AWAKENING

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Published by: Troy Pendleton

All rights reserved

Copyright © 2016 by Troy Pendleton

Cover Art © 2017 by Troy Pendleton

This book is a work of fiction. Names character, places, and incidents either are of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

ISBN: 9781790534272

Chapter 1: It’s My Job

Agent 12 walks quietly through the dark void of the large Katsu Motors manufacturing plant located in the city of Detroit, MI. This place is massive, she thinks to herself as she scans the room while feeling the silence surround her. Generally, at this time of night, the plant is fully operational but tonight is the start of a one-week shutdown for Independence Day.  This works out great for Agent 12 because she can engage the plant completely undetected. Agent 12 isn’t there for fun or entertainment. She has a mission to complete, and this mission has taken the utmost priority over anything else.

Agent 12 is no ordinary woman. She is a highly advanced BioMech (Mechanical Altered Biological Subject), fierce but gentle, beautiful yet powerful, and a force to be reckoned with! Standing at around 5ft 5 inches tall, with an enticing hourglass figure, she has smooth, silky, black Onyx hair. Her normal skin tone is a medium tan shade with gold highlights near her lean, sculpted muscles. Her facial features are those of an average sort that is until you reach her eyes. The agent’s eyes are blue. Not your typical light or dark blue, but a marble-flecked, intense, softer shade. They most certainly take your breath away!  It’s as if her eyes can pierce straight through to your very soul. She has a wholesomeness about her as if she wages inside herself between what is right and what is her undeniable duty and achievement as an agent. Her directive is her every focus, and she will no doubt surrender her very life as to fail in her given mission.

She is an elite member of a covert branch of the CIA, known as BCP. BCP, or (BioMech Cybernetics Project), is one of two projects that got its start over 20 years prior.  This branch first prototyped robotic limbs on military amputees, much like prosthetics. With correct calculations completed, they tested it on humans who were not amputees. Some who were looking for physical improvements gladly volunteered. Then there were those who refused to volunteer or even work with the progression of BCP, and in turn, were forced to take part. They would rip the individuals apart and put them back together with metal infused bone structure, BCI's (Brain-Computer Interfaces), and nanotech-enhanced muscles.  In the beginning, the progress was slow with many failures. The agency even questioned their future endeavors, but through patience and determination, BCP made one successful BioMech nearly every year.  In recent years, however, this method has caused them to ramp up the BioMech Cybernetics Project.

There are now 26 active agents. This particular vicious female BioMech specimen is number 12 in their numeric order.  She has no memory of who she was before becoming an agent. Her only focus is her awareness of being an agent, and that following all orders is a must. Agent 12 is a team player, but cross her and you might wish you were on a different team.

Every agent is a master of disguise and can alter their appearance by merely visualizing it.  Their hair color, eye color, skin tone, and even their electro-larynx voice guide can change at will. These enhancements give the agents an ability to become any age or distinction needed. They also give the advantage of allowing them to level the playing field against their greatest foes.

All agents dress to fit their surroundings, but when it is time to go to work, they have some similar equipment. The agents have issued to them a grey Kevlar form-fitting body suit, which can stop most bullets from breaking the skin, a pair of Kevlar gloves, and one pair of boots. The bodysuit covers them from neck to toe. Four handguns and two knives are also issued to them and are completely untraceable. Beyond that, it is up to the agent to gain anything else they may need.

12 wears a red leather four-gun holster that straps around her legs and waist then loops over her shoulders. The holster allows her to have two 45 caliber semi-automatic pistols with silencers on each leg and two 9 mm semi-automatic pistols on her back that she can reach under each arm.  12 also wears red leather wristbands, which buckle around her arms. The wristbands also have built-in knife sheaths. The last part of her gear is her tall red leather boots. They are unique, and each pair has random sole patterns that don’t trace back to their manufacturer. The boots also won’t wear out or slip and are mostly indestructible.

As Agent 12 moves closer to the central testing area located in the middle of the plant, she pulls her gun from the right-side holster on her leg. The agent slowly walks into the testing area noticing a dark-haired man sitting at a computer terminal with his back to her. The man appears to be listening to music because he is wearing headphones and tapping his feet to the rhythm of a beat. This is her moment. She modifies her voice pattern, hair color, and facial features to match that of Snooty Shirley, the head security guard of the building.  Shirley is originally from Georgia, and though she still has her sweet southern accent, there is nothing else sweet about her. She is a hard nose and could be a hot head as well. Approaching with authority and now with southern sass, Agent 12 advances over to him and sticks the end of her silencer to his head.  In shock, he rips out his headphones and turns in her direction.

"Finish turning around," she commands in the now southern accent of Shirley.

He shows his full appearance, helping Agent 12 to process the true identity of whom she was beckoned for.  There before her is Yuri Katsu, the brains behind Katsu Motors.  This relatively new automobile company manufactures a very affordable car that gets fifty miles to the gallon. Yuri is an Engineering genius and is making leaps and bounds with fuel consumption. He even states that within ten years his cars will get a whopping hundred miles per gallon and many believe this goal will be reached.

With a rise in his heartbeat and a scowl of the eyes he looks up at her and exclaims, "Tell me what you want!" while shaking his right index finger in her face.

She roughly replies, "You know what I want.  You were instructed to back off this agenda, but here you are still working away at it!"

Yuri stands up with rebellious vigor and hollers as the blood runs to his face from anger, "I will not tolerate your scare tactics, Shirley. And furthermore, I don’t know who paid you off, but it will not stop my research!"

Though the two are relatively the same size his five-foot-six-inch frame is no match for Agent 12’s intimidating assassin trained physique.  In annoyance, she grabs his tie with her left hand and picks him up high enough that only the tips of his shoes are touching the floor. Agent 12 suddenly twists her wrist tighter and sticks her pistol between his eyes. "I’m not here to negotiate," she says. "Now, if you wish to live until tomorrow tell me everything I need to know and do exactly as I say. Choose the opposite and I’ll have to pay your wife and kids a visit, with your leftovers in a doggy bag!"

Yuri has certainly never seen Shirley behave in this type of forceful tone!  Not towards him anyway. Since he has given his bodyguard the night off due to the shutdown Yuri realizes he definitely can’t out man her, especially since she has a gun on him! So, he despondently gives in to her demands by deciding to play along. Just in case Shirley’s head has come unscrewed he knows he needs to keep them both calm because Yuri wants to do anything to protect his data and his family!  Suddenly, Yuri changes his attitude and is willing to be more than cooperative.

"I need a copy of all of your research on this drive," she demands while pulling a flash drive out of a small pocket in her holster.

"Okay, OKAY," he whimpers as he grabs the drive, sits back down, and quickly puts it into his computer. It takes about 15 minutes to load the data on the device then he solemnly pulls it out and hands it back to her.

“Shirley, I've done what you’ve asked me. My family will be safe now, right?”

“Not so fast Yuri,” she responds, “the data has to be wiped out of the entire system, which includes the backup."

"I can't wipe the backup from here,” he says, “It’s on the other side of the building, in the storage room."

“Then let’s get moving,” she snaps, “what are we waiting for?”

“Listen, Shirley, I don’t know who you think you are, but that’s my name on the outside of this building. I’m not budging one more step without answers!”

“I am your worst nightmare!” Agent 12 exclaims as she tilts the gun sideways, pulls back the slide, and ejects a bullet. She catches the shell with her left hand and shows it to him as she continues, “I also just so happen to have a bullet with your name on it if you keep trying my patience!”

Yuri puts his hands up where they need to be and says one more thing, “Mark my words, Shirley, I will take you down for this.”

"Fine," she says while roughly sneering at him, "In the meantime let's get on with it. I have a schedule to follow."

Yuri deletes the data from his desk console then stands up with a defeated sigh as they walk toward the door.  Continuing down the corridor, he asks Agent 12, "Why are you doing this, Shirley? I don’t understand this behavior from you!  We’ve had you over at our house before, and we shared drinks and stories of our families and future automobile aspirations.  My wife and I thought you were happy for Katsu Motors and even happy for me! How about I get you one of the first prototypes that’ll have the one hundred miles to the gallon feature? That’s more than a reasonable offer don’t you think?  Why are you looking through me like that?  Are you high or something?” he then pauses for a moment before continuing, “No, you were paid off, weren’t you? Is it one of our competitors?  Why won’t you answer me?”

“I’m just doing my job,” she replies flatly.

"So now your job is to steal things while threatening to kill people too?" Yuri asks, bewildered.

"It's my job to take orders and complete them by whatever means necessary, plain and simple." 12 informs him.

"Oh, it is, is it?  Well, then I want to know who is behind this!" he shouts, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks again.

“Just put the code in Yuri,” Agent 12 growls in anger as they approach the storage room door.

“Can you at least get the gun off of me?” Yuri questions as he puts in the password to the door panel on the wall. Denying his request, Agent 12 sticks the gun that had been held at his neckline in a bit deeper.

As the door opens Yuri quickly steps inside and hits the panic button, which causes the door to slam shut behind him, leaving Agent 12 in the corridor!  She then promptly discharges her disguise mode, revealing her true identity so Yuri can see precisely what force he is now up against. Agent 12 is now beyond furious!  She quickly shoots two rounds into the glass door between them.

The glass doesn't break, and on the other side, Agent 12 notices Yuri in a panic fumbling for his phone. She then activates her retinal prosthesis system and plays back the last thirty seconds to re-watch him put in the access code. Her Agris III Eye Display inside her eye shows him pushing in code number 1853367. Agent 12 quickly retypes the digits into the panel and the door engages once again, allowing her access. As his phone rings 12 shoots it out of his hand, then shoots him in both legs with rapid-fire causing Yuri to fall to the floor screaming in pain.

“Yuri,” the agent says flatly, “I would’ve killed you quickly if you had done what I told you to do, but now you’re trying my patience.” With a lack of empathy, she sticks her 45 to his head and yells, “Is this it? Is this the backup?” while pointing to the console tower.

"Yes," he fearfully exclaims in agony.

"Good," she says.

Agent 12 then shoots with rapid-fire along the entire length of the data backup system. After she finishes she turns to him and says, "Your troubles are over Yuri; I'll take it from here." As soon as the words are out of her mouth, she nonchalantly pulls the trigger and lands a single bullet directly between his eyes. The room goes silent from the lack of Yuri’s screams. 12 proudly blows at the illuming smoke that finds its way out of the silencer’s tip and proceeds down the corridor to complete her mission.

Agent 12 goes outside and returns a few minutes later with a fifty-five-gallon barrel of flammable liquid.  She turns it over and lets the explosive run out into the server room. Once the barrel is empty, she walks into the corridor, steps a few paces away, and fires a bullet into the steel floor which lights the liquid causing it to engulf the room in thirsty flames.  With a determined mindset, 12 leaves the building in the same direction she had entered. Only now she is turning over every barrel she passes. Feeling the heat of the fire behind her gives her motive enough to move faster.  Her speed is amazing to behold, and her power is remarkable!  She makes her way to the edge of the property and places a call into BCP Headquarters to inform them that the flash drive is now secure and that the target has been destroyed.  They respond with a hearty, "Well done, Agent 12!"

Then, with a smirk and a sense of accomplishment, she turns and watches the burning manufacturing plant from afar.

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