The Doctor's Monster

The Turn

Captain Bruce Ayla takes a deep breath.
Hanging from his grappling line, he prepares to open the doors and quickly jump in.
He's suspended in the elevator shaft just outside the ground level.
A ding alerts him to an oncoming problem.
The elevator.
Someone called for it.
He has to act fast.
He begins fruitlessly trying to pry open the doors once more.
No luck.
He sighs, knowing what he has to do.
He lifts his left wrist and taps on the screen.
Built into his armor, are a series of mechanical locks that are attached to his arms.
On rare occasions, his raw strength is not enough to get the job done.
Knowing this, Director Keepers took the liberty of adding some 'enhancements' to Captain Ayla's armor.
The exoskeletal system on his arms make a sound like quiet digital squeaks, an audio telling him it's working with him.
It works.
The doors give.
Just as the doors open enough, he leaps through.
He doesn't care what's on the other side, he just knows the elevator is a few feet away.
The doors slam behind him.
A gun cocks.
His eyes drift up towards the sight in front of him.
6 men stand, holding Pierce at gunpoint.
2 of them turn their guns to him.
"Crap."

Chet struggles to get the package out of the doors.
The locks were not sophisticated at all, it didn't take much for him to break out.
They don't expect anyone to get in because the entrance is so well hidden within the forest.
It's just on the other side of the wall.
He's still got a long way to go.
The extraction point is a mile and a half away, which means he'll have to drag this coffin a mile and a half.
"Stupid things gonna give me a hernia."
He snarls through gritted teeth.
His watch beeps.
Two and a half minutes.
His thoughts go to the Captain, and Pierce.
The two of them, still in that base.
Director keepers is aware of this.
"Send G183 new instructions. Extraction. Get the objective away from the blast radius."
The Doctor looks at him quizzically.
"The blast radius?"
He asks.
"Activate Chet's beacon and send G183 after it."
Right now, Director Keepers' only concern is retrieving the objective.

Bullets fly through the air, all of them heading in the same direction.
The beast lifts an M-ATV in front of him, blocking a large number of them before raising it over his head.
The small platoon stops firing in shock.
A roar escapes his lips as he hurls the vehicle towards them.
The ground shakes as the 10 ton vehicle explodes across the pavement.
Once more, he feels a pain in his head.
Pressure like his brain is growing.
The machine takes over.
He knows where they want him to go.
Without hesitation, he runs towards his new assignment.
They don't chase him.
If he wants to leave, let him.
Most of their forces were destroyed.
They can't risk anymore lives in fruitless pursuit.
Out the front gate, within seconds he finds Chet, dragging the crate through the snow 100 feet away from the compound walls.
Chet flinches and loses his balance when he sees the giant monster lumbering towards him through the snow.
"Jeez you scared the crap out of me."
He says, brushing the snow from his armor.
G183 lifts the crate in his giant hand and begins slithering along side Chet towards the extraction point.
In the back of his mind, he feels he's missing something.
Somethings wrong but the machine doesn't want him to think about it.
Where are the others?
Where is the Captain?

His armor clinks as they remove his helmet.
He looks up to see the man in front of him.
"SCO."
The man says, handing the helmet to someone behind him.
Bruce's eyes rise to meet the eyes of his captor.
"Captain Ayla. The work we are doing here is vary important. I know exactly why Michael Keepers sent you here. What you stole, is extremely dangerous and was locked away for a reason."
The man says.
Bruce looks back at the soldier who took his helmet.
He doesn't look angry.
No look of hatred.
Only worry, fear, and possibly even compassion.
He's blonde with ash and dirt on his face, clearly from their fight with the Beast.
He's around Ayla's age.
Early 30's.
"My name is Eddie Ross. We are not going to hurt you, but I need to know where Keepers is taking it."
He says.
Bruce looks over at Pierce.
He shakes his head.
The Captain won't crack.
He knows what's on the line.
"Captain, please. Time is of the essence. That creature destroyed our targeting and surveillance. We can't track it. You are our only lead. If Keepers uses what he stole, a lot of people are going to die."
Bruce purses his lips.
What Eddie is saying is true.
They both know what kind of person Keepers is.
Captain Bruce Ayla joined the SCO in the aftermath of the Great War.
His whole life his father had bred him for warfare, although he never thought he would fight enemies from beyond earth.
But then they attacked, The world was changed.
He had to change too.
Super humans emerged, monsters rose from the seas and he couldn't fight them.
Not in his previous form anyway.
He had to become something new.
His family would never be safe from them if he couldn't protect them.
Keepers saw something in him.
Something worth saving.
He saw potential to be a great and deadly warrior.
And in his blind desperation, Bruce didn't care who he had to fight for.
So long as he could protect those close to him.
This fight has taken a toll on his morals.
And he knows it.
His watch beeps.
His blood runs cold.
Times up.

G183 runs through the forest, bounding towards the rendezvous point.
Chet runs along side him.
The beast carries the objective in its claws as it runs.
Suddenly he senses something.
The atmosphere.
Quills emerge from the back of his neck, sensing vibrations in the air creating a mental image of the world around him.
The beast slows to a stop and Chet does the same.
Somethings changed.
It's amber eyes search the skies as he turns his head to look up.
A faint glow becomes apparent.
The two of them watch as the glow gets closer and brighter.
They both know what's happening.
Ballistic missile.
Chet takes a step backwards in disbelief as his watch beeps continuously.
"He actually did it..."
The two of them stand in silence.
Chet doesn't see it, but there's already a war raging.
G183 fights the machine, struggling for control.
He knows exactly what those missiles are pointing at.
They're aimed at his Captain.
His friend.
The machine beckons him to run.
To complete his objective.
But he doesn't.
For the first time in his memory, he makes a decision, based on his own will.
This time he makes a choice.
The metal trunk crunches in the snow as he gently lowers it.
Chet looks at him, and the creature looks back at him.
It's eyes point him down to the crate in front of him.
He looks back up at the beast.
There's an unspoken conversation going between them.
This is the first time Chet has ever seen such intelligence in its eyes.
But he sees something completely unexpected.
He sees emotion.
Desperation.
He reaches down, and lifts one of the handles on the side of the crate.
It's eyes follow him, as if asking permission.
He nods, thoroughly impressed and shocked.
"Go get them."
The edge of its mouth, curls upward slightly.
Like a smile.
This display, this, show.
He's lost for words.
That is not a monster.
That's not an animal.
It is an intelligent creature, with emotions.
Dare he say it, Humanity.

Keepers and the Doctor watch the screen, stunned.
G183 has never been disobedient before.
Their animal is thinking for itself.
The Doctor almost smiles.
He did it.
He created a sentient living thing, with a mind and emotions and thought process.
Director Keepers does not share his excitement.
"Doctor, what is happening?"
He struggles for an answer, looking for a loop that will excuse him from punishment.
"He is pulling away from the objective to rescue our operatives."
The Doctor explains.
"Chapman, why do you think I ordered the ballistic strike? Captain Ayla and Pierce are compromised. No one can know they belong to SCO. All traces of them must be destroyed along with evidence of our involvement. We have what we need."
His eyes narrow.
"Pull the asset back."
Doctor James Chapman looks at the feed of his creature.
"They knew the risks. There is no need for the animal to die with them."
Director Keepers beckons.
The Doctor is conflicted.
He knows Captain Ayla would find a way to escape.
Bruce Ayla is his friend.
This is when he realizes what life means to Keepers.
He takes what he wants, and discards the rest.
They're all meaningless to him.
But rebellion would be foolish.
Keepers is a powerful entity.
It's almost like he's subhuman.
The value of life is something they've always disagreed on.
While Doctor Chapman wants to study it, Director Keepers wants to exploit it.
He finds that repulsive.
"Doctor!"
He snaps out of his stupor.
"Pull him back, now!"
He shouts.
He turns to the Director.
"No."