by RB Stutz
We entered a large open circular room with a high domed ceiling. It was the size of a large gymnasium and seemed to serve that purpose. In the center was a square boxing ring and along the perimeter, a three lane running track. The entirety of the large room’s floor was covered in a black rubber-like material with various weight and strength training machines and equipment scattered throughout. Old sweat and disinfectant gave the room the odor that was familiar to this type of space. We stopped just inside the room.
In the boxing ring, two people were sparing, a guy and a girl, as well as another guy, probably in his early twenties, watching just to the right of the ring. Upon entering the room, Batton announced our presence in his bellowing tuba of a voice. This startled the guy in the ring and allowed his opponent to get in a cheap shot across the right side of his face before they stopped and turned to the door.
Caldwell came in from behind us a few seconds later. “This way,” he motioned us towards the center of the room not breaking his stride. We followed.
“So these are the newbie’s,” the young man who had been observing the action in the ring said as we approached.
He was close to my height with a pale face, green eyes and brown hair, cropped short. The black t-shirt he wore was neatly tucked into his black fatigue pants, which were in turn tucked neatly in his black combat boots.
“You guys are in for a treat,” he grinned as we approached.
He seemed to be in good spirits. If he was one of us, whatever they were going to show us couldn’t have been that bad.
“This is Matthew,” Caldwell said. “He has been awake for six months now and has been training with us ever since.”
“How are you sir?” Matthew saluted.
“Doing well,” Caldwell said, saluting back.
The other two came down from the ring to greet us. They both looked close to our age. The guy was of average height and build. His short brown hair was cut in a military faded transition from his pale skin. I could see his emerald eyes moving between us, working to assess us.
The girl was a few inches shorter than the guy. She too had brown hair, fastened up in a ponytail, pale skin, and green eyes. The smile she had on her perfectly proportioned face was warm and seemed genuine. They both wore the same uniform as Matthew. Dark wet rings were visible on the t-shirts around the neck line and under arms. It looked like they’d been sparing for some time before Batton led us in to interrupt.
Even with a blushed sweat beaded face, the girl was hot, no pun intended. Maybe it wasn’t the time to notice such a thing, but so far every member of the opposite sex I’d met since waking was absolutely beautiful, even the nurse and Dr. Roberts. What were the chances? I caught myself and refocused my straying thoughts.
“This is Emily and Brian,” Caldwell said as he introduced them. “Emily has been awake for about a month and Brian for just over three weeks.”
“Hello,” Emily said. Her smile brightened even more. “It’s great. You guys are going to be amazed. I know they’ve unloaded a lot of information on you today, but please consider their offer. I didn’t know what to think at first but I’m glad I’ve stayed and am ready to begin training.”
Brian just greeted us with a slight smile and a wave.
“For now we’ll post pone the introductions. There will be time later to get to know each other,” Caldwell said trying to move things along. “Today, we are going to demonstrate to you what shortly you will be capable of.”
At that, Sgt. Batton turned to the three in black. “Are you ready for the demonstration?” He asked in his bellowing voice.
“Yes sergeant,” Matthew shouted. He turned to Emily and Brian. “Come on, let’s assume our positions,” he ordered. The three spread to different positions in the room.
It was interesting the manner in which Matthew and the others interacted with Batton seemed much more formal than with Caldwell, even though Caldwell was an officer and much older. Maybe it was just because Caldwell was more approachable, I don’t know. Also, if this was a military operation, it seemed odd that Matthew and the others would just go by the first names and not have any rank associated with them. Once I saw they were set up to show us whatever it was, I put a pin in those thoughts to follow up and get some clarification later.
They looked like they were set up for some type of performance routine. Despite the previous hour of disturbing information overload, my interest was piqued and I was curious to see what the show would be about.
Col. Caldwell continued to address us. “The young men and women you just met are like you. They have all gone through the same painful ordeal and each has accepted our proposal. Mathew has already been through the training and the others are set to train with those of you who accept our offer. Each one of them has already experienced the effects of the changes to your DNA and is here to demonstrate those effects.”
Caldwell paused.
“Starting at two to three weeks from the point of your waking, you will begin to see the changes in yourselves. For some of you, that will be soon. We hope that, by this demonstration, you will see why you could be a valuable asset to our organization.”
Caldwell paused and looked to his right. “Sgt. Batton, are you ready for the demonstration?”
“Yes sir,” Batton barked and then nodded to Matthew, now standing next to a stack of large steel free weights.
At the signal, Matthew lifted one of the large round metal discs in the stack with both hands, struggling to bring it up to his chest. There was an exaggerated look of strain on his face as well as the heavy breathing to go with it. It was quite obvious he was playing up the effort it was taking.
Once at his chest, he smiled to us, dropped one of his arms, pivoted and then threw the disc with no apparent difficulty. It flew through the air like it was a light weight plastic Frisbee. I felt a slight breeze as it hummed through the air just a few feet in front of where we were standing. It traveled about thirty yards right to where Emily was and she caught it one handed without any apparent difficulty. It was unreal how gracefully she caught the large metal disc.
“Good throw,” she shouted to Matthew as if they were playing a game in the park.
With only a second to pause, Emily turned towards Brian, about forty yards away from her in a different direction, pivoted, bringing her right arm inward and then threw the disc towards him. The large metal disc again flew directly towards its target; Brian caught it with his right hand with no more difficulty than Emily had.
Without a pause, Brian turned to his right where there was a small stone wall near the exterior of the large room, another forty yards away. I hadn’t noticed the wall which looked out of place in a gym and seemed to have been just recently erected.
He threw the disc directly towards the wall so fast that all I could see was a quick blurred streak. It made a short high pitched hum before the wall exploded with impact, filling the room with chips of stone. I felt a couple smaller pieces of shrapnel hit my body.
“Damn, that was cool,” said Alex, just as the ringing was starting to leave my ears.
“I’m impressed.” My comment insufficiently described my amazement. It was absolutely incredible.
“How heavy was that?” Rachael asked, her mouth hanging open some.
“It was only fifty pounds. We thought we’d keep it light for your initial demonstration,” Emily said with a playful smile.
“How did they do that?” asked Sara, utter amazement on her face.
“As you can see, some physical changes have taken place,” Caldwell said. “The change to their DNA has altered their skeletal and muscular structures. The result is highly elevated strength, speed and reflexes. What we showed you was just a demonstration of what their bodies are now capable of. I’m sure you can imagine the limitless possibilities that can be achieved with this kind of strength and power.”
“So, just to be clear… We will be able to do that?” I asked.
“Yes,” Caldwell answered.
/> “Damn cool!” Alex said again.
“Who is doing the next demonstration?” Caldwell asked.
“I am sir,” answered Emily. She walked towards the track as Caldwell continued.
I’d thought Emily was hot before. After that demonstration of strength and power, she was amazing, a goddess. I watched as her perfectly proportioned body moved towards the track.
“You’ve seen a glimpse of their enhanced strength, now we will show you how fast they can move.”
Caldwell signaled Emily, now on the track. At that she was off like a shot. I mean literally. She instantly was circling the room at a speed that made it appear she was gliding above the ground. The movement was quick and seamless, graceful.
“Wow,” said James without any other comment.
“Man, this is so cool,” added Alex.
Obviously, the demonstrations had lightened his spirits and limited his vocabulary.
“How fast is she going?” I asked, simply amazed.
“Emily averages a two minute mile or thirty miles per hour. I’m about the same and Brian is a little bit faster,” Matthew explained as Emily continued to circle the room.
We watched as she kept on for another minute or so, it could have been longer, before suddenly, from about thirty feet, she jumped directly at us. She flew through the air, a graceful comet, not losing any momentum and landed just a few feet in front of me. I jumped back slightly expecting her to fall into me. As she landed, her body drifted forward for a second and then back as she regained her balance. I could smell the sweat and feel the heat coming from her and I have to admit, I was a little excited by the whole thing.
After fully stabilizing herself, she did a curtsy and said “Ta da!” with a song and a smile on her face.
“Ok, now that was really cool,” exclaimed Alex.
He was as acting like Charlie entering the chocolate factory. His attitude sure had changed, which I guessed was the point of the theatrics. I found I was lost in the moment, in awe of the incredible feats they displayed and that what they were doing were things I would soon be able to do as well.
“As you can see, the unique talents you will soon possess could be invaluable our organization,” Caldwell said.
“So you want us to be some sort of super soldier?” Rachael asked.
“In a sense yes, the abilities could give us the advantage we need to accomplish our mission,” Caldwell said.
“You can count me in,” Alex volunteered a little too enthusiastically, obviously caught up in the moment.
“Wow, they won you over fast,” commented Rachael.
“What can I say? It’s hard to argue with a presentation like that. Besides, this sure beats what the alternative probably is,” Alex said.
“Yeah, you guys sure know how to make a sales pitch,” I added.
“I appreciate your enthusiasm Alex, but we are not quite done yet. I don’t think you will change your mind though. We still have another demonstration for you and some more information to go over.” Caldwell said.
“Brian, are you ready?” Mathew asked.
“I guess,” answered Brian hesitantly. He looked a little nervous.
“I guess you drew the short straw?” Caldwell asked.
“Yeah, I did,” Brian sighed as he moved in front of our group.
He reached down with his right arm and pulled a knife out of the sheath strapped to his right thigh. He brought the long silver blade up and held it out in front of him. With a weary look, he stretched his left arm out towards us.
As he slowly moved the knife into position right above the extended arm I wondered if he really was going to cut himself. He closed his eyes and moved the blade across the skin of his forearm with a quick motion. The long gash in his forearm started to fill with scarlet.
I guess so.
“Ouch,” he shouted as he moved his right hand over the wound. Blood started to seep from beneath his hand. “Damn it, that hurts.”
The sight of the blood began to make me feel dizzy. My stomach balled up into a knot and I wanted to vomit. I realized then I don’t like blood much and took a mental note as I looked away trying to compose myself.
Matthew went over to the boxing ring to get a small white towel. He handed it to Brian and put it over the cut.
“Ok, let’s see it,” Caldwell said a few seconds later. Brian batted the now blood soaked towel at the wound for a few seconds more and then removed it.
The gash was much smaller than I expected. I’d thought the knife had done more damage than that. Then I blinked my eyes in surprise as it appeared the wound was actually shrinking. As we watched, the superficial wound worked itself closed. Thirty seconds later, the wound was completely gone. There didn’t even appear to be any evidence of a scar. Just an arm spotted with the remaining blood.
“So are you telling me I’m going to be effectively Superman?” James asked with a smile.
“Well, we can’t fly,” Brian answered.
“At least not yet,” Emily added, joking.
James’ comment struck me as interesting. I didn’t know much about amnesia or memory loss in general, but found it fascinating there were certain things I did know about. For example, I knew who Superman was when James referred to him and obviously James did as well. I could also tell you things like what a Chicago style pizza was or that the Statue of Liberty was in New York City. If you asked me however anything specific about my life, there was nothing to tell. It was all completely blank.
“So there has to be a down side to this. I mean we get this deadly disease, we’re treated with some experimental anti-virus and now we have these ‘super powers’. What’s the catch, I mean besides the whole loss of our identity thing,” I asked.
Surely there had to be more to it.
“Well, there actually is another down side.” Caldwell said. “With the changes your body has gone through, your body’s response to the radiation put off by the sun has also been affected. Most people, with the exception of certain conditions, can go out in the sun and be fine. The suns radiation may give them a light burn if overexposed without any protection, but that’s about it. If you and others like you go out in direct sun light, your body will have an extreme allergic reaction. Once the direct exposure hits, you will immediately feel your body start to weaken. If the exposure is only for a few minutes, your body will be able to recover. If any longer than a few minutes, the chance of recovery lessens. Total exposure is fatal.”
“So we can’t ever go out in the sun?” asked Sara, with shakiness in her voice.
I could feel the energy in the room instantly diminish at the news. To never be able to be in the sun again….
“It’s really not that bad,” Mathew explained, trying to ease her. “We may not be able to go out in the direct sunlight, but we can be out during the day; we just need to stay in the shade. Also, if it’s a stormy or overcast day, there’s no problem. You get used to it.”
Everyone seemed to quietly take in the new bit of information.
“You have the facts and we’ve shown you why we could use your help. Now you need to make your decision. Please, let’s head back to the briefing room,” Caldwell said.
“You want us to make a decision just like that?” Rachael protested. “You dump all of this information on us and expect us to know what to do? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I thought we’d at least have a couple of days to mull it over,” James added.
“I’m sorry. Time is of the essence. We need to get your training started. We cannot give the enemy any more time. The time to act is now,” Caldwell said.
“Now, please follow me,” Caldwell repeated and walked out the door.
CHAPTER 8
We followed Caldwell back to the briefing room. As we passed through the corridors, I didn’t pay attention to much. I was busy sorting through everything we were just bombarded with over the previous couple of hours. There was so much information to take in all at once. How could an
y of it have even been real?
Finding out I had a fatal illness and was cured when I was at death’s door was shocking. The fact I had no memory of my life before waking just a few days prior and I was now involved in some conspiracy with a rogue government group was overwhelming. But add to that the fact I would develop what essentially equated to super powers. Well, that was incredible.
“I must still be in a coma,” I muttered to myself and pinched my arm, feeling stupid when I felt the pinch.
If what they told us was true and there was this group out there, willing to put so many lives at risk and I could do something to help, wasn’t I obligated to try and help? Did I even have that in me? Was it too much to put on myself, a teenager? Somehow I knew the person I once was would have helped. I could just feel it in myself. The decision of whether helping was the right thing to do wasn’t the problem. The problem was I would never know who I really was, what it was I left behind. I didn’t know if I could blindly jump in, putting complete faith in strangers who had offered nothing more than their fantastic tale.
I assumed I was in still in high school when I contracted the virus. I doubt I was enrolled in principles of secret agenting or super soldier fundamentals. If they were willing to give me a shot though, I thought I may be willing to try. Besides, what else was I to do? I had the feeling whatever life they forced me into, if I refused their offer, would be a lonely one. I’d never be allowed to look into my past, to reconnect with those I left behind. Even if I could though, if I really had left behind family and friends who had been grieving over me for the last nine months, was it right for me to come back with no memory of who they were, causing them even more pain? I thought it probably wasn’t.
Instinct wanted me to be angry, frustrated, that these people thought they knew what was best for my life was one of the most irritating parts of the whole thing. Then again, maybe they did know what was best. They knew more about me than I did about myself. In any case, trying to go back to who I was before wasn’t an option, at least not at that point. They wouldn’t let it happen. Whether I was doing it out of my perceived duty to help or because I had very limited options, it seemed joining was really the only thing to do.