The Protector

Chapter 4

While conducting my research with the help of foundation and the foundation personnel, I was given insight to what have happened. It looks like I am not the only one who experienced something, strange and fearful. On my study, I have heard news of a missing little child. I was tasked to study about it, so I obeyed the council that gave me the task.

But of course I have to keep my identity hidden, well there is no need for that, everyone that I know is already gone.

Code name : Defender

When Xian Yu, A local police officer, received a tip that the missing boy had been meandering around that same park again, he was dispatched by authority immediately and had alerted the boy’s parents as well. Upon seeing him getting in the car, I was carefully, following it without anyone noticing.

Upon arrival, the parents were already there and were calling out to their son with a loud voice. When they saw him, they immediately run to their son with a big smile on their faces. I was their with foundation personnel on a black van spying. Instead of a heartfelt family reunion, the boy screamed at them to leave him alone. Confused, his parents asked what was wrong and who was hurting him. The little boy named Tyler, screamed again, but this time, a large solid, metalic-looking cloud formed around him.

I was shocked to see something, too, science cannot explain.

Frightened ,  his parents took some steps back and look for Xian, the police officer, for help. Seeing no other option, Xian pulled out his pistol and trained it on the boy.

“Hold it! We don’t want to hurt you! We just want to talk”.

He says to the child while holding the pistol.

That sludge cloud was not happy with him doing that.

Then Tyler, the little boy screamed

“ATTACK!!”

An unbelievable sight then occurred while we are conducting a video tape. The metallic cloud turned into a long solid spear and shots towards Xian. He then dodged and fired a couple of bullets into the cloud causing it to distort or fade slightly. Seizing the opportunity, Xian quickly ran towards the kid and immediately tackled Tyler to the ground. Although he was just a boy, this needs to undergo precautionary procedures, anything to capture it.

The cloud finally dissipated into appeared to be a weakened state. Back up arrived shortly after, but it was not the usual crew of backup that Xian recognize. It was us and the foundation personnel. After he pinned Tyler to the ground, we immediately got out from the van to investigate. With 10 armed men beside me, we took the child into custody while me conducting a hypothesis, but really I do not know what is going on. I instructed that Xian and Tyler’s parents must keep their mouth shut about what happened tonight. We the gave them Class B amnestics so that they will forget about what happened.

After a thorough research about what happened, a few interviews and a learning of few happenings and learning from my seniors at the Site where I worked at, I was able to conclude a conclusion. I have to write this on the file.

We have nicknamed the Anomaly “The Defender” and it consists of 2 entities and we have designated them as The Protector-1 and the Protector-2. The Defender-2 is the little boy and The Defender-1 is a metallic, black cloud that appears behind of front of-2.

When we conduct some tests on Tyler, we then found out what was inside of him. -1 is described as a techno-organic colony of nano-machines controlled by -2, of whom is typically a young child. -1 mostly spends its time as a nearly invisible cloud that stays near the young child.

When -2 or the young child is under threat -1 will materialize and will take on the shape of whatever the child imagines and promptly eliminate the threat. Regardless of what shape of form it takes -1 remains incredibly strong. Stronger than even the strongest human on this planet. Of course it is from the imagination or fiction of a young child. Well, the imaginations of a child is very broad and very creative, posting a threat and might have a possible negative outcome to the world.

-1 is also very durable and staying loyal and obedient to -2 or the child. The one drawback from -1 has is that it can be subdued with firearms and other conventional weaponry. In my research, instances of -2 are all young children between the ages of 4 to 14 and all of them share the same history of abuse or neglect. The Defender will stay with -2 until either the child dies or turns 14. Further research needs to be operated.

The Defender has been theorized that it needs to consume organic flesh in order to stay powerful as it is. This maybe linked to why instances of -2 shows of exhibits aggressive behaviour and put themselves in grave danger non-stop. It can also be argued that -2’s aggression is due to the subconscious influence of -1 the Defender so that it can find prey to consume more easily.

Having researched its history, it was first discovered when a child named Tyler had gone missing in a town. After several weeks, he was presumed dead. Authorities and Tyler’s family, however, did not give up the search and they desperately wanted to bring in whoever abducted him. So being a police officer, Xian Yu was deeply invested in this case. But there are few things that just does not make any sense to him. Like, how he gathered witnesses. After interviewing the witnesses, they said that there was no one around him at that time. But the boy was said to be looking up and around him and was speaking to something or someone. After wandering on a local park, the kid was not seen or heard off since. When Xian asked the parents why Tyler was left without supervision in the first place, the parents explained that he  had run away from home. Then the parents showed a letter to Xian with a handwriting of crayons, he was going to do what he wanted with his friends. The child snuck out of the middle of the night and vanished.

But then after hearing the recording on the interview, where by the way we hacked into the police’s  classified file. We have seen another incident that might be connected with the anomaly. At that night where Tyler snuck out, a car was found hours after he vanished on a residential street completely torn apart and covered in partially devoured human remains. Upon arriving at the scene, flashbacks of my past kept haunting me. The devoured humans might be The Defender’s bite chomps since it needs organic flesh to sustain itself.

Similar incidents occurred until the foundation began to put two and two together. Knowing that these incidents are related, the foundation decided to keep track of the missing child case’s progress. It was proven as the foundation was able to follow Xian’s Investigation and discover the anomaly that was influencing Tyler. I was there at the first sighting and the subduction of The Defender. When we, the agents arrived, Tyler is already subdued by Xian.

Back at the foundation, we interviewed the young child, Tyler.

On a room with a boundary shock proof glass, a foundation researcher conducted an interview meanwhile I was left supervising the recording.

“Tell me boy, how do you feel when you killed all those people? Innocent lives that brought you no harm? Does that bring you joy?”.

The researcher asked.

Then the boy answered, in a weird tone.

“I need to feel the rush . It feels good and nice.  Standing in front of traffic and making people angry. It makes me happy!”

My face was completely disgusted upon hearing his reply.

“But then why do you need to kill them?”

The researcher adds.

“Because I can! My friend lets me do so”

The boy replied while looking at The Defender that was being contained in an electronically secured cell placed on the table.

The interview got more and more information about the Defender but I would not put it in a written document. We already have it on full tape. Several time later, I heard that a Head of the Council got into an argument with a Site Director named Cassey Grey regarding to “The Defender”.

This is regarding to the containment protocol of “The Defender” and the young children

“Sir? Am I reading this correctly?”

Ma’am Cassey says at our head council

“Yes, it is what you see. The Defender needs a permanent stock of candidates in case the child where resides The Defender perishes or becomes of age.”

The Council said in reply.

“B-but thi-this is...... WRONG! How could you go so low sir?”

Ma’am Cassey exclaimed.

“We believe you are not so daft Ms. Cassey. Here, allow me to run through it with you. All candidates of this protocol will be in the age of below 10, they will also be orphans who will have stories of abuse. They fit the criteria for “The Defender”. What is the issue here?”

The Council explained.

Then Ms. Cassey said in a loud voice to our head council

“You know well what is the issue and problem here! What if we cannot find those perfect candidates?”

Ms. Cassey said as she threw the files at the Council’s face angrily.

Then the council said ignoring the outburst of Ms. Grey.

“There will always be candidates Ms. Cassey Grey. If we cannot find them on the streets, then we will find them on some of the, less desirable channels. Human traffickers for example.”

Even I thought this was absurd. But the motto in the foundation said it needs to be done in any way possible, hidden.

After hearing this, Miss Cassey Grey said in complete shock.

“HUMAN TRAFFICKERS!!??  Are you hearing yourself?! Since when did the foundation associate themselves with such..... heinous groups?!”

Then the council said.

“We will be giving these unfortunate young children a life and purpose you see. They will be given a chance to work for the agency that is responsible for the containment of the anomalies that are harmful against humankind. Otherwise they might be given to the hands of some bad persons Ms. Grey. Very, very bad people. We, the foundation just have to be the lesser evil.”

Upon hearing this, Miss Cassey Grey has another more question.

“What about those without histories of abuse? Here!”

While putting pictures and documents of children without histories of abuse to show to the council.

“there! You plan to place these children with no histories of abuse into the care of our human test subjects or the F-class that are sentenced to death penalty and life imprisonment. They have long histories of crime and violence just so they can be nurtured into becoming a perfect candidate?!”

F-Class personnel are the human test subjects for the foundation where they have committed serious crimes and are sentenced to either death penalty or life sentence. After the judges decided their fate, the foundation gathers them and imprisons them in our facilities giving the foundation an opportunity of human experiments for more information about the anomalies. In case I might forgot.

Then Miss Cassey said 3 words to our Head Council

“You are Insane!”

“Am I really?”

Said the council

“Do I have to remind you when “The Defender” had a containment breach  and rampaged in your Site when we had no candidates? It covered your Site with blood and bones. It slaughtered anything it could find. Along with our armed men and valuable researchers within 10 miles until it got into a poor young child named Tyler?”

A moment of silence breaks the room. Ms. Cassey cannot speak, of course she remembers it. The sight where many of her friends were on the ceiling and wall sticking , with a pool of blood. Then few minutes later she said.

“Regardless, you are playing with innocent lives here! Can’t we just terminate “The Defender” and forget about all these talks about perfect candidates or whatever?”

The council then said in an intimidating voice

“You are not seeing the bigger picture , Miss Grey. If we can make this anomaly work for us, imagine the things we can achieve! You have seen how powerful these kids can be when utilizing these nano machines”

The Miss Cassey abruptly said

“Are you talking about weaponizing these children?! We have seen these nano machines in action. Did they bring peace?! No!! It was Pure Destruction!! You truly are insane!”

Then the council said, this time in a calming voice

“No. I am practical, you are simply to idealistic, Ms. Grey. Now, will you continue to refuse to enact this containment protocol?”

Then Ms. Cassey Grey, who is by the way my senior, slumped weakly into her chair and shook her head no.

“Great, I am so happy we came to an understanding, you are free to go”

The council said his finale word to my senior.

After this conversation, Containment Protocol of the Council : Babysitter was approved. That was the name of the project of finding perfect candidates of “The Defender”. It is used if there should ever be a shortage of candidates of the anomaly.

As I was tasked to research this subject. My research will be concluded ad further research needs to be done. As for me, I have a long road to seek answers

To be continued....

End of Chapter 4

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