Anamnesis ©
Chapter Nine
By Fiction Writer #13
( nosex, sci-fi, horror, paranormal, exhib)

"What about the two down there?" Richardson pointed in the direction of the cave entrance.

"No longer a problem." Jon wiped red-orange grime from his forehead, making it the cleanest part of his entire body. "My problem lies with the two I left behind to guard Aurora."

Richardson scratched at his two-day growth of a beard. "Rico and Stewart are still in Alice Springs.  I could have them..."

"I can't ask you to do anything more," Jon interrupted. "I'm no longer in command of this unit, or any unit for that matter.  Broddick and the Council have put me out, and trust me, you don't want your name to be on that shit list with mine."

Richardson laughed a deep belly laugh. "A little late for that speech, Jon.  Take a look around, we're already on it."

Jon spun around to take in the damage.  Very little remained of what had been an operational field camp less than ten minutes earlier.

"I should have done this alone.  I'm sorry for dragging you guys into this just to save my butt."

Willis punched Jon in the shoulder, a little harder than he intended to.

"Get over yourself before we all get sick.  Our asses were on the line the minute you brought those motherfuckers here.  As soon as you went off into that hole, they made it perfectly clear that you were no longer in charge and that our lives weren't that important.

"They were waiting for you to go down.  As soon as radio contact went dark, one of the two you left with Aurora showed up in a Panther transport loaded with weapons.  When we asked what was up, they informed us that we had two choices, do as we're told or..."

"Or get our asses terminated," Richardson finished with a growl. "Who the fuck were those guys anyway?"

Jon thought for a moment. 'No sense in lying now.  They're as deep in the shit as I am.'

"Super-soldiers, like me."

Jon watched as the gathered men exchanged some knowing glances among themselves.

"Son of a bitch." Jimmy kicked the dusty ground. "I don't believe it."

Richardson and Willis both began to laugh and were soon joined by all the others except for Jon and Jim.

"We tried to tell ya." Burke, a redheaded barrel of a man, stepped up and held out his hand to Jimmy, palm up. "Pay up, little man."

Jim dug into his pants pocket and pulled out a wad of money.  Carefully he extracted a twenty dollar US bill and placed it into Burke's palm. "It just sounded so... so fake!"

Richardson was next to receive money, followed by Willis, Russo, Qian, Guzman, Pritchard, Ellis, Boulanger, and finally Wolfgang, a tall lanky guy who smiled broadly as the bill was laid in his hand.

"Danke."

A little confused, Jon spoke up. "Am I missing something?"

"Newbie didn't believe us when we told 'em 'bout you," Guzman answered as he stuffed his newly acquired cash into a pocket. "Said there was no such thing as super soldiers.  Easy money."

"You're some sneaky sons of bitches.  How long have you known?"

"Going on four years, I guess." Qian pulled off a sweat soaked bandanna and ran her fingers through short-cropped black hair. "It wasn't easy, there isn't much background info about you in the system, but there was enough for us to work with."

"Rule number two of the Jonathan Reynolds guide to keeping your hide intact, and I quote..." Russo puffed out his chest and spoke with a commanding voice. "Always know as much as you can about the dumb ass giv'n the orders.  Figure out how they think, anticipate their next order before they give them, and be ready to step up if they should fall."

Everyone gave a slight chuckle at Russo's dead on impression, even Jon.

"Guess I trained you lot a bit too well."

"Good thing for you that you did mate, " Pritchard remarked as he laid out the weapons he had gathered from the fallen men. "Those pricks came prepared to rain bloody hell down on you.  If we hadn't been lurking around instead of following their asinine orders, I doubt you would have gotten out of this scrap."

Jon gazed at the small arsenal laid out before him. "I had things under control."

His men groaned before calling out as one. "Bullshit!"

Smiling, John held up his hands in surrender. "All right, all right!  Don't get all riled up.  You guys saved my ass this time, but now you all need to make some big decisions.

"Since you helped me, the Council has all of you by the balls.  No offense Qian."

Qian shrugged. "None taken.  I've got bigger balls than any of these guys."

Everyone gave a good-hearted chuckle, but kept the retaliatory comments to themselves as Jon continued.

"You are all marked.  They won't allow you to just come back to the States and pick up where you left off.  They'll hunt you down one by one, wipe any trace of you off the map.  They have a strong influence with the armed forces, not just in the U.S., but around the world.  State and local police, the FBI, CIA, immigration, Homeland Security... you won't be able to walk down a street without looking over your shoulder.

"So here's your choice.  You can split up, go into hiding, disappear.  Find a deep dark hole, climb in and cover your head.  Stay out of sight, off the grid, and under the radar.  Or," Jon paused to look each of them in the eye, "you can come with me back to the States."

Ellis spoke up. "But you just said that we have no chance back in the States.  Why in the hell would we want to go there?"

"The little girl," Qian answered for Jon. "She's why, isn't she?"

"Yes." Once again Jon was a bit knocked off guard by her knowledge of what he thought was top secret. "But how did... ?"

"Unless all those teddy bears were for you," Qian smiled warmly, a rare crack in her tough facade, "then there is some little girl whom you care about very much.  Right?"

Jon returned her smile.

"Qian, I'm damn glad you're on my side."

"So who is she?" Boulanger asked. "This mystery girl?"

Jon dug around in his pockets, searching for something as he spoke. "You all remember our motto?"

"Si'," Guzman replied. "Illustro Creperum, to illuminate darkness."

"Well," Jon found what he was looking for; a tiny peanut shaped capsule, "she's the light that will defeat the darkness."

With a slight squeeze and a gentle shake, the two chemicals within the Burn-Bright mixed and began to react.  A soft glow soon emanated from the capsule, bathing the gathered group in white light.  The light intensified until Jon could no longer bear to be so close.  A hard toss sent the capsule flying, bringing the sunless daylight with it.  Soon the entire camp, what was left of it, crept out of the near pitch black night.

"I believe that the Council has lost its way, that they no longer hold the core beliefs of Project Phoenix as a priority.  The sovereignty of the United States, hell, the world, is in jeopardy and they're more concerned about keeping humanity pure than learning to work together with the Para-Bio's.

"I've sat back for these past few years, waiting for them to come to the same conclusions that I have, that many of us have come to, but it's like they see everything in black and white.  You are either human, or you are the enemy.  You either use technology, or you use magic.  You are good, or you are evil.  There is no in between, no gray area, no place for people like me, or Dr. Whelan, or all of you for that matter.  Hollister Broddick's influence has seen to that.  He's a cancer that has corrupted something that once was pure.

"I took a risk by having you learn how to use the Art, a risk that put me at odds with the Council, but one that I feel was worth it." Jon turned to find the youngest member of his squad. "Jimmy, you just used magic to win against a superior fighting force.  Do you feel evil?"

"Uh..." Jimmy looked nervous, as if the teacher had singled him out in the class to give an answer to a tough question. "No."

Jon faced the others. "Do any of you feel evil?"

With a sly smile, Burke started to raise his hand.

Guzman playfully shoved the bigger man. "Put your hand down pendejo.  He's talking about your soul, not your state of mind."

More chuckles erupted from the group, lightening the mood.  Even Jon smiled.

Ellis spoke up over the din. "This little girl, she's special?"

"Yes, but not just her.  There is a boy as well, her brother.  I've been charged with keeping them safe, to protect them from our enemies, from people like this piece of shit." Jon nudged the bound and unconscious soldier lying in the dirt with his foot. "The Council, thanks to Broddick's never ending campaign of fear, wants them dead or at least kept under lock and key.  They don't trust what they don't understand.  They've lost touch with reality."

"That's a pretty heavy charge to lay on Council, Jon," said Ellis quietly as he stared off into the dark distance.

"I don't make it lightly.  Since you all know what I am, then you probably know that I'm hardwired to follow the Council's orders without question, so long as they don't interfere with my primary order to protect the US at any cost.  Well, in order to protect the US, I must look for ways to protect the rest of the world, because evil knows no borders.  I can't sit back and allow the Council to squander an opportunity to save us all, just because they disagree with the manner in which salvation is being offered.  Fear of the unknown is not an excuse when the safety of all mankind is at stake."

Ellis squinted, staring hard into the black night. "These kids... are they worth taking on everything that we've been fighting for all these years?  Do you truly believe that they can... that they can stop Him?"

"Yes." Jon joined the man standing on the fringe of the group; one of the first Jon had personally sought out and recruited. "Yes, I do.  By protecting them, we will be protecting what we've been fighting for.  Our purpose won't change, just our affiliation."

"Then count me in."

After hearing Ellis answer the rest of them quickly made up their minds to follow suit.

Jon smiled to himself. "Good, I couldn't do this without all of you.  We have a lot to do and no time to do it.  First, I need to get to Alice Springs.  Those two civvies we pulled out of the temple know more than they let on.  They told me exactly where and how to find this thing without being obvious about it." He pulled the smooth black stone from his pocket. "I think they knew not to trust the other soldiers that came with me, and I think they know what I'm supposed to do with this thing now.

"What's the status of those Humvees?"

Pritchard wiped some grease from his hands into the front of his jeans. "Two of them are good to go, but the rest are bloody well shot."

Jon scratched his chin. "Right then.  Well split into two groups of seven."

"Sounds good to me, boss," Ellis took a step back and nodded toward something outside of camp. "But I think we need to take care of those first."

Jon whirled around to look in the direction that Ellis indicated.  At first he saw only darkness, but then his eyes adjusted. "Ah shit."

Just outside of camp, just beyond the light being put out by the Burn-Bright, dozens of red eyes reflected back at them, and they were moving closer.  As the range of the Burn-Bright's light diminished, the beasts crept in, staying just outside of the light.

"The light won't stop them for long, " Jon spoke calmly. "No sudden movements, everyone slowly pick up a weapon and head for the Humvees."

Richardson tapped Jon on the shoulder.

"Why not head for the cave?  We could bottle neck them, take em' out one at a time."

"No, they'll wait us out.  They'll wait until we have to come out for supplies, then they'll pick us off one at a time, not to mention the twenty scientists still working down below.  We have to leave, and hopefully they'll follow.  Same plan: two Humvees, six in each, Pritchard drives one and Willis the other.  Head for Alice Springs and don't stop."

"What about those guys?" Qian gestured toward the motionless super-soldiers who lay tied up face down on the orange soil. "Do we give a shit?"

Jon thought for a moment before answering, "No, we don't."

Jimmy jerked his head nervously as a low growl came from the darkness.  He whispered, "What are they?"

Jon passed him a sidearm. "Zyrogoth."

Still confused, Jimmy looked to the others for a clearer answer.

Guzman whispered to him, "Perros del Diablo."

Jimmy shook his head, still not understanding.

"Devil Dogs, Newbie.   Tough hombres.  Not good for us."

GRRRREEEEEEEE !

The high pitched cry split the night and caused the little hairs on the back of Jimmy's neck to stand on end.

When the song playing on the radio ended, a hyperactive female DJ's voice filled the car's speakers.

"Good Friday morning to all of you out there in the Highland listening area!   This is Kayleigh 'the Flame' Roberts on the number one station for all things rock, ninety-three point one W-A-Z-Z."

A pre-recorded chorus screams, "Whaazzzz Zup!"

"We've got another hot one brewing, so make sure you take it easy out there and drink plenty of fluids.  Temps are expected to climb into the upper nineties, and when you factor in the humidity it's going to feel more like one hundred and two.  This is especially true for those of you in the greater metro area, which will also have to contend with poor air quality.  Expect similar conditions this weekend as it looks like there won't be any relief until the end of next week when a cold front is expected to blow down out of Canada.

"After this morning's rush hour nightmare, traffic heading into the city has really lightened up, with only a minor back-up on the Jefferson over-pass, and a five mile gawker delay on the I-12 interchange as crews are still working to clear debris from that over-turned tractor trailer earlier this morning.

"Don't expect an easy drive home for tonight's rush hour.  We have three major events being hosted around town that are sure to bring the major roads to a stand still, as usual.

"Tonight at the ADS Sports Center, our very own Highland Lightning will be attempting to turn their seven game winning streak into eight against the Morrisville Bears.  They'll be giving out free baseball caps to the first thousand ticket holders, so get there early if you want one.

"For all you conspiracy and UFO nuts, myself included, tonight is the first night of a three day conference being held at the Highland Plaza South.  'Conspiracy, Lies, and Cover-ups: The Highland Connection' hopes to cut through the mysteries and find the truth of what's really going on around here.  You know what I'm talking about."

She laughs as an eerie sound effect from a nineteen fifties sci-fi movie plays in the background. "Hope to see you there!

"Last, but certainly not least, tonight, for one night only, live at the Dome... 'Terminal Distrust'!  I know a lot of you out there have been dying for these guys to make it out our way, and tonight you get your chance to see them perform live!  This looks to be the concert of the year to see, and it's been sold out for months, but if you are caller thirteen right now, I'll give you a pair of tickets.

"To start things off right, here's their latest hit single... 'Addiction'."

Before the guitars had a chance to hit the first power chord, Robbie turned the volume down and spun in his seat to check on his sister.

"How you feeling?"

Stephanie still lay curled up, but her color had returned. "Better.  The AC really helps.  Where's Greg?"

"He went inside to pay for the gas, should be back soon." Robbie looked out the window into the mini-mart attached to the gas station, but couldn't see Greg inside.

Steph stretched out on the backseat. "He's kinda cute, don't you think?"

"Hadn't really noticed." Rob turned back to her and found that her dress had ridden up, exposing the fact that she wasn't wearing panties.

"Christ Steph, put some underwear on."

"I don't like them, it's too hot."

"Well, that's too bad.  We're not at home anymore.  Things are different."

"What?  A girl can't feel the breeze every now and then?" She giggled and spread her thighs wider.

"What's wrong with you?  At least pull down your dress." Rob looked around to make sure no one else could see. "We don't want to draw attention."

"Fine," she huffed, tugging the hem back down. "If you must know, I did try to put on underwear last night, but it hurt too much."

Rob winced.

"Sorry, I didn't know.  But still, we can't act like we normally would.  People out here are different.  Brothers and sisters don't, well, you know.  And girls don't go around flashing their pussy."

"Some do."

"Yeah, the one's trying to get attention.  But that's the last thing we want to do.  We're running away, remember?  We stole a car, stole money?  Does any of that ring a bell?"

"God, chill out little bro.   I was just having some fun with you."

"I'm just saying we have to be careful."

"I know."

"We don't want to go back."

"I know."

"Cause mom and dad, they'd kill us..."

"I KNOW!" Steph sat up in her seat and turned to look out the window. "Jesus.  Just fucking drop it."

Silence filled the car, uncomfortable silence broken only by the drone of the air conditioner running at full blast.

Guilt finally got the better of Robbie. "I'm sorry, Steph.  I didn't mean to..."

"Forget it," she cut him off. "It's not a big deal.  Here comes Greg."

They watched as Greg came toward the car holding a large brown paper bag.  As the driver's side door opened, a blast of hot air struggled for dominance with the cool interior atmosphere.

"Sorry I took so long." Greg quickly got in and slammed the door shut. "It's hot as balls out there."

He glanced into the rear view mirror and smiled. "Good to see you're feeling better."

Steph didn't answer, but she did offer a small smile as a response.

Greg looked over at Rob then back to Steph. "Did I miss something, or are you two fighting again?"

Rob looked confused. "Again?"

Greg chuckled as he dug through the paper bag. "Yeah, you two were always at each other's throats over something.  Good to see that that hasn't changed at least."

He pulled out a plastic bottle filled with a yellow sports drink and handed it back to Steph. "They had your favorite, lemon ice."

Steph took the offered bottle with a "Thank you", but stared blankly at the unrecognized beverage.  Rather than comment, she opened the lid and took a swig. "Mmmm.  That is good."

Greg pulled a similar bottle from the bag, only this time the contents were red. "Sorry Rob, I didn't know what to get you."

"No problem." Rob took the drink. "Thanks."

Greg placed the bag on the floor of the back seat before pulling the car out of the lot. "Okay, let's get to my Uncle's place before this piece of junk over-heats.  Mind if I turn this back up?"

Without waiting for a response, his hand turned the volume knob on the radio.

"... congratulations to Bryn from Highland Heights.  She was our lucky thirteenth caller and scored herself a pair of tickets to tonights sold out concert featuring 'Terminal Distrust'.  We'll be giving out tickets all day, every hour, so keep your ears glued to Highland's only station for non-stop rock, ninety-three point one W-A-Z-Z.

"It's 10am on a sweltering Friday morning.  When we come back from a short commercial break I've got Green Day with their cover of 'Working Class Hero'.  This is Kayleigh 'the Flame' Roberts, burning up the air waves and bringing light to your wasted lives."