The dim light of the fading Moon :
Dark Side
Lying on his side, hands shackled behind his back,
Cavalier breathed slowly the ever present pain racking his body. The guards had
not been too kind, and with his powers prohibited, he had felt every blow land,
something he had forgotten about after so many years. Broken jaw throbbing,
nose also, cracked or broken ribs on his right side making it difficult to
breathe, anger and a sense of despair accompanied every breath. He spat some
blood, along with a loose molar, on the floor.
Slowly, he rolled himself to a sitting position,
grinding his teeth doing so. Letting out a curse from the pain, he leaned his
back against the concrete wall of the cell, a sigh of relief escaping his mouth.
That trashing he took, would serve him in the future, to remind him that the
best laid out plans came with a certain amount of pain. He wondered if the
others were in a worse shape than he was, passing out had been a blessing, but
what had happened after, was a blur. If only he could free himself of the
inhibitors, if only he…
“Patience, James, If I’m right,
we’ll get our turn soon. Wepp will not get away with this.”
Moon Psyche’s mindvoice spoke to him, and
Cavalier felt the pain in it. Moon was in a bad shape
himself.
“And if you’re wrong, this will go
down in history as being the most idiotic attempt at surrendering ever known to
man.” Cavalier was angry at Moon, not so
much because they were caught, more because Moon was relying on a trump card to
save the day. “It’s a good thing to hope,
Moon, but not at the expense of others. If your gamble doesn’t work, have you
thought of what might happen to Sun Heat?”
“If it comes down to that, James, if
truly I am wrong, I will kill her myself before I let Wepp and his cronies do
anything to her. This, I swear.” The
resolve in the thought was adamant, decisive and strong. “Be sure of this James, we can’t allow Crey
Industries, under any circumstances, to experiment on babies, whether they be
mine, yours or anyone else’s, it isn’t right. It can’t be permitted to go on,
and if this means that we’ll have to kill every last one of them to stop it, so
be it, is that understood?”
Cavalier’s mental nod agreed to the fact, there were
things in this world that should not, could not be allowed. Lines in the sand
were drawn, and each chose a side in the war, point of views stating that each
were righteous in their plight against the other. But the children, the future
of the world, had to remain outside the equations, had to be allowed, encouraged
to grow up believing the world was a good place to grow up in. Hope, it has to
account for something.
“Are you sure that the alien
watching over Voyager, saved him?” The
famous scrapper then asked, while trying not to cough to hard out, the blood
that had come to his lips. Pierced lung from a broken rib, it had to
be.
“I can’t say for sure, but I felt
her presence, heard her through him. I think she’s with him in a sense, to make
sure that he survives. I felt a greater purpose than mere surveillance, she is
overseeing the outcome of something big, of which he has to play an important
part. The one thing I can guarantee, she will not let him die, not if she can
help it. Only problem is, I’m not sure what she can or cannot do, in the
matter. She influences his thoughts, and come to think of it, I believe she is
preventing the Crey Serum from working in his bloodstream. Bane is not insane
anymore, but mark my words, the moment she leaves him, he will revert back into
a paranoid state, and we’ll have to stop him.”
“I just hope you’re right, Moon.
Right now, a borderline psychopath is the only hope we have to rescue everyone.
I truly hope you are right….”
The cell door unlocked, two guards entered equipped with
what appeared to be a sophisticated type of cattle prods. Using the tips, they
pushed Bear Cat to the back wall of the cell. “No funny business, you
freak.”
“All right, all right, point those things somewhere else
guys, I’m all about peace, love and hot showers.” Replied Bear Cat as he leaned
against the wall.
A team of scientists entered the room, with a rolling
stray in tow, on which a variety of medical probes, syringes and bandages were
laid out. Quietly, they stopped between the guards, eyeing the huge tank from
head to toe. Nodding to each other, the lead one made a hand gesture to the
guards, and soon after Bear Cat found himself rocked by an electric current that
left him stiff, but aware on the floor. The scientists wasted no time, and got
down to business. They took a blood sample, injected him twice with an unknown
substance, they also put in place a biosensor emitter. Using a small blade,
they made a small incision in chest, just below the sternum. Once that was
done, one of them brought out a type of medical gun, and they shot him with it.
He felt an alien object burrow itself deep in his ribcage, lodging itself
between the lungs, close to his heart. Had he been able to move, this would not
have been permitted, he was annoyed.
Firing up a monitor on the tray, the constant beep of
his heartbeat could be heard. Crey Industries was indeed going to collect
“valuable” data from the fight, like how long it took him to die. They stitched
him back up, then and there.
“Move it guys, it’s about to wear off.” Spoke one the
guards, nervously standing by the door. The scientists nodded to each other,
their work was done. Silently, they removed themselves from the room, followed
by the two guards. The door closed, and Bear Cat remained on the floor, unable
to move. Time went by, after about a minute, the huge tanker regained control
of his body. A deep growl, soon after accompanied by a long series of curses
and swears, could be heard through the reinforced metal door, all the way into
the next corridor.
Quietly sitting on the bunk bed, Metal Core was
attempting to meditate, on what he believed to be, the last days of his life.
Of course, his time in the Shard had prepared him for death, but he had always
pictured it in a fight, caught in a battle against odds he could not possibly
overcome. That was the death he dreamed of, to stand defiantly in the face of
danger, and not budge. Instead, he would die a lab rat, face down on a cement
floor. Perspective, he reminded himself, allowed or prevented oneself from
truly seeing what was going on. He would be of ice, would be of fire, in the
coming hours, but he would not be indifferent.
His thoughts wandered on Jade Rade, wondering what, and
also if, a day could’ve come when he and she, would talk. She was his spark,
in a sense, the flicker of electricity that made his mind, body and soul, whole.
Perspective, he thought again, made it possible for him to fight incredible
odds, and yet be unable to tell the lady he cherished above all, how he truly
felt for her. What is so frightening about love, that remaining quiet about it,
makes one feel like it is heroic to do so? Words, simple words, carrying
meaning beyond time and space, moving souls to a crescendo of sensations and
beliefs. Exalting the people who had the courage to speak them aloud, to feel
what poets write about, a thousand fold.
“If we make it out of here alive,
she will know.” He solemnly swore to
himself. Metal Core continued to let his mind drift on the subject, sitting
still, eyes closed, on the countless times he had stood alone with her, unable
to muster up the words he longed to tell her. Perspective, he vowed, would
never again prevent him from being true to himself.
“Are these numbers correct, did you double check?” Wepp
asked the technician standing in front of him, in his
office.
“Yes sir.” Replied the latter briskly. “According to
these readings, if she survives the dialysis, the woman should be the most
powerful mutation ever created.”
Wepp put the papers out on his desk, and went to stand
in front of the bay window looking down on the laboratory. Some of the greatest
discoveries made by man, had been by mistakes. Gravity, radioactivity, and
countless others. And now this…
“Upgrade the containment chamber, double the guards in
the lab.” Wepp brought a finger to his lips, rubbing his bottom lip with it.
There was an opportunity here, if they could harness her blood, much like they
did with Turbo Starr, mould it into a viable serum, Crey Industries would become
unparalleled on the biotechnology frontier, they would be able to transform
every armies in the world, into super armies. Never again would a race like
the Ritki, be able to invade blatantly their planet, never again. “Remove Mr.
Starr from the extraction tube also, place him back in his cell. Until we’re
done with her, he will have to wait.” He watched her, now quietly floating in
the water, her body had stopped fighting the invasive procedure, she was
becoming… Something else.
“As you wish, sir.” The technician left the room, while
Doctor Wepp picked up the phone. It was time to report his progress to the
powers that be. He knew the Countess would welcome this news with enthusiasm,
hoped also, that she would make the rewards that came with it, substantial, as
always.
While patiently waiting on hold, the security sergeant
for the installation, entered his office, and came to stand stiffly in front of
his desk. Wepp placed a hand on the phone’s speaker and said: “What is
it?”
“Two things, sir. One, the guards that executed the
controller have not made it back yet from the sewers, I sent out a detachment
some time ago, and we haven’t heard from them since. Second, we have a
perimeter breach.”
Wepp hung up the phone there and then, stood up and
looked directly into the sergeant’s eyes.
“Perimeter breach? Have the Freaks decided we were no
longer a threat to them?” He inquired, remembering last year’s incident with
their “neighbours”.
“No sir, this is something new.” Replied the officer,
suddenly uncomfortable with the idea of displeasing this most powerful
man.
“Talk sergeant, I have no patience for riddles this late
in the day.”
“Circle of Thorns, sir, they’re all over the perimeter.”
Wepp’s head snapped around, looking at Ghost Starr’s inert shape in the tube
next to Icy Heart.
“They’re coming for him.” Wepp spoke softly. What a fool he had been. This magical being could be tracked by magic users, and he had no way to prevent it. “Arm your men, I want everyone ready for a battle.”
A few minutes later, the laboratory became filled with
activity. Scientists and technicians were helping each other to remove Turbo
Starr from the containment tube, unplugging the intravenous system, removing the
breathing apparel. They then laid him down on a stretcher, and promptly, two
guards rolled him away towards the jailing area. The personnel also made busy
reinforcing the containment unit of Icy Heart, boosting the input signal on the
force field emitters and renewing the pressure into the tube itself. The same
was done for Ghost Starr. After which, as an added precaution, they installed
wiring and hooked up an emergency switch onto the tank itself. If the time came
that they would need to use it, forty thousand volts of electricity would be
sent into the liquid solution, killing the mutation
instantly.
Armed guards and Crey Power Tanks positioned themselves
all around the room, others were seen running all throughout the base, taking
position in sensitive areas and making ready for the oncoming assault. Tension
was palpable in the facility, eyes darting left and right, pulses quickening.
The Crey personnel were highly trained and more than ready to thwart attempts
to infiltrate their bases, nevertheless, these were men and women, nothing more.
Granted, most of them could now enjoy the added abilities the Crey boosting
serum provided, heightening their reflexes and quickening their general sense of
response, all thanks to Turbo Starr’s unwilling participation in the
matter.
Officers were screaming orders left and right, the
soldiers were hustling into positions. This lasted for a few more minutes,
followed by a hushed silence. Everyone was ready, quietly aiming their weapons
towards the doors, towards the corridors, towards the facility entrance. The
eerie silence just before a battle, when thoughts raced in everyone’s head, each
thinking this was the end. Fear, from which certain people would find courage,
others would find strength, and of course, where others would find themselves
unable to move or act. The old adage from the military, was that out of twenty
soldiers on a given line of battle, barely sixteen would put up a fight, mainly
remaining face down in the dirt, firing blindly in the distance. From that
sixteen, if the officer was lucky, a maximum of four would have the right
mindset to actually go out there and do the killing, their psychological profile
would later show that these four were borderline psychopaths to begin with.
Most, though, would simply stay hidden and let it happen, hoping the
psychopaths would get the job done. Such was the state of soldiering during
World War II, the statistics did improve during the Viet-Nam War, but not by
much. They did get considerably worse throughout the Gulf War, technology took
the forefront, soldiers were less exposed to battles per say, and became less
prepared for it, even after a tour of six months. Followed the Ritki War, which
proved one and for all, that for all the technology humanity had at his
disposal, what won the day in the end, were the ground troopers armed with
bayonets, that charged the ships with the heroes. War was a bloody
mess.
Wepp looked on the preparations from his office,
thinking that there was never a sure outcome to a battle, only the knowledge
that victory or defeat always depended on the fighters themselves, and their
willingness to do battle. Strategy, yes, it did come into account, but not
before the combatants. The most brilliants plans can be brought about into
life, but without the troops to carry them out, victory is but a goal to be
achieved. Nodding to himself, he stepped back from the window and was about to
review once more, the data read outs from the Icy Heart Mutation, when the phone
rang.
“Yes?”
“Doctor, we are ready for Mr. Bunny.”
“Very well, have him escorted to the gymnasium. Tell
the sergeant of the guards that Mr. Bunny is allowed to choose one weapon from
our stocks, only one. No firearms.” Wepp was about to hang up, then thought
again : “I want everything recorded, feed me the signal directly to my
office.”
“As you wish Doctor.”
Pacing to and fro in her cell, she had given up trying
to struggle free from the power shackles, Sun Heat felt a creeping fear. She
kicked the reinforced metal door, again, knowing it would not do it any damage.
Nevertheless, it was action.
“Damn you!” She yelled to the empty space surrounding
her. She was at the boiling point, that state of mind when fear, anger and
despair mingled together, to create blind rage. She launched herself from the
back of the cell, and tackled the door with her shoulder. The result of which
was that she landed squarely on her behind, on the floor, face flustered. She
let out a long scream, her legs kicking emptiness before, much like a child
would. A tiger in a cage, was what she was, a tiger wanting to break free, rip
some throats and drink blood, that is.
Very much afraid, she started crying. She cried for her
friends, for her baby. The world felt as if it was falling apart around her,
and she was unable to stop it. What would happen to her child, if Crey
Industries got their filthy hands on it? What will they do to her? What about
the others? They dismissively killed Voyager, without regards or second
thought, they could do the same to all of them. All of them, but not her… That
old buffoon of a controller had said she would live, if Moon came along and died
in her stead, why did he not foresee his own death? And while she was at it,
why did these two idiots, Cavalier and Moon Psyche, decided that it was a good
move to get beat up within an inch of their lives? She screamed
again.
“You know, crawling through these vents is unpleasant
enough, there is no need for you to add your wailing screams in them.” Spoke a
small voice from the ceiling.
Blinking away her tears, Sun Heat looked up. She
couldn’t make out who, or what, had spoken to her through the vent grill, but
two bright pink eyes were looking at her.
“Who are you?” She then
asked
“If you have cheese, I will tell you. I am very
hungry.” Replied the small voice.
“Cheese?” Sun Heat chuckled at the incongruity of the
question. Of all things that could happen at the moment, someone was asking her
for cheese. “I don’t have any cheese, I am sorry.”
“Well, there’s no point in screaming your lungs out,
lady. They will feed you when it’s time, they always do.” With that, Sun Heat
heard whatever it was up there, scurry away.
“I could eat some cheese just about now myself.” Sun
Heat muttered to herself, while her belly growled.
Lab Experiment got to the next vent, looked down to find
another woman. Locating the human one proved difficult. Mind you, she had taken
a few wrong turns, in her venture through the shafts system. But luckily
enough, one of those wrong turns had landed her in the kitchens. Unluckily
enough, the chef had caught her trying to borrow some of that delicious
cheesecake he had just prepared. Did it ever look scrumchious, she thought
again. Maybe if she tried once more, quietly this time, and also if, that was a
big if, her stomach would not scream its hunger at the most inappropriate time,
she could succeed.
She scurried on to the next vent, looking down to find
the huge one. He had been nice to her, although he had no cheese then, she
remembered him fondly. The door to his cell opened, and two guards entered to
help him up. They said something about a “big fight”, and escorted him out of
the room. She sighed. Of course, the one that could potentially feed her, gets
taken away. It’s always like that. She moved on.
The next vent she looked down into, showed an empty
cell. She was about to move on when the door below opened. On the stretcher,
they brought in the “nice one”. It had been a long time since she had seen him
out of the “big tube”. But this one, she recalled, was very charismatic. He
had made her laugh a lot, that time when he showed her how to pinch her nose, so
she could talk like a duck.
“Hello Turbo.” She whispered softly at the sleeping
man the men in white left in the room. “Nice to see you again.” Into the
darkness of the shaft she went on, until the other vent. There he was. She
looked at him, head cocked to the side. What was so special about him, that the
Doctor wanted her to “have a talk with him”, she wondered. He looked harmless
enough, sitting on his bunk, one leg dangling away. She decided to observe him
for a few moments, to decide what they would talk about, when she would
introduce herself. He reached inside his coat pocket, then another, then
searched inside the coat, and took something out. Lab Experiment’s eyes widened
when she saw what he was holding in his hand.
Frank Winter sat in the confine of his cell, thoughts
drifting on the predicament he and his friends were in. He was powerless in the
sense that without his power suit, he was nothing more than a man, but Doctor
Wepp had forgotten the greatest power he carried along with him, everywhere he
went. His mind. He was a technological genius. And said mind, had already
figured out how to deactivate the power shackles, if only he could get to his
friends, he could get that out of the way. Reaching inside his coat pockets, he
finally located what he was looking for, in the inside left pocket of his
jacket, and took it out.
“Chocolate!” He heard a small voice scream from the ceiling.