2288: The Skotadian Experiment Read online

  A Loss Too Great To Bear

  Part Two: Into the Hands of God

  Tears of a Fallen God

  The Unconquerable Evil

  Under a Desperate Situation

  Do Not Weep For Me

  Falling Into Hell & Madness

  Fall to Your Death

  ABK (Always Be Killing)

  The Science of Terror

  And So It Begins

  Strike Without Mercy

  You Gave Us Hope

  Part One: In A Universe So Irrational

  “Do not fear the darkness, for it is your teacher,” the dark sage mentioned.

  “But master . . . why embrace that which comes to destroy?” The acolyte asked.

  “What is relative? But that which can turn its opposite into what it is in order to create more of itself. Can up use down to create more up?”

  “No master, for they are adverbs.”

  “So what if good uses evil to create greater good? And what if evil used good to create greater evil? Would it not be considered relative then?”

  “I see your point master. It is perfectly okay for me to do evil then.”

  “No! Let others do the evil but use them for your ends.”

  “I am confused. Should I seek good or evil?”

  “We all exist within the darkness. For the beast within us all is unleashed upon an unsuspecting world of fools. For they believe that by seeking their own goodness, they can somehow make the world a better place.”

  “And why is that wrong master? The world is getting better. Is it not?”

  “For the moment . . . yes. But do not forget that good and evil is proportional to one another. They cannot be destroyed . . . but used.”

  “What shall I do then master?”

  “Never let the people have too much, or too little, of either good or evil.”

  “And how do I do that?”

  “By learning to control the people. Even those in positions of power.”

  “Now I understand master,” the acolyte said with glee.

  “The Great Illumination”

  Found on every Skotadian government building and military vessel.

  Something Insidious

  (1)

  It was nighttime on Golden Hyperion, and the news reporter finally made it to his safe house—an old church. On his possession was valuable Intel that he needed to give to Colonel McIntyre. McIntyre was a member of the Space Colonial Marine Special Forces Division, and he was there to “kick in the door” for whichever team Project 21 decided to send there. Skotadi, suffering from a dirty civil war (Dark Core versus Dark Core), was too distracted to care about McIntyre and his force. Project 21 sent him there because they learned that Skotadi (or Dark Core if the rumors were to be believed) had at least three cosmic super-weapons stationed within the Omicron Ultra (home star) system. But very little Intel had come out about what they could be, or the threat that they may pose. Whatever these weapons were, someone must neutralize them. Or at least provide some good Intel on them.

  As the news reporter entered the church, he could tell that something was horribly wrong. Everything within was telling him to turn around and leave as quickly as he could. But he couldn’t. Somewhere out there in the darkness was Deathcore, a clone army that would defend Dark Core to the death. But they were not your run-of-the-mill clone army. Using the (stolen?) technology of the Necro-Mystics, combined with the Wol’ga’con hive-destroying clone, and adding human DNA, Dark Core created these “dark clones”. Their superior-IQ guarantees that those who dare to threaten Dark Core will never succeed. Not once did Deathcore lose a single Dark Core member. With a 100% success rate none dare to challenge them nor confront them. But as luck would have it, Dark Core didn’t use them in the offensive manner. They were just too rare. So what were they doing there on Golden Hyperion? And why all of them? Only General Lincoln “Mark 13” Vaughan could order them there. And there is only one reason why he would.

  The Intel that the reporter was risking his life for was that Vaughan just recently got his long-awaited promotion. He was now unofficially a Dark Core member, rechristened as Infernus. What put a chill down the spine of the reporter was the fact that Infernus looked like the devil.[1] Vaughan stated that he wanted to look like the devil to intimidate his rivals. But who was he referring to? Some had suggested that he is the sole reason why there is a dirty civil war within Dark Core.

  Since the awards ceremony would take place on Golden Hyperion, it would come as no surprise that Deathcore would be sent there. But as the reporter learned, something far worse may have been going down upon that world. Fearing for his life and that of his family, he wanted to leave that world. His only hope rested in helping Project 21. He had to become a traitor. If he refused, then who knew what would happen? His family may die upon that world. If he betrayed Skotadi and helped Project 21, who knew what Skotadi would do? After all, they still hadn’t gotten over the fact that Project 21 “separated” from them.

  “Something insidious . . .” he said into his cellphone as he was sending a very urgent message to McIntyre.

  “This is hallowed ground!” the priest in the back of the church yelled out to someone. The sound of a gunshot could then be heard, and then reporter saw the priest come in. The priest looked at him and then immediately died. The reporter, seeing his contact had died, turned and ran out of the church. He then heard a gunshot, and the bullet struck the door frame of the entrance to the church.

  While outside, a bullet struck a twig on a tree branch. The bullet came close to killing him. Once outside the gate, his car exploded. A drone with a proximity explosive had been on the hood of his car on the driver’s side. The explosion nearly killed him. If he was one second faster it would have thrown him to the ground. Three bullets then struck the car. He turned to run into a nearby forest.

  The reporter, while running through the forest, coming close to knocking himself out by nearly hitting a tree, came to an embankment. He stood there looking up at Ishtar. It was just so beautiful. He had to look, knowing that it may be his last time. And then he saw it.

  The eye of Sauron (a.k.a. the TIA [Total Information Awareness] starbase), high in the sky, burning a hole within his soul. The eye that knows all and sees all for its dark master. And then it “closed” its eye, meaning that it was being taken off-line. Before he could react, he was shot in the back, and he fell down the embankment. As he was lying on his back, dying, he looked up at the TIA and felt two gunshots go into his chest. And then he too closed his eyes and was no more.

  (2)

  The CCOs of Project 21 had just finished reviewing the Intel from Golden Hyperion, and they couldn’t make heads or tails of it. They had to make a move, but they had no idea what they should do. If they had the Intel from the news reporter, they would have shown a greater degree of caution. Something was going down on Golden Hyperion, and they knew that they should make their move. Each one of them strongly felt that it was time that Project 21 should prove to Skotadi that it was independent. And given the fact that there was a dirty civil war going on, they may not get the chance later on. Nevertheless, the Intel was still painting a dark picture.

  The Intel stated that there were three cosmic super-weapons: one being a modified TIA space station that was 40 million miles (64,373,760 km) from Omicron Ultra, another one in a secret location (using stealth?) near Ishtar, and the last one on Golden Hyperion, south of a major science laboratory. It can not be determined what it is anymore than what it isn’t[2]. Nevertheless, the facility that it was in was a huge factory (of unknown purpose) with a significant part of it being underground. It was well guarded by an automated defensive system as well as possessing its own airbase. There is no discernible human activity that can be detected at the factory.

  To the northeast of the factory is a massive cloning facility that can produce up to but no more than one hundred thousand clones before the vats must be replaced. Roughly three thousand miles (4,828 km) south-by-no
rthwest of the facility was an underground storage area that held two hundred thousand more cloning vats. Attached to the cloning facility, there was a massive underground automated air and ground vehicle storage area. The personnel at the facility were predominately scientists and several military. This was a strong indication that the clones were new and experimental.

  Further Intel revealed that near the major science laboratory there was a group of planetary defense guns that were located underground. Although Deathcore had been sent there on a mission of targeted assassination, nobody had been eliminated yet. There was no infantry redeployment, build up, or even exercises. This meant that the military was in a nominal state of readiness and therefore was not expecting anything significant to occur. The only Black Ops officer that was stationed anywhere upon Golden Hyperion was Captain Marcus J.B. Dawson, but he was kicked out and demoted due to alcohol and disciplinary problems. He was currently serving under Colonel Blackburn of Skotadian regular forces. Dawson was therefore more of an “asset” than a hindrance to Project 21.

  The only possible drawback was that the Hammer of Doom was in the vicinity, but it was believed to have left. This could not be substantiated, since the TIA starbase was being decommissioned. (TIA starbases are always in orbit over any given world with a significant population.) Although it wasn’t made public, the nonspecific rules in governing the decommissioning of a TIA starbase were that it was run on a automated system and/or skeleton crew, and that its functions are transferred to ground installations. It should be noted however, that when any of its functions are transferred over, it creates a ten minute communicational blackout. The Hammer of Doom left at such a time period. Rather, it either left or not cannot be substantiated. But there was no reason to believe that it would stay, since creditable sources indicated that it was ordered to the Wol’ga’con home world. A round trip between both worlds gave ample time for any team that Project 21 would send to Golden Hyperion to complete any mission given to them. But what if the ship was ordered back before it got to the Wol’ga’con home world? A TIA starbase also serves as a means for long-distance communications. If the Hammer of Doom was too far away, then any orders given to them would naturally take longer.

  Everything hinged upon an AI algorithm selecting the right team for human final review. But the AI in question was a reversed engineered Skotadian VERM version and could not be trusted. What’s worse, this would be the first time that it would ever be put to work in the field. Most Task Forces that Project 21 had were a mixture of different types of individuals from all over, whose skills were no different. It was obvious that the CCOs were betting on a one-trick pony to beat out a group of gold runners.

  (3)

  “Who do we got?” the Project 21 personnel officer asked.

  “Task Force VL-7R,” the second officer responded.

  “Why them?”

  “Two Warrant Officers of the Intel class. No former Skotadian agents. Each member has a minimum of five years of combat. A full third were in the Spec-Ops while another third are weapons specialists. They have a propensity to not only volunteer for dangerous missions, but walk away with the fewest casualties.”

  “In other words, Boy Scouts.”

  “Yeah.”

  “And the mission is a basic Intel run.”

  “It appears so.”

  “Who’s on the bottom of the list?”

  “A real loser group called Task Force ZH-3C.”

  “Let me see the list. Wow. They are a bunch of losers,” he stated after viewing the list.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “A ninety-year-old Wol’ga’con, one Martian, and everyone else comes from Rymetece. And that’s the good part.”

  “And the bad part?”

  “Only two of them, Ellis and Ramirez, are former Spec-Ops. With Ramirez, he’s also a former Skotadian along with two others. Martinez is the only sniper as well as being the only warrant officer of the Intel type. Caparzo is a drug addict along with being a possible pervert. Let’s not forget his gambling debts to the mafia! Sanchez came with an ace of being sent to a military prison. And only seven of them have any real combat experience. It stated that Ellis and Ramirez, back when they were in Spec-Ops, had a mission where the objective was to kill one another.”

  “So which team should be given the Intel run?”

  “Give it to the losers. I got something better in mind for our Boy Scouts.”

  (4)

  “I thought that I’d find you in here,” Vaistll said to Ramirez. She had to jack into the Dark Id since she knew that he spent part of his free time in there. She didn’t like to spend her free time in there because her Avatar is glitchy, since her version of the SIN did not integrate well into the Dark Id.

  “I have to find her. It’s all because of me why she’s stuck in here,” he responded. He was referring to his old flame Maria Sadowayj who was in Project 21 Spec-Ops. While on Andromeda, the two met and fell in love. Unfortunately they were not on the same side at the time.

  “I’m certain that you will. And I do believe that she forgives you. Nevertheless, she still has a job to do. And like you she does it well.”

  “It’s just so hard in knowing . . . that I killed her. And now . . . she’s just an Avatar without a body. Do you think that it is true that the more time you spend in here without a body, the more likely it is that you could lose your mind?”

  “I don’t know. But what I do know is this—that comes from Omori, and you know how cynical and nihilistic she is over cyberspace.”

  “Has she ever been wrong before?” he asked her. Both knew the answer. When it came to cyberspace, more often than not, Omori was right.

  “We have a basic Intel run on Golden Hyperion. Assemble the team.”

  “Yes ma’am,” he responded. After leaving the Dark Id, he set there looking unkempt in a home that was no different.

  (5)

  “What’s that ma’am? I think that my hologram emitter is a little glitchy,” SCWO Ellis responded with a smirk. He spent a lot of money on that thing just to have it attached to his cellphone.

  “You better fix that glitch if you know what’s good for you!” Lieutenant Sanchez snapped back.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he responded. After he “fixed” the glitch he said, “Ready.”

  “We got a basic Intel mission. I’m sending the report to your SIN. Inform the others. Over and out,” she barked at him.

  Ellis was a black man who comes from Dallas, Texas, which is why his handle is Triple-T for Thomas the Texan. His strong character combined with his charm helped to keeps those under him focused during the mission. Like so many others who came from the Earth, the only reason why he joined the military was to escape the hellhole.

  “Hey where’s Wexler?” Behlmer asked everyone. He just got back from the restroom. They where at a local bar on some small, partially terraformed moon. He was the only one who wasn’t drinking, but his question got them to chuckle.

  “He’s at the bar,” Kaminski chuckled.

  “What!?” Behlmer responded. He then turned and saw that Wexler was drinking. He turned to Ellis and said, frustrated, “Sir, why am I the one who has to baby-sit him? What’s more, he outranks me.”

  “What can’t you handle the brother? You’re the new guy. Consider it a rite of passage,” Ellis said with a smirk. He wanted to laugh but didn’t.

  “Hey sir, you look lonely. Here’s a drink on me to cheer you up,” Crewman Hoffneisten with a smile.

  “Why thank you Sean. That was very neighborly of you,” Wexler responded. He then downed the shot, causing Behlmer to look with dismay.

  “On Mars, you feel so cooped up that you feel like getting drunk and running around butt naked!” Trivelli, Hoffneisten, and Brewster said at the same time.

  “Hey Ol’ Man. Is it me or is it getting hot in here?” Ellis said out loud. Ol’ Man was Wexler’s handle.

  “You know, I think you’re right,” Wexler responded. He then downed another
shot and took off his shirt, causing everyone, including Ellis, to laugh out loud.

  “What the hell does that bitch want now?” Ellis said. He then activated the hologram emitter. Yet again, it was Sanchez.

  “Where in the hell is Caparzo? I didn’t see his name on the RFD roster,” Sanchez asked. (RFD stood for ready for duty.)

  “One moment ma’am, I’ll check. Do any of you guys know where Creeps is?” Ellis said.

  “Yeah, he went to the store to get some spice and juice,” Wexler responded. (Spice meant any form of drug in a powdered form, and juice was the type of liquid.)

  “Where is the perv?” Sanchez asked someone.

  “Here ma’am, let me send you his last known location,” Brewster responded.

  “God, I’m the closest,” Sanchez said under her breath. She then discontinued the call to go get him. She was in no mood to deal with him since the two of them got on each other’s nerves.

  (6)

  Lieutenant Hayes had just arrived at headquarters and headed straight to the officer training simulator room. (Since his skills at anti-VERM tactics were considered poor, he had to physically show up.) His combat experience was considered “technical,” and he wanted to improve upon his training for a classical Intel run. (His grade was D- whereas his overall officer grade was C.) He was too nervous and scared since this was his first real combat mission, and he wanted to improve his officer grade before it was too late. Although he got high marks for his efforts, he let his setbacks get to him. He did however show the potential to be a good officer.

  “We have some good news for you Lieutenant Hayes,” The AI informed him after he came out of his training, several hours later. “Your grade for the Intel run is now C- and your overall officer grade is C+.”

  “Okay. Thank you,” Hayes responded, disappointed.

  As Lieutenant Hayes was leaving, he noticed the picture that symbolized the struggle between Project 21 and the Skotadian military. The Skotadian military was depicted as a tall, muscular warrior, and Project 21 was depicted as the warrior’s shorter and leaner son. On the picture was a quote from the Bible that reminded all Project 21 agents of the eternal struggle between the two. But to Hayes, it reminded him of his desire to be a good officer in the eyes of his father, who also served.