by Kyle Aho
Soldiers of Misfortune: Parasite Lost
Kyle Aho
Editor: Patrick Burdine
Copyright © 2014 by Kyle Aho
All rights reserved.
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All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Corporations run the universe. They provide the products we use every day and supply us with the money to buy them. That feeling of safety and stability they provide only means their marketing campaigns are working. Every aspect of our lives is controlled or manipulated in some way by people at the top of the corporate food chain and we are forced to live in their shadows.
Most companies are willing to conduct clandestine operations to drive their competitors into the ground. Blackmail, vandalism, thievery, kidnapping, and murder are just some of the ways companies knock each other down a peg. No self-respecting businessman would sully his hands with such a project, thus an underground network of civilian operatives fills that need.
Individuals who are brave (or insane) enough to assist in these secret missions are rewarded with either a fat check or a dirt nap. Due to the dangerous and unpredictable nature of these missions, civilian operatives are often called…
Soldiers of Misfortune
Also in this series:
Soldiers of Misfortune: Forerunners
Prologue
“Good evening doctor, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“We have a problem,” Dr. Malliny said as the holographic image of her face floated above Sirus Opulen’s desk.
“How bad?” Sirus asked as he swiped through financial data hovering to his left and loosened his tie with a well-manicured finger.
“People are dying.”
He looked away from his bank accounts and stared into the projection of her eyes. Dr. Malliny took a moment to push her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
“Anyone important?”
“Not yet but it’s only a matter of time.”
“All right, I’ll set up a CivOp contract right away.”
“A civilian operative contract? Don’t you think this is a little delicate to hire random mercenaries sir?”
“I already have a few people in mind,” Sirus admitted as he pulled up some dossiers that floated next to Dr. Malliny‘s head. He stood up and put his hands on the small of his back, using them for support as he leaned back and stretched out his spine.
“Is that, um, with all due respect, sir, is that legal?”
”This operation, your operation, is too important. I have to pull strings.”
“Right.” She nodded. “Well I trust they are capable and discrete.”
“Trust me doctor, I have everyone’s best interest in mind.”
“Right. Well, um, thank you sir,” Dr. Malliny replied as her attention was pulled from her screen by screaming behind her, “shut the doors! Don’t let it-”
Sirus Opulen waved his hand and the remaining screens floating above his desk disappeared. Using his thumb and index finger he pinched the bridge of his nose. His reflection grew clearer as he walked over to a black console embedded in a glossy marble support pillar. He activated it with a swipe of his hand and a panel in the wall opened up. A cool glass of water slid toward him. He picked it up and took a sip, licking his lips for a moment. He placed the water back on the panel and pressed a few buttons hovering in front of him. The water slid back into the wall and the panel shut for only a fraction of a second before it opened once more and slid back out a few degrees cooler. He lifted the glass to his lips and sipped once more before taking a full gulp.
He walked over to his desk and stood behind his massive leather chair with his face to the window. His eyes darted around the bustling cityscape before him. Most vehicles were not permitted to fly as high as his penthouse office. He looked down on the few that were high enough for him to see in any detail. He surveyed the flickering advertisements and their products, many of which he had engineered or put into production himself. There was no rooftop he could not see as he looked down on the vast metropolis of hive city Vytal.
