The Ganymede Legacy

by A C Bonesteel

  Alice stared at him expectantly. "Well, what do you say, Leo?"

  As confusion and stubborn denial filled Leo's thoughts, he didn't answer except to nod his head. Then, he stood and began to walk back to his quarters.

  "Leo, wait. Your file."

  Leo turned to see Alice standing and holding a small tablet. He had briefly forgotten about his file, but when he saw her standing there with it, even more confusion clouded his emotions. A strange hunger suddenly awoke within him, and only with extreme effort was he able to hide his internal strife.

  He snatched the file from her hand, then turned and left the command center.

  As he left, Alice shouted after him. "I hope that answers your questions, Leo. I truly do..."

  Chapter 26

  Leo clenched his jaw as he walked back to his quarters. Between the prospect of billions of people living or dying because of his actions, his unexpected feelings for Annabelle, and the file he held in his hand, there was enough weight to bring any man down. He felt as if he was a barren piece of space debris, caught in the cosmic wind, and propelled towards an unknowable fate.

  When Leo reached his quarters, he opened the door, entered, then closed the door behind him. He wished Annabelle had followed him, but she hadn't. He couldn't help but feel a bit saddened that she had elected to stay in the company of Alice, rather than be with him. He didn't blame her, though. She was probably disgusted with him for not joining Alice at the drop of a hat.

  Leo took heavy, laborious breaths as he sat down on the small white bed in the corner of his quarters. You could say a lot of bad things about the Origin Council, but at least they put comfortable mattresses on their ships.

  Leo kicked back, stretched out, and propped his head upon a soft, bio-fabric pillow. He relaxed a bit as the fabric of the pillow began to warm his neck.

  Leo held up his file and stared into its black surface. Was he ready to know the truth about his past? Was he prepared to know where he came from?

  As his heart pulled him onward, he touched his finger to the tablet. It immediately lit up and displayed a table of contents. There was a section at the top entitled: Venus Research Facility. He figured that was as good a place to start as any, so he opened the section and began to read it.

  Codename: Arcturus

  Name: Unknown

  Origin: Unknown

  Acquisition: Volunteer

  Status: Research Subject

  Program: Genetic Hybridization and Optimization

  Summary: Unknown Staff performed extensive experimentation and possible genetic hybridization upon the subject. Results inconclusive. Subject killed 72 research staff by unknown means and escaped using unknown means on March 2 of year 2399 c.e. Subject remains at large.

  Lgggggggg Record:

  (Deleted) +-23$

  1.1.2396

  Subject is now conscious after being removed from the growth pod. Growth rates nominal. It will be at least a month before we know if he will be viable.

  (Not yet)

  (Data Corrupted) xceeeeeeeeeg42

  1.25.2396

  Subject suffers from severe brain damage. I believe it was the result of a cross-species conflict within his parietal lobe. By the use of nanites, we were able to repair his brain and stabilize his mental state, although it has resulted in severe memory loss and the occasional violent mood swing. Still, he survived the procedure. He is our best hope for success, considering the mortality rate so far.

  1.31.2396

  No interesting abilities have manifested in the subject and I fear the resources we invested in the procedure will go down as a loss. He is confused and emotional, and does not seem to be able to form short-term memories. He has no knowledge of human language and behavioral norms. It would seem that human hybridization with the Arcturan sample is not feasible at this time. If short term memory is not regained, subject will have to be terminated.

  (Deleted)

  2.22.2396

  Subject appears to have regained a semblance of short-term memory, although he is still wildly animalistic and has not learned any but the most basic communication skills. He will beg for food if we starve him, and he will express fear if we hurt him. All in all, this is more progress than I expected.

  (DeletImissyou)

  5.1.2396

  One of the geneticists, one Ms. Stevens, has been able to teach the subject rudimentary communication skills. He is becoming more intelligent and capable each day.

  (Deleted)

  (Demysweetboyleted)

  1.4.2397

  Strange results from today's tests. Subject demonstrates extreme physical strength and rapid recovery from injury. Results are inconsistent with other subjects. 7 of 10 subjects have been terminated, but this one seems to still have something to offer.

  (Rsuch a specialdf)

  9.8.2397

  The re-humanization behavioral modification program has been extremely successful. The subject, or Arcturus as we have begun to call him, seems to be blossoming, both intellectually, and socially. He has begun to make friends among the staff and seems to be expanding his abilities at an ever increasing rate. The memory injection procedure has been especially helpful in developing his character and behavioral triggers.

  (Dfa)

  (Deleted)

  12.8.2397

  We are facing severe resistance from the rest of the Council. They have shut down the hybridization project temporarily, citing moral concerns. I will use my last remaining subject – Arcturus – to prove the utility of my research and show them the great world that we can create.

  (Entry deplet)

  (youmust)

  3.24.2398

  While the rest of my hybridization subjects have been terminated, Arcturus continues to expand the possibilities for this research. His intellectual and physical test results continue to shatter expectations. Regardless of the final outcome, he his the first of his kind to be brought into the world, and he is a shining beacon for what the future of humanity can be.

  (together))x77633&

  6.2.2398

  It has been a trying few months. We subjected Leo to tactical operative training with great success, although now that he has finished, I fear it may have been too much, too soon. I have been blinded by my need to turn Arcturus into a useful tool of the Council, rather than to simply allow him to develop at his own pace. I deeply regret this mistake, as I have grown quite fond of him. Arcturus has become delusional and combative, and is now showing awareness of concepts such as freedom. He blames me for the loss of his memory. He blames me for everything. Behavior modification by any means is the only reasonable option to avoid any further incidents.

  (Entry Deleted)

  9.11.2398

  Behavior modification has been unsuccessful. Arcturus poses a greater threat to us with each passing day. His extraordinary abilities are developing at a prodigious pace. I fear that termination may be unavoidable if secondary behavior modification is unsuccessful.

  (Icreatedeleted)

  12.3.2398

  I feel that Arcturus may be smarter than we give him credit for. Our tests indicate that his brain patterns are unchanged even after secondary behavior modification, but his behavior has improved drastically. It seems likely that he somehow understands the consequences if he continues to behave in opposition to our desires. His newfound cooperation may indicate a manifestation of a strong instinct towards self-preservation.

  (itwasnot)

  3.1.2399

  It is sad, in a way, but now profoundly obvious that this cruel experiment must come to an end. We have learned all we can from Arcturus and he will never prove to be a useful asset to our cause. The risks associated with continuing to house him in this facility are too great. Indeed the risks of him simply existing are much too great to be ignored. Subject is scheduled for immediate termination.

  (Redacted)

  (End of Log)

  A slow-building rage took hold of Leo as he read the file. Why was so much
missing? The data had been corrupted. Why had the Council insulted him with such a useless document? If they wanted his help, they could have done better...

  Leo quickly grazed through other sections of the file and was dismayed to see that they were just as heavily corrupted as the first. As he fumed with anger, he deactivated the tablet and was about to throw it across the room.

  But then, it did something strange.

  He gripped the tablet tightly and watched it curiously as it began to flash in an odd strobing pattern. Then, red text appeared on its blank white screen.

  I found you, Leo.

  Fear crept over Leo as the words on the tablet faded from sight, only to be replaced by new ones.

  I hope you aren't too angry that I had to keep so much of this this file hidden. It's just... Well, I miss you terribly, and I would prefer to tell you in person.

  Leo's heart raced as he read the words. What was happening? Was it Alice's doing, or was it someone on the Council? Was it possible someone else could have hacked the tablet?

  You are coming to see me, aren't you? You and Alice?

  Leo pressed his finger to the tablet and tried to get it to respond in some way. He tried to power it off, but the tablet did nothing except to display more words as the previous ones faded away.

  My research has come so far since Venus, and I have you thank for that. I'm very close now, and I would like you to see what I've done. It is truly a cause for celebration.

  If the tablet was some type of sick prank designed to disturb him, it worked. Paranoid thoughts raced through his mind as he considered how he could escape Alice's ship. He needed to run, and he needed to get away from the Council and their sick, demented schemes.

  I will do everything in my power to bring you here, as I'm sure the Council will have you looking in the wrong place. I promise I will tell you everything when you arrive. You are very special. More special than you or anyone else knows.

  See you soon.

  Your loving mother, Exony

  Then, the tablet went dark, and no more words appeared. Leo pressed the screen frantically with his finger, but the screen remained dark. With anger and confusion flowing through him, he violently shook the tablet. Then, with a roar of rage, he threw it across the room where it hit the wall with a clash and fell to the floor.

  Leo ran his fingers through his long golden hair as he tried to get a handle on the turmoil that roiled within him.

  It was a trick by the Council, he thought angrily. It had to be. They had corrupted the file and programmed the tablet to pretend to be Exony to provoke his anger and curiosity. If they didn't believe he would join Alice for the sake of saving helpless people, they must've thought they could manipulate him with promises from Exony to reveal his past.

  Damn his Past! The file should have answered his questions, but all it had done was give him more. He had expected answers, but instead, the only new information he had gained was a confirmation that Exony's experiments were to blame for his lost memory, and some bizarre claim that Exony was his mother.

  Leo fumed over the useless information in the tablet. But then, he realized there had been something else interesting within it. In the file, Exony had written about hybridization experiments, and that was something he never thought could have been done to him.

  As he thought about it, his anger ebbed slightly. Hybridization experiments...

  If the information he had read on the tablet was real, then he was the result of some cross-species hybridization. In the log, Exony had written about an 'Arcturan specimen,' and Leo had no idea what that meant, although it did explain the code name of Arcturus. Whatever the specimen was, he didn't know, but based on the unusual abilities it had given him, it could have been anything. They could have crossed him with a houseplant for all he knew. Hell, maybe that was why he was always so thirsty...

  They had also listed him as a volunteer...

  Had he actually been a volunteer subject, or was that just the Council trying to cover up the truth?

  Fear, confusion, and anger began to form a roaring tumult in his mind and ruptured the walls of calmness within him. He didn't want to cry, but tears quickly formed in his eyes as he began to sob uncontrollably.

  He wanted to help Alice. If the Council weren't involved, he would've joined Alice's mission in a heartbeat, but they just couldn't leave it alone. They had to stain everything they touched. Even when they could have hidden their involvement and let Alice lead him on his way, they just had to inject their putrifying toxins into it.

  After their experiences together on Osiris, he would have followed Alice. But no, the Council had to exert their power and influence upon everything. They had to shove it right in his face with every chance they got.

  Why had Alice gone along with their plan? She wasn't like them, and Leo knew it. He could see it in her eyes. She held no blind allegiance to the Council, but yet she had still agreed to accept their mission. Maybe the prospect of saving so many people simply outweighed the Council's involvement.

  There was logic in that way of thinking, but still, damn them all. They would pay for everything they had done. If fate wouldn't hand them their fair punishments, then he certainly would... Someday... Somehow...

  Leo lost himself in a morass of roiling emotion. He felt like his sould was being torn apart by the opposing drives that existed within him.

  The room around Leo began to vibrate, and he felt his sense of reality slipping away. Everything was nothing. Nothing was all, and the Void sang to him in a lovely, flowing, silent melody. He could go to it any time he wanted.

  He could end the Council's cruel machinations...

  He could end Alice's mission...

  He could end it all...

  The room was shaking violently around him. ..

  The Void was coming...

  Then, a memory of Annabelle swam into his mind. He couldn't lose control, or he would destroy the ship, and Annabelle would die. He couldn't let that happen.

  Leo pushed at the Void with his mind and tried to drive it away. He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, visualizing peace with each breath in and chaos dissipating with each breath out.

  The Void called to him again, but it was gentler, and it accepted his calls for balance. Slowly, the Void calmed, and he brought himself back from the brink of disaster. Behind his closed eyes, he watched an immense darkness blend with pure, bright light.

  Then, he opened his eyes, and he was back in the moment. He could feel beads of sweat intermixed with tears on his cheeks. He could feel the soft blanket clenched tightly in his fists.

  Then, a loud knock sounded on the door to his quarters.

  "Uh...open the door, Idi," Leo whispered.

  The door slid open, and Leo saw Annabelle standing outside it. She looked very concerned. "Leo? The ship was shaking... Are you okay? Can I come in?"

  Leo sat up on the bed and tried to stand, but found that his legs were too weak to hold his weight. He hid his weakness from Annabelle as best he could but saw her expression darken when he failed to stand.

  "Of course you can come in," he whispered.

  Annabelle cautiously entered the room and eyed Leo as she walked to the bed and sat down next to him.

  Then, she nodded towards the tablet lying next to the door. "Anything good in there?"

  Leo brushed his sweat and tears from his face. "No. I think it was all a trick to manipulate me..."

  Shock crossed Annabelle's face when Leo answered, but she kept her calm and listened intently as Leo went on to explain his strange experience with the tablet.

  "Well, that's rather disquieting..." she whispered when he had finished.

  Then, she hopped off the bed, walked across the room, and picked up the tablet. She looked it over, tried to turn it on, then closed her eyes for over a minute. Leo watched in silence as she worked.

  When she had finished, she opened her eyes, walked back over to the bed, and sat down, still holding the tablet in her hand
.

  "It's completely fried. I could detect its motherboard with my hacking implant, but it's fried. The processor is completely melted...The memory is corrupted..."

  She held the tablet up to look at it carefully as she continued.

  "You know, it reminds me of a virus that was going around Osiris a few years back. It was attacking any networked memory it could find. It fried a ton of hardware on the station; entertainment tablets, implants, even the air and water recyclers got hit by it. They had us on water and air rations for three days while they got it all sorted out. I don't think they ever figured out what it actually was. The rumors said it had just disappeared on its own..."

  Leo glared at the tablet and gritted his teeth. "So, you think this tablet just happened to catch a virus? Don't you think it was the Council? How do you explain the messages it displayed?"

  Annabelle urned her attention away from the tablet and looked at him calmly before answering.

  "I don't know, Leo. I'm not exactly an expert at technological viruses, you know. I'm just saying it reminds me of that, but it could be something completely different. What you need to do is find an expert who has the equipment and knowledge to figure out what happened to this thing."

  Leo put his hands behind his head and reclined on the bed. It was strange, but just having Annabelle there helped to calm him.