by Bryan Tann
“And being that you are legally dead,” Doctor Newton continued, “all references to your past have been deleted; labeled to the highest level of classified by executive order of President King. I don’t know who you were, no one knows who you were.”
John looked to the doctor, his eyes narrowed as tears began to fall from his eyes.
“No. I don’t accept that! Did I have a family? Was I married? Did I have kids? Parents? Anything? You don’t know?”
“John…” Karen stepped forward, her hand held between them in a defensive manner.
“No! No!” John scrambled to the window, turning his back to them, slamming his right hand into the wall leaving an indent of his fist in the drywall.
“You must remain calm, John,” Queen cooed gently. “For both of our sakes.”
“John, you have to understand that this has been done for their protection. You may not realize it, but there are threats to the Government, to this country. That is why the Invincible Heart Project was initiated. It is why President King wants those of special natural skills to be documented; we need to have our assets and liabilities on the table to protect this nation.”
“Calm yourself, John, or I will have to calm you. I would rather you do it on your own,” Queen chided as he felt himself ready to erupt again. Before speaking, he took another deep breath.
“You know nothing of anything about me before?” he asked weakly.
“We’re sorry, John.” Karen put a gentle hand on his shoulder, giving it a tender squeeze. “We do not have any of that information here.”
“Who killed me?” John asked looking over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed to slits.
“John…” Karen began.
“Who!” he roared, turning to face her causing her to jump back from him. Doctor Newton stepped forward, his kindly face hardened like granite.
“You will calm down, young man, or you will be tranquilized and wake up strapped in the isolation room again. Now do you want that?” His sharp tone cut through his anger, as he looked between the two of them.
“John I will not warn you again. If you are unable to keep calm, I will do it for you. Please? We need to get this information.”
“I’m…I’m sorry,” John replied looking down sheepishly. “It is so much to take in. I have no excuse.”
“I understand this is not easy for you, John, believe me I do. Yet you must trust me, trust us, we only want what is best for you. After all we have spent more than three countries’ net worth to save your life. You are important to us.” Newton chuckled, the hardened look fading.
“Now I am sure that you would like to know just what has been done to you. Yes?” When John nodded, the doctor smiled. “Excellent. Now we decided to name you John. John Baker to be exact. It is short, easy, and does not sound as generic as ‘John Smith’. When you’re training and medical testing has been completed, you will be given a new military designation.”
“Training?” John questioned. “If I am already military trained, then…”
“We want to ensure that you know what you are capable of, and we have an idea of what you can do. Once we are confident that your body and the Hive are completely in sync, then you will be ready for your mission.”
“And what is my mission?” John asked.
“There is a terrorist cell, led by a Special…” Karen began. She stopped short when a look came from Newton.
“Don’t stop now,” John said sounding businesslike, almost robotic. “I need to know. If I am going to do this, and do it right, then I need to know everything. I need to know it now.”
Newton released a light sigh and reached into his lab coat and pressed the red button.
“Fine, John. If that is what you want.”
7
“What is that buzz?” John asked. “He pushed something in his pocket and its making a buzz.”
“It is a transmitter of some kind. He is signaling someone. Be prepared,” Queen suggested.
He could feel his heart starting to beat harder, and his adrenalin began to build in preparation.
The door to his room opened, and a man dressed in green military fatigues stepped into the room. He stood at least two to three inches taller than John’s six feet. His weather battered skin showed hints of freckles that he may have had in his youth that were all but gone. His graying brown hair was cut tight, military style against his scalp. Various scars, no doubt from years of combat, were peppered among his face.
He had the look of a man that was a predator, born for combat and molded into a man by war. His black boots were spin shined to perfection, his muscular upper body not very well hidden by the military issued jacket.
“You called for me, Doc?” the man asked. His dialect was a strong southern drawl that sounded as cold and cruel as his icy gray eyes and set of his jaw indicated it would sound.
“Yes, absolutely,” Doctor Newton replied. “John, I would like you to meet Commander Korvin Matheson. He is head of Fuji-O’Hara Industries security, and our special liaison to the military.”
“I’m also going to be the man that ensures you are worth more than a drop of pig shit on the battle field, boy,” Matheson said as he stepped forward looking John in the eye.
John snapped to attention when the newcomer’s rank was mentioned yet he did not waver when he was looked over. He did, however, remember not to look Matheson directly in the eye but past him.
“Well boy, good to know you at least retained an iota of military instinct.” Matheson walked a circle around him. “It is my job to ensure that when you’re out there dealing with these terrorist pieces of shit that you take them out with extreme prejudice.
“Long story short, son, you were brought back from Hell’s Gate to be a goddamn hero. How does that make you feel?” Matheson asked.
“Sir, honored to serve my country, sir,” John replied.
“He at least wasn’t lying. You do have military training. Do not worry we will bring enough to the surface so that you do not look foolish,” Queen said, sounding pleased with herself.
“What about my memories?” he asked.
“There are…blocks in place. I will keep trying. But it is going to take a lot of time. Just accept what I have,” Queen responded, sounding almost put out that he wasn’t more thankful for what she was giving him.
“Well goddammit, son, I’m glad to see that being dead hasn’t made you a retard.” Matheson nodded. “Have a seat Baker and I will give you the run down.”
When John sat back down on the bed, he kept his eyes on Matheson curiously.
“As Nurse Denton started to put out there, there is a Special. Some freak bitch by the name of Mila Hunter. At the last televised address from President King announcing the annual testing, she rang positive. Telekinetic. She is a powerful little bird, but she isn’t unbeatable. We simply need a specialized soldier to deal with her. With me so far?” Matheson asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. This Mila is now essentially in charge of a terrorist cell of douche bag pinkos that can't accept how good they have it in this country. Your mission, which you have no choice in following, is to make use of that government grown ticker…” Matheson began poking John in the chest. “That costs more than any enlisted men combined will make in a lifetime to find this bitch and eradicate her with extreme prejudice.”
“Commander?” Denton said stepping forward.
“Oh. Right,” Matheson muttered with contempt. “You’re to, if the situation allows it, bring her in relatively whole so that the scientists can study her and understand how her powers work. Is that understood soldier?”
“Yes, sir,” John replied.
“Good. Now tomorrow you’re supposed to go through testing to ensure that your ticker and your body is all in right shape and the day after you start PT. However you look to me like you could use a little bit of PT right now. Am I right, Baker?”
“Sir, I could definitely use some PT, sir,” John replied.
&n
bsp; “That’s good, John. We need to test ourselves. I need to make sure the babies can do what they need to do.”
“Commander I must say that…” Karen began.
“Quiet candy stripper.” Matheson chuckled. “You all did the surgery thing. He’s standing on his own two feet. From that hole in the wall he isn’t dying anytime soon. I want to see just what he can do. Do you have a problem with that, doctor?”
“While I would advise against it,” Newton replied, stone faced at the Commander’s attitude, “it was made clear to me that John Baker is under military jurisdiction.”
“Outstanding. Baker you get into your PT gear and let Candy Stripper know when you’re ready. I’ll be out back in ten. Be ready to run.” John stood to salute Matheson who exited the room as abruptly as he’d walked in.
“Your clothing, John,” Karen began, “are in the drawer there at the end of the room.”
John, finally taking the time to know the room that he’d woken up in earlier in the day, noticed the plain bed and the wooden two drawer dresser. Another door, opposite of the bathroom, he assumed was a closet.
He went to the dresser and opened the top drawer and saw underpants and socks. The second drawer had t-shirts half green and military issue, the other half black. He went to the closet and saw multiple pairs of green military fatigue pants and plain black BDU style pants along with green military fatigue jackets, black tactical jackets, and on the shelf of the closet, military issue caps.
“We will leave you to change then, John,” Dr. Newton said calmly. “I hope you are not pushing yourself too hard. We should have your blood work finished in due time.”
“Thank you, doctor,” John replied. “Is there anything else I should know?” John asked as he reached for underwear, socks, a green shirt, and a pair of pants and went into the bathroom.
“I’m sure you would like to know about what we did to you?” Newton asked.
“Absolutely,” John replied as he got dressed.
“The information I have on you indicates that you had a congenital heart defect that did not show up on your physical. Your heart failed during a mission after you were injured. You were clinically dead and it was decided that you would be the perfect candidate for my research. I have spent a lifetime attempting to perfect.”
“What was your research exactly?” John asked stepping out of the bathroom, reaching for the boots in the closet and pulled them on tying up his laces.
“I replaced your heart with a Nanobot Hive that creates nanobytes; microscopic bioorganic super computers that I developed. The Nanobot Hive is grown in a lab using the DNA of the subject in question to help aid in the bonding process to ensure that the body doesn’t reject the implant.”
“I see,” John replied. “So you gave me a test tube heart, is what you’re saying, Doc?”
“In a manner of speaking yes,” Newton replied. “You are the first successful human test of this process. So you must forgive me if I am a little cautious about pushing you.”
“I get it. I’m the living embodiment of your life’s work,” John replied.
“Yes, that is exactly my point. However I must let you know that you have to keep me appraised of anything that isn’t normal.”
“You mean besides waking up with no memory and finding out I have a heart that you grew in a test tube?” John asked.
“I was not grown in a test tube!”
“Relax, I know that.”
“Please do not be vulgar about the process. It is much more exact than that. Now, the Nanobot Hive makes the need for nanobyte injections obsolete. The Hive replicates the nanobytes and continuously sends them into the blood stream to heal wounds, and allow for advanced human physical development.
“You will be made physically far more superior than any human. It is because of this that you are being sent to face Mila Hunter. Her abilities are quite dangerous and you must be able to handle her. However there could be, complications to this procedure.”
“What kind of complications?” John asked.
“In our test subjects, there were fits of insanity and outright violence. We were able to negate this abnormality, however you are the first human that has bonded with a Nanobot Hive. So there is no way of knowing if the abnormality has been dealt with in full.”
“So in other words…” John perked a brow.
“If you start to feel any sort of…desires that worry you; hearing voices, a blood lust you can’t control, then you must let me know so that we can deal with this accordingly.”
“He means kill you,” Queen said.
“I know what he meant. He’s trying to scare me.”
“Yes he is.”
“Don’t worry, Doctor Newton. If I start to feel or think anything that isn’t right, I’ll tell you straight away. But, if I’m copacetic, then what?” John asked with a curious furrow to his brow.
“Then, I would assume, President King will call for a number of military personnel to be fitted with a Nanobot Hive,” Newton replied.
“John, I am going to ask you to wear this,” Karen handed him a band. “This will monitor your heart rate and will also determine the rate that the Nanobot Hive replicates nanobytes into your blood stream.”
John took the watch and put it on, pulling it tight to ensure that it would not come off.
“Are we okay with this?” John asked cautiously.
“Yes. I have the knowledge of how the base levels read in the rats. I have made the necessary calculations and adjusted to how they can be repeated in a human being,” Queen replied. “You will be just fine.”
“So Doc, is there anything else I should be worried about with this new heart? Anything at all?” John asked.
“You need to get to know your body again, John. Already the nanobytes should be in your blood and helping you to be better. Now the nanobytes will heal your wounds, but they won’t stop you from feeling pain. You need to remember that, but not be afraid of your body either,” Dr. Newton said putting a hand on his shoulder.
“You have my life’s work in your body, John. And while you are under orders by the President, how you adjust to it is entirely up to you. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, Doc, I get it,” John said walking past Newton and Karen.
“Soon enough, we will be able to make our own decisions,” Queen said.
“What about this terrorist? This Mila Hunter?”
“If we kill her, maybe we can be free.”
“It would be nice to be free.”
“Yes John, it would. Let us get to know each other.”
“Yeah Queen. Let’s do that.”
8
“Baker we are going to take it a little bit…slow for your first day of PT.”
“Yes, sir,” John replied.
“Three mile run, Baker. If it takes you more than twenty eight minutes, you fail. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Twenty eight minutes? What an insult!” Queen grumbled.
“How much better can we do?” he asked nervously as he awaited the word ‘go’.
“Run and find out.”
When the bullet’s roar sounded, he took off. As he focused on the road the feeling of his legs pounding and his arms moving in synch was hypnotic. He couldn’t tell how fast the scenery went past him, or that he wasn’t growing tired. He just kept his eyes forward and ran as hard as he could.
He couldn’t feel the bulge of his muscles, he couldn’t feel the fatigue that his mind was starting to try and tell him he should be feeling. The goal was the only focus as his legs churned, and his breathing maintained the rhythm.
As he ran, he barely noticed the black SUV at the nearby tree line. As the driver lay on the horn after he ran past did he finally stop.
“How do you feel?” Queen asked with amusement in her voice.
“I feel great. I’m not tired at all. Why did they honk the horn at me?” he asked curiously.
“I believe we’re finished.”
&nbs
p; “Finished? We just started!”
“Baker! Do you not know how to follow directions?” Matheson barked as he marched toward him.
“I’m sorry, sir. I did not notice. I thought I had more miles to go.”
“Negative, Marine! You ran three miles in ten minutes flat! Goddamn I have never seen anyone move that fast, boy. How do you feel about doing some weapons training?”
“Sir, I feel damn good about it, sir!”
Two Months Later
“I have a report to send to President King by the end of this week, Dr. Newton. Now physically, The Invincible Heart Project is a success. Baker has scored off of the charts in everything I’ve put him through.” Matheson smirked lightly. “He’s ready for the field.”
“I can’t disagree with you, Commander,” Newton replied. “All of his blood work is top notch, psychologically he is in good shape. I just…there is something telling me that there is more there.”
“Like what, Doc? Huh?” Matheson growled. “We could have had Baker out in the field months ago! These damn terrorists have been damn near running rampant out there! President King wants results, he wants these goddamn terrorists dealt with!”
“Commander, the Nanobot Hive is my life’s work. Do you understand me? My. Life’s. Work! I want this to succeed! More than you do! More than the President does!”
“Well then, Doc, stop being so goddamn scared to unleash him! The other provisions are in place correct?”
“Yes they are,” Newton relented.
“Okay then. So what are you afraid of then, Newton? Level with me,” Matheson asked.
“I cannot put my finger on it,” the doctor admitted. “When I look at his blood work, it’s almost as if I am close to finding something wrong, but I’m just not able to.”
“Well, Doctor, if you’re not finding anything wrong then stop fucking looking for a mountain where there is barely a mole hill! He’s a goddamn machine! He’s shaved two minutes off of his three mile! I let him fucking run twenty miles and he wasn’t close to being tired! He is ready!”
“He is physically phenomenal I will admit. He’s also resisted poisons, small arms fire…”