Forging the Nightmare

by J. J. Carlson

  Alpha twisted a nob on his rifle, and his rifle’s optic switched to thermal. He aimed it at the orange glow and opened fire, squeezing off twelve rounds before relenting.

  Bravo descended, joining Alpha on the other side of the foxhole. Alpha moved forward and slung his rifle at his side, then dug into the soil with gloved hands. Finding nothing solid, he pushed his hands in deeper.

  “Lead, are you seeing this?” Alpha grabbed a fistful of something and held it up to his helmet camera. Mixed into clumps of brown earth were blood-soaked strips of pale, grayish flesh.

  Daron sagged. “It’s impossible,” he whispered. Clearing his throat, he said, “Turn the area upside-down, and then do it again. Find a body.”

  The driver turned halfway around in his seat. “What is it?”

  Daron stared at him with hollow eyes. “The most advanced weapon ever created is gone. We don’t know where it is, and now we have no way of tracking it.”

  23

  The horizon glowed scarlet with the rising sun when Emily finally pulled into her driveway. She was unofficially cleared of suspicion of misconduct, but an accidental security breach still demanded penance. She paid with several hours of her life, which were sacrificed on the altar of bureaucracy. Once the paperwork, briefings, lectures, and obligatory computer based training sessions were finished, she was free to go. She unlocked the door, walked to her room, and collapsed into bed without removing a single garment. In seconds, she had fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep.

  Something woke her, and she sat up, trying to get her bearings. Her curtains were a pale orange, and she wondered if the sun was still rising or if the daylight hours had passed while she slept. Standing, she crept over to her bedroom door. She normally closed it before going to bed, but it was open just a crack. Closing one eye, she tried to see into the living room. Nothing moved or made a sound in the dim house. Her heart began to race, and she soon doubted if she would be able to hear an intruder over the pounding in her ears.

  A tingle shot up her spine, and she suddenly felt as if someone was watching her from inside the room. She started to turn her head, her chest rising and falling so fast she was near hyperventilation. She could feel her pulse in her eyes as she strained to see over her shoulder.

  Suddenly the silence was broken by a loud chime. Emily jumped, hitting her face on the door. The tones of her doorbell continued in pleasant, descending tones.

  She exhaled and her face flushed red. In a moment, she was at the peephole of her front door. It was San, standing on her porch with his hands in his pockets. Mentally kicking herself for her paranoia, she unlocked the deadbolt and pulled the door open.

  “San!” she said, embracing him in a hug. “I’m so glad it’s you.”

  He patted her on the back, then gently pushed her away. “Of course it’s me. Are you expecting someone else?”

  Emily swept an unshed tear from her eye. “No. I’m just a little jumpy, that’s all. Please, come in.”

  He followed her inside. She sat down on a sofa and beckoned for him to sit on a recliner.

  He crossed his arms and remained standing. “Wagner’s been trying to get in touch with you all day.”

  Emily groaned and slumped back on the couch. “Crap. I left my phone in the car.”

  “I’m sure you needed the rest. It sounds like last night was pretty rough.”

  Emily detected a hint of suspicion in his voice. “It certainly was.”

  Regarding her with penetrating brown eyes, he said, “Wagner told me he was going to have someone watch your house.”

  “I know. I signed paperwork to consent to extra monitoring. It’s alright.”

  “Do you think they’re listening to us talk right now?”

  Emily shrugged. “Maybe. To be honest, I would actually feel safer with someone close by.”

  San pulled a notepad and pen out of his pocket. “I suppose that’s one way of looking at it.” As he spoke, he wrote the words “You can trust me. Did you do this?”

  He held the note up so she could see it. She read it, and met his questioning gaze. She mouthed the word “no,” then “never.”

  San put the pen and pad away, then sat down on the recliner. “I just want you to know that I’ve got your back, no matter what.”

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “Are you doing okay?”

  Emily squeezed herself in a tight hug, and looked around the room. “I’m alright. The escape just has me on edge.”

  San nodded. “I can understand that. A couple of people have been hurt already, but I don’t know too many details. They might even have the situation under control by now.”

  Emily shivered. “Have you heard anything about Eugene?”

  “I know he’s stable. I was actually going to head to the hospital after I checked on you.”

  Emily stood up and said, “I’ll come with you.”

  “Sure thing. But just so you know, Wagner wants to meet with you as soon as possible.”

  “Good,” she said, smiling. “After how long he kept me there last night, I’m happy to make him wait.”

  After receiving their visitor’s badges, Emily and San were ushered into Eugene’s room in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. He was barely recognizable. One arm was wrapped in a cast, with large pins protruding. His face was purple and swollen, and brackets held several of his facial bones in place. His eyes flickered open as they walked into the room.

  “Well, well,” Santiago said, “a little worse for the wear, but still as handsome as ever, I see. How are you feeling?”

  “Fantastic,” Eugene replied. Rolls of gauze in his mouth slurred his words and gave him an exaggerated smile.

  “Have they got you on some good meds? San asked.”

  Eugene tried to nod. “Oh yeth. The good stuff.”

  Emily stepped out from behind San, and Eugene’s face fell. Wincing, he reached up with his good arm and pulled the gauze from his mouth. “Hello, Emily.”

  “Oh, Eugene,” she said. “I’m so sorry.”

  Eugene looked down and said, “Please, don’t feel sorry for me. I deserve this.

  Emily shook her head. “How could you say that? What happened?”

  “I messed up,” Eugene said, closing his eyes. “I made a terrible misjudgment, and I should be the one apologizing to you.”

  San patted him on the shoulder and took a step back, giving them room to talk. Emily tried to hold Eugene’s uninjured hand, but he pulled away.

  “I never should have gone through with it,” he said. “I should have found another way. I put your life in danger without your permission and that was wrong. Jarrod acted exactly as he should have.”

  Emily was still confused. “What are you talking about?”

  Eugene stared at the wall, avoiding eye contact. “Wagner wasn’t happy with the results we were getting with Jarrod. He wanted proof that Jarrod would attack a real person, not just a computer simulation. His plan was to have someone shoot you with a real gun that was loaded with blanks. I hated the idea, but I was worried he would order someone else to do it if I didn’t volunteer. We tried to take precautions, had a team waiting right outside the door and everything. I pulled a gun on you and aimed it at your head while you weren’t looking. When I started to pull the trigger, Jarrod attacked. He was defending you.”

  Emily’s expression quickly changed from shock to anger.

  Eugene finally met her gaze. “Emily, I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t,” she said. “Do not apologize for what that insufferable old prick forced you to do. And don’t you dare beat yourself up for his idiotic decisions.”

  She started to leave, then paused in the doorway. “I hope you have a complete and speedy recovery, Gene. I’d like to stay, but there’s someone I have to talk to.”

  She didn’t wait for a response. She jogged down the hospital halls and broke into a run when she reached the parking lot. Slamming her car’s door, she cranked the engine and peeled out of the park
ing lot.

  It was six miles from the hospital to Hillcrest, and she drove at double the speed limit the entire way. Miraculously, she made it without being pulled over. Her short hair bobbed up and down as she ran through the building to the secure elevator. She punched in the nine-digit code and waited for the heart rhythm and facial analysis to grant her access.

  “Welcome, Dr. Emily Roberts. Proceeding to Sub-Level Six.”

  The elevator descended, and the doors opened to a dim hallway. A green line on the floor indicated her authorized path.

  “This again,” she said out loud. “Perfect.” She followed the green line to a steel panel on the wall. The panel slid open and she marched through.

  “Ah, Dr. Roberts,” Wagner said amicably. “I’m glad you are here. I have something important to talk to you about.”

  “First,” Emily growled. “I want you to explain to me how you got this job.”

  Wagner’s mouth hung open. “I, uh…excuse me?”

  Emily continued, “Because I can’t imagine how anyone would think it was safe to give you any responsibility beyond wiping your own ass!”

  Wagner was stunned into silence, so Emily thundered on. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if you screwed that up on a regular basis. You are fatuous beyond comprehension! A brain-dead baboon in a lab coat would be better suited to handle your job. You put people’s lives at risk and you’re either too heartless or too stupid to care.”

  Wagner started to raise a hand in protest, but lowered it as Emily’s rant continued. “I honestly thought you were heartless. Manipulative and heartless. And you know what? That would be giving you too much credit. You aren’t heartless, you’re just a bumbling jackass that’s in over his head!”

  Wagner folded his hands together and put them in his lap, looking intently at his desk. When Emily was done shouting, he cleared his throat and said in a low voice, “I assume you have been to visit Eugene. You are right, his condition is very unfortunate and it is my fault. You have every reason to be upset.”

  Some of the heat left Emily’s face, but her hands were still balled into fists.

  “I do not pretend to be a soldier,” Wagner continued. “I have underestimated Four-Seven-Charlie’s capabilities on more than one occasion, and it has repeatedly ended in disaster. You may not believe it, but I feel terrible for the men that have been hurt.”

  Emily’s shoulders slumped. She had hoped Wagner would put up more of a fight. She took the seat in front of his desk.

  “Yeah, well,” she said. “I tried to warn you, every step of the way.”

  Wagner sighed. “I know. I was caught up in the research, and I didn’t consider the danger. Project Nerium had so much potential, and now it’s gone. I wish I could change the way things happened, but I can’t. It’s in the past, and I’d like to move forward. I wanted to talk to you about one the other projects you had a hand in.”

  “Wait,” Emily said, “what do you mean it’s in the past? Did you find Jarrod?”

  “Yes. And I’m sorry to say the team was required to use lethal force.”

  Emily was suddenly dizzy. “Dead? I thought you were trying to capture him alive.”

  Wagner looked away. “I assure you we made every effort to do so. It was not possible to bring him in without risking the lives of several of our people.”

  Emily’s voice started to rise again. “I told you he would be unstable, I told you!”

  “You did,” Wagner said, holding his hands up in surrender, “and I didn’t listen. It was a mistake, and now he is gone. I’m not trying to share the blame with anyone. I should have listened to you, and I want to listen to you now.”

  Emily eyed him, waiting to see where he was going.

  Wagner hurried on. “With Nerium finished, I would like to begin one of our other bio-modification projects, one that has had your support from the beginning.”

  “You’re talking about Lateralis.”

  “Precisely,” said Wagner. “And I want you to be the primary consultant.”

  Emily pondered for a long moment, sighed, then said, “Alright. I’ll do it.

  Wagner beamed. “Wonderful! I’m so glad to have you on the team, despite everything that’s happened. There is some bad news…you will be working mostly with engineering, and I won’t be able to return all of your security privileges.”

  Emily crossed her arms. She worried this would happen. “How am I supposed to get anything done following green lines around?”

  Wagner waved his hands defensively. “This isn’t my idea. It’s just policy, and ultimately Daron’s decision. He wants you on as-needed security protocol for the next sixty days.”

  Emily nodded. “If that’s what Daron wants, I guess I’ll have to deal with it.”

  “It is, and I’m sure he will appreciate your cooperation.” Wagner paused, then added, “Dr. Roberts, I truly am sorry for the loss of your patient, but I’m glad you’re still with us.”

  Emily stood. “Sure. If there’s nothing else, I’d rather not spend another night underground.”

  24

  Midnight had come and gone, and Marcus was tired of staring at the ceiling. He got out of his bed and grabbed his jacket. As a member of the security team, he had his own room on Sub-Level Two. It was small, but private and comfortable. Despite his soft bed and physical exhaustion, sleep continued to elude him. He walked over to an intercom and punched in the number for the Operations Center.

  “Operations, this is CJ.”

  “Hey CJ, this is Bravo-One. Could you look up where Daron is right now.”

  Daron cut in to answer the question, “Hey, Marcus. I’m here at Ops.”

  “Oh, you’re awake, what a surprise,” Marcus said with a smirk. “Well since you’re up, do you feel like grabbing a bite?”

  After a brief silence, Daron said, “Yeah. I guess I could use it.”

  “Super. I’ll meet you at the chow hall.”

  Rather than head straight to the cafeteria, Marcus remained by the elevator and waited for his boss. He poked his head in the door as it was still opening and startled Daron.

  “You look awful,” Marcus said.

  Daron didn’t try to argue the point. He shrugged and stepped out of the elevator. “Long day, I guess.”

  “Almost two days. But who’s counting?”

  Daron sighed and rubbed his eyes.

  “You know, as your primary medic, it’s my duty to remind you that human beings require sleep.”

  Daron cracked a smile. “And what’s that got to do with me?”

  Marcus slapped him on the back. “I also regret to inform you that you are still human, unlike our friend, the elusive science experiment.”

  Daron took a deep breath. “I actually need to talk to you about that.”

  Marcus raised an eyebrow. “About Jarrod, or you being human? You’re not planning on making a switch to something else, are you?”

  They reached the cafeteria, grabbed snacks and coffee, and sat on the far end of the deserted room before Daron spoke again. “Jarrod is dead. Officially,” he said.

  “Really?” Marcus said, covering his heart dramatically. “And what is the official cause of death? A meteorite? Mauled by bears? Attacked by mutant zebras?”

  Daron shook his head. “Apparently, we are supposed to stick with the story that we killed him on the ridge.”

  “Even though we didn’t?”

  “That’s right. This is coming from Wagner. He waived a bunch of non-disclosure agreements in my face, reminding me that we can’t talk about it anyway. I don’t think we’ll ever have to lie to anyone about it, because the whole thing is going to be buried.”

  “Again, are we just ignoring the fact that there is a shiny black superninja waltzing around out there?”

  “You got it.”

  “Suits me,” Marcus said with a shrug. He took a sip from his mug, and made a face. “That’s terrible.”

  “Wagner fed me a line that Jarrod is harmless without an assign
ed directive,” Daron continued, “so long as he isn’t threatened. He said Jarrod is likely to live his life in seclusion and avoid confrontation.”

  “And you believe him?”

  Daron sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe. Jarrod seemed pretty focused on getting away from us. He could have easily gone on the offensive, but he didn’t.”

  Daron took a sip of his dark brew before continuing. “I also think there’s a snowflake’s chance of us finding him now that our trackers won’t work. I’m going to focus on protecting the people inside this building, and let the cops worry about what Jarrod does outside of it.”

  Marcus raised his mug. “I’ll toast to that. Frankly, chasing that guy isn’t my idea of fun. He gives me the willies.”

  The statement reminded Daron of Echo’s confrontation with Jarrod in the warehouse, and he asked, “How is Aaron doing?”

  “Not great,” the medic replied, “I think Trent and Eric will recover from their broken ribs before Aaron gets over the whole ‘melting face’ thing.”

  Daron nodded. “Speaking of that, I need your recommendations for replacements. We’ll need a new Charlie and Echo on Team One.”

  Marcus looked surprised. “You’re taking Aaron off the team? I mean, he’s a little shaken up, but he’s one of our best.”

  “Nothing like that. I’m giving him three weeks’ paid vacation. He’ll be back on the team after his time off.”

  Marcus nodded. “Nice. I’ll get some names together.” Taking another sip of his coffee, he added, “So what’s going on around here in the meantime? Knowing Wagner, he’s probably got something scary that he’d like to hatch.”

  “He asked for additional security at some of the field sites,” Daron said. “He’s trying to get Lateralis off the ground.”

  Marcus squinted. “Lateralis... Is that weaponized termites, or zombie robots?”

  Daron grabbed his coffee and stood up. “Pass the word on about Jarrod’s death. As far as I know, Wagner and our guys are the only ones who know what really happened, and we need to keep it that way.”

  “I’ll tell them if you promise to get some sleep.”