Cyberpunk III: 2856A.D. MARS

"Come on, we're moving out. According to the intel, the gate should be further to the east. Hopefully we can get to it, without attracting too much more attention. Bull, take point, and I'll watch the rear. McShayne, please keep an eye on Hot Dog, since I doubt he can take care of himself. Oh, and if you catch him staring at your breasts or making a sexual remark, just pisto whip him a couple of times. That should make him stop."
I glance around, but the Lieutenant has returned alone. "Who am I supposed to watch, Ma'am?" I remark... barely able to keep the sarcasm out of my voice.

 

Ash turns to look, and sees that no one is there. "Oh, for the love of the gods. What the hell is that guys problem. We should just leave his ass behind, but I guess that isn't an option. Damn it. Bull, go back and drag him here if you have too. Also, try to bring along some of those cyborg parts. They could come in handy later on. Of all the tech specialest they could have sent with us, it had to be Hot Dog."

 

Jack hadn't acted out of character, hadn't breached any rule of protocol, hadn't done anything at all to deserve a stranglehold up against a metal great. And Nero had a tough grip. Angel and Karasu made a sort of joint effort to get him out of his predicament. By the time he got his breath back, he was about ready to explode right back.

S***, Sergeant! What the h*** was that?

But he didn't say it. He held back. He nearly killed Karasu, and then went and sat down. Angel had brought out the chemicals and they began applying them to the grate. The things he didn't say were no doubt written all over his face. Karasu and Angel then exchanged some words. And then they traded places. Jack watched as Angel went to the Sergeant and sat next to him.

He had to turn away.

 

Karasu looked at Jack.
"Am I doing this properly?" Karasu asked, "This is my first time doing something like this...and are you all right?"
Karasu didn't look at Jack, he didn't want to seem weird. He already looked pretty weird as it is. Karasu didn't look at Angel and Nero, but he wanted to. There was this urge that he needed to help in some way. But he didn't make a move he knew she would be able to handle it.

 

Jack looked at him quizzically. Karasu was full of surprises.

"Yeah, you're doing fine. And no, I'm not okay. I feel like crap, and its not because I just got strangled by my CO, either." He breathed a long sigh.

"Sorry. I'm not usually like this, it just....aw h***. I don't know what it is."

 

Karasu swallowed hard for a second. He felt weird.
"Is it something you would like to talk to me about?" Karasu asked.
It felt strange coming off his tongue. He truly did forget how to be human didn't he. He only knew the nature of the demon.
Karasu puzzled himself was he getting to close or was this something normal.

 

Jack looked at him again, this time studying his face a moment longer. He was human, even though sometimes he seemed otherwise. Jack gave him a weak smile.

"Thanks for asking. I...really don't know what to think myself anymore. I just feel alone. I came here with friends and people I could trust. Now..." He sighed.

"Now I just don't know."

 

Karasu continued working with the grate.
"You don't know what?" Karasu said, "I know I can trust you...I think that this mission has just eaten at our minds we have become far more edger then what we wanted."
Karasu suddenly dropped the tube as he fumbled with it. He hadn't dropped something in a long time, he hadn't talked in a long time, where there other pieces of him he had forgeton? He was letting his guard down, was it all right for him to do this.

 

He didn't know what to tell his squad mates. Apologies held nothing now, he didn't want to be in a constant feud with Cyrus, gave him temporary command. He tried not to cave in, but this wasn't some far off earthly political kill. Hell, they didn't even really know what they were fighting. Be it mechanical spiders, genetically modified soldiers or whatever that thing was that had almost killed him in the caves.

"Nero." Angel said, putting her hand on his. "You try to carry too much alone."

Castillene burned inside. That wasn't the problem to him, he felt as if he hadn't done enough for them. Like he was a waste of space in the squad. Being tactical had only cause him to be knocked unconscious by a trap in the ground. He barely got out of the cavern fire fight with the demon smashing him at the caves.

"Your right Angel, I can't carry the burden alone." Nero lied. He untensed to enhance the effect and fool her, he knew her perception was accurate and he used his talents as a spy to throw her off.

"I'm going to talk to Jack, maybe work this out as a misunderstanding." He said, shuffling to his feet. He helped Angel up "I won't screw up again Angel, I promise." Nero said, although he was uncertain that he could keep that promise. He was always a solid liar, his job required it, but when he did it to Angel, he felt a sting of guilt go along with it. It was necessary Nero's thoughts told him, No one needs to know that your spineless they pricked at his head.

Angel gave him a questioning look, and for a second he thought she could see right through him. But he dismissed it, smoothing it over. "Lets go Angel, they need us."

 

As Angel let Nero help her to her feet she was certain of one thing.

He was lying.

Oh, he was a good liar, she thought acerbically. It had probably kept him alive a time or two. When she had been told that her CO for this mission would be Sergeant Castelline she had done a little quick research on that name.

The fact that there was very little information to find told her more than if someone had written a book. He was a covert operative, Angel was sure of it.

She shot a glance at the grating, wondering about the frequency jamming, wondering if it was causing some kind of altered state for she and her squad mates. Maybe this hadn’t been wise after all.

Just as she thought it a rolling metal rattle made her look to see Karasu and Jack catching the section of burned-out grating as it fell. They set it aside, revealing a hole in the grating big enough for each of them to squeeze through.

Angel watched Cyrus, he didn’t seem to be hurt but Angel knew his pride would be dented. Not that the military really allowed you much pride anyway.

As she and Nero approached Karasu and Jack, Angel looked at Jack then shot a cautious glance at Nero. She wanted to ask Jack how he was, to make sure he was all right but she was afraid that it might set Nero off again. Jack seemed okay but she could imagine he was probably angry and confused.

She smiled at Jack instead, promising herself to talk to him more later. Maybe even much more, much later if they got through this.

“What do we have?” Angel asked, turning to the hole in the grating.

 

"I think you're right," Jack said. "And I'm coming to the place where I can trust you, too." He clapped him on the shoulder.

"If we get back in a mess, I'll have your back."

Just then, he looked over to see Angel smile at him. It lightened the load a little, and he was able to give her a not-quite-so-weak smile in return.

"Let's find out..." Jack said.

 

As he walked up to the heavy meshed gate, he could see Cyrus becoming tense. Nero knew that if he attempted anything, Jack would die. One on one combat was his forte, but he decided he wouldn't add fuel to the flame this time.

"Jack, i'm sorry if I hurt you, I lost it a bit back there." Nero said, extending his arm out to shake his hand. Cyrus didn't move. Nero withdrew his outstretched arm, not in the least disappointed.

"It's okay, I understand.. and Karasu, you did well to stand up for him. That could've turned out a lot worse than I expected. I apologize." he said, passing them both and going into the hole in the grate.

 

Jack fought within himself as Nero extended his hand. His action before had destroyed nearly all the trust he had in the man. However, if Nero truly had just 'lost it', Jack had to give him the chance to re-earn his trust. Jack was about to turn and grip his hand, but Nero withdrew it.

He made his apology and climbed into the hole in the grate. Jack was going to say something to him, but no words would come in time. Maybe they'd have a chance to talk later.

 

Karasu looked at Angel.
"Are you sure he is fine?" Karasu asked, "We can't survive if we have a leader whose mind is being eaten away by his own soul."
Karasu didn't really want an answer, but he did want her to ponder on what he said. Karasu followed after the others inside the grate.

 

"Are you sure he is fine?" Karasu asked, "We can't survive if we have a leader whose mind is being eaten away by his own soul."

Angel paused to consider Karasu's words as Nero stepped through the hole.

"It will be a miracle if we survive anyway," she said, "the mission can't stop for psychoanalysis."

It wasn't a great answer. But there wasn't a good answer to any of this. The mission had to succeed.

Beyond the grate the brushed steel floor was smooth and impeccably clean. The walls were the same ferrocrete and rock that they had already passed through. They passed the ventilators, huge snaking tubes and generators spewing out fresh air and beyond that the shaft came to an end.

Ahead of them it looked like there should be more corridor but it had been closed off from the floor to about twelve feet up with shining steel. If there was a way to open it, they couldn’t see one. Air circulated above it to some unknown destination.

The dead end made a sort of antechamber and angled to the right was a door with three glowing blue lights beside it. Above the door was a simple engraved word.

‘Biogenesis.’

Angel scanned the area and pointed to the door.

“The jamming is coming from in there.”

Biogenesis? I’m not sure I like the sound of that, she thought, her face grave.

 

Biogenesis the door read.

“The jamming is coming from in there.” Angel declared, moving around her scanner and comfirming the data.

Nero looked at Karasu and Cyrus, he didn't feel like he should give them orders. Not after threatning to kill them both. He leaned up against the door to listen inside, but the steel was thick and he could only catch a low hum. Well, your the leader aren't you, coward? his thoughts snapped at him. But up until now, he didn't wasn't sure they were his own anymore.

"Karasu, post up against this door, we'll surge through on my mark." Nero told his soldier. He decided it was best that he keep Cyrus on a long leash, they were both at boiling point and at this moment he wasn't considering going over the top. Karasu agreed, but Castillene could see his hesitance to him. He was losing his respect.

Karasu and Nero were on both sides of the door and Karasu nodded. "Go!" Nero yelled turning and giving a vicious kick, making the steel door open, although at a somewhat slow pace. At the smallest sign of the door opening, Karasu slid inside expertly, pistols trained. Nero didn't hear gunfire.

"Sir," Karasu said. "You might want to see this."

 

Nero kicked the door open, and Karasu went in first. Jack followed him in, pistol up...but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw.

The room was bathed in soft red light. The walls of the room were rounded, giving the effect that they were in a giant orb. Lining the walls were transparent tubes filled with fluid. And suspended within the fluid...were the forms of human beings. They were in various stages of development, and those in the later stages had metal tubes impaled in various areas of their bodies. The tubes led to the tops of the fluid-filled chambers.

The room smelled of chemicals and a strong salt brine. It made his stomach turn slightly.

In the middle of the room lay several banks of computers laid out in concentric, broken circles.

Jack whistled softly.

 

Just another step on the long walk of insanity Nero said to himself. It was a futuristic horror scene. The infants or growing adults were suspended in a greenish, pale hued fluid. Computers lay in the surrounding area, some had images flickering on the screen of the different body parts of each specimen. Some seemed like cat scans of their brains, processing some untold data into them.

Nero wondered how long they had been in that state, being spawned to fight against them. Plenty of them had fought them in the tunnels, were they already trained when they were spawned from this hell? Was the thing that fought them in the caves made in the same manner? He had too many questions that he figured would be unsolved for a long time.

"Angel." Nero called. "See if you can get some information from these computers. Karasu, keep an eye on the tubes if they become a threat, Cyrus..." the Sergeant halted. "Help Angel with the computers." he finished sternly.

 

Karasu looked at the tubes, different stages of human development. The smell of chemical and salt brine made his stomach turn, but worse was the faces of what appeared to being humans.Karasu, keep an eye on the tubes if they become a threat
"All right," Karasu said.
Karasu walked up to one of the tubes. He looked into the eyes of what possibly could be human life. Karasu noticed one finger twitch, was it alive or just a simple body tick. Or was it Karasu's imagination. He really actually didn't want to watch children become hostile. He didn't know if he could shoot them. Subconsciously without realizing he had put his pistol down to his side. He found himself stretch a hand out to one of the tubes. Why did he even care for the mad creation?

 

Alpha

The tropical disinfectant smelling air of the Biogenesis room was a shock after the fresh cold air of the ventilators. Angel heard Jack’s low whistle of amazement and she herself felt dry-mouthed, unable to believe her eyes.

Children. Human children, babies and youths floated in the tubes. She approached one that appeared to hold a three-year-old boy and felt nausea well up as she saw that his eyelids were like skins over his eyes. There were no eyelashes present just a smooth expanse of skin behind which his eyes were moving as though he was in a REM phase of dreaming.

His head was too big for his body, the arms and legs small and underdeveloped. Metal tubes impaled the nape of his neck, his throat, and his small abdomen.

She would never forget the face.

He appeared both child and wizened old man all at once. Like a peach that still blooms with ripe health but its skin has begun to wrinkle.

There was a coded metal tag on each tube. The boy’s read ‘HYPR 4 LOB#25’.

Hyper? Hyper growth? That was bad enough and then she realized what LOB stood for. She almost lost her battle with nausea as she turned to the other Alpha team members.

“They’re growing them,” she said with horror filling her voice, “for their brains.”

"Angel." Nero called. "See if you can get some information from these computers.

"Yes." She said faintly, "all right." Angel vaguely heard Nero snapping orders at the others but couldn't tear her eyes away from the blank-eyed boy in the tube.

"Angel! The computers." Someone was pulling her away from the tube by the arm and she realized that tears were running down her face.

 

Nero could see Cyrus dragging Angel away from one of the tubes holding an infant. He raised an eyebrow, Jack was genuinely concerned with Angel's well being. But Nero had all but kept his.

This place is testing us all he thought. Even the independent and compassionate Angel had begun to crack under the continuous pressure of both death and rational thought. This wasn't a place for her. This wasn't even a place for himself. Karasu, the coldest of them all, had even begun to feel as if he needed support, both emotionally and physically. Cyrus was relying heavily on Angel to keep himself in check, and Nero figured, as long as they are together, their squad wouldn't break. And he accepted it as fact.

Nero neared one of the computers, which had a gradual red filling up in a progress bar. He looked at the tubes, one contained a full developed male. The fluid began to spiral. The screen shot out large text "RELEASE IN T-MINUS 5". Castillene's heart pounded.

"Karasu! Kill them, kill them all, now!" he yelled frantically. Karasu's eyes widened with shock. "But sir," he said. "Their just kids!".

"God damnit!" Nero unholstered his rifle and pumped rounds into the first tube, shattering the glass and filling the green fluid with misty clouds of red. Angel screamed. He only shot it because it seemed the only one with the fluid draining rapidly, the body of the male slumped over as the fluid spilled onto the ground, it was dead. The other tubes remained inactive, but Nero didn't know for how long.

 

Nero said to her again.

Jack took her arm and tugged at her gently. She came slowly, unwilling to go. When she finally turned her eyes away, Jack saw them filled with tears. His heart melted.

He turned her to him and embraced her, holding her head against his chest.

"I'm sorry..." Was all he could think of to say as the seconds droned on like minutes. They were caught in a nightmare. A terrible, perverse nightmare with no end...no waking up. And right now, all they had was each other.

He felt a tear of his own sting his eye and burn its way down his cheek, until it fell at last into her hair.

 

Karasu nearly lost it then when he watched Nero shoot the kid. Karasu didn't know how to react to something this dark and heavy.
Karasu felt sick and didn't know if he could keep it together in here. He looked at the children in here and it made him wonder.
"How far do we have to go for perfect mad creations?" Karasu whispered, "When will their every be a perfect mad creature?"
Karasu remembered these words after one of the science riots about cloning humans.
Karasu began to walk around until he stepped on something. A folder.
"I found a folder its pretty big," Karasu said.
Karasu opened it and saw the worst thing he could imagine. Deformed limbs, heads, bodies, faces.
Karasu kept it together as he handed it to Nero, making sure Nero couldn't seem him fall. It was pathetic for him to act this way towards things that weren't human.

 

Nero heard Karasu say "I found a folder its pretty big," but it was basically a black bag.

Karasu shakily gave it to Nero. It was heavy, and he pried it open. Heads, with a circular incision that had the top of their skulls open, and no brains inside. Severed limbs, seemingly of all ages, weighed down the bag, blood gathered up on a little pool in the bottom of the bag.

Strangely, Nero didn't have the same reaction as Karasu. He simply gave it a serious look and closed the bag. "Show this only to Cyrus, and tell him to let me know what the feth are they doing with them." he ordered.

 

Alpha

"I'm sorry..."

Angel huddled against Jack, shutting her eyes against the terrible sights of the room. He stroked her hair, soothing her, and she could feel her heartbeat calming.

She began to draw away from Jack, a little embarrassed at her own weakness, when Nero startled her with a bellow.

"Karasu! Kill them, kill them all, now!"

"But sir, they're just kids!".

"God damnit!"

Angel screamed as Nero shot the tube point blank, glass shattering as the reddening fluid spilled everywhere, the young male's body jerking spasmodically as it slumped forward, trailing its tubes. It landed at Nero's feet, the skinned-over eyes stilled.

"Wait." Angel pleaded with Nero and Karasu, "Just wait a moment." Then she asked Jack, "Do you think we can turn the tubes off at the main console? Take away their life support? It would be quicker than...than..." her throat worked but she managed to finish her thought, "than shooting each one."

Letting go of Jack's arms with an effort, Angel went to the computers. There were two swiveling chairs in the curve of the computer bank and she sat down in one, beginning to work her way through information on one of the screens.