Project Titan

By A.J. Stone

Chief Warrant Officer Craig Thompson, a United States Army Apache Helicopter pilot, is injured while serving in Afghanistan. Now, back home in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and confined to a wheelchair, his nightmare continues. Luckily, with the help of a ranking officer, Craig managed to avoid being discharged and became an Apache flight instructor in the simulator.

Out of the blue, Craig gets recruited into a program, under the guise that he will be helping other soldiers who have been injured while serving. He jumps at the opportunity and is suddenly immersed into a world of real-life science-fiction and technology. A world where he is able to walk again. But it is also a world of extreme secrecy. So secret is this project that less than a handful of people outside the project know of its existence. The project experiments are conducted in a top-secret, underground facility. The departments within the facility do not know what the other departments are doing, and most of the personnel involved with the project do not know the true and full extent of the project.

Soon Craig figures out the truth behind the project and its real intent. Yet he understands the reason for the project and is completely onboard. He continues to play his role in the project. Though the project is plagued by failures, progress is being made, and eventually the end is in sight. Distant, still, but within sight.

Craig eventually learns that in a world of secrets, there are always more secrets. And some secrets could cost him everything.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781662413711

Book preview

Chapter I

The afternoon sun hangs high in the sky and showers warm light on the rolling hills of Kentucky. The hillsides and valleys are lush green with scattered trees, bushes and a variety of plants and flowers in full bloom. A soft breeze keeps the temperature in check and causes the trees to sway rhythmically as they whistle a happy tune.

The kind of day one spends doing absolutely nothing; perhaps sit on the porch and watch life pass by or fishing on some quiet lake.

Despite the picturesque scene…a gloom hangs in the air.

Rows and rows of headstones and memorials litter the hillside between the trees and bushes.

A mass of mourners gather in the valley between the hills around a gravesite for a military funeral.

Samantha Thompson, under normal circumstances, is a very attractive woman; with long, blonde hair, icy grey-blue eyes, a slender/athletic body with breasts slightly too large for her frame…but just slightly.

Today, she dons a black dress. Her long hair is up in a bun, like a librarian, and her grey-blue eyes are bloodshot from the tears. She sits quietly on a folding chair under a canopy next to the grave site. She struggles desperately to maintain her composure and the fear of losing control of her emotions is a constant threat but she manages to hold firm. She is, however, unable to stop the tears from trickling from her eyes. She continually dabs her cheeks with a tissue, to no avail, as the minister delivers a somber eulogy. She does not hear a word of it. Her attention stays on the shiny, black casket with silver handles atop the open grave. She tries not to look at the large picture, which hangs on a stand by the podium, of her husband in an Army dress uniform with the American flag behind him. She notices the corners of his mouth turn slightly upwards, interrupting the serious and stern look on his face. Each time she sneaks a peek at the picture the hollow feeling inside her chest swells and she is brought to the brink of a full meltdown.

Mrs. Thompson, Samantha’s mother-in-law, sits next to her. She is equally as upset as Samantha and struggles to keep herself from a complete breakdown. She takes Samantha’s hand in her own in the hopes of giving Samantha a small amount of strength, and at the same time, gain strength herself. She looks Samantha in the eyes.

Samantha tries to give Mrs. Thompson an; I’m okay smile but only manages to show some teeth. She looks back toward the gravesite and her stare immediately goes back to the picture. Her mind slowly drifts to distant memories of her husband.

Chapter II

Samantha remembers the first time she met Craig. She had just moved to town and bumped into him outside the high school office on the second day of her sophomore year. She felt an attraction, though she did not learn his name until sometime later.

Nothing ever came of the initial encounter, and to be quite honest, they saw very little of one another over the next couple of years and spoke even less. They would pass one another in the hallways, exchange an occasional hello, but that was about it.

The summer months were always a little difficult for her. She and Craig did not live on the same side of town, so she got to see even less of him during this time. Accidental sightings in the mall or around town were the best she could hope for. She would think about him and miss seeing him less and less as the days of summer went by, until the days till the beginning of the new school year were less than the number of days since the end of the last school year. The anticipation and the excitement of seeing him would start to grow within her. She would devise elaborate plans to run into Craig and start a conversation but always lacked the courage to follow through. She became content with just seeing him in the hallways. She did, however, enjoy watching him play football and she went to every home game just to see him. She, like most, thought he would play football in college, a number of schools were scouting him, he was that good. She could not believe it, nor anyone else, when he enlisted in the United States Army.

Samantha went to the going away party for Craig and spoke with him briefly there. He left the next morning for M.E.P.S (Military Entrance Processing Station) and would then be shipped out to Basic Training somewhere in Alabama. Later, she was told he was at Fort Rucker.

Samantha began her senior year in the fall knowing Craig was not there. She was still overwhelmed with the anticipation of seeing him, as she had in the years before. With each passing school day, the anticipation would fade and disappointment would set in when she realized she would not see him. The school days became longer and longer, almost to the point of being unbearable.

Samantha graduated from high school and went on to attend nursing school in the fall. Two years later, she graduated from nursing school and began work at a local hospital.

Samantha had a few boyfriends during that time but she knew none of those relationships would amount to anything substantial. She lost her virginity to her third boyfriend at the age of twenty in the back seat of his father’s pickup truck. She did not feel any fear or nervousness during the episode (she would never refer to the event as anything but for fear of attaching an emotion and she had not one positive emotion to assign to it), nor was she in the least bit excited. She was full of disappointment and regret. She had many dreams about what it would be like to lose her virginity and in each dream it was Craig she gave the precious treasure to. The only thing she really remembered about that night with any clarity or detail was lying in bed and crying until the sun came up. The only reason she could remember why she even did it was because he hounded her for weeks prior. She basically did it just to shut him up. He did not force himself on her, she did feel a little like he was pressuring her. She decided to give in and let it happen because she thought her future with Craig was never going to be so it was pointless to save herself for him.

As the days since Craig left went by, Samantha began to think about him less and less, but the empty feeling she had continued to grow inside of her. She would tell herself there was no correlation between the two but she knew she was lying to herself.

It was nearly a year after the episode, she had just broken it off with the boyfriend she had lost her virginity to. She was not sad about the break up, it was just a matter of time. The relationship had gone stale and routine and she was just waiting for a good time to call it off. To her surprise, he asked her to lunch and informed her he wanted to break up. She thought it was funny he chose a public place, probably because he was hoping she would not want to cause a scene in a restaurant. She was completely relieved he broke it off with her and the only public scene would have been her doing backflips…if she could do a back flip.

Early one evening, Samantha was driving to the movies. She was feeling a little down because the reality of being alone had set in over the past few days. She did not miss her ex but she knew she would be doing everything by herself again. She had to swallow her pride and choke down the embarrassment of having to say; Ticket for one., or Table for one., or No, I’m not waiting for anyone, it’s just me.

While sitting at an intersection waiting for the light to change, she became instantly annoyed when a car pulled up alongside her. The exhaust pipes were so loud it drowned out her radio and a particular song she liked. She had a mind to put down the window and inform the driver of said car that his car was a nuisance, when she saw who it was. It was Craig driving the annoying car. Instantly, she remembered Craig’s dad owns one of the largest car garage in the area which specialized in all areas of automobile repairs but also did custom work. Craig’s dad even designed and built cars for Hollywood celebrities on occasion. Immediately, all the memories and feelings for Craig came flooding back. She watched him drive off when the light changed but she was unable to move. She began sobbing uncontrollably. The funny thing is she did not know why. She was a tornado of emotions all swirling together. The traffic light cycled twice before she was able to proceed.

Samantha sat in bed all night thinking about Craig and realized how much she had missed him. She, at that moment, told herself she would actively pursue him. She had to give it a try.

The following day, Samantha ran into Craig at a local burger place around lunchtime. Craig was walking out of the restaurant with his arms full of bags of takeout. She assumed he was picking up orders for the guys at his dad’s shop. She held the door for him then acted as if she had just recognized him. They spoke for a brief moment and she was a little taken aback when he said he remembered her from high school. She nearly lost consciousness when she suggested they should get together and catch up…and he agreed! He told her to contact him anytime at his dad’s shop, he would be there all weekend but he had to go now before the food got cold.

The next day, Samantha and Craig were in the very same burger places eating and chatting about what each had been doing since school. She told Craig she was working in the hospital on the surgical floor and that was pretty much it. She was fascinated to learn Craig had become a helicopter pilot but not just any helicopter pilot…an Apache helicopter pilot. Which meant absolutely nothing to her at the time. She knew what an Apache helicopter was but had no clue what it meant to be an Apache helicopter pilot. None of it mattered though. She was sitting in a restaurant…with Craig! She never thought this would ever happen and she hoped she appeared calm and interested in what Craig was saying, but to be quite honest, she did not hear a word that came out of his mouth. She was memorizing the lines and curves of his lips as they moved. She was drinking in his penetrating stare. She was admiring the way his shirt hugged the muscles of his chest and the massive arms that hung out of his short sleeves. She was amazed at how she could see muscles tighten and relax with each breath he took or slightest movement he made. She remembered he was muscular before but now he was chiseled.

Craig was very polite and a gentleman throughout the entire time they were together. He opened the door for her as they left the restaurant and he walked her to her car which was actually parked next to his car. Coincidence?

Craig told Samantha he would be leaving to go back to Fort Hood, Texas in the morning.

Samantha felt her heart sink and the empty feeling quickly returned. She told him she would like to keep in touch with him while he was gone and he agreed. He gave her his email address and cell phone number. For the next year, Samantha wrote Craig at least one lengthy email a week and countless short ones. She would talk to him on the phone often, sometimes writing an email as they were talking on the phone. She would send him texts throughout each day and he would respond to most of them, though he explained he was not able to respond to all because of his work which she understood.

Three months after the initial meeting at the burger place the relationship became official. Sadly, the union was made over the phone but she did not care. She felt like each day was made just for her…the sun rose every morning just for her…the flowers bloomed each day just for her…birds sang just for her. It was a magical feeling that woke her in the mornings…made her smile all day…and eased her to sleep every night. Even though Craig was not around she was happy he was not only in her life but in her heart. She did things to make him feel close. She had a set of his dog tags on her keychain. She originally wore them around her neck but had to stop because they kept getting in the way while she was at work.

Two months after their relationship became official Craig came home for a visit. Samantha and Craig went out to dinner and a movie then went to Craig’s parent’s house after. Craig’s parents were in Key West, Florida on vacation.

Samantha knew what was going to happen. She could hardly sit still as the anticipation filled her. Her skin felt electrified. Her heart pounded in her chest. Though she was breathing, she felt as if there was not getting enough oxygen in the room. She sat next to Craig on the couch in the family room watching TV and counting the minutes till Craig would make his move…a move that never came.

Samantha was determined not to let the night pass. She had been waiting for this moment for nearly five years. She had to do something to let Craig know she was ready for their relationship to progress to a more intimate level. She snuggled closer to him and pulled his arm around her neck. As she does, she felt his hand brush across one of her breasts. It was completely unintentional on his part since she was the one moving his arm but her reaction was instantaneous. Her nipples immediately got hard…painfully hard and threaten to tear through her bra and shirt. At that moment, she heard two words echo through her head; fuck it. Before she knew it, she had straddled Craig’s lap, pinned his shoulders back with both of her hands and was driving her tongue into Craig’s mouth.

When Samantha finally broke the lip-lock, she was puzzled by Craig’s curious, surprised look. She thought she had done something completely wrong and quickly apologized.

Craig said nothing. He pulled her close and gave her a deep, passionate kiss.

Samantha nearly melted. She was drunk with love and she knew right then and there, that was the feeling she wanted to have for the rest of her life.

Luckily for Samantha, the kissing session on the couch did not last very long. Craig lead her through the enormous house, up the stairs and into his bedroom.

They began to kiss again and undress one another. They moved to the bed and continue to kiss and caress each other.

Samantha’s skin felt alive and tingled everywhere Craig touched her. All of the feelings she missed out on during the episode were now present and fighting for domination; anticipation, excitement, nervousness, love, fear, lust, passion, all jousting for supremacy in her head and in her heart.

They made love and it was everything Samantha had hoped for. Everything she had dreamed a lovemaking experience should be. It was nothing short of incredible and the best sex she had ever had, not like with her other boyfriend. She had lost count of how many orgasms she had…two…three…she was not sure. They became an amalgam, blending into one awesome orgasm.

Craig turned on the light on the nightstand and sat up.

Wow. was all he could manage.

Samantha noticed Craig’s back. He had a number of scratch marks on his back which were bleeding.

Oh my God! she remembered saying. I’m so sorry, Craig.

Samantha remembered Craig chuckling. He assured her it was okay and asked her a question she has dreamed countless times of hearing him say; Wanna do it again?

The next morning, Samantha woke curled up at Craig’s side, his arm around her. She felt safe. She never wanted to move from that spot and would be content living out the rest of her days lying in bed and making love to Craig. But, she noticed the sun was up and fear immediately jumps into her thoughts. She had to go home. Though she was a twenty-one-year-old adult, she still lived with her parent’s full time. They knew she went out with Craig last night. They would know where she had been all night when she walks in the door wearing the same clothes. She dreaded the interrogation.

Craig stirred awake. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes then looked at Samantha.

Samantha looked deep into his gaze and imagined herself waking up next to him and seeing his face every morning.

Damn, you still here? Craig sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. I was hoping you would’ve snuck out last night.

Samantha’s heart dropped. She felt like she was just hit in the chest with a wrecking ball. What happened to the compassionate man she was with last night? Where was the sensitive guy she had wanted since high school? Where was the man who was the epitome of her dreams for almost five years? Her triumphant parade into her house, as she marched towards the hot seat for interrogation, would now be a walk of shame compounded by the endless questions and accusations from her parents. She cannot fathom the mistake she has made. Her only comfort was knowing her decision was clouded by years of lust.

Craig leaned in close.

I’m kidding. he smiled then kissed her softly on the lips. Morning.

Samantha still had not recovered and was confused.

Craig got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

I’ll put some towels out if you want to take a shower. I’ll go down and make some coffee. I do have one question for you. Craig stopped, turned and faced Samantha. Pancakes?

Sure. Samantha answered, still trying to grasp the moment. That was her first taste of Craig’s off-kilter humor. Something which actually took a couple of years for her to figure out. She still does not understand it all the time but she has figured it out…or so she thought until the next incident.

Excellent. Craig smiled again then disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Samantha on the bed with her head still spinning, though she is unsure of whether it was from the incredible sex or from trying to figure out which part was actually Craig’s joke.

Chapter III

Samantha thinks about Craig’s car. Though to this day she knows very little of how a car actually works, she can tell you nearly everything about the car from listening to Craig talk about it over and over throughout the years. She had talked to some of her co-workers about the car and many thought she had a knowledge of the workings of cars. Some of her co-workers would come to her when they experienced problems with their cars.

Samantha saw the car as just a car…this was a 1965 Corvette Stingray, the very car she saw Craig in at the light in the intersection. Craig had told her it was a Resto-Mod (Restoration-Modification) which means the car was restored and looked original but many of the things you cannot see have been changed to upgrade the overall performance of the car. She knows the complete history of this car, starting from when Craig got it when he was just fourteen years old. Actually, his dad bought the car and gave it to him as payment for working in the shop. She knew Craig spent the next year and a half stripping the car down to just a body and frame, the only parts from the original car he would keep, everything else was going to be modified. He had to stiffen the frame to tolerate the massive Chevrolet ZZ572/620 big block crate motor which put out a horrendous 621 horsepower. That was until Craig modified the engine, at which point, it cranked out a teeth-rattling 800 plus horsepower. Craig fed all of that horsepower into a custom built Bowler 6-speed manual performance transmission. A custom built drive shaft rated at 1000 horsepower delivered all that muscle