Hybrid - Forced Vengeance Read Free Page B

upon to bring her back and that feeling of helplessness ate at the pit of his soul.

* * * *

    Colonel Ross sat at the head of the mahogany briefing table in his new oversized office surrounded by his executive staff. Lt. Colonel Select Anderson sat at his right, supervising a briefing, assembled by a young second lieutenant fresh out of officer school.
    Ross had been given this new assignment not because of any great success in his already stellar military career, but because of his one failure that cost the lives of fifty soldiers. That single mistake would remain a blemish on his otherwise flawless record.
    When Ross received his orders, he insisted that his current second be transferred as well. Anderson jumped at the opportunity and readily accepted the promotion and the new challenge.
    Anderson looked over at his commander and nodded. Ross cleared his throat and the twelve men seated at the table focused their attention on the large viewing screen.
    “Lights.” Ross barked the order. The room went dark at his sullen command and was silent as pictures of multiple headstones flashed upon the screen, each engraved with the names of young men who died in service to their country.
    “Four months, gentlemen,” Ross grumbled. “Four months of back to back funerals, wakes and honor guard ceremonies. Fifty good men buried because of some long-forgotten incident.  An event we’ve managed to keep from the headlines and television screens of an ignorant populace.” The colonel’s voice rose in intensity. “I was there as the death calls came in for each group, and I personally saw that each family was notified and each soldier was buried with honors, but that’s not enough.” Ross rose and began pacing.
    “We still have a wild card out there, a joker in our deck, a fly in the ointment, a pain in my ass that needs soothing, gentlemen – a threat to our national security – in mine and other military opinions.” Ross lowered his voice to a deadly baritone. “The powers that be decided that now is the time to remove the fly, or at least put it in check.” Ross glanced toward Anderson. “Next set of pictures,” he ordered.
    A young man in jeans and a white tee shirt appeared on the screen. He had long jet-black hair and an athletic build. Despite the smile on his face something deep in those eyes was foreboding and mysterious. The woman standing next to him was a drastic contrast to the clean-cut, intense-looking man.
    She wore leather pants and a wild leopard print vest. Gothic black makeup and purple and pink dyed hair framed her attractive face. The look she was giving the man was equal in intensity, yet seemed lighter, more joyful. It was obvious that the two were deeply in love.
    “The man is this picture is Erik Knight,” Ross stated. He pressed the remote, saying, “He has to be removed immediately. Here’s why….”
    The next slide depicted a massive silver-skinned being nearly seven feet tall impaling another equally large dark humanoid with a silver-edged weapon.
    “This is also Erik Knight, or what Erik Knight is capable of becoming.” Ross paused to allow the men their startled gasps and mumblings of disbelief. He allowed ten seconds of disorder before he smacked the table with his fist, silencing the room again.
    “If you find that hard to believe, you’ll love the next few slides.”
    Each new slide showed the silver being engaged in combat with the black armored humanoid as well as a massive winged feline creature straight from a childhood nightmare. Ross remained silent as combat slides were run.
    The dull fluorescent lighting came back on, illuminating the meeting room. “What in the hell were those things?” a major inquired.
    “Soldiers,” Anderson replied as he began handing out mission briefs to each man at the table. “The last of a breed of genetically created soldiers designed to fight in a war while we still inhabited Europe – before the Bronze Age, when white men were