Only Human - Chapter One

Only Human
by Wesley Gray

Chapter One - Seattle

Ian Hunter scanned the job list for what felt like the billionth time. His wife Tara was making them both something to eat from behind the bar separating the living room from the kitchen in their tiny apartment on the 132nd floor. She tried to stay the calm one, as always, while Ian was obviously about to explode. She glanced up every so often to gauge his boiling point. "This is fucking ridiculous!" He finally burst out. "Every damn week it's the same old piece of shit jobs!" Ian slammed the touch screen with his fist, shattering the glass. Ian stood up and placed his hands on his head and took a deep breath.

Ian knew this was the same kind of behavior that caused Tara to ask for a separation earlier that year. He waited for his adrenaline to recede before opening his mouth again. "Sorry," he offered. "I just have to find something soon, you know?" Tara remained quiet. Ian made an attempt to pet the cat, who ran back into the bedroom. Ian grabbed his jacket off the couch and headed for the door. "The salmon's almost done," Tara said. "I'm gonna take a walk, I'll warm it up when I get back. Just need some air." Ian said.

Tara knew exactly where he was going and it wasn’t for air. Ian had been drinking heavier lately, being unemployed was a major trigger for his alcohol problem. It was a vicious cycle. Unemployment led to depression, depression to more drinking... which led to worse things. It all seemed to conspire to make to finding a job next to impossible. Above all that, he didn’t want to lose Tara.

Ian took his usual route to Minh's, a real dive of a bar, about a mile from his apartment. He thought about how dreary the concrete housing towers looked on this typically overcast day in Seattle. The towering monoliths effectively blocked any view of the horizon for miles around, which just seemed to add insult to injury. He tried to imagine the pristine forests that once covered this area. He remembered seeing beautiful images of the old growth cedars that once populated this neighborhood before the project was built. The dollar had collapsed and millions were rapidly becoming homeless. These utilitarian housing towers went up in an attempt to stop the bleeding. They never were pretty, but it was better than cardboard in under 40-degree weather.

Then came the attacks. With the U.S. dollar no longer the world's fiat currency, things were already going from bad to worse. That's when a terrorist cell smuggled in four 10-megaton nukes and detonated them simultaneously in NYC, Washington D.C. and LA. Ian's squadron prevented the terror group from detonating a fourth in Seattle. He saved his city, but it felt to him like it was too little, too late. The attacks were designed to maximize the economic impact as well as psychological. Wall Street was a hole in the ground. The resulting chaos accelerated the spiral into a new dark age. Degradation seemed to permeate everything, including most people. Ian knew it was killing him inside, but he was getting used to it. As long as he could find a steady supply of liquor, he'd be just fine.

Minh's was quite a sight. The old, red and yellow wood building now dwarfed by cold towering monoliths. It looked like somebodies idea of giving the whole world the finger. Most of the customers fit right in too, including Ian. As he walked up to the bar, he noticed Minh was being harassed by three punks. He'd seen Minh handling even the most obnoxious patrons, so he wasn't worried. He sat at the far end of the bar and quietly observed. He quickly identified their leader as the one keeping Minh's attention, while one of his buddies reached over the counter and nabbed a pack of cigarettes. Minh turned his attention to the thief. "You planning on paying for those, right?" He asked. "He already did." The leader said. "I'm not asking you," Minh said dryly. When he turned his head, Ian noticed the leader was unsheathing a knife from his waist. Ian casually got up and took his jacket off his chair, walked up behind the leader, quickly wrapped it around the leaders head, and jerked him backward off the barstool. He held the jacket tightly around his face with one hand and kicked the knife away which had fallen to the floor.

The other two guys jumped off their stools and rushed Ian. Using their leader as a shield, they had a hard time getting a serious jab in. Minh took the opportunity to grab his stun stick from under the counter and came up behind them. He thrust it into one of the men's side, but he spun around just as it was about to make contact and wrenched it from him. He turned the weapon on Minh, who went down as he received the paralyzing flow of electricity from the stick against his neck. Now they were coming at Ian with the stick. He knew that his human shield would be of no use if they accidentally transformed him into a limp noodle. He pulled the leader towards the counter and hit the light switch, slammed him into the wall and ran for the guy with the stick. Ian pulled the guy's arm up behind his back while jamming the stick into the base of his head. He hit the floor hard, unable to move. The last guy was groping around in the dark on his hands and knees. Ian dragged him to the front door and threw him out on the street. He went back to the leader who was calling for his boys to no avail. In the dark Ian whispered in his ear. "Don't ever let me see you in here again," he said. The leader muttered something incoherent under his breath, but the fight had gone out of him for the most part. "I can smell you a mile away shit-head, now get the fuck out of here," Ian said. He turned the lights back on and you could hear a pin drop as the leader walked out of the bar with his tail firmly between his legs.

Minh regained muscle control, pushed himself off the ground and offered Ian a shot of bourbon on the house. Ian downed it and ordered another. Ian tried to ignore the stares as the place was now buzzing with questions about him. Alex, a long time regular at Minh's, filled a couple of newcomers in on Ian's past. "That's Ian Hunter. Remember that video in 2050 that went viral during the attacks?" Alex said. "Really... he's that Ian Hunter?" one of them asked. "Yeah, but do yourself a favor, don't ask for his autograph," Alex said.

Ian had been part of the first generation of genetically/technologically enhanced super soldiers. Before the war started, the CIA via their Special Operations Group (SOG) handpicked eight candidates from various special op forces such as Delta Force and the Navy SEALS for a top secret program at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Ian was personally recommended by his commander Lt. Col. Carrera for the program. Among the enhancements, the men were given ocular implants that enabled them to see in the dark and magnify distant objects. Genetic enhancements using animal DNA had mixed results. The idea was to lessen the human reluctance to kill while sharpening their hunter instincts. It was a little too successful. One of the men on the squad had to be killed after he massacred an entire medical team before he was shot by security. DARPA decided that perhaps it would be prudent to do some more research before splicing wolf with human DNA again.

Ian walked on down street back towards his apartment, the rain now coming down in sheets from the black sky. He stepped up to the scanner and the door opened. Just inside the lobby, he was greeted by life-size ads that read his RFID chip and played ads tailored to Ian’s lifestyle. A beautiful model appeared on the virtual display that stretched from the entrance to the elevator. She called out to him by name. Her sexy body language and voice was subtly trying to convince him that if he did n’t buy the diamond ring on her finger, Tara would most likely leave him for someone who would. Ian had learned to tune out these annoying displays which were everywhere. Besides, agreeing to these invasive ads gave him a substantial break on rent. Still, he resented the hell out of it.

Ian entered the elevator and popped a breath freshener into his mouth as he arrived at his floor. He walked into the apartment and met eyes with Tara. She looked more disappointed than angry. Good. Ian was not in the mood to fight and actually felt sorry he had drunk. He went to the kitchen and found the salmon Tara had made for him earlier. “Did you go to Minh’s?” Tara asked. She was trying hard to sound disapproving without picking a fight. “Yeah, I only had a couple drinks”, Ian said. Tara just nodded. She heated the salmon up for him and they both went to sit in the living room. “You have a message from your job search”, Tara said. “What did they say?” Ian asked. “Why don’t you listen for yourself?” Tara asked. She could n’t hold back any longer and a huge smile spread across her face. Ian played the message and jumped up from the couch with his arms up in the air. “Yes! Finally, this could be it!” He pulled Tara off the couch, held her close and they soon were tearing off each other's clothes on the way to the bedroom. The salmon would have to wait.

The next morning Ian woke up with a feeling of purpose he hadn’t experienced in quite a while, especially this early in the morning. He savored the smell of coffee wafting through the apartment. Tara was already awake as usual. Ian often wondered how she could be in such a good mood at such an hour, but today he was right in sync with her for a change. He settled on the couch with his coffee and played the message again. “Do you remember Colonel Carrera?” Ian asked. “Yes, I met him at that party with all the brass right after the attacks, right?” Tara replied. “That’s who’s interviewing me”, Ian said. “I remember he liked you”, She said. Ian looked up the address of Virtus, the company where Carrera would interview him later that week. He couldn’t find much about the firm except that it was a private military contractor. Ian could safely assume that if Carrera was involved it was probably involved high-security clearances. That was OK with him, in fact, that was where he thrived.

A short story version of book one and two will be posted to this blog. If you like it please sign up for my book updates and receive extended versions of Only Human Book One, Aftermath and Only Human Book One, Virtus absolutely free via this link Only Human