Scarlet Raven

Chapter 1

Chapter 1Returning to a normal, civilian life is one of the truest tests of someone who is taught to kill. It's the one thing you don't get trained for.

* * *

Scarlett gazed out over the people staring up at her. Sweat trickled down her back and her heart raced. C'mon, you can do this. You nearly died for godsakes, this is nothing. She swallowed hard to keep the lump from forming in her throat.

Faces blurred until there were none, except one. She shook her head and looked directly at the Sovereigntist Magazine reporter. “I'm sorry, can you repeat your question?” For everything she'd been through, standing in front of more than a hundred technology reporters and Net commentators should have been a piece of cake. She was glad her suit was dark red to hide the abundance of sweat she was producing.

The man sighed and rolled his eyes. If not for his rude attitude, she might think him attractive. “I said… Will CyberBio be applying for funding through the illegal and unethical government program dubbed UltraSoldier?”

Scarlett glanced to her right to see CyberBio's CEO Sven Berglund, who happened to be her boss, smile and nod to her. She clenched her jaw and turned back to the reporter. “Sir, as I and Mr. Berglund have said, the SwarmDoc nanites are for medical, trauma and surgical purposes only.”

“Next?” She reached out and pointed to a woman in the crowd with her hand raised, making sure to pick someone on the other side of the room. “Yes, Nancy.”

The woman, a commentator from Prodigy Tech Online, one of the largest tech news sites on the Net, dropped her hand and opened her mouth but was cut off by the Sovereigntist man. “I'm sorry, but are you going to stand there and deny the military applications for this technology? You're going to tell us that that never crossed Mr. Berglund's mind?”

The urge to jump off the podium and knock the asshole-interrupter in his fat nose rose up in Scarlett, but she shoved it down. Instead, she smiled at the woman and held up a finger. “One second Nancy.” She turned back to the man. “Misterrrrr…”

“Samuels.”

“Mr. Samuels, yes. Military applications of this technology have certainly crossed Mr. Berglund's mind. But, frankly, he abhors that idea. Mr. Berglund, as well as his co-developer Mr. Swift, are doctors and pacifists by nature. They make their livelihoods on saving lives, Mr. Samuels, not ending them. So, while they recognize the potential for it, weapons development and soldier enhancement is not now, nor will it ever be in CyberBio's future. Is that clear enough for you?”

Samuels smiled.

Someone cleared their throat from Scarlett's right. She took the hint and breathed deep. “Now, I'm sorry. Nancy, what was your question?”

“Pretty words coming from a company comprised mostly of people who used to work for defense contractors all over the world.” Samuels's voice was soft, but made loud enough for her to hear.

Scarlett kept her gaze on Nancy. Her inner voice screamed to confront the man, to address the rumors circulating throughout the media and across the Net. It was true that most of the CyberBio staff were once employees at Universal Dynamics Industries, Valkyrie Defense and Smithson-Reyes Astrospace, all major defense contractors in the solar system. But defense work was exactly the reason Dr. Berglund and his partner left to start CyberBio.

Not that it mattered to some in the political spectrum. Sovereigntist Magazine's point of view was, once someone worked for a government-connected company, they were forever tainted by massive greed at the taxpayer's expense.

Nancy smiled back at Scarlett. “No problem. I'd like to know if this will be used purely for life saving kinds of medical treatments or if there is the possibility of human enhancement, whether it's for cosmetic or athletic purposes. I mean, the applications of this are nearly limitless. Could someone come in to a doctor and say they wanted their height increased by two inches, could they do that?”

“That's a good question.” Scarlett smiled at the woman, noting the similarity between her question and Samuels's. “It's an interesting prospect, but right now, CyberBio is focused on saving lives. No matter what, CyberBio's licensing will be very strict. We want to be sure that this technology is being used to help people, not turn them into super soldiers, or even super athletes. That's antithetical to everything this company and its investors stand for.”

“Is the government one of those investors?” Samuels's smile turned into a smirk.

“No.”

He laughed out loud. “Aw, c'mon. You mean to tell me that CyberBio secured forty-seven million dollars in funding, and not one bit came from the U.S., China or Earth Command?”

Scarlett blinked slowly. Don't take the bait, don't take the bait, don't take the bait. When her eyes opened, she was looking at Samuels.

His smile disappeared. “How stupid do you think we are?”

Dammit. “Well, in your case Mr. Samuels—”

Sven's hand thrust in front of her face and bent the thin microphone stand away from her mouth. “And, with that, ladies and gentlemen, I think we've run out of time. We'll be happy to schedule one on one interviews if time permits. Please see our Press Specialist, Dianne, over here, in the blue coat. Thank you very much.”

The crowd erupted as every reporter and commentator tried to get in one last question. Scarlett felt Sven's hand on her back as he guided her down off the small stage and out the conference room's side door. The crowd passed by in a blur.

Outside the room, they turned and headed away through the mass of conference-goers. Scarlett's struggle against a rising sense of agitation from the crowd was made harder by a fog of uncertainty and confusion over what had just happened. As her heart raced, she became hyperaware of her surroundings. Only the constant pressure of Sven's hand on her back kept them moving through the crowd.

“What was that?” Even though he had to almost yell just to be heard, Sven's voice was calm and reassuring, not angry as she expected.

Scarlett's gaze darted from face to face, to every shadow and crevice, looking for something she knew wasn't there. “I…I don't know. I was trying not to engage him. He just…”

“He pushed your buttons.”

She focused on slowing her heart rate and navigating the crowd. “Yeah.”

They wove through the throng of people for a minute without talking. Then Sven broke the relative quiet. “Are you sure that this is what you want to do?”

Scarlett glared over her shoulder at Sven. “Yes. Look, the last six years of my life were not my own. I lost my entire existence…not just who I was, but my memories of everything I knew. I have it back now. I have my passion back to do research and make this a better world. And that's what I want to do.”

He smiled. “I know, but even as our lead research assistant, you don't have to do this whole…” He waved his free hand in the air, “public speaking thing.”

“Yes I do. That's part of the job. I knew that when I went to school and I knew it when I accepted your offer.”

“Alright. It's just that—”

“I know.” Scarlett pointed in the direction of the conference room. “I know. That, won't happen again. You and Dr. Swift have been great. The last thing I want to do is endanger CyberBio and Swarm Doc.”

Sven clasped his hand on her shoulder. “Swarm Doc will be fine, don't worry about that. You know you're a bit of a paradox, right?”

“I've been called worse things.”

He laughed. “No, I mean. Here you are, trying so hard to go back to being just a researcher, a lab rat. And after all you've been through and done, that's not easy. And yet, you still go by the name Scarlett instead of your birth name, Jillian.”

An image of Scarlett's adoptive mother and brother, as well as his family, sprang to her mind. She smiled. “Yeah, well…I only remember bits of who Jillian was. Not to mention, as Scarlett, I have family and people who care about me. I figure I get the best of both worlds now.”

“I suppose that's true. And a good thing.”

Scarlett focused on her slowing her breathing and letting her tension dissipate. Her shoulders relaxed and her smile widened. “Yeah. Yeah it is.”

The crowd pressed in on them. “You know, I had no idea that this conference would be so well attended.”

Sven nudged in closer to Scarlett to avoid bumping into a woman in a white suit. “I'd like to think they're all excited about Swarm Doc, but there are plenty of other technologies being presented this week.”

Habit forced her to scan the area for potential threats. Every briefcase and backpack looked suspicious. In the distance, a man in a green cargo jacket with a brown backpack slung over his shoulder rode the escalator to the second floor. Her stomach fluttered. Easy…He's just a normal guy.

Scarlett looked around to see several other Net commentators wearing similar jackets and casual clothes. Her stomach gurgled and twisted in a knot. She placed her hand on her belly and made a soft grunting sound.

Her boss turned to her. “You okay?”

She smirked, trying to sound as chipper as she could. “Yeah, I'm fine. The crowds and tight quarters make me a bit nervous, that's all.”

“Well…” Sven patted her hand. “I can't imagine anything happening here.”

“No, of course not. Just old habits, and all, you know?”

“I get it.”

Sven tugged at her arm and led her into another mostly empty hall.

She looked at him through her peripheral vision. “Where are we going anyway?”

“I was heading to the exhibition hall, but I figured we'd take a less crowded route.”

Scarlett chuckled. “Well thanks, but I'm sure I can—”

A woman in the distance behind them screamed. Scarlett seized Sven's arm and froze. The dull roar of conversation behind them evaporated.

“Libertatem ex filum!” A man's quivering voice echoed.

The hairs on Scarlett's arms stood on end and a shiver ran down her spine. A massive boom shook the conference center. If not for Scarlett's hold on him, Sven would have been knocked to the ground. She supported him until he could regain his balance. Their eyes locked, his face, a mask of horror. More screams filled the empty hallway. A piercing klaxon broke their daze.

Scarlett cursed. “Run. Now!”

She shoved on his arm to propel him forward but yanked him back. At the far end of the hall, two men in black tactical uniforms rounded the corner and raised their weapons. Even from more than fifty meters, Scarlett could tell the men were heading right for them.

A strange sense of familiarity kicked in, like a switch in her head had been thrown. Scarlett pulled on Sven's arm again, yanking him to the side. With a newfound strength, she tossed him into one of the side conference rooms and dove through the doorway just as a hail of projectiles shredded the air where they'd been standing.

Slamming the door closed, she pulled a table covered with water and cups to bar the entryway. She scanned the four walls, looking for another exit. There wasn't one. “Shit.”

Sven ran his fingers through his hair as he backed away. “Oh god! Oh Jesus, what the hell is going on? Those guys shot at us! With…real guns!”

“Well, I think they were tazedarts. No bang like gunpowder bullets would make, but still.” Scarlett shoved her hand into her right pocket and pulled out a hair-tie. “Yep. I believe, as they used to say, we're up s**t creek without a paddle.”

“What do we do?”

“You?” She looked around the room again and pointed. “Go hide behind the podium.”

“What about you?”

“It depends,” she said between clenched teeth holding the springy black cord.

Sven took a few steps toward the podium then stopped. “On?”

“If they decide we're not important enough to hunt down.”

“What if we are?”

Scarlett sighed. “It looks like there'll be an a*s-kicking.”