EVO Universe 1: The First (9 page)

As she finished her letter of apology, an earth shaking crashing sound of metal on metal from outside made her leap out of her skin.

“Jesus!” she screamed startled by the noise.

She quickly stuffed the money into the bag and zoomed from out of the office through the store. She broke through the emergency exit door without thinking setting off the alarm. Not that it mattered, the sound of sirens blared getting closer. Sophia cupped the top of her head gritting her teeth, as she was the first to witness the destruction of the fire escape ladder, which had finally ripped from its fixings on the wall and crashed into the alleyway on top of the drop box.

“Not…good…” she said to herself, before turning on her heels using her newfound ability for speed and jetted, preferably out of town before anyone could see her. Her destination was the only place she knew she could find the answers she needed. Back home.

CHAPTER SIX

September 2, 2008, 11:56 AM, several hours before Sophia’s visit to Cypress, the jet-black twin engine Sikorsky private helicopter from the Mountain View Unit in Gatesville, Texas, now soared over the gigantic trees of Upper Klamath Lake, except it no longer made the loud whirling sound that came with its entrance at the prison. It appeared to have some type of stealth mode as the blades continued to spin without emitting any noise, while reflective panels at the bottom of it made it a ghost to virtually anyone looking up.

Its destination was the top of Mount McLoughlin, carved right into the base of the mountain; a sixty-foot security wall masked the only entranceway for transports carrying equipment to enter or exit when needed. On top of the wall, holographic projectors and reflective panels provided camouflage against unsuspecting hikers or campers looking outside as it hid the security detail guarding the wall in high tech armor, gear, and weapons never seen before in modern warfare.

Not that they really had to worry, three hundred meters ahead of the wall were patrols on off road highly advanced ATVs minus the loud obnoxious sounds they usually emit wearing similar armor to the ones on the wall, but with cameo color that allowed them to blend in perfectly to their environment. They along with the network of hidden cameras, mini-bird like drones, and motion sensors ensured that no one either unintentionally or deliberately got within eyesight of the facility. Finally, two hundred meters ahead of them were a security detail of phony park rangers that intercepted hikers and mountain climbers feeding them false information or redirecting them to the other side of the mountain not located near the facility.

The aircraft made its final descent at the top of the snowcap of the once volcanic mountain; the very top though covered in snow was also a large platform type helipad, which the copter easily landed on despite the wind conditions. Upon confirming a secure and safe landing, the platform lowered the helicopter down into the mountain. As the helicopter descended via the platform, a massive lid type door on hydraulics ascended closing the entrance to the mountain base while new snow spewed out through vents to cover the entrance.

A woman in her late twenties stood waiting near the main entrance of the helipad for the platform to fully descend clutching a computer tablet dressed in a jet black slightly form fitting business dress suit. She wore her silky brunette hair in a bun, as she adjusted the black and silver high priced name brand glasses on her face, which amplified her bright green eyes. Her demeanor commanded professional respect despite her wearing bright pink flip-flops, which revealed her rose-colored toenails. Briskly she walked to the Sikorsky as the platform finally came to its resting stop, and the lights turned from red to green confirming the platform locked and secured. She stepped onto the platform now waiting at the entrance of the vehicle quickly scratching the back of her left leg with her right big toe. The door opened as the Director stepped out followed by Agent Slater, the Santa looking man with the German accent along with his staff and the agents under the Director that accompanied him.

“Welcome back Director,” greeted the young woman.

“Status Ms. Barrett,” asked the Director getting down to business.

Ms. Barrett fell in line with Agent Slater, as they followed the Director who made a beeline into the facility.

She began her report, “A couple of hikers came close to the parameter; our “park rangers” met them and sent them to the “safe side” of the mountain. They were informed they were too close to black bear territory and a family of bears, and then Mr. Dunbar showed up again…”

Director Rosen drew a sigh, “Did the men stomp him out as ordered?”

“Yes sir,” she confirmed, “Before the usual “tranq and wipe” followed by dumping him on his lawn for an umpteenth staged drunken stupor…”

Director Rosen smiled and asked, “We have it recorded?”

“Yes sir…” she nodded.

“Good I’ll watch it later,” he said as he continued on to his destination within the facility.

“I still don’t understand why we continue to do this instead of eliminating him all together,” Ms. Barrett questioned, “He just won’t stop.”

“I keep telling you Ms. Barrett,” Director Rosen lectured her, “One local drunken conspiracy theorist nut keeps the regulars skeptical and away…also reduces an unnecessary body count…not to mention I just love fucking with him…remember we’re in the business of killing the enemies of our country.”

“Not our citizens…except when necessary…,” she recited.

“Correctamundo…now are they here?” he asked.

“Yes sir, they arrived an hour ago,” she confirmed, “They’re in debriefing room one with the updated files.”

“Thank you Ms. Barrett,” Director Rosen motioned to the others following, “Mr. Slater go grab breakfast, Dr. Zimmermann I believe we have no further need of each other till later.”

“Of course…” Dr. Zimmermann nodded as he broke off with his staff following him to run further tests on the samples in their possession.

Agent Slater and his team briefly followed Dr. Zimmermann and his team before making their way to the mess hall. Ms. Barrett continued to follow the Director keeping stride with him all the way to debriefing room one. The sterile white walls, ceiling, and floor along with the dull chrome silver finishing on the doors they pass made their outfits pop out against the stark background. The only other color in the hallway was the surging blue motion sensor strip on each side of the walls and the textbook large black global surveillance cameras stationed in the ceiling down the end of each of the hallways. The Director and Ms. Barrett did not break stride as they neared the debriefing room doors, which part open with perfect precision allowing them to walk vigorously through. Waiting for them in the front of the colleague campus style set up with the immense theatre style video screen sat four individuals, three men and one woman.

The midnight black military fatigues they wore could not be associated to any of the five US branches, nor any military force on the planet. No nametags, call signs, or badges of rank. The only symbol they sported were black embossed patches on the sleeves of their fatigue jackets; the symbol was of a Grim Reaper sitting on a large skull holding a scythe in his right hand, and a small skull in his left hand.

From right to left a man in his mid-thirties sat sporting a sharp blonde crew cut attached to a well-groomed blonde beard with piercing blue eyes lazily flipping through the computer tablet in front of him reading the data. Next to him sat, a younger man in his late twenties with brown hair cut low into a Caesar style; clean-shaven with a very bad disposition, sporting shades in the darkened room, not a bit interested in the data on his tablet. Next to him sat a young woman in her mid-twenties with dirty blonde hair sitting Indian style with her tablet on her lap while balancing her jet-black stiletto boot knife on the back of her hand. Finally next to her was a man in his early thirties with fiery red hair, and a matching long beard playing Angry Birds on his tablet.

Everyone came to somewhat of an attention, as the Director took the podium, pulling out his reading glasses from his jacket putting them on, and began to speak, “The files you have in front of you will outline the details of the target, in this debriefing we will be focusing on the essentials…”

The theater size screen behind the Director came to life showing Sophia’s prison profile along with her picture.

“Subject’s name is Sophia Dennison, married name was Matheson,” Director Rosen started off his debriefing, “Age thirty-four; she was convicted of the Capital murder of her husband and sentenced to death by lethal injection. The State of Texas executed her almost twelve hours ago. Seven minutes after she was pronounced dead, subject resurrected breaking through her bonds and taking out five correctional officers before being gunned down. After being pronounced officially dead for a second time subject resurrected two hours and fifteen minutes after her second death impervious to gunfire taking out between fifty to sixty armed correctional officers, local police, and SWAT destroying majority of the eighth floor of the prison before smashing through the wall dropping several stories into a parked squad car.”

Rosen stopped to adjust his reading glasses before continuing, “She killed a correctional officer in the process of doing that. As she proceeded to run the yard, a high caliber bullet from the watchtower guard brought her down to one knee. She got back to her feet less than a minute after the initial hit. The same guard fired several of the same rounds into her proving ineffective. She then picked up and launched a police car with relative ease taking out the watchtower. She then ran the length of the yard, which is almost half the length of a football field in less than ten seconds before smashing through a concrete and stone security wall where she is now on the run. It is believed that the subject has been infected by the Evo Virus…”

“How do you know it was the virus…?” the first man known as #1 asked.

“Because we were able to test the sample of blood we acquired after she was “shot to death” inside of the prison,” the Director returned with stone cold irritation, “Please do not interrupt me again unless it’s with an intelligent question. Now as you can see based on the footage, subject displays the following superhuman abilities…strength allowing her to lift possibly several tons; smash through solid concrete and rip through pure steel with considerable easy, durability; she’s impervious to armor piercing rounds, all forms of blunt force injuries and falls that may prove fatal. Superhuman speed…top speed however is unknown to us. She also possesses regenerative healing which we believe not only heals her from wounds but gives her new abilities so that she cannot be injured the same way again. This ability seems to vary in recovery time depending on the injury. Prison records reveal before her “execution” her original height of five foot six inches, weighing in at one hundred and twenty-five pounds; however, the footage we have acquired suggests an alteration to her current physiology. We estimate her to be almost six feet tall with a weight of several hundred pounds.”

The screen appeared to break up to smaller screens showing footage of Sophia either smashing through brick walls, or ripping off steel doors while correctional officers and SWAT fire round after round into her from various firearms, which prove completely ineffective in bringing her down. One footage was outside the courtyard which showed the side of the eighth floor exploding open as Sophia holding a correctional officer with a missing arm comes crashing down into a squad car almost creating a crater. She crawled out of the wreckage only to go down to one knee from what appeared to be a high caliber bullet. She rose again as similar rounds fired at her now bounce off her.

She then grabbed a sheriff’s Dodge Charger squad car lifting it clumsily from the back end and launched it like a shot-put taking out the watchtower as the security guard stationed there jumped to safety to avoid the hit; the four individuals look at each other visibly concerned about how they’re supposed to deal with such an individual.

“One more thing…almost four and a half years ago,” the Director remembered, “You all murdered her husband and framed her for it.”

Normally that would be something that would not bother a couple of highly trained killers, if their target were a normal target.

“Well…that’s good to know…,” said the man known as #4 with a sarcastic laugh.

“So now that you’ve dropped the mother of nukes on us,” asked #1, “How do you expect us to kill her?”

“I don’t expect you to kill her,” answered the Director, “I expect you to bring her in.”

It was as if someone sucked the wind of the room, #3 let out a nervous laugh as she played with her long hair while picking at her boot with her knife. #4 puts his head down stroking his fire red beard, #2 just stared at the Director through dark shades that he has no business having on in such a dark room. #1 does not even look at the Director at this point as he flipped through Sophia’s profile on his tablet. #4 finally decided to raise his hand flailing it around as if he were in elementary school.

The Director finally recognized him, “What is it?”

“Just curious sir,” #4 innocently asked, “Us and what friggin army is supposed to bring in the bitch of steel carrying the mother of all grudges against us?”

Director Rosen removed his glasses, and came off his podium to stand in front of #4. He looked down at him as if he were an ant he was about to step on, “My apologies…I’ve seem to have given off the impression that you all had either an opinion or choice in this matter. Do you need re-education?”