Free Chase Baker & the Humanzees from Hell (A Chase Baker Thriller Book 8) by Benjamin Sobieck

me. “I’ve been displaying a Soviet super-soldier in my museum all along. I never had any idea.”
    “Of course you didn’t. Only a select few know about the hybrid super-soldiers’ activities in Vietnam. The Iceman proved itself a relentless soldier. It could survive without support in extreme conditions. It killed without conscience. It didn’t just execute its missions. It lived them,” Doctor X says. “But there’s another part of this story you’re missing that’s just as important.”
    “What’s that?” I say, my eyes fixed on the SKS in Helper 8’s hands.
    Doctor X pauses for dramatic effect. He watches our reactions with glee as he says, “You see, I am Ivanov.”
    I look Doctor X up and down. He’s looking pretty good for being nearly 150 years old. I call bullshit. Then again, the way he shrugged off the PIT maneuver would put a 20-year-old NASCAR driver to shame.
    Am I looking at Joseph Stalin’s personal mad scientist?
    “Not only was I successful with the hybrid program, but I developed many other military technologies, including a regenerative formula for instantly healing injuries. I kept that one for myself. Daily injections keep me from feeling my age, or much of anything else. It’s like an invincibility serum,” Doctor X says. “After the tragic collapse of the Soviet Union at the hands of foreign, capitalistic instigators, I continued my work underground. It was only recently that my beloved Russia rekindled its ambition and delivered itself from its poisonous Western appetites. You’re standing in but one of my many laboratories around the world. I’m happy to assist the Motherland reclaim its glory. And what better place to do it than right under the noses of the American imperialists in the red, white and blue Texas heartland.”
    Hillary laughs. She points at Helper 8 and says, “So you offered them that ?”
    Doctor X doesn’t see the humor. He scowls and says, “Careful. Helper 8 does not enjoy being mocked. It is technically the property of Vladmir Putin, who personally financed Helper 8’s development. Tell me, have you heard of Little Green Men before?”
    “Of course. Aliens,” I say, thinking back to my adventures in Leonardo Da Vinci’s secret cave where he allegedly communed with extraterrestrials.
    “No. Think back to the recent liberation of Crimea and its annexation back into Russia,” Doctor X says.
    Now I remember. Troops from Russia entered Crimea, as well as other parts of Ukraine, in 2014 to support Ukrainian separatists. Whether those troops were Russian isn’t clear. They didn’t sport any national identification. Because of the color of their uniforms, they became known as the “Little Green Men” or “Green Men.”
    This strategy allows Russia to send troops into areas it seeks to annex without any of the international consequences. Vladmir Putin and his buddies in the Kremlin can dismiss the Little Green Men as militia while simultaneously flexing Russia’s significant military muscle.
    The epiphany hits me like a brick of C-4.
    Holy shit.
    “Let me get this straight. Russia is planning to use human-ape hybrid super-soldiers to invade other countries?” I say.
    “Correct. They are the ultimate Little Green Men,” Doctor X says. “They’re perfect for operations too dangerous for Spetsnaz and other Russian special ops. They are unmarked and untraceable back to Russia. They need no support services, can live off the land for months at a time, can problem-solve far better than any drone or AI, and instantly discredit anyone who claims to have seen or captured one. After all, who believed the Minnesota Iceman was anything other than a hoax?”
    While I’m not thrilled about the consequences for Russia’s neighbors and the ensuing shitstorm they could cause, these super-soldiers are a hell of a creative idea. I almost admire Doctor X’s ingenuity. Almost.
    That’s because the world stage, as far as NATO and Russia are concerned, is