The Island Project: The Sequel To Code Xero

[Dark Angel]

So... much... to... read. But awesome, can't wait for the next update!

 

[DJ BloodFrost]

So... much... to... read. But awesome' date=' can't wait for the next update![/quote']
LMAO...I know...I'm trying to develop the storyline as much as possible, so this story's chapters will generally be longer than most stories you see here. Not that short chapters are bad (LPF Convention I & II, case in point), but I felt Code Xero's plot wasn't as fully developed as I had preferred. So I'm taking my time with it this time around.

Thanks for the rep, by the way.

 

[Vash_the_Stampede]

Like I said before, as soon as I got some time, I will sit & read from the beginning. ^_^

 

[DJ BloodFrost]

Like I said before' date=' as soon as I got some time, I will sit & read from the beginning. ^_^[/quote']
well GET SOME TIME ****!

workin on chapter 3 right now...comin' along slow with college work and all. have it up in a few days maybe?

 

[DJ BloodFrost]

OK, so maybe it won't take a few days to get Chapter 3 up. Sorry to those of you who have actually been waiting for an update. This is what college does to you.

Hope it's worth it...

 

[DJ BloodFrost]

Three

​

2152 hours (EST)

08.22.2016

FIREPAWN World Headquarters

Antarctica

​

“And that’s when you met Jack Nevrith. You know the rest from there, I suspect.”

Xero shook his head in awe. “We’re about to be nuked, and all you think of is moving headquarters. You’re amazing, Cray, you really are.”

Jantil smirked. “I try.”

“So…answer me this. We completed the objectives of BLOODHORSE a long time ago. Why do you still consider it an open case?”

“Until Timrison is dead…BLOODHORSE will always be our top priority, whether DHC is a threat or not. Simple as that.”

“You also said that DHC would shoot us down if we came into Yukon airspace. How is that possible?”

“Timrison still controls an outlying DHC base in the Yukon. They’ve been out of communication since 2009, for some strange reason. We haven’t figured out why. DHC HQ is our ally, as are all other DHC bases in the world. It’s just that one that worries me.”

“Right…this is confusing as ****.”

“I know,” Jantil chuckled. “I most certainly know that.”

John Markin strolled into the office. “Guys, I’ve been watching that outlying Yukon base for a while. I think I know why they’ve been out of communication. I suspect it’s a TI base using DHC as cover.”

“That could be,” Xero noted. “Timrison Industries has been known to behave like that.”

“What makes you think it is a TI base, Markin?”, Jantil asked.

“I found a cloning lab under the base.”

Xero looked up. “What do you mean…”

“There’s a single subject in the lab…and the patient matches your physical attributes to a tee, Xero.”

“Holy ****…”

Jantil shook his head. “He perfected the technology. His son stole data from a century ago and destroyed the rest, and Timrison actually managed to finish what the CIA started. My ***.”

“So there will be clones all over pretty soon, eh?”, Xero mused.

“Seems that way,” Markin replied. “We need to strike. How far along is the Island Project?”

“Nearly complete. It’s good enough that we could launch an attack if need be.”

“I would recommend it, sir. We need to eliminate this threat. It’s more pressing, in my opinion, than Timrison himself. Imagine 100,000 Xeros taking over New York City. You think NYPD can stop that?”

Xero laughed. “They couldn’t stop just me, let alone 100,000 copies of me.”

“Exactly,” Markin continued. “We MUST destroy this base.”

“How do you suggest we do that?”

“I want to go in there with a demolitions team and destroy it from inside out. A missile strike won’t do it. The lab is too deep.”

“I’ll go with you,” Xero responded quickly. “You’ll need me if any of these clones go apeshit on the demos.

“Good idea. What’s your take on this, sir?”

“I agree. Multiple copies of Xero is not something we need to deal with. Proceed, Agent Markin.”

“Yes, sir. Xero, let’***** the demo shack.”

“Agreed.”

Markin and Xero saluted the Director and took the elevators to level 5, the Department of Munitions and Demolitions, to visit their colleague Darren Izon. When they reached his office, they found him sitting in his office with a cigarette in his mouth and a coffee in his hand, staring blankly out the window. Xero smiled and held up a hand to stop Markin. “Watch this,” he whispered. Xero stuck his head in the doorway. “IZON!”

Darren jumped and twisted his body to look at the door. “Oh, it’s you two. Come on in.”

Markin and Xero sat down, Xero laughing as he did so. Izon scowled.

“What do you want, smartass?”

By now, Xero was in stitches. “You…tell…him…”, he gasped between fits of laughter.

Markin snorted and tried to ignore Xero the best he could. “You know the AWOL base in the Yukon?”

“Yeah. Jantil said they’d shoot us down.”

“Yeah…well, that base is playing host to a cloning facility, and we want it taken care of. Can you help us out?”

“Sure. What’s the plan?”

“We’re gunna do it inside out. Big and loud. I want that ******* to hear it in South Africa, or Tomsk, or wherever the **** he is this week.”

“Sounds good. You want just me?”

“Yeah. Fuckup the Clown over here’s gunna join us as well,” Markin replied, motioning towards Xero, who was still laughing at Darren’s susceptibility to surprise.

“Well, **** him too,” Izon retorted. “When are we leaving?”

“ASAP.”

“Head down to DOT. I’ll meet you down there. How are we inserting?”

“Launch pad is the Island Project.”

“We got auth on this?”

“Yeah,” Markin confirmed. “Jantil said it’s OK.”

“Alright. See you soon.”

“OK. Hey, Goofy, let’s get suited up, eh?”

Xero stood up, now attempting to stifle his continued laughs. “Yeah, sure, OK…” He looked at Izon and smiled; Izon threw an empty soda can at him as the pair left his office. Markin and Xero then took the elevators to the ground level and walked to the Department of Transportation, directed by Jack Nevrith’s brother, Keven. Markin and Xero strolled into the office, and with no intent of surprise; Keven, who from the looks of it had been anticipating their arrival, was looking at his office door when they walked in.

“Good evening, gentlemen. Working overtime, are you?”

“Something like that,” Markin replied as Xero attempted to stifle his laughter from Izon‘s office. “We have authorization from Director Jantil to proceed with an attack on the AWOL base in the Yukon. Our launch pad is the Island Project. We need a way there, overnight.”

“Hmm…” Nevrith scratched his head. “I believe that there is an available AirBus unit. Let me call the airport directory and see if that is true.” Keven picked up his phone and dialed the Airport Directory Agency, a sub-unit of the DOT. He spoke a few short words, then hung up. “As I suspected, there is an AirBus unit available for transport tonight. Runway 9. Has Director Jantil called ahead to inform the construction workers and security agents as to your arrival there?”

“Not to my knowledge,” Markin answered.

“OK. I shall do so now. You may head to Runway 9, gentlemen. Good luck.”

“Thank you, Director,” Xero replied quickly. Markin looked at him in shock.

“Out of your hysteria spell finally?”

“Screw you,” Xero spat with a light smile.

Markin and Xero left Keven Nevrith’s office and returned to the DOT Lobby, where Izon had just arrived.

“Nice timing,” Izon mused.

“We try,” Markin replied. “Runway 9 is ready for us. Let’s go.”

The three men exited the headquarters through the rear DOT entrance and walked to Xero’s Hummer, which they drove over to Runway 9. A security officer ran up to them as they pulled up next to the AirBus.

“Heard you guys would be comin’ in here,” the officer yelled over the roar of the engines. “Where do you want your vehicle, sir?”

“Leave it here somewhere, we’ll come back here anyway to pick it up,” Xero shouted in response.

“Yes sir!”

The three agents jumped out of the Hummer and briskly walked across to and up the stairs and boarded the plane, which took off shortly after. Xero and Markin sank down in some chairs in the main living area, while Izon walked over to a nearby refrigerator and grabbed three waters for each of them. He tossed them across the room to his colleagues, then sat down himself.

“So…this may be a totally retarded question…but where is Erik?”

“He’s at DHC, waiting for the Island Project to finish,” Xero replied.

“Right.”

The men fell silent for a little while. Then, Izon sat up slightly and looked at Xero. “So what was it like working with Erik for six years out there?”, he asked.

Xero smiled.

“Not as hard as you might imagine…”

***

​

 

[DJ BloodFrost]

1905 hours

05.05.2009

Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico

​

“****!”

As Nitro held the pedal to the floor, Markin, Dermitelli, and Xero struggled to dump Erik Profenski’s now-flaming body out of the utility van. They had just passed through Mexico City when the DHC leader’s body ignited, putting all four men into a severe state of panic.

“Open the ******’ door!”, Dermitelli screamed at Xero.

“I am!”

Xero threw open the tailgate doors and Markin and Dermitelli kicked Profenski’s body out onto the deserted roadway, where it quickly burned up all the available material and fizzled out of existence. The two men sat back with a sigh while Xero grabbed the doors and closed them.

“Lock it, Nitro.”

“Yep.”

Xero threw himself into the closest seat next to Dermitelli and smiled. “When does the madness end?”

“This is probably the beginning of the end of the human race,” Dermitelli chuckled in reply. “All these clones are gunna take over the world and exterminate all non-clones.”

“Yeah,” Markin added. “1942 all over again.”

“Yeah,” the others agreed.

For several minutes, there was silence in the vehicle. Suddenly, Xero’s radio went off.

“Xero, this is Cray. Over.”

Xero looked up, startled. “He called himself ‘Cray’. This can’t be good.” Xero pulled his radio out of his jacket and keyed the mic.

“Go ahead.”

“OK, guys, listen up. What I’m about to tell you will sound totally wrong, but just go with me here. I just talked to Erik Profenski. Yes, he’s alive. He’s not in Saltillo, and he never was. He’s been locked up in the basement of DHC for four years. A clone of himself has been running DHC all this time. A friend of his helped him break out of his imprisonment, and naturally, Erik quickly learned what was going on. He called me and told me that, among other things, George Timrison is on a power trip to take over the world, and that Timrison tied him up because he wouldn’t go to Saltillo and kill Jared and Paldono as Timrison ordered. Also…George Timrison is Profenski’s father…so that complicates things. But the pressing thing is this. Timrison somehow found out that Jared and Paldono are actually in San Antonio, and he’s on his way there to finish the job. You get all of this so far?”

By this time, the men were in amazement, with jaws on the floor and eyes wide. “Yeah, I think we understand it,” Xero replied.

“Good. Your next assignment is to pick up Erik Profenski. He’s in San Antonio. I’ll send you his GPS coordinates so you can find him. Tell Nitro to turn his unit on. Once you get the coordinates, find him, pick him up, and head for the hotel; you know where it is. Before you pick him up, however, I want someone dropped off at the hotel to scope it out and eliminate any threats already present before Profenski shows up there. Timrison alone is a large threat, and we don‘t need any added problems. Dallas is warming up an Apache to fly over to the hotel to provide air support and initial transport back to HQ. Understood?”

“Understood,” Xero replied. “Nitro’s unit is on. How far away is Timrison from the hotel?”

“ETA three hours, over.”

Xero shook his head in fury. “We just passed Mexico City, sir. We can’t get to San Antonio in three hours, over.”

“Do it anyway. Over and out.”

The signal died, and Xero grimaced as he put his radio back into his jacket.

“Nitro?”

“Yeah?”

“How fast does this van go?”

“160.”

“Wrong answer,” Xero replied. “Go faster.”

In two hours, the group arrived at the Hidalgo International Bridge. Totally bypassing security with their FIREPAWN identification, they raced across the bridge and into Texas, jumped onto Interstate 83, then Route 281, then Interstate 37, which finally took them into San Antonio. As they were exiting Interstate 37 via the Commerce Street exit, they located the hotel, and thankfully for them both the hotel and the GPS ping were close to their location. One block west of the exit was the hotel, the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter. They roared down the street and pulled up at the hotel, whose front doors were open but not stationed by any doormen. Nitro turned the vehicle into a nearby alley.

“OK,” Xero said as they pulled into the alley. “I’ll sweep the hotel. You guys pick up Profenski. When you’re on your way back, radio me and we’ll meet in the lobby.”

“Gotcha,” Markin replied. “Stay alive, OK?”

“Yep.”

Xero leaped out of the van and Nitro quickly pulled out of the alley back onto the road. As the van took off back towards Interstate 37, Xero ran along the alley and broke into the service entrance at the rear of the hotel. Within 60 seconds he was in the lobby, apparently alone. He pulled out a thermal sensor and began pointing it around. Satisfied that he was indeed alone, he walked behind the main desk and powered on the nearest terminal. To his delight, the last concierge hadn’t properly logged out, but had simply turned the monitor off. Xero quickly sifted through the guest records and located Director Jared’s room on the 16th floor. Xero ran to the elevators and was about to call one when he noticed that one of the shafts was active and the car was moving down. Someone was using the elevator. Xero saw the elevator stop at floor 16 and pulled out his radio in frustration.

“Guys,” Xero said, “they’re here! Where the **** are you?”

“Xero, this is Erik Profenski. We copy you. We’re on our way as I say this. Have you seen anybody at the hotel so far?”

Xero, slightly startled at the response from a man whom he just killed three hours ago, fumbled to respond. “Negative. The lobby is empty.”

“10/4. Head up to floor 16 and clean it up if necessary. Then head back to the lobby. We’ll meet you there.”

“Roger.”

Xero stuffed his radio into his jacket and pulled out his silenced AMT Hardballers just in time to shoot down a man running towards him with a shotgun.

“****.”

Xero ran to the service stairs he used to break in and got plenty of exercise as he bolted up flight after flight to floor 16. When he arrived there, he found two men guarding the door to the staircase he was on. He wretched the door open and shot the two men down before they even knew the door had been touched. Xero ran down the hallway, checking to make sure every door was closed and locked. He then made another run back down to the lobby, where the other men had just arrived, minus Profenski.

“He’s picking some weapons out of our stash right now,” Nitro reported.

“Alright,” Xero replied. “Floor 16 is clear. We ready to go?”

“Let’s do it,” Markin replied.

“OK, I’m gunna head back up there,” Xero said. “Come with me.“ Xero and the three agents ran to the stairs and began the long haul once again. During the run up the stairs, Xero’s radio went off.

“Xero, Erik, this is Jantil. Only the two of you can hear me. Don’t respond, just listen. A chopper just dropped off Timrison and ten other men with various long arms onto the roof. They’ve already swarmed the hotel and stopped at floor 16. Timrison is on his way. Xero, you and the boys provide cover. Erik, I want you to get rid of Timrison as soon as you can. Once you guys are done, head up to the roof; the Apache is almost at the hotel to take you guys to Dallas/Fort Worth. And stay alive, the both of you. I need you two more than anyone else right now. You have a special assignment for when you get back, so don’t get killed. Over and out.”

Xero shook his head. “Great,” he muttered.

***

​

2300 hours (EST)

08.22.2016

AirBus

​

“He didn’t say what the operation was?”, Izon asked.

“Nope,” Xero replied smugly. “We didn’t have a clue. All we knew was that it was really important, because we were ordered to stay alive. Not exactly an everyday order, that is.”

“Indeed. So what happened after that?”

“Erik followed Timrison to Jared’s room and killed him. We hooked up with him and got everybody on the roof after shooting down some ******** in leather jackets. We flew to Dallas/Fort Worth, then back to HQ. Then, Erik and I went to Jantil’s office…”

***

​

 

[DJ BloodFrost]

0258 hours

05.06.2009

FIREPAWN World Headquarters

Antarctica

​

Director Cray Jantil watched as the elevator doors slid open to reveal an unlikely duo: Erik Profenski and Xero. The two men walked into the office and sat down quietly.

“You wanted to see us?”, Xero asked slowly.

“I did.”

Jantil stood up and looked outside. “I had a long talk with Jack Nevrith a few hours ago. He and I have agreed that it is in the best interest of both FIREPAWN and DarkHorse Corporation for FIREPAWN to relocate.”

“Relocate?”, Erik asked. “Where?”

“The Pacific Ocean.”

Xero raised his eyebrows. “The Pacific Ocean.”

“Yes.”

Xero shook his head and smiled. “You’ve got to be joking.”

“If the efforts of FIREPAWN and DHC are to be concentrated,” Jantil explained, “then we must move our headquarters.”

“So what are you going to do? Pick up the building with a couple of Apaches or something?” Xero asked.

“No. We’re going to build a new HQ in the Pacific Ocean.”

“On what foundation?” Erik queried.

“Nevrith’s on his way to the proposed site right now. He’ll be running his operations off the U.S.S. Constitution until a foundation can be laid. The Navy was kind enough to allow him and his team on board for preliminary area scoping and such. When they have a baseboard laid above the Pacific, they will move their operations there and begin building the new HQ.”

Erik chuckled. “This is insane.”

“We thought so too, but we think it will put a monkey wrench into Timrison’s plan, whatever it is.”

“Does anybody here know what Timrison’s plan is?” Xero questioned.

“I think we do.”

Calvin Hutson and Manuel Omar walked out of the elevator right up to Director Jantil’s desk. Hutson threw a manila folder at him. “You originally said that Timrison is looking to hit us with missiles. Well, sir, you were right. He wants to hit us with missiles. Nuclear missiles.”

“We didn’t think he had access to nukes, but I suppose it makes sense,” Omar piped in. “After all, he has access to cloning systems.”

Jantil shook his head in anger. “OK. Get a hold of Dermitelli and tell him to go find Dr. Zulo Hamil. He’s a transfer from CIA, and he now runs the Department of Alternative Warfare. I want the two of them to come up with something. I’m thinking ‘high-powered Tesla coil’.”

The two men nodded. “We’re on it,” Omar replied. The two men saluted and left the office.

Jantil turned to face Erik and Xero once again. “I want the two of you to head out to the U.S.S. Constitution and help the engineers and security teams there. They will need your presence and knowledge to get this project off the ground. Furthermore, I do not expect to see you again for a while.”

“How long is ‘a while’?” Erik asked suspiciously.

“A few years.”

Xero and Erik looked at each other and smiled. “Well,” Xero reasoned,” if we’re not going to kill each other, we might as well work together.”

“Agreed.”

“Good,” Cray said. “Pack up and head to DOT. They’ll provide you with transportation to the project site. Good luck.”

***

​

0130 hours (EST)

08.22.2016

AirBus

​

“So that was basically our six years out there at the Island Project. We had engineering problems here and there, but there were lots of people there who were able to help us. Keeping the area secure was easy; nobody knew we were out there except F8, DHC, and the United States, and you can see how much they like to interfere with our ****, you know?”

“Yeah,” Markin yawned in agreement. “So you and Erik got along out there?”

“Surprisingly enough, yes. It was strange working with a man I thought I was supposed to kill. He is definitely not the person we thought he was, let me tell you. Ever since he got out of his prison, he’s been quite open about what’s been going on in his family and at DHC.”

“What does he know about Timrison Industries?” Izon asked.

“Nothing, really.”

“Where is Erik, anyway?” Markin questioned.

“He’s at DarkHorse, monitoring his father’s base in South Africa. Jantil and him still talk regularly about the Island Project, but communication has diminished since he left the Project to return to DHC. When he left, I went back to FIREPAWN to help out with some administrative things at Special Services. Mainly, coordination with WAR so they didn’t go in and try to blow Timrison’s head off. Naturally, we want to make sure we have minimal casualties on our side when we decide to move in on him.”

“Hey, guys,” Izon said, looking out his window. “I think this is it.”

The other two men looked out their windows and what they saw astounded them. A large metal plane covering acres upon acres of ocean, and on top a huge gleaming pyramidal complex with various gaping holes in random locations, could be seen in the distance. Workers and security officers walked along scaffolds and the building itself, ensuring the safe and rapid progress of what was nothing but.

“The Island Project,” Markin murmured.

Xero smiled. “They’ve made a lot of progress since I left. I’m quite pleased.”

The plane performed a few circles while the ground tower confirmed their identity, and then the plane landed on the mile-long airstrip approximately two miles away from the pyramid itself. Upon arrival, the men stepped off the plane and were greeted at the bottom of the plane stairs by Peter Treflin, Director of Military Services.

“Good to see you boys. What do you think so far?”

“****, Treflin,” Izon stammered. “You guys are good.”

“Hey, it’s not my boys that are building the thing. Thank Jack. That man’s a ******’ genius. Come with me. I have some plans drawn up for an attack.”

The four men drove across the two-mile expansion between the airstrip and the pyramid in Treflin’s Jeep. They pulled up alongside what was obviously the main entrance and stepped out. Treflin went around to the back of his Jeep and grabbed four hard hats out of the tailgate. He tossed one at each of the other men with a smile.

“Sorry, boys. Standard procedure.”

“****,” Xero shouted. “I hate these things!”

The other men laughed as they walked inside the pyramid. The corridors and rooms were somewhat lit by construction lighting, enough that they could see where they were going. Treflin led them to a room on the ground floor where several blueprints were on a large table.

“OK, here’s my take on it. We’ve got enough C4 and other explosives to spare for you guys, so don’t worry about our resources. You three take some arms and explosives and sneak in through the western entrance.” Treflin pointed to the left side of the external blueprint. “It’s the least-guarded side of the base. Guess they don’t think a naval attack is possible these days. Anyway, go in through the western side and head directly for the basement. When you go in, you’ll see stairs to your right that you can go down. You might encounter some sentry, but they should be easy to dispatch. Head down to the boiler room in the basement,” (Treflin traced the path on the basement blueprint), “and set your charges there. Not only will it ignite the entire water, gas, and cooling systems in the base, but it’s right next to the I-beam that supports the entire complex. You take that thing out, and you’ll be out of there like a fat kid in dodgeball.”

“Nice,” Xero noted. “You’ve done your homework.”

“Any idea of how much **** we’ll need to plug the toilet?” Izon asked.

“I think three charges of 118% C4 should do the trick. Put them on the boiler system itself, and that room will collapse, takin’ the I-beam with it.”

“Sounds good,” Markin resounded. “Let’s gear up and get out.”

 

[Vash_the_Stampede]

Pure awesomeness. What a return.

My favorite two lines,

“So what are you going to do? Pick up the building with a couple of Apaches or something?” Xero asked.

"You take that thing out, and you’ll be out of there like a fat kid in dodgeball."

HAHAHA

Well, can't wait for more. Keep it up.

 

[Dark Angel]

Awesome! Rep points for you. I absolutely loved this line:

Fuckup the Clown over here’s gunna join us as well...

That was hilarious!

Can't wait for more!

(Let me know if you got the points or not, my computer is acting weird at the moment...)