The Cross of Mithras Vol. 1: EOD Operation Welcome to Hell (112 page)

(10)

  Lieutenant Colonel Leon Daniel of the PDF (Planetary Defense Force) just arrived at the city of Aruka. Just like any member of any planetary system’s version of PDF, he is a local boy. He wasn’t born on Golden Hyperion, he arrived there when he was eight, but to him it is still a home that is worth fighting for. Although he lives on the far side of the moon, he wasted no time in getting to Aruka. He’ll do anything it takes to protect his home world, even though this is his first military engagement and he’s not as skilled as those who were trained by those military branches with far deeper wallets and the resources to boot.

  It was Julius Howell III who asked him to take the command. The Intel that Leon received scared the living shit out of him. Like so many other people on Golden Hyperion he’d learned what was going on through that of the media. The American people may have to deal with a corporate media, but those who live under the yoke of the EOD have to deal with a EOD media. (Namely High Command whom seemed to have their hands in everything lately.) Leon spent the whole trip worrying about his wife, children, and the mission. Despite his religious convictions, he finally understood why career officers drink as much as they do.

  He’d spent the whole afternoon going over maps, local Intel, armaments, logistics, mustering up the local militias, discussing possible tactics with his subordinates and then finally sending everything to Julius for final review. But it was during the evening that he got his biggest headache – dealing with the mayor who was showing signs of being in election campaign mode. Worst still, the mayor had the audacity to bring the media with her. To make matters even worse, if what the local rumors about her are true, then her private life would get in the way of Leon’s religious convictions. Leon was a straight shooter who can be quite blunt at times, running the risk of putting others in embarrassing situations. It is his wife Claire who was savvy enough to get him out of those situations. (She too was a member of the PDF but she couldn’t come with him since local laws prevent a parent to depart for military duties when they have a underage child [eight year old daughter].) For those who know her best, they would say to call the mayor a bitch would be a complement.

  “What’s the matter sir?” One of Leon’s subordinates asked him.

  “I bit my tongue off because I was talking to the mayor. She’s wants to be the one in control. The one to make ALL of the decisions regarding the defense of the city. You would not believe the number of times that I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from calling her a bitch. She not only had the nerve to bring the media with her… but also to want them to be there as she quote-discuss the operation to save the city from the enemies of our peaceful community-end quote, with me.” Leon responded in the most bitter of tones. He then took a sigh of relief and said, “I need to pray off this negativity.”

(11)

  Both a genetic drift and a cloning vat that was slowly but surely breaking down was occurring within the Demon Cy-Xs. Their ability to control one another had broken down. Now only the strongest will survive, but worst still some of them had “echoes” of Captain Dawson’s former life within them. It was as if though his “ghost” was still there to give everybody trouble. Had he’d died, there probably would be peace upon that world. But that is sadly will not be the case. A new slaughter and a new hell awaits those who are too close to the action. Like the people of Aruka. But first a different slaughter had to occur – the one between this new group of Demon Cy-Xs and the old group. Yalvfry qrvlb (e-Ah-lou-fray k-rule-b [soulless beast]) is what Vaistll would eventually called them. (When she said that she was referring to Captain Dawson.) The name, of course, stuck, and everyone started to call them that especially since they no longer look like a typical Demon Cy-X.

  Although they were typically between 72 to 78 inches tall, genetic drift and a malfunctioning cloning vat guarantee that when they first appeared their height would range between that of a average human and that of a Demon Cy-X. What they ultimately got from  Captain Dawson was not his humanity, but rather his cunning, ruthlessness, tactical know-how, in short, his military training. Although Captain Dawson was not the one who could be classified as “smart,” this new beast was. It combined within itself the best of humanity and the worst of Captain Dawson. And what type of contribution could the Demon Cy-Xs make? That of the flesh. That of their rage. Their strength and their darkness. To put it simply – that which made them a nightmare on the battlefield.

  Long and intense was the slaughter between the two, which, in the end, forced what was left of the Demon Cy-X army to flee in an effort to find weaker enemies. And the most easiest prey of them all was the people of Aruka who, in the end, will pay a hefty price for the arrogance of one. Although the one who is too arrogant will never see the truth about that first assault, all that matter at that time was that one will see what another cannot. This new beast will prove always and forever more, arrogance is it’s greatest strength. The arrogance of it’s enemies… that is.

  But how could it be? How could something the size of a six foot tall person take on the Demon Cy-Xs and prevail when humans could not? Captain Dawson was no were near as good to do something like that. So how could these “soulless beast” do it when he could not? Part of the reason lies with the very nature of the EOD experiments and what they were designed for, the other reason lies with Captain Dawson’s training. Captain Dawson at one point tried to join the EOD Special Forces but failed to graduate. He had to get his body in shape (wasn’t a problem), do hard body training and to make his body more flexible for martial arts training (never complained), receive training as a ninja (graduated), and finally receive similar training like that of the Navy Seals. The Navy Seals are trained to resist the cold water and this is where Dawson failed. Everything else he could handle, but not the cold water part. He did and he didn’t care that he did not graduate. He quickly put it behind him. That training is what complimented (along with human intelligence, ingenuity, creativity, and the like) the elements from the Demon Cy-X part.

  And just what did the Demon Cy-X contributed? First of all what is needed is to understand for what genuine purpose were they created? The Dragon Clones were designed to be the shock trooper while the Demon Cy-Xs the big dumb brute. The heavy hitters if you will. Humans are the specialist, those who can serve multiple purposes. Who could win over the hearts and minds of the people more, those that look like monsters, or those that look like another human? The EOD always picked it’s “monsters” and it’s people for practical purposes. The reason is pretty much straight forward – it’s military can’t be the best of the best if it wasn’t freed up (from politics) to pursue a higher quality military that is based upon the virtue of the knowledge that the best military ever must be one that is based upon the notion that it must seek greater competence and efficiency over time. And just what did their military wanted this time around? The perfect Spec-Ops warrior (monster) and that was the genetic material that was contained within the red pod that Dawson swallowed. While Dawson was waiting to inject himself with the needles, he finally realized what the red pod was – and he’d loved what he was about to do. That red pod was an EOD symbiote known as a Genetic Trans-Modification Entity, also known as a GET-ME.

  A GET-ME takes two genetic samples and finds the best way to combine the two into one. The host is typically a clone that acts as a genetic base. The EOD scientists found that is the best way to control whatever is created. If a human (like Dawson) is chosen then there are too many unknown variables that may arise such as the host memory, experience, the nature of their death, so on. What they always needed was someone in which these variables would not play out (in short – Dawson). If a host wants to die then whatever is created may have the same desire (not with Dawson). If the host thinks that they are becoming a monster and that violates their ethics, then within their subconscious may be the one desire that causes resistance (not with Dawson). If the host does not want to become this new type of monster (who would want to) - then it becomes yet another example of the host getting in the way - and therefore it further illustrates the EOD desire not to use humans. What was needed was someone like that of Captain Dawson at the moment he’d chose to become the guinea pig for this new monster. It is therefore understandable why the EOD chooses clones instead of humans.

  The GET-ME symbiote was never meant to stay within the host as all genetic material is obtained by it then transferred over to the cloning vats for replication. The symbiote still contains what can be called the person essence (or soul if you like), memory, skill, et cetera. (Although this may sound like the Tylkuoply hive, it isn’t. Those who created the Tylkuoply hive didn’t want the possibility that the soul may be transferred into the symbiote. Those who created the EOD symbiote didn’t care.) Dawson will live on through this new monster. And that’s what he’d loved about it. But unlike those who created the Tylkuoply hive the EOD was more efficient at maintaining control over the experiments that they were creating. The original scientists had the sense to first create an algorithm that control all variables that would allow the symbiote to “reproduce.” The symbiote was designed to break the host’s DNA down into sections and then based upon the algorithm, within a predicable time period, all of the original host’s DNA would be combined back into one allowing the host to be in effect “reborn.” This was considered a way to control the variable of failure at the same time preserving the desired traits of the selected DNA that is needed to create any form of a “creature” that is needed. It is also important because it allows them to terminate the whole experiments by depriving them of the opportunity to “reproduce” and thus, all variables are controlled.

  With Captain Dawson the variables have broken down. The more damage that he does to the EOD reputation in creating these monsters the more likely the EOD will be forced to change it’s policy concerning the creation of these monsters. Unfortunately the EOD is too efficient at controlling even those variables. They may lose control over the media on Golden Hyperion but not everywhere else. And because of this, they will be fully able to spin whatever occurs on Golden Hyperion anyway that they wish. The only mistake that they made is to blame Captain Dawson. Ultimately he will turn on them and die (this time for real), but when all is said and done the damage may be far too much for the EOD to ever had handle.

(12)

  “My dearest wife…” The message from Leon Daniel to that of his wife opened up with. “…I do not know how to break this to you within my trouble heart but I fear that this may be my last letter to you. There are extenuating circumstances beyond my control that warrants that my duties have become a bit problematic. Oh, dearest Claire do not weep for me. For I within the deepest part of my heart and soul will be thinking of you during this trail and tribulation that has mercilessly have fallen upon me. Do not grieve for me my love. For there is a chance, no matter how small that chance may be, that I, may find my way with honor back home to you. What a joyous day that will be for me to see your smiling face once more as I return home with honor to you. But because of these extenuating circumstances I do not know if I may return home to you. I just want you to cheer up my love and to be strong, not only for yourself, but also for our dear little ones. Smile for me my love.”

  The message did not have the intended result that Leon had hope for. He may have known his wife quite well, but nobody is a perfect mind reader to that of their spouse. No matter how close they are. By “extenuating circumstances” Claire knew who he’d meant. She, unlike Leon, was a news junkie and if it wasn’t for him she probably would watch the news all day long. And she would not allow that Arukan bitch to get away with the lost of her husband. Claire had her parents come and pick up their grandchildren as she left to be her husband. She knew that she was breaking the law and she didn’t even care. She just wanted to put that Arukan bitch in her place.

(13)

  The Demon Cy-Xs had their work cut out for them as they tried to deal with this new threat. It was not like them to back down from a fight. But their rage, their strength, all that they were are now on the line and their defeat only fueled their rage and their determination to see their enemy defeated, even consumed (eaten). This new enemy had the nerve, not only to be shorter, but also to be faster, equally as strong, one who could match the rage of the Demon Cy-Xs with equal rage and determination. What irked  the Demon Cy-Xs even more is that this new enemy, like them, knew no fear but also combine within themselves the determination to see the enemy defeated. What the Demon Cy-Xs could not have known is that this new enemy could move it’s tendons both closer or further (within a set range) from their joints. This made them faster (when their tendons are closer) and stronger (when it’s further from their joints). The Demon Cy-Xs were finally at a disadvantage when dealing with a enemy who could be both fast and strong when the situation calls for it. This new enemy could run at a wall and “run” up it a few feet, move it’s tendons a bit further way from it’s joints, jump and at the same time it move it’s tendons closer to it’s joints and “fly” over the enemies heads to deliver death to them.

  With the ability to control rather or not they show speed or strength, this new enemy made it most likely that they would be able to hold their ground far more effectually than any other type of enemy that the Demon Cy-Xs would ever have theoretically encountered. Thus, standing up to this new type of enemy for them is near impossible. It’s not like them to show cowardliness over such an enemy. But the Demon Cy-Xs are not suicidal enough to stand their ground to the point that all would perish. Why in the universe would the EOD ever would want any type of monster who was suicidal by nature? Isn’t that a control issue?