by J. A. Scorch
Hoang led him into one of the testing areas he had spent countless hours in already. "Do you remember going in here yesterday?" The doctor asked.
"What? No. I passed out after the needle. I woke up in my bed after a long sleep."
"Afraid not," Hoang said, hands behind his back. "We transported you here to redo one of the fitness tests. Why don't you look at the results?"
A screen lowered down through the ceiling, much like the one in Teve's room. An image filled the frame of him running up and down a small section of ground roughly fifty feet long. Teve ran from one end of the room, touched a line on the floor, and returned the way he came to do the same on the opposite side.
"Here you are completing a three-kilometer run well within the allotted time for someone at your fitness level."
"So what?" Teve said. "You've got me on cam doing a jog I don't remember. What's the problem?"
Hoang smiled, his cigarette-stained teeth showing for the first time. "Let’s speed up the footage a bit. Notice the elapsed time?"
Hoang pressed a few commands on his e-slate and sped up the playback to sixty-four times the normal rate.
Teve stared at a video of himself in fast forward running back and forth along the same space for over six hours straight without breaking form. "What did you do?"
"Quite remarkable, isn't it? This recording goes on for another three hours until we force you to stop. Your endurance is endless."
"How? I don't understand. What did you inject me with?"
Hoang stepped past Teve and pressed a button on his e-slate to change the image on the screen to a view of the city. The twisted wasteland of Los Angeles framed the display, showing the destructive nature of the Zeal as they reshaped the city into their own form. "Your fire team provided us with some necessary intelligence regarding your infection. They say you were consumed by this substance." The doctor pressed a button to show an image of the sticky, purple material found in the sewers below the city near the alien base. Teve and his team referred to it as the goo. During a desperate attempt to find the human-Zeal hybrid known as X, Teve had allowed himself to be infected by the goo to access the Zeal base underground.
"What you are seeing is the virus in its most pure form. I hit you with a distilled version which in turn has afforded you these enhanced abilities."
Shaking his head, Teve stumbled away from the screen and faced Hoang. "How could you? That purple shit is the reason why I'm in this hell hole." Teve's muscles flared. The two corporals stepped into his shadow and blazed their shock sticks. Without thinking, Teve snatched one of the weapons from the closest guard and jammed it into the weak point of the neck on his partner's armor. He pressed as hard as he could, holding down the trigger until the man fell to the ground.
As the second shocker swung around toward Teve's ribs, he blocked the man's advance with an elbow to his face, cracking the thick plastic gas mask his attacker wore. The two guards lay on the floor at Teve's feet as he held out two batons toward Hoang. The doctor didn't blink an eye, appearing unmoved by his patient's sudden outburst.
Before Teve could step a single foot forward, Hoang pressed a button and lowered an acrylic glass partition down between himself and the two shock sticks, preventing an attack. Teve dropped the prods and began kicking at the wall between himself and his target. Before he could do any real damage, several armed guards stormed in and rammed three stun guns into his back. The men and women held down their triggers for longer than Teve had ever experienced, gradually pulling him down to the ground to collapse his fight.
As Teve heaved in and out, struggling to breathe, Hoang stepped out from his box and squatted down by his patient. "That was the result of an extremely distilled vial, fifteen hours after being administered with the substance. Naturally, I had no choice but to throw in some counter measures to the compound to prevent you from gaining too much strength."
"Screw you," Teve said, his lips coated in the grit found on the concrete floor.
Hoang strolled past and muttered something to his guards. A few moments later, the group picked Teve up and dragged his twitching body back to his room, leaving him on the fold-down bedding to recover from a blast full of electricity that should have ended his life.
Chapter Nine
Staring up at a metal ceiling, Porter lay shirtless on his fold-down bed with one arm up behind his head while the other was wrapped around Captain Nicole Cannon's back. The two had made love only ten minutes ago, sending Cannon off into a deep sleep, leaving Porter wide awake with his thoughts.
He didn't understand how she did it—sleeping through the tough times. She always managed to get enough rest each night, no matter what. Even when the fleet faced potential destruction, Cannon still got in at least seven hours of sleep unless her schedule begged otherwise.
As he slowly ran a finger over her soft skin, making random patterns on her back, he thought about Command's new plan. Having seen the capability of a Cyclone up close, Porter started to run estimates in his head as to what kind of losses the MAF might expect to see. No matter how many times he ran the simulation, no matter how lenient he was about specific variables, the figure always came in at a fifty percent loss rate.
Not knowing what to do with the numbers rattling around in his brain, Porter slid out of bed and got dressed. Usually, Cannon tried to steal off into the night as per her rules. Lately, though, he had been noticing she was getting closer to him, but he refused to say a word about it, fearing the reality might scare her off again.
"Where are you going?" she asked with a croaky voice.
Porter turned around to see her rolled over on her side, one eye half shut. "Nowhere. Just going for a walk to clear my head."
Cannon pursed her lips at him as she stretched. "Why don't you come back to bed," she said, pulling down the blanket to reveal her chest.
Porter half stumbled. Granted he had seen her naked body countless times, there was something about the look in her eyes that drove him wild.
"Well? Are you coming back in?" she asked wriggling her hips.
"As much as I'd love to, I really need to take that walk."
"Can I come?"
"Yeah, of course," Porter said. He found her clothing and handed it over. "You might want these."
"I guess so."
Porter was surprised again that she wanted to come on his walk. The Cannon he knew only ever wanted to use him for sex and move on. Simple as that. This new Nicole wanted more than a physical relationship—something he could get used to.
The two left the small room he shared with Briggs. Fortunately, the lieutenant was still on duty at the time of their unscheduled meeting.
They cleared the space and started to walk down the hall, hearing the hiss of the automated compartment seal behind. Outside the safety of Porter's quarters, the two of them should not have been fraternizing as stated by Command. This didn't stop Cannon from sneaking in the occasional touch. If anything, the rule breaking egged her on.
"Where should we go?" She wrapped her hand around his wrist for a moment.
"I don't know. Where do you feel like walking to?"
She let her eyes wander for a moment as she thought about something. "I know. Follow me." Cannon moved ahead of him, dragging him by the hand for a few seconds. "This way," she motioned.
Porter followed her down the hall, taking in her slender, short frame. It wasn't obvious from looking at Cannon, but she could drop the biggest soldier the MAF had without hesitation. She was trained in every kind of self-defense system known. When Porter had asked her about it one day, she simply replied that she never had a choice being a small female officer. Despite hundreds of years of women climbing the ranks the way Garcia and Becher had achieved, there still existed a few men in the service who clung desperately to the old ways.
"Come on, Porter. You're taking too long."
"Okay," he said, picking up the pace. "But I want it on record that this isn't a casual stroll."
She turned back
to him while walking backward. "Casual is overrated." She smiled before turning forward. The three words sent a wave of energy down Porter's body that got him moving. He fought against the instinct to tell her how he felt in case he had misunderstood what she was saying.
Ten minutes later they arrived at one of the smaller decks. A series of open elevators built into the floor were used to retrieve the Stalkers from the landing strip below and return them to the ship's artificial gravity. Cannon moved to the front of the deck to a ladder by the far corner. She started to climb it without hesitation.
"Where are we going?"
"Just follow me, Captain."
Porter stared up at Cannon climbing the ladder as it passed through the ceiling of the deck into an enclosed space barely large enough for him to fit through. "Okay, I'm following. This better be good." He continued up, feeling as if he were entering the innards of the ship until they came out at a small clearing big enough for the two of them to sit up against a metal wall. Wires and piping were wrapped around the space. The area was clearly a maintenance zone for some critical element in the deck below.
"Why are we here?"
Without saying another word, Cannon climbed on top of Porter and shoved her tongue down his throat. The two made out for a few minutes before she answered him.
"This is where I come to escape. I know it's kind of weird, but it reminds me of the places I used to hide in when I was a kid."
"On Earth?" he asked with caution.
"Yeah. On Earth," she said, climbing off him to sit by his side.
The topic was one close to both of their hearts. Cannon, like Porter, was an Earther. She had no other family on Mars and only joined the MAF to fly. Earth's military had their programs too, but Mars was always on the lookout for talent from the home world.
"I heard about your brother. That's amazing news."
"Thanks. I just hope he's still alive when we eventually take the planet. Have you heard anything about your family now that some communications are back online?"
She shook her head. "Not a thing. They were all in New York City in a panic room when the attacks began. The entire area has been wiped out; they're probably dead."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. They were too stupid to listen to the warnings. What is it that makes rich people think they're invincible?"
Porter remained silent, letting her work out the words herself.
"But anyway, don't let me bring you down, Porter. We're going to kick some Zeal ass and find your brother down on Earth doing the same."
"Thanks," he said, giving her a genuine smile. She was one of the few people on board the Andromeda that ever saw it.
"Besides, if he's anything like you, I'm sure he's probably killing Zeal in his sleep." She gave him a weak punch on the arm and chuckled.
The two carried on talking for the next two hours until it was time to head back. The warmth of the small area was hard to leave. If Porter could drag a mattress up to the location, the two of them could snooze there for hours.
On the walk back, the two parted ways, each heading back to their own designated quarters for the remainder of the night. As Porter lay on his bed alone, Briggs murmured something in his sleep on the other side of the room as he always did.
Porter finally let himself fall asleep, for once not thinking about deadly assaults on alien carriers but of hope for the future. One where he and Cannon could head back to Earth, find his brother and start a new life together.
Chapter Ten
Waking up in the small room again, Teve stared around to find it was still daytime. He had only been out for a few hours at most judging by the sunlight beaming through the small barred window. His head pounded with fury, throbbing as if someone had smacked him about with a baseball bat.
Before he figured out whether he wanted to go back to sleep or not, an aroma caught his attention. One of the guards had left his lunch by the front of the cell, waiting for him to ingest the meal in a hurry. Teve scampered across the way and shoveled the concentrated slop down his throat. He had no idea what the food was, or what it was supposed to represent. He simply ate the leavings, feeling better with every bite.
A plastic bottle of water sat by the plate. He polished off the entire liter in a few big gulps, unsure when he last ate a meal or had a decent amount to drink. Time seemed to evaporate in the facility, especially when he was getting shock therapy ever day of the week.
"On your feet, Sergeant," said a familiar voice. Corporal Dorsey stood on the other side of the door, staring down at Teve with his gas mask.
Teve started to wonder if the note had been a hallucination. It wasn't a hard thing to believe given recent times. That was until Dorsey gave him a quick nod.
"Time for an inspection, Sergeant. Move away from the door and place your hands on the far wall."
Teve got up; both hands raised once he was on his feet. He moved slowly over to the wall and placed his hands on the brickwork, leaving his back exposed to attack. If Dorsey had been messing with him, now would be the time to strike.
As the man entered the room by himself, Teve felt a heightened form of perception, as if he could still sense Dorsey walking along and checking parts of the room with his eyes. He shook the thought away as the corporal placed a hand on his shoulder.
"No sudden movements. I just need to search you for contraband items. Are you carrying anything on you that you shouldn't be?"
"You know I'm not. Where would I even find such a thing?"
"People have their ways, Sergeant. Trust me."
Teve didn't know what to make of that until the corporal turned him around and placed a new note in his hands. He read it straight away:
Things are getting crazy around here. We have to move fast. Breaking you out tonight. Midnight—Mish.
The guard snatched the note away while his lumbering back created a blind spot for the camera.
"Is this for real?"
The man didn't speak but gave Teve the smallest nod possible. "Time for me to inspect your bedding. Is there anything in your mattress that might hurt me?"
Teve viewed the rest of the inspection. The guard continued to play both of his roles to perfection, ripping through Teve's limited belongings while revealing some remorse to the task at hand.
Dorsey left after a few more minutes of random searching and yelling. He declared the room safe and ordered Teve to remake the bed and tidy up.
Complying, but also showing the camera how pissed off he should be, Teve retained a frown on his face whenever he faced the camera in the corner, keeping whoever was watching satisfied. It was the only thing he could contribute to the escape plan.
He couldn't understand how Mish was organizing the rescue. Her feisty ways were paying off big time. For once he was grateful for her attitude and constant need to question orders.
An hour later, Hoang entered the room with four escorts wearing gas masks. He too wore his protective gear. Two of the guards were armed with battering rams as if Teve were in the middle of a rampage.
"That's a bit much, don't you think?" he asked the doctor.
"Just precautions in case your rage takes over again."
"It's not rage," Teve said. "It's justice."
Hoang chuckled. "Is that so? Well, my apologies for my misdiagnosis. I guess I'll change my reports then."
Teve shook his head knowing the doctor was recording these events how he saw fit. The unregulated man could write whatever the hell kind of nonsense he wanted and the authorities would have no choice but to agree with his findings. So much for Teve's service to the UEF. So much for the amount of past effort put into killing the Zeal. Now he was nothing but a test dummy for Earth's latest weapon: experimental soldiers.
"What fresh hell have you got for me today, Doc? More needles. More guards for me to beat up."
"Nothing so sinister, I'm afraid. No today we will determine how you handle yourself in a gunfight. We will be completing some weapons training."
&nbs
p; The very mention of the word weapons got Teve excited. Were these morons really going to slap a rifle in his hands and see what he could still do? Their arrogance had no limit.
On a typical day, he was an average shot at best. Teve's strengths always came in his ability to lead others and direct strategy on the fly. He was no marksman and never would be, no matter how much Zeal venom they injected him with.
"Right this way," Hoang said, offering Teve the lead. "We'll be right behind you, Sergeant."
Teve glanced over his shoulder as the four guards all hovered around him. The two with the shields moved forward while the second pair hung back, shock sticks ready.
"A bit dramatic, Doc." Teve said.
"After yesterday, there will be no chances taken given your newfound strength."
"What? The strength that you forced upon me? I was just doing my job when this all went down. I don't see why I have to suffer for your experiments."
"These are not experiments haphazardly performed with hopeful intentions, Sergeant. This is years of study of an enemy we are ill-equipped to deal with."
Teve stopped in his tracks as they headed down a narrow hall. The guards moved in close, ready to strike. "So you've known about the virus from the beginning." He turned to face the doctor through the group of corporals.
"Of course. Did you really think I was just injecting you with the alien substance without any prior knowledge?"
Teve squinted at the doctor with both fists clenched up tight. He resisted the urge to pound his way through the light armor and shields protecting Hoang from certain death. "You're a piece of work, aren't you?"
"You can't hold back progress, Teve. Now get a move on. We're going to the armory."
A shove from one of the shields prompted Teve to keep walking. He had seen the armory a few times and wondered why they had one considering the nature of the facility. At best, they only needed a large weapons locker to equip the guards with riot gear and shock sticks. A fully stocked arsenal seemed unnecessary given the distance to the nearest Zeal threat. The thought only made him wonder if things ever got so out of hand at Black Forest that lethal intervention became a requirement.
