The truck rumbled and rocked as it went over the gravel of a road, or maybe it was driving across fields away from roads. Dr. Osteen wasn’t sure, they had covered his head with a black bag and kept quiet. They tied his hands behind him, keeping him from doing anything but sit and wait.
“Where are we going?” He asked.
There was no answer.
Finally, the truck stopped, and people went into action. No one spoke a word, only the sounds of feet moving, doors slamming, and the large doors on the back of the truck opening. Then two hands grabbed him and forced him up and moving. They escorted him down from the truck and walked in across grasses, the smell of the woods giving him his only clue about where he was.
The thought that they were taking him to execute him in some creative way crossed his mind several times. He had done some pretty terrible things that he was proud of. Many nations and special organizations would like to see his head on a stick somewhere, displayed for millions to jeer at. Then again, they killed others to get to him. If these were people seeking justice, they would be less likely to murder so many guards at a prison.
After what felt like miles of walking through the woods and then on a concrete floor, they stopped him. He was turned, shoved, and then pushed down into a seat. Finally, a door slammed shut, and the bag was swiftly removed from his head.
The room was a stark, concrete box with a single table in it and cameras planted at each corner. A mirrored wall was obviously the observation room for those on the other side. A man sat across from him, dressed in a nice suit. Beside him were two of these soldiers, stoic and passively staring straight forward.
“Please forgive our methods, Dr. Osteen. We must go to extremes to keep ourselves safe and secret.” The man stated.
Dr. Osteen pulled on his hands, but they were bound behind him. ”I’m no threat. No need to keep me tied up, this is killing my shoulders.”
The man smiled and snapped his fingers. One soldier approached, flicked a large knife and cut the bindings. He returned to the corner and his normal stoic stance.
“Again, apologies for our methods. Now, the pleasantries, I am Commander Delta and you are the famous Doctor Jason Osteen, five time doctorate holder, most brilliant mind in robotic engineering and genetic engineering. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Dr. Osteen rubbed his wrists. “So, you seem to know everything about me. All I know is your name, and I highly doubt that is actually your name. Probably a rank of some sort. Am I right?”
Commander Delta laughed, “be careful how you use your genius. Put that brilliant mind to work for us, and we will reward you in ways no one else could possibly match.”
“I was rewarded pretty good by Shoju Kahn... before they murdered him.”
Commander Delta quietly chuckled. “Trust me. Our operation is far greater in wealth and power than even the former dictator of a tiny, third world nation.”
“What exactly do you want of me?” Dr. Osteen asked.
Commander Delta slapped a file on the table and slid it over. “It’s spelled out in there.”
Dr. Osteen opened and looked at the first few pages. “Genetic engineering... wow, evolutionary genetic engineering. What is this for? You want to make animals into people?”
“Not exactly. There is a need for soldiers, special soldiers that can combat the abominations that run around this planet calling themselves super heroes. They have powers and strengths that are beyond any regular soldier.” He gestured to the two people beside him. “We created these people by altering parts of their physical makeup. They are smarter, faster, stronger, and more accurate than any human. They are also blindly loyal to us alone. However, they still aren’t enough. We need to harness the powers and strengths of nature itself. Use that against these people. But, we can’t do that without you.”
“Me? What makes you think I can do this? Obviously you have other scientists who are doing great work for you.” He also gestured to the soldiers.
“They’re good. But not good enough. You’re the best.” Delta leaned forward. “Here’s the deal. We will set you up in a secret lab, give you everything you need, and let you work. There is no timetable, just be certain you don’t stop until you are successful. We will check in on you now and then, but otherwise you will be left alone. You give us results and we will set you free with wealth that would make Jeff Bezos look like a pauper.”
Dr. Osteen looked through the files a little more, a smile growing on his face. “This will be the biggest challenge of my life. I like a challenge.”
“Then we have a deal.” Delta sat back, satisfied.
“Not yet. If I’m following your logic here, I will be highly exposed. If anyone like BADGE discovers me, I will get my butt toasted. Will you send me protection?”
Delta answered, “check the last page of the file.”
Osteen looked it over and became nearly giddy, “my robots!”
“What we could find. Now, I know you can protect yourself long enough with those to get away safely. Trust me, we will make sure you escape. However, we cannot be close to you at all times or risk exposure.”
“Then, it’s a deal.” Osteen held out his hand.
Delta took the hand but used it to pull him in closer, almost coming nose to nose with Osteen. “Understand this. We are not to be doublecrossed. If you mention one word about this to anyone, we will know and you will not live for much longer. Got it?”
With a deep gulp, Osteen nodded, “got it.”
“Then we have a deal.” Delta finally shook his hand. “Now, you will pardon us for what comes next.” One soldier approached.
“What do you...” A hypospray was pressed to his neck, and he blacked out almost instantly.
***
Chase and Gar stepped out of the BADGE shuttle. It had landed in nearly the same spot as the helicopter had. To the guards, it looked like the two stepped out of thin air. The shuttle’s holographic cloaking system kept it completely blended into the surroundings.
Right now a team of prisoners cleaned up the bricks and other debris from the shattered wall. Body bags were lining up along the wall with tags on them. A prison doctor checked each body and marked tags as she went.
The warden and his first in command met them.
“Welcome to Fortress of the Waves prison. I am Warden Yoritomo Li and this is my first in command, Kisada Jao.”
Chase executed the proper Onnotangu bow, “thank you. I am Chase and this is Gar. Prime Minister Shizue sent us.”
“Yes, we got the message a short time ago. Please, excuse the mess. We have only begun cleaning up. Sorting out the rubble from the bodies took time. The bodies of the dead will be transported as soon as the medical helicopters arrive. This place is not meant to be easy to get to.”
“We understand.” Gar said. “Please, show us where the break out happened?”
Warden Li led them in while Jao continued directing the clean-up process. The prison was on complete lockdown where possible, and the guards were all on high alert.
“It is amazing and disheartening how easily and quickly our defenses were broken. No one has ever escaped from this prison before.”
He showed them to all the damaged cells and had them speak to several guards who had a little knowledge of the event.
“And, this is the cell he occupied.” Li moved aside a barrier and showed them to the cell that had been cloven in half by the destruction. “We could not find any information. If I didn’t know it was a special operation, I would think an Earthquake had done this. If there was only a way to look back and see.”
“I have the power to witness the history of inanimate objects.” Chase knelt down and touched the floor. She looked up and used her powers to follow the history of this room through the stones under her fingers. She saw herself enter and then time reversed faster. The clean-up crew came through, then the attack came. “I see them. Soldiers in black. I… I don’t see any markings or insignia. They are too covered to identify. There is nothing. They killed the only witness in the cell next to us. Now the wall is returning to normal. Dr. Osteen hid under his bed, shaking. I doubt he was expecting this.”
“That takes us to the time before the attack.” Warden Li stated.
Gar said, “too bad. You didn’t see anything helpful.”
Chase, still using her power, frowned. “No, wait. I see Dr. Osteen the day before the attack. He is putting something inside that wall.” She let go and pointed at an unbroken part of the wall.
Gar walked over and saw a loose brick. He pried it open and found a small space with a metal device in it. Warden Li took it out. “What is this?”
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