Chapter Fourteen
The beautiful blue moonlight of a warm Australian night beat down on the Mark Two helicopter as it bolted towards its destination. Arrin Frost slowed the mighty vessel to cruise speed and prepared to land in the pitch-dark desert below. His armour was activated, it was now completely black and the corruption of both man and machine was in its later stages. He looked menacing as he worked the controls. After some time the Mark Two stopped dead in the air and dropped to the ground rapidly. As it did he turned and looked to the back of the chopper at six large silver balls in a steel container. Orgapulse detonators each with a huge magnitude; he intended to put them all in designated places so they would disintegrate all life on Earth.
‘Time to go forth and change the world my little friends’ He said in the characteristic robotic voice of his armour, half to himself and half to the objects before him. His voice now sounded dark and enigmatic.
The Mark Two looked as like it would crash into the sandy ground below but just before it did he regained the controls and stopped her just above the ground. He loved living on the edge. He emerged from the side of the helicopter holding one of the balls under his arm. He set it down on the desert floor and tapped a few small illuminated panels on the top. The device was now activated and at the touch of a button aboard the Mark Two it would form a synchronous detonation with its five counterparts. Each device was designed to use the Integral Grid to spread the death wave further, the very device that protected everyone on Earth was now a mass murderer in waiting. Nothing organic would survive, all would perish and Frost found the thought pleasing. He re-entered the Mark Two lifted her into the air and headed for the next location.
Thousands of miles away on the other side of the planet, Frost's twin brother was embarking on his own mission although he knew it not, Frost was about to be hunted. Troy presumed a scan of the planet would not turn up any clues as to Frost's whereabouts but suddenly the computer broke the solitary silence of the Gunship’s interior.
‘Special agent Arrin Frost and the Mark Two helicopter have been located in Sector twenty four nine five, in the Australian outback’ the Gunship had somehow found Frost and Troy nearly fell from his seat in astonishment.
‘What? How the fuck did you manage that?’ An evidently shocked Troy asked the computer of the Gunship.
‘A Neutrino sensor sweep is capable of penetrating any substance known to exist and agent Frost's pheromones were picked up one hundred percent match. Will this suffice or do you require another search?’ the computer told Troy how it had located the previously untraceable Frost. It was equipped with Neutrino based sensors which could penetrate anything in the known Universe.
‘Computer explain how Neutrino’s work?’ Troy said bashfully as he felt slightly embarrassed at not knowing a great deal about Neutrino’s.
‘Neutrinos are a part of everyday existence; they constantly move through the Universe penetrating everything without interfering with atoms because they have no physical mass. The sensors aboard the Gunship manipulate Neutrinos which are individually programmed to locate specific things, in this case an individual’s pheromones’ The computer explained. Troy realised that Janner must have programmed the computer system to have a little intelligence and improvisational skills.
‘Well then take me straight to his co-ordinates maximum speed, when we get to within one hundred Kilometres of the Mark Two activate the invisibility device. You clever twat’ Troy gave his orders and jibed the computer at the same time, he was mildly jealous and showing it. The computer didn’t respond which gave Troy the impulse to add some more for effect.
‘You can’t fuckin’ answer me back though can you? Eh?!’ He said laughing at himself triumphantly.
‘No I can’t’ the computer responded unexpectedly to a shocked Troy.
‘Clever fucker’ Troy finished wanting to get the last word in before focusing on the job in hand.
The Gunship turned one hundred and eighty degree’s and bolted off so fast that if on-lookers blinked it would have seemed to vanish. Troy had now forgotten any feeling of fear he had previously experienced and a searing drive to complete his mission filled every corner of his hammering heart. After just fifteen minutes the Gunship was closing in on the Mark Two and the invisibility device activated. The Gunship’s image began to gradually fade and eventually it disappeared completely.
The Mark Two was pulling twenty five thousand Kph on its way toward the next destination as its evolved big sister closed in undetected. Using the advanced sensors Troy accessed the Mark Two’s computer system without trace of intrusion and tried to find out what his brother had been working on. He discovered Frost had put his doomsday plan into operation and one of the Orgapulse devices was already in its tactical place. Time was clearly of the essence. Troy decided it would be a better idea to deactivate all the devices before he confronted Frost. Just after Troy broke his link with the Mark Two the pursued helicopter darted down to the ground below. Troy was shook from his seat as the Gunship mimicked the Mark Two’s movements seamlessly, as it was programmed to do and plummeted to the ground with it. Frost emerged from the side of his helicopter once again and carried another silver device to its place while Troy hovered the Gunship at a higher altitude so as not to be discovered.
Frost hid the silver ball behind a large lump of rock that was protruding from the grassy African ground; he had no idea that his fate was in the hands of an invisible black helicopter high above his head. Troy knew he could use this opportunity to his advantage and wipe out his brother neatly and safely but he felt it was neither the time nor the place to take such action, he had to face his brother equally. Frost got back into his chopper and belted off into the night. Troy decided not to follow; he stayed to deactivate the device his brother left behind. The Gunship was visible again and dropped to the ground where the Mark Two had been. Troy emerged from her side and walked to where Frost’s footprints still left imprints in the sand, he found the silver ball and after a few seconds he deactivated it. He took the device back to the Gunship and ordered the mighty vessel to Frost's Australian location ten minutes previous; off it went into the night. Streetlights below streamed off the hull of the Gunship as it darted towards Australia at nearly fifty times the speed of sound.
Troy stepped from the Gunship and found the silver ball straight away. He deactivated it and placed it next to the other, inside his advanced helicopter. Again the chopper’s sensors found Frost without difficulty, he was setting down another device in Brazil and the Gunship relentlessly thundered off towards his location once again. The sky was beginning to lighten and the moons bright light lost some of its potency. The Gunship disappeared and closed in on Frost's vessel. Troy watched as he had done before while his brother planted another device and again when Frost had left, he dropped the chopper down to the ground and took possession of the silver ball of death. Frost was now headed for Alaska, he obviously wanted to plant a device near his old headquarters; a place he had clearly not finished with yet.
Troy followed in close pursuit, he laughed to himself at the measly speed that the Mark Two was capable of. When they approached the Alaskan snow plains Troy looked down at the ground with an ironic but mocking smile.
‘The ground is full of Frost and so is the sky’ he said under his breath. The Mark Two dropped to the ground and Frost delivered another device, he only had two more to deposit and then his plan would be set, or so he thought. After Troy had taken the next device into his custody, he carried on until all six were in his possession and the stage was now set for a final showdown. Even if Frost could not be stopped, the Orgapulse detonators were no longer operational and the world was safe from harm, at least for a while. Troy broke off from the rear of the Mark Two and took off towards the remnants of SIA Headquarters; he had a little time to spare before his final assault.
The Gunship dropped silently into the Classified Bunker of what used to be SIA HQ, Troy kept the Invisibility Device activate
d to try and take Dr Janner by surprise. As Troy hoped, Janner was in the classified bunker in deep thought. He lifted himself to his feet to see why he could now feel a powerful draft. Small fragments of rock rained down on his head and he was even more mystified. Janner suddenly fell to the ground in fear as the Gunship became visible, Troy laughed at Janner’s fright as the trembling man before him realised it was his creation with Troy at the helm. He emerged from the side of the Gunship, Janner forgave him straight away and they shook hands professionally.
‘It’s good to see you Daryl how are you?’ Janner said to the young agent before him. Troy just smiled and took three of the Orgapulse detonators out of the Gunship and showed them to Janner, a look of fright once again filled his face.
‘Are there any more of these devices? He could wipe out every organic thing on this planet!’ Janner said worryingly.
‘I’ve collected all six of the devices that Frost planted, so we’re safe for now’
‘Did you take him out? You would have had many good chances by the sound of it!’
‘No, it’s not time yet, he can and will do no wrong to the planet for at least a day or two now, his plan is in place or so he believes. Don’t worry yourself Janner, he‘ll be dead by tomorrow’ Troy concluded. They walked towards the remnants of the old mess hall talking without pause all the way.
‘So tell me, what is Mars like? It must have been surreal seeing it from such a close distance!’ Janner was enthralled by Troy's description of his little journey into space. The Dr had been into space before but had only seen the Moon; Mars was one of his greatest interests.
‘Dr you should have seen it Mars is amazing, I didn’t stay long but I did stay long enough to fall in love with that red planet. Which reminds me, the Ion drive nearly imploded, you hadn’t uploaded all programs!’ Troy said ending with a concerned tone. Janner looked back at him and gave a cheeky smile.
‘Sorry!’ Janner said finally.
They carried on their conversation all the way down the long corridor towards the mess hall. When they entered Troy found much to his surprise and relief that it was still virtually intact after Frost's assault. They sat and talked for hours. They discussed memories past and the nearing final showdown with Frost. Troy felt that he could have sat there talking with Janner for days and for the moment he forgot the task ahead.
‘I was thinking about the first holiday on our own the other day, it was just before our first mission. I miss those days. We knew that you and General Thorn would be watching us from the Grid, but none of us were scared we felt free none the less. Arrin, Kym and me had an awesome time, not a care in the world, wankered every night’ Troy began to reminisce he thought that if he were to die in his conflict with Frost then this would be the last time he would get the chance to remember his colourful youth.
‘Yeah we were watching you and we knew full well that there was an asteroid on its way towards a collision course with Earth, but we thought it was only right to give you all a holiday before we sent you out into the world or space as it were, to protect the public. Thorn and I looked at you all in complete awe you were all masterpieces, I felt like some kind of modern day Picasso!’
‘You and Arrin were not supposed to be twins, when we realised that the embryo had grown into a twin there was no question that we would keep your embryo’s and let them live’ Janner seemed miles away as he remembered the early days of the agents.
‘There was Miller, who was designed to fit in on the African continent his voice sounded out of place when he spoke in the Afrikaans accent but he did fit in over there. Then there was Kym who was oriental, his accent was quite a masterpiece and he perfected it to a tee. Markov was designed Russian; he perfected that and was a credit to the soviet missions we gave him. He actually became a member of the United Collaboration of Eastern States didn’t he’ Janner showed a love for the agents he helped to design at the genetic level, a love that his soft exterior had never before revealed.
‘Agent Sadek Indian in culture and appearance, he brought wisdom and clarity to you all. Not enough of it given to Arrin though I suppose!’ he continued.
‘I think he was beyond anyone’s help right from the start if I’m honest. Too stubborn for his own good’ Troy
He thought for a little while about fate and concluded that despite his rigid scientific beliefs that Janner himself had taught him he knew there must be some other force at work it the Universe, perhaps not a conscious God but something very similar.
‘My favourite memories were of my missions in England. I remember Mohammed Jaffar’s son assumed a false identity so he could study in an English University. It was my third assignment and was meant to last a year, It ended up lasting three because I wanted to stay longer. Living like a student for those three years with the best people I have ever met was truly amazing! Those summers in the Lake District with Zoe, my girlfriend at the time and all my friends were dreamlike. Experimenting with chemicals and the final year when we all graduated that new super drug Zion came out. Jesus Janner, I know you’re a straight living man, but you should have tried that stuff before it was made illegal. Fucking mind blowing’ Troy revealed a side of himself that Janner did not know, or at least did not want to know.
‘I knew all about that Daryl and we nearly disciplined you that time after you returned one autumn and the body scanner went ballistic when it identified all those toxins and drugs. You were a tad rebellious to say the least’ Janner was softer than he used to be but he was still none impressed with Troy's past behaviour. Janner immediately changed the subject; he feared the use of drugs and was more against it than anything else.
‘I was most impressed with your assassination of Andre Mischkin in Geneva, it was you and Arrin wasn’t it very impressive you both showed your true ingenuity when you took out that difficult target. You both became Thorn’s favourites after that!’ Janner continued the memories.
They talked late into the night and finally they fell asleep in the very places they had sat for hours. When morning came they awoke with a jolt, their bones ached from the awkward positions they slept in. It was not the best night of sleep that Daryl Troy had ever had, but he did feel refreshed. They did not know it was a beautifully sunny morning outside as the mess hall was one hundred metres down in subterranean SIA HQ. They walked to the Classified Bunker and Janner said his goodbyes, perhaps this would be the last he would see of the only person left that he could call a friend. Troy entered the Gunship once again with great confidence; Janner seemed to be more afraid than Troy as the mighty chopper rose slowly and efficiently up into the bright sunny day high above.
Final Chapter follows this page
Look out for the sequel
Devolution - coming soon