The Follower is Axel Tressler, an indestructible hero. It tells the tale of how an accident at birth led to his becoming a force to be feared and admired. He is the younger of twin brothers who were born after their mother survives an airplane crash. His brother Adam is born next to the wreckage but Axel is not born until three days later. There appears to be nothing different about them; however as Axel reaches puberty, he and his mother recognize that he has unusual strength. In college, Axel majors in biology, studies to become a doctor and earns his degree. While teaching at the university he develops a computer chip that doesn't require a keyboard or monitor and works by vocal recognition. This is placed in his body and allows him to call up various levels of his internal strength. Eventually the government agency his twin brother works for is able to use his strength and technical capabilities to render him indestructible. His indestructibility is created by providing him a body coating that is transparent; made of spider webbing and titanium nanotubes; it can withstand the impact of bullets. Axel becomes the driving force behind several major operations for the agency involving terrorists, espionage, and the drug cartel in Mexico.
The Follower
An Indestructible Hero Fights for his Country By John Durbin HusheriUniverse, Inc.
Copyright © 2009 John Durbin Husher
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4401-5926-8Contents
Preface.................................................................viiAn Emergency in the Indian Ocean........................................1An Accident and Axel Tressler Was Born..................................9The Rescue..............................................................24The Twins grow up.......................................................32The Doctor finds the real Axel..........................................34Axel Develops His Body Computer.........................................44Axel Establishes computer objectives....................................48Determining how to power his body computer..............................54Axel and Tori...........................................................60Establishing the computer energy........................................65Testing the computer and Axel's body functions..........................71Tori....................................................................77The Agency and the Making of the Indestructible Man.....................85The Agency determines Axel's limits.....................................96Axel's new body experiences.............................................109Axel and the terrorist cell.............................................117Starting a laboratory for the terrorist cell............................125Axel learns of new powers...............................................133Axel develops a terrorist stem cell laboratory..........................144Axel's action saves kids lives..........................................151Stem Cells work on pigs.................................................160The Virus and the Stem Cells............................................172Smashing the Terrorist Cell.............................................183Axel Returns to sanity and love.........................................201Adam's Mexican Assignment...............................................207Adam connects with the Mexican Cartel...................................221Major danger for Adam...................................................232The Follower to Mexico..................................................237The Follower within the Mexican Cartel of Primo.........................245The Follower infiltrates the two cartels................................261The Follower smashes the cartels........................................285Smashing Primo and freeing Adam.........................................305A last minute surge.....................................................313Tori's realization......................................................325The Follower's new assignment...........................................342
Chapter One
An Emergency in the Indian Ocean
The phone rang, and Axel knew it was a call from the U.S. Science Agency (USSA). What now? he thought, as he picked up the phone. It was Edward Kim calling about an emergency that required Axel's special talents. "Axel, we have a major problem that we think you might be able to solve for the country. It would take your unique capabilities to resolve an issue that the U.S. government is stuck with," said Kim.
"Tell me more about it," Axel responded. "You know I would do anything to help, and you are the only one besides my brother that knows my capabilities."
Kim continued the conversation by explaining that there had been many ships pirated out of the area around Somalia over the past year and related that none had involved American ships to date. He described how things have changed over the past few days and how an American tanker carrying valuable cargo was attacked by a small pirate ship out of Somalia. The American crew was able to thwart the pirating of the ship by immobilizing the engine and taking some of the pirates as prisoners. Seeing that they were not going to be successful, several of the pirates grabbed the captain and another member of the ship's crew and abandoned their plan. They grabbed one of the ship's rafts and took off from the disabled ship. Kim explained that the U.S. Navy had sent ships to try and capture these remaining pirates and free the two hostages.
"But, I don't know where I come into this picture," commented Axel. "Can't the navy handle this situation?"
Kim explained that it wasn't as easy as it sounded. "With them holding hostages, the navy is in a stalemate. They were concerned that if they take any offensive action, that the pirates might kill the two hostages. We at the agency have discussed this sensitive situation and feel that you might be the best answer. We believe we could fly you to an airfield in Nazret, Ethiopia, in a fast long-range fighter jet, while having a military helicopter fly from Iraq to this field in Ethiopia, awaiting the fighter's arrival. We have already cleared this route through the Pentagon and Ethiopia. The helicopter would fly you to the Indian Ocean where this action is occurring. We would drop you about two miles from where the raft is located. When you are in full energy and with your special head gear, you can swim at about thirty miles an hour and be at the raft in a couple of minutes. Once there, we believe you would know how to handle the situation."
Axel thought for a few minutes about this possible plan. "How fast can you get me to Ethiopia and then to the primary location?" he asked.
Kim continued, "We have a fast jet flying from Travis Air Force Base, and it could arrive in the San Francisco airport in an hour. By flying you over the northern route, we could have you into Ethiopia by tomorrow morning. If everything goes as we have planned, you would be dropped two miles from the hostage raft by tomorrow afternoon." He then explained that, "A navy ship would be in the area to pick you up after the action."
"Sounds like a plan to me," said Axel. "I will be at the San Francisco airport within the hour. However, you are going to have to make some special arrangements for me, so I don't have to spend a lot of time passing through security."
Kim explained that he would provide Axel with a special six-digit code that would help him when he checked in to the international check-in counter. "All you would need was your passport, your driver's license, and this six-digit code, and you would be passed through on an emergency basis." They discussed a few other things, and, a few minutes later, Axel was with his girlfriend, Tori, in her car, speeding to the airport.
The airport was no problem as Kim had explained, and, before long, Axel was on a high-speed fighter jet flying faster than he had ever flown in his life. His heart was pumping as he thought about the task before him, but he was confident that he had all the tools it would take to make this a successful venture. He had ventured into tougher situations for the agency before and had been successful. At least, this one has a known target, and all it will take is for them to get him there in time. He knew he would have to energize his head cover to allow him to use his full capabilities. I can do that just before dropping from the helicopter, he thought to himself. He knew the Indian Ocean was warm, and there wouldn't be any problems with the water temperature. Now that he had thought through his personal actions, he closed his eyes and rested. Soon, he was asleep.
Axel had a good rest, and soon the pilot was taking the jet down toward an airfield that was foreign to him, but the plane was not foreign to the waiting committee. Axel hardly had time to get out of the jet before there was a car arriving. He gave the pilot a salute and thanked him for an exciting ride, and he was whisked away to a helicopter awaiting his arrival. Soon, he was on a rather slow, noisy helicopter flying toward the Indian Ocean. He was conscious of how slow this flight was compared to the jet plane he had just spent time on. But, it was daylight, and he could see all the terrain below and found it quite exciting.
The pilot introduced himself as Philip Mazer and his crewman as Donald Chevez. They talked about the mission for a few minutes to make sure they all understood what was to be done. The pilot and his partner had food aboard for Axel, and he chomped away at it. Chevez handed him a few candy bars and said, "They said you should eat some of these to bring your nourishment up."
Axel thought to himself, I bet that was Kim from the agency. He knows my needs. The copter flight took several hours, and soon the ocean was below them. Axel mentally sent a message to his inner computer, Axelvation three, hood down, and the invisible hood immediately deployed over his face and head and sealed with the special covering he had on his body. Mazer and Chevez were not aware of this transaction, since it was completely silent and unnoticeable. He was now ready for the expected action.
Off in the distance, the pilot saw the U.S. naval vessel and knew that the pirate raft must be close by. He knew he had to let Axel down about two miles from the raft and on the other side of the raft away from the naval ships. This would leave Axel about two miles from the raft and three miles or so from the naval ships. The pilot signaled to Chevez and Axel that he was going to take the copter down and for Axel to prepare for the drop. He took the copter down to about one hundred feet above the water. Axel helped the crew member swing the side hatch open, and they began to drop the fifty-foot rope ladder down. Axel started his climb down, and when he was near the bottom, the pilot dropped the copter down to be closer to the water. In a couple of minutes, the rope ladder was just above the water, and Axel leapt from the ladder rung to the warm water below. He then began his rapid swim toward the raft off in the distance.
The pilot watched Axel's progress and then looked around and shouted to his partner, "Look at that guy go. I have never seen anyone swim that fast. It's no wonder they decided to bring him here. He is a human speed boat. I don't know what he is going to do when he gets to the raft, but I believe our guys know what he will be doing." With that closing comment, the pilot took the copter up to flying height and began his journey back to Nazret to refuel and complete his journey back to Iraq. "Hopefully that guy will get our people from the raft without any harm to any of them," he said. With that passing comment, he turned the copter north and headed away.
The pirates in the raft had seen the copter in the distance, but they felt good now once they saw it disappear. They figured that the copter knew the same thing that the naval ships knew. "If they tried to take the two hostages off the tanker by force, we would kill them," one of them shouted. So, they were rather comfortable with their position there in the ocean, and they were feeling euphoric at the turn of events that had occurred over the last several days. They felt that some of their Somalian comrades would make it to the raft with a small boat and take all of them back to Somalia where they could sneer at the Americans and ask for a ransom for these two hostages. What they didn't know was the man swimming toward them at a speed faster than most ships was the guy few knew as "The Follower." If they had known this, then they wouldn't be so happy and would have had their guns ready.
Axel speedily swam in the direction of the raft and was there in a few minutes. As he approached, he slowed down to a speed that was normal for any other person. He didn't want to seem different to the pirates in the raft. "Help!" he shouted in an Indian language. The pirates saw this man in the ocean and figured he must be another member of the ship that got off and had been in the ocean for over a day.
"Hey," the leader of the pirates shouted to his cohorts, "Here is another one for us to take as a hostage." With that comment, two of the members reached over the edge of the raft and grabbed Axel's hand.
As Axel was lifted out of the water, he surveyed the raft to see where the two hostages were as well as the other members of the raft. He soon sized things up. One of the pirates was sitting next to the hostages with a gun in his hand. Looks like a AK-47, he thought to himself. The hostages were tied and unable to do anything. Axel talked to the pirates in a language that was of Indian origin to see if they were able to understand this language. They seemed surprised to hear a language they were used to hearing but not used to speaking. They understood one of the words was "thanks," as Axel smiled and moved toward where the hostages were seated.
Then, Axel tried to speak French to them, and they began to look at each other trying to figure out whether this was a crew member off the tanker. Then, Axel made one very swift move and shot his body toward the member next to the hostages. As he hit the pirate's body, the pirate flew out of the raft about twenty feet, and then Axel turned and started smashing his fists against the heads and bodies of the other pirates. They get a couple of gun shots off that hit Axel and have no effect. Axel made sure his body was between the pirates and the hostages, so they had no bullets flying at them. One shot hit Axel directly in the chest, and it ricocheted right back to where it came from. That pirate wished he hadn't shot that bullet, as it penetrated his head and he fell to the deck. Axel jammed his fist into the chest of one of the two remaining pirates, and his ribs were crushed to his backbone and he fell back into the ocean. The one remaining pirate tried to smash his rifle on the head of this intruder, but Axel grabbed the arm of this ugly kidnapper and threw the man hammer throw into the ocean some thirty feet away. Suddenly, it was quiet, and he turned toward the two hostages.
Axel had disposed of the pirate crew and began to untie the two hostages. They both had sat during this brief encounter with their mouths open, disbelieving what they had witnessed. They didn't know if this beast of a man was a friend or foe. Axel relaxed them by saying, "Hi there. The U.S. agency sent me."
"That sure made us feel better," said the one freed hostage that he found was the captain of the tanker. Axel directed each of them to take a position with one on the left side of the raft and the other on the right side of the raft. He jumped into the water and began to direct the raft toward the nearest naval vessel. With his powerful legs kicking like an engine, they were soon moving quite fast toward the U.S. Naval vessel. Axel had to hold back on his propelling of the raft, since it was not made for speed.
Meanwhile, the captain of the U.S. vessel had been notified as to what to expect and told to keep any actions as confidential. The captain of the vessel had been observing the actions with his binoculars and realized the person sent by the agency had taken charge of the raft and was heading in his direction. He had his radioman notify the proper authorities to tell them that the raft was now under control of the good guys and was headed toward his ship. The two hostages aboard seemed to be unharmed, and he would keep them appraised of any issues that came up. As the raft approached the naval vessel, Axel shouted to the two hostages and commented, "You are not to tell them what you observed. This is a U.S. secret, and we do not want anyone to know any details. Tell them I was lucky and got hold of one of the rifles and used it as a club to beat the pirates off the raft. Promise me now." The ex-hostage captain shouted back that he promised and knew his crew member knew how to keep a U.S. secret. Axel believed they didn't see the bullets flying off his body, since he was in their field of vision, but he knew they saw some things they had never seen before.
As the raft approached the naval vessel, the crew was all standing on the decks and shouting, "Three cheers for our men, three cheers for our men." Cheering was what they did for about fifteen minutes. This cheering gave Axel goose bumps, and his hair stood on end. Once aboard the ship, the captain of the U.S. vessel told his officer on deck to take the two members of the tanker down to the shower and then to the mess hall for some food. "Bring the other man to me," he directed.
When Axel was in the captain's quarters, the captain introduced himself as Victor Swartz and told him that he had talked to Edward Kim of the agency and knew that he was something special. "I am to take every step I can to keep your actions under wraps. The media will want to know what happened here, and we will just say we were able to talk the pirates out of their hostages. You probably need some food and rest. I will have food brought to my quarters and you can eat and rest in my quarters. This will keep you away from my crew, so they won't be asking all kinds of questions."
Axel told the captain that he had told the two men from the raft that they were to keep all the actions seen as secret and to say that he had taken one of the pirate's rifles and kept swinging it till they were all out of the raft. "They promised, but I am concerned that your crew was excited about this whole affair and will be bugging them for information about the actions that took place on the raft." The captain assured him that his officers had been told to keep it down and to make sure the crew was kept under control on the details. The captain made Axel aware of the fact that he had been making arrangements to meet one of the navy aircraft carriers by tomorrow. "They will have a plane fly you to Iraq. From there, they probably will fly you to Germany and then back home."
"Sounds good to me," replied Axel.
Just like the captain had indicated, Axel was put aboard a carrier the next day. After downing some food in the carrier mess hall, Axel was put aboard one of the fighter planes and enjoyed another great flight to Iraq. When they landed in the airfield outside of Baghdad, they were met with a fairly large group of soldiers who wanted to meet the American that freed the pirates' hostages. It seemed that no matter what you tried to keep as a secret, it didn't happen among the soldiers of our country. They seemed to find out no matter what. They didn't know the details, but they did know the person responsible was flying in on this plane. Fortunately, the commanding officer of the base was able to control the questions, and Axel acknowledged their cheers without spending much time on the details either.
Later that evening, he was told he would be flown to Germany early in the morning, and, from there, he would be flown back to the States. That evening, as he lay in his bed, he thought about the cheers of the soldiers and sailors he had heard today. It made him feel good. It made him feel proud. He had wondered whether his powers were a blessing or a curse, and, on this day, he knew the answer. Axel knew his mother and twin brother would be proud of today's actions.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Followerby John Durbin Husher Copyright © 2009 by John Durbin Husher. Excerpted by permission.
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