by Joseph Storm
“He may already be dead as we speak,” Commander Sin said with pleasure.
“No!” Jenny cried out, as Xavier threw her to the floor. He lifted her silk nighty, and entered her forcefully. A wave of disgusted, nausea swept over the frightened woman. She forced her mind to go to some happy place, far away from the madness.
Commander Sin went limp inside her, trying to “revive himself” to no avail. “Damn you!” he yelled, blaming Jenny for his inability to function. It wouldn’t be the first time he blamed a woman for his own shortcomings.
A sudden streak of anger overtook Jenny’s fear. “Just what I thought. You’re as much of a man as you are a human being.”
Commander Sin slapped Jenny hard in the face, drawing blood from her nose. The act of violence suddenly helped him retain his erection. He thrust himself inside her, putting his calloused hands around her throat. He squeezed to the point of suffocation, though held back from the final act. It wasn’t the sex that got him off, it was the violence.
He finished inside her, adding his poisonous DNA to her life-filled womb. Using the soiled woman to prop himself up, he quickly withdrew from her, calling into his radio. “We’re ready for the extraction...send them in.”
A look of horror filled Jenny’s face. “What do you mean? What are you going to extract from me?”
She barely finished her question, when doctor Todd Layman and nurse Florence White entered the room. They had medical bags, and sterile gloves.
“My God, no!” she screamed out.
A stressed Doctor Layman said, “Hold her down.” He filled a syringe full of a liquid calming drug.
Commander Sin pinned Jenny’s arms to the floor with his boots. Jenny cringed in pain. “It will all be over soon,” he promised.
The doctor went to administer the drug, as Commander Sin barked out an abrupt order, “Stop!”
“It will provide her some relief...something to numb the pain, at least. She won’t feel a thing.”
“No shit, doctor. I want her to feel every inch of it.”
Jenny screamed in bloody murder. Doctor Layman turned to nurse White, who also had the look of unethical regret inside her. “It will be ok, dear,” she said in a soft voice, trying to calm Jenny the best she could.
“I don’t believe I can assist in such a procedure. We were not told of this...barbaric action,” the doctor said.
Xavier Sin leaned in closely to the man. “In just hours time...we will control this entire nation. It’s up to you. Do you want your family to be an ally or enemy of the state? Your choice, doctor.”
The doctor looked stressed beyond belief. “I’m sorry,” he said to Jenny, avoiding eye contact at any cost.
The screams intensified, as the doctor put the needle aside, pulling a scalpel from the bag. Xavier interrupted him, saying, “Use this.” He handed the man his dull-bladed dagger.
Layman paused in horror, though knew the consequences of denying orders. He took it, cutting a straight line up the black nightgown, revealing the bare pregnant belly. The trembling blade was placed at her womb. Commander Sin barked, “Start higher. We don’t need the rest of her.”
Doctor Layman shook his head in disgust. He moved the blade up to the sternum, quickly slicing her curvaceous belly to the end of her pubic bone.
The screams of terror changed to one large gasp. Shock filled her body and brain. The poor woman shook with fear, as her attention shifted to a picture on the wall. It showed the happy couple on their wedding day. In order to escape complete madness, she replayed the scene in her head, reciting every positive detail she could conjure up. There was a dress made from scratch, a homemade cake which she partly smashed into Joe’s face, and the romantic three-day honeymoon in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Three days consisted of the time she could afford to take from her waitressing job. Such happy memories couldn’t save her, though from that moment on, she no longer felt a thing.
Rivers of blood spilled down her belly. The doctor pulled open her skin as wide as he could, perforating the water sack. He forced the baby from the slimy cavern that it did not want to emerge from. Who could blame it for not wanting to enter such a world? The nurse held the newborn into the air, as the doctor severed the umbilical cord.
Gently smacking the baby on the behind, the doctor tested the child’s reactions. The procedure was meant to produce a tearful, emotional response. There was no reaction.
“The boy is strong...good, he’ll need to be,” Commander Sin said.
Nurse White focused on the blood that was draining from Jenny’s face, as a tear spilled from her own guilty eyes. Knowing that it was a risky act to take, she attempted to place the baby into Jenny’s arms. She wanted the expiring woman to touch her child in the last moment of consciousness.
Seeing this, Commander Xavier Sin swooped in at the last moment. He yanked the child from the nurse before the baby could touch Jenny’s cold skin. “Damn women and their sensitivity!” he yelled out.
“We need to get that baby into an incubator...it’s too dangerous to be exposed like this,” the doctor pleaded.
Xavier Sin ignored the request, lifting the child high into the air. He spoke directly to the newborn soul. Jenny returned her focus to the sight of her baby boy. She looked upon the healthy child, who had a striking image to the baby pictures of her husband. The last sight she saw was a pleasant one, though the last words she heard was nothing short of disturbing.
The commander brought the child’s face close to his own, saying, “You’ll make a great soldier one day.”
Jenny’s eyes faded to a slow close, as she lost her will to live.
The commander’s thoughts returned to the dojo, and the live action in front of him. Rock had aged since, though the memories of his extraction still brought a smile to his weathered face.
Rock was chosen to battle a boy much older, larger than him. “Battle!” the master yelled.
The opponent of Striker’s son was no different than many in the room, as the kids were either taken from the womb or kidnapped as infants. However, the brutal ways of obtaining the next squadron of fighters would soon change with the next phase.
A small hint of it started when parents began their labor camp service. The government implemented their “big brother program” which required all young children to attend a school of repatriation. Each one was brainwashed to believe the ways of the new system, though some were extracted from the classes. They were singled out due to their lack of sensitivity, brutal nature, tactical skill, or brute strength.
In the young Rock’s case, mental skill and physical strength caused him to shoot right to the top of the class. They were traits inherited from his father. He was destined to be a leader, and unfortunately for him, it meant that his training would be more intense. More would be expected of his performance than anyone else.
“Fight!” the master yelled, as Leader Judas moved closer to observe his new force in action.
An older, taller child ran towards Rock, hurling his longer arm at the boy’s head. The four-year old ducked to the ground, sweeping that opponent’s knee with his leg. He knocked the charging boy to the ground.
A round of laughter and cheer came from Leader Judas. “I see the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
“A blessing and a curse...the reason why we must be very careful. It’s the reason we must break him hard,” Commander Sin stressed.
“What do you mean?”
“For any strength inherited...there is the risk that his insubordination and compassion were inherited as well.”
“Traits that will not be tolerated...correct commander?”
“I’ll make sure of it myself.”
Rock’s opponent rolled on the ground in agony, gripping his knee. It was clearly hyper extended by the smaller, younger boy.
“The enemy is down...showing weakness. What do you do?” the master asked. “What does your instinct tell you?”
Rock thought for a moment, unsu
re of the answer. He slowly moved towards his opponent, who was still writhing in pain from the inflicted injury.
“Watch this,” Commander Sin said proudly, anticipating a final shot that would impress Leader Judas with the progress that was taking place.
Rock gripped his fists tight, turning his head towards the master. The man nodded back in approval. His tightened fist started in motion, though it quickly rolled out into a helping hand.
Emma smiled at the gesture of kindness, as everyone else in the room quietly gasped in shock.
The surprised opponent reached up, grabbing Rock’s hand. He was helped to his feet. “Thank you, friend,” the boy said.
The master went to step in, as Commander Sin overshadowed him. “No mercy!” Xavier yelled at the top of his lungs.
The young boy of four years started to tremble, as Xavier made his way over to him. “Let the enemy stew in his shame on the floor!” he yelled.
Rock looked towards the boy, who nodded in acceptance. “It’s ok,” his friend said.
An apprehensive Rock, removed the propping arm from his opponent. The boy spilled to the ground. “You never offer mercy!” the commander yelled, kicking the opponent in the ribs, as a pop filled the room. “Again...no mercy!” Xavier yelled, sending three more kicks his way, breaking each rib struck. “No mercy!” he followed, though instead of kicking the opponent, he sent his boot into the stomach of Rock. The four year-old fell to the ground, bouncing on the hard tile floor beneath him.
Tears filled Emma’s eyes, as a drop landed in the bucket of water that she was in charge of. Surprisingly, Emma wasn’t the only one to have a reaction. It wasn’t in the form of tears, though Leader Judas quietly twitched, his face contorting in an uncontrollable display. Embarrassed by such an unexpected response, he looked around, realizing that no one saw his reaction. He desperately wanted to hide, knowing that no sanctuary existed. Clearly, the action of Commander Sin had set off something deep inside the leader’s psyche, tarnishing his strictly controlled demeanor.
Commander Sin turned his back to Rock, calling out to the others. “This is not what you were taught!”
While he went on his rant, Emma filled a cup with water. The quiet girl was never one for bravery, as she spent most of her days reading anything she could get her hands on. Unfortunately for her, it was only government approved propaganda. She welcomed anything to pass the time, emerging herself in a world with other people her age. The loneliness also made her realize how much she missed her parents.
However, something overtook her mind. She focused on the pain in Rock’s eyes, dashing across the floor, dropping to her knees to comfort the boy. The young girl placed Rock’s head in her lap, bringing the cup to his lips, letting him drink with fury.
The master tried to quietly shoo her away. Commander Sin heard the commotion behind his back, causing him to turn, witnessing the unauthorized act.
“What the hell is happening here? I leave them unattended for a day, and they become Florence fucking Nightingale!”
“I did not teach her this! She was instructed that her one purpose is to serve the soldiers!” the master assured.
Commander Sin approached Emma in a threatening manner, causing her to back away from Rock. “I’m...sorry, sir. I don’t know what’s gotten into me...I promise it will never happen again, sir.”
“You’re damn right, it won’t!” he yelled, grabbing her right wrist. “Is this your good one?”
“What do you mean, sir? They’re both good.”
“The one you pour water with?”
“Yes...it is, sir.”
Commander Sin immediately twisted her wrist to the side, turning it to a sprain.
“Ouch!” she cried out, curling up into a ball on the floor.
“They get no water until I tell them they are thirsty, dammit! You’ll be reminded of your error with every cup from now on! Get her off the floor,” he called out to the master, who quickly dragged a tearful Emma back to the water table.
Rock gritted his small teeth in anger. As Xavier went to grip him by the neck, the young boy rose to his feet before the commander could force him. “Well, well...I see we found your weak point...girls. Just like your...never mind. Now do what you were taught! Finish him!”
Brushing off the embarrassment, Rock walked towards the hurt opponent. The two boys had been rooming together during their stay in the top secret training facility. They were the closest thing to family that each other had known, and it would be like killing a brother.
“Now!” the commander yelled.
Rock made eye contact with his friend. He tried to convey that he was sorry, in the way that a child knew what a true apology was. However, the four year-old was anything but a child. His tightened small fists struck the opponent in the temple, killing him immediately.
“That’s the way it’s done!” Commander Sin screamed out. He held Rock’s arm into the air like a champion-prize fighter. “Learn from your leader! Compassion is for the weak! Those of you who fall...will rise up...or die! Get in line and take your places.”
The trainees moved like lightning speed, forming a tight line. Doctor Layman and Nurse White, the two who removed Jenny’s baby, entered the room with a bag of syringes.
Commander Xavier Sin rejoined Leader Judas. He had managed to shake off his bizarre twitch, and re-glue his permanent smile. “I now see what you mean by breaking the boy, commander.”
“You still approve?”
“Even more than before. We will need this force more than ever...since we are implementing our next phase. What are they doing now, if I may inquire?” Leader Judas asked, focusing on the line up of kids and the doctor approaching them.
“Remember that chemical powder?”
“The stimulant.”
“That wasn’t as affective as we hoped. Instead, we had our lab cook up something else,” he said, leading Judas to witness the first recipient, Rock.
“Roll your sleeve,” Dr. Layman stressfully said. He could not bring himself to look the young boy in the eye, having delivered him from the body of his dead mother. Nurse White filled a syringe of clear liquid, apprehensively handing it to her boss.
The doctor quickly stuck the sharp needle into Rock’s arm, pumping the mysterious fluid into his muscle. The young boy’s lips quivered in pain, though he managed to fight off any obvious signs of weakness.
“A good soldier shows no pain...whether he hurts or not,” Commander Sin drilled into him.
They moved to the next child, as Rock stayed at attention in line. Leader Judas and Commander Sin turned their backs, as the boy’s eyes darted over to Emma. She managed to get back on her feet, wiping her tears with her left wrist, gripping her right one in pain.
The girl placed a cup down on the table, gripping the ladle with her left hand, attempting to pour water with the other. The miscue caused the cup to fall over, and water to spill out. She started to cry, though took a deep breath and regained her composure. Seeing that the old way of doing things wasn’t going to work, she grabbed the cup with her left hand, dipping it into the bucket, filling it up.
A slight smile came across the young Rock’s face. Sensing that she was being watched, Emma lifted her head, making a moment of eye contact with him. The boy quickly hid the smile, turning away. The two of them had never spoken, except the words, “Thank you,” which was the only appreciation that she ever received from the soldiers.
Commander Sin and Judas headed away from the others. “What is in the syringe?” Leader Judas asked.
“The future.”
“A little more specific?”
“The lab constructed a new formula of steroid, one which matures both the body and mind quicker than anything witnessed in history. These kids will soon rival the strength of men...surpassing it shortly afterward.”
“Are we sure about this one?”
“Mark my words...by the time that kid reaches puberty...he’ll be able to take down his own father. Too bad for hi
m...I’ll kill the man first.”
Leader Judas nodded in approval. “You must work on his mind...or one day...he may become his father.”
“I told you before, leader. I will break the boy. Every one of them...will both fear and revere me...as if I am their maker.
“As far as they’re concerned...you are their maker,” Leader Judas said.
“Yes, leader,” Xavier said, saluting, as Judas exited the building.
******
Leader Judas’s public smile had faded away, as he returned to the White House’s Oval Office. For the first time in a while, he put his feet up on the desk, basking in the reflection of the long day’s events.
He sipped a harsh bit of vodka from his glass, lifting the bottle from the desk’s surface. It was Russian made booze, as the mere site of the foreign words caused Judas to cringe in a sour manner, rivaling the vodka’s taste.
Anger filled his face as he flung his glass into the Oval Office wall. The more that he thought about Rock being beaten, the usually emotionless man started to twitch, more violent ticks accompanying each one. Memories that had been buried deep inside his brain suddenly resurfaced, ones that had gone dormant to the point of nonexistence. They appeared as clear in his mind as night terrors, though Simon Judas knew that they weren’t creations of an unconscious mind.
Judas was barely birthed, when he was brought into a Moscow orphanage, one run under the Soviet Union’s care, or lack thereof. It was an important day, which would forever change Judas’s life, as well as the fate of the United States of America.
A younger Mika Sorka strolled the halls of a large Soviet building, trailed by a bodyguard. The man accustomed to limousines, and flower-filled gardens held his breath from the smell of neglect. He passed cribs of soiled toddlers, crying into the night air, begging to be freed from their own filth and hunger pains. There was no heat to protect them from the freezing Russian winter, and little clothing or medicine to aid in their comfort. The orphanage received little funding, though grew in numbers every day.
Sorka began to wonder if it was the wrong place to shop, as many of the children were mentally handicapped. They were abandoned by parents who lacked the money or patience to take on such a daunting task. The true shame was that the mental damages were effects of fetal alcohol syndrome, which the mothers brought on themselves, drinking heavily while pregnant.