FoxZero.net

This was written for a tenth grade English assignment. Unfortunately it was too long and it was rejected by my teacher. It was largely based on a nightmare I had shortly beforehand and I just so happened to write it down.

This is one of my earliest works so please don't expect anything mind blowing. I still find it entertaining.

When you wake up, you know if it’s going to be a bad day…

Paul Keller’s day started out slow and painful as usual. His alarm clock had failed to wake him again causing him to skip breakfast and disregard the speed limit on the way to work. Before he could even get in his black ’02 Ford pickup he noticed something had given out in his trucks suspension last night. When Paul finally got he to work he had no time for coffee as he rushed straight to the locker room to change. Paul worked as a janitor at a laboratory that specialized in genetic engineering. The job was surprisingly difficult but it paid handsomely. The major downside of it was that Paul’s boss had a zero tolerance policy. Paul couldn’t even be late once and he was expected to finish his tasks with the utmost efficiency. Not many employers would ask for such efficiency from janitors, but there aren’t many laboratories in Philadelphia.

While Paul was walking towards the janitor closet to get his gear one of the scientists stopped him in the hall. It was May, “You’re boss wants to see you.”

“About what?” Replied Paul. His eyes were a bit droopy but his face was stern.

“Beats me. Maybe he’s finally going to acknowledge the fact that you work harder than any of us here.”

“Yeah. Right. He hasn’t even acknowledged the fact that everybody but me shows up late.”

“He just has a thing with janitors. At least he pays you good. No other janitor has held on this long.”

“That’s because I’m the only one who can meet his ungodly standards. I guess I’ll what he wants.”

“Ok. Good luck! I’m sure he has something good for you!” With that she continued down the hall. That was May, always so bright and cheerful. Why can’t I have her mentality? Thought Paul. He proceeded to his boss’s office. When he reached the door he once again faced the gold letters on the window, Dr. John S. Forman. Paul took a deep breath and cracked the door open enough to stick his head in and speak with his most innocent voice,

“You wanted to see me doctor Forman?” Dr. Forman was reading some papers on his nice wooden desk before he looked up with the most unbelievably hard and completely unsentimental stare you could imagine.

“Yes I did. Come sit down.” His words were quick and stern when he spoke with his aging and raspy voice. He was a man at least in his late sixties, but in the year 2012 it was difficult to determine people’s age. He starred down at his papers again. “It’s ridiculous. With all the advance digital information storage systems in use right now I still have to file paper documents. It just goes to show how much politicians keep up with technology. Why just the other day I found that my boss couldn’t read my email because it wasn’t HTML syntax. Who on this earth still uses HTML today?” Paul laughed. Politicians were the only thing Dr. Forman let us laugh about. Paul wasn’t faking it. He found funny that an old man was making fun of politics because they couldn’t keep up with technology. Dr. Forman must be in a good mood. He’s always irritated and putting something down for inefficiency but he always mocked politicians when he was in a good mood. Paul felt relieved a bit. Dr. Forman continued, “Well onto the reason you are here. There has been some suspicious behavior going on around here. Lab tests are taking unusually long, scientists are not checking out equipment, lab results are sloppy, the list just goes on. You know I have never been paranoid about my scientists before.” That was very true. Dr. Forman was surprisingly trusting and lax with his scientists. His stern face was gone and replaced with a looked of concern and disconcertion. This alarmed Paul and Dr. Forman show it in his eyes.

“I know it is unusual for me to assume this but I think even you noticed a change in the scientist behavior.” Paul had noticed that some scientists were acting a bit more ignorant than usual.

“I’ve noticed, but I don’t really mind them much.”

“Well, let me get straight to the point. Quite frankly you are the only person I can trust. I know I never acknowledge it but you are the only person that really works hard here and completes things on time. Hell, you are the only person who shows up on time.” That caught Paul off guard. “I need you to ask around and see if anything is going on. Prove or disprove my paranoia. I will make it worth your time and I will give you a well deserved paid vacation.” Paul needed to sift through this.

“Sir, I don’t really have any associations with your staff. With a few exceptions quite frankly most of your staff is a bunch of ignorant morons.”

“Then make some. Just poke your head around here and there. Just don’t arise suspicions.”

“I’ll see what I can do for ya. What do I say if people ask why I was here?”

“Just make up something about how I was giving you a hard time about rushing into work.”

“I did rush into work.”

“There ya go.” He waved his hand as if Paul had just answered a question right on a game show. He returned to his papers and Paul left. Dr. Forman was not acting anything like himself. Something must be up. Paul ran into May again as he was once again walking to the janitor closet.

“How’d it go?”

“Oh he was just giving me a hard time about how I rushed into work today,” replied Paul casually.

“He found out about that? That’s so like him. Leave it to Dr. Forman to come with another stupid reason to harass his janitors.” It had just occurred to Paul that he was the only person May really talked to here. It wasn’t surprising considering that all the other scientists were a bunch of dull ignorant losers. Perhaps she was keeping an eye on him, or maybe she just needed to help her get through her boring day. She seemed sincere in here concern. Paul started to question his boss’s paranoia. After all, he is getting old even if he is up to date with the latest email syntax.

Sweeping, brushing, and scrubbing, Paul spent the rest of the day cleaning up while still trying to poke his head around. He tried talking to some of the scientists, but most of them lived up to their reputation. “Finally slacking off Keller?” One of them commented in the most snobbish tone. Paul simply replied with an inappropriate hand gesture. A few liked small talk, but they weren’t willing to talk much about their projects. They were however quick to gloat about their new and unnecessary, as Paul observed, equipment. Paul soon saw why his boss was so suspicious. He couldn’t quite understand all of the equipments functions, but they talked in such a way that made it sound as if they were taking advantage of it.

Paul dropped his pickup off at the shop and walked home later that day. He called and asked his friend Stan to drop him off at work tomorrow. Paul’s clouded mind kept him up that night. What could possibly be going on there? Or was Paul just catching Dr. Forman’s paranoia? The next day started off normal. Stan dropped Paul off at work early so he could get his coffee and chill for a few minutes. No one greeted Paul as he walked in so he went straight for the break room. Some jerk had dropped his cup of coffee and left it on the floor. Paul instinctively cleaned it up and turned on a fresh pot. Paul stuck his head out into the hallway while he waited for his coffee. It eerily quiet. The usual hum of equipment and the chatter of scientists in their snobbish tones were not present. Paul paid it no mind and he decided to return to watching his coffee, but before he could return to the break room he heard an imposing voice to his left. Paul walked down the hall and poked his head out ever so slightly on the left side to see what was happening. A towering man with a black buzz cut wearing a long black trench coat was hunched and pointing menacingly at a scientist with a brown surfer bowl cut that happened to be one of the scientists Paul talked to yesterday. The tall man spoke with a powerful voice,

“You were supposed to keep things in the dark, yet you decided to show this janitor around?”

“I was only trying to confirm why he would suddenly take such an interest in the equipment. He doesn’t have a clue what any of it does,” The scientist was not small, but he spoke in a somewhat pleading tone to the tall man.

“It is May’s job to keep an eye on Keller.” Paul’s heart raced at the mention of his name.

“Yes, but she failed to realize that Keller was lying to her about his meeting with Forman. I believe Forman sent his little pet to spy on us.” Little pet? I’ll show you little boy. Thought Paul. “I swear May is taking a liking to him. She’s always sweat talking him, yet Keller doesn’t really care for her.”

“Very well. Where’s Forman now?”

“He’s at a meeting today somewhere else. Kenneth is in charge today.”

“I want them both taken care of. Where the janitor?” The scientist checked his watched.

“His shift starts in a few minutes. He’s probably getting ready.”

“If he’s here already find him and bring him to me. No one uses lethal force. I don’t want any unnecessary bloodshed, but Forman has to go.” Paul suddenly heard someone behind him. He turned around and saw a balding scientist walking towards him.

“What are you doing?” He asked suspiciously.

“Looking for someone to play with. Tag your it!” Paul shoved the man with both hands knocking him onto the floor. The man in the trench coat turned around and called to him,

“YOU! STOP! Come here!” he commanded with a thunderous voice. Paul bolted back to the break room. Another scientist came running in wielding a taser. Paul grabbed his pot of coffee and splashed it onto the scientist face. The scientist let out a shriek of pain as the hot liquid burned his face. He covered his eyes and dropped his taser. Paul scooped it up as two more scientists entered wielding tasers including the balding one he knocked over. Paul swiftly moved up and tasered the balding man in the chest and drove his elbow into the temple of the other scientist. The man fell over limp. Paul picked up the coffee pot again and pummeled the back of the still shrieking man’s head knocking him out. Paul left the break room and bolted for the exit. Once outside he ditched his taser and ran for the nearest bus stop. Luckily he got to a stop just as the bus there was preparing to depart. He got on and sat by himself in one of the middle rows on the right side.

As the bus took off down the road Paul finally let his heart settle down, but he couldn’t settle down for long as a black Suburban sped up close to Paul’s side of the bus. Paul turned around to see a man in a black leather jacket hang outside the window clutching an MP5 with both hands. “Oh my God” Paul ducked down into the isle and yelled for everyone to get down. Several short bursts of machinegun fire ripped through the front of the bus. A bullet ripped through a man’s head who was still sitting up and sprayed blood all over the windows behind him. Three more bullets tore through the man in the row up from the first victim. Finally the driver got shot up as the Suburban passed the door. The driver slumped dead over the steering wheel with his foot still on the gas. Paul looked up to see the bus speeding towards a shopping mall. The buss slammed through the entrance and finally crashed through two escalators and a statue before stopping. Many people on board were badly injured, but Paul was still in one piece. He ran out the bus and out the malls back exit.

Paul just kept on running. He didn’t stop until he was out of town and running down a road at a hillside. Paul could see mountains in the distance and the landscape around him was mostly tree-covered hills and a few miniature ravines. “I went far.” Paul said aloud to himself. He didn’t feel exhausted. Paul suddenly realized that he was on the road that leads towards his boss’s home. He had to go there once for an interview. Paul kept on walking, but he sensed something behind him. When he finally reached his boss’s home he ran to the door and rang the doorbell. Dr. Forman’s wife answered. She was the only woman in the world stern enough to be Dr. Forman’s wife Paul thought.

“Who are you?” she asked in a suspicious tone.

“I’m Paul Keller, one of Dr. Forman’s employees. Is he here? It’s an absolute emergency.”

“Hold on,” she returned quickly with Dr. Forman. He looked concerned,

“Keller, this is a surprise.”

“Sir, you were right. Some people tried to kill me at work after I overheard them talking about killing you. They’ve already killed three people trying to stop me.”

“What?!? Are you alright? Come in. Good God.” He motioned for Paul to step inside.

“John what’s going on?” asked his wife.

“Let us discuss this at the table,” Even in extreme conditions Dr. Forman still won’t use conjunctions thought Paul.

“Alright,” Dr. Forman’s wife preceded to put on a pot of coffee. Paul and Dr. Forman sat down at the kitchen table. Dr. Forman was the first to speak.

“It seems things are far more serious than I thought. I was just hoping it was old man suspicion but this situation is beyond my worst premonition.”

“I think we both need to get to safety,” said Paul. Dr. Forman’s wife interrupted,

“How do you like your coffee Keller?

“Black, please,” replied Paul. He just noticed how lavishly decorated the Forman’s’ kitchen was. Dr. Forman continued.

“You are right. Chances are these people know where we live and possibly know our associates. We need to get out of town and contact no one.”

“Agreed. They seemed pretty desperate to get me.” Dr. Forman’s wife handed them their coffee. “Thank you,” said Paul.

“Come with me.” Dr. Forman motioned towards the living room. They walked to a closet there. Dr. Forman opened it and pulled out a loaded Berretta 92FS, several magazines, and a silencer. “Here take this.”

“I don’t think I need this sir,” protested Paul.

“Trust me. You do. Do you know how to shoot one of these?”

“Of course I do. My dad and I use to shoot guns all the time. We shot forty-fives though. I might not know how to use something this small.” Forman didn’t seem amused.

“Good. Oh, and cut the sir crap out we are not at work. Just call me John.” They walked back to the kitchen and John pulled some things out of a drawer. “Did you come in a vehicle?” He asked.

“No. My pickup’s in the shop. I’m supposed to pick her up at five.”

“You will have to leave it. I got a garage a short distance from here with my vacation vehicles in it. They are not registered under my name so it will be harder to find us. You can take the ’09 Camaro and we will take the Explorer. I will write down the address for you,” he handed Paul a piece of paper and a key. “Also here is a credit card that is also registered under a different name. Use it to stay in motels and to get whatever you need, just do not bankrupt me.” He smiled as he said that.

“I’ll try not to,” said Paul as he accepted it.

“You need to get going. My wife and I need to take care of some things before we leave. It may take you a while to get to the garage by foot but the car will be of great help to you.”

“Sir, I mean John, they’re coming for you. You and your wife need to move as quickly as possible,” Paul said with great concern.

“I know. We just have a few things we need to take care of,” said John reassuringly.

“All right. Thanks for all your help. I never thought you would have come through for me like this.”

“I need to keep my few good employees alive! Seriously you are a good young man that has always come through for me despite my unsentimental ways. Go now. Get to safety.”

“I will s- John. Thanks again for all your help!” They said goodbye and parted. Paul had a long walk ahead of him to that garage. He walked down a winding road for a while. The hilly countryside was beautiful. The sky turned a reddish purple as the sun began to set. The wind whistled softly in the trees and the hills became increasingly larger as Paul traveled north. Paul suddenly felt the presence he had felt earlier. This time it was far more real. He checked his surroundings and finally caught a glimpse of something behind him. “Holy mother of God,” Paul faintly muttered to himself. He could only stare for a few seconds before he turned around and dashed up a large hill leading towards a neighborhood. When he was three quarters of the way up he turned to see what was stalking him. It had stopped at the bottom of the hill and seemed to be pacing. He still could not believe his eyes. When he reached the top of the hill he ran in front of a house facing the street at the top of the hill. Chest panting, eyes widened, he sat down with his back against the front of the house. He put his hands over his face tried to pull himself together. Paul tried to put what he saw into logic. A very strange theory crept into his thoughts. Some of the scientists he talked to had mentioned using new nanotech tools to control DNA and some other stuff like that, but the idea of it being pulled off and being apart of what he just saw seemed to defy logic. His heart was still racing and he left his stomach at the road. Despite the chill outside sweat rolled down Paul’s face. He remember that next to the tall man in the trench coat was a bald man in very baggy blue clothes that he had paid little mind to. The creature stalking him was wearing the same clothes. Was it possible? Paul thought, to use the technology in his laboratory to allow a man to take a wolf-like form? The idea that a werewolf was stalking him defied all logic, but the recent strides in genetic engineering a few years ago were amazing. They included everything from altering simple DNA to engineering new simple animals, but most recently things went quiet. Maybe Paul’s reasoning was within the realms of logic and far outside the gates of impossibility. Suddenly Paul’s thoughts were thrown off when he heard someone approaching. His fingers wrapped around the pistol still in his jacket pocket. The person was a heavyset woman who had come from the house he was leaning on.

“Are you all right?” she asked in a concerned tone. “You look like you just saw a ghost.” Paul took a while to answer.

“Just a little spooked. My bus got shot at earlier.” He was hoping the woman had heard about the bus shooting by now. She had.

“Oh my God! You were the man you ran from the crash the police never found! Yes! You do look like him! You must be in shock! Come in. You must be worn out if you ran out all this way.”

“I really don’t want to intrude. I just need to pull myself together. After all you don’t know me and vice versa.” The woman just wouldn’t take no for an answer and she somehow convinced him to come in. The inside of the house was quite spacious but odd furniture and decorations crowded the place. Paul passed four table sets on the way to the kitchen on the opposite end of the house. In the kitchen a massive window overlooked the hillside and everything below it. As Paul starred down the hill a shiver went down his spine. “That’s really quite a view,” Paul said with an obsequious tone.

“Thanks. I had hired someone to enlarge the window. He did a real nice job,” The woman’s thoughts appeared to wonder. “By the way, I never got your name and you haven’t gotten mine. I’m Sherry,” she held out her hand awkwardly.

“P-at Johnson,” Sherry shook his hand quite childishly. “I see you have this place nicely decorated.” Sherry barked a laugh.

“You must think I’m retarded saying that. These are just things I’ve collected over the years. I have a thing with furniture, that’s why I got this large home. I never do anything with it. I just keep the stuff cause it looks cute, but I started clearing things out lately. I’ll admit though I’ve had OCD in my childhood.” Paul smiled. He hadn’t assumed she was retarded, but she did act like she hadn’t socialized in a while. Paul felt a presence moving somewhere in the kitchen. Suddenly a cat spat at him from under the table then ran off. The cat greatly startled him. “Jamie! That’s so weird. He never acts like that to guests,” her tone was quite childish and she placed her hands on her hips like an elementary school girl. Perhaps she never grew up. Paul thought. “I’m real sorry about that.”

“That’s ok. I guess cats don’t like me.” Once again Paul sensed another presence. The one he had felt earlier, but it was very faint. He started to feel lighted. The situation was getting under his skin and he couldn’t understand why his alertness was sharpening so intensely.

“You look like you need to get your mind off things. You wanna take a look up stairs? I keep my best furniture upstairs and all the fun stuff.” Now she got the right idea.

“Sure. Why not.” As they walked upstairs Paul felt the presence drawing nearer. He began to feel all the vibrations coming from the internal workings of the household and his hearing and vision seemed to be getting sharper. Reality seemed to be coming more into focus. His head was now clear and he absorbed his surroundings. His adversary was approaching and Paul felt a wave of energy pulse through his veins. He proceeded back down the stairs. The antagonist was already inside. From out of nowhere the creature leapt at Paul with an amazing burst of agility. Paul caught the creature with his open hand at the base of the neck and he drove his other arm into the right side of the creature. He smashed it into a cabinet leaning against the stair wall crushing it, through the white pastured wall behind it, and he sent it through a few wooden studs. The creature that had terrorized him was instantly subdued. It laid there wincing in pain. Paul pulled out his 92FS fed it a new magazine and cocked it. Sherry ran down the stairs to behold a sight of horror, but when she looked into his eyes her shock doubled. Paul looked down to see the man he saw earlier, he groaned,

“I think you broke my leg,” he winced again, “and my wrist.”

“What are you?” Paul asked viscously.

“Better question, what are you?” the man gave him an odd look.

“Just answer my question.” Paul didn’t know what to think if the man’s question.

“Help me out of this mess and I’ll tell you what you want to know. I’m not much of a threat now.” He was right. The man was covered in pasture and broken pieces of wood and his leg didn’t look right. Paul brushed him off and helped him onto a kitchen seat. “My name is Ryan Trek, but I’m hardly called by any name anymore. I had failed my boss Alex Connell, the man you saw earlier, and I could keep my life if I lived through this experiment of his. For over the past decade him and his illegal organization Baratech have been stealing state of the art bio- and nanotechnology for their own discoveries. I happened to mess up right when they had a break through a few years back.”

“Alex Connell is the man I saw earlier?” Ask Paul anxious to know more.

“Yes, the large man in the trench coat. I’ve pretty much become his pet, his still well paid pet. My loyalty is strong, but I’d rather not die.” Paul felt movement. He swung his gun around and pointed it at Sherry,

“Get back upstairs and don’t even think of calling the police, in fact I’d best get a move on after we depart.” Paul returned his attention to Trek, “Do you know where he is now?”

“I honestly couldn’t say. He never stations himself at one location for long. I was simply told to find you and bring you of his operatives.”

“Why does he want me alive?”

“Perhaps just to find out what you know. He had originally planned to keep you alive, but since he overheard him he might kill you either way. He’s not a man who dwells with iniquitous intents, but he can be violent.” Trek turned his head awkwardly. Paul noticed his eyes were an icy blue. “Now, may I ask, what are you?”

Paul looked confused, “I really don’t know what you mean.”

“You are certainly not human. Before I can even approach you already know I’m there, you can run incredible distances without breaking a sweat, and of course there’s what you did to me. No human has that kind of reaction time. Oh, and I can’t forget what happens to your eyes.”

Paul didn’t have a clue what he meant by his eyes. He was beginning to feel light headed again and the new sounds bothered him. “I’m not sure I can grasp the inequity of this situation.”

“Unfortunately you don’t have a choice. You’ve stirred up the wrath of Connell and he will find you. He’s a reasonable man but not a forgiving one.”

Paul glanced at his watch. “We need to get moving. I guess I’ll have to take you along. Can you walk?”

“I can limp.”

“Good. If you try anything fast I’ll kill you. Understand?”

“Loud and clear.”

They continued walking to the garage. Sherry apparently had not called the police since no emergency vehicles passed them. Trek slowed Paul down but he was able to keep up. They walked all night and into the morning. When they came upon the next town they decided to cut through the woods to the garage to avoid the public. After just a little bit more walking they finally came upon the isolated garage. The garage door was wide enough to fit four vehicles. Paul walked up to the side of the garage and entered the code on the paper John gave him. The garage door opened revealing the sleek silver ’09 Camaro on the right side. Paul simply stared with envy, however this feeling quickly turned to concern when he noticed the green Ford Explorer still parked on the left side of the garage. “Odd, the Formans should have been here by now.”

“There’s no possible way they could have came to pick up their vehicle,” Trek answered coldly.

“What?”

“I killed them.” Trek’s face remained stiff. “Why else would I have been delayed in stalking you? Surely you felt my presence disappear. I thought you would have assumed this.” Trek’s tone offered no form of apology. Paul’s face burned with anger as he brandished his pistol. Trek’s face now showed concern. “I was simply doing what I was ordered. Kill the Formans and bring Keller back alive. I had to make the Formans death look like an accident. Obviously no one gets suspicious when they hear of an animal attack.”

Paul unlocked the Camaro’s doors with the keys from where he was standing and motioned Trek towards it. “Get in,” he commanded in a stern and controlled tone. They got in the Camaro and sped off down the road. Paul finally spoke to Trek in a more viscous tone, “How strong is your loyalty to Connell?”

“I do what he says and I keep my life and get decent pay, but no real freedom until he says I’ve earned it. I admit I’ve had the opportunity to kill him and get away with it, but he has too many allies that would hunt relentlessly for me. I’d rather be his pet than his enemy.”

“Than you wouldn’t betray him, making you a threat to me.”

“I would help you defeat him but we’d both have to defeat his allies-”

“Or find a way to kill them all at once.”

“Yes, that would work. Catch them all in a meeting. We would have much opposition.” Trek seemed sincere in his desire to kill Connell, but he could have had an opportunity to kill them all before. Avenging the Formans seemed to be a smart choice, but Trek could make a powerful ally. Paul had to choose whether or not to spare Trek’s life. He just seemed too cold-blooded to keep him alive. Perhaps questioning Trek would help make up Paul’s mind,

“Tell me, what do you intend to do once you’ve gotten your freedom?”

“Well I’m not going to continue working for Baratech. Criminal organizations of this intolerance I’ll avoid, but you understand, I don’t follow the justice system.”

“But you follow the path of slaughtering innocents.”

“I had to do what I could to stay alive, disobeying orders is a fatal mistake for me.” Trek’s face was still stiff.

Paul had heard enough, he could use him now but stabbing him in the back later would not be justified. Paul pulled the Camaro over on the side of the road by a thick wooded area. He pointed his pistol at Trek. “Out,” he commanded. While Trek was exiting the vehicle Paul fixed the silencer to his pistol. He waved his pistol towards the woods. “Start walking.” Shortly after they started walking Trek sensed his fate and tried a little harder to avoid it,

“Think Keller, do you really think as powerful as you are that you can really defeat Connell alone? He has a small army protecting him and his allies. Trust me, my desire to destroy Connell and his allies is genuine. I’m sick and tired of being his obedient pet.”

Paul’s voice was firm and unforgiving, “I’m stopping Connell to keep him from slaughtering random innocents. You want to stop him to preserve your own life. Who knows what kind of havoc you’d cause if I let you loose.”

“At least give me a chance! If retribution for your friends is really what you want than kill the man who ordered them dead! If I hadn’t of done it someone else would have.”

“You previously said your loyalty for him was great and sincere. How do I know you aren’t just gonna stab me in the back when the opportunity arises?”

“Because I failed him! ‘Failure or disobedience is grounds for immediate execution’, his words not mine! How many options have I had Keller? I spent my whole life trying to just keep breathing. Nobody ever came by to help me, only to spit on me and tell me I was worthless to society. I never got a decent meal or an ounce of respect until I started robbing places with local street gangs. My talent to hide got me recognized and I started working with more dangerous criminals. Even then I got into some desperate spots and I did what I could to stay alive. I finally landed a high spot in baratech and I worked closely with Connell once he saw my potential. He gave me assignments of extreme importance and emphasized that failure would not be tolerated. Well, eventually I screwed up, I tripped the alarms at a museum I was supposed to rob and the van waiting for me was busted. The operation cost Connell four men and some very expensive equipment. Since I was the only one who made it out I was to blame. I was about to be executed when one of Connell’s scientists made a breakthrough on something. Connell needed a ginniepig so he made me an offer. If I survived whatever they were gonna do to me I could keep my life, but I’d be working more closely to Connell and I’d have no freedom until I’ve earned it. I went along of course, they just made me what I really am, an animal.”

Paul allowed a slight sadistic smile to creep slowly across his face. “Are you telling a sad story or a poor excuse? Because I really don’t have a problem wasting an animal.”

“Do you really think I’ve been an assassin my entire life? Before that experiment I’ve would have rejected any such task. After the experiment Connell gave me more details as to what I would do. If I even looked like I wanted to disobey him I’d be killed, and it wouldn’t be a nice gunshot to the back of the head. I would now be his preferred hitman and he would even give me a small fee so I could have that title. I couldn’t protest verbally, it took me a month to regain my human form and during that time I was locked in a dark room chained to the wall. You try that and tell me how sane you are when you come out. I wasn’t the same afterwards, I couldn’t be.” Paul interrupted,

“Stop here,” commanded Paul. Trek continued,

“There are worse things than death, but I was never given a chance to live.” Trek turned to face him.

“Then I won’t have a hard time ending your repentant life.” He gave Trek an iniquitous stare as he cocked the pistol’s hammer. Trek finally smiled and even laughed a little bit, but there no sign of fear or nervousness in it.

“Christ, are you really much better than me? You killed two people yesterday trying to save your own skin, same as I did. Maybe you’re better than Connell but I don’t kill for vengeance. Vindictiveness never got the best of me, but then again I’ve never had friends to lose but I’ve been stabbed in the back more times then you could imagine. You’re no more forgiving than Connell, but you can’t possibly defeat him. Even if I was vindictive I already have reprisal because going after Connell and his allies alone is suicide. You don’t even know where to find him. Kill me, and see how long you live.” Trek’s face stiff and his eyes were cold. Paul knew he was right. How was he going to find Connell and how was he possibly going to catch him and his allies together? He needed Trek, but he needed to make sure he wasn’t letting a killer loose. Paul decided to ask one more question,

“If I let you live and we pull this off, are you actually going to try living, or are you gonna continue this pathetic lifestyle and tell this sad story to the next guy who stands where I am?”

“If we pull this off I’ll owe you that.”

“Owe it to yourself, and everybody else you’ve harmed.”

“Fine with me. There is one last thing I should mention.” Trek rolled up his left sleeve reveling an odd grey wristband. “Connell strapped this device to me for reinsurance. It is a GPS tracking device that also has a syringe built in loaded with toxic venom ready to be injected into my bloodstream. It is programmed to go off if I go past a certain range and Connell can remotely activate it from anywhere on the planet. It’s also attached to him and if it detects that his pulse has stopped it goes off automatically.”

“Hmm… before I even consider that tell what good are you with a broken leg and wrist?” Paul felt stupid. How could I have been lured into thinking he could help me? Paul thought.

“I heal usually fast, part of the experiment. They basically just played with my DNA. I’m not limping anymore am I?” Paul hadn’t noticed but he had stopped limping shortly after they had gotten out of the car. They walked back to the car together. Paul just couldn’t get John’s death out of his mind. He was just starting to like the man and now he was dead and his murderer was now Paul’s only ally. Would John approve of this? Paul thoughts raced as he drove down the road. Trek turned out to be quite useful. That meeting with Connell and his allies was happening tonight apparently and Trek knew exactly when and where. It was Paul’s hometown as before but this time in an office building that was being renovated. Trek emphasized that there could be no survivors. Everyone in the meeting room had to die. They couldn’t take any chances. They would also need serious firepower. Trek told him was probably a miniature armory set up somewhere in the building because Connell was meticulous in keeping his men equipped properly. Stealth would be another key element, Trek’s specialty. They couldn’t begin the assault until they were sure every company leader was in the same room.

Paul and Trek waited in the Camaro about a block from the building. The sun was just now setting and they would sneak in once it was completely dark. Paul still wasn’t sure exactly how they were going to do this. A single 92FS would not suffice and the armory could be anywhere in the office building. Hopefully there would be a map in the lobby that gives them an indication of where their targets lie. As the sun began to dip below the buildings of Philadelphia and disappear into the horizon Paul checked his handgun to ensure it would not fail him. It looked as though some storm clouds were moving in. When the sun completely disappeared from view and the last of its warm rays began to vanish he tried to prepare himself mentally. He tried to let go of all the fears and premonitions that clouded his mind and replace them with the predator like instincts that had taken over him yesterday. He thought of various strategies to defeat his adversaries. They couldn’t mount a full blown assault, but he knew they could take them down one by one and with his new senses hiding should be a breeze. Paul cocked his handgun and faced Trek with a cold stare,

“Let’s do this.” They exited the Camaro and started walking towards the dark and intimidating building. Paul began to return to the state of mind he was in yesterday and he could sense the movement of the cameras outside the building. Trek seemed to be able to do the same and they quickly made it into the empty lobby. The lobby was dark but not dark enough to conceal the giant map that made up the entire wall behind the front desk. Paul smiled at the sight. The wall with the map seemed to be the only part of the lobby complete for the rest of the lobby was decorated with scaffolding, caution tape, painting tools, and protective plastic over fresh slabs of marble. The owner of the building appeared to really be upgrading the visual aspect of the building. After taking in the place Paul and Trek walked closer to the map to get an idea of where things were. Paul folded his arms and rubbed his chin as he analyzed the map. One thing jumped out at him immediately. On the fifteenth floor right near the center was a large room labeled ‘Meeting Room’. Paul smiled as he pointed it out silently to Trek. Now where would the armory possibly be? Paul scanned up and down the map. A large storage room stood out on the left side of fourth floor. “We’ll start here and see if we can find any weapons.” Paul pointed at the room then fixed the silencer onto his pistol. “If you have to kill anyone before the raid hide the bodies, or well you know the game better than I do.” Trek nodded his head slightly in agreement, but something in his eyes gave an indication that something was bothering him. It was obvious to Paul. “I’ll try to neutralize Connell, but he doesn’t get out of here alive.” Trek eyes displayed some relief but his face was still stern and cold. He had his own input,

“You should go directly towards it. I’ll go around the right side of the building and move in towards it. It’s easier for us to remain hidden if we are separated.” Paul nodded in agreement. Trek was stealthier and it is easier to spot two people together than one. Paul would take the utility staircase on the left and Trek would probably take the emergency one in the buildings core. There were doors on both sides of the wall with the map. Paul took the left side and Trek took the left. Paul proceeded down the dark hallway with great caution. He suddenly paused for a second. The hallway seemed to be slowly getting brighter. Colored night vision, what the hell am I becoming? Thought Paul. He got to the door at the end of the short hall and felt slight vibrations on the floor on the other side of the door. Someone was pacing on the other side. Paul raised his silenced pistol to the door and let his instincts take over. He waited a second to make sure no one else was on the next room then took aim. There could be no mistakes. He shot through the door and heard a thump on the floor in the next room. There were no approaching footsteps so Paul entered the room. It was a good-sized and well-decorated waiting room. Paul’s victim lay unmoving on the floor with a bullet hole dead center in the back of his head. Paul quickly dragged the corpse into the previous hall before blood dripped all over the floor.

Paul made it to the utility staircase without any further interruption. When Paul opened the door to the staircase he noticed a man standing by the second floor door smoking a cigarette. Paul crept slowly up the stairs towards him. When Paul was just a few meters away he paused. The man was completely zoned out and listening to music. Paul casually walked up to the man and tapped his shoulder. The man jumped a little and turned to face him while struggling to get his headphones off. His eyes widened further when he realized Paul was not one of his superiors. “Hi,” said Paul nonchalantly, he then grabbed the man’s chin with his right hand and swiftly twisted the man’s head to the right. Paul let the man slump down with his back against the railing. He put the man’s headphones back and positioned him to appear as if he had dosed off. Paul continued his journey to the storage room. When Paul reached the forth floor the storage room was directly left of the staircase. Inside Paul chuckled at his accuracy. The tools had been knocked off the shelves and replaced with assault rifles, sub-machine guns, hand grenades, satchel charges, tripod mounted gattling guns, sniper rifles, and countless boxes of ammunition. Despite the variety the goods only made up a small portion of the vast storage room. Paul decided to quietly wait for Trek. A few minutes later Trek emerged from the door wiping off his face. There were a few spatters of blood on his clothing. Paul slapped his hands together and rubbed them back and forth as he spoke with a jovial tone, “Let’s ammo up.” They both searched up and down the selves for their weapon of choice. The weaponry was all military issue, but most of the weapons were fairly out of date. A pair of MP5’s caught Paul’s attention. He swung their straps over his neck and filled an ammunition belt with as many magazines as he could. He also grabbed another 92FS and some ammo bandoliers, which he stuffed with more ammo and grenades. Paul looked over to see Trek’s armaments. He had outfitted himself with two UMPs, belts and bandoliers of ammunition, and a shiny new XM8 with a barrel magazine and bipod. They nodded to each other and proceeded towards the door.

The headed towards the buildings reinforced core together with few interludes. It was a long walk up the emergency stairs to the fifteenth floor and they had to remain silent and alert. When they finally made it to the fifteenth floor Paul sensed activity everywhere, but mainly in one location, which Paul assumed to be the “meeting room”. Paul opened the door first and poked his head out slightly. Masked men were patrolling every hallway. He suddenly heard voice coming from around the corner on his left. Paul and Trek remained crouched and dead silent as they proceeded towards the meeting room like two commandos. When they finally came to it the room had a large window facing them about a meter tall and several meters wide that displayed the entire large meeting room. A large black rectangular table dominated the center of the room and there was a door on the far side of both walls adjacent to them. A hall was behind every wall isolating it from every other room. The glass was thin and obviously temporary since it failed to isolate any sound like most meeting rooms. The walls inside also looked unfinished. Paul and Trek crouched underneath the large window. Paul looked up to see what was going on. A guard was at each door and five other men dressed in business clothes were sitting at the table, with the exception of Connell, the eighth target in the room. Connell was standing closest to him at the head of the table talking loudly with his usual thunderous tone. “We still haven’t failed a single project. Questioning our reliability is pointless.”

Another man spoke up seemingly unafraid of Connell’s monstrous posture. “Yes, but we have yet to see the results of your initial project. This seemed to be the most intriguing one from Baratech, but the most incompetent.”

“You’ll see the results soon enough, but basing our reliability on a project that was supposed to take decades to complete is pointless.” There was something about Connell’s face that deeply resembled something to Paul, but what?

“We’re wondering what we are throwing money at. We’re still waiting for something large scale. We should discontinue our investments into your company if this is no longer your goal. We’re not interested in these pointless side projects.”

“If you longer wish to invest why should we share the profits with you? Besides there wouldn’t be any profits if it wasn’t for these ‘so called’ side projects and you’d be whining about not having them. Patience is all you need right now. We’re making the final preparations as we speak. The United States will not weaponising technology that would eventually be used against them.” Connell leaned over the table and pointed at the man on the other end who had been speaking. He gave him a menacing stare and spoke with his voice lowered, but equally assertive, “And once they recognize the threat that the technology is they will be forced to agree to our terms, then the legitimate profits will really start rolling in.” His right hand closed into fist as he continued, “When this is over the US will at last be fully recognized as the worlds greatest superpower, thanks to us.” With that the tension in his face died and he ran his fingers through his short black hair.

The man at the other end smiled as he spoke, “I like what you have in store for us. Your seemingly insidious intentions always turn out to be something virtuous and for the benefit of mankind. It also seems like you have enough progress to begin this operation.”

Connell’s voice was calm, but questioning, “I don’t see why the hell wouldn’t we be ready. We’ve been on this for decades and we’ve had so many breakthroughs and accomplishments. We’ve lured over the top minds in genetic engineering and nanotechnology. We’ve Trek, who by the way is bringing back the results of our initial project.” The eyes of the businessmen seemed to light up.

Paul had heard enough. He pulled out two grenades and nodded to Trek. Trek stood up and smashed the window with the butts of his sub machineguns. Paul threw the grenades through the shattered window. One landed on each side of the room. Connell, already standing, wasted no time bolting out the exit on the right side of the room along with the guards. One of the businessmen on the far side of the table got up and started to overturn the side of the table towards the window while the other businessmen ran around to use the shield, but that man didn’t make as the shrapnel from the grenades tore him to pieces. Another man on the far left side of the table took some shrapnel to his calf. Now remembering their attackers the businessmen ran out Connell’s exit. Paul shot the limping man in the back as he stepped over the broken window. Suddenly two masked guards came running down the hall behind them while sending burst of automatic weapon fire at them. Paul felt a pulse of energy through his veins as he had before. He turned around and fired off a quick burst from his MP5s. One burst hit the guard on the left right in the chest taking him down, the guard on the right was grazed across the neck, but it was deep enough to take out his jugular vein. Blood splattered onto the wall in pulses as the guard fell to the ground screaming. Guards suddenly charged them from all directions. Paul and Trek fired wildly at every moving object. The air filled with brass, debris, and blood. The guards realized as there numbers decreased that a charge would not be successful. They retreated towards the direction Connell went. Paul and Trek reloaded and then pursued cautiously. When they reached the hallway the guards were waiting in noticed that they had set up any desks or tables they could find for cover. Paul and Trek had no cover of their own so they dived through a door into an office before the eruption of automatic weapon fire could hit them. Paul emerged again in a crouch just as a guard closest to them was about to throw a grenade. Before the grenade went as far as a meter Paul fired a single bullet throw it detonating the device and killing three guards. They quickly ran up to the desks the guards had used. Trek brandished a baseball shaped impact grenade and threw it right at a guard head. It instantly exploded killing three more guards and injuring two more. Paul and Trek quickly run up and shot the remaining five guards. The hallway ended with a right turn with more guards waiting behind cover. These ones had more firepower, a lot more. Two guards at the end of the hall each had an M60 with a bipod propped up onto a small table. Several guards had XM8s and others had M16s with grenade launcher attachments. Paul and Trek pushed the heaviest desk they found into the new hallway, but it would not stop grenades or full metal jackets. They just kept firing wildly to keep the guards from taking aim. When they reached the first line of desks they shot up the guards hiding behind them. They finally paused to reload. A wave of return fire came with a vengeance. A bullet shot through the desks and grazed Paul’s right arm. Another clipped Trek’s leg. They moved desks in and in back of them to shield themselves from grenade shrapnel. Trek pulled out his XM8 and fired a furious burst into two guards behind a desk. There were four guards left including the two with the M60s. They would not be easy to kill. Paul and Trek threw the last of there grenades past the M60 gunners. They jumped over their desks to escape the blast, but just as they did Paul and Trek popped up and shot them in the back. Paul’s MP5s ran out so he pulled out his 92FSs just as a guards popped up for a kill. Paul shot him right in the forehead. The remaining threw over his weapon and raised his hands. “I surrender!” he yelled. The guard’s hands were shaking. Paul walked up to him and stripped him of his ammo, flak jacket, and mask while Trek kept a gun trained on him.

Paul starred into the guard’s eyes and gave him a warning, “If I see you again, I’ll kill you.” The guard nodded his head and Paul shoved him hard back down the hall. The guard stumbled then ran off. Trek shot Paul an approving stare. Paul picked up the dropped M60s. With one in each hand Paul smiled and said, “I think Ramblo would be jealous.” Paul wasn’t just messing around, they had to find Connell and his surviving allies fast and they couldn’t have anything stand in their way. The end of the hall turned left and right; Connell could have gone either way. “Looks like we’ll have to split. I’ll go left. You cool with that?” Trek nodded as he fed two fresh magazines into his UMPs. Paul ran out to the left and started firing before the guards could react. He went on a mad killing spree with the M60s. Nothing the guards dived behind could stop the barrage of FMJs. Paul continued to fire up and down the long hallway until the M60s were depleted. He dropped the M60s and starred down the lifeless halls. He brandished his Berettas and stayed on the alert as he proceeded down the wall. As he approached the room at the end of the hall he saw a large flash and heard what sounded like a sharp explosion. The wall behind him had a large whole. It went off again. Having no cover Paul leaned up against the left side of he hall. As he stared down the hall again he saw the glint of a nickel plated Desert Eagle, a fifty caliber hand. Chances are there are custom made FMJs in that gun with more explosive powder since any one who can afford that ultra rare gun would pack it with special bullets.

Unexpectedly a familiar voice greeted Paul, but it had an almost unrecognizable tone, “Well, well, well. If it isn’t Paul Keller, Dr. Foreman’s only worthy janitor.” Paul tried not to let the remark get to him, but he couldn’t help but feel his stomach turn. The voice belonged to Connell and he was speaking in a very sinister tone, but it faded away as he continued, “You’ve come along way Keller, but honestly, why are you teaming up with the worthless creature Trek? He wasn’t anything before the experiment, calling him an animal is a compliment to him. The experiment was supposed to be taken seriously when I said ‘werewolf’, but my sense of humor is always taken literally and now that’s what Trek is, a joke. But now it’s just you. It’s been a long time hasn’t it Keller? I’m surprised you made your way back to Philly.”

“What in god’s name are you talking about?” Paul knew what he was talking about, but he didn’t want Connell to know.

“Why surely you overheard me talking in the meeting. You’re my first project, my original creation. Haven’t you ever wondered why no one knows anything about your parents? Why I honestly didn’t think you were going to be a success. When we dropped you off in the foster home I didn’t think you’d live to be ten, but you’re what now? Twenty-two?”

“Yeah.”

“Your very existence comes from the technology I have created. Which is what I’m trying to change the world with. You are actually a clone, of me, but altered of course. We decided not to make you as tall so you wouldn’t stand out, and of course you probably just noticed some drastic changes in the last day or so.” Paul heard him laugh. “It was supposed to be that way. The trigger was seeing me. Twenty years ago I looked exactly like you, but I guess the resemblance is still strong enough to set off the trigger.”

Paul had a hard time taking this in. He couldn’t let it distract him. He started approaching Connell slowly. “You’re telling me I’m a supped up clone of you?”

“Yes. Why try to stop me now when you are my own creation? One of my projects to benefit mankind?”

“How many innocent lives have you slaughtered to benefit mankind?”

Connell laughed, “Do you really think I’m that sadistic? I take out threats, not just anyone who knows our secrets. We usually detain and reason with civilians that stumble across our vicinities, but the Foremans were different. I knew Dr. Foreman. We fought in war together. He was no man to be reasoned with. He would do everything he could to bring us down and he’s a hell of a crafty man. We’ve even done some brief work together. His wife is the same way. they were threats, big ones. It might not justify it in your eyes, but it was our only option.”

“What about this grand scheme of yours? How are you going to convince the government to allow legal research on bioengineering? Violence? You’ll only start a war with that.”

“No, no. I know how the government works. We keep it passive. We have harmless demonstrations. Using violence and fear will only make us terrorists. Yes, right now we may be criminals, but the government can bend in that case. Trust me, there are plenty of power crazy politicians out there who love to make us a deal.”

“But they don’t know how you got this technology.”

“And they won’t ask. The US is the greatest nation and must remain the ultimate superpower to survive.”

“We must keep it that was in a legitimate fashion.”

Connell laughed again, “You don’t know how much has been accomplished behind closed doors. Sometimes the government just gets done what needs to be done without any moral intervention. Someone else is going to do this, and it won’t be for us.”

“Well then sometimes civilians get done what needs to be done, like resisting a bad governments or stopping a crazy man from seriously messing their country.” Suddenly Trek came running up the hall.

“Oh this just keeps getting better. Hi Trek! Bye Trek!” Connell reached for something on his belt. He was going to push a button. Paul couldn’t let that happen. He ran up shot the red button off Connell’s belt and he nipped his finger. Connell growled angrily. He brandished two nickel plated Desert Eagles with laser sights and fired off a four round burst. One shot clipped Paul on the left side of the chest and spun him around. Trek caught him and shoved him forward. They both followed Connell up a winding flight of stairs to the roof. When they reached the top they were showered with rain and machine gun fire. A military helicopter was hovering above the other end of the roof and it was armed with a gattling gun. Paul dove for a fan unit in front of him, but Trek took several hits to the chest and was sent back down the stairs. Paul swore as he loaded his last two banana clips into his MP5s. He heard Connell yelling over the helicopter as he walked towards it, “The battle between me and you is over, but the new age weaponry is just beginning!” Paul peeked his head up but shot right back down as the helicopter showered him with bullets. The Blackhawk was fairly old, but the gattling gun was brand new and could fire thirty nine millimeter rounds a second with zero spin up time. Paul did have his head up long enough to see two more guards approaching him. Paul raised his guns over the fan unit fired blindly in there direction. He heard them dropped so he waited for the Blackhawk to pull away. When it finally did got up to check his surroundings. The rain was thick and the Blackhawk blew it right into his face. Something caught his eye. Still in the arms of the downed guard was a grenade launcher. Paul dashed to and picked it up. He ran to the edge of the building as the Black began to climb. He took aim and fired. The impact grenade slammed into the base of the tail and broke it off. The Blackhawk began to spin out of control as it slowly descended to the road below. The propeller blades skimmed the nearby building shattering glass as it went down. The chopper landed with a crunch and the engine completely stopped. The cockpit was crushed, but three figures emerged from the wreckage. The tallest, most likely Connell, got in a black Suburban and started heading south. Paul sprinted back to the staircase. At the bottom of the first flight lay Trek, still breathing! He had apparently put on a vest went he went off on his own. Paul didn’t even notice. He must have hit his head when he fell. Paul ran down the stairs to him and started slapping his face. His eyes opened.

“Raise and shine. We have a speeding madman to catch,” said Paul. Trek got up and they ran down the core staircase as fast as they could. Once out of the building they ran a block to the Camaro. Paul fired it up and sped south with the pedal floored. Hopefully Connell was still on the same street. Luckily within a few seconds Paul was right on top of the black Suburban. Connell fired a few rounds through the back window and then turned right, sliding on the drenched roads as he did so. Paul stayed right on top of him. The Camaro was not only faster, but it had newer tires with more grip. Connell drove the car side to side and kept firing off his Eagles with no successful hits. Paul was looking for the right opportunity while dodging traffic and bullets. When the Suburban went off to the left on an empty street Paul shot up to the right and fired his MP5 out the window into the Suburban’s back right tire. The tire finally blew sending Connell sliding to the right. He veered to the right to correct the slide, but he failed to regained control and he swerved to the left into the parallel-parked cars. The tail swung around so that the Suburban faced the parked cars then the uneven right side caused the SUV to flipped onto its back. The SUV rolled a few meters before stopping. Paul pulled the Camaro and they both exited. They walked up to the Suburban just as Connell was crawling out battered and bloody. He raised his hands in defeat. Paul began talking, “The battle between you and me is over, but I won’t let your new age of weapons begin this way.”

“How are you going to do that? There were two other survivors and they’re long gone by now. They won’t show their faces again until they’re presented with the Nobel Prize,” he smiled. He looked down at his belt and pressed several buttons. Suddenly the wristband fell off Trek. “Hopefully you’ll make yourself into something,” he said to Trek. Trek began rubbing his writ in disbelief. “This far from over. I’ve done my part. They’ll finish my work. Mark my words.”

“Pity your own creation was your own demise. Goodbye Connell.” With that Connell started laughing.

“Please call me Alex, no one’s called me Alex since my wife died. It’d just be nice that’s all.”

“Fine then. Goodbye Alex.”

“Goodbye Paul.” He saluted Paul right before he shot him in the head. Trek stared at Connell motionless body.

“I honestly didn’t think you were gonna shoot him, but I guess you had to do what you had to do.”

Paul stared at him. “You don’t seem that happy that he’s gone.

“Remember I said I wasn’t vindictive. All I wanted was my freedom and he gave it to me.”

“After all he’s done to you? Well, I still don’t think you’re a better man than me. I’ve actually done something with my life. You have yet to live yours.”

“There are still enemies to be found.”

“And we’ll find them. Right now we need to take care of some things here and get are stories straight, most of them.”

One week later…

Paul walked down the lines of fresh graves and new tombstones. He wore dark brown oval sunglasses, a grey sweat jacket with a hood, blue worn out jeans, and an old Black Sabbath shirt his friend Stan gave him years ago. There was a particular grave Paul was looking for. He had already been to the Formans’ graves. John and his wife were buried together. He was seventy-two an his wife was sixty-eight. Sadly he was the only one who showed up for them. They never had kids and they had no other surviving relatives. Paul walked past other graves two. The two scientists he killed making his escape were there. Several of the guards had graves. The bus driver was here too. Too many lives lost, but none of those graves were the one he was looking for. He journeyed to the other side of the cemetery before he found it. When he got to it he took off his hood took in the sight. The research company Paul worked for had paid for lavish tombstones for all those who fell in the recent incidents, but this one was plain. It was a basic rectangular piece of cheap marble. There were no carvings of any kind, not even a cross. It had a name, a date, and a simple epitaph. It read, Major Alex Henry Connell, 1968-2012, a beloved father, husband, and soldier. Next to his grave were his wife’s and one of his children’s graves. His wife died just three years earlier at the age of forty and his child only lived until two. He had two other children that were here. One was eighteen and the other was fifteen. He would do his best to avoid them. Unfortunately they found out he killed their father and he couldn’t bring himself to face them. Despite what the man was doing he wasn’t evil or mad. He just lost sight of the things that make America what it is. It isn’t great because it is the world’s greatest super power, but because it is what the people want it to be. It is a country that can handle change, growth, and diversity, even if it takes a while. It is a country that does not put anything ahead of its citizens and does everything it can for those who support it. It is a country that will not segregate or single out anyone or any group. It is a nation that people outside it will want to destroy just because of what it is, but we should defend ourselves the same honest way we handle everything else. We shouldn’t deal with weapons behind closed doors. The people need to be aware of what’s going on and the consequences of their government’s decisions. Alex just didn’t think that way, but he meant harm to the nation. Lost in his own thoughts Paul didn’t notice Connell’s older son come up behind him. The young man started talking, “Hey.”

Paul turned around. Oh… He thought. “Hi,” he replied.

“I know this probably more awkward for you than it is for me, but I just want you to know that I know what you did and I’m ok with it. I hope you know that… he wasn’t a bad guy.”

“I know. He was trying to help us all, but not in the right way.”

“Yeah. It’s just that… after my mom died three years ago in a car accident I didn’t really see him that much. I kinda just took of my little brother while he was away. Our aunt would always look after us. I guess I still stay at home to look after my brother, but I gotta take care of myself. I’m just use to him being gone, but my brother isn’t.”

“I wish to God there was something I could do, but there isn’t. I never had a family of my own so I don’t know what like to lose one of my own.”

“You’re already doing something.” He turned around as if he heard someone. “I gotta go. See ya around.”

“Bye.” Paul scratched his chin. The kid looked almost exactly like him. He sighed. Poor kid. He had spent enough time. Over to his right he saw a bald man wearing very baggy sweat clothes. Paul nodded and he walked off. It was getting late. Paul walked back to the parking lot and opened the door to John’s silver Camaro. Before he get in he saw Trek getting in his old pickup. He lent it to Trek so he didn’t have to run around all over the place. It was his first step towards living, but they both had unfinished business before their lives could start or resume. There were still two survivors on the loose. All those lives couldn’t go to waste. Weaponised bioengineering was inevitable, but it wasn’t going to happen behind closed door, not as long as Paul Keller still air in his lungs and blood in his veins. Not as long as Paul Keller knew his enemies’ scent.