Abomination (33 page)

“They definitely heard that,” said Steve.

“On me,” ordered Ryan as he made entry into the lab.

With his weapon already sighted on one of the two
standing guards, Ryan ordered them to drop their guns. The two men spun around
with panicked eyes. Ryan instantly knew they weren’t going to follow his
commands. He squeezed the trigger and the first round found its mark, snapping
the guard’s head back. The second guard managed to find cover when Steve’s
first round only grazed his shoulder. The lab erupted in gunfire.

One of the guards taken down by the door recovered to
his knees and began firing wildly in Ryan’s direction. Alpha Team dove for
cover as the rounds peppered the wall behind them. The gunfight ended quickly
as Derek calmly came up behind each guard and killed them at close range. Each
man on the assault team, including Steve, jumped to his feet, but none of them lowered
their weapons. From his cover position, Ryan could only see their shocked
faces. He slowly rose and made eye contact with what was not allowing Steve or
his men to stand down. It was the first time any of them had witnessed the
transformation.

Breathing heavily, Derek stood alone in the doorway with
the security guard’s blood dripping from his elongated fingers. He didn’t say a
word as he turned his attention toward Alex lying a few feet away, broken and
bleeding. Ryan walked slowly toward Derek, who was looking down at his former
friend.

“How could you kill them?” asked Derek with blue veins
bulging through his pale face. “Did you know they were going to do the same
thing to you that they did to us? Peter and Richard were just scared and
running for their lives.”

“They were rapists and murderers” wheezed Alex. “Just
like you.”

“Joshua was the only one raping,” said Derek. “But
you’re right, we did kill them. Not that it matters now, but they did this to
us. They made us kill and we couldn’t stop ourselves. But you killed because
you were following orders. The same man who did this to us turned you into a
murderer as well. The difference is, you killed your brothers.”

“You’re not my brother, Derek. You’re a fucking
abomination. You all are. You’re all going to burn in hell.”

“Right again, Alex, but I’ll be sending you first.”

Derek raised his hand high above his head and drove each
razor sharp claw into Alex’s throat. With his other hand, he punched deep into
his chest, forcing out his last breath. When Alex stopped moving, Derek picked
up his body and started walking towards the Colonel’s office. Ryan and Steve
quietly followed.

Before he entered the lab, Derek directed the three men
on his assault team to secure the Colonel’s office and quarters. The door was
unlocked and the Colonel was sitting at his desk adorned in his Marine dress
uniform. When the men entered, he stood slowly and handed over his service
pistol without firing a shot.

Derek coolly walked past his team and dropped Alex’s
body on Colonel Brown’s desk. “One more for your collection,” said Derek as the
Colonel took a step backwards.

“They really fucked you poor bastards up, didn’t they?”
said Colonel Brown, cocking his head and staring at Derek’s mutated face. “They
said it was impossible, but here you are standing in front of me exactly how
they wanted to build you. Fascinating.”

“And who would ‘they’ be?” asked Ryan, walking in the
room with Steve and Dallas.

“Ah, Agent Pearson,” said Colonel Brown with a smile,
“The gang’s all here.”

“Answer my question, Colonel.”

“They would be the young men cowering in one of the
rooms you passed getting to me. Those are the ones responsible for Derek’s
condition.”

“Dallas.”

“I’m on it, Boss,” responded Dallas, leaving the room to
find the scientists.

“And you must be Steve,” said Colonel Brown.

“I am. I want to thank you for the opportunity to kill
those sorry assholes who jumped my men. I enjoyed it thoroughly.”

“I take it you’re the one who turned Paul against me.”

“I had a little something to do with it,” said Steve.
“Kind of sucks not knowing who to trust, doesn’t it?”

“Oh, I never trusted him. I actually thought you’d kill
him and the others before you got to me. The fact that he survived is of no
consequence. It’s all been factored in the final solution.”

“The final solution?” asked Ryan.

“Oh, yes, Agent Pearson. Do you think I’d leave myself
without options?”

“From where I’m standing, I don’t see any.”

“On the contrary, there’s always an option. And if you
take a moment to think about what I’m going to tell you, you’ll understand my
option will be the only one for you as well.”

“Humor me,” said Ryan.

“You see this sorry pile on my desk that used to be
Alex? Well, he’s the one responsible for killing Peter and Richard and trying
to kill Joshua and Derek. When he found out his brother Marines turned into
serial killers, he saw no other course but to defend the honor of the Corps and
try to salvage all the hard work conducted here at the lab. While under no
direction from me, he ran a side operation shadowing your agents. When you
caught up with Peter and Richard, he simply moved ahead of you and killed them.
He also came in behind you and contaminated all the evidence linking them to
the Didache Project.”

“So, your plan is to frame Alex for all the people you
wanted dead,” said Ryan.

“The deaths were senseless. But in Alex’s deranged and
altered mind, he viewed them as a threat to Didache. Just as he viewed you and
your team as a threat.”

“That’s your story?” asked Ryan. “Alex is responsible
for everything?”

“He is,” said Colonel Brown, handing Ryan a folder. “I
finally broke through to him yesterday. He volunteered to sit down and produce
a sworn statement documenting every step he took since Derek and the other
three went UA. He showed a great deal of remorse and was contemplating turning
himself in to the oversight committee. The same oversight committee and federal
law enforcement officials who received my report yesterday. But it seems he
changed his mind and tried to kill Derek and your team.”

“You’re a very sick man,” said Ryan, reading the fake
documents handed to him by the Colonel.

“Really?” said Colonel Brown. “Well, then you won’t mind
showing me the warrants. The warrants giving you authority to trespass on
private property, kill my men, and arrest me. If you don’t possess any
warrants, then killing my men becomes premeditated murder. And I know you don’t
have them because Deputy Director Donaldson, your boss and my longtime friend,
didn’t authorize any. Now, once again, you need to pay attention to what I’m
offering.

“Alex takes the fall for the killings. He resisted
arrest and was subsequently gunned down by your team which arrived after my
call for help. You see, I had no idea he was out there trying to cover up the
mistakes made by the project scientists.”

“And what happens if I don’t agree to jump in bed with
you?” asked Ryan.

“The other FBI team arriving here shortly, sent by your
boss after my request, will be arresting you and your men. I’ll still be
submitting Alex’s confession to the committee and walking away with a slap on
the wrist. The reality is, they’ll probably shut down the Didache Project for a
few months while they conduct an investigation. And when they find it was a
horrible series of uncontrollable mistakes made criminal by your actions, I’ll
be back at the helm before the end of the year.”

“What fucking planet are you on?” asked Ryan. “Didache
is finished. Even if you manage to separate yourself from Alex, when what you
did to Derek and the other three Marines go public, the doors on this place
won’t be opening again.”

“God, you are naïve, Agent Pearson,” said Colonel Brown.
“The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars backing the Didache Project.
Do you really think they’re just going to close the doors because of one
mistake? Do you really think, because a few people died while I created the
perfect weapon against terrorism, they’ll simply throw it away? If you do, then
feel free to arrest me. I’ll come peacefully. And before the ink dries on your
paperwork, your own boss will set me free and throw your irritating carcass
under the fucking jail.”

“You arrogant prick,” said Ryan. “One of those people
who died was named Kristina Anderson. She was a sweet, intelligent, beautiful
woman who didn’t deserve to die on a cold bathroom floor with a bullet in her
head. But you decided the Didache Project was more important than her life.
That’s where you fucked up, Chief.”

“Enough of your dribble, Agent Pearson,” said Colonel
Brown, defiant. “Read me my rights so we can get this over with. I have a ten
o’clock tee time with the Lieutenant Governor tomorrow, and I won’t be missing
it.”

“God, you are naïve, Colonel,” said Ryan. “You actually
think I’m here to arrest you.”

Dallas pushed the three young scientists to the floor
when he heard the single gunshot from the Colonel’s office. He drew his weapon
and rushed through the doorway. He lowered his gun when he saw Colonel Brown
leaning back in his chair with a large hole still smoking in the middle of his
forehead.

Dallas stood silently behind Ryan. Derek moved into a
corner of the office as his claws and fangs painfully retracted into his body.
Steve walked past everyone and moved out into the hallway to check on his men.
The death of Alex and Colonel Brown signified the death of the Didache Project.

Ryan wasn’t thinking about the consequences of his
actions. He was thinking about Kristina. For a brief moment, he wondered if she
would have been disappointed in him. He wondered if she would understand his
solution. Colonel Brown was an evil, manipulative, and extremely dangerous
fanatic who needed to be removed from the planet. He felt there were no other
choices.

“You okay, Boss?” asked Dallas, not sure what to say.

“I am. You?”

“Yeah. Listen, don’t go second-guessing yourself on this
one. He had it coming. Nothing will convince me otherwise. I just wish you
would’ve let someone else do it.”

“Did you find the three super geeks?” asked Ryan,
quickly changing the subject.

“Yeah, they’re shitting themselves in the hallway.”

“We don’t have time to talk to them here. This place is
going to be crawling with feds shortly, and we still have some work to do. Have
them grab up every file and piece of paper relating to Didache. Let them know
they’re in the middle of a shit storm, and if they hold anything back, I’ll
pull their fingernails off.”

“Sure thing,” said Dallas with a smile.

“Steve,” said Ryan, getting his attention.

“Make it happen,” said Steve into his cell phone and
then ending the call. “I take it we’re not sticking around?”

“No. Is anybody hurt?”

“Nope, my guys are good.”

“We have about five minutes to get what we need and get
out of here. Are the planes ready?” asked Ryan.

“Yeah, just called the pilots. Both aircraft are fueled
and waiting by the hangar. This may be an odd question, but where are we
going?”

“I’m taking Dallas, Derek, and the scientists back to
Atlanta. You and your men are going home. I don’t know how long I can keep my
boss chasing his tail. Eventually, you may be getting a knock on your door, so
go home and be with your family until then.”

“You did the right thing, Ryan,” said Steve, putting a
hand on his shoulder. “Just so you know, if you hadn’t shot that animal, I
would’ve.”

“If you’re worried about me losing sleep, don’t,” said
Ryan. “But this isn’t over until I deal with the deputy director.”

“Whoa, partner, taking out the Colonel is one thing. You’re
not thinking about –”

“No, Steve, I’m not going to kill him. What I am going
to do is make sure everyone knows he’s a rat. Ruining him will be enough for me.”

            Dallas and the three motivated scientists
worked feverishly to collect as much data as possible. Ryan thanked Paul and
the rest of Red Team for playing possum during the assault. He reminded Paul he
needed to find another line of work. He agreed.

They left the Michael’s Lab shortly before a convoy of
federal vehicles descended like locusts. The chaos of the scene would keep them
busy long enough for Ryan to initiate the final phase of his plan. The phase
unknown to everyone except Ryan.

With everyone safely on board the aircraft, Ryan and
Steve parted with a handshake. He and his team were heading home to New Orleans. Ryan and his group were going back to Atlanta. He boarded the plane and sat
quietly as the aircraft lifted and reached cruising altitude. He unbuckled and
walked back to where the newest members of the team were sitting. When they saw
Ryan approach, each sat up in his seat with wide eyes and increased heart rate.
When Derek approached, Ryan noticed they all held their breath.

“My name is Ryan Pearson. I’m a special agent with FBI,”
he said, producing his credentials.

“I take it you know who this is,” said Ryan, looking at Derek.
“And you three are the microbiologists assigned to the Didache Project. I know
the names Jeff, Stewart, and Randy from conversations with Dr. Kristina
Anderson. Are the names correct?”

“Yes, sir,” said Jeff. “And we do know Derek. We know
him very well.”

“He wants to kill us,” said Randy.

“He did,” said Ryan. “And I don’t blame him. But he’s
not going to hurt you. Well, not unless you withhold any information from me.
At that point, I won’t be able to guarantee your safety. Do you understand?”

“Absolutely,” said Jeff. “We’ll tell you anything you
want to know. I just want this to be over with.”

“We have that in common, Jeff,” said Ryan. “And it will
be for you as soon as you answer my questions.”