December 26, 2011; Somewhere in the Former Soviet Union...
The door opened to reveal an aging man. His body clearly showed signs of his twilight, his cropped hair being bone-white and his face covered in severe wrinkles. He wore the clothes of a scientist- white lab coat, black pants tucked into black boots, white gloves made from thin rubber. He gazed with a slight smile, one that didn't put a single twitch on the guards' faces. Both of these men were heavily armed, typical of Russian Private Security Guards. Their black Kevlar accented their blue camouflage uniforms well, as did their black gas masks.
"Hello Dr. Varosk," said one of the guards.
"Good to see you, Cherkov," responded the doctor. He seemed to speak with a pleasant tone.
"Ah, Dmitri," exclaimed a scientist who just noticed the doctor, "no doubt you've come to witness your project come full circle today!" Dmitri Varosk nodded his head slightly. "Let's go and check on 93 now. No doubt you wish to see your 'son'!" the scientist emphasized that last word with air quotes and a laugh. Even Dmitri smirked a bit more. The project had been informally known as "Dmitri's Son" for quite a while now, and these 17 years didn't help that assertion much.
The two men walked down the hall, talking back and forth with formulas and plans that had been recently used to work on the project. Dmitri had thoughts of grandeur and fame with his latest success, hoping to bring the Motherland out of its problems with this new advancement.
"Here it is, sir." The two men gazed in awe of their work. A massive bio-tank, filled with a precious life-giving green fluid, held an amazing creature. A fusion of man and wolf, the creature had a fur-covered body and a lupine head and tail, all a silvery-white. Obviously a male, his body structure was that of a lean and well-toned 17-year old.
"Seventeen years of my life devoted to you..." The words "my son" almost escaped Varosk's lips, but he held against it, fearing the jokes of his associates. The brightest minds of the Union were left to work on this project for a few decades. The purpose was to create the ultimate super soldier, a warrior who could be as equally fearsome-looking as he was capable. Given greater strength and agility than the average man, along with the heightened senses of a wolf, they were supposed to be the evolution in Special Forces. However, the "son" was the only successful creation, and they weren't even sure if he would live that long outside of containment.
"He is ready to be released, sir." The Doctor wondered if he should. The Union was all but gone, and they were still left to have the project's fate decided. Dmitri railed against the thought of losing his most impressive and amazing of bio-technological advancements. He decided immediately at what must be done.
"Release him." The scientists nodded in approval. Several of them went to control panels to operate systems that began pumping various fluids through hoses and needles into the patient's body.
"Optimum efficiency level of subject: 70%... He seems to be reacting better than the previous subjects, Doctor." This was true, as the past three attempts failed with the death of the subject.
"Subject's life signs: nominal."
"Containment gel draining... now." The operator pulled on a control lever, allowing the green slime inside the tank to drain slowly. Several minutes ticked tediously away, allowing each man, even the guards posted the room, to drop attention only on this wolf-man.
"Life signs are still nominal, sir. Should I detach the feeders now?" Dmitri nodded in silent approval. The patient sunk slowly to the floor of the tank, finally coming to rest on his knees. The tubes and needles detached from his body and his shoulder slumped.
"Open the tank. I wish to speak to him." He knew his reasoning would work because of what had been going on the past 17 years. They had been implementing knowledge and abilities into his mind, including several languages. This extended to everything from military knowledge to how to how the USSR formed. He knew as much as a young high-school graduate who joined the army would.
The Doctor stepped into the large tube and knelt (painfully, cursing his old age) next to the bowed form of his pseudo-son. "Can you hear me?"
The wolf ears twitched a small amount, and the head began to rise. It became level with the doctor's, and it nodded.
"Of course..." He whispered. Dmitri noticed the gray eyes... which happened to be the same shade as his own.
"Are you ready to begin your true life?" The Doctor was almost ecstatic.
"Yes." This time it was louder, almost like a low voice. He began to rise to his feet, where another scientist came in behind Dmitri with a change of clothes- those of a soldier. He handed them to the newly "born" hybrid, who donned them slowly. Just as Dmitri turned to leave the tank with his subject, he felt a strong force tug on his neck, nearly choking him. His "son" turned on him.
"Now, don't move. I won't kill you if I don't have to." The low voice resonated in the ear of Dr. Varosk. He felt a small prick on his neck, and soon realized that he had somehow torn a needle off the feeders quicker than anyone could have seen. He now held it to his throat, and slowly urged the doctor forward. As they walked out of the tank the guards in the room slowly encircled the duo, each trembling slightly with their rifles pointed at the Lupine and his hostage.
"You won't shoot." This simple taunt from the subject sent the guards into an almost confused state, some lowering their rifles slightly. "But I will." Before they could react, Dmitri flew forward onto a table and the wolf sent the needle flying into the small exposed slit in the collar of one guard, he grunted and slumped to the floor. He quickly jumped at another feet first, grabbing the man's chest between his powerful legs and twisting. The surprised soldier was sent to the floor where his assailant punched him the face twice, cracking one of the mask's lenses. The man went limp, and the patient spun across the floor and knocked the legs out from another guard, who's head landed hard on a sold metal table with a resounding crack.
One guard fired a round from his rifle toward the new threat, only to have it dodged by his target and getting only a combat boot to the face as a reward. The remaining guard was visibly shaking failing to hold his rifle steady enough to look menacing. The subject turned toward him and simply motioned motioned at him. The man fainted.
A female scientist came running in at that instant, looked shocked at the fact that the experiment was a success (and that all five guards were either unconscious or in pain) and quickly announced fearfully that the military had arrived to shut down the project.
"They must not take him," said the doctor rising painfully from the floor, "Gather the other guards, and tell them to bring an extra equipment bag... they won't take my son." The Lupine shot a quick questioning glance toward the lead scientist, and then back at the woman.
"I already told them to," she said, "I saw the feed from the cameras." Just then, several similarly armed guards walked into the room from the entrance, some stopping in their tracks to see in astonishment what they had been guarding for so long. One approached the wolf and tossed him a Kevlar vest, an assault rifle, and a large caliber pistol. He quickly chambered both the rifle and pistol and donned the vest. He turned to his creator.
"I have only one question." The doctor looked at him quizzically. "What is my name?"
"I never had thought of one. You were meant to be the first in a line of special operatives, not a citizen of the state." The Lupine then looked at his tank, which read the year of his inception date: 1993.
"I will be known as 'Operative 93', or simply '93'." The Doctor nodded in approval.
"I have a resistance force organized in Little Odessa. They'll give you some more supplies and armor. From there, they can get you to Millennium City. It's what was originally known as the United States' Detroit. Test your skills, prove that you were not a wasted effort."
"I will." With that, he turned and ran out the door with the female scientist, and headed for the helipad. He stopped and looked down the hallway one last time as the door closed, followed by shouts and a hail of gunfire. I will avenge you... father. He never looked back.