Sunday’s are a usually lax day at the compound, even when new discoveries are around every corner, a scientist still needs their rest. But even on a day of rest, Augustine was still at the compound, currently following a pair of guards who were leading her to the Garden, the facility with the compound that houses floral from across the world—and worlds beyond the Gate when permitted from the higher ups—all for the purpose of study of course. But the reason for her venturing to the Garden was because the guards were concern about a potential safety hazard.
“So tell me about this safety hazard that you’re concerned about.” Augustine asked the two guards as they entered the Garden’s facility.
“Well Miss. Augustine, as we’ve said before, Mr. Gabriel has been studying a creature he’s secretly brought from the second world.” the female guard said as the trio made their way to the observation deck. As they ascended the stairs Augustine gave a tired sigh as she shakes her head.
“The board of directors should’ve just sacked that man already, especially since he always pulled these stunts. Never caring how much his actions affect the entire Researchers Association with the Gate Project.” Augustine muttered mostly to herself as they reached the top of the steps.
Opening the door the guards let the woman enter the observation deck, where a tall Latino man stood by several monitors, while fiddling with a tablet in his hands. Looking to the monitors herself, Augustine didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Turning her attention back to the man, the woman marches over to Gabriel who was engrossed in whatever he was working on, that he doesn’t even noticed that Augustine was now right next to him.
“Good morning Gabriel.” The woman said to the man, who only turned to look at her.
“Oh. Hello Augustine, what brings you here today?” the man asked, not even sounding surprised as he gives a polite smile. Augustine points to the two guards behind her who were just hanging by door. “So it seems I’ve been squealed on.”
“You know the rules that we have to abide by Gabriel. Until further study has been concluded on the other worlds, no life forms may come to Earth. In case they prove to be a danger.” Augustine warned the man, who just went back to working on his tablet. “I don’t know what’s going on through that bald head of yours, but whatever creature you’ve brought—”
The woman was cut off when something on one of the monitors came up. looking up to the center screen, Augustine saw a large buggy driving around, with an unusually large amount of raw meat on it’s back. just then something came bursting out of a thicket of bushes and landed on the buggy. And to the woman’s surprise, it was quite the unusual creature. It was big, easily half a size bigger than a full grown grizzly bear, but the creature appeared to be reptilian. Its hide is grey in color, with a black hood along its head and neck, and red markings along the bottom of its neck and its back. Speaking of its back, the head researcher saw a long tail thrashing about jutting our from between the shoulder blades.
“What is that thing?” Augustine questioned as kept looking at the creature, her mind buzzing with so many questions.
“I haven’t named the species yet, but I’ve been calling this specimen Hilda.” Gabriel says as he continues to fiddle with his tablet, which Augustine could see has what looks like diagrams, and formulas on it. “She’s an excellent hunter, and has some very interesting abilities.”
“As fascinating as your creature is, we need to send her back to her home world before she causes problems.” Augustine says to the man.
“If your concern about the staff’s safety, I already have a countermeasure in place.”
“And that would be?” Augustine questioned as she gives a not very amused look to the man.
“I have the A.P.E unit on standby.” Gabriel simply said as he goes back to watching, Hilda, feed on the meat on the buggy. Gulping each slab down, and even coiling her tail around some slabs…and electrocuting them to cook them, before tearing into them. “Should anything go awry, I will have the A.P.E unit take care of it.”
“Explains why the unit is not in its usual station.” Augustine said as she watches the creature eat raw and cooked meat. “So, what exactly are you even doing with the creature Gabriel. Biological research is not usually your forte.”
“True. But Hilda is a treasure trove of new weapons, defensive tool, and even medical possibilities!” Gabriel says with an air of excitement as he hands the tablet over to Augustine, who took it and looked at the notes on its screen. “As you saw during her feeding, the creature is able to circulate an electric current, measuring out enough energy to kill an elephant in a few seconds. And her genes show explosive muscular regeneration, she’ll be able to re-grow limbs if she ever needs to.”
“All of this is as stated before, very interesting…but all of these notes of yours about genetic modification to soldiers, giving them the abilities that Hilda has.”
“Indeed, so why do you sound so—”
“Gabriel, the Genevie Convection has outlawed all forms of biological weapons, including turning people into hybrid creatures.” Augustine flat out stated as she places the tablet on the counter next to the monitors…which was showing the buggy driving back to the Gardens entrance. And Hilda was following it.
“I’m afraid whatever kind of research you plan to do won’t even touch a desk, as you’ll be tossed in prison—”
“You seem to forget Miss. Augustine…those in politics are usually easily swayed on such matters, when the promise of money and profit is to be had.”
“You think you can bribe people into signing—”
“I already have a few brokers who are willing to fund my experiments.” Gabriel cut-off, neither noticing that Hilda was approaching the entrance.
“Not only that, they’ve promised to keep all our dealings expertly hush-hush.” Gabriel then gives a cocky smile to the head research, who was looking none too pleased. “So even if you try to stop me, even brining the Board of Directors of the Gate Project into this, they can’t do anything.”
The two researchers were brought out of their discussion on biological ethics, when the alarms of the garden started to blare out. Causing a big ruckus that everyone in the observation deck looked to the monitors, and saw Hilda on the loose, chasing a few of the staff workers that attends to the Garden facility. Augustine and the two guards rushed out of the observation deck, and headed to where the creature was, thinking they might be able to distract it so the staff could get away. But as for Gabriel, we he returned to his calm and collected self, reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out something that looks like a pair of headphones with a speaker on it.
Reaching to where Hilda was spotted on screen, Augustine and the two guards found the creature, a poor gardener woman pinned under her claw. Jaw slowly opening as its inched closer to the woman.
“Get its attention, we have to make sure it doesn’t eat anyone!” Augustine commanded to the two guards, who drew their modified M16 Rifles, and fired a quick burst of bullets at the creature.
Hilda hissed and snarled as the bullets scared her scaled hide, causing the creature to lift its claw, and allowing the gardener to scramble out from under it and ran over to Augustine. The creature recovered from its scare and focused on Augustine and the guards, who still had their weapons at the ready. The creature snarled as it tried to circle the group, tail flicking about like a cat ready to pounce, as its yellow eyes narrowed as it stared the humans down.
Just when Hilda was about to pounce on the four people, a metal hand reached out from behind the creature, grasping Hilda by the neck and lifting her off the ground. the reptilian creature hissed and wailed as it thrashed about, her tail actually splitting in two as they spark with electricity as they lash out. But the sound of bone snapping, and sudden cry of pain caused the guards and Augustine and the Gardner facility staff member watch as Hilda’s body go limp, and just hang suspended in the air. Looking beyond the now dead creature, the group saw the A.P.E unit standing proud and tall, gripping the broken neck of the hanging creature as it stood there like statue. The groups attention then turned from the giant robot, to Gabriel who came walking out from behind the metal giant with a smug expression on his face.
“As I’ve said before Miss. Augustine…I have everything under control.” The man then turned to look up at the giant robot before speaking into the headphone speaker, while he fiddles with his tablet again.
“Take the body to the Gate Platform chamber, and toss it through the portal.” The robot did as instructed and left for the Gate Platform, dragging the dead creatures body against the ground as it stomped its way out of the Garden facility. Removing the headset Gabriel looked over to group, only to have Augustine snatch the headphones out of his hand.
“This whole incident isn’t over with Gabriel, mark my words.” The man just gave the woman a gentle pat on the cheek before turning his back on her and walking off.
“Do as you want Miss. Augustine. Noting you do can touch me at the moment.”
“…we’ll see about that.” The head research was pulled out of her mild anger when her phone started to buzz. Reaching into her jacket, where the woman pulled out a black smartphone and brought to her ear without checking the caller ID. “This better be—”
‘Miss. Augustine, we have a situation!’ the voice of Charles shouted from the other end of the phone.
‘Great! Another problem that I’ll have to deal with today. This better not be a running theme for the day.’ Augustine mentally groaned before replying. “What is it Charles?”
‘The R.O.V.E.R unit’s been damaged!’ the woman nearly balked when she heard that.
“What?! Did the ponies decide to attack it?!”
‘No ma’am! A swarm of, I’m not sure what they are, but a swarm of creatures came out of nowhere and started to attack the settlement!’ Augustine then started to briskly walk out of the Garden facility, and headed back to the Observation Room while putting the headset on.
“I’m on my way to the observation room, take manual control over the R.O.V.E.R and keep it safe, we can’t afford to build a new one right now.”
‘Understood!’ Charles said before hanging up, while Augustine used her phone to contact the Gate Platform.
“This is Augustine Evergreen, is the A.P.E unit with you?” the woman heard a man confirmed her question about the robot, and how it tossed the corpse of a creature through a portal that was hailed down from Gabriel. “Open a new portal world 4, and open it at the coordinates of the R.O.V.E.R, we have a situation!”