The Game Begins
It took nearly two days to crack open the ship's impervious shell.
The entire situation was kept very hush-hush, not even being revealed to the Norwegian government at the time - at least until Alexander had properly claimed his discovery and reaped the profits. Of course, a few people would have to know about what had been found deep in the northern mountains - the workers excavating the site, researchers documenting the find, some government officials making sure the ship remained in Luthor's custody - but all dutifully kept their mouths shut tight when threatened or bribed. Despite the secrecy of the operation, there was no doubt in anyone's mind of the large craft's origins. Some had even seen the light in the sky the day it arrived, but beyond what direction it had come from, only one other thing was certain: whatever it was, it now belonged to Herr Luthor.
The ship in the crater was jokingly referred to as 'the monolith' due to its dark, reflective hull and stubborn refusal to reveal its secrets despite being examined thoroughly by as many supposed experts Luthor could find. They couldn't discover much besides confirming that a) it came from the stars, b) it was designed to travel quickly, possibly even at FTLS, and c) it had barely survived the trip.
'Where did it come from' and 'Why is it here' where questions always on everyone's' lips - 'up there' and 'far away' were the only answers to the former, and the latter - besides a few bad jokes about the 'monolith' ushering in a new age of human evolution (which years later would turn out to be correct, in its own sense) - remained a well-kept secret until the starship finally opened.
The most-favored theory for what the ship might contain was that it held a message - a greeting from the stars, the alien equivalent or reply to the Voyagers' Golden Record. If not that, then maybe it held a gift, such as technology or medicine or some other ground-breaking present. The idea of some sort of extraterrestrial creature lurking beyond the thick hull was an ever-present thought at the site of the crash. If there was something alive in there, was it intelligent? What did it look like? If it proved dangerous, would it have to be killed? Would it even be capable of surviving on Earth?
The question was finally answered nearly forty-eight hours after the craft had landed, in the early morning of the second day since Luthor had sworn not to leave the site until he knew what was inside. A researcher documenting the dimensions of the ship discovered what was possibly an emergency hatch near the forefront, just below where the cockpit was assumed to be. It appeared to be a later addition to the ship, crudely crafted in comparison to the rest of the sleek, naturalistic design, but it did the job of a door by staying thoroughly shut. One of the Norwegian excavators had the idea to go at it with an axe, which Luthor shut down immediately (right before promptly firing the man) and decided instead to force the hatch inwards with a hydraulic jack. A few hours of light snowfall, repeated attempts, freezing wind, and multiple replacement jacks later, the hatch finally gave way.
In the confined space of the cockpit, their efforts were rewarded not with an alien gift or message, but with an alien itself. An infant extraterrestrial - scarred, malnourished, barely breathing, and utterly alone, yet surprisingly human in appearance with its dark hair and blue eyes. There was no sign of any other creatures having ever occupied the ship besides the ornate alien robe the babe had been swaddled in on the captain's seat, likely one belonging to her parent or caretaker.
Once Luthor had gotten over the joyous realization that he had the first confirmed extraterrestrial in his possession, he was extremely disappointed that the creature was far too young to have any significant knowledge of alien races to impart to humanity, not to mention was already on the verge of death. Nonetheless, Alexander understood the importance of the monumental discovery, even if the gift-and/or-message from the stars had arrived in the form of an infant child. If it didn't live long enough to prove useful, it's ship and corpse would do.
The process of quietly removing his findings back to his lab in America went smoothly after Luthor managed to bribe a few high-ups to keep the shipment under wraps, and an esteemed doctor to make sure the child survived long enough to be thoroughly studied. 'Stormkrigeren', as it had been dubbed (a joke among its handlers based on the infant's 'country of origin', fierce personality, and annoying tendency to bite when handled, not to mention the weather when it had arrived) was kept off any important radars and safely smuggled to Alexander's labs in Metropolis, Delaware not long after its ship. Almost immediately, Luthor abandoned the child to a team of professional researchers and doctors specializing in pediatrics and neonatology, all led by the 'Doctor Jones' who worked under Luthor as Stormkrigeren's first caretaker.
Having survived her first few weeks on Earth, Stormkrigeren began to slowly adapt to the unforgiving ecology but was still kept in an atmospherically-regulated incubator most of the time. Now that she was expected to survive longer than the initial estimate, the Project objective shifted from 'keep the infant alive long enough to discover how it is different' to 'discover how the infant's differences can be used to humanity's advantage'.
Various study groups were created to analyze Stormkrigeren and report their findings to Herr Luthor, but for the time being, he left the Project to operate almost entirely on its own. The proper funding to maintain research and the Subject's health was pumped in at the start of each month and compiled reports summarizing the infant's differences went out to Herr Luthor's desk at the end. It went on this way for some time - the weeks marked by regular tests and records revolving around the small child in a glass box, all cloaked in a shroud of secrecy. No one was to know the infant existed and no one was to know where it came from - but most of Stormkrigeren's caretakers could hazard a decent guess. Herr Luthor, one of the few people who could confirm their suspicions, quietly deigned not to discuss what he had found that fateful day in the northern Kjølen Mountains. He rarely visited the labs where Project Stormkrigeren was researched and conducted, but the few occasions that he did were usually silent affairs where he would simply look in to see that the subject was still breathing and decently healthy before promptly exiting without a backward glance.
This happened multiple times over the course of Stormkrigeren's slow improvement, though usually when there were fewer employees in the lab. Dr. Lisa Schreyer, one of the infant's primary caretakers and a specialist in pediatrics and hematology, happened to be on duty during more than a few of his visits, mostly because of the priority of her job, and though she remained wisely wary of her employer, she had eventually gotten used to his unexpected 'checking-ins'.
She was conveniently the only caretaker on duty in the Project lab during Herr Luthor's most recent visit, diligently labeling the latest batch of blood tests from the subject when he unexpectedly arrived and headed straight for the incubator. A few long, tense moments of silence only broken by the low hum of the air pump passed, and Lisa mentally debated whether to wait quietly until he left again or approach him to offer whatever assistance he might require. Her question was answered when Alexander suddenly spoke up, not tearing his gaze away from the glass as he did.
"It is much quieter than last time," he pointed out, the words crisp under his heavy German accent. The young doctor followed her boss's hard gaze to the sleeping infant in the incubator before nodding.
"Yes, she is doing a lot better," Schreyer agreed, "Dr. Jones suspected she might have been suffering from sensitive hearing which was causing her pain, but she seems to have adapted to the noise now that she's off the oxygen."
Luthor nodded, still bent over the glass box where the babe remained oblivious to her watchers before he glanced up at the woman. "So you think it might be allergic to oxygen some way? Because it seems to breathe perfectly fine now, Schreyer."
"Not exactly," she replied slowly, recognizing his dangerous tone and not wanting to anger the man who her coworkers rumored to be violent and willful - though having only gotten the mysterious job a few weeks ago, she didn't know him well enough to have an opinion on the matter.
"She started picking up weight - especially in muscle mass - within her first few days here. Her health has also improved tremendously since she was put on oxygen, but her sensitivity skyrocketed to the point where she was crying at physical contact. We also noticed increased durability in the epidermis which made it harder to take blood samples, so Dr. Jones had to take her off again. Sunlight seems to have a similar effect on her."
"What do you mean by 'durability in the epidermis'?" he asked, repeating the words slowly to correctly pronounce the English syllables, and Schreyer paused before answering.
"We, um, couldn't get a needle through her skin without risking significant muscle damage, sir."
Luthor straightened up, smoothing back his short russet hair without looking away from the infant in the incubator as he nodded sagely. "Interesting."
"Mr. Luthor," Schreyer ventured finally, "Where did you get this child?"
Everyone who knew Stormkrigeren existed silently asked the same question. No one put an infant in a lab unless they had a good reason, unless the child was special in some way. Why was it special? Was it even human? Had he bought it? Found it? Was it his own kid? Herr Luthor couldn't possibly be the father - his wife had died a few years back leaving him a son, who even at eleven years old was already the heir apparent to his father's fast-growing business empire. Of course, there was the occasional rumor of the mogul having a mistress or two, but Lisa secretly doubted the child could have such… normal origins. Something was different about Stormkrigeren - no human infant was this strong or alert or sensitive, and the level of security and scrutiny surrounding it only heightened her suspicions.
The rage that flickered across Herr Luthor's face at her question confirmed that they were well placed.
"It is not your place to ask," he growled, his demeanor suddenly turning dark before he quickly sobered again and changed the subject. "Jones said it is resistant to most sedatives. That makes it both strong and nearly invulnerable."
Dr. Schreyer, mildly taken aback by his sudden attitude change, considered pointing out that her charge wasn't anywhere near being invulnerable, but kept her mouth shut and simply nodded. "Spirited and intelligent too. She's barely a few months old and is already attempting to sit up and watch her surroundings, and she even recognizes some of the members of the study team."
He nodded. "Das gut. That will be useful. Put it on an intense learning course soon as possible - see if it continues to be smart as you say."
"What do you intend to do with her?" Schreyer asked, fully expecting another outburst from the man who obviously considered the child an experiment and not a living being. To her surprise Herr Luthor remained calm, turning slightly to face her.
"You said something about her being spirited? And strong too?"
Dr. Schreyer considered the bite marks and bruises she'd earned trying to handle an infant with the strength of a young boy who clearly didn't want to have her blood drawn yet again, and couldn't help but smile fondly at her innocent charge sleeping peacefully in her incubator. "Yes. Very much so."
Luthor nodded, turning back to stare at the infant. "She'll make a good fighter."
Something in the way he said it gave her the chills, but Lisa wisely decided against asking him what he meant and he soon answered her silent question himself.
"The world is changing fast. We change with it. And when humans change, war changes too," he said softly, "There will be war - there is no doubt of that. It is game humanity cannot stop playing with itself. But this one will be different - unspoken, unknown by many, fought in new territories with new weapons. But it is still the game of war and everyone must play. It's simple: you do not play, you lose. You lose, you die. You win…"
Alexander glanced thoughtfully towards the doctor beside him and smirked at her terrified expression as he pulled a small box out of his coat pocket. Opening it, he removed a gray metal shard, holding it up to the light as he smiled, "You win, you do not die. So we all must play the game life sets before us."
Unsure how to reply, Schreyer said nothing and took a tentative step back to put some distance between herself and the man. He ignored her, glancing from the shard in his hand down to the incubator and its occupant, then set the piece of metal on top of the glass box with a tired sigh.
"Doctor, have Jones take a look at that and get back to me on what he thinks it is," Herr Luthor muttered just loud enough for her to hear as he turned towards the door when she spoke up.
"What about naming her?"
Luthor stopped in his tracks to give her a look that was partly amused and furious that she dared to question him yet again, but shook his head with an eerie calmness, "You read the paperwork. It's only an experiment, Doctor. Experiments don't have names, only title."
"Project Stormkrigeren," she said softly. It was a harsh title, rough on the tongue and eliciting ideas of a dark purpose, but there was no avoiding it and she knew now that it was one her charge would have to bear. Yet she couldn't help but try one more time, "She needs an English name."
Herr Luthor's brow darkened and for a moment she wondered if she'd overstepped her boundaries, though to her relief he only nodded.
"I understand your… sentimental - your sentimental thoughts," he said slowly, frowning at his poor grasp of the language, "Now is not time for sentimental. But if it upsets you too much, I can have something arranged."
"Please," Schreyer urged. The man nodded again, his usual dark look returning as he opened the door of the lab to leave.
"I'm sure my son can think up a more human name for that alien."