Mission 11 – Connections
Dr. Zenotabi plopped into the desk in his office. He flicked on the computer that adorned his desk. He checked the records for the results of Damon's recent CAT scan. Which this time, even Obsidian had agreed to allow. Damon and Fox were being tended to, and now Zenotabi was going to see if his fears were correct.
He stared at a model on his computer's screen, a three dimensional replicate of Damon's brain. For the most part the surface of the cadet's brain appeared normal, but hidden below the surface were three small discolorations, one in the cerebellum, and two in the cerebrum. The doctor zoomed in closer on one of the discolorations, and found the culprits. It was a small metallic implant, with small fibers which directly imbedded themselves into the neurons of Damon's brain. The three probes have been placed in three strategic locations too. The cerebellum controlled the locomotion and muscle contractions of the body, while the other two probes were placed on the visual and auditory centers of the cerebrum. It didn't take too long for the doctor to figure out the purpose of these implants either. They gave Leon control over the sight, hearing, and movements of Damon's body. He was Leon's eyes, his ears, hands and feet.
He typed into his computer, pulling up the personal files of Damon. He wanted to investigate something. Back when Damon was first found, there had been some brain surgery done to him. Obviously whatever was inside his head now was not natural. He knew that from the beginning. Whatever Leon had put into the boy's head, it allowed Leon to take full control of his cerebral functions. Damon had gone from Leon's personal slave, to his very own marionette. It was obvious why Damon had blackouts and seizures, the aftereffects of whatever Leon had put inside him. It also explained why Damon remembered nothing. These things gave Leon complete control, so really Damon was unconscious, but his brain was still recording the images. They obviously surfaced as recessive images, and the nightmares he had.
Zenotabi looked at the model another time. These small mechanical implants were marvelous. It gave Leon complete control. Irremovable, the only way to stop the control was to destroy whatever was controlling him. Even if that connection was severed, Damon would still suffer the cerebral damage, he would suffer the seizures and blackouts for the rest of his life. Leon had worked for Andross as a geneticist, but really should have been working in the field of engineering and mechanics.
Now the only question was how to stop the connection when they couldn't find Leon himself. The boy was like a walking antenna. Maybe there was a way to block the signal. Zenotabi had to think of a way, it was too dangerous to allow Damon to go free. They had already seen what Leon could do with Damon. Damon lost all will, he basically became Leon. Leon could push Damon harder too, even in the boy's critical state of health he had sat straight up and choked Fox. Not to mention taking several laser shot wounds to his abdomen. Damon would have to be put back on intensive care. Fox would be released by the time he awoke. But what happened couldn't be allowed to happen again. There was a signal, a connection, a link between Leon and Damon. Zenotabi racked his brain, trying to formulate a solution. He couldn't jam the frequency, it might endanger Damon. The implants could go spastic and cause Damon to die. Removing the implants would be by far too dangerous, easily resulting in massive irreversible brain damage. The only option was shielding. It would be a burden on Damon, but it was the only way to protect him from Leon's control.
The door suddenly opened, and Obsidian entered the room. The young wolf was avoiding direct eye contact with Dr. Zenotabi, for obvious reasons. "Father, I apologize for going against your will with my foolish requests. I should not have interfered with your plans . . . Please forgive . . . and punish me."
"I forgive you, son." Zenotabi smiled gently, "And Jade will give you another fifty lashes for your punishment. Is that fair?"
"Yes father, thank you for your kindness." Obsidian bowed, then took off his shirt, and unraveled the blood stained bandages around his chest and back. His back was still raw from the last whipping, and now he was going to be whipped again. However, there was no questioning of his father's decision. He will be punished, exactly as he was told. The wolf crouched down on to the ground, leaving his back exposed.
"I am very proud of you, Obsidian." Dr. Zenotabi said as the black cat entered the room. "Jade, I want you to give your brother another fifty lashes, now." The doctor handed the black cat a whip, which seemed to be reluctant to take it.
"Father . . . why?" Jade asked, staring at Obsidian on the ground, and the whip in her hand. "Was the last one not enough?"
"Your brother's reward had caused more harm than good. For that, he deserves to be punished. Give him fifty lashes, and don't make me ask again." The doctor continued to read the documents on his desk, as if he didn't care about the punishment at all. In truth, he felt sorry for Obsidian, but this was the only way to keep his "children" in check. They were far too powerful.
"One . . ." Jade cracked the whip, hitting Obsidian in between the shoulder blades. She couldn't help but tear, "Two . . . Three . . ." Each lash pained her almost as it did for Obsidian. The young wolf closed his eyes, gasping every time the whip made contact with his skin. This was much more painful than the last one, since his back was already raw to start with.
Jade just wanted to get his brother out of his punishment, somehow. The cat tried to lash a tad softer. By the fifteenth lash, Obsidian lay sprawled on the ground, shuddering in pain. "Father, please, this is enough."
"Jade, I want fifty lashes, not fifteen." Dr. Zenotabi demanded, "Keep going, I'll keep the count."
Jade did not continue, she stood there, tears streaming down her eyes. "Father, please. Obsidian can't take another thirty five lashes. Please spare him."
"Fine, give him another fifty then." Dr. Zenotabi stood up from his chair, his voice raising. "You two are getting more and more rebellious by the moment. What happened to you? I thought you were perfect, obedient children!"
Jade dropped the whip on the ground. "Father, you still owe me a reward for capturing Pigma and safeguarding him. I request you to exempt Obsidian from his punishment."
Zenotabi eyed to wolf on the ground, lying in a small puddle of blood. "Jade, keep in mind that I do not owe you anything," the doctor declared, "But I will exempt Obsidian from his punishment, as your reward for capturing and safeguarding Pigma. You are both excused."
"Thank you very much, father." Jade said, picking up Obsidian's bandages and dressed the wolf's wounds quickly. She could sense that his father was not in the best of moods, as a result of her request. However, the deed was done, and Obsidian was saved from her father's wrath. Supporting the young wolf under an arm, Jade carried him out of the office.
Fox was lying peacefully in bed, still unconscious from his incident with Damon. He was in a medical gown, his clothes being washed. Krystal was by his bedside, stroking his cheek and waiting patiently for her husband to awake. She felt awful, for both Fox and Damon. Most of her sympathy went out to Damon. While Fox was her husband, she knew he would get better. Unfortunately Damon was severely hurt, and somehow was being manipulated by someone who had tortured him his whole life. Suddenly Fox stirred, and Krystal smiled sweetly at him.
Fox spoke in a slightly raspy voice, "Gee, I have an angel watching over me."
"Are you alright sweetheart?" Krystal asked, concerned for Fox.
"Yes," he smiled, "I just have a bit of a sore throat of all." He rubbed his outer throat. Then he looked down, "Why am I wearing a dress?"
Krystal chuckled, "Oh, just one of my kinky little fantasies." She gave Fox a coy wink and blew him a kiss.
Fox grinned, "Oh, seems you are an angel, and I just woke up in paradise."
Krystal chuckled, "Down boy, I want a little more privacy. I don't want the doctors thinking I'm attacking you now. Let's get your clothes and head home, then you can be a naughty little foxy."
Fox leaned over and kissed Krystal, "I can't wait," he said slyly, "but can we skip the skip the clothes and go straight to the ship? All that work involved after all."
Krystal grinned, "Sure; that is if you want to walk home in that."
Fox again looked down at himself, "Right…clothes…let's go…" Krystal laughed as Fox blushed profusely at the prospect.
Obsidian stood by Damon's side, holding a large metallic helmet. The young hybrid had been severely injured during his fight with Fox, and large parts of his intestines, stomach and pancreas had to be removed. His lower spine had been severed by a laser blast too, and if it wasn't for his regenerative capabilities, the kid would most likely be dead by now.
The young wolf stood there, looking at the teenager remorsefully. It was his fault entirely, a foolish mistake to go against his father's intentions. Although he had been punished, he still could not forgive himself, or perhaps he would never be able to. The wolf glanced at the object that he was carrying, an incredibly burdensome helmet, made of thick lead. This was Dr. Zenotabi's idea of blocking the radio waves from the metallic implants of Damon's brain. It was only the prototype, and Zenotabi was already working on more ergonomic and elegant designs. For now, Damon would have to bear with it, for his own and others' safety.
Obsidian gently lifted Damon's head off his pillow, and crowned his head with the lead helmet. The openings for the eyes were quite small, but it was shaped correctly to mold over Damon's eye sockets. The hybrid's large ears had a harder time fitting through the small ear holes, but the helmet was quite apt for the most part. Damon now looked like a warrior of ancient times, except this helmet was at least three times as heavy, and twice as thick.
The door to the room slid open, and Sirus Ares entered the room. The older wolf was obviously worried with Damon's conditions. Seeing that Obsidian was there, Sirus halted before continuing. Obsidian was dangerous, and his objectives were often unknown. "Hello, Obsidian." Sirus said, waiting for the younger wolf to respond.
"Sirus, Father and Boss said it should be alright if you tell Damon who you really are now. But keep in mind that you should tell him, and only him." Obsidian turned around, revealing a sad face. "Perhaps that could cheer Damon up a bit."
"Are you sure? I am only afraid that Fox and the others might know." Sirus looked at the young wolf curiously, "Our relationships have not quite bonded yet, and I am afraid Damon might not be able to keep this secret. Besides, wouldn't Leon know too?"
"You can tell him whenever you think you are ready." Obsidian replied, "Leon would not know, because we've blocked his transmissions with two inches of lead on Damon's head."
Sirus raised a brow at the wolf's explanation, and took a look at the hybrid himself. "Err . . . Isn't that quite heavy? Damon would be quite uncomfortable in it . . ." A helmet made of two inches of lead must make Damon's head twice as heavy as usual, or maybe even more.
"Well . . . I guess that's the only way for now. We are coming up with better solutions, but my father is quite busy lately." Obsidian replied, stroking Damon gently and caringly, even under Sirus' watch. His father was right, he had bonded with the teenager quite well. Unexpectedly well.
"Obsidian, may I know who your father and your boss are?" Sirus watched Obsidian caressing Damon, smiling at the image. "They both seem awfully concerned about Damon."
Obsidian pondered for a while, trying to decide if he should answer Sirus or not. At the end, the young wolf nodded. "My creator, or father, is Dr. Zenotabi, while my boss is General Pepper. Father personally cares more about Damon, because he is also Damon's personal doctor. As for why Pepper is concerned, I have no idea. I think my boss is more concerned about you, or who you used to be."
"So Pepper is you boss . . ." Something suddenly surfaced in Sirus' mind. "So he was the one who saved me from the execution?" Thinking back on the interrogation, Pepper didn't seem to be merciful at all. He was the last person Sirus expected to come up with such a plan, to kill what was Wolf, but keep his mind. Now that he thought about it, it made perfect sense. Only someone with so much influence over the military and government could pull of such a task. As for Dr. Zenotabi, he was still veiled behind mystery. The only thing Sirus knew about Zenotabi was that he was the creator of Jade and Obsidian, and a personal doctor of Damon. However, Sirus suspected that there was more behind what Obsidian claimed he was.
"Who else would do such a thing, except maybe Leon Powalski?" Obsidian said with a faint smile, "Only he has the right people to do it in the whole Lylat system. It took us a long time to plan it out, you know. The hardest part was finding your look-alike. We couldn't just pick people off the street and shoot them in the head."
"So who did you shoot in the head?" Sirus asked curiously. The conversation was quite interesting, since Obsidian was finally revealing information to him. "Except me, that is."
Obsidian chuckled, "We ran a scan on all the citizens of Corneria in the government database, trying to find a person with a face that looks somewhat like Wolf O'Donnell, with the least friends and family members, but we couldn't find anyone suitable in the database, so I had to hunt for someone. I tracked down a homeless fellow for a few days, figured that no one would bother to look for him if he goes missing, and shot him in the head, the exact same place Jade shot you. The rest was quite easy. While you were unconscious, we gave you some plastic surgery, so you don't look like Wolf O'Donnell, and of course, your eye. "
"You talk as if you shoot people in the head more than you eat breakfast." Sirus said with a slightly joking tone. He was both impressed and nervous how much power Pepper controlled. "So what exactly do you do, besides being a good medical student?"
"Since I am technically your brother, I should tell you more about myself." Obsidian sat on the foot of Damon's bed, being careful so he would not disturb the little hybrid. "The Ares family is also part of General Pepper's plan, to give you an entirely new start. I am sure you already read about your family history. Both our parents grew up in an orphanage, just to eliminate any familial bonds for anyone to trace. Our parents died quite early, and you looked after me when we were kids. You got drafted into the army during the Lylat wars, and I haven't seen you since, until two weeks after Wolf O'Donnell's death. Quite a sweet story, don't you think?"
"What about Jade? Where did the second cousin thing come from?" Sirus asked, not completely interested with his personal history, since he had read that in his papers already. However, this Jade character remained quite mysterious.
"Biologically, Jade is my sister, or as close as anyone could possibly be. She was also created by Dr. Zenotabi. In some ways, we are no different than Damon here. Our father managed to tweaked parts of our DNA to enhance our body functions, such as our senses, our muscle and bone structure, and intelligence." Obsidian took a breath before continuing, "The only drawback is that our father had created another species, and the only individuals of that species are Jade and I, as far as I know."
"Hmm . . . Are you sure about that? Experiments like these usually take more than one try. It's quite possible that you have more relatives than you think." Sirus replied, as he scratched his head. "But I am not an expert on these things. I am just a pilot . . . Who knows."
"Well, there is a possibility, but I don't want to stick my nose in things that could get me killed." Obsidian answered, "Maybe I am telling you more than I should. But I guess it doesn't matter that much . . ."
"Don't put yourself in danger because of me, Obsidian." Sirus said, giving the young wolf a concerned glace, "I don't want to lose a brother."
Obsidian smiled, "You are really into it, aren't you?"
"Ah, so they have finally figured it out." Leon Powalski chuckled, "About time." Tomorrow was Pigma's execution, but neither Leon nor Andrew was planning on letting that happen. No matter what, Pigma was still part of the team. "Andrew, let's get ready."
"You know . . . I have a bad feeling about this." Andrew replied, "They are probably waiting for us to show up."
"I know they are, but they are not expecting how many of us would show up." Leon smiled, "We have more supporters than you think, Andy."
"Like what? The last time I checked the whole darn planet is partying because Wolf died. I don't believe we have too many supporters." Andrew said with a worrisome voice. Leon's reply was a laugh, a maniacal one: A laugh that sent a chill up Andrew's spine.
"You forgot how easily people can be manipulated, Andrew." Leon's voice was calm and melodious, "Especially with my pretty little inventions." The lizard held up a jar, and sitting inside the liquid were many squid-like probes, all in their dormant state. "I have about a hundred here, and that would make about one hundred supporters for us."
"You scare me, Leon." Andrew stared at the jar, "You really do."
"These are modified versions of the three I used on our little freak." Leon continued, "You don't even need to crack open heads to implant them. They are programmed to enter the brain through the olfactory bulb near the nasal cavity. Once in, they would automatically hijack the cerebellum. The fibers are also elongated, so I can control most of the brain with a single probe."
"How the heck did you manage to make these things?" Andrew said, taking the jar from Leon. The probes were inactive, floating around in the jar like little dead squids. Leon was indeed the master of all puppet masters.
Leon laughed again. Reaching up to his mechanical eye, the lizard unplugged it from its socket. The lizard pressed a small button on the metallic orb's side, and a small cylindrical capsule appeared. Carefully, the lizard tugged on the little metallic cylinder, pulling out yet another squid like probe. His eye was the key to his madness.
"You are sick, Leon." Andrew stared at the newly made probe. Who would have guessed Leon made them in his eye? The monkey watched the lizard return his eyeball into his socket. "So what do you plan on doing with these things?"
"I don't know if you are retarded, or if I am just too smart." Leon teased, snatching the jar from Andrew, dropping the new probe inside. "Activate the probes, infiltrate the air force tonight, and shove them in people's mouths or noses while they sleep. When they wake up, I'll be in control." Leon laughed in delight of his plan. With powers like these, who needs super soldiers?
"Leon, so how exactly are you going to do it? We don't have that much time, it's already ten o'clock." Andrew asked, still a little nervous. "The air force base is heavily guarded too, at all times."
Leon sighed, "Andrew, come on, you have as much guts as a dang cat! Go and find a guard who is off duty or something, shove one of these in his mouth, wait for fifteen minutes or so. I'll do everything else using his body. Understand?"
"Yes . . . I should get going then." Andrew said, walking towards the exit of the dark room, carrying the jar. Leon made everything sound so easy, but he never actually did any of the work, except control people. There was no reason to argue though, since it was an excellent plan, even though it may involve some risk taking.
"Oh, before you go, give me that jar." Leon walked up to Andrew and retrieved his probes. Screwing the cap open, the lizard tapped one of the probes in a unique pattern to activate it. Immediately its extensions came to life and twirled around, trying to attack Leon's fingers. The lizard merely, ignored the probe and threw it in the jar, closing it afterwards. "When you've found a decent target, either a guard or a random official, put the one I activated in his mouth, or nose. Within thirty seconds, your target should be unconscious. Just in case, wait until he wakes up. After that, you may leave the probes with the target, which would be controlled by me."
Andrew took the jar, with one of the probes crawling on the side like a captured spider. The monkey grimaced at the probe's sickening appearance, and headed towards the door.
"Good luck Andy, I'll be watching you." Leon said with a smile, "Oh, pick the probe up by the head, and try not to damage the fibers when you do it. You will do more harm than they would to your fingers, just so you know. If you run into trouble, call my cell."
