When New York City lawyer Janiece Ryder hears about a genetics experiment that is creating a new breed of reptilian soldiers who are both super-efficient and expendable, she knows that she should stop it. The only question she has is how. But when the company creating these soldiers, BIOGENCORP, learns that Janiece has acquired information about the experiment, it sends the A.R.EX. group's first soldier, called Arex, on a mission to silence Janiece for good. And to make matters worse, the FBI has begun to think that Janiece is involved with the escape and kidnapping of one of her convicted clients, Erickson Meyers. As the soldier studies Janiece, he begins to question why he was asked to assassinate a woman who doesn't appear to have done anything wrong. Unsure of his past before joining the A.R.EX. project, Arex wonders if Janiece can help him uncover the truth. The one who seems to have all the answers is the very person they're trying to stop. They both find themselves putting their lives at risk in order to ensnare the scientist behind the A.R.EX. project before it's too late.

the A.R.EX. project

By Angelo Facchin

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 Angelo Facchin
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4620-1290-9

Chapter One

Friday, February 2nd, 1996, 9:30 PM Northern Bank, Amazon River, Brazil

Flowing water and chirping crickets were the only sounds to be heard for miles around. The night air was warm, heavy, and incredibly moist. Even though the air was cooler than it would have been during the day, Emilio Perez would have still preferred to have the sun shining on his face. Yes, he knew the Amazon River well ever since he began his training to become a tour guide, but his job was made so much harder seeing as he didn't even have a flashlight with him. He knew it was never a good idea to stumble around in the night, escorting a complete stranger to a remote location deep in the rainforest. It probably wasn't a good idea to be doing something like that during the day, now that he thought about it.

He still couldn't believe what had led to this night. He met this person only two days earlier and was immediately stuck in a deal with him whereas he would escort the man to a specific location on the Amazon River's northern bank for a substantial fee. The description of the destination was very vague, only a few details were given to him. He would guide the stranger to a clearing with four trees set in a diamond pattern around it. One of the trees, the one nearest the shore, would bear the symbol of a fluorescent lime-green epsilon ... whatever that was.

Emilio was thankful to be leading the way on one of those rare nights where the sky was clear over the rainforest. It allowed him to still have a modicum of clear vision from the moonlight. In his mind, he still had a lot of questions concerning the purpose of the escort, why they had to go to that clearing on that specific night, and why go there, in the middle of nowhere. Whatever objective the stranger had to achieve, Emilio wasn't sure why he was the one chosen and not his instructor, who clearly had much more experience than he did. There was this cold fear creeping over him, which told him something was clearly amiss. It was a sense of restlessness and paranoia that was all too familiar to him from his days as a security guard. Thankfully, his training had also taught him how to stay calm during situations like these. He was taught to resist any urge to talk to the man, to ask any questions that would bother his escort or make him angry. To the casual observer, it would have seemed that Emilio was gradually losing his mind. There was no way of knowing whether or not the stranger was armed because he wore a heavy, thick, dark trench coat. Emilio's instincts were screaming for him to be careful and that something terrible was going to happen. This overrode any kind of promise the stranger had made to pay him handsomely for the escort, and killed any hope Emilio might have had to gain some easy money for himself and his family.

The two arrived at the clearing and Emilio saw for the first time what an epsilon was. The fluorescent symbol glowed eerily in the dark like something out of those UFO sightings. It was shaped like an "E", but with rounded edges. What seemed strange to Emilio was the fact that no one was there to greet them when they arrived. His escort then took the lead and told him to wait near the riverbed for around 15 minutes before he would take them back out of the rainforest.

Emilio sat on a boulder, while he waited. There was still nobody to be seen for miles on end, not that Emilio could see that far. There was indication that something was happening when the epsilon started to flash in a slow pattern. It was mesmerizing ... for a good two minutes before he got sick of it. He put his hands on his eyes, rubbed them, and then tried his best not to look at the flashing green sign. He slowly started to edge himself toward the clearing, hoping to obtain some sort of answer as to why they were there. He crouched down behind a bush to avoid being seen.

The stranger was in the middle of the clearing, pacing back and forth, occasionally glancing at his watch. He seemed just as impatient as Emilio for something to happen, or maybe even for someone to appear. Emilio looked at his own watch. It read 9:45 PM, and he guessed that they'd been there for around ten minutes. Emilio was ready to leave that location using the cover of darkness and abandon this foolish, seemingly rich, and suspicious stranger where he paced. There was nothing but wildlife surrounding them for dozens of miles in any direction, which would make tracking a fleeing person close to impossible. Emilio figured that there was no way that anything intelligent would be coming their way anytime soon. He could even forget about the money he was promised, which might never have existed in the first place.

Just as Emilio was preparing to get up and turn his back on the scene, a bright light suddenly appeared and started glowing where the stranger had been pacing just moments before. The man was now standing on the edge of the clearing, looking at the light, apparently satisfied that his patience had been rewarded. Emilio's eyes had to adjust to the sudden brightness. When they had, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

The light had disappeared almost as soon as it had turned on, and a man appeared from what seemed to be out of thin air and had started to walk towards the stranger and started talking to him, or so it seemed. The apparition also wore a trench coat and had a suitcase which he handed over to his escort. In Emilio's mind there was only one explanation to the appearance of the other man: he had to be an alien from outer space. That harsh light had to be from a spaceship of some sort, and the strange symbol was a beacon for these ships to land.

It was an invasion, there was no doubt about it. Emilio's escape was more than ever a priority for him. He couldn't hear whatever was being said by the two men, nor did he care to know. He felt he had to warn the government, everyone, the entire world, of what he just saw.

He had just stood up and started to leave when suddenly, the two strangers saw him glowing thanks to the green epsilon, which was still glowing in the dead of night. Emilio saw the man point at him. He tried to run for his life, but was brought down quickly. His escort had just shot him in the back. His body fell to the ground as he struggled to try and catch a breath. As the shooter got closer, he unloaded another three bullets in Emilio's chest.

As blood started to pour from his mouth, Emilio saw the other man step next to him and look down on him. With his dying breath, Emilio saw the face of the man from another world ... the face of a monster. Emilio's body wouldn't be found for months

Chapter Two

Saturday, April 4th, 1998, 2:45 PM Henry's Law Firm, New York City

"We, the jury, find the defendant, Erickson Meyers, GUILTY of murder in the second degree of Brenda McEachern ..."

Those words were still echoing in Janiece Ryder's mind. When she first heard them, her heart sank to her ankles. She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that her client was convicted.

As far as she was concerned, Erickson Meyers was innocent. What little evidence there was against him, was purely circumstantial. Yes, he hated the victim and yes, he owned a 9 millimeter handgun, which was the kind of gun used in the murder. That didn't prove anything beyond a reasonable doubt.

On her way back to her office, she felt herself reliving the trial and trying to put everything...