Project M.L.T.N.

By L. Keating

Peer pressure is a wonderful thing, especially when it forces Danny to take a job from his court ordered benefactor & man responsible for his parents' death. After the truth behind the job in question is revealed, Danny learns the only way for him to get answers is to survive the alien world he has been

• Language: English
• Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
• Release date: Sep 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9798885906029

L. Keating

L.Keating was born & raised in Charleston, South Carolina, and is a graduate of The Citadel along with fellow alumni Robert Jordan and Pat Conroy.

Book preview

Prologue

H

e had always despised the smoke from a cigar. Mind you, he would gladly partake of the habit when the moment called for it, and it wasn’t exactly the smell that was the issue. Rather, it was the way it lingered. The way it permeated and remained in the fabric of a uniform detailing a lifetime's worth of accomplishments. Fortunately, only the fabric was vulnerable. The four stars along each shoulder were impervious to smoke.

Yes, he had always hated the smoke—and even more so the blatant disregard of anyone who would attempt to enjoy such a filthy habit in an area like this one, with just enough maneuvering room to accommodate the half dozen other members of the team situated at various stations. As for the general, he stood above two individuals seated before a wall containing sixteen monitors, each displaying a distinct point of view, as well as a heads-up display detailing biofeedback and weapon status.

Normally such equipment would be limited to training exercises. But his position granted him enormous oversight and autonomy, and that, coupled with having learned the wise ways of government bureaucracy and less-than-forthright accounting techniques, had allowed him to appropriately arm the team, now en route to their mission.

The meaningful exception of possessing a security clearance like his afforded him the opportunity to conduct these off-the-book missions with little to no notice, though tonight would be different, and he had full confidence he would be able to report a successful mission to his superior.

Five minutes, sir came a voice from his side. Would you like your earpiece?

The general nodded and took the earpiece from a member of the team standing just off to the side as if that were his one job. The earpiece clicked to life the moment it slid into his ear.

"Headset activated" came a computerized voice.

Team lead, check in, said the person sitting directly in front of the general.

This is Team Nighthawk came the reply. All units, check in and sync up.

One by one the red lights in the lower lefthand corner of each monitor switched over to green.

Team Nighthawk, your light is green. Switching to radio silence.

Across the screens, bathed in an eerie green glow, appeared the individuals who had been handpicked for the current mission. A person unaccustomed to the image would have thought each unit was the same person, dressed in all black to match the night-equipped craft, wearing a Kevlar vest despite the fact their target would not be returning fire, at least not with conventional weaponry like theirs. This included tactical assault rifles equipped with the latest upgrades for urban warfare, such as a scope synced to the night-vision visor worn over their black tactical face masks. With a click of a few buttons, the tech allowed the user to turn his visor into one scope that could peer around corners and pick up heat signatures and another for sniping, both of which could transmit back to the command post.

The general's eyes darted from one screen to another.

The troops had arrived at their destination and were now exiting the rear of the vehicle under the cover of night. No need for flashlights as the night vision provided a near flawless picture of the world. A single faintly glowing green light emanated from the end of the barrel, appearing motionless as the unit scanned the vicinity. Tall mounds made up of crushed cars and twisted trucks—or what was left of their metal frames—loomed over a ten-foot-tall barbed-wire fence. A single gated entrance was just ahead. The lead unit slowly advanced a few steps before pausing, motioning for others to follow as the monitors across the wall showed the units moving into the scrapyard; coordination had been preplanned based on the most recent satellite photos, which the general had only provided moments before the units had been loaded onto the transport. On a separate portion of each monitor was an aerial view of the vicinity, showing the units breaking off into pairs.

A sudden crash of debris caused all motion to cease, even in the command room, as the general's eyes continued to jump from monitor to monitor in search of the source. Seconds of silence were followed by more debris being moved around.

One by one the images on the screens began moving again. Each pair of units moved at a faster pace, albeit only briefly, before coming to a complete stop again.

The team lead flicked on his scope as he positioned the barrel of his weapon just around the edge of a corner; his finger pressed another button, and the front of his weapon began to swivel around the hunk of junk until the image captured by his visor—and transmitted to the command post—reflected his team's target.

A creature standing just over twenty feet tall was rummaging through piles of broken metal and glass, occasionally grabbing a few pieces and indiscriminately launching them across the scrapyard before appearing to find what it had been looking for. It picked up a car and took a bite out of the tire.

As the team watched, an overhead satellite picture was uploaded to their visor's HUD. The tiny picture highlighted their target in red. Instantly the creature's full figure appeared to be covered in a reddish hue. The team leader raised his finger to the side of his visor and clicked another button. A single red dot appeared in the center of the monitors; again, one by one, they all switched to green.

A moment after the last dot had turned green, the dots faded as the unit lead pulled an object from his belt. Three more long seconds went by before a loud bang and a flash of light exploded under the creature.

Immediately all the units rushed from their positions and began bathing the creature in gunfire, which had the unintended effect of enraging the creature rather than outright killing it even as the units began concentrating their fire at specific points. While blocking the gunfire, the creature grabbed a nearby pickup truck and hurled it toward his attackers. Four screens immediately went black, causing some units to switch to their grenade launchers. The monitors displayed a miniature war zone.

As the chaos continued, more monitors quickly went to black. After a certain