January 31st, 2012
Dark Side of the Moon Technocratic Order Lunar Base
Claus Rayner strode through the corridors of the Lunar Base with a confident smile on his face. Rayner had one of those faces where it was difficult, at first glance, to determine his approximate age. In his civilian identity as a billionaire computer software magnate his 'official' age was listed as 68 years old. However, his bright blue eyes were often filled with a youthful twinkle when he was in a fine mood (as he was now). This made him look younger while his white hair made him look older.
In truth Augustin Claus-Werner von Rayner was 176 years old. He was now the eldest living will worker left on planet Earth. The fact he had not, as of yet, been forced to flee the Paradox effect created by the sea of humanity's disbelief in the power of science was partly thanks to the slow crumbling of that wall over the last eight years. Still, he knew he was close to the edge of his time left on Earth. Someone his age grated on the established paradigm, and the Paradox it generated had begun to slowly weigh on him. However, here, in this place, it was lessened significantly. It was the decrease in Paradox pressure brought by this trip that put him in such a fine mood, despite the nature of his meeting.
Rayner came to the door of the communications room. He stopped and waited. A feminine computer voice called out to him. "Incoming transmission from Planet Autochthon. Please hold."
Rayner's smile faded. It was time to put on his serious face. Even with as out of touch and far from the front lines of the War of Belief as the old fossils were, they were no less powerful. He might be the greatest remaining will worker on Earth, but they were the greatest surviving members of the Order. He thought it too bad they were all so distant and removed from the true state of the world.
"Transmission ready. Proceed." The computer voice said as the door opened.
Inside he found a board room table, although there was no one actually present. Instead, waiting on him were holo projections of lifelike quality of the small elite.
"Ahh! Augustin...or are you still going by Claus?" The Chief Control asked.
"Still going by Claus, one of the benefits of increased mudane longevity. It lessens the frequency with which one has to abandon identities." Claus said cheerfully.
"This isn't a social call. Let us come to order." The Form Keeper said abruptly.
"Yes, yes, I suppose so." The Chief admitted.
"As I understand, this meeting is a review of policy to help us plan the steps to take in order to shape the next course of Earthly events." Claus began.
"Indeed it is. We have much to review. Some wished to rehash the Orpheus incidents, but that has been detailed ad nauseum." The Chief commented.
"I believe you will find the seeds of our present troubles harken back further than these Manifested. The cracks in the walls of disbelief we erected around magic and deviance from reality were directly weakened by the events of..." A dissenting voice began.
The Chief cut in testily. "Yes, yes, yes! This has all been debated before and we are done with it! Done I say! Besides, it's well past the time for such recriminations." He countered.
"Indeed and it has had certain positive effects as well." Claus stated cheerfully.
"Psionic phenomena are not consistent with the rest of Technocratic doctrine!" The Dissenter cried in protest.
"It has been declared so and so it stands. You're out of line. Now, unless anyone else wishes to make a fool of themselves, let us proceed. This review is to determine our response to these Manifested beings. They are public figures wielding powers that we can barely fold under the psionic phenomena heading. They continue to push back at all constraints we have placed on them in numerous nations. With the start of the legislative session in the United States of America, the governing body of that nation will be working to set laws to govern the lives of these beings. As it is the most powerful military nation in the world and one of the chief recruiters of the Manifested it will set the tone for how the world consensus shapes up." The Chief declared.
"Well, if we can begin the presentation, you will see this all started in 2008. The first known manifestations occurred very early in that year. Panopticon forces devoted to rounding up reality deviants collected them in their nets and deposited them for study into the hands of shell organizations under our control." Claus began as he loaded data and footage from one of these centers in Virginia.
February 14th, 2008
Special Projects Center, Virginia USA
Director Carl Winsor's head shot up as he heard the blaring of alarms. He leapt up from his chair and exited his office, heading for the command center. He walked at a brisk pace down the hall. He knew it would never do for the director of a facility such as this to appear rushed or panicked. Morale, after all, had to be maintained. He entered the command center and stepped into the center of the room.
"Status?" He barked.
"Internal security is reporting a breach on sub level three, sir. Patrol six was found dead in an air vent. We are trying to isolate the current location of the cause." The communication desk worker reported.
"You don't know the whereabouts of the intruder? How is that possible? John, when was that guard's last communiqué? He should not have gone more than fifteen minutes without a check in!" Carl pointed out, annoyed.
"We are dealing with something very dangerous, Carl. The fact something was able to slip past the three miles of land between us and the nearest unwatched area is surprising enough. Coupled with the fact that whoever this is made it inside the building is downright scary. We need to evacuate the upper levels and send in the heavy firepower." Assistant John Dugen advised.
"Let's not panic here, John. Let's find out what we're dealing with first. Why don't we have video of that area up?" Carl replied, looking at the large overhead monitor. It currently displayed static.
"The camera system was down for maintenance in that sector. We're trying to bring it back up." The video control officer reported.
Carl gave orders for search parameters and reports from the corresponding security teams came streaming in; he wanted each one scrutinized for even the smallest thing out of place. However, each supposed 'red flag' found proved to have mundane causes or to be of no consequence. Carl was becoming frustrated when his train of thought was interrupted.
"Sir! Team eight just missed reporting in and they're not answering our calls for an update." The communications officer reported.
"Team eight? That's on the other side of the building!" Carl said through gritted teeth.
John began cross referencing data, looking for a pattern. Finding one he turned to the coordinators.
"Check the tapes for the last several reports from team five and verify their voices against calls from yesterday to see if the vocal recognition matches. I have a feeling someone took out team five some time ago and has been imitating their voices while listening to our radio chatter. Everyone beware. Our communications may not be secure." John ordered.
"Clever. You two! Run out to the guard shacks. Tell them to switch their radios to channel four and activate encryption B. They are to then move forward in a search pattern. As they find other security groups they are to order them to make the same changes." Carl directed.
"Leave a few radios in each group unchanged and make some chatter on them to distract the attackers with falsified information." John amended.
"Good call, John. Let's give back some of the confusion whoever this is has been trying to dump on us. Get special weapons prepped. We might need them after all." Carl told his subordinates.
Just as he finished speaking, a slight tremor ran through the room. The lights flickered briefly. The officer stationed at the maintenance terminal turned around and, with rising panic in his voice, reported. "Sir! We've been bombed! Some sort of charges on the back up generators! All four of them!"
"Why attack the back ups and not take out the mains? Whoever this is must have placed their charges out of sync. They've made a mistake. Send men to check the main power connections. Let's cut him off at the pass before his explosives take out the mains." Carl ordered.
The men began to carry out their director's orders. While the orders were being relaid on the new communications channels, stronger tremors ran through the room. The illumination in the command center dimmed to emergency lighting. The officer at the maintenance terminal cursed as he began checking his screens. The communications officer began calling for reports from all teams and attempting to locate the new explosions.
"The timing of that can't be coincidence. What the hell did they do? That was timed perfectly so when we started looking they went off." John asked in a bewildered tone.
"I don't know, but it's started to piss me off." Carl replied.
"Sir, the power being cut to the cameras while they were downloading an update package has screwed up their programming. None of them are responding." The maintenance officer reported.
"Why didn't they stop the update when the power was cut? They're supposed to stop and come to a regular shutdown when we have power loss." Carl asked.
"They do that when they lose main power and are forced onto the back up, sir, but the backups were taken out first. They are not programmed to do anything special when they're still running on the mains." The maintenance officer reported.
"All of the outer teams are reporting heavy damage across the building and among their personnel. They are trying to figure out what is setting these charges off, but they seem to be some sort of smart explosives that only trigger when a guard patrol is close. All teams are maintaining constant contact but the explosive traps are making it hard for them to get much information to us. They..." The communications officer began.
John cut him off. "Tell them all to STOP communications at once! They are to gather at their assigned stations and remain there until relieved. They are to maintain radio silence. In fact, order them to turn off everything, even their passive radios!" He ordered with dawning realization as to the source of the problem.
"Our own radios. Changing frequency when compromised is standard operating procedure. Whoever this is knows our playbook. We have to change tactics." Carl pondered.
"Without communications that will be hard, Carl." John commented neutrally.
"You! Go down to the special weapons hold. Get the quartermaster to get the lead out on bringing them up. Tell the guards it's time for a live test fire scenario. Half of them are to surround the ground floor. Nothing is to escape this building. The other half are to join the hunt. Their mission is a seek and destroy on sub-level four. Order them to herd from the stairs to the entrance to sub-level five." Carl ordered.
"You're likely right. Whoever this is almost undoubtedly after the highest security labs and holding cells. It's likely this is one of them. One of these Manifestations." John said.
"Special weapons can handle it." Carl said smugly.
"Sir, with all due respect, the special weapons unit takes on these freaks when they are new to their powers and most are civilians. This has the hallmarks of a trained and talented agent. They won't be able to handle this." John lamented.
"John, let's not get melodramatic. Whether this is a team or a singular powerful individual we have enough guards to bury them." Carl said.
Soon reports started coming back by messenger of a running fight taking place in the halls; a deadly one. For all the target's stealth and combat ability, however, soon twenty guards had what proved to be a single foe trapped in a corridor.
"Switch to capture weapons. Take the target alive. I want to know who this guy is working for." Carl ordered, his rage abating as his more rational mind once again took charge.
"We can take them to the interrogation room on level sub level five." John suggested.
"Good Idea. I'm going down there to prep for interrogation. John, you have control here. Once this scumbag is in custody, have everyone sweep the building. Find and then disarm his explosives." Carl ordered as he headed out.
John looked around at the command room. No video. No audio. It was almost worthless. He quickly came to a decision.
"We're relocating. We've been reduced to operating by runners. We might as well do so outside in case the emergency batteries start to go."
Sub Level Five Interrogation Room
Carl watched through the one way glass as the elite special weapons unit brought in the cause of all the mornings chaos. A scanning device hummed quietly in the window, taking readings from the subject. He was enormous; definitely one of the Earth type of these Manifested freaks. He was tall; Carl estimated him to be about seven foot eight inches. Even sitting, he could almost look his interrogator in the eye. However, rather than the gangly look of most very tall people, he had huge, wide shoulders with a deep, powerful chest which gave a striking "V" shaped torso. He also sported thick legs and massive arms. The arms were perhaps the most impressive. His mountainous biceps, half hidden underneath his black, short sleeved tactical vest, looked as if they might burst the sleeves at any moment they were so large. However, it was his flesh that was most distinctive. The prisoner's skin had the look of highly polished, sandy marble. Watching it move and flex was remarkable, it looked like it should be rigid, but the skin was supple as any man's. The intruder's face was clean shaven and his shoulder length, white hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Most of his body armor had been removed and the guards had striped him of the myriad of pouches and weapons he had concealed about his person.
The face recognition program in the scanner chimed and brought up a file. The file that came up was correct, only the subject's proportions and physical characteristics were different. Carl tapped a button and told the database to update itself. While still massive in the database's files, the prisoner was larger now. He was taller than his file indicated and he had increased in muscle mass, which inflated him to his current prodigious proportions. The file indicated that the subject's flesh should have been normal caucasian and his hair should have been blonde, not almost white. Only the blue eyes were the same. No doubt these physical changes were a symptom of the powers he now wielded. Carl looked at the dossier, focusing on the history of this man as he made his way around to the interrogation room door. There was only one entryway, for security. He made sure to have two of the special weapons teams in with him to watch over this thing. Stepping into the room, Carl sat down across from the heavily chained giant.
"So, Kai Silbern; formerly Austrian military. Mercenary. Known terrorist. You have a very lengthy file for a man that's just barely thirty years old. It says here you've even worked for us before. Nothing in here, however, describes you as having become one of these monsters. Now do you want to tell us what you're doing and who you are working for?"
Kai gave him a withering stare. Saying nothing.
"Right, well, let's do this the hard way." Carl gave the man to his left a nod. The man walked over and gave Kai an injection in the neck.
Kai's jaw locked. His eyes narrowed and the veins on his thick neck stood out.
"While there is still no actual truth serum you would be surprised by what science can do in the area of lowering inhibitions and clouding judgement. Now, just give it a few minutes and we'll continue." Carl walked over to the door and spoke to someone outside.
"Bring a coffee; no cream, extra sugar." Carl ordered before he came to back to his seat.
"You are a bit overweight. I would cut back on the sugar." Kai offered, finally speaking in a slightly slurred tone, an Austrian accent creeping into his near perfect English.
"Oh really? You're one to talk." Carl said, looking down at his updated dossier. "According to my new data you're up to 630 pounds; 634.65 to be exact. That's hefty even for someone your size, so tell me more mister nutritionist."
"I would worry more about myself if I were you. I am in perfect shape. My body is all muscle, which is much heavier than fat. I assure you, unlike bodybuilders, this is not for show. You, on the other hand, work a desk job. You need to get with an exercise program that focuses on cardiovascular health. Stressful jobs like yours have been known to kill people." Kai volunteered in a somewhat condescending tone. He was acting as if the pair were having a polite chat about nutrition instead of an interrogation.
"So, how did you gain so much information about this place?" Carl inquired, changing the subject.
"Most of it was in my information package when I took the job. Part of why I accepted was the excellent intelligence provided. It gave me a good indication that I was working for professionals. I cannot stand working with amateurs." Kai explained.
"Neither can I. So, were there any indications in the intelligence package of who you were working for?" Carl asked again.
"Not directly, no. There were definitely several clues that my employer was part of a high quality organization. The intelligence alone speaks of a major power. That and the interest in those like me that you have captured on this level..." Kai stopped. He looked around, as if noticing his surroundings for the first time. "This is the fifth level where you keep the Manifested is it not?" Kai asked perplexed.
"Indeed it is my friend. Don't worry about that. You're in the right place just where you want to be. Now just calm down and think about the intelligence. Who sent it to you? Try to remember any details that might be clues." Carl said in a calm voice.
"Right." Kai said. He seemed slightly out of sorts, no doubt due to the drug. "There was no hard proof, but I think it was the Chinese. They have the intelligence capabilities to gain the information. They have the interest in the subject matter. They also possess the professionalism needed to organize it in such a concise package. They are the most likely organizers. If it was not them you might want to look into the Indians." Kai said.
"Not the Russians? They have these intelligence capabilities. This level of organization. This sort of established roots in spying on American interests." Carl inquired
"Americans. Always eager to point at Russia. No, the Russians are not interested in stealing your subject." Kai explained.
"Subjects? You aren't here to steal the research?" Carl asked perplexed.
"One subject. Terra Alani. The doctor. I am here to capture her and deliver her to my contacts. As an aside, the Russians would never want your research. They are so far ahead of you in psionic weapons the very idea that they would want what you have is rather funny." Kai said breaking into a bellowing laugh that seemed to shake the walls of the room.
"I don't think I'd be laughing if I were you. Your mission's a wash, we have you captured and you have to help us if you want to get out of this, Kai, now focus." Carl ordered getting, slightly annoyed at the drugged Austrian.
"I am sorry. It is just humorous to me. You are collecting all this information you will never be able to use. You still will not be able to find me once I get Doctor Alani out of here." Kai said a tear of mirth slipping from his eye.
"Friend, that is the most amusing thing I've ever heard during an interrogation. We have you beaten and cuffed with chains that would hold back an elephant. You're in the bottom of a bunker deep underground and I highly doubt anyone knows you're here. You are about as deep in the shit as you can get, pal. I'd love to hear exactly what you think is going to happen now." Carl said with confidence.
"It is simple. I am going to grab you by the neck and slam your face into the table, breaking your nose. I will, at the same time, shove the chair I am sitting in with my leg into the guard in the corner while diving under the table. I will come up striking that other guard and break his neck. Then I will grab you and exit that door, using you as a human shield. We will make our way to Doctor Alani's cell. Along the way I will kill all of your elite guards that get in our path and I will unlock her cell with your palm. Even if the guards shoot you, your body should still have enough warmth for it to recognize body heat. Then I will leave and no one will ever find me or the Doctor." Kai explained.
"You didn't tell me how you were going to get out of the chair to begin with? You're chained down to it with electronically activated and monitored cuffs." Carl said smugly.
"You mean these? Your electronics are offline. I made sure of that. Plus, I broke them when I faked that fit when your guard injected me." Kai explained. He held up the broken cuffs in his hand.
Carl had about three seconds to stare dumbfounded. He then felt a sudden impact as a hand pushed him down into the desk. Pain blossomed across his face and the warm gush of his own blood flowed down his face.
Kai, good to his word, dived under the table as he hooked the chair he had previously been sitting in with his boot and hurled it at the guard to his immediate right. This did no damage to the guard, but he dodged reflexively. This put him out of place so he couldn't fire at Kai as he ducked under the table without hitting the director. Before the guard on the other side could react, Kai shot up out from under the table, his bulk over turning it with ease, flipping the stunned director onto the floor and pinning him under the table. As he rose, the gigantic Austrian grabbed the second guard by the belt and head. With the guard's head in one massive hand, Kai snapped his neck and, utilizing his momentum, hurled the dead guard over his shoulder and tossed him into the first guard.
Kai seized the dead guard's fallen sub machine gun and stepped over to his live companion who was struggling to get up. He shot him in the face.
"You'll never get out of here alive. Throw down the gun and I can make a deal." Carl said unsteadily attempting to stand.
Kai struck hard into the director's arm. Carl felt the bone snap. He bellowed out a scream of sheer agony.
"Quiet. You are not in control of this situation. Your kind amuse me. You stand about thinking you are the masters of all you see before you because you have command of better men. I am what you all should go to bed dreading. I have all the skill and power of those who you enslave with the chains of duty and the rules of civilization. I, however, see through the illusions you use to blind them. I see you for what you are; weakling cowards. Sheep that hide behind lions. You disgust me." Kai said ferociously as he took the director in hand and ripped his key card from his side, using it to open the door then thrust him outside.
Carl staggered out into the hall. He saw the four other guards he left in the observation room racing towards him. He fell to the floor to give them a line of fire at the man behind him. Kai was one step ahead of him once again, however. Bullets from Kai's gun whized over Carl's head as he fell and slammed into the guards at eye level. The bulletproof outfits and helms deflected the shots but their natural human reactions caused them to flinch and turn from the attack.
Before they could get off more than fire a few wild shots, Kai was upon them. Using his free off hand, he shattered windpipes and broke bones. His right hand followed up, firing point blank bursts into the bullet resistant faceplates. This overwhelmed their protection and quickly the guards fell.
Carl started to stand looking for a place to run. The only way he could go was toward Kai or back into the interrogation room. He started to run back the way he came. He made it three steps before Kai's enormous fingers closed around his neck and dragged him along.
"If you have not figured it out, you were not interrogating me. I was interrogating you. You see, the intelligence on this level was lacking. The airlock double vault door was the limit of where the information I received penetrated. Luckily for me, you were as easily manipulated as a child seeking candy." Kai boasted.
"You can't have known all of that!" Carl exclaimed.
"Denial is the first stage of grief. You grieve because you know you will die this day." Kai said as he jerked Carl in front of him. The six other members of the special weapons team were ahead. Several shots winged Carl as they sought to fire around him and hit the massive man behind him.
Kai fired back with deadly aim. The soft click of an empty magazine rang out. He coolly tossed depleted guns and clips away as he continued to advance. Small motes of power began to swirl around him as he moved down the hall. That power then exploded out from him in a dazzling aura of white light. In the light was imagery of mountains rising from nothing then crashing like waves in titanic avalanches. The aura swelled outward, suffusing Kai and illuminating the polished gloss of his stone-like skin. Bullets struck him clearly targeting where his armor was already ripped and torn from the previous fighting. The bullets harmlessly ricocheted off his skin. The guards, confused and intimidated, began to give ground. Kai, sensing their fear, charged forward, taking advantage. As he ran, he reached up and wrenched a sprinkler pipe free from the ceiling. Water cascaded down, showering the massive man. His long legs ensured that he could move faster than the guards could walk backwards. He caught up to the retreating guards and savaged them with the pipe; the impact of the blows were occasionally punctuated by the snapping of bones.
"How the hell!? You can't be bulletproof! That's impossible!" Carl cried out in disbelief.
"Anger is the second stage." Kai intoned as he back peddled from the beaten pile of guards and pulled Carl up, tossing him over his shoulder. Carl began to struggle but Kai moved his hand to Carl's broken arm. His vise-like fingers dug into a cluster of nerves, sending waves of pain through Carl's body. He stopped fighting, eager to get the pain to stop. Kai then lazily pulled a fresh gun from the pile of guards with his free hand.
"Alright, look, I'll cooperate. Just stop shooting everyone. Let me speak to them. I'll tell them to pull back." Carl offered.
"On to stage three already? Bargaining will not save you. You have no leverage." Kai stated, bemused.
With the special weapons team slain, Kai advanced through the corridors unchecked. He came to the door he was seeking.
"Open it." Kai ordered.
"What guarantee do I have if I do you won't kill me?" Carl asked.
Kai twisted and wrenched Carl's broken arm.
"You have my guarantee that if you open it I will kill you cleanly, that if you do not I will make your pain and suffering a monument to torment and cruelty." Kai promised.
Sobbing, Carl put his palm on the pad. It clicked softly and unlocked.
"Good boy. Tell you what, you can go." Kai said.
"Wh-what?" Carl asked, dumbfounded.
"Go on. Go. I do not need you anymore. You are too worthless for me to fear. Your career is ruined. Your life will be filled with the nightmares of what you have seen. Go on. Live the life of a cowardly worm who only sought to keep his skin. It is punishment enough." Kai said dispassionately as he started to open the door.
Carl, for a second, thought about trying to assault his captor, instead, he ran as fast as he could.
Kai turned back to the door and opened it. Inside was his target: Doctor Terra Alani. She was not the frumpy, laboratory cloistered scientist Kai had expected. Terra Alani, although haggard and tired looking, was an incredibly beautiful woman. She rose from the simple bench in her cell, her round face meeting Kai's angular one. She looked up at him with vivid green eyes. They seemed to be boring into him. She was not tall. On the contrary, Kai estimated her height to be just over five feet. Through her simple prisoner's clothes, Kai could make out her body's shape and it was one that gave even the hard bitten mercenary pause. Terra possessed a near perfect hourglass shape with womanly curves rarely seen outside of fertility deities; wide hips and firm, full breasts. Her flawless tanned islander's skin and long, deep brown hair that she let cascade down her back to her waist added to her allure. Like Kai, manifestation had changed her physically. Where Kai's skin was marbled, Terra had a riot of colorful tropical flowers adorning her thick wavy hair. They were seamlessly interwoven with her tresses, however, the flowers appeared somewhat wilted. Silken petals littered the floor. It was as if the blossoms reflected Terra's haggard state. There was a pleasant, almost heady floral aroma that assaulted his senses as he stepped into the room, no doubt from the doctor's floral adornments.
"Doctor Alani? My name is Kai. I am here to extract you from this place. Come with me and keep a low profile. There might be trouble on the way out." Kai instructed her.
"What about the others? There are several more of us here we can't leave them! You don't know what they've been doing here! The things they've been doing to them!" Terra exclaimed.
"We must travel fast and light. It will be hard enough to get you out of here. Come." Kai ordered.
"You can't just leave them! At least let them out! Give them a fighting chance." Terra exclaimed in an almost pleading tone.
Kai thought, pondering his options. Normally, he would have never done such a thing. Any value these other prisoners might have as a distraction would be minimal, especially as they were little more than unarmed incompetents. He was also certain the remainder of the guards would be organizing to try to stop him from escaping.
Something, however, tugged at Kai. It was something other than his normal rational judgements. He was trying to determine what these feelings were. He had long learned to listen to his instincts. This time was different; his instincts and reason were at odds. Ideas and feelings that had no basis in reality came unbidden into his brain. Specifically; the sense that anyone who had such powers such as he wouldn't be a liability. Warring with this thought was the knowledge they had been captured in the first place. Any powers that these others might have, he reasoned further, were most likely outside the narrow speciality that would be required to actually be of use. Despite this, a feeling of kinship to these unknown people tugged on him. That was what was most bizzare. A feeling of us versus them. His mercenary inclinations told him to fight that feeling. There was no US. Only himself.
Unfortunately, he was also sure the woman would be difficult if he declined to free the others. He had never been one to give into the will of those around him for the sake of ease. He reveled in any challenge, and proving one's strength of will was no different from any other contest. As such, it was not simply a contest of his will versus hers that bothered Kai. It was the attraction. An intense sexual attraction hammered at him. This was the first time he'd encountered another of his kind. He had always regarded sex as a mere physical need like eating. Something to be indulged when the time was right and suppressed when inconvenient. This pull was strong. It was stronger than the hunger he'd felt when going days without food. It felt more akin to the need provoked when deprived of oxygen. The professional part of his mind regarded this feeling of need with disdain.
"If I let them out will you do exactly as I say until we part company? No questions no further demands?" Kai found himself asking.
The naysaying part of his mind screamed in fury and betrayal. This was a very bad idea. He knew it was going to be.
"Yes! Just please let them go!" Terra pleaded.
Kai examined the door. Now that he could see the inside he knew how it was held together. With a sigh of regret that he let the director go, he rushed to the nearest fire box and broke it open. He pulled out the axe that was contained inside and returned. With a tremendous heave, he broke open the first of the four remaining doors.
The woman inside was quite unlike Terra. She was taller and lithe. Her skin had a slight bluish tinge and a breeze played with her long brown hair. Her eyes were a cool light blue. She was in the very back of the cell braced to see what came through.
"OUT! This is going to take too long as it is, so do not make trouble." Kai ordered.
Another jolt of lust hit him. It was weaker and less intense than when he first laid eyes on Terra, but still it was there. He didn't care for that one bit. His body and physical needs were slaves to his will and drive to succeed. For it to be the other way around would be unthinkable. He scorned such weakness in other men.
"Wait! If you are trying to get us out of here I think I can help! You unlocked that other door the way they do, right?" The woman asked.
"Mostly, yes." Kai admitted.
"Good. Break that panel and pull the cables out." She instructed.
The woman sat at the guard's computer station and began to type.
Kai shrugged and decided to give it a chance. With a slam from the blunt end of the fire axe, he broke open the panel and pulled out the wires.
"I'm going to copy the state of that door to the other doors, that way their programming tells them they all have been opened." She explained.
"So long as you can do it quickly." Kai said frowning.
"It should be much faster than breaking them down." The woman explained.
The computer did work quickly. The other doors began to open. They revealed three more women. One had orange eyes and bronze skin. Her facial features indicated she was likely of Native American heritage. The next was African American. Her skin and hair appeared damp with dark blue highlights. The last was a sandy brown girl with classic caucasian features. Each, again, sent a shiver of lust through Kai who struggled to channel the emotion away in annoyance.
"Stay out of my way. You can follow behind me until we break away from the walls of this place. Each of you is to go a separate direction. You are not to follow Doctor Alani and myself. If you do, I will kill you myself." He threatened, despite the severe doubt in his mind that he would be able to actually bring himself to harm any of these women. It was another disquieting change in his normally ruthless behavior.
"If luck is with you, they will be unable to give chase. By the time reinforcements arrive, you will be far away. Stay out of the cities. Stealth will be your ally. Do not go anywhere you have been before or meet anyone you know. They will find you. This is all the advice I have time to give you." Kai snapped while stalking back out.
The women followed Kai through the compound as he left the prison ward and entered the research facility. The building's emergency lights cast an eerie glow that gave a sense of foreboding to the laboratories they passed through. The women kept up, pausing only to loot some of Kai's fallen foe's weapons or ammunition he had missed in his haste. They followed him up through the corridors and halls and up flights of unlinked stairs that hid how deep the compound ran. The group stole silently through empty halls, past unremarkable doors and shade drawn interior windows.
All the while Kai fumed. When the women talked he waved at them furiously to be quiet. He refused to listen to their names. He did not want to become attached to them. With the waves of animal passion they provoked, he was not sure even his will could keep such attachment at bay forever. They were not his mission. However, what began to unnerve him most was the calm. None of this was right. It was too quiet. He had expected there to be fighting. He figured he would have met some resistance by now. Where was the mundane security? Where was the other special weapons team?
The answer to all of his questions came when he reached the hall that led into the lobby. The hall intersected the lobby at a forty-five degree angle to the reception desk. Behind the desk was a large representation of the group that ran this compound's polished and shiny logo. Beyond the desk to the other side was a large open room with chairs arranged about the edges for those who had to wait to see someone in the offices that were the building's 'official' reason for existing. The offices that stretched upwards were part of the window dressing that hid the labs that stretched down. The only way out of that area was a set of four double glass doors that opened out into a paved cul de sac. It was meant for delivery trucks to load and unload. What was parked there was not a delivery truck.
"They have a tank?!" The caucasian said in amazement.
"That is not a tank. It is an Armored Personnel Carrier. For us it is even more dangerous. That turret is not a cumbersome anti-tank gun, it is a rotating barrel heavy anti-personnel machine gun. It could mow us all down in seconds. The bullets it shoots are designed to cut through personal armor. Even undamaged my tactical suit could not take the hits from it, nor can the powers I have learned to harness stop enough of its damage to allow me to get close." He pointed. "If you look carefully into the reflection of that polished logo, you can see there are many men outside. Some of them obviously professionals using the APC as cover. As soon as they see us they will fan out and form a semicircle of death preventing anyone from escaping this building." Kai explained not so much for their benefit but for his own. He was trying to jar his mind into thinking of some way out of this.
"That thing was not in my intelligence file. With their commander defeated, they were supposed to be panicked. It looks like the second in command is a better thinker than the superior. I came in through the cargo doors, however, the way I came in is now blocked with rubble. It was directly above the generators I destroyed." Kai pondered furiously.
The APC turret was not fully enclosed, but it gave considerable cover. The operator's station was protected by a bullet resistant plexiglass shield covering the gunner's vision range. He could hit the gunner if the turret was turned at a 90 degree angle from where he was firing. It seemed rather implausible the gunner would politely turn the turret from the location being watched so he could dispatch him.
With that level of secure cover he would not be able to pick off the security guards. He could, perhaps, fashion an improvised anti tank weapon in the labs below, but, while there were many things that might start fires or explosions, there was little that would create an explosion on a scale dangerous to the APC.
"I can kill them." The thin blonde said, interrupting his thoughts.
Kai looked up annoyed. "Explain yourself."
"They made us practice and demonstrate our powers. They were trying to learn how we do what we do or some such. The energy in us can be collected and channeled out into an attack made of pure power" She started to explain.
"Yes, I can do this as well. It is exhausting and not damaging enough to destroy such a weapon." Kai said dismissively.
"Did you know then that we can link together and make such assaults stronger?" The Native American added.
"Now that I did not know." Kai said cautiously.
The blond extended her hand. "We managed to keep secret that we can link to more than one at a time or how much stronger it can become. We kept a lot of secrets hoping to use them to escape."
"Nicole can send words to someone's ears even when she is somewhere else. Ashley knows where everyone is in a wide sphere around her when she focuses. Amber can project an aura where we all respond with the same instincts. Kayla knows when we're being watched even by remote. I can invert my powers to heal to infect people with illness. We kept these powers from them. They are part of what they don't know." Terra interjected.
Kai looked at the women with begrudging respect. The ability to keep such secrets when under intense interrogation would have been very difficult. These women were stronger willed than he would have given them credit. It only added to the growing sense of arousal he felt and he struggled to fight it back down.
Nicole extended her hand. "Take my hand. Draw your power to you and hold it." She instructed.
Kai did as she said, his enormous hand enveloping her smaller one. He was genuinely curious as to what would happen. He felt it when his power responded to her own. It was as if sparks ran up and down his body. He could feel a resonance between them. Each woman added her power to Nicole and a feeling of familiarity and rightness washed over Kai, overwhelming him with a feeling of intimacy and connection to the women. As their powers flowed together, Kai struggled to form a elemental bolt. Nicole shook her head.
"Don't shape your power that way. Look at me. Do it like this...it's...well it's better." She claimed.
Kai made the instructed adjustments. His power synched with the others. Somehow he knew this would not be like the elemental bolts of power he had used before.
"Your body is very strong. It could channel more power than any of ours, but you've never used this power in this manner before. I'll lead. We'll make several blasts rather than one powerful one. Do not release your power until we are sure our enemies have fallen." Nicole said.
"If we are doing this let us do it, woman!" Kai said, wrestling with the rising euphoria of having so much power singing through his body.
Nicole nodded and stepped out to get a clear shot. She aimed at a point just beyond the rear of the APC. The bolt of elemental power flowed out from her. It sailed past the APC then exploded outwards.
Everything went white. Kai's ears filled with noise. Gravity lost its hold on him and he lost his grip on Nicole and Terra. He felt himself hit a wall and he clung to it in a desperate attempt to find a point to orient himself.
When his eyes cleared, he saw the entry room and desk were gone as were the next two stories above it. The floor had buckled revealing the steel support beams and plates that armored the labs below. He looked out across the shattered lobby and the cul-de-sac beyond. Everything before him was open to the air. There was a circular path of destruction that stretched the length of two soccer fields. The ground was broken and buckled all over. Whirls of wind surrounded each spot where a man had fallen, resembling small tornados. A larger one wrapped the APC itself. Each man had water leaking out of his nose and mouth. The smell of the sea hung in the air. Strange plants blossomed, spewing a sickly yellow green miasma into the air. There was fire everywhere.
The devastation was total.
Ashley blinked. "Holy Shit!" She said in total amazement.
Nicole blinked. "We'd...umm never tried it with that much power. Actually we'd never really tired it like that at all." She admitted.
Kai narrowed his eyes. "If I was not so happy our foes were defeated, I would strike you for being stupid. You used an untested weapon in a live fire situation? You could have killed us all. You nearly did!"
Kai observed how close the blast had come to them in amazement. On some subconscious level, she must have directed the blast or cut its power to prevent them from being consumed.
"See if the APC still runs. If it does, you four take it and ram the fence. After that you must abandon it. They will surely track it if you do not. If it does not work you will have to climb the fence. Run. Each in a separate direction. Hide. Find cover from the air. Never look up. Avoid cities and anyone you know. Do not follow us. Do not stay together. After seeing this, they might send a missile strike at you rather then try to take you alive." Kai instructed.
The women except Terra ran for the APC. Kai grabbed Terra's hand and began to run to the left of the APC for the fence. His carefully hidden cuts waited for him to hit them and keep going. Just before he hit the fence, Kai felt a burning pain as something slammed hard into his left shoulder. The force hit him so hard he was tossed to the ground. He had been shot. He whirled, pointing his pistol back and upwards. On top of the building was a sniper. They had actually taken precautions in case someone managed to get past the APC. With a measure of respect for his unknown foe, Kai aimed and fired. A second shot from the sniper barely missed Kai's head. The sniper's head went back and to the left as he collapsed.
Kai snarled. "Add one more body to the count."
Terra descended on him. "Be still! You've been shot!"
"Quiet woman! We can not remain here. Let me up!" Kai responded pushing himself to his feet despite the roar of protest from his left shoulder.
"It went right through your armor. You're bleeding. I don't see an exit wound. You have to stay still." Terra said.
Kai pulled a pair of bottles from his belt splashing one on his shoulder a strong antiseptic smell filled the air. The other bottle revealed a putty like substance that grew slightly with exposure to air. He slapped it on the shoulder and it adhered to the skin drawing tight despite the odd angle he'd had to use to affix it.
"What are you doing?!" Terra asked in surprise.
"No time for more. We must escape. Time is life now. We move." He reached over catching the indignant doctor by surprise and flipped her relatively small body over onto his right shoulder before taking off.
"Do not argue or I will have to knock you out. Just hold on!" Kai instructed as he ran. He crashed right through where he had weakened the fence and kept going. He should, he thought, in a few hours be beyond the realm where chance and luck could disrupt his careful planning.
2012
Lunar Base Meeting room..
"I personally debriefed our man on the scene; John Dugen. His trap was well planned. Unfortunately, we had no idea the subjects could produce such a strong effect. His rooftop sniper did inflict damage that should have eventually been fatal given the nature of the ammunition used. Despite this, as we all know, the target some how survived." Klaus reported.
"Do we know how he managed to survive?" The Chef Control asked.
"No doubt these munitions from Pentex failed us." The Form Keeper ventured.
"No. It would seem with her enhanced medical skills, somehow, Doctor Alani must have kept him alive." Klaus reported.
"Most unfortunate." The Dissenter replied.
"Well, as we will see later in the report, while Kai Silbern's survival proved most inconvenient, it was not the most pressing matter. The breakout itself caused more damage to our position than was evident at the time." Klaus said sadly.
Klaus waved his hand at the projection screen bringing up the next section of the report