Prologue

Time: 1400

Place: Area 51

The doors to the meeting room opened. A soldier in his army uniform ran in, panting. His eyes were traced with small glints of fear.

He stood at attention. "Sir, Operation Sword Breaker has failed. The squad has disappeared."

"What?!" The general stood up in a fury and pounded his iron fist on the metal table.

"See? I told you this would happen. Or the more reason we should go ahead with my plan," said a shadowy figure opposite from the angry general.

"Shut up! The only reason you're here is because-"

"Because you need me. Your race is too primitive to win against real opponents on your own. So, you brought me in to do all the thinking for you,"

"I said SHUT UP! If it weren't for us you'd be in prison,"

"True. But that doesn't mean you don't still need me," The figure sat up and into the light. It was a humanoid lizard with tribal tattoos running from his left eye to the tip of his long tail, a huge scar ran down his milky, right eye and to the edge of his jaw, and two enormous scarred and red-inked tribal tattooed horns rose up from his massive head.

The general glared at him. He was right. They did need him. But the general refused to admit it to someone like him.

"What exactly is your plan, Deathhorn?" asked another man from the other end of the long table.

"It's simple," said Deathhorn and stood up. "We reopen Project USS,"

Murmurs of surprise cascaded throughout the meeting room.

"That's insanity, Deathhorn! Especially after what happened last time!" exclaimed a cornel from across the room. A huge scar ran diagonally down his face.

"Ah, but you used humans last time, and that was your biggest mistake. Humans are weak and easily rebell. If my plan is to be successful, we must not make the same mistake twice,"

"What are you suggesting?"

A sinister smile spread across the evil lizard's scaly face. He had a dark and dangerous look in eyes.

"We use humanoids this time. And not just any humanoids; we use the most powerful among them. Elite humanoids with raw power, humanoids with quick and clever brains, humanoids with unmatched skill,"

"So, your plan is basically reopening your experiments,"

"Not necessarily. But in way, I suppose you could look at it that way, yes,"

"Deathhorn, that's the whole reason you were arrested. Your experiments went too far. If you think-"

"Now, hold on, I know what you're thinking. But this time, it could work, because I know the first link to creating the Ultimate Super Soldier,"

"And what would that be?" asked the general, in almost a mocking tone.

"The werehog,"

"A werehog?" asked the cornel across the room with the huge scar.

"Yes, a werehog. The werehog is the apex predator. Its keen sense of smell can track a mouse over ten miles away. It can see and navigate in the dark of night; it can hear a rat's heart beating a hundred meters away. It can run up to fifty miles an hour; lift up to seven hundred pounds. It is quick and clever; a single werehog can outsmart and kill an entire squad of your men without breaking a sweat or lifting a claw. They can heal and recover from a mortal wound in a matter of days. Not to mention their transformation, and that little extra power boost they get from the moon."

Deathhorn smiled. "Of course, it depends on what kind of werehog we use,"

"What do you mean what 'kind' of werehog we use?"

Deathhorn chuckled. "There are many kinds of werehogs, Commander. Each Pack has its own strengths and characteristics that make it stronger or weaker than other Packs,"

Deathhorn typed in a file name on the touch screen in front of him. The Pack seal appeared on one of the large screened TVs is the wall. Deathhorn got up and stood beside it and everyone in the room turned to look at what Deathhorn had pulled up.

"One example of a type of werehog is a Garnet werehog,"

A picture of a mid-sized red werehog appeared on the screen.

"Garnet werehogs can navigate in rocky terrains and can endure and survive in harsh climates. They are swift and nimble, and can jump at heights of up to ten feet,"

A picture of a cobalt blue female werehog materialized on the screen.

"The Sapphire werehog, their Pack is made up almost entirely females. Sapphires are quick, strong, and tough. They are light on their feet and very clever. These females are built for stealth. They are strong swimmers and agile hunters,"

A picture of a huge dusty blue male werehog appeared on the screen.

"The Lapis Lazuli werehog is quick and ferocious. Their Pack is like a modern day Sparta. They are born and trained for battle. These werehogs can grow up to eight feet in height, and can lift up to nine hundred pounds. A Lapis will not stop fighting until it has either won the battle or until it is killed,"

Pictures of other werehogs flashed on the screen.

"And these are just a few of the many different types of werehogs. The Zircon werehog, Aquamarine, Gold, Cobalt, Sardonyx, Ruby, Peridot, Moonstone, Citrine, Tourmaline, Topaz, Bloodstone, Black Diamond, Emerald, Opal, Turquoise, Alexandrite, Pearl, Amethyst, and Diamond. And these are just the main types of werehogs; there are tens, perhaps hundreds of Packs with thousands of different types werehogs with their own special strengths and abilities.

"But the is one flaw in the Wereians' design,"

Deathhorn pulled up a diagram of a muscular gray werehog on the screen.

"Silver, when it is combined with that special chemical produced in a Wereian's tail what the Wereians call 'moon blood', creates a chemical reaction to it that makes silver like acid on a Wereian's skin, making them very vulnerable to it,"

Whispers and murmurs weaved through the air, thinking over and considering everything Deathhorn had just shown them.

"It will never work, Deathhorn," criticized the cornel, leaning in his chair and his arms crossed.

Deathhorn smiled and shook his head. "Oh, Cornel. You of all people should know the power a werehog,"

The cornel frowned and touched the scar that ran down his unshaven face. He shook his head and glared at Deathhorn. "It still won't work. Werehogs hunt in packs,"

"Then we simply create a pack,"

Everyone in the room stared at him. Unable to hide their surprise. Deathhorn smiled darkly.

Stupid humans. They have no idea what they're up against. Thought Deathhorn before he explained further details of his plan for Project: USS.