the-usg-blog

[the-usg-blog]

USG: The Axis War - Prologue

For most people, my name would go down in history underneath many other tyrants. The thing is, I think they’ve got me all wrong. They’ve never seen a man have everything he ever believed in stripped away before his very eyes, never truly felt trapped in a system that was absolutely unyielding in its desire to keep you in its grasp. I was selected for U.S. Special Forces when I was only 18… and two years after that, I went black ops. By the time I was 39, I had probably been to every country you’ve never heard of. A lot changed for me in that 39th year of my life. For the first time, the Homeland Contingency was called upon to restore order to a United States plagued by civil war. Leaving my Ghost Squadron team members behind me, I stepped into my role as commanding officer of Sigma Four, our unit designation. All I ever wanted to do was protect people… and maybe that was my downfall. If I knew what I know now back then, maybe things would be different. However, the fact remains that I didn’t want to believe that saving the world was impossible. Sometimes, to save one person, you doom another… and that’s just how it is. Maybe it’s true what they say… sometimes you really do live long enough to become the villain.

- Bela Brewster, Homeland Contingency Sigma Four Captain

- Axis POW Compound, Location Unknown; 2034.

- Bela Brewster.

“Answer me!” The voice yelled, his tone impatient and cold.

Bela stared at the ground, watching his drops of blood begin to pool on the metal floor beneath him. His body was beginning to ache, but the beating he was receiving was nothing compared to the type of punishment he was used to. A soldier in his position needed to be capable of taking more than a few hits. Bela straightened his posture, and looked up towards the ceiling, testing the bindings around his wrists and ankles a bit more. The metal chair he rested on was bolted to the floor; he wasn’t going anywhere.

“Oh yeah? Think you’re tough, do ya!?” The man yelled again, a sick smile developing across his lips.

Bela glanced at his interrogator, noticing the gold tooth he had in his mouth; the rest of his teeth were in poor condition. His nametag read “Harper”, although it was mostly obscured by grease. His facial hair was in disarray, almost as unkempt as his un-tucked shirt. Moreover, his Axis military trousers were stained with spots of fresh blood. Clearly this Harper was not one to care for presentation. Bela maintained his stoic approach to the situation, now establishing eye contact with his captor.

“Heh… your little girlfriend with the face paint is in the other room. Once I’m through with you, I’m gonna have a lot of fun with her!” Harper said, his grin growing wider.

Upon hearing his comment, Bela aggressively lurched forward in his chair, but didn’t get very far due to his restraints. Harper hopped backwards, surprised by Bela’s sudden movement.

“Woah-ho-ho! So that’s what gets you going, eh?  Is she your weak spot!?” Harper asked. “Cuz I can go get her, and you can watch me have my way with her right here!”

“You lay a finger on her, and I’m going to rip that tooth out of your mouth with my bare hands.” Bela warned, starting to struggle with his bindings even more.

In response, Harper punched Bela in the face, and then again in the stomach. Bela grunted in response to the blows, but it was only working to make him angrier.

“You can talk all you want, but once you come down into this compound with me, you ain’t ever gonna see the light of day again.” Harper warned, turning away from Bela and grabbing a sledgehammer that was in the corner of the room and hefting it up. “I’m gonna teach ya some respect.”

Suddenly, the door to the interrogation room squeaked open.

“I ain’t done with him yet. I’ll be with you in a second.” Harper announced without turning around.

Two people wearing Axis fatigues complete with balaclavas stepped into the room, acting as though they didn’t hear him. As Harper turned around to further express his annoyance, he was met with the stock of a rifle across his forehead, causing him to drop his sledgehammer and fall to the ground in front of Bela; he was knocked out. Bela looked up at the strange saviors, greeting them with a nod.

“About time you showed up.” Bela teased. “For a minute there, I was beginning to think you guys forgot about us.”

The two of them took their balaclavas off, revealing themselves to be Bela’s squad mates, Ghost and Desmond Banks.

“I might have thought about leaving ya here, thought only crossed my mind for a second though.” Ghost said, walking behind Bela and undoing his bindings.

“Very funny, kid… now you’re taking my lines.” Bela said, bringing his arms out in front of him and massaging his wrists. “Where’s Knox?”

“She’s in the other room getting Morrigan suited up.” Desmond said, tossing Bela a neatly folded collection of Axis fatigues and an earpiece. “The uh… shirt might be a little tight going over that head of yours.”

Bela smiled, and stood up, equipping the earpiece and holding the clothes at his side.

“If that balaclava didn’t stop at your forehead, I’m sure I’ll be fine.” Bela replied, playfully tapping Desmond on his head.

“Heh, at least this guy didn’t take your sense of humor away.” Desmond said.

“Never.” Bela stated, starting to slide the fatigues on quickly. “How’s our window looking, Ghost?”

“It’s as big as it’s gonna get… the trucks are nearing the depot like we discussed. We just have to cover the ground in time and we’ll just sail off like nothing happened.” Ghost answered, looking at her PDA. “We’ve got seven minutes before that window starts closing, though.”

Soon, Knox and Morrigan stepped into the room, outfitted in their disguises.

“You two good?” Bela asked, pulling a balaclava over his head.

“Better.” Morrigan answered.

“I’ll be good when we’re out of this place.” Knox said, scratching at her side. “These Axis clothes are starting to get itchy.”

“Then let’s not waste anymore time.” Bela said, grabbing an assault rifle that was left on a desk.

“We leaving him here?” Ghost asked, looking down at the unconscious Harper.

“Yeah, he’s not going anywhere for a while.” Bela responded, stepping out of the room.

The group followed him out of the interrogation chamber and up a set of stairs. Eventually, they fell in line with some Axis soldiers that were traveling across the compound. Humvees were driving around the grounds, and a helicopter landed a few hundred feet away, unloading Axis soldiers that started to heft out crates of ammunition and equipment.

“Motor pool is east of us.” Ghost whispered into comms. “Those trucks that just pulled in are our chariots.”

“Shitty chariots.” Desmond replied. “Those things look like they’ll give you some type of illness just from riding in them.”

“Axis takes what they can get.” Knox advised. “That’s what scavenging looks like.”

Soon, they arrived at the motor pool, throwing some smuggled duffel bags into the back of one of the trucks. They filed into the cargo area of it, and Bela closed the back doors, banging on them twice. In response, he heard two more knocks sound off from inside. Bela jogged around to the front of the truck, and hopped into the driver’s seat, pulling off. As he drove towards the exit, Bela noticed a few Axis security guards jogging toward the interrogation compound, suggesting they had only just now gotten wind of something being off.

“Looks like they found our mess.” Morrigan said, looking through the back windows of the truck.

“We’ll be long gone.” Bela advised, driving past a checkpoint.

The truck continued on through the base until they reached the end of the large compound, pulling off onto a dirt road.Ghost stepped through the cargo bay of the truck and held her PDA over Bela’s shoulder, displaying a map of the area for him.

“That’s where our guys have set up shop for the time being.” Ghost advised.

Bela nodded, inspecting the map.

“We’ve got a long road ahead of us, then.” Bela said.

[the-usg-blog]

Short 4: Unanswered Questions

- C-17 Cargo Bay, 40,000 feet above USG-controlled territory.

- Paxton, Ghost Squadron Commander.

“Alright, we’re nearing our insertion point. Let’s go over this.” Paxton said, typing something into a keypad on the wall of the cargo bay, causing a screen to lower from the ceiling.

A small group turned towards Paxton, listening to what he had to say. For this operation, their group was composed of four Ghost Squadron members. Paxton was the team leader, a veteran of the special forces group. He watched many Ghosts come and go, developing an intense distaste for leaving anyone behind. Next, there was Graves, Paxton’s second in command. Graves had been involved in combat for just as long as Paxton, conducting virtually every operation they’d ever done in one another’s company. Gideon was the third member, although he was relatively new, his approach to missions put him on par with some of the most experienced. Finally, the fourth member present was Illona, the most recently recruited Ghost. She had extensive experience in demolitions during her time in other special forces groups, becoming a key asset in overseas conflicts that involved explosive ordinance. Paxton stood up, and pointed to the screen; there were pictures of two people.

“The USG has apprehended British UN representative Jacque Birget, and he’s set to be bled dry of information by you-know-who.” Paxton began, pointing to a picture of a woman dressed in tactical gear. “Now, we all know that Morrigan was one of ours… but we can’t allow her to extract information from Mr. Birget. Reports show that he has just arrived at the compound, but knowing Morrigan, we don’t have much time before she gets what she wants.”

“Do we know what exactly it is that she wants?” Illona asked, checking her handgun and then holstering it.

“Negative, the extent of what we know is that we’re to return Mr. Birget to friendly soil by any means necessary.” Paxton replied. “Whatever it is, it can’t be good, and that’s for certain.”

“Roger that.” Illona replied, placing her oxygen mask onto her head.

“Alright, so what’s the deal on this compound we’re storming?” Gideon queried.

“It’s a small building out in the Styx… that’s old Axis War territory so there’s no telling what might still be armed out there. That’s why we brought Illona along… she’s going to be on hand if things get dicey.” Paxton answered.

“90 seconds to drop.” A voice said through the cargo bay’s comms.

“Alright, Ghosts… get set.” Paxton ordered, equipping his oxygen mask.

At his order, the group finished suiting up, and then formed up on him near the cargo door. Graves raised his visor, and then leaned in close to Paxton so the others couldn’t hear.

“Paxton… I don’t like it.” Graves said quietly.

“What about it?” Paxton asked.

“Morrigan… she was one of us. She still wears her old Ghost face paint for fuck’s sake… why’s she doing this?” Graves questioned.

“Well… unofficially… that’s what we’re trying to determine here.” Paxton advised.

“Right… these new guys might not have trouble pulling the trigger if need be, but…” Graves began.

Paxton placed a hand on Graves’ shoulder, gripping him warmly.

“At this point… she might not have those same reservations. We’ve got a job to do… if she’s looking to prevent that, we do what needs to be done.” Paxton ordered.

“Sir.” Graves replied, lowering his visor over his head.

“10 seconds to drop.” The voice said.

The cargo door slowly lowered itself, causing a rush of air to flow through the bay. Below, they couldn’t see anything but cloud cover.

“Go!” Paxton yelled, diving from the plane.

At his order, everyone followed him out, bringing them into free fall.

“The drop location should be highlighted on your helmet heads up displays; nobody deviate from the course!” Paxton said. “Keep an eye on your oxygen levels, and make sure you activate your drop thrusters at 2,000 feet!”

“Yes sir!” Was the group response that came over comms.

As Paxton was descending, a light layer of frost started to form on his visor; the temperature was quite low at their altitude. A green box was visible on his heads up display; it was maintaining target on a compound in the middle of an area that looked like it had just suffered an airstrike. The Styx was a neutral zone at this point; it didn’t see much use once the Axis War ended. Most of the buildings were destroyed or nearing collapse. The USG didn’t care to control it, so it was essentially lawless, and certainly unforgiving. Due to this, it was very unlikely that their deployment would be detected by anyone of immediate threat. Paxton glanced at his altitude meter; it was nearly time to activate their drop thrusters.

“On my mark!” Paxton commanded, waiting for the 2,000 feet notification to appear on his heads up display.

As it did, Paxton pressed a button on his chest plate.

“Mark!” Paxton exclaimed.

The thrusters on his drop pack activated, slowing his descent and stabilizing him as he approached the ground. His feet finally met the dirt, and he then slung the drop pack from around his shoulders, looking for everyone else.

“We good?” Paxton asked, seeing the three others land safely.

“All good here.” Graves updated.

“Green.” Illona advised.

“Kneecaps still attached.” Gideon joked.

Paxton took his oxygen mask off, and dropped it on the ground next to him, bringing his rifle to the fore.

“Alright, night vision on at all times. The target is due north, so let’s get moving.” Paxton ordered.

- After walking for half an hour…

The group shuffled through the dark streets, keeping most of their movements concealed to alleyways and other areas of low visibility. There were a few spotlights at the top of the compound, shining down into the streets in a patrolling fashion.

“Graves, Gideon, kill the lights.” Illona suggested.

“Comin’ up.” Gideon responded, taking aim.

Two suppressed gunshots sounded off, and the two sentries on top of the compound fell to the ground silently.

“Move in.” Paxton ordered, jogging toward an entryway and stepping inside.

The group maintained a tight perimeter, moving through the building within mere feet of each other. Suddenly, Illona stepped on a tripwire, causing a thick netting to wrap itself around her ankles and throw her to the ground, dragging her across the dark room. Paxton reacted first, and dove for her arm, grabbing her hand. The two were being pulled across the ground, running into rotted wood and various debris.

“Shit, the place is wired!” Gideon yelled, trying to chase after them with Graves close behind him.

Simultaneously, a thick smoke activated within the room, completely defeating their night vision goggles. Paxton slammed into a metal rebar, losing his grip on Illona, but he quickly regained his footing and chased after her.

“Illona, hang on, we’re coming!” Graves yelled.

Illona was trying to grab onto anything she could, but the weak objects broke upon contact. Eventually, she was pulled through the threshold of a large doorway, which quickly closed behind her. Paxton tried running into the door shoulder first, but it was extremely sturdy, not budging through manpower alone.

“Come on; get satchels on this door, quickly!” Paxton ordered.

- Inner compound.

Illona eventually slid to a rest in the center of a dimly lit room. Nearby, she could see Mr. Birget restrained on a wooden chair with tape across his mouth. A group of USG Elite units stepped out of the dimly lit corners of the room, holding their weapons in relaxed positions. Shortly after, Morrigan stepped out of the shadows as well, walking over to Illona and squatting down in front of her. Illona quickly went for her weapons, but she lost her rifle and combat knife while being dragged through the building. Defenselessly, she looked at Morrigan, who had a blank expression on her face. The harsh shadows that were cast across her face-paint-laden visage made her appear inhuman.

“I see the Ghosts are bringing new blood into the ranks.” Morrigan said, studying Illona closely.

Illona kept her mouth shut, trying to hide the uncertainty building up within her.

“You seem to be scared… but don’t worry… I have that effect on people.” Morrigan began, taking out a combat knife and casually holding it. “As a Ghost, I would expect it to be near impossible to get anything out of you… so I won’t even try.”

“Then get it over with.” Illona responded, anticipating that her time was up; she was completely surrounded.

Morrigan nodded, and then looked down at her knife, appearing to be looking at her reflection in it.

“I did a lot for the Ghosts in my day… and they did a lot for me. Paxton saved my life years ago… so I suppose I can repay him by letting you live.” Morrigan stated, now pointing the knife towards Illona’s neck. “But next time you see him… make sure you let him know he used his one freebie.”

Illona stared at her, unsure how to respond.

“And… Mr. Birget was already most cooperative with us… so we won’t be needing him any longer. He’s yours if you can manage it.” Morrigan explained, standing up. “If we ever meet again, I suppose I’ll know that you’re worthy of being called a Ghost.”

At that, Morrigan turned and walked away into the dark with her Elite units in tow, leaving Mr. Birget in his chair. Suddenly, there was an explosion behind Illona, and Paxton and his group ran into the room, standing over her and aiming around the perimeter.

“Where’d she go!?” Gideon yelled.

“She’s gone…” Illona said, starting to cut away at the netting around her ankles with Graves’ assistance. “We need to get Birget out of here; she made it sound like we don’t have much time.”

“But we had her; we can’t just let her walk off!” Gideon exclaimed.

“Gideon, we’re NOT chasing her out into the Styx.” Paxton ordered. “We don’t know what’s out there; our orders were to secure Birget, so that’s what we’re gonna do.”

Gideon stared at Paxton for a few seconds, and then sighed, not looking to challenge his orders. Once Illona was free, she rushed over to Birget, taking the tape off his mouth.

“Oh, thank you, thank you for coming!” Birget whimpered. “She was going to kill me!”

Illona hurriedly inspected him, noticing he had wires coming out of his shirt.

“Paxton, he’s rigged.” Illona advised, starting to follow a set of wires across the room to locate the origin point.

“Rigged? What do you mean rigged!? TO BLOW!?” Birget yelled, his eyes turning into saucers.

“Hey, if you don’t pipe down we’re all gonna go up in smoke!” Graves shouted, trying to calm him down.

Birget was still very fearful, but he nodded in understanding, trying to keep himself composed.

“Can you handle it?” Paxton asked, watching Illona trace the trail of wires.

“I’ll know in a second.” Illona answered, kneeling down in front of a strange box and opening it.

Inside the box was some sort of improvised explosive device. The wires went all the way back to Birget’s chair, disappearing into the seat cushion. She noticed a display on top of the IED; at the moment, it read 98.7 kg. Illona glanced back at Birget, noticing that as he shuffled around in his seat, the reading on the IED fluctuated slightly. It didn’t take much guess work to figure out what would happen if Birget were to stand up and take pressure off the chair. Illona thought for a moment, remembering Morrigan’s words: “If we ever meet again, I suppose I’ll know that you’re worthy of being called a Ghost.”

“She’s testing me.” Illona reasoned. “I’ve got this… you work on our EVAC, Paxton.”

Paxton raised an eyebrow, and then brought a finger to his ear, radioing for extraction. Illona pulled out a pair of wire cutters from her belt pouch, and went to work.

“Birget is secured, requesting immediate extraction.” Paxton said into his earpiece.

“Copy that, this is Wicket; I’m nearby. ETA 5 minutes.” He advised.

“5 minutes, guys.” Paxton informed, checking on Illona.

She was snipping away at various sections of the device, working at the inner wiring. Once she was satisfied, she removed a metal plate from the box, exposing the more intricate details of what she was dealing with. There was a tattered Ghost Squadron mask inside resting on some kind of keypad. Illona took the mask in her hands and inspected it. Paxton knelt down next to her, studying it carefully.

“This was Morrigan’s… she wore it on the last operation we went on together… the one before she just up and disappeared along with Bela.” Paxton explained. “April 5th, 2034… I’ll never forget it.”

Illona glanced at Paxton.

“You never spoke about those two much.” Illona said.

Paxton nodded, turning his attention back to the IED inside the box.

“That’s a story for another time.” Paxton said. “We’ve gotta figure out what this keypad is for.”

“I’ve already figured it out.” Illona said, pressing a sequence of numbers. “It accepts a four-digit password.”

Once she finished inputting the numbers, the IED let out a strange chirp, and then the lights on it went inert, disabling the pressure meter.

“And… done.” Illona announced, standing up from the box and handing Paxton the tattered mask.

“What was the password?” Paxton asked, surprised that she figured it out so quickly.

“2034.” Illona replied, walking over to Birget and cutting away his bindings.

“Hmm… so maybe the Ghosts still mean something to Morrigan after all.” Graves said, sounding unsure.

“Yeah… maybe.” Paxton said, staring at Morrigan’s Ghost mask for a few more seconds before placing it into a pouch on his vest.

“Right… now can we get out of here before this place caves in on our heads? Damn near everything in here is rotted to hell.” Gideon stated, helping Birget toward the exit.

“Agreed, let’s move.” Paxton advised, heading out the way they came.

By the time they were outside, a Chinook was waiting with its troop-bay door open. The group filed inside, and sat down, belting themselves in.

“Illona, when we get back, be ready for a debrief.” Paxton ordered.

“Yes sir.” Illona replied. “And you owe me that story we talked about.”

“You earned it… soon as we’re back.” Paxton responded.

Illona nodded, and leaned her head on the wall of the troop-bay, closing her eyes.

[the-usg-blog]

Short 3: Fear

- USG House Research Wing.

The research wing sprang to life as Isabela Forsythe stepped into the room with some research staff in tow. Machinery could be heard churning up, causing some shutters to rise towards the ceiling, uncovering the glass that looked into a large viewing chamber. Inside, there were six USG security units lined up along the wall. They were in full tactical gear, identifiable only by the lower parts of their faces.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Forsythe.” A distinctly feminine robotic voice said.

“Good afternoon, J4. I suppose you’re ready to begin?” Isabela replied, typing her credentials into the computer in front of her.

“Of course. Ready to test connection stability of the Eviscerator Drone on your mark.” J4 answered.

J4 was an AI that Isabela was developing. When the Axis War ended, J4 was merely in prototype stages. Isabela Forsythe was placed in charge of improving the AI once the USG fully took power. The Research Wing of the USG House would be J4’s temporary home, at least until the Research and Training Facility was fully constructed. Isabela had managed to implement J4 into much of the USG’s infrastructure, causing most of their logistical dependencies to become automated. According to her, that was only the tip of the iceberg.

“Alright J4, let’s try it.” Isabela ordered, typing something into the keyboard and then looking up towards the viewing area.

In the center of the chamber, the Eviscerator Drone stood in an inert state. The security units that were lined up on the wall stood solemnly, seemingly afraid to make a sound, or move a muscle for that matter.

“Initiating link.” J4 stated.

Suddenly, red lights activated on the Eviscerator Drone, and it then lurched forward quickly. A total of six arms swung out from its frame, all adorned with violent looking blades at their ends. Among all of the armaments it possessed, perhaps its most striking feature was the strange tail it had, sporting blades along the length of it.

“Status, J4?” Isabela asked.

“Link is at 100% efficiency, Ms. Forsythe.” J4 responded, her voice now projecting out of the Eviscerator Drone. “Now then, you mentioned a trial run of my targeting capabilities?”

“Yes, it involves a test of your friend vs. foe module. The six lovely volunteers in front of you may or may not be who they appear to be. Allies will be highlighted in green, and targets will be highlighted in red.” Isabela started. “Two of them are merely test subjects fresh from reconditioning… so I would say now is as good a time as any to see how well you handle those weapons of yours.”

“Then let us begin.” J4 said.

The Eviscerator Drone stepped forward quickly, reaching the group of security units that were standing along the wall.

“Remember, boys. If you run, it might react… violently… to the sudden movement.” Isabela advised, her voice broadcasting into the chamber. “I can assure you that cowardice will be the end of you.”

The mechanical monster leaned forward slightly, shining its bright eye into all of their frightened faces. A few looked away slightly, trying to avoid eye contact with it.

“Human fear is… such an interesting emotion to observe. The uncertainty that washes over this group is astounding… even the ones that have nothing to be afraid of are quivering.” J4 announced ominously.

The multiple arms the drone possessed started to move around independently, clashing together to create unnerving noises, and loom dangerously close to the necks of the security units.

“Two test subjects, you say?” J4 queried, the drone inspecting each person closely.

“That is correct.” Isabela replied.

The Eviscerator Drone loomed over the group for a few more moments, and then its arms swung around violently, stabbing four of the security units in their chests. The remaining two flinched harshly, covering their faces. From her position behind her computer, Isabela smirked.

“I do not mean to suggest that you cannot count, but you were incorrect in your assertion.” J4 said.

“I misled you… there were in fact four. You passed the test.” Isabela revealed, turning towards a colleague that was standing nearby. “Get those recordings to Nazario and Commander Bela… they have been breathing down my neck for progress, and I’d say we finally have it.”

“Yes ma’am.” The man said, accessing the recordings and beginning work.

Isabela looked back towards the chamber, seeing that the Eviscerator Drone was still standing over the remaining two security units. One of them was sitting down and leaning on the wall, covering his face with his hands.

“Might I play with these last two as well?” J4 asked, continuing to taunt them in cruel fashion.

“Unfortunately not, we’ll be needing them to resume work at their posts.” Isabela said, stifling a chuckle.

“Very well.” J4 replied, causing the drone to step away from the wall.

The exit door to the chamber opened, and the two security units ran for it, tripping a few times on their way out.

“Good work J4, we can disable the link for now.” Isabela ordered, typing on her keyboard again.

The Eviscerator Drone stood up straight, and then returned to its inert state.

[the-usg-blog]

Short 2: Memories

- Hades Interval Lower Levels.

- A-218.

A-218 awoke to the sound of a large door sliding open. Her vision was a haze, so she could barely make out a woman stepping into the cell with a clipboard in her hand.

“What was the first thing you did this morning?” The woman asked her.

“What…?” A-218 asked, sitting up and holding her head in her hands.

“The way you started your morning today. Can you recall?” The woman continued.

A-218 looked up and inspected the woman’s nametag, which read: Isabela Forsythe.

“No… I can’t remember…” A-218 replied. “I can’t remember… anything. Where am I?”

“You’re where you belong.” Isabela responded, writing some things down on her clipboard. “Can you remember your name?”

A-218 thought for a moment, struggling to grasp what was going on around her. She could see people walking around outside her cell; their white coats stood out the most. Her cell door was clear and padded, marked with the ID number A-218. The individuals in the white coats were carting people around on wheeled devices similar to gurneys; the people on them were lying down as if they were sleeping. When they reached a cell, they were dumped off into it, and then sealed inside.

“Did you hear me, A-218?” Isabela asked, now staring at her over the brim of her glasses with a more stern expression.

“My name… is… Ashelyn.” She said.

Isabela appeared surprised, but then attempted to recompose herself.

“What did you say?” Isabela asked.

“I said my name is Ashelyn.” She said again, now starting to regain her bearings.

Isabela furrowed her brow, and then started to jot more things down on her clipboard. Shortly after, another woman stepped into the cell, looking at Isabela.

“What’s her status?” The woman asked.

“Well, Nazario… she seems to be a bit... ah… resistant… to the reconditioning process.” Isabela answered.

The one referred to as Nazario glanced down towards Ashelyn, and then looked back to Isabela.

“Then we’ll run it one more time. I’m sure the second sweep will clean out all the nooks and crannies that the first one missed.” Nazario ordered. “Get her lined up for it immediately.”

“Yes ma’am.” Isabela said.

Nazario stepped out of the chamber, disappearing from Ashelyn’s view. As she left, two security drones stepped into the room, lifting Ashelyn to her feet.

“Enjoy part two.” Isabela stated ominously, before exiting the cell and heading in the same direction Nazario did.

The security drones started to walk her through the facility. Her footing was wobbly, but improving with each step. She started to notice that other people were dressed the same way she was, as if they were all in some type of prison garb. The security drones dropped her off at the end of a line of people, and then walked away. Everyone was walking single file through the corridors, but their endpoint was anyone’s guess.  Eventually, as Ashelyn rounded a corner, she could see that they were all being corralled into a set of strange machines at the end of the hall. There were three of them, so the line started to split into three groups at a point. When she watched a man step inside of it, a metallic arm reached down, placing some type of helmet on his head. There was a sort of rumbling noise, and then a few flashes of light from the helmet. The metallic arm lifted the helmet off his head, causing him to fall limply to the floor. A security drone picked him up, and then placed him on one of the gurneys to be carted off by a facility member. Something started to eat at Ashelyn deeply; she knew that what she was watching should have been scaring her, but she just felt empty. Her turn was coming quickly, but she didn’t know what to do.

“If you can hear me, listen carefully.”  A male voice began, seemingly inside of her head. “I’m a friend… I’m communicating with you via the chip in your head. You cannot allow them to go through with a second reconditioning. You have to get out of there. I’ll create a diversion, but the rest is up to you. When we meet… I’ll explain everything.”

Ashelyn felt that she knew the person speaking to her, but it was as if it was perpetually stuck on the tip of her tongue. Nevertheless, she trusted him. Suddenly, a powerful hum went through the facility, causing the lights to dim significantly. The reconditioning machines powered down, and the metallic arms retracted into their slots. The security drones went into alert mode, drawing their shock batons and trying to keep the crowds in check.

“Everyone remain where you are; reconditioning will resume shortly. Lethal force may be utilized if you disobey this directive.” One security drone said.

“The security locks have powered down, but it won’t last long. You need to make a run for the corridor to your left!” The voice ordered.

Ashelyn looked toward the area that was described, noticing that there weren’t any security drones nearby. She quickly looked around, and then made a run for it.

“A-218, halt!” A security drone yelled, giving chase.

Ashelyn looked over her shoulder, seeing that the security drone was chasing her with a shock baton in its hand.

“Make the right that’s coming up into Junction B, that’s where the garbage disposal is located! They make hourly dumps using unmanned trash disposal units. They won’t be able to track your chip while you’re inside one, they’re heavily insulated. It’s your only chance.” The voice said. “And don’t worry… as long as I’m accessing your chip, they won’t be able to use it against you.”

Ashelyn made a right, heading into Junction B. The hum from before carried through the halls once more, but this time, the lights started to come back on. The metal shutter ahead of her started to quickly lower towards the floor. She ran as fast as she could, and then dove forward, sliding under it just in time. The security drone that was chasing her wasn’t fast enough, leaving it trapped behind the shutter. Ashelyn took a moment to look around, appearing to be in the location that the voice spoke of earlier.

“There, one of the trash disposal units is about to leave. You must get on board!” The voice advised.

Ashelyn ran towards it, and walked into the rear bay; it resembled some type of dropship. Shortly after, the door closed, and the trash disposal unit flew away from Hades Interval towards parts unknown.

[the-usg-blog]

Short 1: Capture And Reconditioning

- USG District 17.

- Adam Jackson.

Adam watched from his position behind some boxes, waiting to see if anyone would enter the small warehouse he was hiding in. He heard some movement from outside, as expected, but nobody had come in just yet. Soon enough, the metal door slid open wildly, revealing a small group of USG security drones on the other side. The spotlights on their helmets were shining into the warehouse brightly, causing shadows to dance around the large room. The words “scanning area” were written across their visors in green, signifying that they were not in attack mode just yet. As the last drone entered the building, someone of flesh and blood came into view as well; it was Z. She was a high ranking official within the USG hierarchy, and was rumored to have trained under the USG’s leader directly. The mention of her name struck fear in anyone who lived within the USG’s districts. She stepped further into the building and looked around, folding her arms.

“So… would you like me to call you 141-13, or Adam?” Z asked.

Adam let out a short gasp, not expecting to be addressed; he thought he was hidden.

“Yes, we know you’re here. Hiding is useless… it’s only a matter of time.” Z continued, a small smirk starting to form across her lips.

Adam gripped his handgun tightly, and dashed out into view, aiming straight at Z. Immediately, the inset lights on the security drones turned orange, and they stepped backwards into a tight perimeter around Z, protecting her.

“I don’t care what you call me, frankly! I’ve got you right where I want you now!” Adam yelled, cocking the weapon.

“Well… I won’t say I expected you to come quietly… but I didn’t foresee you attempting something this stupid.” Z replied. “These drones are programmed to protect me if a threat is detected… I have all the faith in the world that they’ll have no problem resisting whatever that small handgun fires.”

“Do you!?” Adam barked, aggressively adjusting his aim. “Because I’ve been told I’m a pretty good shot!”

“Yes.” Z challenged, revealing a small PDA. “The question is: do you have faith in your words?”

Adam glanced at the PDA in Z’s hand, puzzled by what she intended to do with it.

“What… are you gonna read to me until I give up!?” Adam taunted, keeping his aim true.

“Not exactly… do you recall that pesky little chip that was placed into your head?” Z asked, tapping the back of her neck with a knowing gaze. “Just about everyone that breathes has one at this point… save for myself and a few others.”

At her comment, a chill went down Adam’s spine. He slowly raised his free hand to the back of his neck, and gently ran his hand across the scar.

“What about it… I suppose that’s how you found me then, right!?” Adam growled.

“Of course… but it’s also capable of so much more. At the press of a button, your life ends.” Z warned, ominously holding her hand above a selection that Adam couldn’t see.

“You’re bluffing!” Adam shouted.

“I thought you might think so.” Z responded, pressing a button on the PDA.

Suddenly, an intense pain shot into Adam’s head, causing him to fall onto all fours and drop his weapon. The sensation rendered him completely immobilized. He could see Z walk up to him, and then lower to a knee in front of him.

“This is an example of what I can do to you.” Z started, leaning in close to his ear. “If you submit to capture and reconditioning… I’ll let you live. If you refuse, your head might pop like a balloon.”

The discomfort within Adam’s head was growing; it was as if something was trying to fight its way out of his head. He knew full well what reconditioning meant; everything he ever knew would be wiped away completely. He wouldn’t even remember the conversation him and Z had. He would be given a new name, and released out into the world as if he came off an assembly line. In response to his silence, Z pressed something else on the PDA, increasing the severity of the pain. An intense fear started to wash over him, something he had never felt before. In an act of total self preservation, he yelled out in defeat.

“Okay! I’ll submit to capture and reconditioning, just make the pain stop! MAKE IT STOP!” Adam pleaded, nearing his breaking point. “Please make it stop; I’ll do whatever you people want me to!”

Adam used all the strength he could muster to look into Z’s eyes. Her expression was blank, as if his answer truly didn’t matter.

“Good.” Z said, standing up and deactivating the signal her PDA was sending.

Adam fell onto his face limply, barely having enough strength to steady himself. The metal thump of security drones reverberated all around him. The group of them picked him up, and held him captive in front of Z.

“Take him to see Nazario in Hades Interval.” Z ordered, looking to the drones.

“Yes ma’am.” One replied in a robotic voice.

“What!? Hades Interval!? No, anything but that place, please!” Adam begged, trying to struggle within the firm grasp of the security drones.

“Hush.” Z whispered, pressing another button on her PDA.

As she did, Adam let out a weak-sounding exhale, and then fell limp within the arms of the security drones; he was unconscious. As his struggle ceased, the security drones started in the direction they entered from, carting him off towards Hades Interval.