Rogue

By Steve Soderquist and Laura Ranger

Chris and Lexi Denton led what they considered a normal life.
Lexi worked as a dance instructor at a local studio, and Chris was a successful broker at a firm in downtown Miami, Florida.
When Chris gets entangled with a crime boss who utilizes his talent for numbers to cover up deadly secrets, the pair soon discover much more than just Carlos Mandini’s dark secrets, they discover their own.

Chris and Lexi Denton are not who they believed.

As they run for their lives from Mandini and his organization, who they are and what they are capable of, begins to surface. Their pasts are remembered, memories the government thought they had wiped out; the very government that created them.
Now locked in a struggle for their right to even exist, they soon find themselves combating others like them—enhanced government projects created since birth to supplement and aid other military projects. In a run for their lives they discover what they’re capable of, incredible feats of mental and physical strength and skill.
Those in charge neglected to factor in the most important lesson Chris and Lexi learned on their own...

Love supersedes science.

Culminating in an explosive ending that will leave the reader breathless, the two make it their mission to do what they know must be done—assure the Lz Project is not only destroyed, but can never be reactivated...
Even if it means they sacrifice themselves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Foundations Books Publishing Company
• Release date: Apr 30, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370903597

Steve Soderquist

Steve Soderquist is the Operations Director, Chief Editor, and Acquisitions Editor of Foundations Publishing Company. He has written and published five novels, one novella and a children's short story of his own. He has edited, formatted, and worked with some of the best-selling authors of today and still insists he has the best job in the world—helping others reach their dream of being a published author.He will freely admit to his rather unorthodox style of teaching 'All-Things-English,' but the results from those he has taught in seminars, webinars, and workshops speaks for itself. He lives in Brandon, Mississippi with his beautiful fiancé, fellow author and editor/illustrator and owner of Foundations Books Publishing Company, Laura Ranger.For more information, visit FoundationsBooks.net or stevesoderquist.com

Book preview

Get in the cab!

Chris stood in the pouring rain fumbling with the cab door as Lexi watched with a mixture of fear and helplessness. She had received the call from her husband not half an hour ago. She could tell by the panic in his voice that something was definitely wrong. He swung the door open and beckoned for her in a quick, jabbing motion. Lexi stood, crying, in the doorway of the dance studio where she taught.

Dammit, Lexi, get in. We don’t have time! He looked at his bride of only six months as she stared back at him like a deer caught in headlights. At that moment, he felt a bloated contempt swell up at her lack of movement. What if she wasn’t strong enough… God knew he could not take care of her emotionally if she broke down now.

Chris walked over to her and roughly pulled her to the waiting cab, her tears making him wince. A couple passing by looked at them suspiciously then quickly looked away. Chris had his nine-millimeter Glock secured in his front vest, but he was loathe to shoot passing strangers at this juncture. Lexi tumbled into her half of the cab and Chris quickly ducked in after her, slamming the cab door.

Seventeenth and Market Street, he instructed.

The cab driver glanced back, shrugged, and pulled the tag down to restart the meter. Chris watched knowing he had only about a hundred and thirty bucks in his wallet, and the fare was already up to twenty.

Lexi, beside him, said nothing, only occasionally glancing at her husband with a mixture of anger and confusion. Her tears finally subsided. The stuffed duffel bag by her feet proved that something had definitely happened but she couldn’t imagine what.

Chris—

Shhh! he said to quiet her. She sat with her hands in her lap, watching the passing scenery and realized they were heading into a bad part of Miami. She didn’t dare question why they weren’t heading back home. This direction took them into an area better known for being on the six o'clock news than for the touristy beaches they both loved to visit.

Here, Chris said abruptly to the cabby. Again, the driver only shrugged.

You sure you want to get out here, mister? You and your pretty girl?

That’s why I said pull over, Chris said shortly. Take this. He handed the man his money, leaving only two dollars for a tip.

The cabby counted and peeled away now, not in the least bit sorry he was leaving them in this neighborhood.

Chris, why are we here? Are we meeting someone? Is there something I should know? Can I call Sandy? Chris knew she meant the woman who had befriended them almost from the moment they hit Miami. Sandy Gilbert had a uniquely maternal nature. He knew Lexi thought of her as a second mother and she meant a lot to her. She had only known her own mother until the tender age of six. Sandy had even gone so far as to give Lexi away on their wedding day.

Chris shook his head vehemently. You can’t call anyone, babe. I would have sent you to her if I believed they wouldn’t use you for leverage. He bit his lip as she looked at him, her small hands nervously working.

Now she began to understand. This had to do with all those men that had come to their house over the past year. They came with their fake smiles and platitudes about the Denton’s small house and neighborhood. She always knew something was off, like it was an act played just for her.

Chris was a small-time broker but did some bigger business with these people—things he would never completely explain to her.

It’s courtesy, babe. I do favors for my bigger brokers, he would say to her. Extra cash for us, nothing more. It’s nothing to worry about.

Then he would kiss her worried forehead and spend a few hours with the men. However, she noticed from her place behind the a slightly open door that they never smiled unless she was in the room.

Chris walked her about two blocks, looking for either something or someone. All Lexi could think was he must be meeting someone here who could help make this, whatever it was, right again for them. Instead, he pulled her to his side, and dipped behind a dilapidated old two-story house with both a Vacancy and Condemned sign out front.

Stay here, he told her. He left her ten feet away, still partially hidden in the bushes.

Lexi shivered from the drenching rain and watched, while Chris sized up the back door. He kicked it in and Lexi let out a small yelp, clapping her hands over her mouth.

The door splintered at the frame and Chris grimaced, not wanting this kind of damage to be seen later. Well, what was done was done.

He motioned Lexi over. She moved in slow motion, her feet making their way up the back steps that creaked under her small weight. When she was in, Chris closed the door as best he could and then blocked it with some broken wood lying on the floor.

We sleep here tonight, he said to her.

Talk to me.

This was the first opportunity he could, and he sighed heavily. He was tired…so tired.

Let’s make a bedroll first, all right? Then food. I know you haven’t eaten. Chris let the duffel bag drop to the floor. He then walked over and punched the dry rot, rat-infested plaster wall in frustration. He laid his head against the wall and felt Lexi slide behind him. She wrapped her arms around him.

Talk to me.

Chris pulled away, his head still down while he dug in the bag for the bedroll he had hastily tossed in, back at the house. Not now. I need to think.

Think? Think about what? I’m your wife, your life partner; we’re in everything together. There is nothing you can’t talk about with me.

Chris glanced up briefly, Look, when we were married I vowed to protect you for life. That’s what I’m doing. If I tell you nothing, you will know nothing, and in the end, that will be your best protection. His eyes searched hers for a glint of confidence but he saw none.

Her words were iced over now. That makes no sense, Chris. I should at least know from whom you’re supposedly keeping me safe. Are you sure Sandy is safe? I don’t understand why I can’t even call her.

Shit! Chris jumped up. Where’s your phone? Give me your phone now!

Why? What’s my phone got to do with anything?

For once just do what I ask when I ask instead of arguing with me. Chris stood waiting and trembling.

Lexi walked over to her purse, pulled her phone out, and all but threw it at Chris. Maybe you should just keep it since apparently I can’t even be trusted with a phone anymore! She stared at him a moment, her eyes hot, and then turned her back on him, afraid she would cry. She would not let him see her cry right now. Why in God’s name he had pulled her from her class and dragged her to a seedy, abandoned building was beyond her.

Chris quickly navigated through her phone to the settings and turned off the GPS tracking that they always kept on. He ran a hand quickly through his hair.

Get your things, we’ve got to move, he said, handing the phone back to her.

Move? Are you kidding me? Is this place too nice for you, Mr. Denton? Her voice was thick with sarcasm.

Lexi, I swear to God if you don’t just do what I ask… he trailed off, frustrated and completely terrified.

She picked up her purse and stormed out the door ahead of him. By the time Chris reached the sidewalk, Lexi was half a block away. He ran to catch up with her and matched her stride. He reached out to take her hand as they often did while walking together. It was easy, natural, as automatic as breathing. Not this time.

Chris took her hand and she yanked it from him. She hugged it to her waist so he would be unable to try again. It hurt him that she was mad for something he was trying so hard to do to keep them safe, but if this is what it took to protect her—the very beat of his heart—he would take this attitude from her. He knew she was cold and afraid, yet he also knew his wife was far from dumb. In reality, Lexi knew as much as he did about what was going on. It wasn’t hard to guess it had to do with the men who never smiled beyond the front door or living room. Like him, she just chose to close her eyes too often, and this was the price to be paid.

They walked quickly, Chris darting his eyes in every direction. He didn’t realize it, but his looks were calculated, calm, and took in everything. Had he looked at his wife, he would have noticed she was doing the same as well.

Chapter Two

Chris was dead on his feet, having been up almost three days prior to their running, tossing and turning in troubled half-sleep. Right now, his only focus was to get his wife and himself someplace reasonably safe. He felt the worst thing they could do was just walk straight in any one direction; that would be too obvious. Instead, he had them zigzagging and doubling back at different points—not only keeping anyone off their trail, but to find a new place to crash for the night.

In their journey, they ran across a little hole-in-the-wall eatery that, if possible, was more dilapidated than the house he had broken into. There was no telling when or where the next place would be to have a meal, so he guided her to it.

He had packed supplies in the duffel bag: candles, canned food, and what little camping gear they owned. Here at least was hot food and he knew they could be in and out of this seedy diner quickly.

Chris stepped to the door and held it open. She just looked at him with a glare that said, you have got to be kidding!

Chris let out a huge sigh and said, Would you please stop being such a princess and just come on? He bit his tongue. He knew full well she hated being called a princess.

I’m sorry, he mumbled, just, please...

Lexi warily entered but had no intention of ingesting anything this dive could offer.

The middle-aged woman behind the counter called out cheerily, You folks sit anywhere you like. Menus are on the tables.

Chris made a sweeping motion with his hand, suggesting Lexi take a seat at the first booth to his right so he could keep his eyes on the street. She pulled her skirt down and covered as much of her bare legs as possible to keep from catching God knew what from this place. She carefully kept her hands folded in her lap and stared around her, then focused her blue eyes on Chris’s own gray-green.

The woman approached them and Lexi noticed her looks were deceiving. She must have lived a hard life already because up close, her skin suggested she was closer to thirty than the fifty Lexi first guessed at.

So what can I get you folks? She looked first to Lexi.

Lexi shot another furious look at Chris and shook her head. Nothing for me, thank you.

Chris closed his eyes a moment, still trying to wrap his head around the day. The waitress looked at Chris and tapped her pad, waiting impatiently.

Could I please get two of your burgers—wrap one to go—and two Cokes? He had no idea when their next opportunity might come to eat a hot meal and knew right now that Lexi was just being stubborn. And scared, he reminded himself. Chris hated himself completely at that moment.

Sure, honey, the woman said over her shoulder as she was already rounding the end of the counter.

Chris looked at his wife and then reached out a hand, which she did not accept.

I can’t fix this right now, he told her.

Her eyes did not leave his.

"You have to trust me. I’m doing everything I know to keep you…to keep us safe."

Lexi said nothing but coldly continued to stare at him.

Really? So now you’re not even going to talk to me? Lexi still said nothing. Chris could have been talking to the wall.

You’re being ridiculous! Chris felt an impulse to slam his fist on the table and fought it down.

Lexi said with the first conviction she had felt since this started, You need to quit while you’re ahead.

How long are you going to give me the cold shoulder?

Lexi looked at him steadily, which made Chris feel as out of control as he was.

Their food came and Chris found it to be surprisingly good. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was famished or exhausted. He finished it in record time. He looked up at Lexi and said, This is really good, babe. Are you sure you won’t eat yours now? Lexi just shook her head full of brunette locks and continued her icy glare.

When he was through, he settled the bill, left two dollars on the table, and opened the door for his wife who walked without a glance back in the direction from which they came. Chris pulled her up short.

Not that way, he began. They might have traced your phone and—

Lexi whirled on him and screamed, Damn it, Chris, stop it! What the hell is going on?

For a moment, he was so taken aback by this outburst he could only stare at her incredulously. Lexi broke down crying and would have sunk to the ground had Chris not caught her. She buried her face in his jacket and lightly pounded on his chest.

Oh...what did you do? What have you done?

He said nothing and just held her. She eventually tapered off to sniffles as he guided her back the way they had come.

Shhh...we need to find a place to sleep. Don’t worry, I promise to tell you more. You deserve that, babe.

I’m hungry, Lexi said now plaintively.

It’s okay. I have your burger. At that moment, Chris simultaneously felt like raging and crying.

Chapter Three

Back in 1963, the first government phase testing of the Lz Project began in little more than a basement located at a warehouse in Langley, Virginia. The secretary of defense at the time, Robert McNamara, had only been in office three years. Then, only on what many considered a personal invite from then-President John F. Kennedy, he was invited to the Cabinet for Defense Ministries. At the time, most of McNamara’s experience came from his career in the Vietnam conflict and he had specialized in air-to-ground missiles. Frankly, he was not even sure why he was invited.

The United States was in political flux and the combat in Vietnam had hit poorly with voters, with both sides of the fence coming to the agreement many mistakes had been made. As far as the government was concerned, wars were no longer won or lost depending on who had the most soldiers standing at the end of the battle, but who could infiltrate the enemy and cut off command at the top. Without the head, the body is useless. Hence, Lz Project One was created.

The president, like all presidents, was well aware of these experiments and hundreds of others like them. But they were kept on the farthest edge of the back burners, lest sleep escape them in the dead of night over the ethical right of what was being done to humans instead of lab rats. No, better to be kept in the loop, but only on the periphery.

Safer, at least.

By the time the cold war was ending with the Russians, the Lz Project had made enough advancement and suffered enough setbacks to be applicable should war break out. However, by then it was not a matter of numbers of soldiers, but infiltration of offenses. The world had gone nuclear following the destruction of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and all on the planet knew the next target didn’t matter as it was no longer a matter of if, but when.

Through all of this, the project’s lead scientist, Doctor Francis Monroe, had exponentially advanced the research into applicable form, using humans for testing and bypassing any thought of pre-generative testing on anything in his eyes and views as abhorrent as animals. What he could not achieve through science he achieved through trial and error. The losses were almost uncountable and the subject pool seemingly bottomless. His first rounds of testing, which began by 1967, had been American soldiers, but he soon learned of the implacability of this method due to their familiar ties out in the world. To Doctor Monroe, it was simply a matter of lessening the steps that needed to be taken, thus expediting the work with little to no hiccups caused by such distractions. In the early to mid-seventies, he began experimentation on in-utero subjects. The mothers had been women simply modeled for their reproductive capabilities and taken, for the most part, off the streets. They were lost or homeless or runaways.

However, it was the unborn babies who had not been able to handle the injections, not the comatose hosts they resided in. In 1976, a breakthrough had been accomplished by starting 1/1000 strengths of Lz compound A-328132 into a six-month-old female. Doctor Monroe to this day remembered every nuance and circumstance that had brought the child into his care. The mother had been one of the test subjects but had suffered a heart attack due to her long addiction to drugs, and the baby had survived via C-section. Instead of disposing of the infant, they kept it in a separate lab for possible future testing. When it was determined the child’s natural immunities could stave off infection, the diluted compound was introduced into her bloodstream and the success was immediately confirmed by the baby, who in a flash of frustration at a late bottle at nine months old had ripped out the throat of one of her caregivers.

Testing and injections resumed, along with other enhancements.

The doctor wanted nothing more than to see a progression but now understood there would be no miracle shot given to accelerate this process...or at least none he had seen thus far. Yet a theory remained that had yet to be tried. Sometimes these ideas would come to him at pinnacle moments while others thrust themselves seemingly in his face. How he came about them was not an issue, only that they did was what mattered to him.

Monroe had first fathered a girl, Lisa Monroe, who unlike her father, showed little promise, in his eyes, to better the world in any capacity, save entertaining men on sweaty weekend nights working in seedy bars and strip clubs. He tried to coddle her up to her thirteenth birthday, and then dismissed the girl entirely. To him, she was only one more failed experiment in his many. But she turned out to be of use after all.

When Lisa was well into her twenties, it was clear to him she would never amount to anything, so he would make her of use. He began introducing her to a light dose of a chemical only known as 472-72947 from his labs, which would put the young woman in a fertile state while at the same time doubling her immune system. He saw this as one more step to the genetic evolution and once the baby girl had been birthed, he terminated his daughter’s life and filed her neatly away. The baby was now his to do with as he pleased. He was, after all, her grandfather. So he removed the child from his home and sitting at his computer terminal—the baby having been taken to the cold and stale lab room dubbed ‘the metal nursery’—he input the child’s information quickly and efficiently.

Lexi would recognize him, not because she had met the doctor at the complex, but because she had met him before she was brought in. Doctor Monroe typed in Lexianna Julie Monroe— age one month, listing himself as the only living relative, his wife having been filed away herself years ago, only not underground, but in a facility in order to keep her out of his affairs. He logged the document in an encrypted folder marked New Arrivals.

As much as his daughter was the bane of his existence, his son was the apple of his eye. He was the apple that didn’t fall far from the tree. How he loved his son, Frank. He was several years younger than Lisa and everything he dreamed Lisa would have been. He wanted only to please his father in every way. He seemed to understand the importance of the work Francis was doing and how they were going to help humanity.

Frank met and married his college sweetheart, Emily, immediately following undergrad schooling. She stood by his side through medical school and all his years of interning. By the time he was ready to take his rightful place beside his father, Francis had concocted a scheme to incorporate Lexi into the family while still being able to work on her. He convinced his son and daughter-in-law to become Lexi’s parents and raise her as their own.

Emily was the loyal, faithful wife and the encouraging, attentive mother. She was such a good addition to their family that he was able to slowly take his wife off the drug-induced stupor he found it necessary to keep her in. Together his wife and daughter-in-law ran the household with no needed assistance from him or his son, which allowed them all the time they needed to further their studies.

Anna, as she was called back then, was a thriving child. She continued to take treatments, unbeknownst to her mother, and although he was fairly certain his wife knew what was going on, he also knew she would never say a word for fear of returning to her prior state. In his mind, all women needed to be kept in line if they were not of use as a scientist. That was Frank’s only problem; he never seemed to be able to keep Emily under proper control.

Francis tried every way he knew to guide his son to bring her in line when she became suspicious of what they were doing with Anna. Instead, thanks to her, he lost his son forever. It was all her fault. If it weren’t for her, he would never have had to take a hit out on his beloved child. She deserved every bit of what she got, but he so wanted to keep his son. The problem came when Frank chose Emily and Anna over their work. He still wasn’t certain why he let his wife live at that time, although she had been of use in the past several years. And now she did always do as she was told. He just needed to bring his Lexianna home. She had turned out to be the brilliant, lethal weapon he knew he could create. She was his most prized possession. He couldn’t wait to kill that mistake, Lz41. He should have destroyed the man a decade ago before he could corrupt his greatest achievement.

Chapter Four

Chris felt he was spending way too much time scoping the surrounding area. He couldn’t see anywhere he thought might be safe enough for him to close his eyes for a few hours, and more importantly to him, know that Lexi would be safe.

The first house he’d broken into was no Ritz Carlton. Hell, it wasn’t even close to a shady motel, but he’d believed they would be safe enough to get some rest for the night. He was looking for something similar. He had to find them something and soon. His body was on the verge of giving out on him. A thought suddenly struck him but with the problem he had getting Lexi to eat at that diner, he knew this would not go over well.

Chris pulled her into the end of an alleyway and out from under the streetlights. Gently, he gazed into her eyes.

Sweetheart, you do know how much I love you, right?

She nodded slowly in apprehension of what was coming next.

He continued, You know how much I hate having you go through this?

She lowered her eyes and nodded again. With his forefinger, he raised her face up to meet his eyes again. Please don’t hate me and don’t fight with me on this. You can think on it for a couple minutes if you feel you need to, but it’s the only thing I can think of at this moment for safety’s sake.

Lexi drew a sharp breath, believing he was about to do the unthinkable.

You’re sending me away? she whispered, looking up at him.

Oh, honey, of course not. Chris hugged her close.

She hated what they were going through and was furious at Chris for not telling her what this was all about. She understood he obviously got into something way over his head, but everyone makes mistakes. She was a forgiving person but whatever this was, they would get through it together now.

Chris knew her well enough to know what a strong individual she could be. By this time, she would be fairly certain that whatever the problem actually was, she had already imagined far worse.

She said now in almost exasperation and frustration, Well then, what is it?

Well, honey—

Just say it!

Chris groaned and averted his eyes.

Okay, I think the perfect place for us to blend in and stay out of the crosshairs would be… He took a deep breath. To stay in Box City.

There were different areas in every large city where a group of homeless made their habitat. In theirs, it was in the downtown area between Spokane Boulevard and Front Street, winding through fourteen blocks of the back alleys and deserted buildings like a malignant tapeworm. Many had their own cardboard boxes where they slept and kept what few belongings they owned, giving it the name Box City. Those not fortunate enough to have a box, simply found broken staircases or laid along the sidewalks with their few possessions and their bedrolls.

Lexi immediately opened her mouth but Chris held his fingers up to her lips, giving her time to digest this and remember his request that she think about it before answering.

She closed her lips, turned around, and began to pace. It was true this was not what she was expecting, as if anything at this point could be expected.

She wondered if he had finally lost it.

Lexi eventually stopped pacing, walked back to where Chris remained, and said in a bare whisper, Fine! You believe we will blend in with the homeless on the streets of Miami. Let’s go sleep with the street people.

Chris knew she was at her maddest when Lexi’s voice went to a whisper. But that was fine with him right now. She had agreed, and that was all he needed. He took her by the hand, not in their normal interlaced fingers way, but cupped in an attitude of protection.

Chapter Five

Chris was aware there was probably some kind of unwritten code among the homeless. Lexi and he were obviously not people who left the security of their home this morning planning to intrude on the city’s homeless population. He was hoping they would be allowed in when they didn’t ask for anything but space on the concrete, hidden from view.

They quickly came across a group of people dressed in rags living under a bridge, but as they approached were turned away like unwelcome strays.

Next, they tried an area where a group of people gathered around a burn barrel. How bad could that be, he thought. It reminded Chris of nights around a campfire. But no, they were flat out told to keep moving, as they had no business here. Chris, tried to negotiate until he noticed a big, burly man emerging from the shadows and heading stealthily in their direction. Chris turned and hurriedly pulled Lexi along. He rounded the block just in time to see a man crawl under the building. Walking over to where the man had disappeared, he saw a concrete crawl space about two feet high. He dropped Lexi’s hand and said, Wait here.

Lexi gasped. You have got to be kidding!

Just wait here.

You’re going to get yourself killed. Her eyes were wide, scared, and locked on his face.

Chris slipped into the crawl space. Lexi stood shifting from one foot to the other and noticed her feet were both aching and cold. She glanced down at her footwear thinking if she known her husband would be dragging her out on the streets tonight, she would have at least worn her sneakers, not her low heels.

Lexi was starting to get extremely nervous. Chris was gone far too long. Five minutes? An hour? She couldn't tell the difference now. When he re-emerged, Lexi breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Come on, it’s all right, Chris said.

Is it? She was openly crying.

Yes...I promise. This will end soon, but we have to do this for now, hon.

She followed obediently as Chris stuffed the duffel bag in first, and then let her in before him. Her slight dress—which was no more than a cover over her dance leotard—was now matted, and stained. He climbed in after her as the man he had talked to regarded them both.

They were under a section of an apartment complex that had been closed for two years. Lexi gauged they were on the Eastern coast of Dade