Research Station Delta-4: Offline
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Startup Software: Corrupted
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Awaiting input: |
I stare at the blood-caked screen and scoff, "Feckin figures. Never can catch a break with these damn things."
Glaring through the dark screen with the menacing crimson of the dried blood and green digital letters, I was reminded of the fact that it was almost Christmas. Never was one for holidays, but goddammit I hated the cold. Had to trudge up the side of a mountain just to reach this place. My only hope was that there was some indication, on this blasted computer, as to why our research assistant was lying on the floor with their head completely missing. The ironic part was that I was the only operator sent in to check it out. The roof of the building creaks as the mountainside blizzard finally hits.
"Damn lucky I made it here in time," I say to myself in reassurance as the wind begins to whistle through the cracks in the old research station. I return my attention to the screen and a shiver of terror goes up my spine as the blood nearly drains from my face.
The screen was different... Now it reads "Hello, James. I wouldn't say lucky so soon. Quite... The opposite I believe."
I keep staring at the dark screen and it goes blank as the message sinks in. I see the reflection of the horrified look on my face resolve on the screen... And then the metallic shine of the horror clinging to the wall behind me. There wasn't enough time to scream before my skull was removed cleanly from my shoulders.
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What do we do when we see the blazing flames of war rising over the horizon? If you're a citizen like most in the galaxy, you run the hell away. For those few soldiers willing to... We walk right into it, that's damn right.
I grew up as a military brat and was damn near bred for war. Father was a ground-pounding soldier on the frontlines of almost every interplanetary war since his own father retired as a ship captain. My mother and I don't talk very much anymore. She's always doing sorties as part of an ace pilot squadron. Neither of them wants to retire cause apparently, they love their jobs too much. Grew up without them, but it's not like I hated them or anything. They were basically heroes to me. I admired them, and I still do. Without their encouragement, I would have never joined up with the Imperial Military.
Me on the other hand... I got the deal of a lifetime while going through basic training for the Imperial Navy of Andromeda. I was picked up by some private military recruiters for BioMagiTech Corporation. An interesting organization, of course. They had their grubby fingers in every single political and scientific organization throughout the galaxy. They may be a corporation with some questionable motives, but when they pay this damn good... It's worth the trouble.
But now, I wasn't so sure of that anymore. Today, I realized why a large portion of my pay gets put aside for my bodybag and funeral... Ya know... Just in case.
Good news is that if I survive, I can retire early for life. Bad news for the rest of my day cause now I'm in deep shit for failing yet another solo operation simulation on the Simset device currently attached to my face.
I hear the door slam inwards and bang against the wall followed by the growling deep voice of my drill sergeant cutting through the silence after my simulated death, "God fucking dammit, James! How many times to I have to tell your dumb ass to do a full electromagnetic spectrum check and not just a visual one! There could be enemies literally hiding in front of your stupid eyes and you'd never see them as they plunge their knife into your soft gut!"
No one here at the corporation gets called by their last name. When working here, everyone is on a first name basis with none of the normal military rules of yes sir and no sir. Things worked differently for these private military groups. They make their own rules, in more ways than one. From what I heard, they don't call us by our last name to keep us from thinking of our families and focused on our goals.
We were plunged into this world of unorthodox training at the cost of being completely cut off from the outside world for the remaining days of our employment. Apparently, they're fearful of active leaks if we haven't been cleared through proper security background checks and seclusion.
It's not like they make us disappear or anything, but on the off-chance we do, we get a proper send off and a military style funeral. Made it all the easier to seclude myself from the galaxy and come here, cause I had no one else besides mom and dad. Those two rarely spoke to me anyways. Not like it mattered anymore. I already signed the contract and my ass belongs to the man currently glaring at me and breathing heavy like a pissed off drooling bull.
I see the red face of my drill sergeant staring me straight in my eyes as I pull off the Simset eyeglasses. A compact version of a virtual reality headset, the Simset is a simple pair of glasses that gives all the same sights and sounds of a normal virtual reality but allows for use with no controller and tracks your hands accurately.
My eyes widen as I know I'm screwed and about to be chastised even further. When in the simulation, I had walked in and checked all the corners of the room for what I would assume to be a normal type of enemy contact situation. I wasn't prepared for what had been on the wall behind me which had obviously ended my session early. I gulped hard as my drill sergeant prepared to 'drill' me further on how the procedure is handled.
Sergeant Stafford gritted his teeth and sighed as he lowered his tone, the anger still quite obvious, "Your enemy could be using any number of technologies to gain an advantage over us. Tell me, what went wrong? And be honest, cause I'll know if you're lying..."
The burly man standing over me with his massive hands gripping the leather chair arms was sure as hell more terrifying right now than the horror I had just seen. I could feel and smell his hot breath on my face.
I finally responded after getting my breath caught in my throat, "The enemy must have deployed a cloaked drone of unknown origin. A simple visual check wouldn't have been enough to see it as it hid in a dark upper corner of the room."
The grizzly bear-sized man stands up, his brown beard reaching down to his mid-chest height and his high and tight haircut gleaming in the light from the bulb that was a few inches from his head. Sergeant Stafford was big enough that he looked as though he couldn't fit through the door behind him, and I'm pretty sure he'd hit his head on a few objects just by walking around.
"You got one major detail wrong though," He says with a smirk as he crosses his arms. I look up at him with my own brown eyes, my short cut black hair brushing against the leather headrest behind me. Stafford continues, "That wasn't a drone deployed by the enemy. That thing... IS the enemy."
I gawk at him with a furrowed brow as he stands there to let the ridiculousness of his comment sink in as a possible reality.
"But... How?" I ask with a dumbfounded look. "It's a machine. At the most, it's a programmable artificial intelligence. But even then... It's still programmed by an intelligent being. How is that thing the enemy? There has to be someone controlling it."
Stafford continues smirking, "That's why we pay you guys the big bucks here. It's your job to go into these places and find out what it is, how it works, and then you bring it back here so we can figure out what makes it tick and quite possibly why it likes to lop heads off with such precision. What you just ran into is what we call a Stizyx. They thrive on brain matter to increase their intelligence and knowledge. They often use power stations as nests so that they may feed on the electricity. Stizyx infestation can be extremely problematic as they'll completely shut down a planet. Last time we got to a Stizyx infestation too late... Let's just say if you're ever caught in a swarm, do yourself a favor and pull the pins on your grenades."
The sergeant pats me on the shoulder as he turns around and strolls out of the room. I look over to my left where there is a dark window embedded into the side of the small concrete room. The window brightens as Stafford turns on the ceiling light in the room on the other side. He sits at a metal desk with a few monitors and several keyboards.
Stafford puts on a headset with a mic, pushes a button on the side and suddenly I can hear his breathing inside of the room. He moves the mic away from his mouth slightly and the room goes quiet. I see him type a few things in on two different keyboards, supposedly setting up another simulation. After a few moments, he breaks his attention away from the monitors and stops typing.
Looking at me through the window and nodding, Sergeant Stafford gives me my new orders, "Alright... We're going to run the simulation again, but we're going to skip planetary landing procedures and hiking training. We've already got top marks on those for your previous session, but don't you dare think you'll be able to skip it tomorrow, Private James. Go through the investigation again... Focus. You can't always rely on your birth senses. We gave you the tools to accomplish almost anything. Use them."
"Yes, Sergeant," I say with affirmation as I put the dark Simset glasses on once more and am plunged once again into a world of the most advanced training possible.
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We aren't advancing fast enough technologically to keep up with our discoveries here. Soon enough, we'll be unable to contain the raw power we've wrought. Soon enough... I'm pretty sure we'll discover something that I really wish we hadn't. We laugh in the face of our dangerous endeavors, but yet we are complacent. Our hubris will be our undoing. I stare at the petri dish, unblinking and deep in thought.
"Alice? Alice... Yo! Psst!" Sounds off a voice behind me followed by a whistle.
I shoot a sidewards glance at my colleague. "What is it, Ian?"
He looks my face over from where he's sitting, the thick plastic of our hazmat suits obscuring our faces ever so slightly. Ian chuckles with a bit of nervousness, "You look like you've just seen a ghost."
"Maybe I have," I gulped. My hands felt clammy in their rubber gloves and my jaw felt numb, the adrenaline beginning to kick in as I panic internally at what I've just seen.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"Wha... What happened?" Ian puts down his tools slowly and keeps his eyes locked on me.
I lick my dry lips before responding, "The cells have mutated."
"And? That's amazing news, right?" Ian smiled and started to get up to come towards me. I quickly hold up a hand to stop him. His brow furrows as he stops in his tracks, some sweat showing visibly on his forehead. We stay still for a few seconds with me still holding up my hand. I look back at the petri dish, a now visible mass of cells pulsating in the center.
Looking back at him, my breath nearly chokes up in my throat, "We need to evacuate the laboratory... Now."
A look of panic spreads across both of our faces as the petri dish lets out an audible crack and the flesh ball begins to grow exponentially fast.
"NOW!" I scream at him as I run in Ian's direction and towards the door behind him. I grab his wrist as a vicious screech from behind us made my spine cringe. Neither of us bothered to look back as we stumbled into the airlock, my fist slamming through a glass cube on the wall and into the emergency purge button. The massive door slams closed behind Ian and I as we hear gas fill the lab and then an audible pop as it was ignited, vaporizing everything in the laboratory instantly... Including all of our research.
I begin ripping off my suit piece by piece, not giving a single fuck as I blurted out a string of expletives at each piece of torn suit, "God fucking dammit. We were so fucking stupid to mess with magic! What the fuck were they thinking giving us untested superviruses to fucking play with like they're toys!? What in the actual fuck are we doing here!? Dammit! Fuck! Mother fuuuu-"
I punched the wall and immediately regretted it, breaking two of my fingers against the reinforced steel wall. Ian sat there quietly slipping out of his suit as I flipped out over my broken hand. His only response was to simply grab my good hand, pull me in close and hug me as hard as he can. I buried my head in his shoulder and cried as the airlock began to pressurize. The decontamination sprayers kicked on began to soak us with a thick sudsy biohazard soap that nearly filled the room. I just remained still, sobbing into Ian's shoulder uncontrollably as we waited for the inevitable 24 hour quarantine in this tiny chamber.
We had alot of time to wait. Alot of time to have one helluva breakdown. My hand ached and there wasn't a damn thing we could do right now. Fuck... I just couldn't catch a break it seems. The nozzles change from soap to water as the decontamination process ends. I let go of Ian and rub my runny nose as I turn away from him and look back through the foot thick ballistic glass on the door. The only evidence that our experiment once existed reduced to a black spot on the countertop.
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"What are we even doing here, Ian?" I look up at him as I sit in my own corner opposite of him. The bright buzzing lights above us annoying my eyes after the failed nap I just had. My hand still ached, even after we had it splinted. It was obviously busted and blood soaked my rags wrapped around it. I had managed to scratch my hand up as well from smashing the emergency purge button.
"As far as I can tell, we're here because it's a mandatory quarantine due to a failed experiment," he said with a smartass smirk.
"No, jackass. I mean, what are we doing here toying with magic and biologically lethal viruses?" I say with a snappy growl. He really liked to test my patience from time to time it seems.
Ian sighs and hangs his head low for a few moments. He leans his head back and his skull thuds against the corner, "Owww..."
We look at each other for a few moments before errupting in laughter. We both laughed heartily at the ceiling. I wasn't thinking and I brushed my busted fingers against the ground. "Ow, fuck."
Ian looks a bit concerned at me, "How's the hand?"
I smile up at him, "The splints really help. Thank you."
Ian simply sighs and nods his head. He looks down at the ground silently. Not a word between us as we wait for the airlock to open. The dead silence is only broken when Ian chuckles. I look up at him inquisitively.
"I have become death, destroyer of worlds. Pffft, what a bunch of bullshit." He begins to laugh more intensely.
"What the fuck are you on about, Ian?" I furrow my brow at him as I scold him.
"Destroyer of worlds? That's an insignificant description for this kind of shit. The stuff we do here... The discoveries they hide from the public eye... They play god in more ways than one and we help them. You asked what we are doing here?"
I nod at him, a confused expression spreading across my face.
"I have become evil incarnate, destroyer of all that is good and blessed. We are here to tear reality apart and put it back together as we see fit, creating monsters and even becoming monsters ourselves." Ian buries his head in his arms as he falls silent. I stare at him for a few seconds in shock at his words before I solemnly lay my head back against the wall. The rest of the night goes on quietly as the buzzing lights stay on, giving no indication of the passing of time as the two researchers sit in the decontamination airlock.
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When it comes to making sure my employees remain safe... I really could not care less. I need results and they've been slacking. We've nearly cracked open the secret to combining magic to technology and even flesh. What are we doing here if there's not a little danger? We're explorers, pioneers, and shepherds. We will usher in a new age of evolutionary possibilities and lead our flock to greener pastures. If that means we have to climb a mountain of bodies to see it done, so be it.
A loud buzz breaks my concentration as my intercom phone rings. I press the blinking button with a bit of indifference and callously answer, "Yes, Pamela. What is it?"
"Sir, researchers Ian and Alice are here to see you." She says flatly through her own intercom.
"Do they have an appointment?" I growl heavily, disturbed by the sudden interuption.
"No, but they say there was a lab accident and need to be reassigned." Pamela clicks off her phone as the door to my office opens. Before I can yell at Pamela, the two nervous researchers step in, looking my lavish office up and down. They had better keep their grubby hands off my art.
"Sit... Down... Now..." I grumble. I was still tired and my morning coffee still tasted like shit as I sipped from it.
"H-Hello, Mr. Dervish." Ian says out of both respect and fear of me. I smile a bit as he stutters, clearly intimidated by my presence. I stand up and glare down at the both of them as they sulk and sink down into their chairs.
"What the fuck happened and why am I just now being told about a fucking lab accident?" I intensify my gaze as I look between the two of them silently cowering. "Out with it, dammit. I've got a board meeting in about 10 minutes."
"The experiment was a success, sir." Alice gulps as she looks up at me, her eyes wide but not full of fear like her colleague Ian. She seemed confident today... Suspiciously so considering the circumstances of a vaporized laboratory.
"Okay, so why is my newest multi-million credit laboratory completely fucked?" I descend down on them, leaning far over my solid dark oak desk, my massive hands splayed out on the desk in front of me with my arms wide out. I used this pose to often bully my investors and it was damn effective too. Too bad I needed answers and not money right now. Getting the truth was often like attempting to pull the tooth of a fussy child.
Ian spoke up before Alice could explain, her mouth left wide open as Ian interjects, "The experiment was an overwhelming success. It... It worked instantly and grew exponentially out of control." Ian shoots a sideways glance at Alice, nearly pleading out loud for her to be quiet.
I slowly stand back up from my intimidation tactics and sigh. I plop down in my seat, the leather creaking from my weight, and rest my head on my chin. "Fuck... Another setback. I want you to keep working on it. This medication could save lives one day. Billions of lives. You do understand that, don't you?"
The both of them nod vigorously as they sit back up, relieved that they were out of danger... For now. I shoo them away with a wave of my hand. Ian stands up but Alice stays put. Ian grabs her shoulder and tries to tug her out of the chair.
Ian whispers through gritted teeth Alice sits there like a stone, "Come on... Now's not the time."
"What about our research, dammit!?" Alice yells with exasperation.
I raise an eyebrow at her and sigh. "Take the day off. Both of you... With pay. I need a new lab prepared for you but I want you back here first thing tomorrow morning, got it?"
Alice grinds her teeth together and nearly spits in his face as she gets louder with every word she blurts out, "What... About... My fucking research!?"
Ian's eyes widen as he now tries pulling her out of the chair. I stand up and take the same pose I held earlier, but this time she gets closer to my face, our nose tips nearly touching.
"You have some serious balls, Alice. For that remark... You can be head researcher." I sit back down with a smirk, opening my desk drawer and pulling out a fat stogie. I cut the cigar tip off with a rather expensive cigar cuter before lighting it and blowing the smoke right in her face. She still sat there like a stone glaring at me.
"What? You should be happy to get a promotion. You wanted access to your research? You got it." I wink at her, knowing full well what I had just done without a single regret.
Alice finally gets up and keeps one eye on me over her shoulder as she walks towards the door. Ian looked like a ghost as the blood had drained from his face as he held onto Alice's arm. Their anger and fear only fueled me to push them harder. I wanted them to succeed and yet they continuously seem to run their little tests against my patience.
I give her a hearty wave and a smile, "Down the rabbit hole you go, Alice. Be sure that the white rabbit you're chasing down that deep dark hole doesn't turn out to actually be the monster under your bed. Oh and be sure to not fucking off yourself like the last guy. Really pisses me off. Buh bye now."
I reach under my desk and mash a button just above my knee. The thick double doors slam closed and lock behind the two researchers. Finally... Some damned peace and quiet. I lean my head back on my thick leather desk chair and take another puff of my imported cigar.
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Bzzzzzzt... The buzzer on my desk goes off with its annoying insistence. "Mr. Dervish, the board director would like a personal conference with you immediately," Pamela chimes in as I press the intercom button.
"Patch him through." The pleasant sound of wind chimes and wildlife come through the speakers immediately as Pamela excuses herself from the call. "Director Zale, I thought we were having a board meeting toda-"
"Yes, yes. I know. I cancelled it." The voice comes through gruff and exasperated, but with a suave smoothness to it regardless. "We have an emergency priority two mission in your sector and need an immediate DSD dispatch as soon as possible."
My own eyes widen this time with surprise. There hasn't been a priority two emergency mission in decades. The last one was preceding a major war between two opposing planets, followed by a genocide of epic proportions. It's not often that these missions occur, but when they do, it is in our best interest economically to get involved and stop a massacre from occuring. It paints both a better public picture of our organization and tends to win their hearts and minds.
I tended to love the bonuses that one of these successful missions would reward. If we did whatever the directors tell us from here on, we could see drastic changes in this part of the galaxy. I smile from ear to ear as I think of the new star cruiser I'm gonna buy with all that bonus pay.
Zale breaks my inner thoughts with an even more exhasperated pleading tone, "Mr. Dervish... Do you hear me, dammit? This is a serious emergency. Say something... Please."
I shake my head to pull myself out of my stupor and quickly respond, "Y-Yes, Director Zale."
"Get on it immediately. I don't want a full scale invasion force. This is highly confidential and I need a communication blackout for a full moon cycle on all parties involved. I... I can't stress enough how much I need your help right now," Director Zale sounded desperate, his smooth voice wavering into a pleading tone. I felt like I had just been both ordered by a parent to do a chore and dealt with a begging child at the same time. Zale's tone spoke volumes about his current state. Something had the director spooked. Whatever it was, we'd need to handle it immediately.
I clear my throat to chime in and Zale interjects, "I don't need a rebutle or any kind of affirmation, Mr. Dervish. Just get it done. I'll send the details directly to your exonet device."
With that, the line goes dead silent and the intercom clicks itself off as Director Zale hangs up. I hang my head low in thought. I didn't have much time to think as a small vibration could be felt just under my ear. I press the spot and my vision fills with details of the mission. The words 'Operation Swordtip' appear in bold letters before my eyes followed by a long briefing document. The words 'Priority 2 Confidential' stamped in the corner in a dark crimson red.
After reading only a few sentences, I pressed the spot on my neck again, and bolted upwards. With pen in hand, I stabbed it deep into the desk, the expensive ball point burying itself into the dark oak. Bolting for the door, I'm screaming expletives at the thick barrier in front of me out of sheer desperation, "Pam! Get the DSD commander on the god damn line immediately!"
What happens when a pawn become a knight? What happens when that knight becomes a king? And when all the pieces on both sides fall down before them in their play for power, who then will stand with them and who will stand against them? When we decide to play as gods and god fights back with all his might, who then will humanity turn to when god has turned away?