by Bryan Tann
“And I don’t think that it matters one way or the other. Period.”
“That man you fought when we escaped. He knew you.”
“Good for him! Dammit, Queen, just let it go!” John growled angrily, gripping the wrench in his hand so tightly that he could feel the metal contorting in his grip.
“Umm are you okay?” Karen asked walking up to him with an arm full of carburetors.
“Yeah. Peachy,” John said dropping his wrench.
“You are being a stubborn ass!”
“You’re being a goddamn nag!”
“John, what is wrong?” Karen demanded.
“Queen and I are having a…disagreement.”
“About what?” Karen asked setting the carburetors on the work bench.
“It doesn’t matter,” John said going to the parts beginning to toss them. “Wrong sizes. Damn.”
“It does matter, John. Why are you arguing?”
“Yes, John. Do enlighten her as to why you are being such a fool!”
“Goddammit!” John growled crushing the last carburetor in his grip.
“John!” Karen shouted. “Stop it! What in the hell is the matter with you?”
“Queen…Queen has been trying to tell me about my files. I don’t want to know about them. She says that Newton lied to me. That I did not volunteer.”
“She’s right,” Karen replied.
“Goddammit I don’t care!” John looked to her. “I do not care!”
“John…” Karen looked to him sadly, putting a hand on his cheek. “The hardest part of the whole thing was me wondering what I would say to you when you asked how you’d gotten to Fuji-O’Hara. I stayed up at night sick because I had no clue what to tell you. Telling you that you just volunteered was just so…vulgar. So wrong.”
“So don’t tell me!” John said pulling his face away from her gentle caress.
“Why? Why won’t you let her tell you?” Karen questioned.
“Yes. Why?”
“Because I…”
“Oh. John.”
“Because it has got to be goddamn terrible. That’s why. I don’t want to know what they did to me. Or why. I just would rather see it as they did,” he said to the both of them.
“But John it isn’t healthy for you to just believe a lie. To force yourself to accept it. You need to face it so you can move on from it.”
“What if I can’t?”
“You can, John. I will see to it. Why won’t you trust me with this? Why won’t you let me trust you with your pain?”
“What if you can, John?” Karen asked. “What if you can? You’re stronger than you think, John. And you have Queen with you. You can handle it, John. I know you can,” Karen said, putting her palm against his jaw line.
“Fine,” John relented.
“Quentin Creighton Griffin. That was your name.” Karen began pulling her laptop from her bag and opened it. “You were born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania May eleventh twenty one thousand and five. You were in the Marines.”
“So I was military?” John asked.
“Yes,” Karen replied.
“Why are you referring to me in the past tense?”
“Just let her talk, John. All will be revealed.”
He prepared to protest. Karen’s silence made his need to question her again almost too great, before he felt a wave of patience wash over him.
“You enlisted in twenty one twenty three. You showed an aptitude for computer science.”
“Why can’t I remember that?” he asked.
“Just trust me, John. I’m getting there,” she replied. “You graduated top of your class; squad leader, you set records as a recruit that still stand to this day.
“You worked in Washington D.C. as a military systems analyst. You met a civilian, Erica Michelle Cole twenty one twenty seven and married her that same year. You had four children; Quentin Jr., Deanna, Samantha, and Benjamin.” Karen sighed lightly as she looked over the file. She looked to him as he watched her.
“The official story is that you and your family died in a motor vehicle accident while you were on vacation at Myrtle Beach twenty one thirty two.”
“Wait, I died?” John asked, his voice raised. He looked to Karen, the tears in her eyes, and the lack of dispute from Queen told him it was true. He clenched his fist tight. His blood immediately clotted as his nails dug into his palm. “Let me guess; the official story is a lie,” John asked.
“Yes, John. It is. Queen was able to pull up the truth. She sent both copies to Fallen Paradigm,” Karen said taking a deep breath, as though she were trying to gather her courage.
“Why is she stalling?”
“Because, John…your story is a tragedy.”
“There was a memo that you came across. President King had an idea to consolidate his hold on the country. He, however, needed a person with special abilities. He had been searching for years and had been unable to find the right match that was advanced to the point that he needed. He knew there was someone out there that had the potential, she just wasn’t ready yet.”
“Mila,” John answered.
“Yes. The plan was, as you already know; to use Mila’s power to level a major American city during a Fourth of July celebration ceremony. Her limits would be tested, honed, and improved upon to ensure that the blast was double the impact of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was to be the most devastating American act of terrorism since the twenty first century.”
“And I…he found out about it,” John asked.
“Yes, you did,” Karen replied. “You attempted to go public with it. You sent the file to a newspaper colleague of your’s. Keep in mind that it took you some time to crack the memo. No one knows exactly what was found, but you cracked the code in your home. You then gathered your family to take them away. Your cover story was vacation,” Karen said.
“You knew all of this?”
“Yes, John. I know it all.”
“To make a long story short, according to the classified report; you and your family were ambushed in your rented beach house. Your entire family was dispatched execution style. You received three bullets into your brain.
“Your family died on the scene. You still had vital signs, but no brain activity. You were completely brain dead. You were allowed to survive on life support for another six months before you expired. Your body was kept in cryogenics by Dr. Newton. In twenty one thirty four, when Dr. Newton had suffered a one hundred percent failure in the human trails of the Invincible Heart Project, you were brought in.
“Dr. Newton used some of your DNA and was able to create your Hive. When the Hive was implanted into you, you were a success. You were dead. Completely dead. The process brought you back to life.”
“Not back to life,” John disagreed. “Quentin Creighton Griffin is dead. My name is John Baker.”
24
“John…” Karen began to protest.
“No.” John shook his head, holding up a hand to halt her disagreement.
“I have no memory of this…this Quentin Griffin. Nothing at all. The name means nothing to me, the name doesn’t stir anything within me. Quentin Griffin’s brains were turned to Swiss cheese because he found out that King was bad news.
“I’m sorry about that. I really am. I’m sorry that his family is dead. But if he didn’t die, I couldn’t be here.” John massaged the left side of his chest again.
“Are you alright, John?”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, Queen. I’m fine. I promise.”
“Okay, John,” Karen replied clearing her throat. “I just felt that you should know.”
“I appreciate it. Both of you giving me the truth. I understand why you both wanted me to know,” John said walking out into the yard allowing the sun to bathe his skin.
“What are you thinking, John?” Karen asked calmly.
“King. Why? Why is he such a power mad freak show that he’s pulling this?” John as
ked.
“According to the information you…” Karen stopped when John gave her a narrow eyed look. “I’m sorry. The information Griffin found; King wants the world. He feels that if the entire world is under his rule that is the only way peace can be achieved. He is stock piling specials to help achieve his goals. Now that he knows that the Invincible Heart Project can work, so long as it’s regulated, he’s going to be adding Nanos to the mix.”
“Yeah well it’s not going to happen. I’m going to shut the fucker down.”
“I know you are, John. And I’m going to help you,” Karen replied.
“Hey you two!” came Ruckus’ raised voice in the distance. John smirked looking over his shoulder to the portly black man.
“What’s going on, Ruckus?” he called back.
“Lunch is on the table. Get your asses in here and get it before I eat it all! I’m hungry as all hell so you know I’m not kidding!” Ruckus made his way back to where he came, John couldn’t help but laugh watching him retreat.
“It seems that you did find someone that you could trust after all.” Karen smiled.
“Ruckus is okay. He’s a Marine. He came out here and we talked for a little bit when I got to work this morning. He’s a good man. Not the biggest fan of King either.”
“How do you know he’s telling the truth?” Karen asked quizzically.
“Queen doesn’t distrust him. Neither do I,” John replied as he reached for a rag to clean his hands off with. “Let’s go. He damn near ate all of breakfast. I still have some of my meat left, thank God.” John chuckled.
“Your meat?” Karen asked as she followed him.
“Yeah. Killed a bear,” John said off-hand leading her through the stacks of junk.
“Oh yeah you just killed a bear,” Karen muttered sarcastically.
“So tell me about those guys I ran into it,” John asked Karen after lunch. The sun baked down on them, yet John never slowed down as he searched tenaciously for the parts he needed.
“The Nano Squad?” Karen asked. Her white t-shirt clung to her body with sweat, decorated with streaks of oil and dirt. She’d tied the shirt into a knot around her thin waist for ventilation. Her unblemished white sneakers were creased heavily covered with dust and grime. “What do you want to know?”
“Where did they come from?” John asked.
“They are what Fuji-O’Hara, Dr. Newton and Dr. Tee wanted to deliver to President King. Their Hives have zero trace of any Queen enzyme.”
“Who are they?” John asked.
“Essentially the moment you went rogue, President King ordered Fuji-O’Hara to develop a vaccine from your blood to ensure that no Queens would be developed. King then brought in five different individuals. One was a volunteer from…”
“San Quentin,” John finished.
“Yes. Alpha was on death row for ten murders that law enforcement was aware of. He was an enforcer for the Cartel named Luis “El Diablo” Candelaria.” Karen shuttered. “He scares me, John.”
“Well he’s a big boy that’s for damn sure. What about the others?”
“Military volunteers. Alpha, however, took to the Hive easiest. He’s the strongest. Only Echo is faster. Bravo, Charlie, and Delta are deadly, but Alpha and Echo are the ones you need to be the most careful of.”
“I’m not worried about Echo.” John smirked setting the motorcycle engine on the workbench getting to work on it.
“What?” Karen asked perplexed. “How could you not be worried about him?”
“Because I adapted to him,” John said not taking his eyes off of his work. “At first he moved like a blur that I couldn’t catch up to. Then he just got slower and slower. I can handle him.”
“You should not grow so overconfident, John,” Karen chided. “They did not just send me here to test me, but also to give them time.”
“Time to what?”
“They have been given Nano boosters. They will be stronger and faster.” The worry in Karen’s tone was evident. The anxiety on her face turned incredulous when John laughed.
“Good.” He went back to work.
“Good? ‘Good’? Why in the hell is that good, John?”
“Because when I kill King’s discount bin knock offs, he will know that he created his downfall,” John replied in an icy tone.
“John…” she began.
“Why don’t you head inside, Karen? You look like you’re about to pass out and I need you to be sharp. By this time tomorrow, if everything works out right, we are getting the hell out of here,” John said calmly. “If they start looking for us, I do not want them coming down on Ruckus.”
“Are you sure?” Karen asked calmly.
“Yes. Go ahead now. Go on.”
“What route are we taking?”
“We’re staying to the back roads. Keep everything as remote as possible, and stay away from the cities. We don’t want to make it easy for them.”
“Good idea, John. She will be of good use to us. She will make a good ally.”
“Yeah. Yeah she will. But not a necessary one.”
“You flatter me.”
“Yeah right. You know it’s true. You and me against the world, baby.”
“You and me.”
As the hours went by, John worked tirelessly rebuilding the engine to the motorcycle, fitting it into the frame along with the multitude of parts. As the sun began to sink behind the horizon, Karen was unable to watch him work any longer from Ruckus’ top floor apartment.
“He keeps to himself an awful lot,” Ruckus stated from behind her, causing her to jump.
“Huh?” she asked as she leaped out of her skin, her hand resting between her breasts to calm the pounding of her heart.
“Your friend out there. He keeps to himself a lot,” Ruckus repeated.
“Yes well, he has been through an awful lot,” she replied politely stepping away from the window.
“Yeah I know the look of a man that has been through hell.” He chuckled looking to the USMC tattoo on his right forearm. “I had to do a lot of shit that I’m not proud of. So when I was able to get out, I took my good looks and health and got the fuck out.” He chuckled to which she returned his warm laugh.
“Yes well I’m sure you and he have a lot in common. He and I truly appreciate your hospitality, and you making dinner,” Karen replied.
“Yes well, I don’t get a lot of visitors so it’s nice to have some company to look after. So how long have you known each other?”
“A few months,” she replied calmly, trying hard not to lie to the kindly old man who appeared to accept her time table.
“Don’t worry about being so cautious of what you tell me,” he replied with a chuckle going to the stove to tend to the food.
“What do you mean, Ruckus?” she asked innocently.
“You know what I mean, honey. You two are guarding on something big. Real big. And you’re both trying to keep me out of it in one way or another. I appreciate that,” he replied looking over to her. “Money talks and your boy Dean, and I know that ain’t his real name, paid an awful lot for my silence. He’ll notice that I sent a good chunk of it back if he bothers to look.”
“Why?” she asked curiously.
“Because I’m not a shit bag. I know he’s served. I can see it in his eyes. He carries himself like a Marine. Marines are brothers.”
“We appreciate it, Ruckus. Truly. What we are involved in you do not want to be,” she warned.
“Honey, I have seen and done things that I didn’t want to be involved in. I’ve put down revolts by people kept in barracks that had special powers. You know what that’s like, lady? Young kids. Boys, girls. Men. Women. Rounded up like cattle?” His stare went a thousand miles to nowhere.
“Just…there for being different? And when they decided to fight to be free being filled full of holes? Or underground revolts that never made it to the papers? War in the sewers literally. Honey, your shit can barely touch what I have seen.” Ruckus snapped
back to reality and reached into the stove looking at the roast that was awaiting being eaten.
“I’m so sorry, Ruckus,” Karen said in a low voice.
“Don’t. I did what I did because it was what my job entailed. Now I have to live with it. Hell if I didn’t, it was them or me and I was definitely going to make sure that it wasn’t me. In the end, I’ll help you because it’s the right thing to do.”
“Ruckus, we couldn’t…”
“Enough,” Ruckus said with quiet authority. “You’re either government, or contracted with the government. You’re on the run. Both of you. I can see how you tend to jump at any strange noises. Your friend, he’s a little bit more reserved, yet his movements show like he’s ready for something to happen.”
Karen sighed lightly looking to Ruckus. She didn’t want to put the old man in any danger, yet the look in his eyes told her that he was not going to be denied. He wanted to know, and he was going to know one way or the other.
“Alright, Ruckus. I cannot lie to you,” she began. “We are both on the run from the government. I used to work for Fuji-O’Hara Industries, in their Oregon facility. John, that is his name, was a patient there. They conducted experiments on him.
“They wanted him for something and he didn’t want to do it. He made a choice. I made a choice to help him. They sent me to help capture him and I won’t do it. I mean there is a lot more to it than that, but that is the bare bones,” she replied.
“Okay. Well you’re safe here,” Ruckus replied. “I have some security measures around here.”
“That’s good of you, Ruckus. Yet John is working hard and fast to make sure we can get out of here by tomorrow to make sure that nothing happens to you. I don’t want anything to happen to you because of us, and neither does he,” she said looking to him, tears welling in her eyes.
“He’s a man on a mission. I can see that. You two just make sure that you let me know if you need anything. I have some buddies of mine from the Corps that are out and about and will be willing to help out,” Ruckus said stirring a large pot in front of him.
“Thank you again, Ruckus,” Karen said stepping over to the stove. “Do you need any help?”