Chapter 15 – Loss September 30, 2008
Posted by yamikuronue in Uncategorized.Tags: Aphrodite, Ares
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“Are you there?”
Again she called, and again, nothing. She sighed, fiddling with the amplifier again. She’d begun to sense him but still no reply. He must not be able to hear her, it’s the only logical…
“Go away.”
It wasn’t so much words as a prickly awareness – he knew she was there and resented it. She blinked, probing further. She was surprised she could reach him at all, but only for a moment; he didn’t feel half a galaxy away. How could he? He was right here in her head. He’d never really left.
Still, she was puzzled. Why was his mind all prickles and deep blue-black wastes? He’d been so excited to go on his mission, but now his moment had… stalled out?
“002. status report.”
There was a flash, a jumble of incoherent images, a female face repeated over and over. Slowly, far slower than normal for him, the jumble resolved itself into a sequence.
“I was… attacked. Hit from behind. Unit is… is non-operational. My position is compromised.”
Aphrodite shivered, safe and warm, to think of the cold, empty cell he’d been placed in. At least it wasn’t a dungeon; still, a spare pantry in the baement wasn’t exactly welcoming or friendly, cot or no cot, and he was locked in.
“Understood. Await further instruction.”
Chapter 14 – Contact September 25, 2008
Posted by yamikuronue in Uncategorized.Tags: Ares, Loki Byakuya, Obsidian Byakuya, Prometheus, Violet
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It had so suddenly all gone so horribly wrong.
The place was well defended, a keep on a little island, isolated by many miles from the nearest neighbor. He’d set off alarms, of course, but that was to be expected. It’d taken him a bit to get the pattern of the automated turrets, but once that was mastered he had no further trouble with them. He’d pocketed the younger researcher to draw out his target; the taller, more muscular man had appeared on the keep walls brandishing a large weapon. He’d destroyed most of the keep, backing his target into a corner, and was approaching to grab him, when…
Pain. White. Heat. A scream. His body, dimly, far way, arching, writing. A smell of ozone.’
He couldn’t move! Prometheus was silent. He was trapped inside a small, dark chamber, breathing stale yet sterile air, small monitor before him dark and lifeless.
“Prometheus?”
“PROMETHEUS?!”
“…please, don’t go…”
Sunlight poured into the chamber as Ares, barely conscious, was dragged from it by strong, muscular arms. The warm sunlight didn’t reach his numb core. He was dimly aware of his targets carrying him inside, and of a brilliantly happy face shining clearly through the haze with long brown hair and bright violet eyes. Then the face was gone and he was left alone.
For the first time in his life, Ares hugged his knees, bowed his head, and cried in silence.
Chapter 13 – Reckoning September 24, 2008
Posted by yamikuronue in Uncategorized.Tags: Eva Mendell, Jared Robertson
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Synapses fired, unbidden, the autonomic nervous system kicking into gear. The heart raced, digestion slowed to a crawl, the leg muscles prepared for a rapid departure.
Jared reached for the doorknob.
As always, Eva looked professional – dark hose, black heels, grey skirt, dark blouse. Her dark brown hair was pulled up into a bun with chopsticks, dark eyes calculating, face sharp and angular. She sat today at her desk, hands folded, waiting. Lurking. Expecting him.
Jared gulped, sweating, as he sat before her desk.
“I’m disappointed in you, Jared.”
His throat closed, he could not speak. His hands shook. He struggled to breathe.
“Not only did you lie to me, you did it in a blatant, obvious way.”
He struggled to explain himself, his emotion, his protectiveness. He struggled to beg her forgiveness.
“s..sorry, ma’am.”
Eva stared at him coldly, unforgivingly, for a few long eternities of seconds before reaching into her desk. Jared’s heart raced as he prepared to drop, to dodge the bullet he knew would be hurtling towards his face any second now – he jumped slightly as a small syringe full of fluid connected with a hardwood desk.
“You have, as always, a choice. You can quit and be taken into protective custody…”
Her words had teeth upon teeth, like a shark.
“Or you can administer this solution to your subject and apply for a transfer to the theoretical research team.”
He knew in the sick pit of his stomach what was in that syringe; it was the same solution added to the tanks of the embryos on whom the epigenetic alterations didn’t take, the same tht had been injected into unnamed toddlers with no signs of psychic potential. It was Death, bottled and carefully portioned, tailored to the individual.
And he was to deliver it.
A long moment he stared at the syringe blankly, dully. He considered rebelling, storming out or using it on his boss or simply saying no, but he knew how it would end – himself in a cell, his family told merely “we regret to inform you”, him rotting away as his sister mourned and moved on, as his neice had her first day of school, her first crush, her sweet sixteen, all never knowing what had happened to him…
But then, people died every day. Life marched on regardless – what mattered was his choices, the here and now.
Aware of his boss’ eyes watching his every move, he reached out for the syringe. “I’ll do it.”
Chapter 12 – Strife September 23, 2008
Posted by yamikuronue in Uncategorized.Tags: Apollo, Artemis, Greg Dawson, Helios, Selene
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“You never let me have any fun!”
“We can have fun…”
“You’re just jealous I found things. You’re just a stupid, slow, stupid, jealous girl!”
“…I hate you.”
“I hate you first!”
“I hate you more!”
~*~
For the first time since toddlerhood, both beds were used; alone and apart, neither twin slept a wink.
For the first time, the next morning, Artemis picked at her breakfast.
For the first time, in mid-morning play, Apollo deliberately broke seven toy soldiers.
~*~
“Artemis? Any time you’re ready…”
Selene did not move. Why? Helios was long gone, off like a shot, but Selene remained in the dock. Perhaps there s mechanical failure? Greg could hear a muffled hissing coming from the cockpit mic. No, on second thought, that wasn’t a hiss, more of a… sniffle?
oh.
OH.
“Um… are you alright?”
Just sniffles. What if something had gone horribly, horribly wrong?! Greg bolted out of the control room, slapping the button to close the hanger doors and grabbing a first aid kit. As soon as it was safe to do so, he burst into the hanger, racing to the mech unit and pulling the emergency release, dragging Artemis out to see…
no injury. Just wild sobs.
Slowly, awkwardly, stiffly, he positioned his arms around the girl. Out of place, he held her still hile she threw herself at him, tears and snot staining his good shirt.
Chapter 11 – Olympus Mons September 19, 2008
Posted by yamikuronue in Uncategorized.Tags: Ares, Prometheus, Scott Benson
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Obsidian Byakuya, read the file, was the head of research on a top secret project that had gone under when he left, 12 years prior. He and his life partner, Loki, had been enjoying a fat double paycheck in exchange for not going public with the details of their classified information. The pair were ensconced in a fortress ready to hold off an invading army, and each were martial arts specialists in their own right.
Ares figured he’d have no trouble retrieving them.
The mission was a simple search and retrieval – bring back Obsidian alive, but not necessarily, the file pointed out, unharmed. Loki could be used to ensure good behavior; as a former junior researcher, his retrieval would be an added bonus, but his death would also suffice.
Prometheus’ weapons were loaded, his tank filled with fuel for the interstellar voyage, his warp drive checked and double checked, until at last, all that remained was to load the pilot. Scott’s smile was meant to be reassuring as he patted the boy’s shoulder and said something to the effect of, I’m proud of you, or perhaps, don’t fuck this up. All Ares could see was his only friend awaiting his touch to return to life.
Welcome back, Ares.
“005 to 002, do you read?”
I’ve missed you.
“I’m here, 005.”
Ready to go kick some butt?
To: Research Team
From: Eva Mendell
Subject: Don’t get cocky
Memo: It’s not over yet – the subject still has to complete his mission before we can cut the cake. Get back to work.
Chapter 10 – Acheron’s mouth September 17, 2008
Posted by yamikuronue in Uncategorized.Tags: Artemis, Jared Robertson
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Jared stared at the raw data before him, his heart sinking. No matter how he ran the numbers, no matter how long he stared or prayed, the numbers still added up the same. 56% synch – no others had ever dropped below 80, and that was rare.
He stared at the boxy tables in horror, his mind racing; in an attempt to clam down, he glanced over to the monitor, the sleeping Athena. In a few days she’d be dead. He pictured her slim, still form lying peacefully in a coffin, hands folded neatly over a flower… no, she’d not even get that much consideration. She’d be dumped into an incinerator, perhaps, like the less viable embryos, her soft hair burned to a crisp, her smooth skin crackling and peeling…
He needed to stop this madness. She was no more than a lab rat, to be discarded… try as he might, he couldn’t believe that. She was real to him, a person, and he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her, ever. He was her guardian; he had a duty to protect her from harm. He swallowed, his mouth dry. What could he do? How could he possibly protect her? He needed more time!
If only it wasn’t quite so bleak… maybe if she’d scored better on a few tests, if Ares had scored a smidge worse…
To: Jared Robertson
From: Eva Mendell
Subject: Test results
Memo: See me immediately.
Chapter 9 – Chione September 17, 2008
Posted by yamikuronue in Uncategorized.Tags: Apollo, Artemis, Helios, Selene
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“Wait up, ‘Pol! No fair!”
Oblivious to his sister’s distress, Helios bounded ahead, each step a long leap, his golden-painted armor glinting in the light that filtered its way through the dense atmosphere. Away from their complex, things grew steadily dimmer, as though they had left the safe clearing and now played too deep in the woods. Still, the boy had no fear – no hungry wolves lurked in this forest of gas, waiting to gobble up naughty children.
“Slowpoke!”
Selene, every bit as fast as her twin, remained just behind, unable to catch up to Helios’ head start. He was always leaving her behind, always racing on ahead, eager to get nowhere and discover nothing. Why couldn’t he just turn and discover her as he once did? Why did he always have to be just out of reach?
“I ain’t slow! You cheat!”
Artemis’ words were lost on Apollo. He’d found something! He looked down into the crater before him. He’d found craters before, of course, but this one had something IN it – a large dome, containing a few buildings. He knew from his own home bubble that most of the compound would be underground; the people would all be indoors at this time of day. He’d run all morning to find this place – it must be fairly far from his home, though he’d not been tracking the distance.
“Look, ‘ty!”
Artemis’ heart sank. People. Now her brother would meet someone new, and have no more time for her, like the toys he’d finished playing with. Why couldn’t the world, the universe, just leave them alone? They didn’t need anyone else, just themselves: Apollo and Artemis, 003 and 004, Helios and Selene.
“So what? You prolly just got us lost.”
“Did not! It’s new!”
“Race ya back, slowpoke!”
“You’re on!”
To: Gregory Dawson
From: Eva Mendell
Subject: Caution
Memo: Do your job. This is your final warning. If you cannot control your subjects, I will.
Chapter 8 – The Hall of Hephaestus September 16, 2008
Posted by yamikuronue in Uncategorized.Tags: ADONIS, Aphrodite, Ares, Prometheus
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There was a new voice today, preceded by a presence, almost a pressure in the air around him, on his skin. He nearly didn’t notice, mid-conversation with Prometheus, except that the voice was high, higher than his own or Scott’s. It also had a sort of… soft… quality that– irrelevant. It was unfamiliar.
“Who’s there?”
Aphrodite fairly glowed. It was working! The amplifier worked as designed. Now she could contact anyone on Titan! In her excitement, she nearly lost track of her mission.
“Subject 005 reporting. I’ll be your long-range communications officer.”
005? There were others? Four others? Irrelevant. Long range communication? Was he finally to be testing Prometheus at long range? Irrelevant. He would obey his orders… once he knew what they were.
“What are my orders, 005?”
Um… oh crap. His orders! What were they, again? Aphrodite blushed slightly as she polled ADONIS.
“You are to report this contact to your handler and await further communication.”
Ares felt slightly let down. So the mission was to wait. His desires were irrelevant. Still, he did prefer a more active assignment. Irrelevant. He would do as he was told.
“Understood.”
Aphrodite pulled away from the barest touch of contact she’d initiated; she had little to no interest in the contents of this particular mind, only in the theory. She checked in with ADONIS, pulling up the amplifier’s design – perhaps she could get a clearer signal….
To: Research Group
From: Eva Mendell
Subject: Test communication
Memo: Good work, 002 and 005 teams. Prepare for your first mission.
Chapter 7 – Labour September 12, 2008
Posted by yamikuronue in Uncategorized.Tags: Athena, Jared Robertson
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“Raise your right arm.”
He watched the monitor as Athena tensed, struggling. He could see the determination on her face as each muscle stiffened in turn, yet both her own arm and the giant mechanical one remained still. She wasn’t going to be able to… no. He had to believe in her. It was just a fluke, she’d be ok in a minute…
“Relax. Just… ease into it. Don’t think so hard.”
Athena relaxed, panting. She kept her eyes firmly closed, taking a deep breath, letting herself sink into it, feeling the massive weight. Her stomach churned. She wasn’t ready for Pallas, not now, when she knew she’d been failing her tests, missing the benchmarks – what if she couldn’t move him at all? Relax. Feel the weight in your mind. Expand to feel all of it- So big, so big! She couldn’t reach the toes, it was too large for her, it wouldn’t fit inside her mind– oh. It had no toes. The foot was a solid unit.
“There’s no toes.”
Jared blinked. No.. toes? What did it matter? Was she stalling? He clenched his teeth a little, taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly. No toes. Was it a code? No toes… notoes… not oes…o’s? Orgasms? He blushed faintly. Perhaps it meant something to psychokinetics. ‘Or,’ he admitted to himself, ruefully, ‘little girls.’ What did he know about raising prepubescent – teenage, was the more proper term now – girls?
“Correct. Proceed with integration.”
She felt heavy; her body was large, or the garage was small. Her mind adapted, expanding to incorperate the mechanical construct as part of the ego, the self, controlling it not via neurons and muscles but with psychokinetic force. If she could just relax and extend her mind JUST so…
“Raise your right arm.”
The humming charge deflated, needles and back-of-neck-hairs dropping. Jared slumped before his microphone. She’d lost it. She wasn’t ready. He’d be- no, they’d both be terminated, only her termination would be much more permanent. He’d be back to studying lab rats on Mars, and she’d be…
“Please, I need to focus.”
Athena found dampness on her cheeks and immediately scolded herself. Tears were irrelevant- she shouldn’t be noticing such minor sensations, not if she intended to synch with Pallas. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Deep, cleansing breaths. Relax the muscles. Let the mind expand – not wander! Feel the adamantine plating, the strong titanium rods, the flexible finger joints.. this is me. This is my body. Please, please move…
The arm remained stationary.
To: Jared Robertson
From: Eva Mendel
Subject: Re: Need more time.
Memo: Get it together. You have one week.
Chapter 6: Babel September 7, 2008
Posted by yamikuronue in Uncategorized.Tags: Eva Mendell, Greg Dawson, Jared Robertson, Paul Johnson, Scott Benson
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“You have to face facts, Jer. She’s been failing her tests.”
Jared Robertson had a slightly pale face, a voice squeaky with nerves, a shaking hand in greasy dark hair, thick glasses – he was a timid man, but a passionate one.
“She hasn’t! At least, not regularly, there’s no evidence to support… it’s probably just brought on by stress- “
“So you haven’t been doing your job?”
“Or early puberty, that’s got to be it, it’ll stabilize within the month, you’ll see!” Jared swallowed, nervously adjusting his glasses, pushing them further to his face. The man who stood before him- leaned, really, against the table, his arms folded, a smirk on his face, not one of his waves of ginger-blond hair out of place, his vision perfect from disbelieving blue eyes – seemed unimpressed by his quick thinking. Scott Benson had nothing to worry about. Scott Benson had the perfect child, the one that passed all tests with flying colors, the one being prepped for his first mission. Neither did Paul Johnson – he barely ever had to interact with his child. Paul’s subject was on a totally nother plane of existence, as far as the project was concerned. She was unique. Why would they terminate her? He’d secured his job years ago.
Jared shot a glance to Greg, who was in the same boat. Surely one of the remaining three would be terminated – if he could just deflect the attention off of Athena, maybe… but was that even ethical? How could he condone terminating any of the subjects? Greg, usually the one to crack a joke, was quiet today. Jared supposed not even he could find humor in this…
“Hey, don’t look at me. I paid my ass-kissing dues already,” he said, with a wink. “You’d have to be REAL good with your tongue to save your bacon. Unless you’ve been practicing on that kid of yours…”
Jared was floored. How could he joke about… before he had time for rational thought, he found himself flying at Greg with a guttural cry, his hands balling into fists as he began to pummel the smirking bastard.
===
Greg took a calculated risk, he kept telling himself as he sat on the Director’s couch, holding the ice pack to his eye. He took a risk and it paid off. So what if his face felt like mincemeat? Surely she’d not fire him now, not when Jared was clearly the liability. And if she didn’t want to fire him, she’d not terminate his subject. His babies would live. He just had to suffer for a little while.
“I don’t condone fighting amongst my employees,” stated the woman behind the desk, coldly. Her dark hair, seeming at times to have an almost red tint to the black, cascaded in waves behind her eyes, her sharp eyes behind sharper glasses. She raised a carefully manicured eyebrow at Greg, ignoring Jared for the moment.
“Especially fights carefully engineered to play on my nonexistent sympathies.”
Greg was stunned. How had she seen through his deception so easily? He’d known she was smart, but not THAT smart…
“It’s written all over your face, Mr Dawson. Or rather, all over Mr Robertson’s face – specifically, his lack of injuries. What sort of a man doesn’t fight back?” The Director steepled her fingers, then laced them, thumbtips pressed together. “Frankly, I’m ashamed of you both. You’ll have to work harder in the future. You both are dismissed.”
What the hell was he going to do NOW?
