by Dave Edlund
General Cai turned from the images back to the video camera. His eyes were wide and his mouth slightly agape.
Ming sat back and folded his hands, enjoying the moment. Dr. Hsu continued with some of the more technical aspects of the briefing. “Samples of bone, muscle tissue, skin, liver, and kidney were taken from living subjects at various stages of the transformation to document the progress of the mutation. Autopsies on subjects failing to survive the process, or who were intentionally sacrificed, confirmed that the transformation quickly infected all parts of the host—organs as well as the muscles and skeleton. What results is rapid cellular reproduction, altering every aspect of the host.”
“A bonus is that, when wounded, the Homothals heal in roughly half the time required for a healthy human.” Ming added, his eyes gleaming brightly.
The General’s staff continued to talk amongst themselves, creating a murmur that seemed to be distracting to General Cai. He held up both hands, silencing his staff.
“Continue,” General Cai said, more as a request rather than an order.
“Following recovery from the initial infection, subjects are given high doses of anabolic-androgen steroids. This greatly accelerates the rate of muscle and bone growth. Secondary effects include hair growth and increased aggression, but we’ve learned how to control that and use it to our benefit.”
“Your scientists do not object to experimentation on human subjects?” This question came from another of the General’s aides.
“By human, I presume you mean people?” Ming asked, but did not wait for a reply. “As I have already explained, once the genetic transformation has taken place, the subjects are no longer human, as you say.”
“I do not wish to quibble over terminology, Colonel,” Cai said, his voice carrying an edge of irritation.
Ming bowed his head ever so slightly. “My staff is very loyal and obedient. They see these Homothals for what they are, test subjects. However, as a precaution, science and medical staff are forbidden from having any contact with the native captives brought to the compound in order to avoid any feelings of empathy for the test subjects. The prisoners are received at the compound by my soldiers under the direct command of Lieutenant Li and are kept in cells holding up to six persons. Only when a specific prisoner is designated for procedure 33vK or another experiment, is the medical staff allowed to have contact with him—and then only as necessary.”
“How did you achieve success after so many failures?” said General Cai. “Your gene therapy procedure is essentially unchanged from what you reported six months ago, except that now you only infect the strongest subjects.”
“Very good General! Yes, you are correct. I am pleased that you are beginning to grasp the more important details of my work.”
Cai frowned and glanced to the aide on his right. The aide wrote something on his notepad, a reminder to continue this discussion later with the General.
“In the early phases of my research, combinations of infection procedures and viral strains failed for many different reasons—but most commonly because the fused Homo sapiens and Neanderthal DNA did not result in viable, reproductive cells. In hundreds of cases the subject’s autoimmune response was triggered by the foreign DNA, the T-cells eventually destroying their organs from within resulting in extensive hemorrhaging, not unlike the symptoms of hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola.
“However, that changed with the introduction of a new strain of Neanderthal DNA, recovered from the marrow of bones well preserved in an ancient burial site deep in a cave in southern Spain, near Gibraltar. The DNA was much more robust than earlier strains and, unlike earlier samples, this Neanderthal DNA has a short but unique nucleotide sequence—only 253 base pairs—found only in modern human DNA.”
“What is the significance of this discovery?” asked one of the aides.
“Other than the obvious?” Ming didn’t wait for a reply. “This suggests that somehow genetic material from Homo sapiens had become mixed with the Neanderthal DNA in the donating specimen. Whether by interbreeding or disease, I cannot say. It could also be the result of a natural mutation, although unlikely. Whatever the reason, the results are unambiguous. When attached to the Ad14 virus, more than 83 percent of human hosts are infected without triggering the autoimmune response, as well as, for the first time, reproduction of infected cells.
“My staff has examined all known samples of Neanderthal DNA, and only this one donor gives rise to the results I have shared with you. But that does not present any barriers. My staff can replicate the DNA and prepare an unlimited supply of genetic material.”
“I care little about your scientific accomplishments, Colonel Ming, however important they may be,” General Cai said. “Give me your assessment of the fighting capabilities of these creatures you call Homothals.”
“Their physical strength, suggested by their obvious appearance, is easily equal to three or four men. Anatomically, they have thick bones, tendons, and ligaments. They exhibit exceptional endurance and agility, easily exceeding the best of my soldiers. Their senses—sight, hearing, smell—far exceed that of modern humans and is on par with wild animals. In addition, my soldiers swear the Homothals have an ability to sense when they are being tracked or stalked.”
“Do they follow orders without question? All the rest is meaningless if they are not good soldiers.” General Cai’s staff was nodding in agreement with their boss.
“The transformation erases much of the human will to question or defy authority. At the same time, it has also eliminated nearly all linguistic capability, leaving a rudimentary—at best—function of speech. Autopsies of the Homothal larynx fails to reveal any functional deficiency. We are still studying this. However, we have already developed simple and effective training programs.”
“Are you telling me that these Homothals cannot speak? Even in their native tongue?” the General asked.
“Yes, that is mostly correct,” Hsu answered. “They communicate verbally through a collection of grunts that at first seems to have little variation. After further study, my linguists were able to identify a small vocabulary. The phonological sounds, morphological structure of words, and syntactical construction of sentences are all much more simplistic. The semantics and the way the sounds and meanings relate to each other in their simple language, and even more importantly, their lexicon or mental dictionary, suggests that the Homothals have regressed mentally. I believe the foreign DNA has changed the brain function as well as other physiological functions already noted. The Homothal is a very simple creature, without modern language abilities, and they show no signs of attachment to any prior aspect of their lives.”
Hsu continued, believing further explanation would help the General’s staff fully comprehend the importance of this result. “Other than basic aggression, often triggered by the desire to mate with a female, there are no emotional expressions from the subjects. They function like animals—satisfying the basic needs of food, water, and shelter appear to be their only concerns. They are given a basic nutritional supplement in their daily rations, but the normal human desire for variety of food, friendship, family, material possessions—all observations indicate these emotions are completely absent.”
“Without this baggage, the Homothal enters battle without fear. It has no concept of mercy. As you can see, through my genius I have created the perfect fighting organism,” Ming proclaimed as he held his head high.
General Cai pinched his eyes and looked directly at Ming. “It would do you well, Colonel, to remember that your work is allowed to proceed specifically for the benefit of the PLA and the Party.”
Colonel Ming dipped his head slightly, although it was not quite a bow. Ignorant fools. Soon enough, you will answer to my orders.
“I expect your full report, Colonel, along with the complete data package. It seems your boasts are substantiated, and I will discuss the next steps with the Chairman and the Committee.”
The video ended and the conferen
ce call was terminated.
“Should I organize the data for transmission?” Dr. Hsu asked.
“No, those fools do not understand what I have achieved. I have other plans, and when the time is right, General Cai and his staff will be shown the power that I wield at my discretion.”
Chapter 7
Darfur
June 5
At the end of the corridor, Colonel Ming slid his security badge through an electronic lock and exited through two doors into a large fenced courtyard. The fencing was electrified and separated a central region, where Ming presently stood, from a large parade ground. This parade ground was further bounded by the compound’s perimeter fence stretching twelve feet in height and topped by concertina razor wire. It, too, was electrified with 10,000 volts. A red flashing light on a tall conspicuous pole indicated when the wire was energized.
The test subjects were about to be released from their solitary holding cells, and Ming wanted to observe their behavior as they mingled. Socialization had proven to be challenging—perhaps a side effect of the anabolic steroids, or maybe some aspect of Neanderthal behavior surfacing. A satisfactory degree of social acceptance and tolerance had finally been managed, however, through a regimen of strict discipline and training. But not before several of the weaker subjects had been brutally beaten by the others.
Daily exercise was forced upon the Homothals—partly to build their strength and endurance, and partly as a release for aggression. The regular dosage of halotestin was reduced to a moderate level of 40 milligrams as a further measure to control belligerent and violent behavior.
Ming did not have to wait long before the steel doors at the rear of each holding cell opened. Slowly the Homothals emerged into the daylight. The creatures were distinctly humanoid in appearance, yet clearly different from modern humans. Their bone and muscle structure were obviously massive, as evidenced by exposed arms and legs and their huge barrel chest. The aptly proportioned head appeared quite large in comparison to a modern human, with the pronounced extension of the jaw, large lips, and squashed nose of the Neanderthal. And their eyes, unlike any human eyes, possessed a cat-like quality except that the retinas were universally yellow-orange.
The Homothal’s movement and mannerisms were suggestive of a wild beast. It was clear why the guards feared them. Whenever a Homothal sensed it was being observed, its reaction was to freeze and lock eyes with the observer, remaining perfectly still with unblinking yellow eyes that bore into the human observer until, invariably, the human broke contact and moved on.
All of the subjects were naked except for loose-fitting shorts. They intermingled with suspicious restraint, not showing any tendency to interact with the other Homothals, but not avoiding them either. All the specimens were male; Ming had learned that introducing females into the population catalyzed aggression as the more dominant males fought viciously—usually to the death—for possession of the females.
Two minutes passed before a siren sounded and the Homothals—47 in all—assembled into three rows in front of Colonel Ming. The creatures had been well trained and showed discipline. This was remarkable since none of the subjects had ever received military training prior to their transformation.
As the Homothals stood at attention, Lieutenant Li strode to Colonel Ming’s side, stopped, saluted his superior officer and stood at attention. At first, the colonel didn’t acknowledge the presence of the lieutenant, but after two minutes passed in silence, Ming spoke to Li without ever taking his eyes off the Homothals.
“What is your assessment of the fighting skills of the subjects?”
“Sir, the Homothals have exhibited above-average tactical skills, exceptional strength and endurance, and excellent discipline. They are all proficient with small arms, RPGs, and grenades,” replied Li. He had taken six of the best trained Homothals on prior raids to see how they performed outside the structure of training exercises.
“Yes, yes. This I know. I have read all your reports on the raids on the villages south of Hajar Banda. What I want to know, Lieutenant, is do you have complete confidence in the subjects as soldiers? Will they follow their orders to the death?”
Lieutenant Li faltered at this line of questioning. He had been extremely thorough, including all details, no matter how small, in his reports. His mind raced, trying to understand where the colonel was leading with these questions.
“Lieutenant?” prompted Ming.
“Yes, Sir. I trust the Homothals completely. They are excellent soldiers, and I would not hesitate to lead them into battle.”
Colonel Ming nodded approval. “Excellent, because tomorrow you will lead them into battle against the refugee camp eleven kilometers west of Bendesi.”
Li didn’t understand. “Sir?”
“Are my orders not clear, Lieutenant Li? I want you and Sergeant Wong to lead the Homothals on an assault against the refugee camp. It seems that your training exercises—the raids against villages along the border with Chad and the Central African Republic—have been less than complete. Large numbers of natives have fled to the refugee camp you are now going to destroy.”
“Sir, I don’t understand. It is just a camp full of old women and children. Our raids have not allowed any men to escape. They were all killed or taken prisoner for further experimentation here.”
Ming was not accustomed to being questioned, and he abruptly faced his lieutenant. “I do not need to explain my orders,” he hissed. “You will follow them, is that clear?”
Suitably rebuked, Li stiffened and barked, “Yes, Sir!”
Ming studied his first lieutenant. The man had served under his command for more than ten years and had always been unquestionably loyal. “However, since you have asked… it seems that the Homothals have drawn some attention during the raids. There is talk of half-man creatures with yellow eyes. No one believes it, of course, but I don’t want the international press to hear these stories and start an investigation.”
Li was silent, but he nodded ever so slightly.
“Make sure the attack is thorough—there are to be no survivors. Make certain to leave evidence so the blame is laid squarely on the Janjaweed militia. Understood?”
Before the lieutenant could answer, Colonel Ming spun on his heels and left the courtyard for the air-conditioned comfort inside the compound, leaving Li alone to contemplate his orders.
Li summoned Sergeant Wong and the commander of the local Janjaweed militia, a brutal man by the name of Korlos. Korlos usually stayed at the compound—he considered it a privilege since the accommodations were far more plush and comfortable than the tents his militia used. Yet the real reason Colonel Ming hosted Korlos was to keep a close watch over him. Ming considered the Janjaweed militia merely as pawns in his game and it would not be good if Korlos developed too much independence. Better to treat him as an honored guest and inflate his ego; that would make him much more agreeable to Ming’s orders and subtle suggestions.
With Korlos and Sergeant Wong assembled in the communications room, Li began his briefing. Standing before a large regional map pinned to a corkboard on the wall, Li illustrated the plan of attack. There would be two teams: Korlos would lead his militia cavalry while Li, with Wong under his command, would lead a force of sixteen Homothals. The two teams would approach the refugee camp from opposite directions in a coordinated assault.
The mounted Janjaweed would attack from the south and encircle the camp. Simultaneously, the Homothals, transported by truck, would attack from the north. The Arab militia was to use the speed and intimidation of the mounted raiders to prevent anyone from escaping the camp while the Homothals would enter on foot to conclude the attack.
“And what are we supposed to do with these refugees?” demanded Korlos.
Li fixed his gaze on Korlos. “Colonel Ming has made his orders very clear. Everyone is to be killed.”
Korlos smiled ever so slightly. “As you wish,” he bowed modestly.
“My men will be pleased,” Korlos
added. “They grow impatient and yearn for the excitement of battle!”
Korlos disgusted Lieutenant Li. “Shooting unarmed women and children is hardly battle.”
Korlos was not about to be drawn into a debate. He was simply pleased that he was being given free rein to resume his murderous attacks on the people he hated. “Nevertheless, we will fully carry out Colonel Ming’s orders.”
“Of course,” was all Li could manage in reply. Li deeply despised him, and Korlos knew it.
“When is the assault to commence?” inquired Sergeant Wong.
The question brought Li back to the subject at hand. “Tomorrow morning, 0600 hours. The camp will just be waking, this will add to the surprise and shock.”
Korlos and Wong nodded, but remained silent.
“If there are no further questions, you are dismissed. Brief your men and make necessary preparations.”
The two men turned to leave, but Li called to Wong before he stepped out of the room. “Sergeant Wong. There is one other matter I need to discuss with you.”
After Korlos had left the room, Li approached Wong and spoke in a hushed voice. “There is one more point I want to make you aware of. This is not to be shared with Korlos or his blood-thirsty band of raiders.”
Wong looked slightly confused.
“The Homothals will be issued older type 81 assault rifles. You are to make certain some weapons are left behind.”
This rifle was widely distributed and would not attract any more attention than would an AK-47, especially in this part of the world where second-hand weapons were the norm. Colonel Ming had made sure that the Janjaweed militias, fighting on behalf of the Sudanese government, were supplied with sufficient quantities of the type 81 rifle. Any foreign observers coming across the weapon would naturally assume it was from a fallen Arab militiaman.
