Part 02: War Journal 1
February 1st 2013
Damnit Sam, what are you doing? Doctor Richard Lawrence told me upon arriving at the Greenland Base that Sam had effectively resigned her position as WOOHP commander and left me in charge. I hope nobody finds out our leader just, in effect, completely abandoned us. It could destroy the already pitifully low morale of the remaining troops. I've got to keep it secret... if it leaks, the entire war effort is screwed.
On the very small upside, the Greenland Base is very close to being fully operational after only 30 hours. All in all I'm pretty proud of the troops we have here. They're determined to follow their orders and get things done. I think it's more because they hate the Zardexian bastards than because they have any loyalty to the human race though. Oh well, I'll take what I can get at this point. I hope nothing too bad happens.
Doctor Lawrence also informs us that the Zardexians may be able to 'mark' their prey with special venom that makes them, basically, stick out like biological spotlights. Fantastic, that's all we need. Now we can't really fight them OR hide from them. But it's only a theory, and he says he needs more time to study the Zardexian we have here to make sure.
This will be the first time we get to look at one of the bastards up close without being dumped into its mouth, so this is a pretty historic time. I wish I could be excited about this, but it just feels like studying a knife. You don't need to know what it's made of to know it can kill you.
Still, here's hoping science can provide a clear answer to our troubles.
Pamela Reynolds
February 2nd 2013
Good God... we got the communications center up and running this afternoon. The casualty reports from every military bunker across the planet have been pouring in ever since we plugged in the last wire. We've been trying to warn them all about the enemy's 'marking' venom, but this puts us in the deplorable position of having to put down our own troops to keep from being tracked.
In a sense though, despite everything, I somehow don't think we humans are all that different from the Zardexians. Even before these creatures came here, I was captured and controlled by a man named Edison. It's probably the ultimate irony that Sam, Alex and Clover saved us from him just two years before The Rev decided to take over the world. Be they human or alien, demons have always been around.
I suppose it's a blessing that the Greenland Base hasn't been attacked by hostile forces yet. Everything's up and running by now, but I almost wish we'd had more technical difficulties. These casualty lists are long enough to make the most hardened General from history break down. There weren't THAT many people left on Earth at the end of the war against the Imperium of Christ.
Is this it? The end of humanity? If it is, it's no rain of Hellfire that's for sure. They promised us Hellfire too. What a gyp.
Pamela Reynolds
February 3rd 2013
Richard Lawrence, the doctor who reported Sam's AWOL state, says he's making progress with the Zardexian corpse. These things are a lot more than one would think by looking at them apparently. Their tentacles are coated with some kind of venom, though Richard hasn't been able to determine yet whether it's for tracking or some other purpose. Strangely, their innards are basically black holes that suck energy from food and pump it right back out again into the surrounding tissue. No word on what happens to the BODY of the person who's swallowed.
Like I said though, they could be made of sugar and flower and it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference to me.
On a personal note, Crimson's been acting kind of strange lately, but when I ask her what the problem is she shrugs me off with a mock salute and turns the other way. I suppose I have been acting different and kinda distant lately, but the casualty reports keep flooding in and the demands of leadership are weighing me down. I can't concentrate on being sociable right now.
As they say, leadership is the loneliest job in existence. I'd might as well get used to it, because I haven't heard anything from Sam, and I'm not contacting her unless I have something to say.
General Pamela Reynolds
February 5th 2013
The war flows on as always. I would have written yesterday, but we got an emergency distress call from the French resistance in Paris that they were surrounded on all sides. There wasn't much we could do but try to act as decoys to draw some forces away from them to let them escape. It's actually my first time seeing a live Zardexian up close. They're horrific beasts, with such fierce bloodlusts... maybe I was wrong about humans being like them. These are true demons.
During the course of our decoy mission, several people got caught by flailing tentacles. I suppose we might have been able to save them... but there wasn't much point in it. They were Marked, whether the Zardexians did it or we did it, they would have died soon afterward anyway. Ultimately, we did manage to get a pretty good chunk of the French unit out of there in one piece. Maybe NOW they'll believe us about the alien tracking abilities.
There is a bright spot in all this. The flood of casualty reports has been reduced from 1500 per day to 1300 per day. We as a species must be getting better at cowering in underground bunkers and hidden bases. At this rate we'd might as well tunnel under the Earth and try to become a race of Mole People. We'd be about as likely to survive.
No, I'm not going to think like that. I'm the leader of WOOHP, the only organization remaining capable of defending the Earth. We'll only die if I fail, and I WILL die before I admit failure. The people need someone to depend on. They need someone to follow. I will give it to them, no matter what it takes.
I just wish it WASN'T me they were relying on. I'm finding it harder and harder to blame Sam for leaving... but that doesn't mean I like the fact that she saddled ME with her duties.
General Pamela Reynolds
February 6th 2013
We've stopped taking casualty reports. What's the point really? It's not like we're actually planning some counteroffensive that will require a lot of manpower. We've been cowering, and occasionally sending out a decoy mission to help another 'resistance cell' get out of a particularly sticky situation. You don't need a lot of personnel for that. You just need to put your hands over your head and close your eyes.
Troop morale is plummeting. Crimson isn't talking to me at all anymore, and Alice keeps shooting me dirty looks. I swear if I didn't know better I'd think they were plotting against me or something. Hell, maybe the troops will mutiny and take me out of this damnable position. I'd welcome it. I'd rather be locked up. As if I'm very free right now anyway.
Richard says he's close to a breakthrough with the dead Zardexian. He's been analyzing the venom to discover its exact properties, as if I really give a damn about some dead alien. We know what their venom does, we know it royally screws us even more than we were already screwed. How much more do we need to know about our ugly invaders? Unless he discovers that they dissolve on contact with water or something, I don't see how analyzing them will help.
God, what happened to me? Looking back on my journal entries, I used to be much more professional and optimistic. And it's only been one Goddamn week. Am I THIS weak-willed that one week of casualties and helplessness have reduced me to a whining, whimpering little coward? I always imagined myself to be a fairly strong woman...
I guess I've learned an important lesson about human arrogance. As if it matters what I learn now. Unless we find a weapon that can punch some serious holes in their defenses, or discover a dramatic weakness, nothing I learn now is likely to matter in a few weeks.
General Pamela Reynolds
February 7th 2013
Richard finished his analysis of the Zardexian venom today. It turns out that its properties are actually two-fold. Like we figured out anyway, it does indeed cause the infected body to emit special pheromones that the Zardexians can scent many, many miles away. But it also acts as an exponentially amplifying sedative. This basically means that it lets them track you, AND slowly relaxes the muscles in your body, rendering you more and more helpless until finally it stops your body's functions altogether.
Joy of joys, yet ANOTHER way in which the human race is screwed. Why couldn't we have been invaded by those little green men we always hear about? They probably wouldn't be able to screw us over so hard.
Who am I kidding? We would've been slaughtered anyway. Damn that Reverend... if it wasn't for him the Earth would've been far better prepared for this alien onslaught. I know that was the REASON he came here in the first place, to soften us up against ourselves so the invasion force would have an easier time. But that only pisses me off more, knowing this was all according to his plan.
Except for the part where he blew up of course. The world heaved a sigh of relief when he died... but the truth is that was only a minor victory. A small beam of white light amid a growing thunderstorm. Now the storm is here... and we're all gonna drown.
Hmm... I should call Sam in the morning. Richard said she wanted me to call when we found out exactly what the Zardexian toxin did. I don't really want to see her now, but she deserves to know the truth, especially if Alex has been infected.
General Pamela Reynolds
February 1st 2013
Damnit Sam, what are you doing? Doctor Richard Lawrence told me upon arriving at the Greenland Base that Sam had effectively resigned her position as WOOHP commander and left me in charge. I hope nobody finds out our leader just, in effect, completely abandoned us. It could destroy the already pitifully low morale of the remaining troops. I've got to keep it secret... if it leaks, the entire war effort is screwed.
On the very small upside, the Greenland Base is very close to being fully operational after only 30 hours. All in all I'm pretty proud of the troops we have here. They're determined to follow their orders and get things done. I think it's more because they hate the Zardexian bastards than because they have any loyalty to the human race though. Oh well, I'll take what I can get at this point. I hope nothing too bad happens.
Doctor Lawrence also informs us that the Zardexians may be able to 'mark' their prey with special venom that makes them, basically, stick out like biological spotlights. Fantastic, that's all we need. Now we can't really fight them OR hide from them. But it's only a theory, and he says he needs more time to study the Zardexian we have here to make sure.
This will be the first time we get to look at one of the bastards up close without being dumped into its mouth, so this is a pretty historic time. I wish I could be excited about this, but it just feels like studying a knife. You don't need to know what it's made of to know it can kill you.
Still, here's hoping science can provide a clear answer to our troubles.
Pamela Reynolds
February 2nd 2013
Good God... we got the communications center up and running this afternoon. The casualty reports from every military bunker across the planet have been pouring in ever since we plugged in the last wire. We've been trying to warn them all about the enemy's 'marking' venom, but this puts us in the deplorable position of having to put down our own troops to keep from being tracked.
In a sense though, despite everything, I somehow don't think we humans are all that different from the Zardexians. Even before these creatures came here, I was captured and controlled by a man named Edison. It's probably the ultimate irony that Sam, Alex and Clover saved us from him just two years before The Rev decided to take over the world. Be they human or alien, demons have always been around.
I suppose it's a blessing that the Greenland Base hasn't been attacked by hostile forces yet. Everything's up and running by now, but I almost wish we'd had more technical difficulties. These casualty lists are long enough to make the most hardened General from history break down. There weren't THAT many people left on Earth at the end of the war against the Imperium of Christ.
Is this it? The end of humanity? If it is, it's no rain of Hellfire that's for sure. They promised us Hellfire too. What a gyp.
Pamela Reynolds
February 3rd 2013
Richard Lawrence, the doctor who reported Sam's AWOL state, says he's making progress with the Zardexian corpse. These things are a lot more than one would think by looking at them apparently. Their tentacles are coated with some kind of venom, though Richard hasn't been able to determine yet whether it's for tracking or some other purpose. Strangely, their innards are basically black holes that suck energy from food and pump it right back out again into the surrounding tissue. No word on what happens to the BODY of the person who's swallowed.
Like I said though, they could be made of sugar and flower and it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference to me.
On a personal note, Crimson's been acting kind of strange lately, but when I ask her what the problem is she shrugs me off with a mock salute and turns the other way. I suppose I have been acting different and kinda distant lately, but the casualty reports keep flooding in and the demands of leadership are weighing me down. I can't concentrate on being sociable right now.
As they say, leadership is the loneliest job in existence. I'd might as well get used to it, because I haven't heard anything from Sam, and I'm not contacting her unless I have something to say.
General Pamela Reynolds
February 5th 2013
The war flows on as always. I would have written yesterday, but we got an emergency distress call from the French resistance in Paris that they were surrounded on all sides. There wasn't much we could do but try to act as decoys to draw some forces away from them to let them escape. It's actually my first time seeing a live Zardexian up close. They're horrific beasts, with such fierce bloodlusts... maybe I was wrong about humans being like them. These are true demons.
During the course of our decoy mission, several people got caught by flailing tentacles. I suppose we might have been able to save them... but there wasn't much point in it. They were Marked, whether the Zardexians did it or we did it, they would have died soon afterward anyway. Ultimately, we did manage to get a pretty good chunk of the French unit out of there in one piece. Maybe NOW they'll believe us about the alien tracking abilities.
There is a bright spot in all this. The flood of casualty reports has been reduced from 1500 per day to 1300 per day. We as a species must be getting better at cowering in underground bunkers and hidden bases. At this rate we'd might as well tunnel under the Earth and try to become a race of Mole People. We'd be about as likely to survive.
No, I'm not going to think like that. I'm the leader of WOOHP, the only organization remaining capable of defending the Earth. We'll only die if I fail, and I WILL die before I admit failure. The people need someone to depend on. They need someone to follow. I will give it to them, no matter what it takes.
I just wish it WASN'T me they were relying on. I'm finding it harder and harder to blame Sam for leaving... but that doesn't mean I like the fact that she saddled ME with her duties.
General Pamela Reynolds
February 6th 2013
We've stopped taking casualty reports. What's the point really? It's not like we're actually planning some counteroffensive that will require a lot of manpower. We've been cowering, and occasionally sending out a decoy mission to help another 'resistance cell' get out of a particularly sticky situation. You don't need a lot of personnel for that. You just need to put your hands over your head and close your eyes.
Troop morale is plummeting. Crimson isn't talking to me at all anymore, and Alice keeps shooting me dirty looks. I swear if I didn't know better I'd think they were plotting against me or something. Hell, maybe the troops will mutiny and take me out of this damnable position. I'd welcome it. I'd rather be locked up. As if I'm very free right now anyway.
Richard says he's close to a breakthrough with the dead Zardexian. He's been analyzing the venom to discover its exact properties, as if I really give a damn about some dead alien. We know what their venom does, we know it royally screws us even more than we were already screwed. How much more do we need to know about our ugly invaders? Unless he discovers that they dissolve on contact with water or something, I don't see how analyzing them will help.
God, what happened to me? Looking back on my journal entries, I used to be much more professional and optimistic. And it's only been one Goddamn week. Am I THIS weak-willed that one week of casualties and helplessness have reduced me to a whining, whimpering little coward? I always imagined myself to be a fairly strong woman...
I guess I've learned an important lesson about human arrogance. As if it matters what I learn now. Unless we find a weapon that can punch some serious holes in their defenses, or discover a dramatic weakness, nothing I learn now is likely to matter in a few weeks.
General Pamela Reynolds
February 7th 2013
Richard finished his analysis of the Zardexian venom today. It turns out that its properties are actually two-fold. Like we figured out anyway, it does indeed cause the infected body to emit special pheromones that the Zardexians can scent many, many miles away. But it also acts as an exponentially amplifying sedative. This basically means that it lets them track you, AND slowly relaxes the muscles in your body, rendering you more and more helpless until finally it stops your body's functions altogether.
Joy of joys, yet ANOTHER way in which the human race is screwed. Why couldn't we have been invaded by those little green men we always hear about? They probably wouldn't be able to screw us over so hard.
Who am I kidding? We would've been slaughtered anyway. Damn that Reverend... if it wasn't for him the Earth would've been far better prepared for this alien onslaught. I know that was the REASON he came here in the first place, to soften us up against ourselves so the invasion force would have an easier time. But that only pisses me off more, knowing this was all according to his plan.
Except for the part where he blew up of course. The world heaved a sigh of relief when he died... but the truth is that was only a minor victory. A small beam of white light amid a growing thunderstorm. Now the storm is here... and we're all gonna drown.
Hmm... I should call Sam in the morning. Richard said she wanted me to call when we found out exactly what the Zardexian toxin did. I don't really want to see her now, but she deserves to know the truth, especially if Alex has been infected.
General Pamela Reynolds