by Ballan, Greg
The sensory overload brought him to his knees and seemed to drown his personal identity among the hundreds of sensations going through his mind at once. He let out a loud scream as his mind and body endured the continuing metamorphosis.
The memories and lifetime experiences of the mightiest of the Esper warriors flowed into his consciousness. He relived an alien being's entire lifetime of experiences in mere seconds. He felt brief sorrow for the massive being as he saw through its eyes, its fall and death. He knew the name: Jakor. It burned itself into his memory. He was Esper, but he was also human.
The virus triggered in his system combined the diverse genetic materials from both DNA structures and remade him into something more, something greater that the sum of each individual part. The virus made him a hybrid—a living legacy to a race long-gone, their final soldier to correct a mistake that had been left behind for thousands of years.
Shanda called over to him, but he was unaware of her presence, his enhanced mind was busy rapidly sorting and resorting sensory inputs, applying filters to reduce the stimuli until his newly enhanced nervous system and brain could adapt.
After several long painful minutes, the pain was gone. The Hybrid stood up, the staff still firmly in his grip. He had survived the mutation. He looked at his hands and wiggled his fingers. Small razor-sharp claws now existed where he used to have fingernails. He felt an extraordinary sense of strength, as if he could topple a mountainside by simply pummeling it with his silvery fists. He squeezed his hand into a fist and watched as the powerful muscle tissue writhed beneath a silvery sheen of metallic skin.
The man that was once Erik Knight was nearly a full head taller, and far more massive in physical proportion. Erik's human physique was that of a honed athlete, but the figure standing before them was simply awesome.
* * * *
Shanda and Alissa were stunned; they watched wordlessly as the Sentient Staff completed its work. The Hybrid that stood before them was something that neither was prepared for. Its eyes burned a fiery aqua blue, a seemingly endless sea of pale blue fire. The flesh was chrome in appearance, reflecting the sunlight and surroundings like an organic mirror. They both watched as the Hybrid studied itself, carefully examining the claws that had replaced its once rounded fingertips.
The Hybrid inhaled deeply, filling its lungs with air as its chest cavity expanded, the shirt and jacket that had covered its torso had torn to shreds when his physique expanded. The silver entity that was once Erik Knight tossed the tattered garments from its body. The Hybrid's body was ripped with muscle. The writhing of each mass of muscle tissue seemed to make the chrome color flesh flow like liquid. It studied its new body, carefully exploring each limb and contour with fascination. The Hybrid then looked over at the two women briefly.
Shanda saw that the face still resembled that of Erik; at least that hadn't changed. With the exception of the hair on his scalp, there was no other trace of body hair on its naked skin. It seemed to have a different look, a look that spoke of exceptional wisdom and knowledge, a look that seemed to transcend humanity, making Shanda suddenly look away. She could no longer feel the presence of her lover in her mind. The link that they had shared seemed to be destroyed by whatever manner of being Erik had now become.
The Hybrid looked back over at the two; they suddenly tensed. Alissa, too, realized that the familiar sense of Erik Knight was no longer within this alien creature. It seemed to be something completely different, as far from human as the Espers and Seelak were.
The Hybrid walked over to a nearby road sign and studied it momentarily. Then, with apparent ease, it ripped the sign from the roadside. It held the sign, along with the three-foot concrete slab that it was embedded in, over its head. Slowly and methodically, it bent the solid steel pole into a pretzel, and then straightened it back out again. The Hybrid carefully placed the sign back into the gaping hole and seemed to stare back at its arms again. The massive being held its hands out in front of its pupiless eyes, studying them in amazement. Both women could sense the thing's confusion; it seemed extremely puzzled by its surroundings.
The Hybrid looked toward the two women again, its haunting eyes seemed to be analyzing each one of them. Shanda could sense its powerful mind studying her, trying to determine if she was a threat. She could also sense discord, as if she were reading hundreds of thoughts at a time, hundreds of voices, as if she were reading a crowded room, coming from the single mind. Shanda looked over at Alissa; the young waitress seemed very unsure of herself.
“What's happening?” she whispered.
“The transformation isn't complete yet; his mind is still being altered. I had hoped that it would still recognize us, regard us.” Alissa paused. “I may have been wrong in assuming that it would remember anything about its past at all,” she added in a silent whisper.
“It has a name,” Shanda whispered back, somewhat annoyed.
Erik, or what was once Erik, suddenly looked up toward Hopedale Mountain, and then back at the two women. The Hybrid seemed to shake its head rapidly as if trying to rid itself of something. Suddenly, there was a sense of concern; the Hybrid turned quickly back toward the mountain. Something seemed to be happening to the massive chrome being as the two women watched. He looked back over at the mountain, and then back at the two of them. For a moment, Shanda thought that there was a spark of recognition in those blue pupiless eyes.
The Hybrid looked down at the necklace that had been placed around its neck. It carefully studied the small metallic objects that were suspended from the silver chain. It held up each object in front of its eyes, carefully studying each tag, almost gently caressing the stamped metal of each one. One of the tags had a small dent, and he stopped, and studied it intensely, pressing his chrome metallic finger into the indentation. For a long moment, the Hybrid's features softened, its metallic face seemed almost nostalgic. But as quick as the look appeared, it was replaced by a look of sheer unbridled rage, then worry.
Both Shanda and Alissa picked up the sense of alarm and concern. They were both overwhelmed by the extreme intensity of the Hybrid's emotions. The intensity was far above what either of them had ever experienced.
From somewhere deep inside the Hybrid, a thought was broadcast so loud and so powerful that it screamed within both their minds. The great being's mind only projected three words, but words that spoke volumes to both women. They knew that somewhere inside that newly formed creature was Erik Knight, alive and well. Shanda wept tears as the words were littered with the familiar presence of him, the bond that they had shared reestablished itself, only now stronger, burning like a beacon inside her: Brianna! Daddy's coming!
“He's still in there,” she said as her tears continued to flow. “He's still alive.”
“Yes,” Alissa answered. “Love is a very powerful human emotion; it makes sense that it would survive.”
“It's more than that,” Shanda disagreed. “I could sense him ... Erik. Erik's essence survived, I could tell it was him. He said ‘Daddy’ is coming. We both know that's not an Esper term.”
The Hybrid roared, a sound so loud and powerful that it cracked the windshield of Alissa's car. Both women felt the presence of Erik Knight increasing within the Hybrid's makeup. As Erik's presence became stronger, the desire to find his daughter burned stronger within him. Enraged, the Hybrid pummeled a nearby wrought iron gate, reducing it to scrap metal. It took two steps toward the parklands, then leapt forty feet into a huge oak tree. It then moved through the treetops swiftly until it disappeared into the vast forest.
“It's begun,” Alissa whispered as the two women watched the treetops and stared at the imposing outline of Hopedale Mountain. “May the Gods help us all if he fails.”
Shanda walked over to the remains of the gate and studied the twisted slag of metal bars. She was quick to note that the bars were composed of two-inch iron pillars, and her lover had torn them apart as if they were made of soft modeling clay.
“I almost feel sorry
for those things,” she whispered. “He'll tear them apart.”
“No", Alissa disagreed. “They are the equal of his strength, but they are two. They will fight as a unit. He will still be hard-pressed, and need every ounce of his strength and skill to prevail, if he prevails.”
Shanda looked over at her in alarm. “I thought that all of this was done so that he could destroy those creatures?”
Alissa nodded her head in agreement. “Yes, but the outcome of any battle is never certain. Humanity has been given a chance. It all resides with him now.”
* * * *
Hopedale Town Forest, 2:07 p.m.
“What in the hell was that?” Novacs swung his M-60 in a wide semi-circle.
“Don't know, but I almost wet m'self,” Sparks whispered as he closed the scant three meters separating the two men.
Both men heard a loud bellow that reverberated throughout the woodlands. Novacs heard the other men in his group of ten whispering amongst themselves.
“C'mon, people, let's keep moving. Look sharp; we're well into the unmarked sectors of this little wilderness playground. I want a continuous 360-sweep, side to side and up and down. Reports say that one of these critters is fond of the treetops; let's not get jumped,” Novacs announced as he urged his team forward.
The group of ten men continued their sweep deeper into the wilderness area, each one privately trying to identify what manner of creature could emit such an unearthly cry. None of them hoped that they would find out.
* * * *
Bravo group paused for a five-minute break. They had been one of the luckier groups who crossed the two-plus mile body of water by boat. After seven hours, they were almost half-way to their objective.
The woodlands at this junction were most inhospitable. Briars and small saplings littered the forest floor, providing a near impenetrable thicket of underbrush for the hapless soldiers. The mosquitoes and black flies hung around the men in a merciless black, blood-sucking cloud that, at times, almost obscured their vision. One other group had radioed that they had located an old logging road and were following the road higher into the elevations.
Bravo group was heading right up the middle, forced to machete their way through the heavier sections of underbrush at times. They were averaging about a mile each hour since the ground inclined. It was slow moving, but standard practice when conducting a search. The fact that they had to cut their way through the thick brush didn't make their journey any easier. Each section of ground had to be thoroughly covered before they could proceed.
The threat of the unknown creatures also made each man extra cautious. Each soldier could feel it in his feet and thighs as they made their slow ascent.
* * * *
Brianna and her friends lay huddled together in a tight ball, attempting to share each other's body heat. The children had given up on any hope of being rescued.
Brianna, deep down, wondered what had happened to her father. She remembered seeing him locked in combat with the man-like creature at the park. She feared that he had been killed, or else, why wasn't he here by now?
The children had managed to sleep for a few hours. Sleep allowed them a temporary escape from their terminally dark imprisonment. They could hear their captors moving somewhere in the darkness, sometimes passing close enough to make the children shudder in fear, other times, they only heard a distant rumbling.
* * * *
The Seelak awoke from its slumber and stretched its black-armored limbs. It needed to move, to escape the darkness of this place for a while. It carefully checked the eggs in its nest before slowly approaching the chamber's exit.
As it quietly departed the cavernous chamber, its feline companion quickly accompanied it. Together they traversed the deep tunnel that led to the surface and to the light. Both creatures leapt into the trees and began easily moving from tree to tree, covering several yards with each leap as they made their way down the steep incline of Hopedale Mountain.
The felenoid saw movement below, and dropped from the trees like a speeding arrow. The silence of the forest was broken with a sudden muted shriek. The creature leapt back into the treetops, carrying a live deer in its jaws. Both creatures took delight in tormenting the creature, tossing it back and forth between them, relishing in its primitive terror as it was propelled helplessly through the tree limbs. Then, as quickly as the game began, it ended when the Seelak lost its grip on the creature and it fell crashing to the forest floor. Both creatures paused, stared at the lifeless carcass, and then leapt higher into the trees.
They had been traveling through the treetops of the massive oak trees for nearly half an hour, almost relaxing, enjoying the light and fresh air when the Seelak sensed a disturbance. Its genetically heightened senses caught the spoor of primates. As it tasted the wind, it quickly noted that there were too many different scents for it to easily lock on a single odor. The felenoid growled cautiously. It, too, had picked up the telltale scent from the midday wind currents.
Both creatures sat near the top of a gigantic white oak tree that was nearly a hundred fifty feet tall and over six feet wide at its base. They sat nestled inside the tree limbs, utilizing the large green leaves as cover and looking down for any trace of movement or strange sound that would give them a clue as to the primate's location. For several minutes, they sat unmoving, listening and sampling the now tainted air. A twig snapping caught the attention of both creatures; they quickly moved in the direction of the sound.
Silently, they traversed the treetops until they could see a group of primates off in the distance slowly making their way up the hillside. Both creatures tensed momentarily, then seemed to vanish into an inky liquid darkness. The darkness vanished, as did both creatures.
* * * *
Richard Pendelton was tired. He had been up in his office all night and morning getting e-mail from his corporate operatives informing him of the progress of his mission objective, and of the progress made by the armed bodies within the Hopedale parklands. Margaret had been on the other phone line getting calls from their family and friends.
Based on the latest communications, the teams should be encountering the creatures by now. So far, the soldiers were getting deep into the mountainside with no interference. Richard had been aware that the Army now had three helicopters circling the search area. They had been informed that the helicopters would be departing from Logan, but that bit of intelligence didn't pan out. Instead of tailing the helicopter group, his ship would have to arrive separately and head directly to the target.
Pendleton's Apache attack ship had been launched moments ago and was already en route, traveling close to 150 miles per hour; it would reach its destination within the next half hour or so, and then the real fireworks would start. The Apache's orders were clear: completely wipe out all traces of the tunneling and campsite. The pilot had orders to exhaust all ordinances during this operation. Pendelton also was informed that the ship's M-61A Vulcan Cannon had been armed, and would shoot down the other Army helicopters if they interfered with the operation.
Richard was nervous, the kind of nervous that made the pit of his stomach ache, and tensed every muscle in his already aching back. He had a throbbing headache that had settled behind his eyeballs and felt like someone was driving an ice pick through his skull. His entire life and future rode on this operation. Everything his family had built and entrusted to him was on the line right now—a massive financial empire that spanned two continents, several businesses and investments, as well as his own personal wealth and freedom. If he failed, he would lose everything. But if he succeeded, the cost would ultimately be his soul and his conscience, and at this point, he had chosen the latter. His soul—he really didn't believe that he had one. His conscience he could, eventually, learn to live with.
Thus, the choices were made. All that remained was to sit back and witness the unfolding of events and be there for his wife, once news of her daughter's demise was finally determined. Richard did care for the child
, somewhat, but his darker self realized that she had to be sacrificed so his empire could survive, so that he could survive. To him, nothing else mattered.
* * * *
Bravo group had paused momentarily. Each man was busy adjusting various equipment and pouches. There were several sounds of Velcro refastening, and canteens being either opened or closed. Private Douglas suddenly noticed the sudden appearance of a dense patch of blackness, a black so deep that it seemed to dull the midday sun.
“Sergeant!” he shouted. “We've got company coming.”
The ten soldiers snapped to attention, locking their weapons on the spreading blackness. The temperature around the soldiers dropped considerably, sending an ominous chill down the spine of each man.
“Fire!” somebody screamed.
The woods were suddenly filled with the sound of heavy weapons fire. Yellow tracers hurled into the black abyss, intermixed with armor-piercing M-16 rounds and the more potent high-velocity M-60s. They heard something shriek with rage over the sound of their weapons as the men continued to focus their fire on the black apparition. Something moved inside the darkness, and the men could see sparks from bullet impacts.
“Pour it on!” the Sergeant screamed.
They weren't aware of the second blotch of darkness that opened up directly behind them, so focused they were on their opponent ahead of them, until it was too late.
The felenoid killed three soldiers with one swipe of its massive paw, hissing with delight as it heard the sounds of its victims’ bones snapping. As the soldiers turned to face the new threat, the Seelak warrior fully emerged from Netherspace and began its hideous attack. The darkened woods were filled with the shrieks of men being torn apart and the almost joyful cries of their attackers.