Chapter 4 - Open Water

Chapter III: Open Water

Stepping out your front door is a dangerous buiseness


Bilbo Baggins, The Hobbit

I was free, it didnt occur to me until I was at least two minutes away from the facility that I realized this. Where was I going to go? More importantly, how was I to get this liberty to my comrades still trapped in that prison?
Whatever I was going to do, I couldnt do it alone. I logged into the onboard computer and ran a search on anything concerning project Ocean Blue.
It came up, pages and pages of text, I clicked the tab marked Donors. A list came up of all the people and animals that gave genetic information to the project. First the animals, all sharks, dolphins and orcas. All dead, no good. Instead of names, they had specimen numbers, dehumanizing as always.
Next onto the humans, starting with the males. All elite special forces, Navy Seals, Airforce Seventh squadron, Army green Baraets, the marine core, and the ones the government wanted kept secret, majestic agents, the men in black. No sympathy coming from them.
So, we didnt have a father, but just maybe& maybe we had a mother. I clicked the tab marked female. A slightly shorter list popped up, clearly sexism wasnt completely gone from the armed forces& humans. Athletes mainly, gymnasts, sprinters, markswoman. But one in particular caught my eye. A biochemist, named Auna Blue. I clicked on the name. A blonde woman in her early thirties gazed out at me from the page. A brilliant biochemist, and an unwitting contributor to our creation. This was the only one out of all the donors that might help us, or at least hear my story.
I scrolled down until I found residence. Vancouver BC, Canada. I punched in the coordinates into the computer, set the auto pilot, and leant back to relax for the hours long trip from the butt end of the planet to the heart of human civilization.

Meanwhile in the meeting room of the Posiedon Facility, Marchank was furious.
By default, when I left, Chinook took command of our little community. Chinook is far more calm and collected than me, that's why the humans prefer to deal with him, but this trait frays nerves at times. He was currently reclining on the two plastic chairs on our side of the plexan shield. Idly playing with his tail flukes and generally driving General Marchank up the wall.
"WHERE DID HE GO!?!" roared Marchank through the plexan shield, infuriated by the fact that Chinook was apparently not paying him any attention what so ever.
"How should I know, I was in the middle of a fist fight when it happened remember?" Mocked Chinook, smirking to himself.
"I know perfectly well that the little fight you started was a diversion!"
"Do you honestly think Mako tells me every shred of information regarding his plans?" said Chinook still more smugly.
"Yes! You are his second in command! He tells you everything!"
"And I should tell you these things because? Darwin!" Chinook called to the dolphin who was leaning against the wall near him.
"Yeah Chinook""
"Impersonate the good general would you? I'm to comfortable to do it myself."
Darwin instantly sprang to attention and began marching about singing about how superior humans were in an off key voice. I won't bore you with his lyrics but needless to say, I'm surprised that Marchanks head didn't explode right there.
"Stop that or I'll... I'll!" Roared Marchank.
"Or you'll do what?" Spat Chinook, finally standing up and looking Marchank squarely in the eye. "Come in here to enforce your will while the sharks mutilate every part of your body within reach? No, I'll call that bluff. Your a soldier, you are afraid of death, where as we couldn't care less." Chinook turned and walked out of the meeting chamber, while Darwin launched into a verse on how Marchank's large revolver pistol wasn't compensating for anything.

Vancouver British Columbia, Canada

I slowed my subfighter as I approached the docks, I didn't want to leave a wake. Making sure not to surface before I found cover, I slowly backed the fighter into the space beneath one of the large docks. Then I surfaced, and began to prepare for the journey into the city. I engaged the holobelt, and watched in the glass as my shark's snout morphed smoothly into a tall, rather pale boy of sixteen. I shuddered, but this was necessary. I also made sure to slip one of the Mag-Rail shotguns up my sleeve. Better safe than sorry.
I then climbed out of the cockpit, and waded up to the beach, I only attracted a few looks, it wasn't every day a diver came out of the water without air tanks I reasoned.
After walking several blocks, I entered the city it self. All I can say is sensory overload man. I was used to the few smells of the sterile white room we lived in, and the occasional human visitor. But this was incredible. A multitude of smells hit me, fish, garbage, mass humanity. I also gave up trying to use my sixth sense, there were simply to many people. Vancouver had changed a lot since the pictures I had seen of the twenty ten Olympics. The entire city was made up of towering glass and steel towers, and the hydrogen fueled cars were bumper to bumper. I took another look at the picture I had printed out of Auna Blue. I had to find her.

I took what little knowledge I had about humans and applied it, coming up with the following logic: A) Humans eat large amounts of food, B) They have three meals a day and often in public places, C) Therefore, the best place to find a human is in a food court.
I found the largest public place I could, in this case, a mall. Hoping that my Keene senses would detect the presence of Auna Blue. Weather it was my senses, my hunting skills or just plain luck, I will never know, but I found her. She was about twenty, red hair, and was sitting at one of those internet cafe's that pop up like flies on a dead fish.
I approached, unsure of how to get her attention. She did it for me.
"Can I help you?" she asked, apparently humans aren't as ignorant as their military.
"Uhhh..." STUPID! Answer her! I bellowed in my head. "Yeah, our Auna Blue right?
She smirked at me "Last time I checked."
"Can I talk to you, about something... Important..." Suddenly my eyes roved over something in the background, something that belonged on the short list of things that scared me. Majestic agents, now, they might have not looked like much to an every day human, infact they are trained to blend in and leave next to no lasting impression on people. You just need to know what to look for.
First off, someone should really tell them that no one wears sun glasses in doors, unless you have an eye condition that requires them. They always wear black, not the suits you see in sci-fi movies, but black none the less. They always travel in pairs and at least one of them is on a PDA at all times.
I should probably tell you about the organization they come from, Majestic, the black ops arm of the US government. Possibly the best known secret service in the world, ironic isn't it? They are the ones the UFO believers have been talking about for years, the ones who don't exist.
It was my shark reflexes that saved us, I grabbed Auna by the shoulder and dragged us both under the table she had been sitting at, just as it was raked with hyper machine gun fire. Humans screamed and scattered, a little like pigeons scared by a pellet gun. Auna too screamed but there was no time to stop, I dragged her to her feet and shouted "Come on!"
The agents were wielding pistol versions of my metal storm rifle, these had four barrels arranged in a diamond shape and had a slightly lower rate of fire.
She obeyed, we turned a corner, just as another burst of fire shattered the glass front of a store.
"Which way's the parking lot?" I called over the bursts of fire.
"this way" She pointed and we ran, pursued by the two agents. Upon reaching the parking lot, I hurled myself and Auna into the first car with a window open I could find. It was a white beater of a car, but it was our only option at the moment. Out came my combat knife and I drove it into the ignition, please god let this work.
With a roar, the ancient gas powered motor sparked to life, and I jammed it into reverse, backing out of the space and nearly running the two agents down.
Out the exit ramp we flew, tearing down the street outside. Oh god, please tell me I didn't just hijack one of the few gas powered cars around today... Gas explodes. Auna had apparently recovered from her initial shock and turned to me "You had better have a damn good explanation for what just happened mister..." she trailed off, realizing She didn't know my name.
"Mako" I finished for her, "And I will explain once we find a safe place to stop, do you have... I don't know, a house or something?"
"Yes, its just a few blocks away." She answered slowly.
"More importantly, do you have a basement, preferably bomb proof." She stared at me as if I had just blown her mind. "Your joking right?"
"I wish I was"
She nodded, "I have a basement but why..."
"When we get there okay?"

A few minutes later, we arrived at the home of Auna blue, parked the car down the road and walked into the front door. She locked it securely, then led me downstairs to her basement. The house was tastefully decorated in a sort of Late twentieth century look. White washed walls, carpeting and sofas.
She led me into what was apparently a second living room, this was one of those split houses I guess. We sat at the coffee table, at least I think thats what the humans call it and she fixed me with a glare. Now, that explanation you were talking about.
I took a deep breath You remember, about eight years ago, you contributed DNA to a government study? She nodded Im the result.
She smiled So what? Your some kind of super soldier? You dont look so super to me, just a pale teenager in a diving suit.
I winced, I had completely forgot that I was still wearing a combat wetsuit. Well& This isnt exactly what I look like.
She smiled still more broadly, So you have some kind of cloaking device that disguises you as a pale teenager in a wetsuit?
It was my turn to smirk, she had no idea how close she hit the mark. Sort of, you want to see what I really look like?
She nodded.
I should warn you, it is a bit of a shock.
I stood, walked to an open space of floor, took a deep breath and hit the concealed button to deactivate the holo belt.

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