The Talents of the Fallen - 28. Chapter Twenty-Seven: Trechery

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Treachery

What Ryan said was true, the creatures were far from appearing human. They were truly the stuff nightmares were made of. They appeared to be reptilian. They had hard armored scaled to protect themselves with. Some sort insolating black slime coating much of the body which stank of rot. Supposedly it purpose was to provide night camouflage against visual and heat sensitive night goggles They had three eyes, two light sensitive on both side and an infer-red sensitive extrusion in the center. At least that’s what the Graft’s medical specialists assumed.

Their hands, which had five human like fingers but tipped with venom secreting talons. Their legs were hinged, perfect for running and jumping. To everyone’s relief they appeared to have no sexually reproductive organs which should be expected. Not even the creators of these things would want them running loose and reproducing in the wild.

The only human part of them was their brains. It possessed every lobe and feature as one would expect to find. The medical team guessed that those who design them didn’t want to tamper with their Null Talent. Given that the true source of a person’s Talent had yet to be discovered this too had been expected.

Aaron went over to one of the bodies. He could still sense the remains of their Null Talent. With the stench of rot saturating the air his stomach turned in on itself, causing him to wrench. Ryan and half the staff were on him in an instant. “I’m alright.” He waved them off.

Ryan had a firm grip of his right forearm. “Are you sure Aaron?” There was a tone of deep compassion in his words. “We can’t risk anything worse happening to you.”

Something had changed. Ryan had always looked out for him but there was a passion in his concern that Aaron had never noticed before. “These things aren’t quite dead.” Aaron whispered.

“Are you sure?” Ryan whispered back.

Aaron nodded. “Something very wrong is going on here.”

Then they saw it. There was a twitch of one of the creature’s fingers. Soon he saw another do the same thing.

“I got to get you out of here.” Ryan started dragging Aaron away.

“No. I got to stop them. If I don’t everyone is dead.”

“You got to be kidding me. You almost died the last time you faced those things.”

“And you and everyone else will defiantly end up dead if I don’t stop them.”

They both jumped when the screaming started. “Damn it. You stay here.” Drawing both his guns he handed one of them to Aaron. Unlike Sam, Aaron had gotten several months of combat training while at the Liaison school. He raised and shook a stiff finger and glared at Aaron to warn him not to defy him. He then ran off in the direction of the screams.

Aaron checked the safety and cocked a bullet into the firing chamber. He could feel his gut tighten. He knew he was the only one who could deal with these things. Ryan however refused to believe that. The stubborn captain and everyone else had become obsessed with keeping him safe when he was the only one who could save them.

He had to do something and he had to act fast. He could sense the Nulls. The fields were still weak… maybe weak enough for him to deal with without nearly killing himself like what happened the first time had faced them. With every second that pasted however their Talent grew stronger.

It didn’t matter what Ryan wanted or what the others wanted. They didn’t know it and were certainly not ready to accept that Aaron was the only one who could save them.

Lifting up the gun to the aiming position he headed in the direction Ryan had gone. He didn’t go far before he felt an iron hard hand grab him by his left shoulder.

In a panic he twisted himself around and squeezed the trigger. Just as bullet was about to be fired, the gun was whipped out of his hands by a stinging lightening swipe of his attack’s hand. The gun discharged a round into the ceiling as it clattered on to the polished wood floor.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” His attacker was an enraged Jon. He was furious. Have heard the screaming and gunfire he had raced to this part of the complex not to just find Aaron armed but moving towards the fighting instead of away. How dare Aaron do this to him again?

“They didn’t die. Bullets won’t kill them, at least not for good. That only leaves me and my Talent. I got to stop them Jon. If that means you hating me then so be it. But I won’t let the people I love die when I’m the only one who can save them.”

“Damn it Aaron…” Jon’s face contorted as he debating on what to do. Aaron had killed the things by causing them to implode. If what he said was true, that bullets were no good, then Aaron could indeed be the only one who stood a chance of stopping them. He hissed a spray of spit on Aaron’s face. “Alright… this is what we’re going to do. I’ll let you use your mumbo jumbo on these things but not without my help. Jon took a firm hold of Aaron’s left hand. He began feeding him the vital energy of his Talent. “Consider me your ammo clip.” When he saw Aaron’s lips part so he could speak out in protest he made the same stiff finger gesture that Ryan had used moments before.

Aaron bit down on his lower lip but nodded. Hand in hand the two hurried off in the direction of the gun battle.

Having taken the guns and rifles from the guards they had killed, the Nulls had Ryan and the remaining guards pinned down behind what had once been a very long and incredibly thick grand dining table. He had already fired all three clips and was now using the rifle of one of the Graft’s wounded guards. “Damn it. How do you kill these things?”

One of the guards poked his head over the table for it to explode when it took a direct hit of an explosive hollow tipped round. “God… I’m going to be sick.” One of the three remaining guards groaned.

“You’re going to be more than sick in a few second if we don’t hold them off.” Ryan didn’t have to tell him what the things would do if they got their hands on them. A few of the things were already busy ripping out and consuming the flesh of the guard’s still living comrades. It seemed by eating their victims they were able to speed up their regeneration.

Ryan held up his rifle over the top edge of their makeshift barricade and fired off a half dozen rounds. He didn’t bother poking head out to aim. Even if he hit the things they would only regenerate.

“We’re all going to die, we’re all going to die…” One of the guards repeated over and over. He had succumbed to his fear, a very dangerous state of mind in these sorts of situations.

Before Ryan could stop him the guard jumped to his feet and ran for towards the only exit firing aimlessly like a madman.

Ryan didn’t need to look to know he didn’t make. He heard the man’s screams as one of the things ripped away his rifle and a trigger hand with a taloned hand. The venom they ooze didn’t take long to take effect. The neurotoxin caused the man to be paralyzed but remain conscious. It dragged the fool to the next room so it could feed without worrying about incoming gunfire.

Like the creature from Aliens it possessed a secondary mouth past its rows of needle sharp teeth. What might have once been a human tongue had been mutated into a tentacle venomous thorn covered maw. Using its needle like teeth and its thorn tongue it ripped off chucks of the man’s flesh even while the man remained alive. The secondary mouth took deep swallow of skin, flesh and blood. It seemed to have a particular taste for the human sexual organs for the things always went after the testicles first.

That didn’t mean they dilly-dallied about to appreciate each bite. They had to act fast for once their victim died it seemed they were no longer able to stomach their prey.

Luckily the man didn’t live long.

Cursing the fool for not leaving his rifle and ammo behind, Ryan ordered an ammo check. All they had left were the bullets they had loaded and three full clips. It wouldn’t be long before they were overwhelmed.

Ryan was debating to make a run for it himself when he heard the most gut wrenching human screamed. It was quickly by a wave of falling black slime covered flesh and exploded multi-colored alien tissue. The enemy gunfire came to a sudden stop. The screaming didn’t.

Daring to poke his head over the table he saw the last thing he wanted to see. There was Aaron his head buried against Jon’s chest. While Jon held Aaron tightly he gazed out on the carnage without the slightest hint of being disturbed.

Whatever they had done it had saved them. Now they needed to finish the job and kill the remaining survivors.

While the few surviving guards struggled to grasp at what just happened. Ryan made his way to the pair. He didn’t know if he should be grateful or furious at the pair. He had told… no ordered Aaron to run off and save himself. He had defied him and in doing so saved his life. Ryan could now comprehend what Jon had felt when Aaron had saved him. At least this time Aaron didn’t appear to be at the threshold of death’s door.

He was however greatly disturbed. When Ryan got close enough he heard Aaron whisper; “Don’t eat me.” He repeated the plea over and over.

Ryan looked at Jon. “Get him the hell out of here.” He spat out each syllable with as much rage he could muster.

“We will but not before each of those mother fuckers are turned into dog food.” Jon replied.

Ryan nodded. Jon was right. Aaron did seem to be the only one capable of dealing with these things.

It tore at Ryan and Jon’s hearts that these monstrosities were creatures straight out of Aaron’s nightmares. They could now finally grasp what Aaron had endured as a prisoner of the Master. Ryan had been barely able to keep his shit together while these things ripped and ate the flesh of the Graft’s men. For a kid as young as Aaron was when he witnessed the same thing… well, it was no wonder he had been such an emotional wreck when they first found him.

“How many are left?” Ryan asked.

Jon gave Aaron a gentle nudge.

When Aaron replied he was barely able to speak. “Five… there are five left.”

“Do you think he can handle them?” Ryan asked

“God Ryan… hasn’t he been through enough?” If Aaron hadn’t been clinging to him he might have knocked out several of the Liaison’s teeth.

Aaron straightened himself out and did his best to appear undisturbed. “No, it’s alright. I’m the only one who can stop them.” He wasn’t fooling anybody and he knew it. “I know what you all are thinking but it’s alright. I’ll be alright. We’ll get out of this and everything will be alright.”

Ryan and Jon looked at each out with sad skepticism. Things wouldn’t be all right… not for Aaron and probably not for them as well.

“Fuck the sooner we get this over with the better.” Jon dared anyone to argue.

While Ryan got the men back on their feet Jon whispered words of reassurance and swore he would never let Aaron face this sort of thing without him.

Aaron nodded and did his best to appear as if he believed him but sadly he didn’t. When he lost Landon to the fire he knew such promises could not be kept.

******

Once the Graft had completed his report Landon disconnected the line. Given the situation he had remained silent while listening Gordon explained what was happening. He couldn’t take the risk that the communication equipment wasn’t bugged.

He wasn’t mad at Gordon. How could he? If he blamed anyone it was himself. He had taken pride for far too long that he had taken into account every possible situation. That he had not predicted or prepared for the present scenario was his fault and nobody else’s.

His heart ached for Aaron. He could guess what fighting the mutated Nulls was doing to him. Somehow he would make it up to him but not now, not when it seemed someone had discovered Aaron’s connection to him.

There was only a short list of people who would go to such extremes to hurt him. Some were members of his own faction. Kate, the Master’s toady, still held a grudge that he, and not her, had been given the CEO position at InterVest. The Master had done it on purpose of course. What better and more loyal spy could he have then the person who resented Landon the most

While she was at the top of the lists of likely suspects that in of itself did not make her guilty. The Order had just as much reason to ruin him.

As for the source of these mutated Nulls that would require some digging. He had never heard of such things but that didn’t mean one of his independent rivals in the Coven were not behind their creation. The same was true for the Order. He would have to turn to his network of spies and agents to investigate the matter. That would take time however, and time was not on his side.

If Aaron was indeed the intended target any action on his part could be found out by his enemies. Whatever he did he had to do it in a way that wouldn’t tip off his hand. The best way to do that was for it to appear at least that the Graft managed to deal with the situation on his own.

Killing those things was a good start but it only bought them more time. Getting rid of the satellite coverage was the next step that needed to be taken. Gordon however had made the situation harder by eliminating his communication staff. But the Graft was probably right… there had to have been at least on traitor among them.

There was the Liaison Ryan Harper. He might be able to pull it off. He had some training in electronic warfare. Using a missile would take less time but it would be hard for anyone to believe the Graft had one hidden in among the weapons in his vast armory.

Landon just didn’t understand how anyone could have gotten past the Graft’s security net. Thinking on that he came upon a solution. As was always the case when dealing with a near impossible problem once the answer was found it one would beat oneself on the head for not seeing the solution from the start.

Now that he had the solution to the problem, how was he to tell the Graft? Did he even need to? It was such an obvious answer Gordon should be able to figure it out on his own but there was no telling how long it was take for him to realize it. With time being their enemy, and having no trust in what should have been a secure line, Landon would have to act on his own and hope for the best.

Hurrying, he left his office for his Sanctum Sanctorum, the underground safe-room beneath the Sear’s Tower. Once inside he went to a special room only he knew about. It was a VR chamber filled with surviving Engineer technology. From here he would be able to dive into the computer nodes and electronic highways of the world’s interconnected computers.

It was quite neat. Activating the program he dived into the building power network with his Talent. By using the power lines instead of the fiber optic computer network his presence would have less chance of being detected let alone be traced.

He Talent formed thoughts raced through the country’s vast power grid at near the speed of light along a zigzagging course. When he got near his objective he made the jump from pulses of electrons to binary code. Like a transmitted virus he broke into the mainframe of a satellite communications company. He then went to work.

Making tiny changes in the satellite control system he repositioned two of the company’s satellites. As he made the changes everything at the company’s control center would appear as normal.

One satellite was aimed at the Graft’s island with the other focused on the enemy spy satellite. After installing new programing in all three Landon took in a deep breath then activated the sequence. All he could do now was wait and see what happened.

___________________________________________________________

The Graft and his remaining people watched in stunned silence as every sensor around the island went off at the same time. It was as if the ocean and sky and turned against them and had left them completely blind.

“As if things can’t get worse. What the hell is going on now?” Gordon demanded as his people played with their screens and control panels.

“It looks like they’ve all gone nuts.”

“It’s a computer virus sir.” Another replied.

“Are you telling me that the 200 million dollars I spent on building up an impregnable defense system has been taken down by a case of the binary sniffles?”

“Sir… I don’t see how this is a loss for us. Whoever is trying to get us must have already broken in to the system. If anything we can use this to our advantage.”

Gordon saw what the man was hinting at very quickly. “Are you sure the enemy is picking up the same data?”

“If they’ve tapped into our system then yes.”

“Couldn’t they be the one causing this disturbance?” Gordon thought better of it as soon as he finished asking the question. The enemy had already left them blind so why would they bother. “What about the spy satellite?”

“Its… well this is hard to believe sir but it’s leaving stationary orbit and headed on a different course.”

“Master…’ Gordon whispered. He knew his master wouldn’t abandon him or his brother. Still they had to act fast. There was no telling how long their escape window would last. He looked at the men around him and reached a decision. “Is the self-destruction device ready?”

One of his scientists stood. “Yes sir… but are you sure you want to use it. Once it’s activated there’s no stopping it. All your grafting research will be wiped from the system.”

“Better it is destroyed then fall into the wrong hands. Don’t worry. It might take some time but we’ll eventually be able to recreate the data.”

“Yes sir… of course.” The scientist was hardly convinced.

“You all know the evacuation plan so you know what to do. Good work men.”

“Thank you sir.” There was clapping and even a few loud cheers. They knew the Graft wouldn’t let them down. He always took care of his own.

He would indeed take care of them… this time for good.