The Phoenix Horizon
Rise of the Phoenix
"Captain, we've got nodes coming off the port bow!"
A grizzled canine turned to face his radar operator, a weary look upon his face.
"Damn, it, I had hoped to buy the eggheads a little more time," turning he gestured to one of his subordinates, "Go alert Dr. Gale, immediately, we need the Fates removed from the facility immediately, I shall postpone these forces for as long as I can, everyone battle stations now!"
Klaxons echoed throughout the station as soldiers began prepping their flak cannons. Others dashing off towards the hanger deck to prepare for fighter combat.
"Cap! We have an hour before fighter wings enter weapon range."
"Keep the guns trained on them, I want more fire in the sky than all of Gradius combined!"
"Yes sir, all weapons are red, we have entered offensive mode, drones already being launched, no sign of their destroyer or carriers, they may be well outside our radar."
The captain growled, his fists clenching as he examined the main screen, "They might be readying their spinal cannons, prep the station for maximum impact, we can't let all this research go to waste, not for these Kanin bastards!.
Meanwhile within the facility, scientist struggled with a series of patients, many of whom were strapped to operating tables, a multitude of tools sticking out from their bodies.
"Dr. Gale!" the subordinate rushed onto the lab deck, "We have incoming fighters."
The young blue furred vixen hissed, tugging her glasses off with bloody fingers, "Damn, we can't let them destroy all we've worked for."
She turned to point at a series of techs who froze under her jade green eyes, "You three, take what we do have and prep it for evac, we are not going to lose our only chance to stop this war, not if I have anything to say!"
They snapped a salute and fanned out, alerting other members to begin the evacuation drill. Tools and equipment rattled as they were disconnected and loaded into cases.
Dr. Gale leaned against the table, sighing softly, giving her tired eyes a moment to rest.
"Is everything going to be ok?" a soft voice echoed within her mind.
Looking down at her patient, she only smiled, gently taking his hand in hers and squeezing it tenderly, "Everything will be alright, were removing you and the others to a new location, that is all, just stay focused my knight, and know well what you must do."
"Abide by the controller, and bring the judgment of fate upon false gods," the answer echoed in her mind.
"You know you have permission to speak to me, always my dear," she smiled, gently rubbing the young vulpines cheek.
A soft churr rumbled from the kit, "I apologize Miss. Gale."
"Dr. Gale, when at work love," she brushed her hands over his eyes, drawing a visor over them, "Now, rest, and allow the rest of the transfusion to progress, you'll be removed from here as soon as possible."
He nodded, his breathing slowly growing ragged as glowing blue liquid flowed into his spine, following a series of tubes hooked to a larger nano-container.
"How is the patient?" asked the Captain, entering the lab quarters.
"He does well, he's accepted the augmentations far better than expected, once the nano injections are completed, he should be ready for fitting and testing before combat," the vixen frowned, "I wish it didn't have to come to this, I still disagree with the complete disablement of their free will, even if this will give us our victory against the Kanin Alliance."
"It's the lesser of two evils."
"True, it is, but I still don't like it, I only hope the Valeo Government will embrace their side of the deal and allow me to destroy this research."
The captain shook his head, "I don't see why it must be done, war is a natural existence, just as much as peace is."
"So? Does it make such a thing justifiable, the removal of one's emotions and thoughts!" she growled, gently stroking the hand of the vulpine.
"Could such things ever be brought back?"
"Only with extreme trauma to the spinal synapse and brain, and then...I don't know, we could have a rampaging psycho on our hands, or an emotional brake down the likes no one has ever seen."
She pulled her gloves off and tossed them aside, rubbing her ear, "I can feel the others coming."
"The soldiers are already prepping for the coming fight, we need the rest of you to evacuate asap."
"I understand, I've already got the techs loading the equipment as we speak," she turned to glance at a PDA, "We've already loaded tubes one through eight, our young cross fox will be the last to be relocated."
The captain rubbed his muzzle in thought, "I must say, it surprises me that you all even found one of his kind, I thought they were an extinct race!"
"No, just a very private one, it was only luck that we found this one at a young age," she leaned forward to work the straps over the patient's body, "The accelerants have worked out well this past year, to think he was but a young pup when he was brought on board with the others."
The Captain moved to adjust the rest of the straps, "Why a boy, why him, didn't you have enough candidates handpicked by the military?"
"Because, for the best compatibility, it was best to use someone whom we could build from the ground up," she gently brushed her fingers along the kits muzzle, "He's body composition has been completely replaced, bone by bone, cell by cell, this" she gestured to the container, "Is the final piece of the puzzle, these nanites will flow with his blood to keep his body in check and to allow him to accomplish feats otherwise impossible to us...in theory."
"In theory...I hate how vague the sciences can be even to me."
"As do I, but what choice do we have," she stood back and punched a few commands into her pad. Soon a cover enclosed the young vulpine within the table, "Disconnecting the container."
"I'm scared," a thought echoed.
"Don't be," she thought in reply, "Just rest, I'm right here."
"Still connected I see," the captain said, watching the silent conversation.
"Always, he is my pride and joy, and we always have a better connection to those we hold dear," she turned evidence of a smile fading from her face, "I only wish it was under better circumstances, but, the child is not a child any longer."
"I've read the charts, think you could reverse the process?"
She giggled softly, "Sadly no, one can slow mortality but never reverse it, least, not unless you want to go through the same process as our friend here."
The captain shook his head, "Not for all the reduction in the world, sorry, but I've an aversion to having laser scalpels pulling my every being apart."
He signaled to a pair of techs and had them cart the table away, "Stay with him Doc, if I ever see you again, you can tell me over a beer how well the work went, I'll drink, you talk."
She gave a curt bow, "Thank you for all the work you put into secreting us in this sector, if all goes to plan, we may not have a war to worry about for much longer."
"So, Knight to bishop?"
"And pawn to check King."
They parted company, the captain pulling troops from standby to help with the labs loading process, the good doctor boarding a shuttle with her patient.
Outside the stars shimmered with the explosions of drones and fighters as they dueled
They shined in their silence as a young vulpine watched, his face betraying no expression.
"Night."
He turned to face the young vixen, his once younger features now aged and a few years beyond her own.
"Yes Dr. Gale?"
"You know we are no longer in the lab," she replied, "So why are you still here? Answer."
"I am waiting for a status report on leader," he replied sharply, his body standing at parade rest.
She frowned, taking a seat across from him within the sterile white of the bedroom. Her fingers gently rolling a warm mug of coffee between them.
"He'll pull through, they I can say less than stellar results for the rest of the company," the mug slid away from her hands, "You didn't have to kill them."
"I was ordered to."
"Damn it," her fist pounded upon the table, "You...if only you could..."
Her face folded into her hands, body shivering, "We made...I made the ultimate panacea to the war, and the ultimate sorrow."
"Do you disapprove?" a foreign thought echoed in her mind.
She nodded, "Of the way they use you yes," she thought in reply. "You were never meant to be abused in this way."
She stood behind him, arms enveloping him in a hug, her coat rubbing against his armor.
He turned in her arms and fixed his cold gray eyes upon her, her greens reflecting back the gaze with the added years of restless nights.
"You're tired, you should rest doctor," he said in a small soft voice.
The pads of her hands gently caressed along his body, soon followed by the soft clatter of armor as it disconnected from his body.
"I am, I've been tired and worried, every time they send you out against the Kanin, I wonder whether I'll see you again, I feel you, when your away, form the torture, to the killing, I feel what they put you through, and I choose to suffer for you since you cannot understand your actions." Her eyes closed as she nuzzled into his chest, listening to the thrum of his heartbeat.
"I am disconnected as I should be, else I could never accomplish my tasks."
"It doesn't make it any better, I worry the day you break down, what if I'm not there," worried eyes looked up to regard him.
A sliver of reciprocation showed in his movements as he held her against him.
"It is not your place to worry about me, you've made me who I am, and I've been trained well."
"Too well."
"Is that so?" he shifted her to the cot, "Do you worry then that command may find this after hours fraternization to be against protocol?"
She growled, gripping his arms tightly, "Protocol be damned, its protocol that asked for much of your freedoms removal."
"And yet you still allowed yourself task control over me?"
"Only because I know you best, and I will not trust anyone else to be your logistics controller," she replied in thought. "I made you, and I will share in your memories all that happens, on, and off the mission."
He nodded, then ran his paw along a panel, the room dimming away to complete darkness.
"I will have to go soon," he thought.
"Don't, just for the night," she whimpered softly, "Something dark is coming, and I do not wish to be alone tonight."
"Understood Miss. Gale."
"How progresses the plan?"
"It progresses well, we've made much progress in implementing the final modifications to the house of representatives, after this final blow in the war, we will assume full control of the house as well as the smaller planetary positions."
"Good good, and what of Fate?"
"We have dealt with them all, only the stalker remains, he will be dealt with."
"And the girl?"
"She too will be removed, as long as she exists, she will continue to threaten our exposure to the public, we cannot have that, all ballots have been passed, we shall execute Gold Sword."
The room grew silent as figures turned to face a central observation viewport. A figure stood defiantly in the display.
"You bastards, you think getting rid of me will make it easier for you to control the will of the people?" the doctors voiced echoed into the room as her face became clear under the faceplate.
"No, we merely remove you as you are the only other threat to this operation that needs to be cleansed, you and your puppet need to be dealt with a manner of...taste, how fortuitous it is for us that your very creation will help in the matter."
Her weapon was knocked away with ease as her expression grew somber, moving closer to her. A hand reaching out to grasp her collar tightly.
She choked, struggling, "You, are fools, if you didn't think I saw this coming!" she shouted before being thrown into a capsule behind her, the cover sliding over her. Fists pounded fruitlessly upon the interiors glass, tears upon her face.
The users hand raised slowly up to the glass, pressing gently upon it, cracks slowly forming, fanning out in a web.
She gave a look of surprise, then placed her hand against the glass to its own, gently mouthing something unintelligible to the room, gel enveloped the capsule quick as a flash.
The room echoed with the sound of explosions as the capsule was jettisoned. Turning the figure watched as the trembling room shuddered, blazing blue tendrils curled around the corridor, rushing towards it.
Static greeted the viewers.
"It is completed."
The doors burst open as a young cadet rushed into the room, "Gold Sword has been activated!" he panicked.
"Are you daft, who gave you permission to enter these premises!"
"You all must evacuate immediately, the Sword has been located within the planets perimeter!"
"What!" a feline stepped into the light, fangs bared as he lifted the cadet into the air with a single hand, "It was supposed to be used on the frontlines, who gave the reclassification!"
"The Fate protocol activ-"
A low growl left the cat as he dropped the cold body of the cadet onto the ground, "It was supposed to be deactivated."
The building began to shake as the holo field of each occupant began to fade in and out. Turning the feline began beating his fist upon the console.
"All, we must make haste, now."
Figures faded away as the feline turned to the bay window, watching as a massive wave clouded the sky in a brilliant shower of colors, all coming closer and closer towards the planet.
"Knight to King...checkmate." He closed his eyes as the blinding energy smashed into him, the planet slowly crystallizing before rupturing, shards splintering and cascading into space, spreading outwards, magnetic storms brewing between them as they pieces large and small collided with other stars, the effect multiplying till a massive nebula erupted from within the maelstrom.
It curled and glowed vibrantly, within its ashes, fiery wings fanning out, the glow of a brilliant star shining within the head of the majestic beast. Its plumage made up of the many storms that wracked its body.
MH47E
So, for some reason, this doesn't seem to be taking kindly to tabs.
Anyhow, I meant it when i said I'm hopping back aboard, writing just to get thoughts out of my head, and besides, its fun.
Changing the format a bit, doing away with a lot of the "he said, she said," and trying to convey more action.
Read, review, and enjoy!
