James Cameron and Charles Eglee own Dark Angel. My use is in no way meant to challenge their copyrights. This piece is not intended for any profit on the part of the writer, nor is it meant to detract from the commercial viability of the aforementioned (or any other) copyright. Any similarity to any events or persons, either real or fictional, is unintended (and would really be sorta whacked, given some of the events and persons depicted herein).
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's Note: I just want to take a quick moment to thank Moonbeam once again for her long, insightful review. She brought up some very good points, a major one of which I may end up addressing in a second complement story similar to Three Hail Mary's. (Though this second story would only be a chapter… or maybe two. No more than two. Okay, three, tops. I guarantee it won't be more than three.) More on that later if it happens.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
IV – My Fellow AmericansMax turned on the television and sat back. McElroy's image came onto the screen, looking younger and stronger than Max knew he appeared in person. Hollywood, Max thought with a disappointed shake of her head. Even politicians get serious attention to makeup and wardrobe.
"My fellow Americans," McElroy started, already sounding presidential in addressing the nation as a whole rather than just his own constituents. "It was once said that the young men and women that faced the Great Depression and World War II comprised this nation's greatest generation. Inherent in that assumption was the hope that our people would never again need to face such challenges, that the future promised perpetual security and prosperity, that every generation would be better off than the ones that preceded it. Unfortunately, that dream has not yet come to pass." A good start, Max decided. McElroy was certainly a good orator.
"America's current citizens, this generation, comprise what I feel are actually America's greatest generation. We've faced The Pulse and a resulting economic depression of undreamt-of scale. Unemployment, crime, and hunger plague our daily lives. In the Middle East, the War of '13 demonstrated the tragic consequences of nuclear war. Our allies have deserted us. We are a third world nation. I know these words have been whispered for years, but never spoken aloud. Now it's time to say it, because remaining silent about the truth does not solve the problem. The United States of America, once the world's one and only dominant superpower, is now a third world nation.
"The story is not yet over, however. Recognizing the problem is the first step in solving it. We all know what this nation has been, and what it's capable of being once again. I can remember, as a young man, seeing the look on the faces of men and women when the Cold War ended. The United States had achieved something incredible, and I want to see that look on my countrymen's faces again. Therefore, I am declaring my intention to run for President of the United States.
"Our nation faces challenges greater than most men had thought possible. I believe that first and foremost, we must once again regain control of our own streets, our cities, out towns, our borders. As many of you know, I have been in contact with the leader of the transgenics currently barricaded within Terminal City, in Seattle. All of us have focused on our differences with the transgenics. We see them as creations of science, things rather than people, creatures our government created in some sort of twisted science experiment. This is the wrong way of looking at them.
"I've spoken with many transgenics. They are as human as I am… as all of us are. They were created by our government, and born to human surrogate mothers within our great nation's borders. They're citizens, just like the rest of us. They were raised to be soldiers, to oppose our enemies so that our sons and daughters would never again be placed at such high risk. In my conversations with the transgenics, I have learned that many of them still desire to return to military service. It's what they know; it's what they are. They're American soldiers.
"I am formally proposing a compromise agreement advanced by the transgenics' lead representative. She has told me that roughly fifty percent of her people would re-enlist if given the chance. I ask all of you this – if the transgenics are monsters, as so many people irrationally believe them to be, why would they want to serve us in our own military? A plausible answer to that simple question is impossible to find.
"With many of their people enlisting, the rest have asked that they be permitted to leave Terminal City in peace, to live out their lives as any other American would. These are men and women who have something to offer a nation that needs so very much. It would not only be wrong to continue to persecute these people, it would also be foolish not to take advantage of every asset we have."
Incredible, Max marveled. It seemed fairly convincing on paper, but with him up there on the podium, actually speaking the words with such conviction . . . it's kinda like I would have imagined Cicero, or FDR, or Churchill. Next thing you know he'll be talking about St. Crispin's Day.
"But as Americans, we must also be mindful of the world around us," McElroy continued. "Though our status as a superpower might be a thing of the past, we still have interests across the globe, interests that must be defended. We have friends to whom we have promised assistance and whom we've abandoned for far too long. Once again, war has broken out in the Middle East. I know many of us may be tempted to ignore this, to say that the problems of those on the other side of the world are not our problems. We must never give in to the temptation to see things in such simple terms. This is the 21st century, and warfare is no longer an isolated event." Max started leafing through the pages in front of her, certain that some of the language had been altered. It was nothing major, but she was still unnerved by the fact that the senator had changed anything at all without her consent. They were supposed to be partners in this speech.
"Only three days ago, soldiers and civilians of both the UAR and Israel were exposed to some kind of biological agent. Thankfully, no one will likely ever know for certain what types of weapons were used, as nuclear detonations subsequently vaporized the biological agents. I want every American to think about this. What if there had been no use of nuclear weapons? What if the plague we had all initially feared had been released had been able to spread, to destroy us all? And what kind of after-effects will we face now that a radioactive cloud is floating across the Arabian Peninsula?
"What if there are some whose plans were thwarted by humanity's survival, as grim as the circumstances of that survival may be?" Max felt a lump form in her throat – McElroy was certainly deviating now, and she knew exactly where he was going with his speech. Her head darted towards her right, where Alec was staring at the television screen in wide-eyed disbelief. This isn't the calm, rational exposé of the Familiars that we had all agreed upon, Max fumed silently.
"In my capacity as Senator, I have come across a great deal of information," McElroy explained. "Among my many duties on Capitol Hill, I was on the committee that originally created the Manticore Project, the program that resulted in the transgenics. It was my firm belief that the program would result in super-soldiers that could be used instead of ordinary American citizens. After all, why send in a hundred red-blooded American boys when we could instead achieve equal, perhaps greater, results with a half-dozen transgenics? What I didn't realize in the beginning – what none of us realized – was that the creators of the program had an even greater purpose in mind.
"My fellow senators and I were concerned with the survival of the American way of life, but the visionaries behind Manticore were concerned with the survival of humanity as a whole. They were members of an organization, a secret society, some would even say a cult, which was devoted to the extermination of ordinary human beings. Manticore was created because of this cult, as a means of opposing it.
"As shocking as it is, I've uncovered evidence that the members of this cult – who refer to themselves as Familiars – are the products of a breeding program that's been ongoing for millennia. Just as men have bred the finest horses with each other for centuries, consistently producing generations greater than those that came before, so have the elders of this cult bred their best and brightest. The result is a group of humans with superior strength and intelligence, veritable super-humans.
"I also discovered a terrifying truth – this cult of super-humans is working to wipe out the rest of humanity – us ordinaries. Within the past few weeks there have been two separate deployments of scientifically engineered bio-weapons. Both times, the goal for these Familiars was the complete eradication of humanity. They've made certain that they're immune, and thus they are free to release whatever germs they wish. Both times they failed. While I cannot speak as to the circumstances of the second failure, which involved the use of nuclear weapons, I have learned that the transgenics successfully thwarted the first attempt. The transgenics succeeded in their role as foil to this cult. They opposed them in battle, losing some of their best people, so that ordinaries would survive.
"And let me be clear – the transgenics did not have to do this. They were engineered to oppose this cult. Not only are they physically and intellectually on par with humanity's greatest enemies, they were also given the same immunities to the toxin the Familiars attempted to use. The transgenics could have sat back and waited for this plague to run its course, to make certain that humanity was destroyed. They then could have fought their own war against the cult, with survival and a world for themselves as the prize. Instead, despite our paranoia and persecution of their very existence, they did what they believed was right. My fellow Americans, we are all alive today because of the sacrifice of the transgenics. Is it really so much, then, to allow them to leave Terminal City in peace? Is it out of line for them to ask for the same rights and privileges granted to all other citizens?
"Let me be clear – the transgenics are not the monsters we believe them to be. There are monsters in the world, but as terrifying as it is, these monsters cannot be identified with the naked eye. Unlike the transgenics, they do no have readily visible animalistic characteristics. They do not have barcodes. These Familiars – these cultists – look just like you and me. They could be your doctor, your lawyer, your child's teacher . . . and you would never know. Every minute of every day they plan the extermination of ordinary humans." Max shook her head in disbelief as McElroy went on.
"No," she muttered. "It's not supposed to be like this." Alec remained silent at her side, and Max could only imagine what was going through his mind. She couldn't shake the suspicion that her lieutenant was completely fine with this newest development.
"How can we possibly fear the transgenics?" McElroy asked his television audience. "They were created to protect us all. They're heroes. Yes, they look different, but as I've explained, the real danger is the one we can't see, the one that has worked so hard to make certain it appears no different than the rest of us.
"Even as I speak, members of my staff are transmitting my evidence to newspapers, radio stations, and television news channels across the globe. It won't take them long to verify the facts. And so many people will now be in possession of the truth that this cult will no longer be able to cover up their existence. The truth is out – we all know now.
"I have advocated for the transgenics, but let me be clear – all ordinary humans have been attacked. Whether or not you wish to accept the transgenics' offer of assistance is only part of the matter. We must resolve to hunt down those that look to destroy us. Let there be no mistake – we are at war. This is not a war that the United States alone will fight. This is a war that will involve all of humanity, all of us ordinaries. The Familiars exist. They're out there. And now that they know we know about them, they'll feel cornered. I cannot stress enough the danger that the world is now in. I can only ask that you see the truth, that the transgenics are our allies. It's what they were made for. Accept their assistance now, before it's too late.
"I will gladly accept the role as an intermediary between the transgenics and humanity. Let's gather our strength of will. It's time for America to take its place amongst the world's leaders once more; it's time for humanity to reclaim it's own world; it's time for us to forever find a friend in the transgenics. Thank you, and good night."
To be continued………………………………