Hybrid: Project Vigil (7 page)

Sunlight blinded John when they came outside. Caroline was waiting for them.

“Where the hell have you been? We're leaving in 60 minutes and you do what? You go inside and gather whatever you can. I don't even want to know what is in those crates and why you are taking that machine. I don't care take what you want, nobody will miss it. Jennifer get someone to bring it to the truck so they can take it to my house. John, go back to your tent and pack your things.”

They went to do what she said without saying a word, John took backpack with him. For some time they went together, before they parted their ways they shook their hands.

“Thanks for help down there and with Gillian. I hope we'll meet again.” John said and then he went away.

Gillian waited for him in his tent.

“Why are you here? You should be packing.” He gently placed the backpack on his bed.

“I want to spend some more time with you. They want us to live separately as far from each other as possible. Do you need help with armor?” She put her hands on his chestplate.

“Some help wouldn't hurt.”

They couldn't find
a way to cooperate to take off armor so John did it by himself.

“We should go. It's been almost an hour I can't believe they don't have machine for this.”

John locked his armor in a crate.

“You should build one...wait you don't need to. You are not taking it with you, are you?”

Gillian was worried.

“It's not that simple.” John said while picking up backpack.

“What is it John?” She stood in his way.

“I'm going back.”

“When? Why? You don't have to. You can live normal life. Is it because..?” She looked at his artificial arm.

“I have to. Have you seen those marines? They were about to start they guard duty here and I would most likely kill them after some time. Now? They are going to war. I don't know where. I don't know why. We were supposed to be there instead of them. After so many years here...I don't think I can do anything else."

He looked at his
artificial arm.

“All they gave me here was
knowledge and tools. And soon it will have to return the favor.”

“What if you die? I don't want to worry about you.” Tears appeared in her eyes.

“I can't die till I have something worth fighting for...you are that something and lives of those men. I can save a lot of them.” He gently stroked her cheek with artificial hand.

“You are right. But promise me if something goes wrong you'll stop.”

“I promise.”

She cleared the way for him. John paced through half-empty camp with backpack on his back and crate in his hands. Gillian was right behind him with her possessions.

Everyone already waited near several cars. Caroline stood next to dark green Land Rover.

“Leave this here I'll load it. Your squad waits for you and you should say goodbye to Gillian.” She said when he came closer.

She was right they waited for him, stepped in line all of them dressed in civilian clothes.

He walked in front of each of them.

“Orders, Commander?” Someone asked.

John stopped.

“I am no longer your commander. You fought by my side for your freedom. Now you should live long and happy life free, free of all evil you came through in this facility. My friends. A moment of silence to honor our fallen brothers and sisters. Their sacrifice shall not be forgotten. We've already avenged their deaths but that doesn't mean we should forget.”

Only wind interrupted their silence.

Subjects went to their cars. Only John and Gillian stood there.

After ten minutes of saying “Goodbye” and several hugs and kisses they both sat in their cars, with tears in their eyes. Gillian watched John disappear in the distance...

As they drove away from facility gate John focused all his attention on small connection signal indicator on his HUD. When "Connection lost" icon appeared he bashed his head against airbag cover.

“You'll see her again, I promise.” Caroline said to prevent him from ruining her new car.

John noticed something in his pocket. He pulled it out. It was Gillian's dog tags and half of her necklace. She cut it at half and hung it on ball chain of her dog tags. She must have put it into his pocket when they hugged for last time. Her necklace was opal stone she found once on a mission. John hung it around his neck next to his dog tags.

“Where's Claire?” He asked after a while.

“She is plugged in my computer doing some stuff. Meanwhile, load this in your core.”

Caroline gave him blue disc that was used to install applications. John loaded it immediately. For a second everything went dark then he saw hundreds of new things. He saw world map entire and real one, he connected to some sort of worldwide network, he could see his actual location and movement speed.

“What the hell is this?”

“The Unlocker. Now you know how Earth really looks like, you can connect to the Internet and much more. There are still combat applications in you I think you can delete them.”

Caroline was...excited, all her work over years. They put it in one subject and it worked.

“No, Caroline. I can't delete them. I made a deal with Hudson. When I come through university I'm going back in active duty.” John said holding the dog tags in his hand.

“What? Why?” They almost crashed because she wasn't looking forward.

“I'm a soldier. It's in my bones, my blood, my mind, my implants. You built me to fight! I can't just live whole life knowing that normal people are dying in a war I was supposed to fight.”

“I understand.” She said “There are more things you should know about you. Hybrids live about 10 times longer than normal human, that makes almost 1000 years. You can't be poisoned, irradiated. You can starve for months, live without water for weeks. Even if that doesn't help you can enter stasis mode until environment improves. And more, everything is in the user manual.”

“Hybrids have user manual?” John asked because he thought it was some kind of joke.

“The one about you is more than 1500 pages long, it also contains maintenance and washing instructions.” She responded with a smile.

“Are you kidding? Because it's not funny.” John was really annoyed by this.

“No I'm serious. You should read it. It should be on that disc.”

John browsed contents of disc again and found it. It took him few
milliseconds to read it.

“Done. Caroline? How it began? Where you took subjects from? Why you used children?” Those questions burned John for years.

Caroline sighed.

“I knew this was coming. I was recruited in early stage of your development. I was supposed to take over core programming. Main purpose of project was to give our troops an edge. Most of you were orphans but...some of you were kidnapped for their talents. Don't ask who I don't know. Children learn faster, their minds can absorb more information. Children's bodies are more adaptable to implants. We've done extensive genetic changes in you. It's been sort of extreme but we thought we're doing the right thing. Some subjects were more
successful than others. The result was the ultimate soldier...You.”

John remained silent after that, he needed some time to process it. They drove for three hours without stop. There was mostly desert around them but John could see forests in the distance.

“We have to make a stop on next gas station. I need to go to the toilet.” Caroline said and she looked at GPS display for nearest gas station.

“You are still a classified government project so we have to be
careful. Don't take off your shirt and wear these gloves. Try not to get into a fight. Remember you are faster, stronger and smarter. And here is you cell phone, custom built for you. Claire printed your ID papers and other stuff you need. It's all in a envelope on back seat next to my computer.”

She gave him cell phone and his old gloves he used for shooting training.

“Got it. What if my cover is blown?”

Caroline pulled a paper out of her pocket.

“Try to explain. Tell the person that this can't get out on public. If not possible C.I.A. directive charges the person of treason.”

“What if I'm in danger of being killed?” John wanted to make everything clear.

She gave him the paper.

“Then you are allowed to use your abilities, lethal force authorized if necessary. It's all written in here.”

The paper she
gave him, rules of his release. Among all only two stood out: You have to preserve confidential nature of your existence. You may not in any way be in contact with other Hybrids.

Until they stopped on a gas station no one spoke.

“Have a walk if you need.”

Caroline said that, grabbed her things and stepped out from the car.

John checked the envelope. He looted it's contents and put them into his pocket. He decided to go and have a walk. According to his HUD the time was 16:27 and they were somewhere near border with Utah. 'Hell, this country is big.' John thought for himself.

“Claire, where are we headed?” He asked looking on a back seat.

“Breckenridge in Colorado.”

“Why don't you form a hologram? A.I.'s must be common out here so what's the matter?”

John pulled her chip out of Caroline's computer.

Claire showed herself only as a four inch tall figure.

“No. You created first self aware synthetic
intelligence, me. This was possible only thanks to you. You are the Creator of my kind. Also, without enhanced eyesight or screen you can't see me.”

“Wow, that's good. Now let's have walk. My feet are so stiff I can't even feel them.” John
inserted her into A.I.D. slot and they set off for a walk.

“You can't feel your feet. Remember? Dodging a missile, oh wait! You actually shot down that missile, with a pistol.” Claire formed a human-sized hologram and walked beside him.

“Claire, don't be sarcastic it's not polite. If you could track Gillian that would be more useful.” John observed a lizard in the grass.

“Caroline promised you to see her so I don't think it's necessary. Anyway her signal is blocked.”

Caroline was already coming back so they had to cut the chatter and go back to the car. John sat to driver's seat.

“Whoa! Careful there young man you can't drive. Or am I wrong?” Caroline asked.

“Car, APC, tank, helicopter, plane. If it has wheels, wings or rotors I can drive it.” John answered while starting the engine. She sat next to him, Claire's hologram sat on the back seat. John looked at her.

“You show yourself to get closer to humans even if they can't see you. Is that your own upgrade of yourself?”

“Correct. You allowed me to do my own changes. I used this opportunity to develop myself. I wish I was accepted by organics, which might be easier if I look and act like them.” She smiled.

“You are making me proud of you Claire. You are already smarter than your creator.” John said turning around and letting the car move.

“Why you turned around while you talked to her? She's within you.” Caroline asked looking confused.

“She is there you can't see her, but she sits there.”

“Wait I can see her I just need to wear these.” She searched for something in her pockets. It took her some time before she showed him some sort of sunglasses. She looked through them.

“Why you didn't make her look like Gillian?”

“Claire choose to look like this.” John gave Claire full control over herself after she was created. Since then she trusted him with everything.

They drove in silence for two hours and two minutes.

“Do I have soul?” Claire's question came unexpected.

John searched the Internet for possible outcomes of his answer. But there weren't any real sources, only fictional ones. First thing he found was a fictional story about this question resulting in exile of organics and 300 year long war between organics and synthetics
*
.

“You have emotion-like feedback to your surrounding. So yes, you have a soul.”

Even though Claire was marvel of computer engineering, she was still just a prototype. John decided to let her develop herself because he didn't want her to be shaped by someone. He wanted her to be advancing at speed comfortable for her.

“I may have soul, but I don't have a body for it.” She said in sad voice.

“You don't need it. It's not external beauty that should matter. Everything important is inside. Because inside is who you are and that's the only thing that should matter.”

John liked where this is going, she will learn a lot from this.

“Why do you think so?”

“What do you see when you look at me?”

John wanted her to think about it. She would remember it anyway, but if she thinks about it she remembers more of it.

“I see unusually tall teen with exceptional abilities.”

“Good. And now what do you know about me?”

He could feel her chip build up heat.

“Based on overall evidence you are a mass murderer. You are afraid that you are addicted to war. Your augmentation gives you more tools to hurt others. But there are good things inside you. Your love for Gillian, you have only one primary objective. Protect her at any and all costs. Trust me, she wouldn't be happy if you die without her saying a goodbye, without any reason that would benefit her and without fulfilling her dream.”

“What is her dream?” This A.I. obviously knew more about Gillian than John
thought.

“Life with you. This dream is useless if you are killed in action.” She said leaning forward into space between front seats.

“Tell me, how many people tried to kill me.” John guided her to his point of view.

“
105.” Their faces flickered in John's memories as she said that.

“How many of them survived?”

“17 of them, that's 83.81% casualties.” Claire's math skills were perfect.

“That's the price we had to pay.” Caroline said sadly.

“Wasn't it too much for one subject, one soldier?” John asked.

“No, it wasn't.” Caroline and Claire answered at once.

It ended their discussion. Soon Caroline's head fell to one side as she fell asleep. They crossed the border of Colorado few minutes after midnight. John decided to stop for couple of minutes to stretch his legs, even the artificial parts felt stiff. He also wanted some time to check the news. It was Saturday morning and apart from prices of bacon rising(Oh no!) nothing interesting was going on. John had this feeling of having some trouble ahead of them. He opened back door of car and looked for weapons box. When he found it he unclamped the cover and grabbed pistol and one magazine for it. He loaded a clip into the pistol but kept safety on. He closed the box and back door. Before proceeding with traveling he put the pistol under his seat. Fuel indicator was very low they had only about twenty miles left. John consulted map in his HUD.

“Next to me.” Claire answered before he even asked where his wallet is.

John reached back for it. Claire was trying to touch his hand, but she was just a virtual object so her fingers came through. John ignored it and
put his drivers license into his wallet. He found 150$ there, enough for some petrol. Even though it was middle of the night the traffic was increasing as they drove closer to gas station.

John put the gloves on. Only people on gas station were two policemen drinking coffee in front of the shop and group of four bikers smoking behind the corner.

John parked next to fuel stand that was closest to shop. He plugged the car in and waited for the tank to fill. His phone started to vibrate. Words “Jeremy Hudson” lit up on the screen. John touched the green button and raised the phone to his right ear.

“Crisis here. What is it Hudson?”

“What's your status?”
Hudson's voice was flat, no emotions.

“Refueling. Anything else?” John said with same flat voice. Cops were looking at him.

“Just checking. And I wanted to let you know that I pulled few strings and now you are C.I.A. employee. I made you a I.D. card in advance it should be with other things.” John could hear typing on a computer along with Hudson.