Manhunter Revelations

by H. F. Daniels

  Doctor Raymond Medici. Called Doc Med by his friends. One of the best surgeons in the world today, at least by his claims. I however have no complaints. I had met Doc Med a little after my uncle had disappeared while working on a case tracking down a group of four killers wanted by the local government right here in Faring. During the case I had to choose between letting some children be killed or go into an obvious trap to save them. I saved the kids, killed three of the killers and captured the forth. However I took a bullet in my side during the battle. After seeing to the kids getting home safely, I went to the hospital in the area that Yolanda had told me was one of the best. That's where I met Doc Med. He had been called down to consult on a very difficult case in the E-Med Room when I arrived. As the staff was swamped with injured patients due to a logging accident, Doc Med stepped in and attended to my wound. He removed the bullet and patched me up and over his strenuous objections I left instead of staying in the hospital. I had promised to come back in a couple of days to have my wound checked. Naturally I got busy and as my wound healed nicely, I didn't go back. Needless to say the doc sent a medic to my office three days later to check up on me. At first I told him I didn't need the follow-up, but Yolanda convinced me to do so especially since the doc had been concerned enough to send the medic in the first place. Both the medic and Yolanda when she found out was very surprised to find that my wound had not only healed well, there was practically no trace of the wound left. As the medic reported this back to the doc when he returned to the hospital, we were both surprised when the doc showed up at our office the next day to see the wound for himself. He was stunned to see there was only a very small dark spot where I had been shot. After informing me that no wound such as I had, would heal to that degree so fast, the scientist in him kicked in and he wanted to know my complete medical history. He was clearly intrigued as to my rapid healing, and due to such got my curiosity up. I informed him that other than getting the required child immunizations and checkups I had never gotten sick as I grew up. Any childhood injuries I had sustained healed very quickly. Although stunned by the condition of my wound, he recovered enough to offer his services as my personal physician, and asked to do a complete medical workup on me. I told him I would need to think about his offer. I discussed the matter with Yolanda, who checked him out. She found out he was one of the top trauma surgeons in the country as well as a major medical researcher. After thinking about it and getting Yolanda's input on the idea, we both agreed it would be a very good idea to have a doctor on call for serious injuries. As part of his usual medical duties, he would also try find out why I healed so remarkably fast as well as my other unusual attributes. Since then he has patched up a lot of my aches and pains and in the process had also become a very good friend. We headed to the Med Room located in the back.

  My office and home isn't the traditional one most people would expect. My business and home is located in a two-story warehouse that had once been abandoned. It is located on the outskirts of New Pioneer. I discovered it one day while working on a case and it immediately caught my eye due to its small compact size and structure. A year or so after my uncle disappeared, I had occasion to come across the warehouse again. For some deep primal reason I became convinced that it would make an excellent office-home combo. The fact that it was abandoned was an added bonus since any abandoned building not over three stories tall could be claimed by any individual with the only requirement for such was that the building be fully restored to meet or exceed the city's present building safety codes, which basically was to insure that the building would not fall down, and that all electrical wiring and plumbing was up to spec codes. It also must have a wholesome and pleasing look to it. Buildings, which looked worn or in bad condition was subject to demolition period. So if you wanted to take over an abandoned building you had to restore it fully. It took me almost a year to do so, but I completely restored most of the warehouse for my living and working space and moved the business out of the old building my uncle and I had previously worked out of. On the first floor of the warehouse as you approached the building on the left was my main office door. Inside that was a small foyer where the visiting customer was fully scanned for weapons, explosives and possible biohazards. If cleared there was another door, which allowed them to enter the Reception-Conference area. Both the outer and inner doors and the foyer's walls was NanoSteel reinforced. Nothing short of a blast from a military tank would dent them. The walls around the lower level of the building was also NanoSteel reinforced to prevent entry using explosives. In my line of work the extra security is needed as it is not unknown for past or present perps or associates of such I have brought to justice to seek revenge against me. So once prospective clients entered the Reception-Conference area, it is there I would meet the client to hear the nature of their business, and to decide whether to take their case or not. These meetings are very rare as most of my jobs are setup and finalized via comm. Prior to the comm conference with the client, Yolanda obtains verification of a court ordered Manhunter Warrant. This insures that I won't travel across the country only to find out there is no warrant and thus no job. When you entered the Reception-Conference room on its right side was Yolanda's desk and comm station. Behind her was a door that led to her private quarters. Even though she had her own quarters further in town, I had provided a large living space for her so that if she had to for whatever reason, she had her own private quarters to stay in. To the left side of the room was a series of cabinets, which stored any supplies Yolanda needed. Near the far wall was a large conference table, which was used to discuss contracts with prospective clients. On the other side of the large conference table was another door, which led to the Main Comm Room. This room is filled with the latest in comm and computing equipment, some of which I consider suspect as it mirrors some equipment I have seen in military installations. Yolanda assures me though that the equipment is legal, furthering my belief that a lot of her past history may have been in government work. The Main Comm room is where Yolanda does most of her Maxinet and other research. On the far side of this room is another door to the kitchen and dining area. When you entered the kitchen dining area you noticed it was walled off on three sides but to the right it was fully opened to the hallway. Entering the hallway, off to the left was the Med room and to the left of that was a general storage area. Hidden in the far corner of the storage room was a hidden emergency exit. The Med room was essential in my line of work. Being confined to a hospital for recovery isn't such a good idea. This room comes in handy because it was fully equipped and in the event a high security situation was required, an injured person could be attended to there. To the right of the kitchen dining area, the hallway extended to the bathroom, workshop, armory, weapons range area, and to another door to Yolanda's quarters. Straight ahead as you left the kitchen-dining area was the doorway to the garage. Adjacent to that door on the right was a stairway to the upper loft area, which was my living quarters, gym and combat training area. Adjacent to the right of the stairway was the opening to the workshop where the weapons and other equipment was repaired. Walking through the workshop in the back is a small locked room, which was the armory. Continuing down the hallway was another small hall to the left to a bathroom equipped with a large jacuzzi tub, shower and toilet facilities. Past the bathroom was the doorway to the weapons range. Across the small hallway from the bathroom was another opening from the workshop. The garage was large enough to accommodate three large vehicles, but was used to store my Battle van, Yolanda's sports car, and an ATUV, which I used for general transportation. There was also space for Doc Med to park his vehicle when he visited. Going up the stairs to the upper loft you enter a open space. Directly in front of the stairs about twelve feet away is a fireman pole, which allows fast exit to the floor below right between the garage and workshop next to the armory. To the left of the stairs is the gym area. To the right of the gym area is more open space where another stairway is located. This is my private entrance stairway.
Adjacent on the right of this stairway is another equipment storage and repair shop, which I use on my personal equipment and for extra storage. To the right of the stairway from the first floor is the Combat Training area, and to the right of it is the bathroom also fully equipped with jacuzzi, shower and toilet facilities. Turning one hundred and eighty degrees as you come up the stairway from the first floor you will see my main living area, which has a king size bed against the far wall with a couch, small couch and lounge, and large comm display to the left of the bed. To the right is my comm unit, and closets. In the corner of the space to the right of the bed is a small spiral stairway leading down to the first floor to the hidden emergency exit.

  I hobbled back to the med area and got up on the exam table. Doc Med examined my left ankle, which was still extremely sore. He examined my rib area, head, and back. In fact he did a complete medical workup on me. At first I started to complain, to no avail though. While he finished the lab tests and such I moved back into the dining area and commenced to fix me a bowl of cereal. Even though I had played it off, my body was still one mass of pain. Without realizing it I missed Viela and her skills. That woman was very good at her job, in more ways than one. When Doc Med was finished and had all the lab results and such back he sat down in front of me at the counter, look at me and signed.

  "Well son, you barely made it out intact this time. You have two cracked ribs which is already healing nicely, your back muscles are severely bruised, you have a class two burn on your abdomen that is also healing nicely, and your ankle is also very badly bruised, yet healing nicely. Judging from the condition your ankle is in, it is only by your enhanced musculature and the density of your bones that your ankle and foot wasn't crushed. I read Yolanda's report on Lenevos and he was more than capable of crushing your bones to dust if he had been given a little more time. As it is you will need at least a month's rest to fully heal all your injuries even with your healing ability”

  "That is fine by me doc. I want nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep for a month. I hate to say this, but I severely under estimated Lenevos and his now known son Kilgore. This is about as close to being killed as I have ever come. The client definitely did not fully inform me of all the facts surrounding Lenevos, which is a violation of the contract, plus the information I did get I now suspect to be faulty. The man and his son displayed unbelievable physical strength. They both must have been part of some illegal bio experiments"

  "Judging from the info Yolanda gave me, and your condition, I am inclined to believe so"

  "The only benefit of this case is that it paid so very well”

  "More well then you know my badly beat up boss"

  Turning our heads, Doc and I both watched as Yolanda walked towards us from the Main Comm room. As I always do, I asked myself again and again why I have never tried to hit on her. Yolanda stood about six feet tall, lean with a very toned musculature. Watching her walk was like watching a leopard stalking her prey, and she was beautiful. Not classic beauty, but exotic and mysterious. She had an oval face, with eyes that was light gray, which messed with me each and every time I looked at her face. Her hair was a dark golden brown, cut short, ending just below her ears, with a small bang on the front of her forehead. She had a full, but pert nose and full moist lips that simply begged to be kissed. She also had an olympic golden tan to her complexion, if there is such a classification, all over the parts of her body that I could see. Today she had on some tight denim jeans and a cotton blouse that simply took Doc and my breath away. I had seen her stop a room full of men discussing whatever issues they were talking about to turn and stare at her as she passed through the room. She oozed a very powerful sex appeal, coupled with a strong sense of being very dangerous, and make no mistake about it. She was very dangerous. She had an outstanding physical physique, which she worked on everyday. Combine that with the outstanding fighting skills she has and you have a very dangerous woman indeed. I could not figure out her lineage, and she never talked about her history or her past. Out of respect I didn't pry. Why, because she was very good at her job, which was everything as far as managing an office, and her research skills were top notch. I secretly suspected she had some past history with some governmental spy agency, but she never said so. She knew things people shouldn't know. Scary things. These skills have more than once help save my life while in the field. She also managed to get equipment, which was damn near impossible to get or illegal to have. She came to me a short time after my uncle disappeared, and offered her skills to help me find him. When I asked her why, she told me that my uncle and her had worked on a number of jobs together and had been friends for a very long time, with some type of mysterious history together. Whether that history had a romantic nature to it, she never said. In fact she is one of the most closed mouth individuals I have ever met when it came to her past. Yet she knew things, which helped me track my uncle disappearance to Antarctica. Based on the little bits of info obtained over the years, I figured Yolanda was also ten years or so older than me, but damn did she look good. Yolanda was also my combat sparing partner. Take away my enhanced abilities, and she would whip my ass senseless every time. As it is I barely managed to hold my own with her on the mat. She was also a damn good shot with a pistol or rifle. A situation, which also reinforces my belief in her past history. Most importantly though was the fact that through the years we had worked together, she had also became a very good friend.

  "Our Canadian client not only paid us the $250,000 MU's for the job, he also gave us an additional bonus of $100,000 MU's for an exceptional job well done."

  Doc Med and I both sat up straighter on hearing that.

  "That's an excessive amount of bonus, wouldn't you say" I asked.

  "That's what I thought. You said he paid you an additional $50,000 MU's as a bonus, but he must have had a change of heart. The only other reason I can think of for that amount of bonus money is hush money. You had obviously asked some questions when they picked up Lenevos, which they don't want you to pursue. They paid us an excessive amount of MU's to make sure. I for one would like to know why”

  "Well Conrad what are you going to do?" asked Doc Med.

  "Do. Not a thing. When a Manhunter Warrant Contract is issued for a manhunt, it is my job to bring the individual in, not to wonder why. Plus these contracts are only issued for the most dangerous individuals, and some court has already established their guilt. Common criminals, both suspect or convicted are pursued by regular law enforcement or government agencies who have their own agents for those pursuits” "Once a Manhunter Warrant is issued for felons who have already been convicted for some crime, and once the felon is captured the case is closed as far as the manhunter is concerned. That is part of the contract. What they are trying to hide is not my concern because the job is done and the contract fulfilled and closed and I have no legal course of action to pursue the matter further. Of course we could argue violation of the contract, because of the withheld data, but considering the amount of bonus we were paid, any violation restitution by the courts would be minimal. You know all of this Yolanda"

  "Yes I do. It's just my natural inclination to uncover hidden facts that motivates me"

  "Well curb your motivations, okay. The payment on this contract is the biggest we have ever had. It will give me the time to stay home and heal”

  "You do that boss man. I have some new surveillance equipment I need to check out before spending your money to purchase it”

  "And since you have been paid so well, I intend to heavily pad my bill to you for my exceptional medical skills”

  "Don't forget to also charge him for exceptional psychiatric care as well" laughed Yolanda.

  "Are you both finished plotting the spending of my money?"

  "Yes" laughed Doc Med. "But remember, a month's rest minimum, agreed”

  "Agreed"

  As they both left laughing lightly, I got up slowly, in pain. Then I had an inspiration.

  "Yolanda, do you
think you could call and get Viela to come in for some more therapeutic care?"

  Her laughter as she headed back to the office was sweet and beautiful.

  It actually took me a little more than one week to fully heal. The speed of my healing could be in part due to Viela's therapeutic skill. That woman really knew how to heal. I took the time off to catch up on things at the office. Yolanda had completed some impressive upgrades to our equipment, allowing us to access info off the Milnet and Govnet, the military's and government's info systems. I was somewhat skeptical of the legality of our access, but Yolanda insisted we were okay. Considering her record of successes so far with her getting top-level information before, I had to concede the point. At least until I found myself in jail. I also would have liked to visit my mother, but found out from Yolanda that she had taken a trip to the Himalayas to spend some time with the healing monks there. I was worried at first that something may have been wrong with mom, but after talking to her over the comm, she informed me she had volunteered to help the monks with their work there with the increasing numbers of incoming refugees that was flowing into the area from the earthquake torn Eastern Asia. The population there although still scarce was in an area that had been torn up very badly from a recent very violent earthquake, and governmental help was overtaxed. After getting her to promise me she would be careful, I went back to catching up on things in the office.

  A few days later Yolanda called me down to the Reception-Conference room. We had a couple of new clients who needed our services. That in itself was nothing unusual. What was unusual was the tone of utter confusion and stress in Yolanda's voice. Knowing that it takes a really great deal to stress Yolanda, and although none of the building alarms have been tripped I feared something was wrong. In case Yolanda was in some type of trouble I decided to view the RC room first via the comm to see what was up. The image showed Yolanda sitting at the conference table with two people, a man and a woman, both of whom appeared to be harmless. Although I saw Yolanda and the man clearly, there was however a sort of blurriness to the woman. They appeared to be talking and everything else looked normal. Watching for a few more minutes and seeing nothing dangerous I took my 40C and concealed it in the small of my back and went down to the RC room. As a precaution I entered through the comm room door behind Yolanda in case there was some type of trouble. As I entered the two visitors both looked up at me. Yolanda however kept looking at the visitors, or more accurately at the woman. As I focused my attention on the visitors the woman caught my eye and I froze. The man was tall, about 6'2", solidly built and in good shape. He had a rugged look that showed he was an outdoorsman. The woman however was a completely different matter, and I mean completely different. She was extremely beautiful. I mean extremely beautiful. Too beautiful in fact. it wasn't just physical beauty, it was a total package the likes of which no one has ever seen before. Her whole aura radiated extreme beauty. This was a woman that could, no would start world wars. No check that. This woman would start interstellar wars. The worst part was that in my gut I felt very strongly that she was not human. It was physically impossible for a woman to look this beautiful. She had jet-black hair. So black it appeared to glow and I swear at times it appeared to move on it's own. Her face was oval, with a exotic unearthly beauty. Her skin tone was a light golden color, and I do mean golden. Looking closely it was apparent her skin tone wasn't a tan. Her lips was full and a juicy pink color. Her eyes was a dark pink, or light shade of red and was slightly oval and slanted up at the corners. With my enhanced vision I could see that she was not wearing optics of any kind to change her eye color. Although I couldn't fully see her ears, they appeared to be elongated like an elf's. That's when it hit me. She looked like and elf. A golden elf. Unless she had been surgically altered to look alien, she was alien, and although she was a strange looking woman, she was still an extremely beautiful one.