Sentry Squad

By Derek Shupert

WHEN EVIL THREATENS THE WORLD, A NEW BREED OF HERO’S WILL EMERGE...
 
The word is changing. Evolving.  In the wake of a deadly explosion a mysterious chemical is released and has mutated the genetic structure of Captain Van Peterson and his strike force, endowing them with superhuman abilities.    
 
Some will use their powers for good, while others seek to exploit the limits of their new found abilities for their own personal gain.
 
With the government unable to handle the new found threat, Captain Peterson and his team must rise and stand together to keep the very fabric of humanity from unraveling.   Sentry Squad.

Interview with the Author

Q - So, what makes Sentry Squad so special? 

A – Sentry Squad is a mix of a lot of things really.  When I set out to write the story, I wanted it to mirror a lot of the things I like to read and watch.  I’m a big science fiction fan and love the whole superhero genre in general.  So I wanted to mash the two together and create something exciting for the reader.

Q - What did you enjoy most about writing Sentry Squad? 

A – For me it was developing each of the characters super human powers.  That was a real treat.  It’s something that I’ve wanted to do most of my life and I finally had the chance to do it.

Q - Why should readers give Sentry Squad a try? 

A – Because Sentry Squad is a superhero thrill ride that will keep you engaged.  Readers who like fast paced action will enjoy the book.

Thanks for reading!   

Sentry Squad eBook Categories: 

- Men’s Adventure Novel 
- Superhero Thriller Story
- Genetic Fiction Novel 
- Superhero Action Thriller 
- Sci fi Superhero  Story
- Superhero Saga
- Hero Saga

• Language: English
• Publisher: Derek Shupert
• Release date: Mar 20, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524246617

Derek Shupert

 Derek Shupert is an emerging Science Fiction Author known for his captivating dystopian storylines and post-apocalyptic-laden plots. With various books and anthologies underway, he is also the author of the Afflicted series and Sentry Squad.  Outside of the fantastical world of sci-fi, Derek serves as the Vice President at Woodforest National Bank. During his free time, he enjoys reading, exercising, and watching apocalyptic movies and TV shows like Mad Max and The Walking Dead. Above all, he is a family man who cherishes nothing more than quality time spent with his loved ones.  To find out more about Derek Shupert and his forthcoming publications, visit his official website at www.derekshupert.com

Book preview

Table of Contents

Sentry Squad

Acknowledgement

About the Author

Sentry Squad

When evil threatens the world, a new breed of hero’s will emerge…

The word is changing. Evolving. In the wake of a deadly explosion a mysterious chemical is released and has mutated the genetic structure of Captain Van Peterson and his strike force, endowing them with superhuman abilities.

Some will use their powers for good, while others seek to exploit the limits of their new found abilities for their own personal gain.

With the government unable to handle the new found threat, Captain Peterson and his team must rise and stand together to keep the very fabric of humanity from unraveling. Sentry Squad.

Sign up for the Author’s New Releases mailing list and get exclusive content and a signed cover by the author! Click here to get started, www.derekshupert.com.

1

It was 6 P.M., and everything was calm and still at the naval base in southern California. Most of the platoon had left for the day. Captain Van Peterson, a tall muscular tan soldier whose high and tight hair cut etched his face like a Greek God, was in the weight room blowing off some steam after a long day of running combat exercises. In the other room, a few members of Peterson’s outfit relaxed on the couch in front of the TV. In the middle of one of the shows, a breaking news alert flashed on the screen.

Good evening. This is Mike Lockhart with an Action 5 News breaking story. A bomb has gone off at the Los Angeles International Airport. Reports say that most of the airport has been destroyed and the number of casualties is unknown. Early speculations project the number of dead to be in the thousands, with many more injured. Police and other officials are asking people to stay away from the airport until things are under control. Please stay tuned as we bring you the latest news regarding this horrible tragedy. We now return to your regular programming.

After the breaking news alert went off, Private Benson leaped out of his seat and ran into the weight room.

Van, you won’t believe what just happened! There’s been a bombing at the L.A. International Airport. The news is saying that the casualties will probably reach into the thousands.

With a look of shock and disbelief, Van slammed down the weights and ran into his office. But before he could pick up the phone, it rang.

Hello, this is Captain Van Peterson.

A voice on the other end of the phone replied, Your presence is requested at the Sanction. Be there no later than 2100 hours. Once you arrive, you will be debriefed.

The phone went silent, and Van hung up the phone. Without hesitation, he grabbed his keys and coat and flew out the door. He jumped on his motorcycle as many things went through his head. The thought of all those innocent people dying made a fire ignite in his stomach. He was looking for some justice and hoping that this briefing would supply it.

Once he arrived at the Sanction, Van made his way to the debriefing room. He opened the door and noticed a lot of high ranking military officials sitting in the room, most of whom he had never met before. This peaked his curiosity.

Hello Captain Peterson. Please, sit down a voice said from the back of the room. It was General Alan Bedford, a longtime friend of Van’s. The General was a well-respected and harden military leader whose thick gray mustache and smoky fine hair gave way to his rugged facial features. I bet you’re wondering why you’re here today.

Not really sir, Van replied. I heard about the bombing at the airport, and I am ready to take action against the people responsible for this, sir!

Good, I am glad to hear that, soldier, replied the general. We did ask you here to serve your country and to take action, but it’s not what you’re thinking.

I don’t follow, sir Van said with a puzzled face.

The general rose from his leather chair and walked over to the screen at the back of the room. He grabbed the remote for the projector and asked that the lights be dimmed.

How familiar are you with the Apocalyptic Brotherhood? the general asked.

I have never heard of them before, sir Van replied. Are they a terrorist group?

Yes Captain, they are one of the most extreme organizations around. Please have a seat, said the general. Van quickly sat down and noticed a dark brown file with the words top secret typed on the front.

If you open up the file in front of you, you will see all the information we have on this organization, said the general. The papers crackled as everyone in the room opened the file and began to follow along.

He pushed a button on the remote, and a slide appeared on the screen.

The man on the left is Kirill Rothin, the leader of the Brotherhood. The man to his right is Sergi Goldshtein, his right-hand man. We don’t have much information on Rothin, except that he served in the Russian Spetanaz. He trained extensively in chemical warfare, hand-to-hand combat, and he is extremely lethal with knives. Next, we have Sergi Goldshtein, who has been in trouble with the law for most of his life. His parents died when he was twelve, and by the time he was sixteen, he had a long distinguished rap sheet that included breaking and entering, assault, arson, robbery. The list goes on and on. When he came of age, Goldshtein joined the Russian army, and then he eventually landed in the Spetanaz with Rothin. He was extensively trained in explosives and surveillance. Both Rothin and Goldshtein were part of the same unit. After serving two tours each, they were discharged from the army.

Van gazed intently at the screen, burning the images of both men in his mind. Kirill was a medium build man with light colored skin, hazel eyes, and short dark auburn hair. Sergi had a shorter physique with medium toned skin, green eyes, and light brown hair.

Do we know why they were discharged? Van asked.

The only reasons we could dig up were that they could not follow orders and that their mental states were questionable, the general replied. After leaving the army, they formed the Brotherhood and took on mercenary work for terrorist and extremist groups. We have been tracking these two for quite some time now. They are responsible for many attacks on and off American soil, and we believe they might have had a hand in the airport bombing today.

Do we have any idea of their where abouts? Van asked, hoping for an affirmative reply.

At the moment, we do not know where they are, replied the general. However, we have received some intel, from a reliable source, that says that the Brotherhood is planning to hit a target on our soil. Not much is known about it except that it is some type of research center.

My team is ready for action, sir, Van said, paging through the files. Just give us the go ahead. We can be prepped and ready in no time!

The general walked to the table and set the remote down as the lights came back on. He pulled his chair out and sat down.

We are glad that you want to serve your country, captain, but you will not need your men for this mission, he said.

Confused, Van sat back and folded his arms. I am not following you, sir. Why don’t I need my men for this mission? I have been on many missions with these soldiers, and we work great as a unit. We can get the job done.

We have no doubt that you and your unit can get the job done, the general said. But this mission is deemed classified and requires the greatest of discretion. The Brotherhood has killed many of our troops. We can’t risk any more men. They are extremely dangerous, and we must proceed with caution.

Before Van could reply, the door opened. A woman entered the room. Van snapped a mental picture of her as she walked past him. Her perfume was intoxicating, and her long, blonde hair floated loose behind her as she walked. Her olive tone skin and bright blue eyes lit up the room. She made her way to the back of the room and sat down in an empty seat. The other military officials left the room, leaving only Van, the general, and the mysterious woman.

So, what did you have in mind, sir? Van asked, wondering why the others had left.

We have been working on a top-secret program for the past year. This project was created for the sole purpose of bringing down Kirill and his organization, the general replied. Depending on the project’s success, we may want to use it as an anti-terrorist strike force.

The general looked over to the woman and nodded. She pushed her chair back and stood up.

Hello, my name is Jenny Walker. I have been put in charge of briefing you about the project and answering any questions that you might have, captain, she said. As the general has already said, this project has been in the works for about a year now. It has been codenamed ‘Agent X.’ The program consists of two three-member teams, Alpha and Omega. Now, this project is unique in one way. Instead of using members of our armed forces, we are using prisoners from prisons all over the country.

Van, stunned, leaned back in his chair and said, So, let me get this straight. You have created this new top-secret team and have added criminals to it. Am I hearing this right?

Yes, captain, you are hearing me right, Jenny replied.

Why in the world would you take murderers, rapists, and thieves, and arm them? Why not use soldiers that have experience in combat? Van exclaimed.

Well, as the general has already stated, we have already lost a lot of good troops at the hands of the Apocalyptic Brotherhood. The military cannot afford to lose any more. If someone in this unit gets killed in action, then he can be replaced with another inmate. We just go right back to the prisons and pick out a suitable candidate. It is a win–win situation for everyone. We get expendable soldiers, and they get their freedom. Well, they get out of prison anyway.

So what keeps these criminals from escaping once they are out? Van asked.

We have created a tracking collar device, Jenny replied. It is monitored twenty-four-seven. If a prisoner tries to take it off, or tries to escape, then a painful electric shock is sent to the collar, stopping them in his tracks. Think of it as an invisible dog leash for humans.

Van had had enough. He pushed his chair back and stood up. He looked at General Bedford and asked, So, what do you want with me, sir?

I want you to serve your country, son. We need you to led team Alpha. The other team already has a leader. I believe you know him: Dominick Pain.

Van knew who he was. They had served together five years ago in Iraq. Dominick was a good soldier, and Van liked him, but his methods of completing a mission were questionable. Somehow, innocent people always seemed to die when Dominick was around. But Dominick got results, and he did not fail.

Van thought Dominick enjoyed killing a little too much. He brought it to their commanding officer’s attention, and Dominick was taken off the unit. No one knew what happened to him. It was as if he had disappeared from the face of the earth.

Why pick me? Van exclaimed. There are plenty of good soldiers out there that would be perfect for this mission. Don’t get me wrong, I want to take down the Brotherhood, but I’m not sure I want to do it like this. I mean, using prisoners in such a way seems a little morally questionable.

General Bedford stood up and paced around the room. He said, The reason we picked you is because of your sense of duty to your country and your war record. He swept up a folder from the table and listed off the captain’s accomplishments. You have been awarded the Bronze and Silver Star twice for bravery and heroism during Operation Desert Strom. You have been acknowledged by the president multiple times for saving wounded soldiers in every campaign. Most important of all, every mission you have led has never failed. You have not lost any men. That is the reason we need you for this mission. Can we count on your support, captain?

Van was unsure of what to say. It was as if their eyes were trying to peek into his head to see what he was thinking. He didn’t want to let his country down, but the methods they wanted to use were not setting well with him.

So Van did the only thing he could think of. General, he asked, Can I have some time to consider the assignment? General Bedford agreed. He dismissed Jenny from the room and asked Van for a moment to speak with him privately.

Once Jenny had left the room, the general said, Listen, son, I know that you have some doubts about the program, and I understand that. When I was first briefed on this, I had a hard time believing it myself. The use of untrained prisoners in such a way struck my moral fibers as well. But after seeing the number of dead soldiers killed by that sadistic group, I started to change my mind about it. We really need you on this. Your country needs you now more than ever. I hope you will really consider this and come on board.

Van shook the general’s hand and then saluted him. Van walked out of the room and made his way down the hall to the exit. As he started his motorcycle, Van considered what they were asking of him.

If I decide to come on board with Agent X, it would give me the payback and justice I want. Yet the thought of using criminals to go after other criminals just seems absurd. With the men not having any in-depth military training for such a mission, it seemed like a plan doomed to fail from the beginning. Not only that, but Jenny’s total disregard for life really hit’s me hard. I could not believe how she could replace a human being like a disposable body part without a care in the world. These men might be criminals, but they were also people as well, Van muttered into the wind.

An hour later, Van pulled up to his barracks. He still didn’t know what to do, and he had to give the general his answer within twenty-four hours. Van parked his motorcycle and made his way to his uncluttered cramped bedroom. The day’s events had really taken a toll on Van. He laid down on his bed and drifted off. Maybe tomorrow would bring some type of sign to show him what he should do.

2

The following morning was marked by the sound of trumpets. Van’s eyes popped open, and he leaned over to look at the clock. It was only 5 A.M. and it felt like he had just gone to sleep. He threw the covers off, showered, shaved, and dressed, and he then made his way down on the beach, where his men were stretching and exercising. Corporal Garcia saw him approaching and called the rest of the men to order.

He saluted and said, Good morning, sir. The men are ready whenever you are.

Van stood there for a moment, his eyes glazed.

Is everything all right, sir? Garcia asked.

Yeah, everything is fine. Just had a long night last night. Didn’t get much sleep Van replied.

If you don’t mind me asking, sir, where did you run off to yesterday? Garcia asked. When you hung up the phone, you were out of the barracks and gone in no time at all.

Van paused. He did not like lying to his men. But not even his unit could know about a classified project.

I had some personal business to take care of, Van said. Everything is all right, though. Now gather up the men, and let’s start our training for the day.

Corporal Garcia saluted Van and ran over to the other men, who got into formation and started the day’s scheduled drills, which included an arduous session of strength training, close quarters combat simulations, and honing their rifle skills to name just a few.

As the day wore on, Van had a hard time keeping his mind on his work. He needed some type of sign to tell him what he should say to General Bedford. Hopefully it would be soon, as the day was passing quickly.

It was mid-afternoon and chow time had finally arrived. The men gathered into formation and proceeded to the mess hall. They got their food and sat down to relax and eat. A member from another unit walked past Van and started to talk with one of his men.

Have you heard about how many people have been killed in the airport bombing? the soldier asked.

Van’s trooper stopped eating and glanced up and said, Yeah, so far, 2,500 people dead was the last that I heard.

They also project that number to multiply quickly once the rubble has been cleared, the soldier responded. I really wish that we knew who was behind the bombing.

Overhearing the conversation, Van knew what he must do. The sign had finally arrived. He had to avenge those innocent people. That night, Van sat at his desk and called General Bedford to inform him of his decision.

I want in general! Van said.

Good, I’m glad to hear that you’re on board with us captain, said the general. You will need to leave first thing in the morning and arrive at the Sanction for transportation to the Agent X facility. Oh, and do not worry about your superiors, we will notify them ASAP of your reassignment.

The line went silent as the general hung up the phone, leaving Van with a sense of relief. Van hung up the receiver and sat back in his chair, pondering what tomorrow would bring.

3

The next morning, Van was ready to go. While driving, Van wondered whether he was making the right decision. What was it going to be like leading a unit made up of criminals? The only thing that mattered to Van now was that Kirill and his Apocalyptic Brotherhood be taken down and brought to justice.

The Sanction was finally in sight. Van made his way to the front gates, where two armed soldiers blocked his way. He pulled out his identification card and flashed it at the soldiers. They looked it over and moved to the side.

The gates opened and Van proceeded in. Across the compound, the general and Jenny were waiting for him near a plane. Van quickly drove over to the storage units located off to the side of the compound that military personnel used to store their vehicles and gear. He parked his motorcycle in one of the empty bays and walked over to salute the general and shake his hand. Van glanced over at Jenny and nodded.

Are you ready to get started, Captain Peterson? the general asked.

Yes sir! Van exclaimed.

Good, then get in the plane. We’re headed for the Agent X Facility.

They boarded the aircraft and sat down as the plane headed for the runway. Its engines got louder and louder until, without warning, the plane tore down the runway and ascended into the air. The general excused himself to go give the pilot coordinates for the facility.

So, how did you get involved in this project? Van asked. You don’t seem like the type to be dealing with criminals and top secret missions. I mean, no offense, you just come across as someone who does not like getting her hands dirty.

Jenny looked at Van and smirked.

No offense taken, captain, she replied. "Before Agent X was formed, I was working at the Department of Defense. I was part of a team that was in charge of creating new battle strategies for the military and forming physic profiles for known terrorist. Once Kirill and his crew became a major threat to everyone, General Bedford approached my team with the Agent X program. With an endless supply of available men at the prisons, it was the best way to keep our soldiers alive. I know you feel that our methods are cruel and a bit immoral and maybe they are,