Hybrid - Forced Vengeance Read online

  Table of Contents

  Also available from this author:

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2: Gestation Day 11

  Chapter 3: Gestation Day 11

  Chapter 4: Gestation Day 29

  Chapter 5: Gestation Day 32

  Chapter 6: Gestation Day 34

  Chapter 7: Gestation Day 35

  Chapter 8: Gestation Day 36

  Chapter 9: Gestation Day 39

  Chapter 10: Gestation Day 41

  Chapter 11: Gestation Day 43

  Chapter 12: Gestation Day 44

  Chapter 13: Gestation Day 45

  Chapter 14: Gestation Day 46, 0630 hrs

  Chapter 15: Gestation Day 47, 0430 hrs

  Chapter 16, Birth Date +1, 0730 hrs

  Chapter 17: Birth date +2 days, 0830 hrs

  Chapter 18: Birth date +3 days, 0730 hrs

  Chapter 19

  EPILOGUE

  Author’s Biography

  Hybrid:

  Forced Vengeance

  by

  Greg Ballan

  www.lachesispublishing.com

  Published Internationally by Lachesis Publishing

  Dunrobin, Ontario, KOA 1T0 Canada

  Copyright © 2011 Gregory Ballan

  Exclusive cover © 2011 Carole Spencer

  Inside artwork © 2011 Carole Spencer

  All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the publisher, Lachesis Publishing, is an infringement of the copyright law.

  A catalogue record for the print format of this title is available from the

  National Library of Canada

  ISBN 13: 9781-897562-64-2

  A catalogue record for the Ebook is available from the National Library of Canada

  Ebook available from

  www.lachesispublishing.com

  ISBN 13: 978-1-897562-65-9

  Credits:

  Joan Migton, Editor

  Carole Spencer, Editor

  Patricia Thomas, Copyeditor

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any person or persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Also available from this author:

  HYBRID

  Dedication

  To my son, Thomas, this book would never have come to be without your encouragement and honest critique. You’re the best friend a writer could have.

  Prologue

  Final Report Summary

  Hopedale Mountain Incident

  Major Art Bartholomew Ross

  Captain William Anderson

  Detective Erik James Knight

  Civilian Interviews

  Summary by Phil Penn, agent #233-A2k1

  After careful interview and interrogation of all surviving military personnel and civilian witnesses, it is the conclusion of this reporting board that what occurred at the Hopedale Mountain was, in fact, a result of alien constructs. The existence of Detective Erik Knight and his inhuman abilities serve to verify the claims of both military and civilian witnesses. The photographs seized from several media outlets have been carefully examined and are 99.9978% validated by our digital spectrographic enhancements. Power measurements obtained from on-site military equipment lend extensive credibility to the statements received by this department from civilian witnesses. The information gathered pertaining to the history behind this conflict was obtained from Erik Knight during an interrogation shortly after the incident occurred.

  The two large constructs responsible for the child abductions and military deaths in Hopedale were the product of alien genetic engineering. Designed as soldiers with limited independent action, they were programmed to respond to a limited number of stimuli, one of which is need for survival. These creatures feed on emotional energy, especially the stronger energies generated from hate and fear, the emotions most prevalent in a combat situation. In order to assure their survival once reanimated, they sought out the strongest sources of these emotions: Children. As to how these creatures were able to ascertain such insight and knowledge is unknown to us. Erik Knight could only speculate that perhaps these creatures had fed on primitive humans centuries earlier if no other food sources were available.

  The race responsible for these creatures called themselves the Seelak – a warrior race with a code of behavior similar to the Spartans of Ancient Greece. From what little we were able to glean from the detective, these beings were somewhat larger than a human and charcoal gray in appearance – a technologically advanced species far above our current levels of scientific advancement. It was their wish to eliminate the human species and repopulate this planet with their kind.

  In direct contrast to the Seelak, their antagonists, the Espers were mankind’s saviors. The Espers were a peace loving people dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge for practical and beneficial purposes. If the Seelak were Spartans, then the Espers would be the Athenians. Silver in appearance and very long and slender of body, their telepathic and empathic capabilities were staggering and their knowledge beyond the imagination. During their war with the Seelak, the Espers created a breed of soldier suited for martial purposes. Beyond compare, the Esper warriors were a marvel of genetic engineering with physical strength and abilities of superheroes. Even more staggering, on their world, these warriors had a bond with the life force of their planet and the ability to manipulate the matter of their world by sheer force. The Esper warrior stands almost seven feet tall with flesh that resembles the brightest chrome. The vacant burning blue fire of their eyes sends a shiver down the spine even when looking at them in photographs. The creature’s flesh looks like liquid armor and appears to conduct bioelectrical and static electrical energies. At the time of this report, no tests of the detective’s alternative persona had been conducted.

  Erik Knight did reveal that the Seelak started the conflagration with the slaughter of an entire Esper research community on one of their planet’s moons. The Esper responded with lethal and deadly force. The ensuing war decimated both sides and destroyed their planet. As to how two diverse species shared a world and developed such a dichotomy of cultures is a matter for extra-terrestrial historians; we will never have these answers. How they managed to put aside their conflict and move their remaining populations here is another technological marvel that we’ll never be able to isolate or understand.

  The Esper and Seelak fought their war on this planet to its conclusion. After several small skirmishes, the Seelak launched a major offensive utilizing their latest genetic constructs. The Esper warriors were able to defeat the army but the ensuing conflagration depopulated both sides to low double-digit numbers. The victorious Espers sealed the remaining Seelak in the empty husk of their huge ship along with the last pair of genetically created soldiers. Only the Seelak soldiers had any real control over the beasts, and they all lay dead on the battlefield. The Seelak survivors were entombed along with their creations.

  The survivors of the war would serve as nourishment for the creatures as long as they lived. The Espers believed the creatures would then die from starvation. This seems a drastic and barbaric form of retribution, but it must be noted that the Seelak’s intent was to wipe our entire species from the face of the Earth. How the Esper realized that the creatures wouldn’t die and how they knew they would eventually be freed are mysteries we will never know. Erik Knight was very vague in this area.

  The Espers created a genetic virus to implant in sever
al compatible human hosts that would alter the host giving them the capability of combating the creatures upon their release. Again, how the timing had been predicted or how the virus worked or selected their hosts is information that we don’t have and the increasingly evasive detective has chosen not to share at this point.

  We know that the craft that carried both species here is buried under the Hopedale Mountain. A mineralogical survey team detected the metals in the alien hull and began digging a mining tunnel to extract what they believed was a vast wealth of minerals and exotic metals. The miners inadvertently broke into the ship, which was serving as a tomb for the last two hibernating creatures who awoke then slaughtered the miners. They began their attacks on the Hopedale community.

  Two attempts were made to survey the area and another to tunnel back down to the ship; each time Erik Knight, in the guise of the Esper warrior has thwarted the expedition. The routed tunneling party informed us that the area in question is geologically unstable – unfit for any type of mining or tunneling. We can only assume the repeated missile and rocket impacts in that area are the cause. At this time it’s apparent the alien ship is out of our reach.

  Major Ross and Captain Anderson witnessed the destructive power the detective now possesses. The battle he waged against the two Seelak creations must have been fantastic to see, based on the still photographs and the energy emissions that were picked up by various pieces of recording equipment. It is in the interest of both the scientific and the government communities that this knowledge be acquired and utilized. Major Ross has insisted this hybrid human is a potential threat and needs to be neutralized. This organization believes that the means of doing so does not yet exist.

  Although we gained valuable information from the debriefing of the detective, Erik Knight, this agency believes more vital information and data are being withheld. At this point the government is in no position to take any action to force the detective to cooperate further. What we know is summarized by bullet below.

  · Erik Knight (Referred to as the hybrid) is an Esper hybrid humanoid with untapped power potential.

  · His fiancé, Shanda Kerwin, also contains a variant strain of Esper DNA.

  · It has been determined by analysis that the silver weapon the hybrid carries only responds to mental commands of Erik Knight.

  · This weapon can assume various shapes and sizes and its potential is unknown.

  · The hybrid can sense danger and negative emotion.

  · Other humans may have limited Esper abilities from the genetic infection.

  · The hybrid has accepted a field commission with a Boston Law firm that does legwork for the CIA.

  It is the judgment of the Central Intelligence Agency that the hybrid be studied and utilized as best suits the government’s needs. All attempts to coerce the hybrid into further medical examinations or interrogations should cease. More can be safely learned through passive observation than through questioning; it is deemed prudent to avoid another active aggressive display of his powers which damaged the interrogation room – resulting in over $125,000 in damage to the facility and observation equipment. The best course of action is to observe and annotate through each given assignment. It suits the government’s best interest to have the hybrid on our side – for now.

  Chapter 1

  It was an ambush!

  The intruder ran a desperate zigzag pattern through the darkness as bullets rocketed over, in front of and behind his fleeing silhouette. His enhanced hearing detected the whine of rotating concave mirrors and micro oscillating motors from multiple starlight night scopes and infrared lenses. Angry reports of multiple machine guns and assault rifles unleashed wave upon wave of hot lead and glowing phosphorous tracers as the muzzle plumes from each weapon illuminated the darkness with tongues of rose-colored flame. He leapt an impossible thirty feet, crashing through a thin sheet metal wall. The dark form cartwheeled three times, avoiding a persistent line of machine gun fire that followed him through the opening. He spotted a nearby packing crate and leapt toward the much needed cover.

  “Son of a bitch!” He crouched behind his impromptu cover. “They knew I was coming.”

  The lone specter paused to stare at the gaping tear in his black combat pants. He hadn’t been quick enough, but the wound was already sealed and scarred over. A normal man would have been crippled. The intruder didn’t have any time to reflect on his situation as another line of bullets passed over his head from higher up in the building. He reached inside the black leather duster and freed two combat pistols while peering into the upper catwalks. He detected at least four distinct voices speaking Arabic fifty feet above him. He didn’t understand much of the language but recognized the words ‘find’, ‘kill’ and ‘American.’

  It was time to level the playing field. The intruder’s eyes began to glow, becoming luminous balls of aqua blue radiance. His bio-organic night vision far surpassed that of primitive human technology. With a well-rehearsed gesture the man covered his eyes with dark protective goggles, shielding their glow from any onlookers. He looked back up the catwalks, the barrels of his pistols following two targets while simultaneously tracking the other two marks. “Sweet dreams,” he whispered tapping the triggers of each weapon. Both Wilson Super .45s barked twice, illuminating the darkness with mauve plumes of fire.

  Each target jerked as two rounds violated their flesh. One form fell over the shallow railing, screaming in agony as his body fractured a nearby crate, covering the tattered wooden fragments and contents with blood and sinew.

  Afterwards, the dark silence was shattered as the two remaining Arabs fired random volleys into the lower level. The intruder leapt twenty feet onto the nearest catwalk; though his landing was light the metal structure squealed as rusted bolts and beams moved slightly under his weight. He sensed the enemy’s weapons discharge and spun his body ninety degrees. As he moved, the droning whine of several bullets traveled through the space his head had occupied only a heartbeat earlier. He raised his weapons again, locking onto the heat signatures of the last two targets; with another quick tap two more metal-jacketed, lead messengers of mortality claimed their victims.

  * * * *

  “In here!” a voice shouted.

  The intruder glanced down at the opening he’d made earlier. A constant stream of armed men poured into what he now determined to be a warehouse. He turned his weapons toward the newcomers and fired. Round after round spit from each muzzle, finding their marks on the unfortunate victims. He paused, momentarily expelling exhausted clips and reloading. This gap in his assault gave the Arabs the time they needed to regroup and counter attack.

  Six modified AK-47 assault rifles sprayed bullets over the entire warehouse punching hundreds of holes in the thin sheet metal walls and damaging the weakened steel balconies and scaffolding. The sounds made by tortured, rusted metal stressed beyond its tolerances were the only noises heard by the combatants.

  The intruder felt the platform he stood on slowly give way.

  “I need to move now,” he whispered. “No choice.” Thought led to action as taut leg muscles exploded, carrying him fifteen feet up to another layer of walkways. The force of his kick off toppled the lower scaffolding, collapsing the entire level like a series of dominos. The impact of steel against concrete floor was grating.

  The Arabs advanced cautiously, peering through the kicked up dust and debris with their night vision goggles, looking for a body.

  The intruder’s new perch placed him directly over the advancing group. He opened fire on the unsuspecting men, causing them to panic and flee. Two of the men managed to make a break for the opening; the other four were piled on each other in a growing pool of blood. He then dropped the thirty-plus feet onto the concrete floor and checked each still body for vital signs.

  The fallen steel had crushed several crates. Their contents lay scattered throughout the warehouse floor. He walked over to the first crate and picked up a heavy rocket launcher. He slung the we
apon over his shoulder and continued his inspection. The floor was littered with weapons: Hundreds of assault rifles, rocket launchers, rocket propelled grenades and shoulder-fired missile systems.

  “Well, well,” he mumbled, “the motherload.”

  The man reached into his jacket, producing a handheld transceiver. “This is Knight, conformation code Alpha, Tango, Victor, Seven One Niner. I have confirmation that the Port of Salhan is a weapons depot.”

  “Destroy it; destroy it all,” a voice commanded.

  Agent Erik Knight, CIA cooler, terminated the conversation and returned the transceiver to his pocket. He walked fifty paces away from the warehouse, opening the rocket tube, in hand, as he went. He then spun around and pointed the weapon at the hole he’d made during the firefight. He took aim and pressed the launcher’s trigger. The rocket leapt from the tube and sped toward the warehouse. Erik smiled as the projectile flew through the gaping hole.

  The explosion wasn’t nearly as destructive as he’d anticipated. The detonation blew out several windows and ignited scattered bits of debris but it wasn’t enough to level the structure and ensure that all the weapons stored inside had been destroyed. Reinforcements were likely due any minute. He had to act fast.

  He retreated another hundred paces, hoping he’d given himself enough distance. He held both arms out and inhaled deeply, focusing his will on the static energy inhabiting the air around him. His forearms tensed and his fingers curled. As he increased his focus two burning spheres of blue plasma – the size of softballs – materialized in the open palms of each hand. He then flung both his arms forward and both burning embers launched faster than the human eye could follow.