Stryker: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale Read Online Free

carefully constructed facade at work. He was polite
and outwardly respectful and considerate. He took orders from superiors who
were intellectually inferior to him without complaint. He learned long ago that
anything else would cost him his job. And, he always resented that he couldn’t
publish his work and receive the accolades that his giant intellect needed and
wanted.
    At one time, Biggs attempted a
relationship with a woman named Julie, who he met through a dating web site;
but she never returned his calls. Biggs was friendless, wifeless, childless,
and pretty much on his own – and he liked it that way.
    The part of his research he enjoyed most
was watching the lab animals die slow and painful deaths. It was nothing new to
him, as he had experimented with neighborhood pets as a child. Most people in
the neighborhood suspected that he was responsible, but nobody could ever prove
it and there were never any witnesses. He was far too clever for that. Watching
animals die still gave him a huge erection, and he often had to relieve himself
in his private bathroom after a lengthy process of watching life drain away
from some hapless lab creature.
    “May I get you something to drink?” the
flight attendant asked. Richard was startled out of his reverie and looked at
the young woman. She was stunning. Her hair was long and very blonde, and her
blue eyes showed a sense of merriment.
    “Certainly. May I have a glass of port?”
    “Of course,” she replied, jotting a note
on her order pad. Richard watched her walk away. Soon, he would have someone
like her every night, whenever he wanted. He smiled at the thought and was
asleep before the flight attendant returned with his drink.
     
    The Frankfurt Airport is one of the
largest in the world, with more than 2,000 flights a day landing and taking off
to and from every point on the globe. More than 200,000 travelers passed though
the terminals on given day, usually making connections to other destinations.
It was a hub for almost every international airline in the world and was in a
state of perpetual expansion and renovation.
    Richard passed through a sea of people
heading in both directions, cleared customs, and moved out of the secure area
of the airport. What he was about to do was carefully choreographed to be an
exchange of briefcases that went unnoticed. He passed by theatres, porn shops,
restaurants, and bars. The airport really was a small city and it would be
possible to live in it, quite comfortably, for long periods of time.
    He consulted a map of the facility,
turned left at the next intersection, and took a seat in the back corner of the
Jet Set restaurant and bar. A few moments later, Hans entered and took a seat
opposite him. Richard studied him for a moment. He was an entirely unremarkable
man. Average height and weight, brown eyes, and dark hair that was going gray
in spots. He was dressed in an immaculate grey suit with a red tie, and looked
the part of a business traveler. Richard was dressed the same way. They were
just two colleagues stopping for coffee or a drink before they continued their
journeys.
    “Can I get a coffee for you?” Hans
asked. While his English was fluent, it was heavily accented.
    “Of course.”
    “Black?”
    “Please.” Hans set down a briefcase that
was identical to Richard’s next to his chair, and moved off to get the coffee.
While he was out of sight, Richard got up and switched chairs, and then patted
the briefcase that had arrived with Hans. All it contained was a single piece
of paper that had the account number and password to the account Hans had set
up for him in Mallorca, Richard’s ultimate destination.
    Hans returned and placed a mug of coffee
in front of Richard, then sat in the chair that Richard had occupied. Hans
glanced around and noted that nobody was paying any attention to them. He
relaxed in his chair and took a sip of coffee. Richard did the same.
    “Did you find the villa in Mallorca
yet?” Hans