The Black Site

By A.A. Mercer

Shortly after her husband dies during a military exercise Dr. Lisa Miller is offered a job in Tucson Arizona and moves from Michigan to the southwest. 

she soons finds the lab isn't what she expected. Finding herself in danger and nowhere to turn she puts her trust in a reporter who is deterimned to expose the black site.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: A.A. Mercer
• Release date: Feb 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215030356

A.A. Mercer

A. A. Mercer has written mystery, horror and thriller books. he likes to spend his time meeting fans and signing autographs in Tucson Arizona, 

Book preview

Prologue

4 months ago. Experiment 12

The room was in semi-darkness, forms moved slowly within the shadows. A row of cages –some empty, some had small animals which crawled and cried out with chattering and screams which sounded like a mixture of human and animal.

A section of the room had thick, vertical bars which separated it from the rest of the room and where four large figures watched from the dark, they either sat with their backs to the door or stood and watched the surroundings with interest.

Soon the door opened with a scrape as the thick hinges allowed two people to enter, they went to the row of cages were one of the scientists opened a drawer and selected a pair of thick gloves and reached into the cage where a small creature hissed and tried to bite at its handler. Then they took the creature out of the room leaving the rest of the creatures alone again.

It was placed inside a tub where it squirmed, its claws couldn’t crawl out of the confines due to the smooth surface, it hissed and fought against the thick rubber gloves the doctors were using to cut and slice bits of its spine covered flesh.

This was not the first time it had been abused by these people in their thick protection, hours ago- or was it days? It had been taken from its cage and poked, prodded and then put back.

It had been in a cage off the main lab with other experiments the scientists had created. a few were taken and sent away to places unknown.

A gloved finger came into view as another hand cradled its belly and another held its clawed hind legs; its breathing slowed as it decided to calm down its small black eyes watched the finger come closer the owner of the hand was unprepared for what was to happen.

It opened its jaws and tensed, its small nose turned upward revealing the tiny, sharp teeth which were ready to strike, and it did as quickly as a rattlesnake.

Rows of tiny fangs clamped down on the finger its sensitive nose smelled blood instantly as it began tearing at the rubber and through to the flesh, its sensitive ears were flat against its long, rat-like body and it heard the cry as the finger pulled away quickly.

In a panic the doctor jumped away pulling the protective hood away from the tank upsetting the tank and spilling the contents onto the sterile floor.

The creature saw freedom and ran toward the opened door its small, sharp claws scraped across the tiled floor it ran until it encountered three sets of feet two jumped as a trash can flew at it in an attempt to capture it again, Get it, don’t let it get out! a slightly overweight doctor was still attempting to compose himself as he fumbled with the suit from the clean room.

The other taller man had attempted to help only to be interrupted by the angry look from Doctor Baker, Never mind me, and catch that damn thing before it gets away.

His finger was beginning to swell where the creature bit him, get the tranquilizer-gun and hunt it down.

An assistant ran to a locker in a far corner where a modified rifle and handgun waited inside, the nervous assistant dropped three small darts before his sweaty hands finally managed to load the rifle.

The doctor grabbed the rifle from the assistant impatiently and checked the chamber himself. 

The creature was hiding under a table licking the wounds inflicted on it waiting for someone to come closer. its fangs had bits of blood and plastic from where it bit Doctor Baker.

A loud banging got the creatures attention as Doctor Baker and two assistants were moving desks and tables around hoping to uncover the things hiding place.

They had moved every desk and table they could manage in an attempt at uncovering the animal.

It was elusive, smart and watching the humans with a predatory instinct, it could still smell and taste the blood from the large human and somehow knew it to be the leader.

The other one, the one who put it in the tank was also nearby, it could hear him it didn’t know how it came into being, but it knew by scent that came at it with a knife and attempted to cut it, the creature hissed at the two humans and ran through the room looking furiously for a way out. There was a loud sound nearby and saw an opening which led to a bright light and then possibly freedom. It ran toward the light and into a corridor the night was calling, and it wanted out.

As it ran it could feel something in its body was growing, it was getting longer and something in its mind was also growing, it knew the way out and followed the doorway ignoring the sounds of panic and running behind it. As it ran it saw a vent and the door leading outside, it chose the vent and ran through until it found the outdoors. It was almost free. 

Doctor Steven Hatcher was a leader in his field of experimental life he had developed a technique to enhance a person’s strength, he was told by Doctor Baker these things they would be creating were approved by the Committee although he had his doubts.

The experiments which doubled a soldier’s strength worked but there was a problem it had a side effect, it dulled intellect and brought upon aggression and the subjects who volunteered had to be watched.

The creature in the lab was a subject of animal splicing and gene manipulation, they wanted to study it, feed it watch what it did, then when they were ready, they would cut bits of it and test them.

They were in the middle of that when the creature attempted escape, now it will need to be killed but there was a problem.

It was made to attack and kill and adapt to anything. And it saw a way out, an air vent between the floor and wall was big enough for it. Suddenly the table it was hiding under disappeared and a large, round face stared angrily at it.

There you are! it coiled and struck full force at the face – quills, claws and teeth were furiously mauling as thick fingers and large hands attempted to pull it away from his now bleeding face.

Doctor Hatcher had a fire extinguisher and swung it at the creature Doctor Baker could see the movement and opened his mouth to protest only to get a back claw and quills drug across his mouth.

The extinguisher hit its mark. the creature fell away from Doctor Bakers face and ran across the tiled room to the air vent, Doctor Hatcher was there and waiting with the fire extinguisher waiting to bash it to death. The creature coiled itself up, quills fanned out and with a sudden spring and a shriek of defiance and anger it flew at Doctor Hatcher, he saw it spring and dove to the side- but several quills ripped across his throat tearing through his jugular spraying blood across the floor and at Doctor Baker’s feet.

Doctor Baker held his bleeding face and knew his nose was broken, this experiment was a total wash and wasn’t worth the misery. His bloody left hand found the radio for security, This is Doctor Baker, a lab animal has gotten loose I want it found and killed with all possible speed, he winced as he wiped the blood from his cut eyes, he went to the break room where the first aid kit was kept.

He saw it in the usual spot. a small metal latch fastened it to the wall next to the sink.

He unfastened it and as he checked the mirror, he heard the dogs howling and gunfire of the security outside.

I have an appointment in a few weeks. He said to himself, this had turned out to be one hell of a day.

He glanced over at a far door across from the mess at his feet and watched as the staff tried to clean up the blood and broken chairs which were scattered around the room.

He smiled knowing what was behind the locked doors, something which would give new life to an old game. Another experiment authorized by the Committee and signed off by the Brain Trust.

Unofficially it was a new type of soldier, brave. Strong and not needing sleep or to eat. Just fight and take orders. So far it was only a few volunteers.

1.

Experiment 23

The committee of eight people sat behind leather chairs and watched the news program with rapt attention, it was a recording of an incident in the Middle East, a few US soldiers had been captured, but unknowingly followed by a reporter.

At the head of the dark marble table sat a tall, business-like man his black hair cropped in a short military cut; his dark features blended into the dark suit he wore.

At his left sat a woman the same age as himself, a healed scar ran down her left cheek, a souvenir of a war in a country she hadn’t even heard of when she served 30 years ago.

Across from her sat a short, round-faced man who watched the video with mild interest, he hadn’t been in the service for very long before a grenade, thrown by a Viet-Cong soldier, blew his left leg apart at the knee. It was replaced by an artificial knee and he was considered one of the few lucky ones, although he didn’t feel lucky.

The others in the dark conference room were all veterans of some conflict, war or terrorist attempt.

The news they were watching was taped several months ago by a reporter who strayed too far into the war zone, a group of Middle East terrorist captured a small squad of military and civilian personnel and now they were torturing them for information, the view blurred for a few moments as the cameraman ran to get a better vantage point.

A voice could be heard, almost a whisper, This is reporter Mark Revere somewhere in the Middle East-the scene changed and a face appeared on camera, I came with permission from the U.S. Marines to film those here in combat, I watched a group of Marines on patrol until they got caught under fire.

The camera swung toward a shelled house where two guards stood in front of a half-hidden doorway.

The camera swung from the half-hidden doorway and spun toward the horizon where a few wisps of smoke could be seen mixing with the clouds.

Our guys are in there, and a few – his voice stopped as the camera fell to the ground.

Shouts rang out in the background as a cloud of dust and debris filled the scene, the camera kept filming as someone picked it up and aimed it at the direction of the house.

Billowing black smoke filled the scene. a wind began pushing the smoke from the carnage to reveal the structure.