Andromeda

Chapter Nine

“Agent! What do you mean you’ve found her?” Park said as he followed Nichols out of the lab with Amelia right on his tail.

“Melsom will provide the details for you,” Nichols replied. He led them through the halls in the lower levels of the Pentagon. It was just as this when Park was first brought in, and he followed the familiar path until they reached the elevator that took them down into the war room where Melsom briefed him on his present imprisonment. The elevator descended and opened as Nichols ushered Park into the war room, but this time it was much different. The room was filled with military officers and other high ranking government officials, all conversing amongst themselves. The large monitors on the far wall of the room were active and displaying various satellite images, and Park realized they all appeared to be focused on one particular location.

“Nebraska?” Amelia said out loud, clearly thinking the same thing. “What’s in Nebraska?”

“With any luck, our target.” Melsom approached them as soon as they exited the elevator.

“What exactly is going on here?” Park asked. “Your agent said that you found Subject Nine?”

“We have a lead,” Melsom answered. “The first we’ve had, but we need your confirmation, Doctor. Abrams!”

“Yes, sir.” A Pentagon admin joined them, carrying a tablet which he handed over to Melsom.

“This came in just this morning,” Melsom said. “Take a look, Doctor. Does this profile match your missing asset?”

Park took the tablet from Melsom, adjusting his glasses as he oriented the screen in front of him. He was looking at a government profile for a caucasian teenage girl. She looked to be about 16-years-old, with brilliant blue eyes and wavy, sandy hair. The second Park glanced at the photo of the girl, his eyes lit up with shock and disbelief. He had not even looked at the details of the profile before he exclaimed his confirmation.

“I’ll be damned! It’s her!”

He handed the tablet to Amelia, who took her time examining the profile. The name read, “Tucker, Anna R,” and her residence was listed as Meadowvale, Nebraska.

“Are you absolutely certain, Doctor?” Melsom pressed him.

“I could never forget those eyes,” Park assured him with a stern face. “It’s definitely her. I would stake my life on it, but I have to ask, how did you find this?”

“NSA picked it up following an incident that was reported to the local police in Meadowvale,” Abrams entered the conversation. “Apparently the girl in this profile broke the arm of another civilian minor.”

Park narrowed his eyes at him. “She broke someone’s arm,” he repeated in condescension. “And that means what to me?”

Abrams was unfazed by his remark. “The police report states that she did it with her bare hands. Witnesses called it a display of inhuman strength.”

Park’s expression rolled back. The profile was all he needed to know for sure that the girl in the photo was indeed Andromeda, but if the police report was to be believed, then there was no question that they had found her.

“Fascinating,” Park muttered, taking the tablet back from Amelia. “It seems she’s taken on an entirely new identity since she disappeared from our facility.”

“If I may ask,” Amelia cut in, “how did the government not detect this sooner?”

“It’s not their fault,” Park said in a tone that was almost meant to mock Melsom. “With no information to go on, she could have remained hidden forever. We were just waiting for an incident like this to set off the alarm bells.”

“But why now?” Abrams asked curiously. “She had been under the radar for over a year. Why would she slip up like this all of a sudden?”

“I don’t have an answer for that,” Park responded. “But it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we move quickly before she figures out to disappear again.”

“So I have your confirmation, then?” Melsom said firmly.

“Yes,” Park nodded. “There’s no doubt in my mind. Now as for our plan of action, I’ve been working on a few options that I believe would be most prudent to-”

“Let me stop you right there, Doctor,” Melsom interrupted. “I have already prepared an operation to apprehend the target.”

Park’s eyes widened. “General, you can’t be serious! Have you listened to nothing I’ve told you? You can’t send your soldiers after her. She’s too powerful, and your weapons won’t be enough to subdue her. If you do this, you will be responsible for the deaths of many good men, just like I was.”

Melsom gave a derisive snicker at his lament as he strode past him. “That’s why we won’t be using my soldiers. We’re using yours.”

Park and Amelia exchanged looks of confusion. “What are you talking about?” he said as he turned his wheelchair to follow Melsom.

“You’re absolutely right, Doctor. Our weapons and personnel would be ineffective against the target, and that’s a compliment on the work you’ve clearly delivered. That’s why we’re going to use the rest of your work to capture the asset.”

Park released the stick propelling his chair forward, frozen in shock by what he was hearing. “General,” he uttered in disturbed apprehension. “You can’t mean what I think you mean.”

“You heard me correct,” Melsom replied, indifferent to his concern. “I intend to put the full extent of Project Machina to the test right now. Since we cannot hope to capture the target by our own means, this will be the first mission of Strike Team S.C.A.R.”

“Strike Team S.C.A.R?” Park repeated.

“That’s affirmative, Doctor. Special Cybernetic-Augmented Recon Group. The subjects of Project Machina are to be activated for orders right away.”

Park’s heart was pounding in his chest. “General, I feel that I’ve operated well within the realm of my pay grade, but now I have to insist that you heed my own authority in this matter. You cannot, I repeat, CANNOT send those instruments of destruction into the field. They have never been tested beyond the confines of our facilities, and I cannot condone your idea of a field test.”

Melsom stepped up to Park, intent on casting his own authoritative stature down upon him. “You have no authority in this matter, Doctor. You lost it when you failed to return what is deemed to be property of the U.S. government despite all the time and resources at your disposal. I am taking over all operations from here on out. Now, unless you want to find yourself court-martialed for interference in a matter of national security, you will activate the subjects of Project Machina immediately. Respond!”

Park was at a loss for words. He had never felt more powerless than he did at this moment as he watched the last extent of control over his project slip away. Much of him wanted to stand his ground and protest Melsom’s orders. It could only end in disaster and he knew it, but what else was he to do?

“Fine,” Park growled under his breath as he turned his chair to head back toward the elevator. “Dr. Polinski, if you will accompany me.”

“Negative, Doctor,” Melsom stepped in. “Miss Polinski does not have the clearance for this operation.”

“That’s where I have to disagree,” Park fired back. “Consider Dr. Polinski my advisor on this matter. You are stepping way outside of your control here, General. If you don’t want this to result in absolute chaos, then I suggest you trust my judgment.”

A silence followed between them like a battle of wills, but Melsom eventually gave a reluctant nod of his head. “Very well. Agent Nichols, please accompany these two to retrieve our strike team.”

Nobody said a word as Nichols led them both out of the war room. They headed deeper into the interior of the Pentagon where the most highly classified assets and operations of the U.S. government were held. After Melsom took over Project Machina, all of Park’s remaining subjects were brought here and kept in maximum security containment.

Park and Amelia were guided by Nichols, flanked by a pair of armed guards, down a long corridor lit only by a pair of fluorescent light strips running the full length of the hallway on either side of the ceiling. They cast the corridor in an eerie bluish tint that Park found unsettling. At last, they came to a large, steel vault door at the end of the hallway. Nichols approached the electronic panel next to the door, positioning his eye level with the retinal scanner, which pinged to accept his identity. The sound of the lock opening echoed throughout the corridor as the thick, metal doors slid apart.

The room on the other side was pitch dark, but a series of lights flicked on as soon as they stepped inside. Amelia gasped as she looked around. The room was shaped like a dome and illuminated by individual light fixtures that hung low from the ceiling. To their right was a large control panel and straight ahead, positioned evenly along the opposite wall of the rounded chamber, were what appeared to be nine egg-shaped pods, each standing about seven feet in height.

“Is this it?” Amelia said quietly, lowering her voice further as it echoed loudly. “Is it them?”

“Yes,” Park muttered in response. “Contained in secure cryogenic hibernation.”

“Until now,” Nichols added with a grin. “You’re up, Doctor.”

Park just gave a nod of his head and gestured toward the guards accompanying them. Without exchanging words, the guards took up positions at the control panel and activated it. After a moment of booting up the system, the guard gave Park a thumbs up.

“Alright,” Park said, tightening his fists. “Wake them up.”

The guards each produced a key which they inserted into a slot on either end of the panel at the same time. Gripping the keys tightly, they turned to face one another as one of them initiated a countdown.

“Three! Two! One!”

The guards turned their keys simultaneously. The chamber was filled with a blaring, monotonal alarm. A series of lights appeared on the pods as they sprung to life. Amelia took a few nervous steps back as the pods began to slowly open like the hatching of many large, imposing cocoons, hissing steam spilling out of them.

Park watched with unblinking eyes as a figure stumbled out of the center pod. He almost keeled over with each step in exhaustion before finally managing to stabilize himself. As he stood straight up, Amelia’s eyes widened as she recognized him from the profile in Park’s lab.

Cerberus breathed heavily as he scanned around the room. He was almost completely naked except for a tightly fitting pair of shorts, and his skin was glistening with sweat and residue from the effects of the cryostasis. In similar fashion, six more figures emerged from the pods on both sides of him. The only ones that were empty were the two on either end of the line, which were clearly reserved for the missing subjects.

“Welcome back,” Park greeted them. “Can you all hear me?”

The seven subjects all exchanged looks with one another, never so much as saying a word, before Cerberus looked back at Park and gave a single nod.

“Good,” Park uttered. It seemed that the Machina Uplink was still functioning flawlessly between them. “We have work to do. The time has come for your first official field test.”

An hour later, Park, Amelia, and Nichols returned to the war room followed by the Machina subjects, now all dressed in civilian attire appropriate for blending in during their mission. The officers and Pentagon admins were all seated around the table, their heads turning to meet Park’s company as they entered. Melsom stood up and approached them.

“Good afternoon, soldiers,” he greeted them before turning to Park. “Are they prepped for duty?”

“Vitals are all normal,” Park replied.

“Excellent,” Melsom said as he fiddled with the tablet in his hand. “Your target is the missing ninth subject of Project Machina. Designation: Andromeda.” He handed the tablet to Cerberus, who examined it with the eyes of a deadly predator for a few seconds before handing it over to Chimera.

“Our missing sister,” Chimera said to himself as he then handed the tablet over to the next. “It’s about time.”

“The mission is simple,” Park added. “Locate and extract Subject Nine. Quietly and without casualties or collateral damage.”

“A stealth op?” Damocles growled. “There’s no fun in that.”

“At ease, brother,” Cerberus put his hand up to silence him. “What about our rules of engagement?”

“The use of any weapons and tactics available to you is permitted,” Melsom answered him. “The target will most likely be anticipating you, so I would advise you not to allow the situation to escalate into a firefight.”

“We’ll do our best,” Cerberus replied.

“Good,” Melsom nodded. “A helicopter transport will fly you to a secure location thirty miles out from the target’s last known location. Once there, a ground escort will be waiting to take you the rest of the way, purely under the radar. I cannot stress enough the importance of that.”

“We understand,” Cerberus uttered.

“Then on your way, soldiers. And good luck.”

The sun was just passing its peak in the sky as Cerberus and the others approached the chopper waiting for them on the helipad outside the Pentagon. Park and Amelia had accompanied them outside along with General Melsom to see them off.

“This is fascinating,” Amelia said beside Park, unable to take her eyes off the subjects. “Part of me still didn’t believe they were real when I saw their profiles.”

“If you’re surprised now, count yourself lucky you haven’t seen them in action,” Park commented.

“Do you think they’ll succeed in finding Andromeda?”

“Without a doubt,” Park gave a long sigh. “It’s what will happen when they do that troubles me.”

Cerberus led the pack to the helicopter. As they boraded, Melsom briskly approached them.

“Agent Cerberus!” he called out over the deafening noise of the propeller.

Cerberus gestured with his head for the last of his team to board the chopper before turning away to meet Melsom. “Sir?” he acknowledged. Melsom stopped in front of him, giving him a serious look as if to communicate something important.

“This is about the mission,” he began, loud enough to be heard but trying to keep the conversation between them at the same time. “The asset has avoided detection for over a year. That means we have no idea what sort of information she may have compromised in that time. Needless to say, we cannot allow any sensitive information regarding Project Machina to get out into the public eye. So forget what you heard back there. This is a search and destroy mission. You find Andromeda, and you terminate her on sight. Understood?”

A few uncomfortable seconds passed as Cerberus stared with a cold, unreadable expression, but at last he gave a nod of affirmation.

“Very good,” Melsom said as he brought his right arm up to salute him. Cerberus returned the gesture before turning to board the helicopter, a diabolical grin appearing on his face.

Melsom vacated the helipad, gesturing to Park as he passed him. “I expect to see you back in the war room in 24 hours, Doctor. This is the moment of truth.” Park nodded as Melsom returned to the motorcade that brought them to the helipad.

“You have reservations about this, don’t you, Doctor?” Amelia said by his side.

“Really?” Park replied condescendingly. “What tipped you off?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Amelia responded. “I feel like something else is bothering you, as if you don’t want them to find Andromeda.”

Park twitched at the sound of her words. It was strange. There had indeed been thoughts plaguing his mind ever since the disappearances of Ajax and Andromeda, but something about the way Amelia addressed it just now had sparked his interest.

“There are things,” Park began hesitantly, “that I have been reluctant to share with Melsom and his people, specifically regarding suspicions I’ve had about our missing subjects.”

“Like what?” Amelia pressed. Park did not answer, but he was hardly surprised at this point when she spoke again. “You really do know who’s behind the incidents, don’t you?”

Park remained quiet, as though every fiber of his being was screaming at him to keep silent. All he could do was turn his head to look up at Amelia, giving her a stern, dry-eyed expression that, by every indication, answered that she was absolutely right.