Samuel Bohovic - Hybrid - Project Vigil

John put paper into his pocket.

“No. Briggs, you are a good man. You have family and you have been always nice to us.

Stay here, someone will pick you up when we’re done.”

Then he turned around and headed for data storage.

Halfway to data storage he met Caroline. His first reaction was to pull trigger, but then he saw white lab coat. Bullets missed their target.

“Hey! It’s me!” She shouted from door she took cover behind.

“What are you doing here?” John shouted back.

“I wanted to find you. I guess I succeeded. Can I come out now?”

“Yes, you can.” John sighed.

She carried small metal briefcase in one hand and pistol in another.

“You’ll need this to get inside data room.” She handed him her ID card.

“And this to interface with system.” She opened briefcase and took out tablet with USB wire. Tablet was armored from one side and covered with blue contact foil on other side.

“There should be a slot for it on your armor… here got it.”

She fastened it to John’s thigh.

“There you go.”

She picked up pistol from the floor and observed John. John was much taller that her.

“Caroline?”

“Is there something you want to know about data storage?” She asked.

“No, but that pistol you have… it’s empty. You can’t shoot anyone with that.”

John gave her his pistol.

“I thought you have proper training. Be careful with that.”

She nodded and walked away the way John came.

After few minutes of walk John ended up in front of dark hallway leading to data storage.

“Claire? Why are the lights out?” He asked.

“Uh… I don’t know. Power in this part of facility was cut off.”

John activated night vision.

“Let’s take this slow.”

Total blackness engulfed them. Only sound was echo of John’s steps. Hallway was empty but John was sort of scared anyway. Suddenly Claire reminded him of her developing personality.

“John you should know that I’m afraid of darkness.”

“No kidding? John grinned.

“I mean it.” She claimed.

“Don’t worry I’m here with you.”

John knew that A.I.’s can learn, they can develop themselves, it fascinated him in some way. You could see only wires and chipsets, holographic projection maybe, but there was a person inside. Green color of night vision filled John’s mind. Hallway was empty like hallways before. John proceeded quickly until his eyes found dead body in a lab coat.

John inspected the body. It was Harper, he had broken neck.

“We’re not alone here.”

From that moment he checked every corner and looked back every few steps.

“Crisis 0-1 you still there? Come in Crisis.” John could hear gunfire along with caller’s voice. HUD displayed who calls.

“Crisis 0-1 here. Go ahead Alpha 1-4.” John crouched in a corner with good view on data storage door.

“They are pushing hard, requesting immediate assistance. We can’t hold this position without support, over.” Voice said.

John switched comm channel.

“Bravo 0-1 what’s your status?” He asked.

“We’re all clear, Crisis, over.” Gillian spoke on the other side.

“Alpha needs ground support. Move to their position ASAP. Expect no resistance on the way. Do you copy?”

“Affirmative Crisis, moving to RV with Alpha. We’re two minutes out, over.” There was sign of adrenaline in her voice.

“Copy that Bravo, Crisis out.” John never thought that guards could create serious offensive. Now he has to focus on his task, then he can think about guard’s ability to counterattack.

He tried to unlock door with Caroline’s ID card. Everything was powered down, lock included. John cursed.

“Anyway we can power it up again?” He asked Claire.

“I don’t think so, wires were damaged. That’s only wooden door, nobody expected someone to use brute force to get inside so I think you can kick it in.”

John looked at the door more closely.

“You should have told me earlier.”

Door fell after first kick. Data terminal was still online because databases had their own power generator which turned on after normal power grid went down. John approached it with smile of a madman, finally he will know everything.

“Throw your gun away Stump!”

John turned to face new threat… James. He was holding assault rifle. They stood there aiming at each other.

“I told you to drop your gun.” James repeated.

“You first.” John grinned.

“You just refused an order soldier. I don’t want to do this the hard way.”

John didn’t move.

“You think those guys who attacked you and nearly killed you and your girlfriend just woke up with that thought one morning?”

John had a dark feeling about what James just said.

“No Stump, they made a plan for it months ago. They even elected a leader of their group.

But he’s not on the list.” James revealed truth slowly.

“Who’s the leader?” John asked.

James smiled.

“Those idiots couldn’t even think of anything useful to kill you, so someone helped them.

That plan would have gone well, but you survived and saved others. You ruined MY perfect plan to get rid of you and retire.”

John was burning from inside again but maintained calm voice.

“So you wanted to kill us.”

“Yes and I still want.” James said shooting two rounds into John’s chestplate not doing any damage.

John threw his rifle away. He wanted James to suffer. John directed first punch just under ribcage aiming up. James fell forward gasping for air and John bashed James’s face against his knee guard. Then he threw James against a wall and ejected blade. And stabbed and stabbed until there was just bloody hole left in James’s chest.

“I trusted you!!” John shouted hitting wall with his head.

“I thought we were friends!” He tore concrete from walls.

John continued to demolish walls for several minutes until he sat down leaning against one side of data terminal. He was breathing hard.

“John, focus! I know it’s not easy but we have to finish this.” Claire’s voice was calm.

John forced himself to stand up and connect adapter tablet to data terminal. It took them few minutes to crack password. And few more minutes to copy all data to John’s internal drives. Only one thing surprised John. Project Vigil wasn’t only one facility. There were dozens of them. Locations were unknown to both John and Claire. John picked up his rifle and dusted it off.

“Let’s go, freedom is waiting.

When John arrived to intersection fighting was over. Gillian walked right towards him.

“Everyone is okay. They stopped few minutes ago and then this guy comes with raised hands and says that he will only speak to you.” She reported using neutral voice.

“You searched him?” He asked giving her his rifle.

“Personally.” Gillian signaled Dave and Jeff to bring prisoner to John.

“John, may I ask what happened?” She asked with little sign of worry.

“Long story.” John realized how he looks like. Blood on his armor mixed with concrete dust.

“So who are you?” John asked their prisoner.

“I’m agent Jeremy Hudson from Pentagon, Office for Vigil project. I came to discuss terms of our surrender.” He said reaching his hand forward to John.

John ignored Hudson’s hand. “You say you want to surrender?”

“President has already signed official document aborting this project and retasking our office to take care of you in outside world.” He looked serious.

John turned around to look at Gillian. Her face said: “I don’t trust this guy.”

He took of his helmet and came closer to Hudson. Their faces were only few inches apart.