Project Destiny

by Justin Sloan

  “About the tech?” Veles shrugged. “Let ‘em, as long as they don’t discover how. I’d rather have them scared. The how, that’s another story. One we’ll be keeping from them forever. Now… let’s get this back to where it needs to be,” he handed it to Set, who placed it in a case and then walked off, “and get you to the Heel, shall we?”

  26

  Alice: The Dome

  Lunch hadn’t gone as planned. Alice had hoped it would be a time that she could sneak out, but instead it had been like the stories Marick had told her of his Marine Corps boot camp. They had to sit there, shoveling food into their mouths, so that they could get back to it. The it in this case meant the inevitable enhancements.

  The other recruits had recently arrived via space travel, and were exhausted, but the enhancements would rejuvenate them. Only a couple hours in the pod, and they’d come out refreshed. A new person.

  Alice had to bite her tongue when the sergeant had said that. She was the only one of the recruits that truly knew what ‘a new person’ really meant—lost memories, a letter home to their loved ones saying the would-be recruit was deceased, if they had loved ones. Those without would become the heroes everyone heard stories about.

  Heroes who effectively did nothing but fight those who would rise up and defend their rights… fight to have their spouse back.

  She shoveled the blue gelatinous goop into her mouth. It smelled like turkey and gravy, and tasted like it too, but the texture ruined it for her. Supposedly, this was the best ‘food’ to put in your stomach before the enhancements.

  Finally, lunch was over and the sergeant led them out of there, pausing briefly at the edge of a lookout point. They could see that three floors had a section that was combined, a sort of small coliseum.

  “You are going to be better than you ever were before,” the sergeant said, gesturing below. “In every possible way.”

  Alice restrained herself from punching the guy, gripping the railing that kept them from falling into the arena, and watched with the other recruits as a fireteam of PD soldiers came careening in on their hoverbikes. A shot of panic hit Alice as she imagined them riding the walls up to her and slapping her in cuffs. But as they started circling the walls, she realized this was nothing more than a motor demo. Get the recruits pumped up for what they were about to become.

  Suddenly, the soldiers below leaped from their bikes, hitting the ground running as the bikes went flying off to the far wall before coming to a gentle stop. The soldiers ran for the nearest wall, then jumped to kick off of it and flip back. They landed in fighting stances, then commenced with sparring. Some with hand-to-hand combat, others using retractable batons.

  When one of the soldiers below pulled out a pistol, Alice flinched, but then laughed at herself. Of course it was part of the whole charade. The soldier opposite threw down two magnetized rods that created an energy shield in front of her, so that when the gun went off, the bullet was absorbed by the shield.

  “As you see, we equip you with not only the best bodies, but also the best weapons and more.” The sergeant waved to those below in gratitude, then motioned the new recruits to follow him. “Here at Project Destiny, it isn’t just about where humanity can go, but about where you can go. You are the individuals, you are our destiny.”

  If that wasn’t a piece of memorized propaganda, Alice wasn’t sure what was. She tried not to laugh, glancing over at Gloria. The woman had an excited gleam in her eyes. She was actually buying all of this!

  Of course, so had Marick. So, too, had Alice, back then. Now she was about to become one of them, she thought as she saw the tall glass separating them from a room with pictures of pods and enhanced soldiers.

  There was only back and forward here, she realized as she glanced about for an escape route. If she went either way, she was bound to be noticed. A glance up showed the ceiling was too high to reach, even if she could move aside a ceiling tile and get up there.

  Going back to the last hallway and then finding the server room was her best bet. She slowed, then glanced back to ensure she wasn’t being followed. Pausing as if to check her armor, she prepared to make a move, then…

  …a hand was on her shoulder.

  She startled, turning to see the sergeant’s face right in front of hers. The others were already moving in through the sliding metal door.

  “You seem… distracted, Corporal Lenz?”

  “No, sergeant.” Alice took a breath, trying to make that excitement she’d seen in Gloria’s eyes show in her own. “Excited, nervous.”

  “Ah.” He smiled, though it wasn’t clear whether he was buying it. “Come, once it’s over, you’ll see that the procedure goes by easily enough. Trust me, you won’t remember any of this.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “The nervousness,” he said. “Maybe a tad bit of fright? You won’t remember it.”

  Dammit, this man was staring her in the face and admitting he was about to try and wipe her memory. Part of her said to slam her hand into his throat and then turn and run, but that wouldn’t do. She might make it to the server room, but they’d be so hot on her trail, there’s no way she’d have enough time to find Scorpio and Norwal. Let alone rescue them or get to Marick.

  No, she would have to play along, for now.

  “Let’s get to it, then,” she said.

  He moved aside and gestured toward the door. Her mouth went dry as she imagined Marick waking up a year ago and suddenly not being himself, not remembering her. If she went in there, the same might happen to her. Not only would she forget him, but she might forget the others she loved and cared about. Her sister might never hear from her again. Hell, for all she knew, she might forget who she even was, just assuming this new name of Jane Lenz.

  Yet, here she was moving forward, joining the rest as if in a dream. As they were commanded to strip to prepare for the pods, she found herself going through the motions, hanging her uniform on the wall, too focused on the issue at hand to give a damn that she was nude in a room full of strangers.

  Finally, they were told to enter. She stepped into the pod—a capsule that reminded her of a coffin, and found herself staring ahead at the one-legged form of Gloria. The woman’s prosthetic was leaning against a blue chair to the side of the pod, the glass fogged in the places that mattered.

  An excitement filled the woman’s eyes, and then a curiosity followed by doubt as she saw what Alice was doing.

  To Alice’s relief, the pod doors closed before the woman could say anything. And by that time Alice had managed to sneak her panties, which she had concealed under her arm, into the door locking mechanism.

  She wedged them in there good, hoping the sergeant wouldn’t notice, and then lay back, focused on keeping herself calm. Each breath came heavy, echoing in the pod, and she felt a warmth come over her as the pod started a very subtle vibration. A glance forward showed Gloria still staring at her, but now the look was of recognition of her betrayal. It didn’t seem possible that the woman could have any idea what Alice was up to, but she certainly knew something was off. Apparently, Gloria was the type of woman who didn’t deviate from the plan. The type of woman who gave her leg for her country, and still joined up with the PD soldiers to risk more.

  How sad that the woman didn’t have the slightest idea what she was actually getting involved with. Namely, a scheming, conniving company that wasn’t afraid to destroy people’s lives.

  Alice closed her eyes, keenly aware of the sergeant moving around to the pods, connecting hoses and selecting options on the screens that popped up for him. When he came to hers, as she noted by the light going dark behind her eyelids, she opened her eyes and stared, glaring. The son of a bitch was selecting nothing in particular on the screen, instead angling his view so he could ogle her nude form.

  If the glass from the pod hadn’t been in her way, she would’ve jumped out and strangled him right there.

  As it was, she relished the moment when she could get him in trouble for
not properly securing her in the pod. She hoped he got a good butt whupping for his negligence.

  That is, if she actually got away with it. One of his hands moved to his waist and he adjusted himself, licked his lips, and then moved on. At least he wasn’t discriminating—the bastard seemed to be having the same fun at the man’s pod nearby.

  There were bigger fish to fry here than some lecherous peeper, Alice reminded herself, relaxing again to focus on the moment. She needed to plan this just right, she needed to ensure… What? She needed to ensure… She jolted, eyes open, aware of a smell like eucalyptus. She had fallen asleep!

  Whatever she had planned, it was important. But now it was fleeting, a distant bird flying past clouds, and all she could do was fall… fall back to sleep.

  The muscles in her abdomen tightened, her biceps bulging and she fought it. Pushing against the sleep, she realized there were cables in her, cutting into her skin! A strange glow emanated from them, and her blood sizzled as it dripped across one of her thighs.

  What the hell was this?

  Oh, yes, the enhancements, she remembered with a foggy mind. Her eyelids wanted to fall again, but she forced them open. Doing so was like trying to push against someone twice her size, but she was managing… barely.

  If she could just get out of here. She reached down and tried to pull one of the cables, but it burned her hand. She jerked back with a wince, jolting at the pain. How long had she been in here? The others were all still completely passed out, and no sign of the sergeant. No, that wasn’t true. There was someone, likely him… at the other side of the room, pants around his ankles, and he was—Oh, God, she did not want to see him doing that.

  At least she couldn’t totally see him, which meant he couldn’t totally see her. The panties! He might hear her, so she’d have to act fast. Moving her arm in spite of the stiffness and pain, she grabbed hold of her panties where she’d jammed them into the pod’s locking mechanism, then started working to pull it open. She didn’t want to just yank the panties out, as that could just leave her in there with no way out. No, she needed to use the material to get enough leverage, work her fingers in there, and… CLICK!

  Her heart jumped as the door started to open. To her relief, the act of the door opening pulled the cables from her body and she was able to push herself up. Drowsiness still filled her mind and muscles, but she didn’t have the luxury of time to let it wear off.

  The sergeant had just turned at the noise and was staring at her, eyes wide and hand still on his junk.

  “What the hell?” he said, glancing down as if debating what to do next.

  Alice didn’t waste time on such thoughts, instead lunging for him. She would’ve preferred to keep him out of this, but she damn sure wasn’t going to let them take her memories, and him being here meant this was necessary.

  Only, as she threw herself at him, she realized two things at once. Her energy was still massively lacking, and she was bleeding worse than she’d thought. Her foot slipped on the blood, and she went flying forward to land at his feet.

  The sergeant quickly bent to pull up his pants, finally, and found himself with his face up close to hers. Her balance might have been off, but her mind was clearer now, and it said it was time to act.

  Grabbing him by the hair, she pulled down to slam his face into the ground. She had the fact that his pants were around his ankles to her advantage, but he was a PD soldier, enhanced. That meant he would recover quickly, and then easily overpower her. She had to act fast.

  Slamming his face into the ground again, she quickly grabbed him by the neck and rolled, so that he had no choice but to roll with her. He let out a gargled yelp, but she hit him in the throat as she had so been looking forward to doing, then heaved with all of her power to push him toward the pod.

  To her surprise, all of her might right then meant a hell of a lot. He not only went into the pod, but he flew into it, slamming into the far side with a thump. Before he could turn and get to her, she had the glass closed, the door locked.

  Now he was pissed. And, she noted, had pissed himself. She stepped back as he slammed his knuckles and then elbows into the glass, shouting a muffled call that he was going to kill her.

  The glass started cracking and Alice glanced around, looking for any kind of weapon she could use. She didn’t want to kill him, but if she had to, she would do what was necessary.

  Another punch, and a spider web formed in the glass. But the next punch never came. He had his fist raised, ready, and then it fell to his side as his eyes closed. The gas was still working, and apparently had an effect even on the PD soldiers.

  The soldier was unconscious.

  Alice lingered there, hands on the glass, catching her breath. She almost expected his eyes to shoot open and him to come plowing through the glass to get her, but no, this was it.

  Her body had an odd tingling feeling coursing through it, muscles reacting in ways they never had. The blood had stopped too, she realized. More than that, the wounds were nearly healed!

  While she had escaped, it wasn’t before some of the enhancements had a chance to take effect, she realized. Her next thought was one of panic, that she might have forgotten everything that mattered in life. Standing there racking her brain wasn’t about to do any good, though, because if she didn’t know something, she didn’t know it. Damn, that realization was annoying.

  Her panties were still clutched in her fist. She turned and found her clothes, then dressed without bothering to wipe the blood from her legs. It would cake and dry there, but she didn’t see any towels or anything like that lying around, and she had a job to do.

  When this was over, she would take the longest shower of her life. Not just because of the blood, but to wash away the disgusting feeling of what had just happened with soldier boy back there.

  Dressed, she glanced around one more time, glad to see the others all with their eyes closed. Even then, she felt as if they were watching her, as if at any minute they would come charging out to attack her.

  But, of course, it was fairly likely the dome did have cameras everywhere. While they probably wouldn’t be actively watching this room, if she stood around they might casually notice her and at least send someone to ask questions. A glance back toward where the sergeant had been when she woke gave her a good idea of where the cameras were positioned, assuming he knew.

  Pausing at a glint of metal, she noticed that the sergeant’s insignia had fallen during the fight. How fortunate. The insignia was the perfect addition to her uniform.

  She made for that corner, then quickly used the side of the pod to jump up and undo the ceiling panel. She knew from being here earlier where she would be able to climb up and find the metal beams between walls and floors, so was quickly on her way.

  She had to look the part, and paused to straighten herself out after she was well away from the room. The uniform was still neat, a durable material that hadn’t let the blood seep through. Since she wasn’t bleeding anymore, that wouldn’t be a problem. Her hair was a mess, but she pulled it back and fixed it up again, then rubbed some of the dust off the metal girder next to her to see a slight reflection. It wasn’t enough to see much, but she could tell there wasn’t any blood on her face.

  Now that she was ready, she continued on, working her way as fast as she could toward the server room.

  But… why, again? Her mind seemed to have paused, and she felt like punching herself over and over as she moved along, climbing and jumping. Little moments were coming back to her, a teammate being taken… but who? Their names were right there on the tip of her tongue, but seemed to be fading fast.

  She shook her head, clearing it and taking a moment to pause… to breathe. No, she wasn’t losing her memories, nor her mind. Just the stress, she told herself. It was just the stress.

  Scorpio and Norwal, that’s who she was saving. Finding more information to get to her team, whatever else they could use to take down New Origins, and then, ultimately, to find he
r husband and get him off of this space station.

  It was her mantra, and she repeated it over and over. She wouldn’t lose one fragment of those thoughts. She refused to.

  This was her body, dammit. Her mind. And the last thing she was going to do was let some jack holes first take her husband, and then her sanity and freedom. They would pay for even thinking it.

  27

  Stealth: Titanian Worship Room

  Veles strolled right into the hall of the worship room, showing complete disregard for everything Marick and the other soldiers had been told about how they had to respect the religions. Not Veles, though. He didn’t have a peace to keep, and his reputation certainly couldn’t fall any farther.

  It was a well-decorated room, with paintings and cloths hung in a pleasing manner. The scent of freshly burned candles wafted through the air.

  “That’ll be far enough,” a priestess said. She wore orange robes and had what looked like orange dust sprinkled in her hair. Most likely dirt from Titan, as odd as that was.

  Instead of answering, Veles stood there and slowly put his right hand over his left forearm. The woman looked at him, seemingly now recognizing him, and then motioned for them to follow her.

  Instead of asking the questions roaring through his mind right now, Marick walked along, trying to be inconspicuous with just his exoskeleton on. Maybe with body armor underneath he could’ve passed for a PD soldier still, but nobody wore the exoskeleton without the body armor.

  “Thank you, Yerbuna,” Veles said, when she stopped at a back door.

  She smiled in her annoyed way, then opened the door. “I think you’ll find someone else here happy to see you.”

  Veles frowned, looking in with Marick to see several surprised people working at computers. One of them, a large man with a shaved head, jumped up and came over, doing his best to block the room.