Prototype

Granat watched Reggie’s face as the final spent bullet casing left the chamber; she was a marvel to behold. Her eyes widened and she glanced at the creature that continued toward her.

Granat’s eyes brightened at the way Reggie moved; she flipped backward to avoid the creature, got the momentum going for a run up a street light and she flipped sideways toward the other side of the creature.

“Your brain or strength…”

Reggie left into the air kicking the creature, sending it spiraling into the glass of a window. Reggie landed on her feet with a slight bend in her knees; she inhaled slowly as she affirmed the threat was eliminated.

Granat stood up quickly from his table, and moved away from the monitors. He was amazed at her success.

One of his guards watched the monitor over Granat’s shoulder, “Should we send out her ‘brother’?”

“Absolutely. The others will prove worthless… incinerate their remains,” Granat replied thoughtfully.

Reggie wandered without any more interruptions as she made her way toward the only door she could find. She pushed it open and stepped onto a titanium floor. The paneling was cold to the touch as she pushed the door open.

The empty hallway was eerie and pleasing to her at the same time. She moved out into the hallway cautiously, moving down it with hesitation. She saw a single door at the end of the hall and opened it carefully.

This room was a chemistry lab. She was surrounded by test tubes in racks, biosafety cabinets, and centrifuges. But no employees.

An intercom came on, announcing a lunch being served currently in the cafeteria.

“Found her,” was said in a very soft voice, but Reggie was able to hear it.

She turned to face the sound and watched as a rifle came into the room first, followed by an armed man. He moved into the room silently.

Reggie ducked behind tables and watched ceiling reflections to find his location without him spotting her. The armed man’s eyes drifted around the room, turning around to see Reggie rapidly coming toward him. He pulled something from his pocket when he saw her and thrust it into her side. Reggie felt that it was some sort of injection rather than a knife, and continued with her attack. She grabbed his neck and hit a pressure point in his neck to render him unconscious. She rested him on his back delicately, and took his weapon.

She checked the rifle, gratified when she saw a full magazine in it and another on the man’s belt. She stood up past him, looking into the open doorway leading opposite from where she came.

She could feel the folder touching her flesh as she crept forward. She started to move from the room…

“Reggie…”

Reggie turned, looking at the path behind her. A man stood there, unarmed. His breathing was so intense Reggie could feel the oxygen moving past her. He looked very similar to her, and she noticed the Theta tattoo on his left arm. He was more humanoid than human.

Reggie only stared at it, “What are you?”

Granat stepped into the room behind her, “Reggie… this is your brother. He’s one of my earliest creations; Sample Theta. I designed him explicitly for protection in the event that one of the other projects developed individuality.”

“Projects like me,” Reggie asked, not bothering to turn and face him.

“Exactly like you,” Granat said. “I have high hopes for you. You were promising in every aspect of your being. You were nothing short of perfection… until you decided you needed to start thinking about things besides your mission…”

“Sample Theta in front will keep you busy, while I secure any information Paul accidentally uncovered, and have him disposed of. Play nicely with your brother, he tends to enjoy one-upping.”

The door sealed shut before Reggie responded.

“Damn it,” Reggie said.

“Looks like it’s just you and me…” she said to the big creature that continued to watch while remaining motionless.

Reggie considered what to do with this thing. She didn’t have time to play with it while Granat did whatever he planned to do. She couldn’t afford to delay. She ignored him completely and started to try to examine the door for escape potential. She reached down at the bottom and tried to pull the door open. She was strong, but not nearly strong enough to do that.

“Reggie…” the thing called to her. The creature remained still; Reggie could feel that he would mimic her actions. He was judging her - evaluating her strengths and weaknesses.

Reggie stood up and ran toward him deliberately using an under-cutting punch to the thing’s stomach. The thing measured and calculated her force as she returned to her spot in front of the door. The thing stood up straight and then poised itself to lunge forward. It lunged, and came toward her and mimicked the same punch; Reggie dodged him at the last possible second and heard his hand impact the door.

He used double her force when he punched and was able to bend the metal to the point where the door collapsed open. Reggie moved quickly, coming up behind him and delivering a neck breaker and continued forward. As she was moving down the hall, she felt her eyelids start to become heavy.

“What in the world?” she asked.

Then she looked at her side, where the needle tip broke in her skin. She reached into her flesh and pulled the needle tip out. She realized it must have been some sort of drug with the same effects as nitrous oxide.

She continued on, despite her drug induced exhaustion. She fell to her side and laid there for a moment. She felt herself falling asleep, but she knew she needed to fight against that with all her strength. She forced herself awake and continued to move forward.

Reggie didn’t have any more time. She kicked the door open and stumbled inside. Granat was in an office room with a financial branch, by the looks of them, and everyone stopped and gasped when they saw Reggie come in and train her weapon on Granat.

Before the shock of one thing could wear off, the opposite door opened and Nathan, leading the local SWAT team, and Agent Mark Springer flooded into the room, all weapons instantly trained on Granat.

Nathan and Reggie stared at each other for a moment, weapons were all trained but no one was starting the firing. Nathan could see the look of relief on Reggie’s face when she saw him.

“Doctor Cletus Granat,” Mark Springer started while holstering his weapon and removing handcuffs, “You are under arrest, for a whole shit-load of charges.”

Granat was arrested and taken into custody. Agent Springer handed Granat off to one of the local police officers to escort him into police custody while he stayed and spoke with Reggie.

“So you’re the Reggie I’ve heard so much about here recently, Sample Omega, right?” Agent Springer asked.

“Yes,” Reggie said. “That is me.”

“You could have killed me, twice,” Springer informed her.

“You and I work for the same cause,” Reggie said.

“I saw that when you didn’t kill anyone at the police station,” Agent Springer informed her. “We have the evidence you collected for us, we know now that we have the right person in custody.”

He extended his hand, “It’s been an honor to meet you.”

“Quite an honor,” Reggie agreed, shaking his hand.

“I already spoke to my boss, and he would like to offer you a position in the FBI’s hostage rescue unit, if you’re available to work.”

“I am, thank you,” Reggie said. She couldn’t help but to smile.

* * *

Free.

Reggie was out of NexGen because she was free. No one was pursuing her now.

The police continued to clear the scene and remove evidence they needed for the upcoming trial against Granat. They were the most disturbed to find a fresh body in the freezer; a terribly accurate description being “cold case”.

Samantha Parkhurst’s body was found in a cooler with sufficient evidence to state she was murdered after being kept in a coma for over two decades. She was going to be finally given a proper burial, and her family was to be notified.

***

People were walking around leisurely. There was a couple walking their gray dog down the street opposite of her. A school bus stopped and small children bounced out of the bus and started to run off toward their homes.

Music was playing, several different types from several different areas, but it was peaceful and invigorating to hear. She absorbed all the new things she was seeing, hearing, and feeling. She walked down the street without any direction in mind.

Nathan remained by her side, “Do you know who you are now?”

Reggie looked up at him and smiled, “A person, just like anyone else.”

Nathan playfully punched her shoulder, not injured. “And now you know what you were really fighting for?”

Reggie glanced down the street at the people who were resuming their lives, knowing nothing of what happened inside the walls of NexGen.

Her eyes again met with Nathan’s, “You were who I was fighting for.”

“We’re all lucky to have you,” Nathan told her.

“I am lucky to have you,” Reggie informed him. “Thank you for coming after me.”

He put his arm around her and pulled her close to him, and kissed her head. “We’re a team; I had to keep you safe.”