks over to the nearby window, gazes outside and whispers, “Melanie.”
On the other side of the world, Haruka Miyazaki patiently waits inside the same abandoned store while staring, without the slightest bit of emotion, at the grotesquely mutilated body of her prisoner. It is the stare of a predator waiting for the opportune moment to pounce and devour her prey. She becomes startled by the sight of bright lights darting across the night sky and races outside to observe the approaching object. Law enforcement? No. The officers under the Miyazaki payroll would have informed her way in advance. She comes to the conclusion that the military helicopter must be transporting Barbara Echevarria and waits patiently. The helicopter pilot slides the door open and shouts at Barbara, “You're sure about this? I can land...”
“Yeah, I'm sure. There isn't much time. Hold on tight to me, Henry.”
Henry hesitates for a moment and then wraps his arms around her neck. He inadvertently takes a quick glimpse at the street below and shuts his eyes tightly while saying, “Let's just land. Please?”
Barbara grins and replies as she prepares to jump, “I told you not to look.”
Haruka gasps as she witnesses Barbara leaping out of the helicopter. She is still having a hard time accepting the existence of monsters and aliens. What was once perceived as myth is now real. Barbara lands hard on the pavement with her feet which causes the concrete to break and crack.
Haruka observes a very pale Henry slowly lifting himself off of Barbara's back and placing his hand on the car behind him for support. As she aids Barbara to her feet, she asks him in a concerned manner, “Hey...you gonna be okay?”
Barbara turns her head and replies while grinning, “He's fine, Haruka. Right, Henry?”
All he can do is nod while trying to comfort his stomach by massaging it with his other hand. It's no use. He can feel the vomit traveling up to his throat so he turns around and lowers his head. Both of the young women cringe at the sight of him puking all over the street.
Several minutes later, everyone is inside and Barbara is standing in front of the brutally mutilated assassin with her arms folded. He has been retrained with thick leather straps and is sitting on some sort of dental chair. She then notices that both of his calves and shins have been encased in what looks like curved metallic plates with wires that connect to a nearby laptop. Haruka stands next to her and says proudly, “I bet you're wondering what the hell those are.”
After further examination, Barbara replies, “Uh, yeah.”
“Allow me to explain. During the middle ages, instruments of torture were invented to extract information, obtain confessions, punish suspects and instill fear into opponents. What we did here was combine medieval ingenuity with modern technology. The result? An updated version of the infamous shin crusher.”
Barbara caresses the plates with her fingertips and whispers in wonderment, “Whoa.”
“It didn't take long to get this bitch's name, by the way. Miguel Santos. Wanna see it in action?”
Barbara looks up at her, shrugs her shoulders and smiles deviously. Haruka returns the smile and immediately pushes a button on the remote which she is holding in her hand. Miguel shouts angrily, “Hey! Wait! We had a deal! You fucking bitch!”
As the contraption gradually begins to squeeze his right calf between the iron plates, Haruka ignores Miguel and explains to Barbara, “This is so awesome. I can snap his bones as slowly, or as quickly, as I want. I know you're short on time soooo....”
A minute after Haruka makes an adjustment using the remote, Barbara observes, with morbid curiosity, the fracturing of Miguel's tibia and fibula. This makes him scream and blood proceeds to gush out in multiple directions. Some it gets splattered on Barbara's astonished face. She forcefully sits down on his lap and grabs hold of his testicles with her right hand. She tells him expressionlessly, “I'm here, Mr. Santos. You'd better tell me something useful or I'll use my nutcracker.”
Miguel lifts his head up to look her in the eyes and says while grinning, “I gotta admit. The doctor did a helluva job. Look at you. Frankenstein's monster.”
Barbara becomes angered and tightens her grip on his balls. While smoking his cigarette, Henry winces and looks away as Miguel shrieks in agonizing pain. A beeping sound is suddenly heard emanating from Miguel's watch and she asks him, “The fuck is that?”
He looks up at her and replies in a raspy voice, “Yeah. You should be nervous. Let me tell you what that sound means.”
Rikki turns the steering wheel of her luxurious vehicle in order to occupy one of the empty spaces at the parking lot of a hotel. After turning off the car, she glances at her watch and sees that she is right on schedule. She then presses down on a small button and flinches as a reaction to feeling the sting of the watch's minuscule needle puncturing her skin.
Rikki observes with fascination as the pigmentation of her epidermis gradually begins to fade from her natural Caucasian color into a significantly darker tone. She then glances at the rear-view mirror and strokes her hair to feel the difference in texture. The transformation is complete. It's amazing how advanced technology has become in recent years! Gone are the days of wigs and masks. She clears her throat and utters, “Testing.” Even her vocal cords have been altered!
Rikki's fingernails begin to rapidly tap on the steering wheel and she lets out a frustrated sigh. If there's one thing that she despises the most, it's tardiness. So unprofessional. The unexpected sound of her cell phone ringing startles her and she takes it out of her pocket. Before she can even
speak, a distorted voice can be heard saying, “Our apologies, Agent Hillman. The preparations have been made and we are ready to commence Operation Big Buzz II.”
“Yes, sir.”
After a brief moment of static, the voice can be heard saying, “Time is of the essence and failure is not an option. Are we clear?”
“As crystal, sir.”
The call disconnects and Rikki places her cell phone back into her pocket. She opens the driver's side door, steps out of the vehicle and takes a minute to think about what is about to be done to innocent civilians in a matter of hours. No time to get sentimental, girl. This needs to be done. She then slams the door shut, activates the alarm and proceeds to make her way to the entrance of the hotel.
At Kabuki-cho, Barbara takes a step backwards while shaking her head in denial after listening to Miguel's shocking explanation of the secretive operation currently underway. Haruka leans forward until she is merely inches away from his face and tells him frigidly, “I'm taking your head, asshole.”
Miguel yells, “Go ahead, bitch! Once the wheels are set in motion, ain't nothing stopping it.”
Barbara says in a trembling voice, “No.”
He laughs loudly and adds, “You know who's behind all of this.”
“Diana Garrison.”
“She wants to kill Dr. Frankenstein herself. He doesn't even have a clue that he's gonna help us create a new world with his vaccine.”
Henry asks in a confused manner, “New world? What?”
After giving him a sinister grin, Miguel says coldly, “The age of the wendigo. Our age. Nothing can stop it.”
Haruka takes her katana and, with a swift motion, chops off Miguel's head. Blood gushes out of his neck in a way similar to a geyser erupting violently. She then turns around to look at both Barbara and Henry and says without the slightest bit of emotion, “Sorry. I couldn't wait any longer.”
Henry nods as he gazes into Haruka's soulless and barren eyes. More than likely, she has taken many lives with that blade of hers. He places his hand on Barbara's shoulder and says, “This is bad. No sign of Indrid yet?”
Rise of the Fallen: Ascensionis Page 25