by Unknown
•••
Michael waited in his unmarked police car. The cool night air felt good so he left his window down. He heard the faint whine of an engine. It grew much louder as a deep red, sport bike emerged at the top of the driveway, on the right side of the house. Jonathan pulled up to Michael’s driver side window and raised the mirrored visor on his full-face helmet. “You like?�
“Very nice,� Michael said. “How about getting something to eat before we head over to the precinct?�
“Sounds good,� Jonathan said. “That’s one thing about the mutagen—all of this strength comes at a price—I always feel like I’m starving.�
Michael turned the ignition key and his hemi-powered Dodge Charger growled to life. “Follow me, if you can keep up,� he taunted.
Jonathan smiled. “I’ll try.�
•••
Trenton had only encountered five guards in the stairwell on his way to the penthouse. He had managed to take them down without gunplay, in order to avoid alerting Ming’s men to his route. The building remained without power and relatively dark.
Trenton opened the stairwell door on the penthouse level and seized a guard standing at the door smoking a cigarette. He snapped the man’s neck before he could make a sound. Trenton crept into the corridor. Light shone through some of the windows down the hallway, illuminating other men who were guarding Ming’s apartment.
Rather than alert these men to his presence by a head-on assault, Trenton used the fire extinguisher case mounted on the wall to reach the ceiling. He pushed several ceiling tiles out of his way and grabbed hold of heavy pipes, pulling himself inside the space.
Trenton crawled to the point where the wall of the apartment intersected and then over into that space. He passed a vent and looked into the room where some men were talking. One of the voices sounded like Ming. He adjusted his angle and clearly saw the man sitting in a large, leather chair at the end of a long, oval shaped table. At least fifteen men stood around the room armed with submachine guns.
Trenton smiled and began a quiet hand-over-hand trek toward the leather chair and Ming sitting in it. He listened to the guards trying to contact others over wireless headsets in a vain attempt to locate him. He had crawled upside down along the pipe to Ming’s approximate position, then Trenton pushed away hard from the pipe with enough force to explode downward through the cardboard, ceiling tiles.
He landed near Ming, whipped out a large knife, and placed it on the man’s throat, holding him securely in the chair. Trenton grinned. “Hello, Ming!�
Gun mounted flashlights whirled to his position, fixing on his face, but no one fired. “Hello, boys,� Trenton said. “I’ve come to negotiate with your boss.�
Laughter came from the jumble of flashlights—the same voice—Ming. “Lights on,� he said.
The room illuminated instantly, at his command. “Certainly, I would be glad to discuss the matter with you, Dr. Hallowed. But first, you should release Cho.�
Trenton gritted his teeth. Ming stood among his guards with a machine gun slung over his shoulder. He smiled and waited. Trenton moved the blade away, and allowed Ming’s decoy to stand. As Cho moved out of the way, Trenton raised one of his own machine guns, pointing it at Ming and his men. “Now the odds are a little more even.�
“I’m afraid I don’t follow you, Dr. Hallowed,� Ming said.
“You can shoot me, but I’ll kill all of you before I die.�
“A wild boast,� Ming said.
“An accurate one,� Trenton replied.
Ming motioned for his men to lower their weapons, then he took a seat at the opposite end of the oval table, motioning for Trenton to do the same. “Please sit down, Dr. Hallowed. I understand you have immortality to bargain with.�
Trenton lowered his weapon last and then sat down in the leather chair opposite Ming. “How about a drink first? I’m sure you can understand I’m a little parched from my trip.�
Ming gave Trenton a wan smile, then snapped his fingers. One of the men flanking him walked over to a wet bar in the corner.
“How about something with lots of sugar?� Trenton asked. “I need my energy.�
The man stopped short of the liquor and pulled a cold two liter of soda from the refrigerator. He sat a glass on the bar to fill it.
“I’ll just take the bottle,� Trenton said.
The guard left the glass and brought the bottle. He sat it on the table next to Trenton, then walked back to Ming’s side. “I applaud your ascent through my tower—very nicely done,� Ming said. “How is it that you’ve come by these abilities of yours? I’ve been following your story in the news—most intriguing.�
“I’ve developed a powerful genetic mutagen which boosts strength, reflexes, healing, and speed, through a regenerative process beginning at the cellular level,� Trenton said. “I’ve already sustained fatal wounds, several times over, but I’m still kicking.� He paused for effect. “I’m willing to share this with you, and your men, in exchange for your help retrieving my formulas at the Genetic Corp building.�
“That building is heavily guarded by the police right now,� Ming said.
“I realize that. The fact of the matter is I have to have someone to decode the vault—a boy who encrypted my files and shut me out just before I could retrieve my spare cylinders of mutagen gas.�
“A boy?�
Trenton blinked very slowly. “Yes, a very crafty little worm. The police have him somewhere.�
“That isn’t a problem,� Ming said. “I have plenty of informants in the police department.�
“He’s probably been taken in by a detective. Michael Stamos is his name.�
Ming grinned. “Ah, Detective Stamos, I know him very well. He’s been a thorn in my side for several years now. Were you the one who killed his partner?�
Trenton smiled. “Believe me, it was my pleasure. Anyway, once we find the boy, we’ll have to break into and out of the station where they’re keeping him. Can you organize something like that?�
Ming smiled, bowing his head slightly. “Leave it to me.�
HALLOWED_BE_THY_NAME
21 ASSAULT
Trenton observed the people in the back of the truck with him. Ming had outfitted him with fifty of his people—mostly men—but all hard-as-nails criminals. The three armored cars they rode in lumbered along the highway into Branton.
“What time is it?� Trenton asked.
One of the men looked at his wristwatch. “Ten past midnight—right on schedule.�
Trenton and the others checked their weapons. They carried submachine guns, concussion grenades, and tear-gas bombs—all from Ming’s private stock. Everyone wore black with black face paint, and Kevlar vests, including Trenton. He didn’t want to take on damage unnecessarily. Every bout with body damage drained him and he felt, even now, he could use a full day’s sleep.
“When we find the boy, he comes back to this truck, right?� Trenton said.
Nods all around.
“If you do well, all of you will be immortal after tonight,� Trenton promised.
Some of them grinned. Others appeared skeptical.
The sliding window to the cabin unlatched and opened. A man in the passenger’s seat of the truck peered through. “Sixty seconds, everybody.�
“Here we go,� Trenton said, “and be sure you don’t harm the boy.�
Weapons lo
cked into firing position and military issue gasmasks, carrying night-vision capability, were pulled down over their faces. The truck lurched to a stop in front of Police Precinct #7 in Branton. Trenton burst out of the back of his armored car facing the precinct’s glass and steel façade. He raised his submachine gun, with grenade launcher, and fired a grenade through the glass door into the lobby, where two officers stood, manning the security pass door.
The grenade exploded. Glass flew everywhere. “Let’s go!� Trenton ordered.
The teams from each of the three black armored cars filed out into the parking lot, fully armed. They followed Trenton toward the building. He kicked the doorframe in, leading them through.
The entire lobby of the police station had been torn to pieces. The bodies of two police officers, and several men, hands still cuffed behind their backs, lay sprawled on the debris strewn floor. The charred security door had buckled a little, but still held firm.
One of Ming’s men tried it, but couldn’t get it to budge.
“Watch out!� Trenton planted a Gortex boot near the dead bolt, kicking the door in. It gave way with a loud pop. Trenton fired on several officers coming toward the door as he ran through. The other members of his team followed him inside.
One man had been designated to cut the power. As Trenton ran through the booking room, the lights went out. The screaming increased. Trenton and his team switched on their night-vision and began to spread throughout the precinct. The only light came from emergency lamps and muzzle flashes.
Trenton grabbed one of the booking officers, pulling him out from under the desk where he had been hiding. “I want the boy Detective Stamos brought here today!�
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!� the officer said.
Trenton grabbed the man’s hand and squeezed until several bones snapped. The officer screamed in pain. “Tell me where he is, or you’ll die a slow death right here.� He squeezed the injured hand again.
“I’ll tell, I’ll tell!� the officer screamed. “Third floor! Security Lockdown #5!�
Trenton dropped the man’s hand. He fell into the desk chair cradling the fractured limb. “Good, you’ve avoided a slow painful death—have a quick one instead.� Trenton opened up on the man with a burst of machine gun fire, then moved on. He spoke into his headset. “Team one, third floor—Security Lockdown #5. I’m going for the stairwell.�
“Copy!� Team one’s leader replied.
•••
Jay heard an explosion that shook the entire building. He had been startled by it because he was hacking the police database on one of their PCs at the time. He stopped typing immediately. An alarm blared somewhere on a floor below. Officers in the hall outside of the room where he was being kept, shouted questions and orders.
Jay tapped into the surveillance video system from his current link. He had tried not to smile, when asking the officer in charge of his care if he might be able to use the internet to play an online game, while he waited in the employee lounge.
“Sure kid, just don’t get on any sites you shouldn’t,� the man had said.
“No problem,� Jay had replied. Little did they know whom they were leaving on one of their network computers.
Jay brought up video feeds from as many cameras as would fit on the display at one time. The lobby camera showed only static. The first floor cameras, however, came alive with activity—men in black outfits, carrying machine guns as they stormed the precinct.
Jay heard the cacophony of gunfire filtering through the building. He rushed to the bullet proof window pane and peered down into the parking lot. Three black, armored cars sat parked in front of the building. Exhaust vapor condensed briefly and then faded into the cool night air. They’re coming for me, he thought.
Everything went dark. The lights, television, and the computer all snapped off, leaving only the staccato of machine gun fire, fading screams, and a thunderous heartbeat racing inside his chest. Jay realized he was alone and defenseless.
He stumbled to the wall and picked up the phone—nothing. Jay had not been allowed to bring his laptop into the precinct. He walked over to the door and opened it. Most of the officers in this section stood beyond a bullet-proof window meant to keep people out. They were partially illuminated by one of the emergency backup lights in the hallway. Jay saw that the officers were outfitted in Kevlar vests, carrying machine guns of their own.
Trenton had to be behind this. It was simply too coincidental. How he had managed to recruit these people and persuade them to attack a police station was beyond Jay’s comprehension, but it smacked of Trenton Hallowed, all the way. Jay counted ten police officers guarding the stairwell. He hoped they would be enough to stop the people coming for him.
•••
Trenton stood before the third floor stairwell access door. He knew more police officers would be waiting on the other side of the door. He waited while other members of his team came up the stairs after him. Trenton kicked the door open.
The police officers in the hall beyond immediately opened fire on him. Trenton fired two grenades into the fray before the door closed itself again. The hallway exploded into a fireball that blew the door open and propelled Trenton into a concrete wall.
He stood up again with his weapon in hand and walked through the shattered doorframe into the hall where the ambush had been waiting. Broken bodies decorated the corridor. To his left, Trenton noticed the bulletproof Plexiglass windows remained scorched, but intact. The scarred lettering read, “Security Lockdown #5.�
Trenton pounded his forearms into the barrier over and over, again. His increased strength quickly won out. The Plexiglass began to buckle, forming spider web cracks across its surface.
•••
Jay scrambled through the room, after the explosion killed the officers barring Trenton Hallowed from taking him. He searched frantically for guns, but the only ones were locked tight in gun cabinets. He opened a locker and rifled through the contents until he found a couple of useful items.
He looked over his shoulder and saw Trenton cave in one of the Plexiglass windows. Another hit forced the floor to ceiling barrier out of his way. Emergency lighting provided just enough illumination to silhouette the man, causing him to appear even more menacing.
“No use hiding boy. I can see you just fine, even in the dark,� Trenton said.
Jay stood up. “What do you want with me? I didn’t do anything to you.�
Trenton laughed. “Oh, didn’t you? I’m not so stupid to think that Jonathan could’ve locked me out of my own database. You might be a little punk, but you’ve got skills with a computer.� Trenton walked through the dark toward Jay. “I don’t want to have to kill you, kid. We’re going to go for a ride. Then you can remove the encryption on my files. After that, I’ll let you walk.�
Jay allowed Trenton to get within twenty feet of him before opening fire. Two barbed metal prongs shot out from Jay’s hidden Taser gun, attaching to Trenton’s chest. He didn’t respond, except to laugh at Jay’s effort. Trenton pulled the leads free, tapping his chest with his knuckles. “Ha! Kevlar, kid. Sorry to disappoint you.�
Jay whipped out a second Taser gun from behind his back. “No problem!�
He fired the prongs into Trenton’s face this time. The leads gouged into his cheek, and the current rolled into his body. He stood trembling at the mercy of 50,000 volts of electricity. He fell to his knees, then lunged forward, slapping the Taser pistol from Jay’s grasp.
Jay tried to bolt past him, but wasn’t fast enough. Trenton caught him and tossed him into the wall. “Tranquilize him!� Trenton
shouted. Trenton’s team came into the room and picked Jay up off the floor. He felt a pin prick in his back. Seconds later the room spun around him and everything went black.
•••
The Branton sign passed by on Michael’s right at seventy miles per hour. He checked the rear view mirror again. Jonathan and his sport bike remained glued to his rear bumper. They had been speeding a bit on their way to Police Precinct #7 in Branton, but traffic was virtually non-existent at this time of night.
Michael’s radio suddenly erupted with calls for help. “Shots fired, shots fired—we’ve got officers down at Precinct #7—armed men have blown the place wide open—we can’t keep them out!� Gunshots resounded in the background. “Anyone, we need—�
“Good grief!� Michael tapped the siren switch on his dash. Blue lights came on at the front and rear of the Charger. He waved a hand out the window signaling Jonathan to follow, then he punched the gas pedal all the way to the floor. The hemi roared, the body vibrated slightly, and off he went.
In his rearview mirror, Michael saw Jonathan’s front wheelie hop off the pavement as he sped up in pursuit of the Charger. Michael torqued the steering hard to the left. His car squealed sideways across the pavement, through the barren intersection, leaving a trail of white smoke and black rubber for Jonathan to follow. The candy apple, sport bike fell over at a hard angle, its tires bit into the asphalt, then bike and rider lunged forward after the police car once again.
They covered several miles in what seemed like mere seconds. When they had the police precinct in view, a half mile away, Michael saw the muzzle flashes of machine guns. The assailants intended to make a get away in three black armored cars. He’d seen them before, used in jobs all over Imperial City. “Ming!�
As he got closer, Michael spotted Trenton Hallowed carrying the boy in his arms. He appeared to be unconscious, or dead. Surely they didn’t kill him!