The Deafening Silence: Volume Ii: the Alpha Omega Project

By Aaron Mesch

Espionage and Covert Liaison for International Peace, Space, and Equity (ECLIPSE) agent Frank Stevens had his work cut out for him. Pat Islands, a string of islands in the South Pacific, belongs to the Mesch Empire, an organization with economic and military power surpassing that of the United States. A representative of the secret service, Stevens is charged with helping keep peace throughout the world and protecting the Pat Islands interests.

Its a world at war. Mankind faces complete annihilation at the hands of an ancient alien species known as the Saurian, hell-bent on seeing the extinction of the human race and exploiting planet earth for all its natural resources.

Once again its up to Stevens and some other hand-selected ECLIPSE agents to return to the jungles of Brazil for the ultimate missionthe complete destruction of the Blue Army Headquarters and the assassination of their notorious leader Patriarch. They have to act fast when the agents learn the allies plan to use their nuclear arsenal against the Blue Army and the Saurian. Stevens and his crew must fight through Patriarchs clone army, alien enemies, and the Deafening Silence.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Feb 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781532040443

Aaron Mesch

Aaron Mesch served with the Canadian Armed Forces in a mechanized infantry battalion tactical strike group and possesses vast knowledge of military tactics, weapons, and vehicles. In 2012, he founded Messassano Records, a prestigious multi-media recording studio. He is a proud member of the Saskatchewan Writers Guild, and resides in Regina with his daughter, Samantha.

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Copyright © 2018 Aaron Mesch.

Author Credits: Aaron Mesch

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

iUniverse

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-4043-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-4045-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-4044-3 (e)

iUniverse rev. date: 02/12/2018

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Prologue

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Epilogue

Author’s Note

Also by Aaron Mesch:

The Deafening Silence Volume I: World at War

Treasure Chest: A Collection of Short Stories by Aaron Mesch Volume 1

TDS1

Tales of the Ivory Beast

Pearl Creek (forthcoming)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

T HERE HAVE BEEN many people who helped, encouraged, and inspired me throughout the writing of the latest installment of The Deafening Silence.

First and foremost, the continuing support of my family has never been greater. My parents, siblings, and daughter have all been my biggest fans from the beginning. I can only say thank you for your unwavering dedication to all things Mesch.

I would also like to thank Michelle Cameron for being my soundboard, being my anchor, and keeping me grounded, James Master Splinter Davidson for listening hours on end as I explained plot ideas for this story to him, Kim Huber, Courtney Magnusson, Nathan Ottenbreit, Carver Graham, Chris Perron, Sean Guerin, Josh Bourassa, and Laurie Ann Ransom for living the dream and keeping things real. To my colleagues and fellow authors, Lee Michaels and Lynn McKenzie, for sharing their thoughts, ideas, and their own stories with me over a glass of vintage wine as we watched the setting sun.

I would also like to thank Darrel Puscus, Randy Teed, Victor Moutinho, and John Marques for being great inspirations who motivated me to thrive for greater things.

I would like to give a shout out to all my comrades on active duty serving here in our glorious country or on special ops around the world. It takes great commitment and courage to do what you do and I thank you.

I would also like to thank Brenda Reuter, Ann Castro, Diane Stuart, and the entire staff over at iUniverse for taking good care of me during the publishing of this volume. Everyone worked hard and did a fantastic job on this book. Special thanks to my editor and to the crew who designed the amazing cover for this latest installment.

Last but not least, I would like to thank the late Darcy Zaluski for giving me the idea back in 1992 to write a book about spies, government cover-ups, and espionage in the first place. Those ideas would all eventually be the basis of The Deafening Silence series. I hope you are enjoying the story up there buddy!

For:

The entire Mesch Clan including

Sidney, Noah, Alex, and especially Samantha Rose.

In memory of Thomas Meszaros, Mark Lazar, Flint Stewart, William Novak, Shaun Doherty, and Carrie Fisher.

Six very special people taken since my last novel.

And to all my comrades who lost their lives

Overseas in the ongoing war against terror.

May you live in interesting times.

-Ancient Chinese curse.

PROLOGUE

T HE TROJAN SPACE Station orbited slowly around the earth like an enormous floating city that wanted to drift away to the moon. Instead, it circled a few kilometers above the atmosphere and underneath several thousand Creeper warships that had the earth under siege.

Alpha Tango One-One-Niner, report, Commander Nathan Ottenbreit said into the radio inside the command center of the space station.

Commander Ottenbreit wore an olive drab jumpsuit and a light blue beret. He had short, light brown, tapered hair and stood almost two meters high. He had a thick chin and his face was like a stone. He was in charge of the space station and answered to only the highest officials of the Pat Island government.

Alpha Tango One-One-Niner, reporting, said a voice over the radio. Still no sign of movement from any of the enemy space crafts, sir. We will conduct further reconnaissance and report any new developments.

Alright, thanks, Commander Ottenbreit replied as he clicked off the radio, turned on his heels, and faced his second in command, Lieutenant Cody. There is no change. It has been three weeks without any change at all. And to no one in particular, What are those bastards waiting for?

I don’t know, Cody replied. His hands were behind his back and he took turns looking at Ottenbreit and through the large porthole that had an excellent view of the docking bay. It’s fairly obvious they have superior firepower and could impose their will on us at any time. This will continue to disrupt shuttles from reaching Mega City. The enemy space craft have formed a tight blockade which will prevent any shuttle from reaching the moon.

The world had been visited by a hostile alien race and several warships had suddenly appeared around the globe three weeks ago. They did not attack the earth or disturb the space station. They just hovered in place motionless, did nothing, and silently watched and listened. They were an alien race known to mankind only as the Creepers. They were an advanced species and had cannibalistic tendencies and traveled from world to world like locusts stripping each planet dry of its natural resources.

The Earth was next on the Creeper’s list. All precautions were taken by mankind. New weapons and devices were developed with hopes of stopping the Creepers. Preventing a possible extinction scenario for humanity was the mandate. New strategies were adopted but not put into practice because of the dominant Creeper blockade.

One new development was the invention of the stealth fighter space pod named the PA12-Black Eye created by engineers from the Pat Islands with some assistance by engineers from the United States. The PA12-Black Eye was armed with the most sophisticated laser weapons ever before seen since the introduction of the very first Vectron armor back in September of 1986.

Another new development was the creation of Mega City located in the crater of Ptolemaeus; the first human settlement on the moon and the Pat Islands’ solution to their overpopulation crisis. The construction of Mega City was financed by the Pat Islands and took nearly ten years to build the ten kilometer squared city. Anyone was able to visit the moon city but the price was very high. An open invitation was given to any country to colonize the moon if they had the money and resources. The Pat Islands agreed to allow any country the use of Mega City as a staging point.

There was a weekly shuttle that left the space center outside of Pat City that went straight to the moon and did a return trip. The shuttle carried passengers and supplies to Mega City. Originally, there was supposed to be two shuttle flights per week but this proved very costly. It was decided that one round trip per week was sufficient.

Only if we could clear a conventional path through their blockade so the shuttle can have a clear route, Cody said.

We are working on a plan as we currently speak, Ottenbreit said. The Blue Army has seized control of the Redwood Labs in Los Angeles, and by doing so, they control four hundred satellites that originally belonged to the Star Wars Missile Defense Program. If we had these satellites back in our possession, we would be able to blast those damn bastards home! The Chief of the Defense Staff has assured me that a major operation is under way. I’m hoping it’s a special mission to get these satellites back.

That would be sweet, Sir.

Commander Ottenbreit, this is Alpha Tango One-One-Niner, do you copy, over, the radio crackled.

Commander Ottenbreit here, go ahead Alpha Tango One-One-Niner, Commander Ottenbreit replied as he held the mouth piece of the radio and looked at Cody with a concerned look on his face.

Commander, there has been a lot of sudden movement with the enemy space crafts. The first layer of crafts are descending slowly towards the earth. They do not appear to be slowing down. I believe the invasion has begun. Please advise us of our next move. Over.

Return to the command center, Commander Ottenbreit ordered.

Wait! the voice crackled over the radio. Something is happening!

Alpha Tango One-One-Niner, report! Commander Ottenbreit barked. What the hell is going on out there?

The space crafts are stopping just before the atmosphere. The bottom of each ship is opening like a mouth, Alpha Tango One-One-Niner replied, the radio transmission became erratic and filled with static. Holy hell!

What is going on? Report, god dammit!

The first wave of Creeper space crafts stopped before the atmosphere. These crafts were much smaller than the ones stationed on the outer layer. On the bottom of these smaller egg shaped crafts, a bright blue light radiated from the opening. Although bright, the blue light was not blinding like the sun. The light made the entire bottom portion of the crafts glow a soft blue.

The blue light reflected off Commander Ottenbreit’s face as he looked out the porthole and watched in horror as all the attack ships glowed and prepared for invasion. My God, Commander Ottenbreit said as he placed his right hand over his eyes. I think this is it for mankind.

A great beam of blue light shot out from every tenth attack ship and struck various points of the earth striking only the larger continents. From what Commander Ottenbreit could observe from his porthole, this form of attack was happening all around the globe. Twenty of these beams struck North America alone.

We need to inform the King of what is happening and I need to receive further instructions, Commander Ottenbreit said. That’s if it is not too late.

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It was a typical seasonal July day in South Dakota. Tourists packed the park of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial and streamed towards the rail overseeing the 18 meter high faces of four famous US Presidents. All looked on across the small gorge at the monument in awe. They snapped pictures of the stone carvings on their digital cameras or posed for a family portrait by the railing in the foreground. Other families went hiking on the nearby nature trails and took in the fresh air and all the smells of the forest. There were gaps among the trees that revealed the valley and a totally different perspective of the monument when not hidden by all the foliage. While other families purchased souvenirs at the gift shop.

Some tourists jumped into their vehicles and drove 27 kilometers to another historical site, the Crazy Horse Memorial. The site had been under construction for many decades and many wondered if the Crazy Horse Memorial would ever be complete.

Both locations received nearly 3 million visitors annually from tourists all across the US and other parts of the world. Both were very popular tourist destinations.

It was a beautiful day and everyone at the park enjoyed themselves on their holidays. Nothing could possibly ruin such a great day for these families; the sky was blue with not a cloud in sight, there was a cool and soothing breeze periodically that broke up the constant heat from the beating sun, and the sounds of nature cried out its song at every turn.

Suddenly, the park was filled with a blinding white light and all sounds had been muted. A blue beam of light had appeared coming down from the heavens as wide as a football field and struck the earth with great force like an atomic bomb. The beam disintegrated rock and pine trees as the sound of the explosion caught up to the blast. A powerful shockwave rippled out from the blast site for several kilometers and knocked over many acres of pine trees, flattened all the buildings in the park, and killed many of the tourists.

When majority of the smoke and dust cloud dissipated there was nothing left but several kilometers of devastation in the aftermath of the blue beam. Everything had been destroyed beyond recognition and the shockwave finally slowed to nothing. In the center of ground zero where the blue beam had originally struck, there was a very deep, black hole. From the hole, thousands upon thousands of Creepers poured out like ants coming out of their hill after it had been disturbed. All were heavily armed and wore sophisticated battle armor. They spread across the region like a raging fire or spreading disease and consumed every human carcass in sight as they fanned out from the hole.

Armageddon spread quickly across the globe.

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High above Pat City the armor-clad hero known as the mighty Vectron flew. When he reached the appropriate altitude, he commanded his battle suit to kick into overdrive and speed up to Mach 2. With a sudden jerk and some slight backfire, the boot jets let off a quick burst of spent rocket fuel and the armor accelerated very rapidly. The sonic boom then ensued and Vectron was out of the city in mere seconds.

Pat City was the capital of the Pat Islands, a chain of islands in the South Pacific Ocean that belonged to the Mesch Empire. The Pat Islands were a great economic and military superpower greater than the United States. It was the only western power ruled solely by a monarch.

Vectron was the extension of the King’s right hand, his diplomatic voice, his military deterrent, and his protector. Vectron stood for peace, justice, and was known to everyone as the Guardian of the Pat Islands. He wore the most sophisticated battle armor ever created by mankind and used advanced state-of-the-art weapons that no other country saw before. His identity was secret to all except the King and a very small group of the King’s top generals.

Computer, slow down to three hundred kilometers per hour when we reach the valley, Vectron ordered.

Yes, sir.

The farms outside Pat City quickly turned into rolling hills and soon after that into rocky terrain. The Woodland Mountain range was fast approaching and Vectron slowed down to three hundred kilometers when he entered the Valley of the Heroes.

The Valley of the Heroes was quite majestic. The entrance of the valley started off flat and the rock was shallow. But soon the valley started to cut deeper into the sand colored limestone and soon the cliff sides rose until they were grand walls like a temple. Further into the valley, several hundred ten meter high statues were carved onto either side of the cliff walls. Statues of all the well-known heroes of the Pat Islands that included Vectron wearing all seven of his different battle armors throughout the years, Captain Solo, the Black Widow, Night Crawler, North Star, Sabre, Orcana, Adam Mesch III, General Aaron Poland, General Jason Watts, and the current king, King William II, were only but a few that were carved on either cliff side. All the heroes throughout the history of the Pat Islands were featured on the walls of the cliffs and were opened to tourists during the summer.

At the end of the statue laden trench were much larger statues featuring King William II and Queen Katherine with a royal guard on either side of them. The statues were approximately twenty-five meters high and carved from granite at the base of Shadow Mountain. Vectron flew directly at the statues and did not decrease his speed. When he was about 150 meters away, the mouth on the King William II statue opened like a door and Vectron flew inside. The mouth closed immediately and the statue from the outside looked normal and undisturbed.

Once inside the statue, Vectron traveled down a well-lit tunnel cut through the granite, he reduced his speed dramatically, landed approximately at the halfway point, and walked the remaining distance. Vectron eventually came to a heavy iron door with a keypad on the right hand side. He punched in a series of codes, then came a short audible beep, and then the door slide open to the left. Vectron advanced forward, crossed the threshold, and entered a fairly large room that had several entrances to corridors that led in every which direction. Some went left and some went right, some went forward and some went backwards, and some went up and some went down. The room was the starting point to an intricate maze system. There were a total of twenty entrances to choose from in the room. From the entrance, Vectron turned left and walked down a fairly wide corridor that seemed to go on forever.

The corridor was entirely white; the floor tiles, the wall panels, and the panels used for the ceiling. The floor was scuffed up somewhat and there were tire marks in the occasional spot possibly left from a forklift. The corridor was lit by florescent light bulbs that were less than a meter a part and it was so bright in the hallway that it seemed to practically glow. There were no doors in the corridor nor were there any turns, just one long straight approach. There was a slight decline to the floor but to the degree that no one would have really noticed. In reality, however, the decline was greater than one would think. The corridor lead to the underground research facility network.

The Shadow Mountain research facility was several hundred meters below the surface and inside the heart of the mountain. The facility also doubled as a military command center and bomb shelter. It is here where King William II and Queen Katherine would be taken in the event of a nuclear war. There was no less than one division of KORA (King’s Own Royal Army) soldiers stationed at the lab and no less than five-hundred scientists at Shadow Mountain at any one time. Shadow Mountain was the Pat Islands’ Area 51; a place of great secrets, a place the Pat Island government denied existed. All the civilians knew it was there and had their own conspiracy theories of what went on there. It was the Pat Islands’ worse kept secret.

Vectron finally reached the end of the corridor and had to make a right hand turn because he had no other direction to walk. He did not have to go far before he was face to face with another great iron door. In the same fashion as before, he punched in a whole series of codes on the keypad on the right hand side of the door. With a short, fairly loud beep, the iron door slid open to the left and Vectron entered.

The room Vectron entered was very large but was not as bright as the corridor had been. The space that Vectron now occupied was known as the War Room and it was there that the most secret plans or projects were discussed. There was a large oval table in the middle of the room and there were several people who sat around it. The entourage was made up mostly of high ranking generals from KORA, two admirals from KORN (King’s Own Royal Navy), and high officials from ECLIPSE (Espionage & Covert Liaison for International Peace, Space, & Equity) who were in attendance. As Vectron neared the group, he noticed that even the King was there for their meeting and sat at the head of the table. The meeting had to be very urgent if King William was present. A very difficult decision was about to be made.

Thank you for coming, General Watts said from his seat as Vectron started to remove his helmet. If you would take your seat we can begin. We have much to discuss.

Vectron removed his helmet and revealed his true face to everyone, the face of Aaron Poland. Aaron was the highest ranking general in KORA and was also the Chief of the Defense Staff. His identity was a secret to all except for the King and the other high ranking Generals who sat in the War Room. He was the King’s right hand man and top advisor. When he wore the Vectron armor, everyone, including the officials in the War Room, gave him the utter most respect. Vectron made an oath to protect the islands from tyranny and oppression.

You contacted me during one of my patrols, Aaron said as he took his place at the table. What is the emergency?

The Creepers began their invasion over thirty minutes ago, General Watts replied. All over the globe, wave after wave, they have landed.

The end is near, Aaron thought out loud. Looking directly at the King, he continued, What have we decided to do?

We have decided to reopen the vault, His Majesty answered. I don’t think we have any other choice at this point. I think it’s time we awaken the sleeping giant.

The vault was a place that Aaron had not been inside at the Shadow Mountain complex since late 1987 when it had been sealed and welded shut. It had been a terrible time for the Pat Islands and for the rest of the world. The world had been visited by two warring factions and the war evidently continued on Earth in the early part of 1987. The war had been between two robotic alien armies and they fought over which side would have supremacy over the entire solar system. The epic battle on Earth was later known as the War of the Robots. Large beings as tall and almost as wide as a five-story apartment building, so powerful and menacing, the humans were almost unable to stop them and restore peace.

There has to be another way, Aaron said. We cannot release our past demons.

What other alternative do we have? General Novak asked. I suggest we use our nuclear weapons and plan a synchronize attack along with the other remaining superpowers. We must destroy the Creeper threat immediately.

No one will use nukes as long as I’m alive and breathing! Aaron proclaimed, slamming his gauntlet on the table and nearly creating a hole through it. No one!

How many options do you think we have? General Watts shouted. We will be annihilated if we don’t act now!

There has to be another solution to this crisis, Aaron said as he stared intensely at General Novak. Using our nuclear capability should not be an option. This would create more problems than solutions. Another idea will present itself.

If we do not use our nuclear capability some other country will and we’re back in the same boat, General Novak said.

No nukes! Aaron said with a raised voice. We will send word to the other nuclear powers to avoid using them at all costs.

That is a pretty tall order, General Watts said. It would be difficult to get the United States and China on board. The United States are half conquered and they are planning to use their ability soon out of desperation and China also believe they stand alone.

Shit! Aaron yelled, slamming his gauntlet through the table. Surprised, Aaron looked up at the King and then slowly around the table. I’m sorry. He brushed the wood splinters off his armored legs and then continued. If we nuked our planet fast enough then perhaps the Creepers will not want it anymore. Destroy the planet before they do. Aaron paused and looked around the table once again and tried to assess everyone’s reaction. You see how absurd this sounds? We will send our top diplomats to these countries and persuade them to hold off pressing the button. What do you figure, Your Majesty?

The King stood up from his chair, leaned over the table, looked at Aaron, and said, I agree with you. We will send our top diplomats to the United States and China and prevent a nuclear war from erupting. Then I would like you to reopen the vault, reactivate the creature, accompany this creature, and assist it in locating its allies at the bottom of the sea. Order them to wait on Tiger Island and await further orders.

Is this what you wish to happen, My Majesty? Aaron asked.

Yes. Make this happen.

As you command, My Lord.

ONE

P AT CITY, THE heart and soul of the Pat Islands. A hub of action and commerce; a city filled with culture and great history. Pat City was the capital of the Pat Islands, a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean where the weather never changed from its warm tropical climate. A city located in the center of an island paradise.

It was a warm and sunny Tuesday morning and downtown Pat City was already quite busy for that particular time of day. Albert Street was packed with motorists and pedestrians shuffling off to work or vehicles trying to pull over to drop off their significant other. Albert Street was the busiest street and was the main artillery that dissected downtown into two equal halves. Most of the top notch stores and restaurants, halls and movie theaters, lined both sides of the street and were almost always packed.

Such was the case on that Tuesday.

Susan Lasko sat at the middle table in the local Jim Norton’s donut shop and causally sipped on her tea. She gingerly ran her fingers through her red hair with her right hand and then rested her chin in her opened palm. Before her was the Pat City daily newspaper, the Newsflash, and a Boston Crème donut resting on a napkin. She thought about taking a bite but decided she would wait until her date arrived.

That very moment, a young man, perhaps in his mid-twenties, with short brown hair and standing nearly two meters high, came through the door to the donut shop. Susan recognized the man as her date, Carver Graham.

Susan waved her hand at Carver and he immediately noticed her. He approached the table and paused before her.

You made it, Susan said with a smile. I wasn’t too sure if you were going to show.

Hi there, he said. Of course I was going to show. I’m going to get a coffee. I’ll be right back.

Carver went to the counter and ordered a coffee and a grape jelly donut, winked at the young blonde cashier, paid for his things, and returned to Susan’s table.

So how are you doing? he asked as he took a bite out of his donut and stared at Susan.

I’m fine, she replied. I didn’t think you would get any time off from work.

"I am quite busy, however, I would always make time for you, Carver said as he took a sip of his hot coffee, burnt the tip of his tongue, and looked at Susan with a distorted face. Ouch! That sure is some hot coffee! So what are you reading?"

Reading? Oh, there was an article on cloning in the paper, Susan replied. I found it quite interesting.

Cloning? Carver asked. "You mean like human cloning?"

No. Scientists from Canada, the United States, Britain, and Japan found a way to bring some extinct creatures back to life. They have extracted DNA from a completely preserved and frozen Woolly Mammoth in Serbia. They figure they can also bring the Sabre Tooth Tiger, the Dodo bird, some great bear, and the Neanderthal man back to life.

What about dinosaurs? Can they recreate them as well?

The scientists say no because all the remains of the dinosaurs are fossilized. It’s impossible to extract DNA from rock. So, there will be no dinosaurs coming back!

That’s good. Have you ever watched Jurassic Park? Scary, just scary! Some species are extinct for a reason and when you re-introduce them into a different time and ecosystem, there would be serious repercussions.

Carver was very smart, that was one of the first things Susan noticed when they first met two months ago. She loved their conversations that they had. They could have talked about anything and it would not take long before it became a heated debate. She loved it when she could make Carver squirm in his seat, it made him vulnerable and very sexy. He had all the qualities that she was looking for in a man.

The only thing Susan did not like about Carver was the fact that he was a workaholic and she barely had the chance to see him. He was a medical doctor and it seemed like he lived at the hospital. Even when they were together, very often he would be paged and he would have to run while they were in the middle of something.

She knew she was only being selfish and she knew that his patients came first. They needed Carver more than she did. She would have to learn to share him even though she did not want too. She would have to accept that she would always come second in his life and she did not know how to feel about that presently.

What type of relationship would this become? Susan thought. One where the wife was stuck at home all alone, helpless, and begging for attention? Or perhaps the wife would start to have an affair with the hot Mexican gardener or maybe the wife becomes an old miserable hag, drank too much, and then screamed obscenities at the mailman.

Stop it, Susan! Just stop it! Susan thought. Get all that crap out of your head. Look at Carver. He is sitting right here in front of you with his Jack Nicholson smile and he was waiting for you to say something. Enjoy the time that you do have with him.

Is something wrong? Carver asked.

Oh, no. Not at all. I was just daydreaming. I was hoping we could have a good day, do something different together.

Sure, what did you have in mind? Carver asked as he sipped on his coffee. I’m sure we will have a big bang doing whatever we plan to do.

Well, I figured we…, Susan’s voice trailed off when she saw the blue 2001 Ford Taurus heading for the front doors of Jim Norton’s donut shop. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped as the car crashed through the doors and screeched to a halt.

Debris fell to the floor, dust filled the restaurant, and glass went flying in all directions. As the dust and powder from the gyprock settled, the man in the car opened the door and jumped out of the vehicle. He paused and quickly looked around him. He was slightly stunned but the man quickly regained his bearings.

The man had shoulder length hair, stood nearly two meters high, and was quite muscular. He wore a white T-shirt with the head of Frankenstein on the front, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of black shoes. His hair was messy and there appeared to be oil stains on his jeans.

Susan watched as the man was about to run out of the donut shop when a second vehicle, a black 2009 Ford Mustang, screeched to a stop before the store. Two men jumped out of the Mustang and ran towards the donut shop. Both had short, light brown hair, were very large and muscular, and both were well groomed. Each wore black suits and a pair of black sunglasses. Susan also noticed that one of the men had a goatee and had a cut on his right cheek. A small trickle of blood dripped from the horizontal gash that was approximately four centimeters wide. Both men appeared to be very upset and obviously had some business to take care of with the individual in the Frankenstein shirt.

The Frankenstein Man noticed the two men fast approaching the donut shop and he appeared to panic. As the Goatee Man began to open the door to the donut shop, Frankenstein Man ran full speed towards the shop window, shielded his face with his arms, and smashed through the glass. He tumbled onto the sidewalk covered with shards of glass and quickly jumped to his feet when he saw the two men dramatically change their strategy. He ran like hell up the sidewalk and headed north. The two men in the black suits ran after Frankenstein Man and it was clear to Susan, that the clean shaven man was upset with the Goatee Man. They ran past the window and out of Susan’s line of sight.

So what were you saying about us having a big bang? Susan asked Carver.

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Master Agent Frank Stevens and Agent Linglemyre jumped out of their ECLIPSE issued 2009 Ford Mustang and cautiously approached the Jim Norton’s donut shop. They had unexpectedly run into a prime suspect and gave chase. They had Darcy Rictor trapped inside and he had nowhere to go.

You’re out of your mind! Linglemyre said. We were supposed to be having a meeting at the National Defense Building this precise moment but now we’re chasing after Darcy Rictor. Rictor could have waited for another day!

"No, Linglemyre, Rictor could not have waited for another day, Stevens replied with great anger. I’m going to tag this little fucker!"

This would be your fourth one this week! Linglemyre shouted back. When does it stop?

When I say it does!

You’re becoming very unstable, Frank. Not every Rictor clone killed your wife!

I have tagged three Rictor’s, Stevens said as he and Linglemyre slowed down before reaching the front doors of the donut shop. That means that there are four more…

That you know of…

"That I know of. I won’t stop until they are all destroyed."

Will that make you feel better then, Frank? Will that bring Shauna back?

I don’t know how I feel. But I’ll let you know when it’s over, Stevens said as he stopped walking and studied the doors. If this is such a big deal for you go to the meeting then. I don’t need a shrink, Jerry, and you don’t have to help me.

It’s too late for that.

We need to focus and put our game faces on then, Stevens said as he crouched down and pulled out his 5mm 103 Samuel Pistol from its holster on his right ankle. He’s inside and we have him trapped. We will go in slowly and take him out.

Linglemyre pulled out his pistol, cocked it, and stood in the ready position. Ready!

No sooner did Linglemyre say ready did Darcy Rictor come crashing through the side window. Rictor landed on the sidewalk like a cat and then briefly looked around him. He noticed Stevens and Linglemyre to his right only six meters away. Before they could react, Rictor bolted up the sidewalk and headed northbound.

He’s getting away! Stevens shouted. Let’s go!

Now we have to chase him? Linglemyre asked angrily. I’m wearing my best suit! If it gets ripped up I’m going to take the total cost out of your ass!

Shut your mouth, get into character, and concentrate! Stevens countered as he started to run after Rictor. And keep up to me!

You can be such an asshole sometimes, Stevens! Linglemyre said as he chased after Stevens who was already a fair distance ahead of him.

Darcy Rictor weaved in and out of the pedestrians that sauntered up and down the sidewalk. He almost knocked a little old lady over who had many bags in her hands when he looked behind him to see where the two ECLIPSE agents were. He couldn’t out run the agents as they had many resources at their disposal so he needed to find a hiding place until they gave up searching for him. He decided to make a sharp left hand turn into a clothing store.

Stevens watched as Rictor entered the Love Surplus Store in full tilt and knew he had to follow him inside.

Stevens had been inside such a store only once before. He was eighteen and he had been more curious than anything and a lot of his friends at the time had dared him to enter. He realized his friends were chicken and very embarrassed about something quite natural and beautiful. Stevens entered but did not expect to see what he did and he realized his friends would have been too immature to be inside the store with him.

Stevens slowed down, placed his pistol in his suit pocket, and headed for the door of the store. Linglemyre was still twenty meters behind Stevens and tried to catch up. When Stevens opened the door, he decided he would have to act alone. Stevens had been doing a lot of things alone lately.

Surprisingly, the store was packed with many patrons of all ages. The walls were filled with the latest movies and magazines and the middle shelves were filled with an assortment of leather clothing and all the sex toys a person could possibly think of.

Stevens had to tread slowly through the great volumes of customers as he frantically searched the store for Rictor. Stevens headed for the back of the store and could not find a trace of Rictor. Stevens figured he must have escaped through a back door.

As Stevens neared the back hallway where he was hoping to find a door that lead to the alley, Rictor stuck his head out from one of the change rooms on the left. Stevens immediately saw this and withdrew his pistol. The customers in front of him screamed and shouted, He’s got a gun! and all scrambled in every direction in a panic stricken, disorganized chaos.

Rictor panicked when he saw Stevens approaching the back hall quite quickly and with his pistol drawn. He quickly submerged inside the change room and locked the door behind him, no real defense from a man who wielded a handgun. He would have to get in close to Stevens if he had a chance for survival as he carried no weapon. He would have to face Stevens and force him into unarmed combat, and if he was lucky, he could force the pistol out of Stevens’s hand and turn the weapon on him. The attack would have to be executed with calculated precision. Timing was of the essence.

Get out here, Rictor! Stevens shouted as he neared the change room door. I know where you are. Don’t make me come in after you! It will not be pretty! He arrived at the door and he did not know whether or not Rictor was armed, so he treated him as armed and dangerous. He leaned up against the wall beside the change room door, his pistol was raised and elevated to the height of his turned head and held by both hands. "Get out here, Rictor! I will give you to the count of five before I blast