CHAPTER 18
At the end of the corridor, he finds a huge reinforced steel door. It is covered in sequence of hazard symbols, including radioactivity, electricity, bio hazard and a few he doesn’t quite understand. One is an image of approximately a dozen tiny triangles, the second is a bull’s head and the final one looks somewhat like a hockey mask. Two large pneumatic tubes protrude from the walls on either side of the door, “What should I expect on this test course?” Asks Ben hesitantly.
“Oh, a little of this, a little of that. Some combat analogues, a couple of critical thinking tests. Hold still for a second, would you?” The tubes burst forth with a rush of thick, red liquid. Every inch of Ben’s titanium shell is drenched in the putrid mixture.
“What was that about? Did you just hose me down with blood?”
“Mostly, there’s also some pheromones mixed in there for effect. Since you don’t technically have blood anymore, we need to douse you so that the critters on the course have something to key off of.”
Unable to hold back his sarcasm, Ben fires back, “Oh, that’s fucking great news. It’s sounding like this is gonna' be a fun day. I’m assuming that these 'critters' are vamps right?”
“Well... most of them are... sort of. Stand by please. Beginning live fire course in 3,2,1...” A blaring siren begins to echo throughout the hall as the door slides open. Tentatively, Ben crosses the threshold into the testing area, “Good luck, one forty seven, and don’t worry, I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
“You know, somehow, I don't think that's going to be very helpful.” Once inside, Ben’s olfactory senses are assaulted by the rankest odour he has ever encountered. The stench is so potent it sends him reeling backwards, “Jesus, what the hell is that? Is this place full of dead bodies stuffed with shit?”
“Pretty much, we dump a couple of bodies from up topside in there every so often for the creatures to feed on and we don’t exactly ventilate the area. C’mon tough guy, you’re two feet in and already complaining? Think of the smell as one more part of the test.” Doing all he can to ignore the monstrous aroma, Ben cautiously moves forward. The chamber he finds himself in is enormous, stretching out for what looks like miles in every direction. He cannot see the ceiling above him, only a deep and foreboding blackness. A sequence of florescent light posts stick up from the floor every few feet.
“Beginning scenario one.” All of the light posts in the immediate vicinity retreat through the floor and Ben is enveloped by darkness. New walls shoot up and he is fenced in on all sides. For a moment he gropes around blindly in the dark. The disorientation subsides when his vision shifts unexpectedly to the ultraviolet spectrum.
The only path left available is a narrow hallway directly in front of him. He makes his way down the corridor until he comes to an intersection. Ben bellows in abject frustration, “Are we seriously doing the old 'rat in a maze' thing?”
Theo’s response does little to curb his irritation, “You’d be surprised just how excellent a test of mental agility a simple maze can be. Quit your bitching and just do it.” Finding his way through the corridors of the maze proves to be maddening. He goes back and forth, up and down, only to find himself stuck at the same intersection again, and again. After thirty minutes of pointless meandering, he punches the nearest wall in a bout of frustration. It crumbles to bits as if it were made of paper mache. A few angry swings later, he’s broken free of the enclosure.
“See, one forty seven? Not so complicated really. In case you’re curious, there is also a legitimate solution to the maze, but whatever. The 'smashy, smashy' method is just fine by me. Moving on to scenario number two.” Two large holes appear in the floor a hundred yards in front of Ben. A familiar snarl can be heard emanating from within. Swelling with confidence, Ben moves forward with his cannons primed and ready.
What comes scrambling out of the hole, however, is not quite what he is expecting. Their yellow skin is dry and cracked, a flaky jigsaw puzzle covering the entire body. Arms and legs that seem more suited to a praying mantis than to the body of a biped flail wildly. Gaping mouths without lips prominently display jaws full of blackened, serrated teeth. They nip at each other like rabid dogs before the scent of the blood covering Ben’s exoskeleton catches their attention. Chittering at a deafening decibel level, the warped vampires turn and rush directly at him with reckless abandon.
The cyborg takes aim with his incendiary cannon and fires a burst into the crowd. On contact, they flash fry into piles of smoking ash. In contrast to those he’s fought before, they do not explode. The fire from one does not spread to another. Most importantly, the sight of the fire appears to have absolutely no effect on their aggression level. Even blasting away as fast as his weapon is capable, they gallop onward without fear. He is forced to make a hasty retreat from open combat or risk being overrun. A seemingly endless stream of the creatures spills out of the opening behind him.
He quickly finds himself stuck, with a wall in front and an ocean of teeth charging up from behind. Desperate and hemmed in, he comes to the conclusion that the only way out is up. With his hull blades drawn, he goes hand over hand, straight up the wall. He halts a hundred feet up and turns to fire a salvo down at his pursuers. An 'ammunition depleted' message flashes within his field of vision. Worse yet, following him up the wall is not proving the least bit difficult for the now dozens of mutated vampires chasing him.
Accepting what now seems like an inevitability, Ben lets go of his lofty perch and dives headfirst at the vampires with his hull blades. It is a whirlwind of glimmering metal and severed limbs as he hacks his way blindly through the crowd. Those that do not fall victim to his blades turn their attention to their wounded counterparts. Ben takes advantage of the situation and butchers the distracted creatures like hogs. Lopped off body parts float in a lake of sticky black blood at his feet.
When the last one is lying in pieces, Ben inquires of Theo, “OK, what were those? They seemed like vampires. What the fuck was wrong with them?”
“Those were 'snaggleteeth'. They’re vampires who have been exposed to massive amounts of UV and starved of blood for an extended period of time. It messes them up pretty bad, mentally and physically. Great fodder for target practice though. Shame you wasted so much ammo on them, you really could have used some for later. Step onto the platform and we’ll move on to scenario three.” A square of floor nearby raises up and Ben climbs aboard. The platform floats upwards, carrying him to a new area.
He finds himself standing alone in a small room, no more than thirty feet by thirty. This room is sufficiently lit and his vision returns to the normal spectrum. On the north wall, there is a blast door, bearing the familiar bull’s head insignia from earlier. Sirens blare as the door slides open revealing the next challenge.
What comes slumping out of the recess is huge. A ten foot tall mass of muscle and sinew, arms like steel girders, and shoulders nearly as wide as the creature is tall. Its tree trunk legs are capped with a pair of jet black cloven hooves. The pointed horns protruding from its skull are in stark contrast to the soft innocent nature of its pale blue eyes. Surveying its surroundings, it takes a look at Ben, “Oh, please no, not again.” The voice is soft and sad. It raises its hands to the sky and begs with tears welling up in its eyes, “Don’t make me do this. I’ve done nothing to you.”
A confounded Ben asks Theo, “What’s going on here? This doesn’t seem right.”
Theo’s response is flat and monotone, “I already told you, its scenario three.” The scientist flips a single switch and Ben’s eyes begin emitting a bright red pulse. The creature shrinks away from him, doing everything it can to avoid meeting his gaze. Scratching at its eyes and shuddering in fear, it tries to retreat back into its alcove but the door has shut behind it. The bull buckles the door immediately, only to have a flash of red light stream right into its face from within. With a deafening roar, it spins around to face Ben, mouth pouring out foam. Formally pale blue eyes have shifted to a glistening onyx.
It charges at him full speed with its head down, a barrelling errant locomotive. Ben slides between the beast’s legs, causing it to slam horns first into the wall. He jumps up behind it and sticks one of his blades deep into its liver. It swings backwards with its right arm, launching him clear across the room. As he gathers his bearings, Ben witnesses the fresh wound in its abdomen close up. Jerking its head violently upwards, the bull snaps off the tips of its horns and spins to face Ben, drool falling from its open mouth.
Ben unloads with a barrage of his solid munitions. A hailstorm of lead spews out at his gigantic opponent, creating a myriad of tiny holes in its body, but not slowing it for a single second. It runs straight through the onslaught unfazed and palms the robot's head. Rearing back its arm, the behemoth slams his skull into the floor repeatedly. Each impact sends shock waves shooting through his cybernetic body. Rapidly slipping into unconsciousness, he makes a desperate swing with both of his blades, severing the beast's left hand.
With the giant focused on its lost appendage, Ben sees his opportunity to strike. Running at it full speed, he once again slides between its legs, this time with his blades outstretched at ninety degree angles from his torso. Both legs are severed just above the hoof, and it falls forward onto its snout. The creature's blood curdling roars are replaced by soft whimpers and intermittent groans of pain. On close inspection of its face, Ben sees that its eyes have returned to their original pale blue.
“Good job. Now finish it, one forty seven.”
“Why? I won. Let’s move on. It didn’t even want to fight, for fuck’s sake. You made it attack me. This is wrong.” Ben’s voice cracks as he looks down at the suffering colossus. Deviation from the testing protocols is not permitted. Theo has a hand on the nerve gas switch as he answers.
“Need I remind you that humanity is at war with these things? You don’t have the option of mercy here. You’re supposed to be the ultimate weapon, one forty seven. If you can’t do it, then I’ve always got the nerve gas ready to go.”
Death suits Ben fine. The only reasons he had to live are all gone. He’ll be with his family soon. Before the gas starts flowing, Ben’s unwilling opponent intercedes, “Please, please just do it. Make it stop. End it. If you don’t they’ll just make me do this another hundred times. Set me free.” There is sincerity in its soft blue eyes. How long had these people been making it fight? How long would they make him fight?
Ben acknowledges it with a solemn nod. He steps over to just next to its ear and whispers, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t choose this either.” It nods at him knowingly then closes its eyes. Ben hesitantly raises his right arm and cuts off its head with a single, swift stroke. The instant he decapitates the massive ox, it begins to change shape. It shrinks quickly to a mere fraction of its original size. Ben is stunned by just how horrible an atrocity he has been forced to commit. Staring up at him from the freshly severed head with cold dead eyes is the visage of a young boy, no older than fourteen. The sight hits him like a sledgehammer to the skull.
“Congratulations one forty seven, you’re the only subject who managed to take out the Brahman. If you’ll just hold still, we'll set up the final testing protocol.”
“What the hell is wrong with you people?! He was just a kid! He didn't even want to fight!”
“What he was, number one forty seven, was a pure blood member of one of the most dangerous breeds of animi on the planet. You did the entire human race a favour. Now stop whining like a bitch and get ready for the final test.”
At the centre of the room, the floor gives way. Out of the hole comes a large metal pod, with a prominent radioactivity symbol. The pod opens with a creak and a thick green gas spreads out into the atmosphere. A figure not so unfamiliar to Ben steps out of the pod. It appears to be a mirror image of his new self, identical in every way, with the exception of the yellowish green glow emanating from the chest cavity.
“One forty seven, meet twelve. Twelve, meet one forty seven. It’s like a tearful family reunion, isn’t it?”
Twelve steps forward and methodically looks Ben over. It raises its right hand and points at him, wagging its index finger up and down. Then it seems to lose interest in Ben entirely and wanders off into the corner of the room, banging its head against the wall and making a variety of low pitched groaning noises.
Dumbfounded at what he is witnessing Ben asks, “What the fuck is wrong with him? Why is he doing that?”
“Well... the initial weapons we specked for the project were radioactive plasma launchers. Experimental, you understand? As it turns out, having radioactive materials that close to the human brain causes a rather substantial amount of damage. I was hoping instinct would take over and you two would have a climactic battle to the death. Buuuuuuuuut it looks like she’s more interested in head butting inanimate objects soooooooo...” Theo hits a single button and number twelve ceases her head banging, “Assuming manual control. OK one forty seven, let’s get this over with.” Twelve’s wrists split apart and restructure into a pair of wide mouthed cannons. Barrels are an incandescent shade of green, acrid smoke billowing from the ends. It turns to Ben and unleashes a round of its superheated payload. Cybernetically enhanced reflexes barely give him the split second he needs to dive to safety. On contact with the wall, the plasma detonates in a swirling vortex, vaporizing everything within the area of effect.
Attempting to return fire, Ben makes the grim discovery he has no munitions left for either of his weapons. Theo twists the knife, “I told you you’d regret wasting all your ammo, one forty seven.”
What follows is a whirlwind of nuclear devastation. Sequences of explosions completely obliterate the testing chamber. Ben manages to stay just ahead of Twelve's reticule, but as time wears on the bursts come gradually closer to making contact. He resigns himself to one last ditch effort at success. Unsheathing his hull blades, Ben begins running full tilt in a circle around the room. On every revolution, he draws just slightly closer to his rampaging doppelganger.
At last within reach of his prey, he ducks low, extends both arms and spins like a top, bifurcating number twelve. Its torso twitches on the floor for a few seconds before Ben skewers its skull directly through the brain. A sudden rush of canned applause begins playing in his head, accompanied by very real applause coming from Theo.
“Well done, one forty seven, well done. I’m proud to announce we have our first successful candidate. If you’ll just climb into your storage pod, we’ll get you into stasis.”
A large clear tube drops down from the ceiling and opens up in front of Ben. Exhausted, battered and indignant, Ben lashes out at his invisible tormentor once again, “No! I don’t want to be a part of this! Go ahead and vent the fucking nerve gas. I’m done.”
For the first time, Theo’s answer is sincere and apologetic, “I know the testing process is stressful, OK? I didn’t design the protocols, I just follow them. You and I have a real opportunity to do something significant for humanity here. You’re the best weapon we’ve got against the preternaturals.”
“I don’t want to be a weapon. I’m a person. Vent the gas.” The front of the storage pod lights up and a face very familiar to Ben appears, a face with elongated incisors and covered in swastikas.
“Recognize anyone, one forty seven?” This changes everything. He’d almost forgotten about the promise he made when Juanito died. Perhaps being made into a living weapon was the best possible outcome. If he tracked the vampire down now, he’d have a real advantage. Suicidal depression gives way to homicidal aggression.
“Yes! That’s the vampire who killed my cousin’s family! At least, that’s what he looked like before my cousin melted off his face.”
“His name is Torrig Balder. He’s one of our primary targets in the vampire hierarchy. You want payback, right? Step into the tube and I guarantee you’ll get a chance to finish what you started. I can’t just liquidate you now, nobody else has made it this far before.” Theo’s change in attitude gives Ben an idea. He’s clearly more than just another sack of organs for recycling. These scientists need him.
“I’ll do it if you drop the attitude and stop calling me one forty seven. My name is Ben and I’m a human being. If I’m gonna do this, I better get the respect I’m due.”
Theo mulls over his options. On the one hand, Ben is by far the most effective test subject he’s ever had. On the other, Ben’s propensity towards independent thinking and defiant behaviour will complicate the conditioning phase of the process. If his superiors witnessed the testing protocols today, it would take a lot of explaining to keep the project moving forward. It would be worth it. There is no denying the potential of the project and Theo has no interest in returning to square one.
“Alright, done. Please step into the tube and we’ll get you into stasis... Ben. FYI big guy, when we wake you up, it’ll most likely be a crisis situation, so be prepared. On top of that, I might be cool with treating you like a person, management will most definitely not. If anybody else calls you one forty seven, don’t hold it against your old buddy Theo. Management doesn’t consider me a person either, trust me on that.”
“Trust you? Not a chance. I still haven’t decided if I’m gonna kill you. If you can get me a shot at this Torrig guy, then I’m in for now.” With that said, Ben steps into the stasis tube and lies back. Maybe rest would help clear his mind of what he’d just done.
“Sweet dreams.” Ben’s extremities feel cold and a rush of cryogenic gas floods the tube. Memories of his family will have to keep him warm while he waits for his chance at revenge.