The Island Project: A Thriller (20 page)

CHAPTER 49

CERTA FACILITY, SOUTH HALL

16 OCTOBER, 7:35 A.M.

Danner had about a thirty-second head start. He had duped the robots into looking away and used the opportunity to slip through the hallway door unnoticed. His petty trick had worked, however he knew the juggernauts wouldn’t fall for it again. Braden had likely altered that command on the spot, right after it had happened. Now Danner found himself sprinting down the long hallway, which led to the lab.

The morning light outside filtered in through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows lining the corridor. Thirty seconds wasn’t enough to get him far. Danner needed to find a way to lose the juggernauts immediately. He looked along the wall and his eyes eventually rested on a red fire extinguisher.

Here they come.

He heard a scurrying down the hall behind him…the juggernauts had exited through the door and were in quick pursuit. Danner ripped the fire extinguisher off the wall and slammed it against the window. The glass bowed and rippled slightly from the blow, but stayed in tact. Danner struck again—this time producing a round fractured web in the glass the size of a baseball. The third strike sent the sheet of glass exploding outward. Danner jumped back and shielded his face as the large pieces showered down, cascading over the side of the building and embedded in the soft ground below. The glass shrapnel protruded up from the ground like razor-sharp spikes.

The juggernauts were closing in. Danner tucked the machete through the back of his belt, then he reached out and grabbed ahold of the massive pillar jutting out from the face of the building. He was able to swing his body around the large pillar just as the juggernauts reached the opening in the glass. They skidded to a halt just shy of the edge.

Danner knew they wouldn’t be able to follow him outside. They weren’t capable of enduring a vertical ascent such as this, even with their exceptional traversal skills.

He reached out his leg and secured his footing on a chunk of limestone rubble. Although he was hanging off of a sheer glass wall, the pitch on the front of the building was 70 degrees—not a completely vertical climb. The large Greek pillars and exposed rubble along the way allowed for hand and footholds too. Danner was grateful for the holds at the moment but usually scoffed at the sight of the bizarre architectural embellishments.

They were the result of Dr. Perry’s strange obsession with the “golden age” of Greek culture. He was infatuated with the ancient empire and obsessed over it. He never missed an opportunity to quote Socrates, Plato or his favorite—Aristotle. Danner himself wasn’t well-versed in Greek culture, but he had heard enough quotes to acquaint himself quite well with the philosophical trinity. Perry never ceased to follow up a quote with the name of its author—as if he were quoting chapter and verse from the Bible.

His persistent quotes stuck in Danner’s mind.

The energy of the mind is the essence of life.

He thought of another.
No excellent soul is exempt from a mixture of madness.

Danner laughed internally as the latter words took on an entirely different meaning based on the situation he was now in.

Danner ascended the ruins carefully. He was battling extreme exhaustion, but somehow he managed to place one hand above the other and use his leg muscles to keep climbing. Danner knew how to dig deep. His time in Delta put him in situations where he had to reach deep down into the depths of his very being to survive. Delta training allowed him to operate efficiently on very little food and sleep. Right now, he had had neither in over 48 hours.

He secured his footing on a spear protruding out from the hands of a Greek soldier. The soldier’s eyes were intricately detailed, capturing the fierce, primal nature of battle. The positioning of the soldier showed that it was in mid throw. Danner used the soldier’s face as a foothold and grabbed a hold of the pillars lining the peak of the façade. With one final push, he reached the roof of the building.

He pulled himself up and looked around.

From on top the helicopter landing pad, Dr. Perry was locked on Danner.

Eyeing him like prey.

CHAPTER 50

CERTA GROUNDS, ALPHA SECTOR

16 OCTOBER, 7:45 A.M.

Bennett watched as the bizarre events unfold before him. He needed to act quickly, but he felt half entranced with the juggernaut’s actions. He watched as Kelly tried to push herself up—only to be shoved down by the robots balled foot.

Move it Tom! Kelly needs you.

Bennett shifted into gear. He reached out and retrieved the shotgun from a few feet away. Bennett raised the shotgun and aimed while the robot produced the needle from its mouth.

Don’t shoot, Tom.

You’ll hit Kelly.

Bennett knew it was useless. The shotgun would blow a hole in both of them from here. He didn’t have the option of an accurate weapon at the moment. He needed a precise shot. The blast from the shotgun was like using a flamethrower to light a birthday cake.

He acted instinctively—without thought.

Bennett threw the shotgun to the ground and charged the juggernaut. The robot snapped his head in Bennett’s direction and saw him approaching. Then in one smooth, precise action—it injected the needle into the back of Kelly’s neck, just below her hairline.

“Nooo!”
Bennett bellowed in protest as he barreled toward the robot. The needle had entered Kelly’s body for a mere fraction of a second before Bennett wrapped his arms around the juggernaut’s frame and ripped it away. He rolled over the top of it, grabbed ahold, and threw it off—as a lineman would take down a receiver. The juggernaut crashed through the trees and met hard with the jagged lava rock on the bed below.

Bennett immediately looked down at Kelly to see if she was ok. She was flaccid. Her eyes were shut and her body was slumped onto the path.

Kelly needed his help. But first he needed to shut down the robot.

Bennett ran over and grabbed the shotgun. Then he ran back and placed himself between Kelly and the robot. The juggernaut had righted itself and spun around. It shot off the line like a greyhound at a race—straight at Bennett. Bennett crouched and steadied the shotgun. He fired off a round, which the juggernaut sidestepped and avoided like it was steering around a pothole in the road. Another blast split through the air, hitting the juggernaut in the breastplate and causing it to trip up briefly, but continue on.

It was still coming.

Bennett knew he had to wait until it was close. Only a shot from close range would do any considerable damage. He had no idea what part of the robot to aim for.

There had to be an area of weakness…

He decided he would shoot for the undercarriage. It was the only place he hadn’t landed a shot yet. Unfortunately, it would also be the hardest shot to place.

The juggernaut raced forward, covering ground in blazing speed. Bennett could hardly keep it in his sights. He would wait for the robot to jump—then look for a clean shot.

But the moment never came. It rushed at him with intent to smash through him. Bennett couldn’t wait. He fired.

Headshot.

Lead pellets hammered into the strong head casing, splaying the metal sharply outward.

It kept coming.

Bennett cocked the gun again and heard the sound of an empty chamber…seven shots.

No more.

He was out of ammo.

It was too late. The juggernaut closed in. Its head lowered, leading its assault with the shards of shrapnel protruding from its head.

Bennett braced for impact by ducking down and covering Kelly’s body like a human shield. He held her tight.

Suddenly a jeep roared out of the trees and broadsided the juggernaut slamming into its right side and sending it sprawling back into the bed of lava rock. The massive blow split the side of the robot open sending its life unit flying through the air before it dashed to pieces in the rock bed.

The robot was obliterated.

Detective Lee brought the Jeep to a halt just inches from where Bennett was crouched down. Lee hopped out and drew his gun.  He assessed the form of the robot, finding it inactive and no longer a threat.

Bennett bent down and cradled Kelly in his arms. He checked her pulse.

“Is she ok?” Lee asked.

Bennett looked inquisitively at the man before him. “Who are you?” he asked.

Lee flashed his badge to Bennett.

“She’s alive, but she needs a hospital,” Bennett said.

“The ranger station’s not far from here. Lift her into the jeep and I’ll take you there,” Lee said.

Bennett hoisted Kelly’s body into the back of the jeep. He crawled in back with her, cradling her body. Lee started up the jeep and set off down the path.

“Do me a favor and keep a lookout for more of those things,” Lee yelled back to Bennett.

Bennett nodded. However, he found it impossible to focus on anything else but Kelly right now. She was losing color. Her lips were a shade of light purple and her skin was pale. Her breath was also short, her chest barely moving up and down. Bennett felt Kelly’s phone vibrating in her pocket. He pulled it out—it was Kam. Bennett answered the phone.

“Kam?”

“Mr. Bennett, I have good news,” he said.

Bennett sighed. “Good. I could use it.”

CHAPTER 51

CERTA FACILITY ROOFTOP

16 OCTOBER, 8:00 A.M.

Perry held a pistol in his left hand. Danner couldn’t make out the caliber from where he was standing, but it appeared to be a .22 cal. It was an interesting choice considering the .22 wasn’t the deadliest of weapons. Sure, it was lethal, but it typically required multiple rounds to take down a human.

Danner couldn’t help but credit the choice to Perry’s background. Possibly the influence of British cinema? 007 used a .22…maybe it’s an English thing. Considering Danner was armed only with a blade—Perry still had the upper hand.

Danner approached cautiously, keen to keep outside of Perry’s range.

“There’s no way out from here. Your chopper’s destroyed,” Danner said. Delivering the information as if Perry had already lost. He was moving to a psychological “high ground”.

“A true travesty. That bird was dearly close to me,” Perry said and looked in the direction the helicopter had fallen.

Perry stood at the top of the helipad. His gun hung loosely from his left hand. The heavy rain had returned and was beating down upon the roof in a rhythmic patter. Danner moved along the base of the stairs, his machete still tucked securely in his belt behind him. He walked to the front of the stairs, which led up to the helipad.

“I trusted you. You know that? Everything you were doing here…I knew you were working outside of the parameters that the Defense Department had set, but I never said a thing. I even covered for you. And now this?” Danner shook his head.

“Rick, I feel I need to be frank with you,” Perry said rubbing the stubble around his chin. He stood upright as if he was ready to deliver a speech. “I know you’ve always stood by me. I think you should know, however, that I’ve been aware of Braden’s actions for quite some time. In fact, I’ve encouraged him to push his testing into precarious territory.” Perry stopped and looked at Danner over the top of his horn-rimmed frames.

“You see Rick, I’m not going to be around forever. As innovative as my attempts at life extension are, they are still just beyond my reach.”

He paused a moment and let out a heavy sigh. “I’m getting…
old
.” He sounded pained, as if talking about his age actually sped up the aging process.

“But I’ll be damned if I don’t see this project through to the end. I’ve invested too much into it and there are too many skeptics doubting me…attempting to infect their pessimism into everything I do. I won’t have it.”

He stuck his chin out, firmly.

“Now I’ll admit that I’ve kept certain information obscured. I have concealed the actual progress of the juggernauts from some.” His eyes widened. “I
had
to. There’s no way we would’ve gotten this far keeping within the absurd guide rails the Defense put in place. They were
outrageous
! Suffocating any degree of scientific progress!”

Perry’s voice rose over the sound of the rain. Danner was working his way forward. He had climbed the bottom two stairs and was inconspicuously making his way forward.

“You had to have known it would come to this. Braden’s completely lost it. Whatever he’s done to hotwire his brain has destroyed any degree of human empathy. He’s a psychopath and he’s killing people like they’re…
lab mice
,” Danner yelled.

“I’ll deal with Braden. He’s still part of my plan—my
link
to them as I calibrate the program.”

Danner continued forward. “Aren’t you concerned that Braden will take control of the project? Given his abilities, he could easily steer this in his favor. He’s got…absolute control over those things.”

“That’s not the issue here, Rick. Braden’s job is to communicate with the juggernauts, and I control Braden. You don’t think I would have developed Mindgate if I couldn’t gain control of the host at leisure, do you?”

“You’ve got the shot?” Danner asked.

“
I invented it,
of course I’ve bloody got it
,” Perry spat angrily. “I can tap into any door in MindGate at any time,” he said defiantly.

“Call it my
skeleton key
,” Perry said in a low graveled tone. “Braden was supposed to keep things under control—but he failed. As a result, a juggernaut stopped taking orders and began operating independently. Furthermore, a civilian died, which escalated the need to capture and retrieve it. So I had to come in and take control of the mess.”

“And that’s why you involved me?” Danner asked.

“It’s simple. We needed
somebody
to find Lorry. You were the only one who could do that effectively, and quietly,” said Perry.

“So you were planning on using me to get the robot back, and then you were going to kill me to tie up the loose ends,” Danner growled.

Perry didn’t answer. He just looked out over the forest around them.

The rain slowed.

“You did your part quite well. Unfortunately, my boy, certain things become necessary when you’re dealing with discoveries that will revolutionize the future. And as much as I’d prefer otherwise, I sense the feeling…that you’re not going to keep this between us.” Perry slowly raised the gun and fixed it on Danner. “You know I can’t have you alive now that you have knowledge of this.”

Danner had moved forward to within ten feet of Perry. He was now fully within a kill zone of Perry’s handgun. Danner’s intent was to move within striking distance—and use his machete for a kill. He knew Perry would pull the trigger. Danner knew he would kill him. But if he could just get within striking distance, his percentage of survival went up.

Just a little closer.

“What do you want from me? You want me to beg for my life now?” Danner said. He took a knee, kneeling down in front of Perry and inching in closer.

Dr. Perry was taken back. “
Good god
,
Rick
. Don’t be a coward. Stand up like a man,” he said disgusted.

Danner had closed to within eight feet of Perry. He knew that he would take a bullet or two if he attacked now, but he was out of options.

It was now or never.

Danner reached back and drew the machete from his belt. He held it away from his body and immediately tucked into a forward roll. He knew if he could protect his vital organs, and take the bullets elsewhere, he may be able to survive for a counter-attack.

He dove at a 45-degree angle, attempting to make himself a leaner, more awkward target.

The blast rang out.

Danner felt the burn of the slug enter his left shoulder, but he continued rolling.

Another shot rang, from extremely close range. It was deafeningly close. This time it hit soft tissue, embedding in his flesh—sending a sharp fire through his lower back.

Keep going…

Now.

Danner was within reach. Perry stepped backward, only able to get the two shots off before Danner was within striking distance. Coming out of the roll, Danner got to his feet and swung the machete through the air. His strike was swift, holding the blade like a samurai warrior—with two hands evenly apart. The blade sliced through the air, splitting the raindrops. The path of the blade sustained in the air far too long…never actually connecting.

Instead, Danner found himself turned halfway around—exposing the right side of his body completely.

He had missed somehow…a critical mistake.

Another gunshot blast sounded just inches away from his right ear. Danner waited for the slug to enter his skull, but it never came.

Perry had missed too.
He was off balance and his shot hadn’t met its target.

Danner seized the opportunity to bring his elbow up into Perry’s left hand, knocking the gun free and sending it toppling over the side of the helipad.

Perry was stunned, but moved in quick, throwing a right hook and connecting with Danner’s jaw.

CRAAACK!

Stars.

Danner couldn’t see for a moment, everything went black.

Dr. Perry had landed an explosive blow to the right side of his face. The pain was excruciating…and Danner’s vision was blurry.

What the hell? How could an old man hit like that?

Danner couldn’t believe the blow that Perry had just delivered. He couldn’t recall ever being slugged that hard before, and Danner had been in his share of fistfights. He felt like he had been hit with a Louisville Slugger. His mind was sending alarms through his nervous system, urging it to go into defensive mode—which meant possibly sending him into a seizure. Danner held off the warnings and attempted to focus and regain his bearings. The pain inflicted by the bullet wounds was getting stronger. Before he could shake it off, Perry landed another blow to his left temple.

This time Danner was knocked to the ground. The machete fell from his hands, splashing in a pool of rainwater.

“It’s a shame, Rick. Being beaten by an old man. I suppose I do have an unfair advantage…” Perry seethed.

His words were warbled. Danner couldn’t make out anything Perry was saying. The receptors in his left ear had been severely damaged from the gunshot and the second blow had caused all audio sensory to become muffled—like his ears were filled with water.

Danner could feel the warm blood soaking the clothing around his bullet wounds. The rain continued to fall, dripping over Danner’s battered frame.

“Goodbye, Rick.”

Suddenly Danner’s aural sensory returned. All at once—like a swelling wave, the hearing returned in his right ear and Danner heard Perry’s farewell…

Not yet,
he thought.

Danner reached out and grabbed the machete from off the ground. He screamed out with a warrior’s cry as he rose to his feet. Then Danner swung the blade down swiftly on Perry.

SSSHHHWOOOSSSHHH…

It was a fatal slice.

Perry yelled loudly in protest and threw his arms up to protect himself. The blade connected with both of his forearms. It was a quick blow, and it connected hard…surprisingly hard. Instead of cutting clearly through, the angle of impact caused the blade to slice down both forearms, peeling back a layer of skin with it. Perry again screamed out loudly in pain. The blow knocked Perry back onto the wet ground. He lay there in the rain with his arms extended out for protection.

Danner stared down—astonished. He nearly dropped the blade. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Light reflected and bounced off metal sheets inside Perry’s arms. The peeled back skin revealed a layer of carbon nanotube honeycomb sheeting that ran along the exposed area—where flesh should be. His entire arms—both of them, were prosthetic weapons.

Perry had enhanced himself.

“People have been trying to defeat me for years,” Perry said and picked himself up off the ground. “But I’m a fighter, Rick.
I myself, adapt.
I myself evolve…”

Danner’s head was spinning. He knew he was losing blood quickly. He began to feel the strength draining from his limbs. It was difficult to stand and he felt as if his legs were going to give out.

Perry looked wide-eyed at his own arms, as if fascinated by them. He opened and closed his hands, watching the internal mechanisms spin and turn. His eyes were fixed open in intrigue. “Impressive, isn’t it? It was my choice to do this to myself. When parts of my body chose to fail me, I enhanced them. The only way to truly know the effectiveness of your science is to integrate it into your very being,” Perry said sounding exhilarated and very much like a madman.

A noise came from behind them—the opening or closing of a door. Danner looked back to see two juggernauts racing up the steps toward him. Kenneth Braden was following close behind. Danner turned back around. The rain streamed down his face as he stared at Perry. His consciousness was slowly slipping away…the veil dropping…

Danner knew this was it.

He was dying.

The juggernauts were now just a few feet behind him. He could sense them close. Danner breathed in deep and charged forward at Perry. He grabbed a hold of him just as the juggernaut collided into them. The impact from the robot lifted them off the edge of the helipad and into the air. In a split second they were in a free fall, plummeting down toward the ground.