Page 31 of Cade

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Where are we on Project Guardian?” asked the man on the screen.

“I’m at a bit of a stand-still right now. Two have died, and one has disappeared,” he frowned.

“Disappeared? How the fuck does he disappear when you’ve got the device in him?”

“I’m not sure, but it’s obviously something we’ll have to figure out. I’ll find him, don’t worry. He’ll lose his mind eventually,” he grinned.

“You’re a sadistic bastard, Jon.”

“I’m not the one that wanted to create a generation of robotic soldiers. A bunch of brainless, muscle-bound nitwits that do as ordered, no questions asked. Isn’t that what you said?”

“That’s not what I said, and that’s not what I asked for. I asked for soldiers and Marines that would do as ordered, no matter the consequence. I’m tired of troops thinking they can argue or negotiate with orders. If I send them into a no-win situation, they just need to suck it up and do it!”

“That’s very patriotic of you, General. I mean, who wants a bunch of troops with brains anyhow.” He smirked at the man on the camera as he frowned, not seeing humor in his statement. “Look, we have to start over. I was plagued with issues with these men. Side effects that we didn’t anticipate. I need to find better subjects.”

“You can’t go back to the VA. It’s too risky. You won’t be allowed on the base.”

“Well, maybe I’ll do what the young folks do, send out something on social media,” he grinned.

“I need these men to do as they’re told, no matter the consequences. I want to be able to put this new unit into action immediately. I want men that will follow orders, even if it means their own life. That bullshit in the Congo was uncalled for. I sent them in with good intel, and they should have completed the mission.”

The other man laughed, shaking his head.

“You know, Bill, you’re a real dick sometimes. That bullshit in the Congo was a bust from the beginning. They knew. You knew it, and I knew it. I wouldn’t have followed your damn orders either. Rebels were crawling out of the woodwork.”

“I needed that mission to succeed!” he yelled.

“No, you needed to flex your muscle and show everyone you had a set of balls. There’s a difference.”

“I don’t care about your damn opinion. They needed to get those hostages out and kill every last one of Torofu’s men.”

“And just how were they going to do that when they were outmanned, outgunned, and outmaneuvered? They did what they could, Bill. They created distractions and got the hostages out.”

“I needed more.”

“Why? For your fucking ego? So that you could put another ribbon or medal on your chest. Is that worth all those men’s lives?”

“Yes!” he screamed. The other man nodded, frowning. “You owe me, Jon. I gave you a life, and now you need to help me get my career back on track.”

He stared at the other man, trying to find a way to convince him that this was foolish. It couldn’t be done.

“Alright, Bill. I’ll see if I can find a few more to test this on, but it’s not looking good.”

“Well, make it look good, or you’ll find your world suddenly very different.”

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