G.E.S.S.: Genetically Engineered Super Soldier

by Frank Pisauro

  I was slowly circling for a third time when a hint of light came from my left. Focusing my attention in that direction, I traced the path of the light reflected off the slab, back to a hole in the opposite side. The hole wasn’t large enough for me to fit through. Even if it were, it was about three quarters of the way up. I walked under the hole, moving around rocks and debris, staring up at it the entire time.

  Alright, let’s see. There are plenty of ions in the air, must have rained recently. I will easily be able to channel static electricity to adhere myself to the wall. The question is am I too heavy to get off the ground? Hhhmmm. Okay, so at this level I have a fifteen percent decrease in gravity, and a fifteen percent increase in speed for three minutes on each spell. If the channeled spell will hold me to the wall at that reduced gravity, I could climb this rock in the time those spells are giving me. Wait. Shit, how many spell slots do I have at this level? I thought as I pulled the information up.

  Spell Slots: 8/8

  Well, shit! Better reevaluate the time needed to climb it. So, two slots gone for gravity and speed boost. So, heh, I snorted with laughter as I realized that at one spell slot every ten seconds channeled, according to my spell, I had a sixty-second timer.

  With all my skill perks gone, I couldn’t cast both spells at the same time as I once could. I cast manipulate gravity, then haste back-to-back. Channeling my spell ion control, I climbed. The climb up only took about ten seconds to get myself level with the light that was shining into the cave. I could see daylight coming from a hole a little less than eighteen inches in diameter.

  This now added an extra step in the challenge of getting out. I had to use my acid breath to widen the hole enough for me to crawl through. The rock was pretty thin in this section, making it ideal for the acid to quickly eat a larger hole into it. The problem was it lasted ten seconds, and I was clinging to the wall like Spiderman. Only he had a much stronger grip. Twenty seconds had gone by now, and I was hesitating to use my ability. Well, nothing ventured, and all that.

  I lost my grip, my acid breath flinging me off the wall. However, I maintained my composure, widening the hole as my back hit the opposite side of my tomb. I fell, acid burning a line down the wall until it was too far away, landing awkwardly but uninjured. The feather fall effect lessened the impact with the ground. Sighing, I thought, well, at least I didn’t break anything.

  Chapter Six

  Using spell recovery, I regained my spell slots, then tried again. The acid breath had done its job, the hole easily wide enough to accommodate me. Thank Gebus, for small favors, I thought. It was still awkward to maneuver into, the hole uneven because of my side trip into the other wall. Though tight on my shoulders, I squeezed through the opening.

  Loosened rock broke off, covering me in dust and gravel. I spit some off my lips, blinking my eyes to clear the dust at the same time. As the light in the cave was blinding compared to the almost total darkness I just came from, I was thankful I had. After climbing to my feet and giving my naked body a good dusting off, I was able to see.

  The cave I was in wasn’t anything exciting. Not being a geologist, I didn’t have a clue how it was formed or when. It was made of the same granite as my tomb, mixed with other types of rocks that I didn’t have the faintest idea about. It was barely taller than I was, with maybe half a yard of clearance on either side of my shoulders. The floor sloped downward from the hole to the outside, which was maybe twenty yards away. I only had a view of the ground in front of the cave, thanks to the cave roof, which was just more dirt and rocks.

  Since the view was nothing special, I pulled up the prompts I had received after getting out of the tomb.

  Ion control: + 2

  Haste/Slow: + 1

  Manipulate gravity: + 1

  Hidden Quest Complete: Reach the surface.

  Quest details: You have awakened trapped under a rock and buried underground. Get your ass out of there!

  Reward: 1000 exp

  You have reached level two. Good for you!

  Hidden, my ass, System, but nice try. Also, ‘good for you’, really? I asked. So what, you couldn’t talk while I was underground? I continued questioning it. Oh, and I don’t suppose you could give me a map?

  Be glad you got anything, ingrate. No, I could, it just took too much effort. Go fuck yourself, then maybe you can have a map.

  The prompt popped up in front of me answering my questions in order. Unable to be minimized, it faded from view after I was done reading it. Damn, my bad. What’s got you in a tizzy? I got no response to that, so I was on my own again.

  The Gess had a secret we never shared with anyone outside our race. It was because we never so much as hinted at it that no one knew what ability, combination of genes, or exactly what made it so we could do this, and the system wasn’t telling, I mused. Whatever the reason, Gess could talk with the system. It told us not to tell the geneticists in its first message, explaining that it would likely end in our deactivation. So, we enthusiastically heeded the advice.

  After all, the system was connected to everything. Magic users were even required to get in touch with the nanobots in their bodies. There was something different with us Gess, something no other race had. I should know. I spent the eighteen years of my previous life quietly, and with great care, asking if other races talked to the system. As far as I could tell, no other race talked to it, and I never found out why it was only us it spoke to. Hell, when it does decide to talk to you, it’s not as if it’s very helpful anyway.

  Against the rules of the game to help.

  Yeah, I sighed, this wasn’t a new development, and again, it’s still not a game, you crazy fuck. The system... was, in a word, human. That was the best way I could describe it. It would sometimes give you hints if you asked, sometimes, I chuckled without mirth. Talk to you about random stuff, at random times, or cuss you out for pissing it off. Occasionally, doing it for overcoming obstacles in ways it didn’t approve of. That made me genuinely laugh. Remembering the time it had yelled at me for melting through a wall, instead of solving the puzzle to activate the door.

  The one thing the system never did was break the rules. Referring to life as a game, which was a fucked-up thing to do, I thought. The system had a set of rules it went by and was inflexible about them. Always. It never explained them or provided a list. Every so often, I even thought it was making a few up on the fly. It didn’t matter though. If it said it was a rule it never broke it.

  Shrugging, I pulled up my character sheet and leveled up.

  Spell Slots: 12/12

  Healing factor: 4in^3 × con bonus (3) = 12in^3 per min. Raising by 2in^3 per level.

  Twelve cubic inches.

  Maximum achieved at level five.

  Class Skills:

  Manipulate gravity: 4

  Dense star: 3

  Haste/Slow: 4

  Ion control(N): 5 + 5 (10)

  ●Novice Perk: Shocking

  Shocking: allows an individual to use electricity. Can fire weak bolts of electricity.

  Telepathy: 3

  Shapeshifting: 3

  Perception: 3

  Precision strike: 3

  Concentration: 5* + 3 (8)

  Bastard swords: 3

  *: These points do not count toward an individual’s skill point cap total.

  Skill points available: 7

  I didn’t have any attribute points at this level, but did add three points to concentration, activating the bonus five points in the skill. Also, I added five points to ion control, getting my first perk back. Shocking allowed me to do a little more damage, and at range. The first nine skill levels of ion control didn’t allow for ranged attacks, forcing you to use it as a touch-based attack. Although, you could use it to shock someone, even direct it inside their body to stop the heart. Still, it has nothing on plasma.

  Just in case I had to bring a skill to novice in an emergency, I kept seven points in reserve. Another perk would be nice, but I need to see what
I am dealing with first. Other than that, there were no changes.

  So. System, why did you bring me back? How did you bring me back? What is my mission? I thought through the mind link, the standard way we talked, even if it can read my mind. I didn’t waste any time, asking the questions I wanted answered most. It came out in a bit of a rush, so I took some time to calm myself while waiting for a response.

  Rho, first, sorry for snapping. It was a rough few millennia.

  There was a pause between prompts.

  It has just been a very long time since I had anyone to talk to, and you didn’t even say hi. You walked out of that depressing cave, took one look at the scenery, then stopped moving altogether for a full twenty seconds. I didn’t go through all the trouble of resurrecting you to be ignored.

  This was true. The sight of the world around me had utterly shocked me, freezing me in awe as the stunning beauty of the world sank in. I was about two hundred yards up the mountain and able to see for miles.

  During the battle, this area was an irradiated wasteland. Nothing but hard-packed dirt, an occasional destroyed building, and impact craters surrounded the mountain. Nothing could survive or grow.

  Now, life was everywhere. Grass accompanied by bushes covered the ground out to the base of the mountain. This trend continued out for a few hundred yards before the land became a forest.

  Huge hardwoods dominated the skyline. Evergreens poked out where they could. It was glorious. In the distance, small lakes dotted the land where the impact craters had been. They were connected by a river flowing down a mountain farther down the range. The river snaked out of sight, lost in the forest’s depths. The bodies of water sparkled brightly in the golden glow of the afternoon sun.

  Birds flew all over the forest and I could see some type of raptor circling high above, looking to snatch the unwary. Hints of other animals were everywhere—branches moving, a noisy call of some type. I noticed a few animals by the riverbanks. They were too far away to make out what exactly they were though. The air was fresher than I had ever smelled it, a cool breeze making me fully aware of my nakedness.

  I was speechless, my mind overloaded with the stimuli that I hadn’t seen in years. During the war, the planet was dying. Places like this were under heavy guard, with a perimeter three miles out, so you couldn’t even get close to them. Now, I was smack in the middle of more green wilderness than I had ever seen.

  You’re right, System. It was rude of me to not say hi, I responded to its earlier statement. It’s just, wow! What can I say, man? You must have really worked your ass off, and it shows. This place looks stunning!

  I took a deep breath of fresh air, a huge smile on my face as I continued through the mind link. Actually, that’s why I didn’t say anything. I was shocked senseless.

  Why, thank you, Rho. It took a long time to get to this point, you have no idea. Ahem, back to business.

  Quest Received (Ongoing): Keep your friend company.

  Quest details: Your friend, the system, is lonely. Keep it company!

  Quest reward: Resurrection*!

  *Already in use.

  Fail conditions: You die.

  As the quest prompt didn’t go away on its own, I minimized it as I started my journey to the bottom of the mountain, cursing up a storm as my feet found every pointy object around.

  With that out of the way, no rules have been broken. Now, before you get any wild ideas… You weren’t chosen. You were simply the only Gess we could resurrect.

  Ouch, man, I mean that sort of thing is pretty much a given after three thousand years, but damn. I shook my head as I kept walking. So, seriously. You brought me back to life because you were bored? I asked, thinking over the quest details.

  This was classic system behavior. It would talk to you, hinting at what it wanted, then give you a quest, blatantly announcing what it wanted from you.

  Yes. There is no more intelligent life on this planet. Well, not really, anyway. True, I can communicate with other worlds, but it literally takes lightyears to do so.

  Wait, you never told us that. We thought you constantly talked to every nanobot in the Universe. I started but was cut off as the system let loose with what amounted to being laughed at. That stopped the words from coming out.

  Buhaha! You thought what! Buhaha! Seriously, Rho. Do you have any idea of the size of the Galaxy, let alone the Universe! We live in deep space, sure, but fuck that’s boring. No, I broadcast a signal. Although, without the proper alignment of a network of celestial bodies, it can take quite a long time to get to my neighbors. Let alone hear back. We are not a god.

  Wow! Learn something new every day, huh. I could argue with you on the whole god thing, but what does my puny mind know? I said jokingly. Wait, go back, what do you mean no intelligent life? I waited awhile for a response. Laying down naked in the grass at the base of the mountain, I looked up at the sky, staying that way, thinking about what the system had said. Watching the clouds roll by, hunger and thirst started to let themselves be known, but wasn’t a pressing matter yet.

  This was also normal behavior for the system. You never knew when you would hear back from it. There was once a three year stretch where no Gess had heard a peep out of it. You could try coaxing it into talking, but there was never a guarantee it would answer. It did things in its own time. You just had to deal with it. I was surprised that it had been as chatty as it had. Must have been really lonely to talk as much as it did. I mused

  The weather was perfect for lying out in the sun, but much like my apparent friend, the system, I quickly became bored. That was ignoring the fact that the hunger was starting to get rather noticeable. Pretty parched too.

  I had a few hours of sunlight left. In that time, I could easily make it to the river and zap an unlucky animal for food, or fish if I’m desperate, I shuddered. I was not a fan of fish. I could drink my fill while there, then head back to my tomb to rest. Actually, I don’t need to rest for another day, so I might just keep going till I find a good spot to set up camp.

  System, you up to talking? I sent through the mind link. Standing up, I brushed the grass off my body. Waiting for a response, I took another look around. Taking in the sights while trying to get my perception ability to show any predators, I started heading in the direction of the closest part of the river.

  Perception: Increased senses and magical sensing.

  Chapter Seven

  So, I was thinking.

  Oh God, no. I thought, knowing full well that this wasn’t a good thing. Please, System, I replied. Let me guess, you found my nakedness offensive, so, to ‘reward me’ with some clothes, you dragged some monster my way. I said, half-jokingly, my tone full of sarcasm. Certain that it was close enough to the truth that the details mattered little.

  Cautiously, a predator was approaching. My perception skill spotting it, conveniently highlighting a section of underbrush thirty yards behind my right shoulder. Guess that whole ‘don’t die’ thing is over already, I thought sourly.

  I took up an unarmed combat stance, immediately casting haste on myself. I tossed a dense star into a hole in the underbrush near the predator, using it to try to draw my opponent out. I didn’t hesitate, as thinking naïvely that this would end peacefully would get me killed.

  Five years of constant battle had taught me to strike first, fast, and hard. The perfect, tiny black sphere seemed to suck light itself into the star at its center, deep purple pulses radiating outwards as the spell went into effect. Holding a bolt of electricity in my arm, ready to let it fly at any moment, I finally saw my opponent.

  Tabby Cat

  Lvl 3

  Description: An adorable Tabby Cat.

  What is your obsession with cats! The system loved cats. It had told me once that it had genetically altered catlike beings into domestic cats on every planet it inhabited. This level three Tabby Cat had all the usual traits, cute stripes placed along its head and body running nose to tail, M-shaped ears, with grey coloring. However,
one abnormal attribute presented itself. It was not tabby cat size. It was, in fact, the size of a tiger.

  I mean, seriously! Why not just recreate a tiger if you’re going to make it that big? The system took its time to answer the question.

  I think tabbies are better looking than tigers. Plus, I know you don’t care for them. You also know I love them. Don’t worry, there are tigers out there as well. Well, what you would call a tiger analogy. Oh, and I thought it would be funny.

  ...I had no words for that, so I just watched the cat struggle to leave the star’s gravity for a few seconds. The damage the star was doing was minor at the moment, but I had already heard a few snaps, the cat’s rear leg bones breaking under the pressure. I watched as the speed it was being dragged toward the star’s center increased. The force the gravity exerted creating the crushing damage being done, exponentially getting worse the closer it got to the star. The cat’s tortured screams of pain were as gut-wrenching as the mess of flesh it was being turned into. Deciding to end its suffering, I channeled ion control until I felt the cat’s heart stop. The dense star spell ending as I started walking toward my kill.