The Venator

2. Simulation

2

SIMULATION

I knew why Dr. Nicholson had chosen me. Most of the soldiers that knew me knew as well. It was evident in the way they looked at me. I was different. I was an anomaly.

I was a strange thing to most cadets, but it was never fear I saw in their eyes; it was often curiosity and occasionally envy. I accepted it as such, but I never let it get in my way or make me stand out.

Why had Dr. Nicholson chosen now to put a spotlight on me? The news of him looking for potential recruits for his program meant I had been chosen. And why wouldn’t you be? My arrogant inner-voice mocked, sounding a lot like Dr Nicholson. I knew what he would say: You hold back for them. You try to be normal for them. You shouldn’t be afraid to be who you are.

He wants to enhance your abilities, wants to teach you how to use your potential, I told myself. That could be the only logical explanation for his interest.

Even the sergeant and the instructor had that queer look on their faces when in training. Did they think I wasn’t putting all my might into the training? Or was it something else that bothered them?

Sometimes I felt like an outsider even though I had been here all my life.

My thoughts knocked me out of the seat I was meant to be in for simulation training. The floor was hard on my knees. I tried to focus on the shape of my hand on the floor, while sweat dripped from my forehead onto the back of my hand. I felt like I would be sick.

“Pull it together, Slater! Put your helmet back on.” Without waiting for a response, the instructor grabbed the back of my uniform. I was yanked to my seat, and the simulation helmet was shoved onto my head, the wires kept me tethered to the wall. For a moment, I could see the others still in their seats, the metal contraptions covering their faces, the lights flashing behind their visors. Who knew what simulation they twitched through? Cold metal curled around my wrists.

“I c-can’t,” I said into the darkness of the helmet. The simulation had not yet begun again. There was no light for my eyes. I grasped for anything, my mind extending. It was almost like I could feel the other recruits under my skin. I wanted to let go but afraid to lose control and fail. I was holding back, but why?

“Yes, you can. Don’t hold back, boy. You want to go out into the world, serve your purpose?”

“I do.” My palms and forehead were sweating, there was a twisted churning knot in the inner pit of my stomach. I knew I could do this.

“Then suck it up and get it over with, boy! Show me what you got! I know you’re stronger than this… Dr. Nicholson knows you’re stronger than this.” The instructor whacked the side of the helmet. The lights came on, and the simulation came online. My senses were pulled from the cold metal and male sweat of the simulation room to the hallway of a school. Students milled around me, and I felt like I stood out like a sore thumb. The simulation had started from the beginning. The Minder hunt was on.

Looking at the faces of the simulated students, none seemed to stand out to me. Not here in the hallway. The school hallway continued to stretch, and I reached into my pocket knowing that the simulation would have provided me with some weapon or tool. My fingers closed on the cold metal of a robotic spider and I casually dropped it from my palm onto the floor. None of the simulations noticed this time. That was what had gotten me killed in the last one. One enemy had spotted me, the next thing I knew my body flew back several feet. I hit the wall hard, anyone else would have been dead, but my mistake was stopping instead of taking the advantage I had over anyone else. I froze and looked at her; that cost me my life. I should have used the metal collar, or spiders, even the watch1 could have prevented her from having the upper hand. The simulations never cut out until one was dead.

I waited for the signal that the spider would give as I went into a classroom. I settled into my assigned seat and watched the heads of the students around me. The simulation would have put me in the classroom with the Mind Sifter. They were always female.

Slight movement on the corner of the ceiling showed the robotic spider had followed. I moved the dial up on the watch, which was also part of the tool set I would use on missions. The watch was nothing fancy in appearance. It was different, ancient in style, and only stood out in that way. If I moved the dial in one direction the frequency increased, and I could conceal my presence from the Mindbender; if I pressed a few switches the sensor and patterns of brain waves would allow me to detect her if she was close; the hands of the watch would then move rapidly in one way and the other until they settled toward my target.

The spiders were there to assist by helping secure the environment, so others didn’t get involved. A sleeping agent would be released, the class would fall asleep, and I could proceed with whatever was necessary. The spiders could attack the Minder, or approach them stealthily and secure them without me even putting up a fight. If the Minder became aware before the spider could make its move, it was up to me.

Sliding my cell phone onto the table I pulled up the feed. The watch hands moved upward, settling toward the girl three seats away from me and two rows up. She had short brown curls and was doodling something on the cover of her notebook. They always seemed so normal, but were beings of darkness lurking underneath the skin of mortal persons. Monsters that The Company intended to collect. I was the next line of defense.

The simulation flickered, sending me back into the hallway. The girl was making her way through the halls. I could feel the sweat grow on my palms. The challenging part was coming. Getting her alone. Securing and retrieving the product, that was the assignment.

I tracked her through the halls, keeping an eye out for any enemies I wasn’t aware of lurking in the hall. So far, so good. The metal spiders2 crawled across the walls and on the ceiling; I could see them out of the corner of my eyes as they crept along the hall.

I reached into my other pocket. Good, the simulation had given me a syringe and the metal collar, which was an immobilizer collar3, but most just called it the dog collar. The choice would be easy, which one would work best with the subject? All I needed to do was get her alone.

She stepped into the stairwell and I ducked in behind her. We were alone, but before I could get my arm around her, she turned. Her powers reached into my mind You must find her, John… and a wave of pain crashed over me. I steeled myself against it and went for her, the way we’d always been told.

You must find her! the voice in my head said again.

Find who? I silently uttered back. Why was I asking this strange simulation voice anything? Wasn’t it just a computer program, used to train me to do what I was supposed to be?

You know!

It wasn’t working! I couldn’t fail again! I pushed back, as if I could shove her out of my mind. Electricity raced across my skin, the charred scent of burned flesh suffocated and engulfed my nostrils heavy with burned hair and smoke. The scene melted all around me fizzing out in the static of a broken screen.

The simulation helmet was ripped off my head, and I realized the smell of burning metal and plastic wasn’t part of the simulation. Hands dragged me out of the chair and patted my uniform where it had caught fire. The machine sparked, the other recruits looked at it, then, at me. Their eyes regarded me with annoyance. John Slater, the weird one; Dr. Nicholson’s pet project; the anomaly. I couldn’t read their minds, but their eyes could detail those same words without having to.

“Slater! I’ve never seen a simulation malfunction like that, it’s a wonder it didn’t explode!” The instructor yelled. “What happened?”

“All of a sudden it caught fire.” I said.

“What is going on in here?!” All eyes swiveled to the door where Wilkinson stood, glaring at them all. The other recruits went back to their stations and stood stock-still. I was still beside the instructor, trying to get my bearings. I could feel the prickle of a burn on the side of my face where the simulator had burned.

“The machinery malfunctioned, Sergeant,” the instructor said.

“Well, it’s a good thing Slater is going to the medical quarters anyway. You have fifteen minutes to be in Dr. Nicholson’s presence. I suggest you change your uniform. You smell like torched machinery.” Wilkinson narrowed his eye back over at me. He had a slim smile on his face. This hadn’t been the first time I had done this. My status had impressed him. And I wouldn’t be surprised it had been Sergeant Wilkerson that had reported my progress to Dr. Nicholson.

I nodded and hurried out of the room, feeling the eyes of everyone on me as I went. I could feel their cold stares all the way down the hall, even as I got to my trunk and changed into a clean uniform. My body was still sore and tingly from the short-circuit. I felt confident being able to push against the digital Minder. Something was provoking this adrenaline rush. The girl in my dreams seemed to have awakened something in me. Who was she I needed to find? And why didn’t I believe this was just a computer malfunction?

The hallway that led to the labs was a long, white, military corridor lit by a chain of dome lights like those from an underground bunker. Odd, but that was where the Academy was located, a dislocated facility. At least, that’s where the labs and the mass hall were located in opposite ends. Security personnel and other trained cadets roamed the walkway in each direction trying to get to their destinations, while others were marching down the corridor.

I hurried down, thinking of the upcoming physical. I hated physicals. But again, I wondered why Dr. Nicholson showed such interest in me. His eyes always found me on the training fields or wherever we happened to be. I was the anomaly, the curiosity to others, but what exactly was I to the Man in White?

I respected Dr. Nicholson where others feared him. He was the core, the very source of this company’s development. A high-ranking scientist and the director of two special divisions. He was looking for soldiers, and he would only accept the best.

Another group of young cadets marched passed me. I caught sight of Jack marching along with them. He was about my age with coarse brown hair and blue eyes. He waved so I would see him but the staff sergeant would not. He was as tall and physically fit as I was, and just as faster and stronger. Where I was competitive, he was not. He had drive and heart. We were two of a kind, both anomalies. One had to wonder, if he was in every way like me, why was he still quite the opposite? He defied orders and constantly did things his way. Dr. Nicholson had given up on him a long time ago.

I was surprised that he didn’t look troubled, marching in a line of punished cadets. He was a rebel at heart, and partially to blame for my distractions. Dr. Nicholson found him hard to tolerate; I could note that well from the bore creases of his brow whenever Jack and I were together on simulation or live training activities. We clashed. Mainly because I was always trying to correct Jack when he interjected his own methods. Dr. Nicholson must have been worried about what effects such an alliance would do to my performance. I wasn’t worried; I was in control. What happened to the troublesome cadets once the usual punishments failed? No one was sure. One just never saw them again. I sensed this would eventually happen to Jack. Or did Jack know something I didn’t about the inner workings of The Company?

I looked away, not realizing Jack pulled out of the line of marching cadets. He suddenly patted me on the back. I spun around, grabbing his arm and twisting it back. I shoved his back against the wall. Any movement could send my hunter senses into full alert. He was laughing.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“You should have seen your face! s**t, can you move!” He gestured toward my face with his free fist. I blocked him. He did it again, this time with top speed. I matched his speed, stopping his fist from hitting the side of my cheek. He laughed and threw an arm around my shoulder. I eased as he did, feeling odd that I had missed seeing him and realizing we hadn’t had a simulation together in a while.

“I could have hurt you,” I said. “What happened? Why are you here? You know you’re not supposed to be out of line. You’re gonna get in trouble, again.” I was acting young with him; and Jack always seemed much older in a way.

He wrinkled a slim lip.

“Does it really matter, Johnny?” he asked. He had always called me Johnny. We had both been recruited by the same man — the very man Jack said hated him.

“I think the Director has it out for me.” I glared at him.

“You provoke him. What do you expect?” I made excuses.

He laughed it off. “Where are you headed, hot shot?”

“Physical, you know the schedule. Like clockwork, 2 pm on Tuesdays.”

“Physical again? Right.” He had forgotten. No surprise there.

“Where have you been? I thought you were gone.” I asked, trying not to invite other looks. It concerned Dr. Nicholson when Jack and I were together. He gave me a look of disbelief; our last live training hadn’t gone well.

“I thought I’d keep you company.”

I nearly laughed. He had been considering escape as long as I’d known him. One more look and I knew he was skimming something. He had the look of someone up to something bad.

“Get back in line before the staff sergeant sees you and you get reprimanded.”

“Oh, who cares? I hate this place.” His attitude didn’t surprise me. He’d gotten bolder as we grew in this place thinking he didn’t need to follow orders. He had an easy, laid-back attitude, the complete opposite of me. It was a little different from what he used to display when I first met him, afraid of the Man in White, afraid to disappoint him. Always trying to please him until nothing he did could. He must have given up. Now, he just seemed to push the director’s buttons.

“You should care.” I looked around nervously. The tone of my voice surprised even me. I sounded childish. “This is your home.”

“Home? Is that what you call it?” He smiled. “It’s more like a prison… Why do you take all this so serious?”

“Why don’t you? You should,” I scolded Jack, narrowing my eyes over at him.

“Don’t you want to be more than their errand boy?” Jack asked.

“What are you talking about?”

“Seriously? You don’t know. I’ve seen how he looks at you. Like some kind of prize trophy. You’re his pet project. Good John Slater, the freak of above all freaks.”

My brows wrinkled.

“Freak? I’m nothing like that… I’m—"

He cut me off. “You don’t even know what you are, but that’s what we are, freaks among a bunch of others… I know what I am. Why can’t you see what you are?”

“I know what I am, too, and it’s not what you think. I’m a fighter, a soldier, and one day a Venator…”

“That’s what you think,” he repeated, wrinkling his nose.

“No, I know… I’m a soldier just like you, just like all of the cadets in the Academy. And I will be a Venator once I’m allowed to go on my first assignment,” I lectured.

He pressed his lips together. “You’re such a good soldier.”

He had a wandering eye, I knew that. He was rebellious, but the rebellious attitude was going to get him in trouble in an unforgivable way.

“That attitude and line of thinking are one day going to get you in trouble,” I advised.

“Are you ready?”

“I’ve been ready,” I darted back.

“How can they prepare you for what’s out there when you have no idea what you will face? I’ve been out there…”

I glared at him, I wasn’t at all surprised. But I was curious.

“I’ve been sent out. After that little chaos in the training exercise, he had me transferred to the other sector of the facility.” That would explain why I rarely saw him.

The soldiers at the other sector were from the outside — older, ex-marines, outsiders. At least that’s what I knew of them.

“Believe me, I’ve seen what’s out there.” I huffed back. He liked to brag.

“Some of the soldiers took me out with them on military leave. Quite an experience.”

I neared, pushing him back with a steady hand. “Are you crazy? We’re not supposed to leave the facility without a—"

He grinned. “You aren’t. Me? I’m on another level now. I think they’re sending me out soon with a team.”

I released him. Why were they sending him before me? He was younger; if anyone was sent out first, it should have been me. Plus, he was unstable.

“How do you know that?”

“I don’t, but I know the director wants to get rid of me. He has been trying for a long time.”

“That’s not true.”

“s**t, you know it’s true, Johnny. Can’t you see that? He’s afraid I’ll interfere with his perfect soldier.”

“I’m not perfect…” but I could feel the blush of my cheeks when he said that. I thrived on being the best, and I had quite the following of cadets that seemed to look up to me, even if they thought I was the strange one. Dr. Nicholson had taken an interest in me. He acknowledged me with words. They might have seen me as an anomaly4, but they still envied me. That much was true.

“To him you are.”

I blinked in disbelief that he thought so. All I ever wanted was to make him proud, and I didn’t even know if he was even remotely happy with my performance.

“But out there, they’ll eat you alive.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I can handle it…”

“I’m not referring to the targets, that’s just one thing.”

He was trying to get to me. He knew something I didn’t — the outside world — and he liked that fact. At last he’s found something I didn’t understand.

“You better get going, before the staff sergeant finds you.” I moved away from him.

Jack grabbed a hold of my arm, nearly pulling me back. I forced him against the back wall as another group of cadets and their staff sergeant marched by. The sergeant regarded me, noticing I had things under control and continued on. I was a level six cadet; the band on my right arm indicated my level in rank.

There were several levels, and having been more devoted, I was one of the most dedicated and most experienced. Jack was level six, too; he could have been at a higher level, but his rebellious nature had demoted him.

The cadets passing on by were level three. The levels climbed up to level ten. After that, your level was reprised to gold levels, and finally, hunters — prime soldiers. Venators being the highest were handpicked by the director.

Jack pushed on my forearm. He coughed, clearing his throat slightly.

“Man, you didn’t have to squeeze that tight.”

“Sorry, force of habit.”

“What do you want?” I asked straight out.

“I just wanted to say goodbye, in case, you know, this was the last time I see you.” This was the first time he looked serious.

“I’m sure we’ll run into each other.” I tried to reassure myself. Again, the tone in my voice sounded strange. Was something from Jack rubbing off on me? I sounded childish.

I moved back looking over his shoulder. Scientists, Military and business professionals, and officials walked and worked the same corridors. It was making me nervous to stand around talking when I was due at the physical. I hated to keep Dr. Nicholson waiting, and the doctor hated to be kept waiting. That was of far more concern than anything else. It might affect my position at the promising table of hunters.

“Come on,” I grabbed him and pulled him with me. “You can tell me on our way to our physical. You’re already in trouble, you might as well come along with me. You’re probably due for your physical, anyway. I’m sure Dr. Nicholson would think so.” He pulled away as we neared the labs.

“Nah, I better go. I don’t need another of his lectures.” He stopped.

My brow furrowed. Dr. Nicholson was serious about his work. He buried himself into his beakers and tests. He had no time for anything else. I respected that. Jack found it peculiar.

“Have you ever been to his office? His workstation? His lab?”

I grinned. Now what did that have to do with us getting our physical?

“Yeah, every Tuesday. Remember?”

“Oh yeah. Well, have you ever seen a picture on his desk?”

So? I didn’t have pictures to display either. What was he getting at? “I don’t…”

“That’s not the same. He’s been out in the world, you haven’t. What’s his excuse? I wonder at times whether he’s even human. He moves like a machine most of the time, wrinkling that lip of his sideways. He always has that smug smile on his face. To be honest, he gives me the creeps.”

I almost laughed when he said that. Which surprised me, because I never thought much of it. Until Jack had painted that clear image of Dr. Nicholson’s face in my mind. His description was well-detailed.

“No, thanks. I’ll wait here until he summons me.”

“You know you can’t do that. I bet your staff sergeant and group leader are already looking for you.”

He thought about it but said nothing. I made a move to leave.

“They’re planning on sending you out.”

I stared back at him. How did he know this? He must have realized that the question was plastered on my face. “I overheard them talking before I was transferred.”

Overheard who? I wondered. My questioning eyes pushed him for more details.

“Dr. Nicholson and Sergeant Wilkerson. You’re getting your wish.”

There was a thrill in my stomach with nerves building up. “Geez, I’m not even supposed to know what you just revealed until they tell me.”

He nodded. “Just wanted to say take care of yourself out there, Johnny.”

I stared at him. “I got this, Jack.”

He smiled. He made me sound like the younger of the two. We weren’t too far apart in age, but Jack sure acted like the older one.

“Yeah, of course you do.”

Behind us, the lab doors parted. I turned. Out came a tall, brawny black man in a black suit. He regarded me with a strange look. I spun my head back, but Jack had bolted.

“Planning on stepping in, or are you just gonna stand there?” the suit said.

I said nothing as I moved around him. This hadn’t been the first time we’d met at the entrance of the lab. Jack had had the right idea to flee.