When Darkness Reigns

by Preston L. Marshall

  “How are you feeling?” Nate asked.

  Nate was already up with a towel wrapped around his waist. There were only two showers and Radcliff and Ford had already claimed them. The showerhead in Radcliff's stall only came about halfway up his back so he had to duck down to get under the flow. Wallace was still nowhere to be seen.

  “I don't know yet,” Lumar said. He swung his feet over the side and stood up. “So far so good.”

  Lumar heard the water turning off with a squeaky twist of the showers' knobs. Lumar took a lap around the room. His head was clear and his limbs were following orders. Radcliff and Ford squeezed by him as he was testing his legs out.

  “If you're going to shower, you better go ahead and do it,” Radcliff said as he passed him. “Get ready as quickly as you can.”

  “Why?” Lumar asked.

  “Because, as your commanding officer, I told you to,” Radcliff replied.

  “Right, of course...sir.”

  Lumar got undressed as quickly as he could. The water was cold. He stood in the corner away from the flow for a moment to test if it was going to warm up. After a few moments he accepted the fact that it was cold or nothing and plunged in. The cold did make sure Lumar hurried though, like Radcliff wanted.

  Lumar padded himself down with a white towel that was hanging on the wall next to the stall. Once he was dry, he made for the package of clothing he'd brought with him from the exam room. He saw that Radcliff had put his skinsuit on under the rest of his gray uniform so Lumar did likewise. It seemed like a practical way to dress in case they needed armor later.

  As Lumar was buttoning up the gray uniform shirt, the smell of bacon wafted through the building. Lumar pulled on his shoes as fast as he could. The smell made him want to hurry a hundred times more than Radcliff's order had.

  Lumar was still the last one down. Nate was only a few steps ahead of him, but Lumar wanted to see if his nose was being honest about the smell of breakfast coming from below. His nostrils weren't lying to him. A couple of soldiers with aprons on top of their uniforms had brought a five-gallon tub of scrambled eggs and a pizza pan covered in bacon sleeping on top of a mattress of paper towels.

  “General Derricks sends his condolences for your loss,” one of the cooks said. “He ordered us to bring you a hot breakfast as a sign of his appreciation for your service. We know it's a small token after what you've been through, but please enjoy it.”

  “Thank you very much,” Radcliff said.

  “They’re showing a mandatory program this morning at seven. Once that’s over, the General would like to see you in his office,” the other cook said.

  “We won't keep him waiting,” Radcliff answered. “Remind me where the General's offices are located.”

  “Derricks’ office is on the top floor of the base,” the cooks answered. “If you take the elevator on this level all the way up you'll come out on the lobby for all the local brass. There's a receptionist. She'll get you where you need to go.”

  “Thank you,” Radcliff replied.

  The two cooks nodded and took their leave. Lumar peeked at the clock on the wall. It was a little before six-thirty, plenty of time to enjoy the bacon and eggs before the program started. To his surprise, both dishes were the real thing. It would have been a little generous to call them fresh, but the eggs were real, not powdered. The bacon was real fatty pig flesh, not some other animal or a hodgepodge of meats pressed into strips like he was used to.

  It worked wonders on Lumar's morale. He wasn’t looking forward to another mandatory program, but at least he was going to have real food to eat while he watched this one instead of Spaghetti.

  He was starving. His stomach had nothing but the faintest traces of the sandwich he'd eaten last night in it. As soon as the others' hands were out of the way he shoveled a mountain of eggs onto his plate and a stack of bacon beside it. The others took their food with them on their way over to claim seats around the T.V., but Lumar plopped down at the table. This meal required his undivided attention.

  Lumar shoveled the eggs into his mouth so quickly he barely tasted them. His stomach was too impatient to wait on his tongue's pleasure. The crumbles of egg didn't need much chewing anyway. He savored the bacon though. Each time his teeth sank into a strip of the fatty meat he felt a spray of grease and flavor dance across his tastebuds. He'd never had the real thing before. Now that he had, he knew he'd never be able to stomach the imitation products again. He didn't bother to have any more eggs after his first helping, but he kept reaching back for a few more strips of bacon until the pizza pan was empty.

  Once the bacon was gone, Lumar was through eating. He pushed himself and the chair he was sitting in away from the table. When he stood up, he realized he'd eaten too much, too quickly. Real food was too much for his empty stomach. He felt his gag reflex fluttering and his stomach turning. He quickly found one of the recliners and leaned back. In a reclined position, his stomach had less power to protest at the richness and volume of his meal, but he still felt sick. He closed his eyes and let his muscles relax. Before he knew it, the pain in his gut was replaced with contentment.

  The others were taking their time eating. Lumar realized he probably should have spent a little more time chewing. He could have enjoyed his food even more. There was no telling if he’d ever get to eat that good again.

  Lumar peeked over at the clock a few times while the others finished up their breakfast. They weren’t talking much, spending much more time chewing and savoring the food.

  It was seven before he knew it. The T.V. came on by itself. Lumar realized there were no buttons or touchscreen panels anywhere on the T.V. It must have been completely automated. At least the one he’d had at home let him change the channel and adjust the volume when he wasn’t watching these kinds of programs.

  The title: “Mankind’s Greatest Achievement” appeared on screen before that same fucking blond guy’s face appeared. Lumar’s stomach turned. This guy must have recorded a whole series of videos for the Government broadcasts. Lumar would never be able to see this guy or hear his voice without thinking of that guy from across the hall being torn apart. Goosebumps appeared all over his arms. This damn blond guy felt like an omen of evil things to come. His stomach was turning. He did not want to throw up any of that delicious bacon.

  “Good morning,” the blond said. “Today we will be discussing the greatest scientific achievement of the 22nd century and mankind’s greatest hope for the future: The Paladin Project.”

  The blonde’s face was replaced with the most famous image of the great war hero Paladin Irving. The image depicted Paladin holding the American flag on top of The Great Hall of the People in China at the end of World War III.

  The image stayed up as the blond continued, “Date: September 9th, 2077: at the height of the Third World War, Paladin Irving becomes the first Adept after surviving a nuclear strike in Israel. Paladin is the lone survivor of the incident. Millions perish, but despite the destruction, Paladin Taylor is completely unharmed.”

  “Date: January 3rd, 2078: Paladin is brought home to America to be studied. Our scientists discovered that Paladin’s body was almost completely immune to physical harm. He developed superhuman strength, speed, and abilities beyond those of any living person, even to this day. He could read minds, move objects with his thoughts, and manipulate energy to rapidly raise or lower temperatures causing immolation and glaciation. Most importantly though, he had the ability to create more Adepts like him. His body produced a unique form of radiation that could awaken similar abilities in other persons.”

  They flashed up an image of Paladin and two other Adepts in armor that looked like medieval platemail. They were covered head to toe in guns, bandoliers of ammo, and knives. There was, of course, an American flag flapping in the back.

  “This discovery was the unofficial beginning of the Paladin Project. At the time, the project was called the Knights of Freedom, and focused primarily on how to use Paladin’s abili
ties to create more Adepts and end the War. Several Adepts were created by exposure to Paladin’s radiation, including the current head of Season: General Robert Frost.”

  “Date: May 7th, 2082: The Third World War official ends. Reports surface that most of the test subjects that failed to manifest Adept abilities during experiments conducted by the Knights of Freedom were horribly mutated and often developed terminal cancers. The Knights of Freedom are widely considered inhumane and unnecessary in peacetime.”

  “Date: October 15th, 2082: The Knights of Freedom are officially disbanded. A new organization, Season, is formed to regulate Adepts after the War. Even after the experiments end, new Adepts continue to naturally appear globally. Season gradually evolves into a group that locates these new Adepts and trains them on how to use their abilities for the bettering of mankind, but no further research is done to create new Adepts.”

  The image switched to the same picture of marines charging the alien spacecraft they’d used in the last program. Lumar wished they could have used a different image. Everything about that last program was making him flashback to bloody hallways and screams.

  “Date: October 31st, 2104: After the Sarsaul’s initial invasion, experts from Season propose creating the Paladin Project to carry on the legacy of the Knights of Freedom to combat the alien threat. President Helms orders that tests begin immediately to create new Adepts.”

  “Date: December 22nd, 2104: the first round of tests are performed on volunteers with high rates of survival. With new advances in technology and with the help of our alien friend, ninety-eight percent of treatments yield improved combat performance.”

  They showed a picture of one of the supersoldiers flexing his arm with another flag in the background. This one had a lot of flags. Even the American flag was hard to look at.

  “Date: December 26th, 2104: Professor James Connors is promoted to the head of the Paladin Project after he proposed testing on embryos to make supersoldiers from birth that can better cope with the alien threat. President Helms accepts the proposition.”

  The next image was an MRI of a human fetus about halfway through pregnancy.

  “Date: September 16th, 2105: the embryos are ready for implantation in host mothers. Over the next year and a half, seventy-nine of the one hundred subjects survive gestation. Thirty-six die during infancy due to cancerous mutations. The survivors are dispersed throughout the country, to keep them safe, and allowed to live relatively normal lives. The staff on the Paladin Project has kept tabs on them in secret. The successful test subjects have been collected for training if they developed Adept abilities.”

  “Date: June 19th, 2019: the primary Paladin Project facility in upstate New York is destroyed by the Sarsaul. Much of their research was lost, but the Project survives and has been moved to Washington D.C. under the direct supervision of General Frost, Dr. Connors, and President Helms himself.”

  The three are shown in front of the Washington Monument with patriotic music playing in the background.

  “Today: September 5th, 2024: We are happy to announce that this year we have fully commissioned the first round of Adepts created by the Paladin Project including Amelia Taylor. We’ve been following the career of the young Ms. Taylor for many years. She is famous for being the youngest Adept every discovered. Her powers manifested shortly after she learned to walk. She has been training with General Frost ever since. Yesterday, she set another record for being the youngest person in American history to receive the rank of general at just eighteen years old.”

  For this they actually showed video. Helms placed general’s stars on her uniform and a crowd erupted into thunderous applause.

  Lumar always thought Amelia was pretty hot. She had this exotic look. Her features and skin tone made her look like she was part Asian or Hispanic or something. She’d been a starlet for years, one of the few celebrities that Lumar could remember growing up with. They’d been using her pretty face for propaganda and promotion of all kinds of stuff since she was old enough to speak into a camera.

  The blond took over the screen again. “General Taylor will be assuming command of January, one of the branches of Season’s Winter division. She will be reporting directly to General Frost. Together, they will oversee the defense of the East Coast and its surviving cities.”

  “We are also pleased to announce that five additional waves of engineered-from-birth Adepts will be commissioned into Season over the next seven years. Many of these individuals have already exhibited Adept abilities and have been in training with Amelia and other members of Season. President Helms promises that when these Adepts are complete, we will finally have the strength to drive the Sarsaul from Earth.”

  An image of ranks of young Adept soldiers in full armor appeared on screen with a fanfare of triumphant music blasting over them.

  The screen went black. The music faded. The program was over.

  “Alright, it’s over,” Radcliff said. “Let’s get moving!”

  “Shit! I’m not done yet,” Wallace shouted. A bit of egg flew out of his mouth.

  “Hurry it up. We have to leave soon. We're not going to be late for our meeting with the General. It's not a good idea to keep someone in his position waiting.”

  “How long could it possibly take to get to his office?” Wallace asked.

  “I have no idea,” Radcliff replied. “That's why we give ourselves plenty of time.”

  “We better not end up sitting around in a waiting room or something. I hate sitting around with nothing to do,” Wallace said.

  “Like how it is when you go to a doctor's office? I hate that shit,” Jesse added.

  “Exactly!” Wallace replied.

  “Just don't go bellyaching in his office if he does keep us waiting,” Radcliff said.

  “Children should be seen and not heard right?” Ford suggested.

  Radcliff smiled and let out a small laugh.

  “We'll keep quiet if it keeps you old men from being embarrassed in front of your friends,” Jesse said.

  Radcliff's smile disappeared. “Get your stuff together. We're leaving in five.”

  “I'm still not done.” Wallace protested.

  Radcliff rolled his eyes. “Just take it with you.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The next few minutes were a storm of food being thrown into mouths as Jesse and Wallace raced through the rest of what they had on their plates. Moments after the last bites disappeared, dishes were flying at the kitchen sink. Jesse and Wallace ran back upstairs to finish dressing. Neither of them had put their boots on or buttoned up their shirts.

  Lumar wanted desperately to remain in his comfortable recliner, but forced himself up. By the time he stood up and stretched out, Jesse and Wallace had come back down fully dressed. Nate put his eating implements away much more delicately. He even washed his off before tidying up his collar and tucking in his shirt.

  “If you're all good and ready let's head out,” Radcliff said.

  Radcliff led them out of the bunkhouse in single file. Ford was right behind him. Jesse followed with Wallace right behind her. Lumar was behind him. Nate took the rear. There were hundreds of people moving around in the barracks now. It had seemed almost deserted when Lumar had come through last night, but maybe he just hadn't noticed anyone else while he was doped out.

  The ramp down to the elevator hub was filled with a gently flowing stream of people. It felt like they only took one step forward per minute. It felt more like standing around in a crowd than walking in a line, but Lumar made sure he kept Wallace's back right in front of him.

  “So what do you think we've gotten ourselves into?” Lumar asked Nate over his shoulder.

  “No idea.”

  “Why did you agree to join up with the army? I thought you'd want to get back to your R&D stuff as soon as you could.”

  “I wasn't really given much of a choice.”

  “Really? They made me think you chose this.”

  “I guess they just
told you what you needed to hear. Probably too late to back out now.”

  The crowd started moving much more quickly, as a huge group of soldiers poured into the tank-sized lift at the center of the elevator hub. It got most of the crowd out of their way. Radcliff used his enormity to push through the last few obstructions. The path he carved was easy to follow. Moments after the surge they were at one of the smaller elevator doors. Radcliff punched the up button. They abandoned their line formation and crowded around the door to keep anyone else from getting in front of them while they waited.

  Lumar thought about asking Radcliff what was going on. Lumar didn't know much about the procedures of the military, but it was bugging him that a General needed to talk to them right after all the weird stuff they'd gone through in the last twenty-four hours. It was too shady for Lumar's taste. When he finally formed an intelligent question to ask the elevator announced its arrival with a loud ping and the question was lost in the tide of people packing into the cabin.

  The elevator was not empty when it arrived. Several people pushed their way out when the doors opened. They weren't the only ones going up either. Radcliff forced his way in and made a path for them. Radcliff situated himself right in front of the panel of buttons and pressed the key for the top floor before the doors closed. Lumar and the others ended up pressed against the wall by the other passengers. The elevator looked like it could comfortably hold about fifteen people standing shoulder to shoulder. There were twenty-five passengers. Flesh was pressed all around them. Lumar ended up sandwiched between Nate and Wallace, much closer than he ever wanted to be to either of them.

  A swarm of arms pushed their way in front of Radcliff to tap buttons for different floors. The doors closed after half the buttons on the panel were illuminated. Lumar wasn't looking forward to stopping at all the floors all the way up, but hoped the crowd would shrink as they rose. A couple of seconds after the doors closed they stopped. It must have been the very next floor and only one passenger got off. It didn't change how cramped Lumar was. Fortunately, no one else tried to get on.