The Holographic Boy

The Mission That Would Change My Life

We went through the door and over to the lift.

Jack - Trigger get to the roof and keep watch for physical threat, Me and Tech will head to apartment 17 on the 9th floor.

Trigger- Got it

The lift stopped at the 9th floor and me and Jack stepped off and watched as the doors closed on Protector as he continued to go up. We went to apartment 17 and there was a metal gate in front of the door.

Jack - Anything to get through this quietly?

Tom - please, metal eating nanites are good for everything.

I take out a small vial with a fine gray powder in as i tap a small amount over the lock. I took out my tablet and started tapping on it as the nanites began to eat away at the lock. i then gave them the order to move to the lock of the front door. Once both were dealt with i had the nanites return to the vial. Tom opened the door with his g*n drawn and i followed with mine. They had suppressors built into them after some agents kept forgetting to put them on and drew to much attention.

As we walked down the hallway a fat guy balding with long thin hair wearing a dirty vest and checkered boxer shorts came out a room on the side. Tom lifted his g*n and shot him in the head before the guy could even react to us being there. he walked over and checked his phone and confirmed the target. After securing the rest of the apartment i went into the room the guy had come out of. Multiple computers and alien tech all up one side of the room.

Jack - I'm going to watch the door, call if you need anything

Tom - Got it Protector.

I sat at the computers and started to check them one by one. Finding any evidence of any of this being uploaded to the internet. it was hard to concentrate with those 3 talking down me ear.

Trigger - Are you nearly done down there Tech?

Tech - Its hard with you 3 talking down my ear, I'm going dark, give me 15 and Protector shout me if you need me.

Protector - Got it

I took my earpiece out and turned it off. Checking these computers i found he had arranged a few deals but pictures just looked like trash piles and he hadn't uploaded any coding, but this filth had a lot of other sick things on his computer. I'm actually happy this guy is dead. Every child in the world is safer with him that way. I wipe the hard drives of everything alien and made sure no sign of any even being here would be discovered. I started to unplug the wires from the PCs with Alien connections and put them in a pile. i poured some of the nanites over them and set them to work destroying the pile. there was just this alien box left. As i checked it there were wires running into a closet where the door way was blocked by boxes. i followed them and moved the boxes and there was a tiny kids bedroom back here with toys all over the floor and a projector sort of thing shining. a kid lifted his head from the top bed and climbed out, he looked about 12 and was wearing nothing, i grabbed a blanket from the side and wrapped it around him.

Tom - Are you okay, we are gonna get you some help.

I wasn't sure what to say or do, this is a witness and we have a witness kill order.

Kid - i am fully functional, you have no need to worry about my mental health as i have been prevented from feeling emotions

Tom - what?

Now i was completely confused

Tom - What are you?

Kid - i am a hologram made by the man to use me anyway he sees fit. am i damaged? do i need help?

I looked around the room, there were 4 of the projectors all at different angles, i turned off one of the projectors and he started to shimmer. i can't believe it, he is just tech but, i didn't want to destroy him. I wanted to save him. he had been through enough. But he is tech so why do i care? ughh. Maybe oblivion will save him. Why am i so torn. In the heat of the moment i scan the projectors with my tablet. No alien tech required just changes to the hardware and software of them. I walked out to the box and pulled the side of it off. inside was a mix of alien and standard hardware, after scanning it i yanked the hard drive as i looked up at the boy just to see him pixilate and disappear, its a standard hard drive so I'm sure its fine since all the alien tech is still going to be destroyed. I put the drive in my bag and poured the rest of the nanites on it, programmed them to destroy any alien hardware and create multiple electrical fires. As i walked out i had a nanite eat the bullet in this filths head and broke a wooden beam running above and pushed it into the hole in his skull.

Placing my Earpiece back in i headed for the door.

Tom - This is Tech, mission completed and I'm now extracting.

Trigger - meet you in the lift.

I got to the door and then closed them behind me. i looked at jack and he looked back with a quizzical look and mouthed "are you okay" i just nodded and we headed to the lift, after a couple of seconds the door opened for us to see Trigger stood there. we stepped in and headed out. We got back to the van to see the fire had already taken a hold of the apartment. The buildings fire alarm sounded.

Siren - im blocking the signal to the fire station, come get me and i will unplug.

We drove to the end of the road and siren unplugged and got in the van and we took off.

Siren - I looped the door footage so they shouldn't notice any difference from before we arrived to people now leaving. the fire services will be on scene in 7 minutes.

Tech - The nanites destroyed everything before starting the fires and will return to a preprogrammed point for later collection in a few days. No breeches found and no alien tech or software remained.

Trigger - No witnesses even came close to the building or even in view of the van. no collateral damage to report

Protector - Target eliminated and no witnesses came into the hallway, no collateral damage to report

Tech - i had the bullet destroyed and put a piece of wood in his skull to make it looks like death at the scene, i programmed a few nanites to make it look like it happened in the fire.

Protector - Thanks, saves me having to fudge the Post-mortem report. i wondered why you looked a bit flustered when you came out.

The rest of the drive was silent and we got back to our own cars. Trigger and Siren just got in to their car without a word and left. Jack started to pour gas on the van and then set it on fire. we wished eachother well and i got in my car and left.

Thinking on the drive home. What have i done. What am i gonna do with a kid and a hologram at that. it's technological marvel and can advance computing further than currently seen in the real world or maybe i should just store it away or just give it an upgrade maybe give it a chance to live a kinda normal life. Even erase the memories of what the monster did to it.

I pulled into my driveway having made sure i wasn't followed and went to my office, i just sat at my desk staring at the hard drive not sure what to do.