Chapter 6 - Disaster

When I finally woke up, Adrian was studying my face again.

Adrian- Welcome back, Rip Van Wrinkle. Glad to see you were one of the lucky ones.

Lucky ones? What could he be talking about? I decided to ask later; after I checked to make sure everything was working properly. Toes? Yup, I feel them wiggling. Left hand? Still works, I thought as I enjoyed a nice scratch. Then I noticed three things- my right wrist felt a bit lighter, I could see perfectly, even though I wasn't wearing my glasses, and something was wrong with my left eye. I took a look, and almost puked.

Mike- ADRIAN! WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU DO WITH MY RIGHT HAND?!?!?!
Adrian- Yeah, about that... While all of you candidates were out cold, we modified your genetic structures.
Mike- You WHAT?!
Adrian- Do you want the long explanation or the short one?
Mike- The one that explains WHAT THE HELL YOU DID WITH MY HAND!
Adrian- Relax, relax. Long story, then. We surgically modified your body.
Mike- Which means...
Adrian- Your bones are now so dense that nothing short of a nuclear explosion can break them, for starters. Your muscles are also denser, making you stronger and faster. You now have an IQ of 300, thanks to modifications to your brain. While we were up there, we were able to successfully amp up your reflexes to the point that you can dodge a subsonic bullet. All your senses have improved, which is why you can see perfectly.
Mike- And my eye and hand?
Adrian- The eye, I sneezed during the operation, so I accidentally cut a nerve I shouldn't have. The hand is just a side effect. As far as things go, you were one of the lucky ones.
Mike- What does that mean?
Adrian- Out of the 100 candidates that went into this, only 38 came out alive. Out of those 38, 16 cannot fight any longer- their bodies are too messed up. We can't fix what we've done.

So I was one of 22 left. My first thought then was of Max and the rest of my squad. I had to know.

Mike- What about my squad?
Adrian- They're at the door waiting for you.

Before he could even finish his sentence, I was at the door. I yanked it off its hinges like it was tissue, amazed with my new strength. One the other side was Max and Charlotte. I was so happy to see that they were alright- it looked like they made it out with all their limbs. I couldn't resist, so I hugged both of them, Max in my right arm, Charlotte in my left.

Mike- What a relief, you guys made it. Where's Robbie?
Max- Uhhh...
Mike- He didn't, did he?
Charlotte- No.
Mike- Damn. He was the hardest hitter we could have ever asked for.
Adrian- It's a good thing you care about your squad, Michael.
Mike- Why's that?
Adrian- Because everyone took a vote.
Max- You are our squad leader now.
Mike- Really?
Charlotte- Yes Sir!

I never heard Charlotte "Yes Sir!" at anyone that loud before. It must be true.

Mike- So when is it?
Adrian- When's what?
Mike- The funeral for the others, that's what.
Adrian- You just worry about yourself. When the time comes, you'll know.
Mike- Alright. One more thing Adrian.
Adrian- Yes?
Mike- Where are my pants?

Yeah, that's right. I was in my underwear.

Adrian- Here you go. A standard-issue camouflage uniform. By the way, you'll only have to go eye and handless for a week or so, we're designing new ones for you.
Mike- Just what I wanted to hear. Can someone help me with these pants?
Max- Sure, I will.
Mike- Thanks Max.

Well, a few days later was the funeral for all our fallen comrades. When it was time to salute their memory, I had to do it lefty. It would be hard getting used to my new, improved body- especially since my new hand and eye came a few days later.

Adrian- There you go, good as new.
Mike- Thanks, the past few days have sucked without depth perception. So what can these things do?
Adrian- Well, for now, the eye can only see as well as your real one, and the hand is just as good as the left.
Mike- "For now?"
Adrian- Yes, eventually, we will have to improve your body even more. That will be the true experiment.
Mike- So what was this past one?
Adrian- That was so your body could handle what we're going to do to you. If we didn't do this first, there might only be 3 candidates left, and they would be in no condition to do anything. In other words, this will improve your chances later on.

Well, that wrapped almost everything up. Except now, there were only three of us. It's a good thing my mind was improved, as we would need some new strategies to compromise for having less manpower. As for the squad, I had grown fond of the camouflage pants- it was the good, old-school style, not the current pixilated crap. Most of the time, I had camo pants, my combat boots, and a white shirt on. Max also liked the pants, and I'll admit, she looked pretty damn good in them. Yeah, that's right- I said it. I'll admit I was feeling more and more attracted to her as the days went on. Charlotte, for some reason, didn't like the pants, so she made camo skirts out of them. Why? I don't know. After about a year of more training, Adrian announced that it was time for the real test. I say- Bring it on. And bring it they did- it was time to go under the knife again.

You are not authorized to comment here. Your must be registered and logged in to comment