New Story - Chrysalis - Chapter 1

b.spencer · #1 April 5th, 2007, 01:18 PM

[COLOR=#000000]This is my first try to write an MG story. The beginnning isn't especially new or inventive, but I think that the direction I'm taking this will be a different one. Please give me any feedback you might want -- good, bad, or ugly. ~Brad[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]-----[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]Chrysalis[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]Chapter 1 ? The Choice[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]?OK. Time for bed, Davey,? his foster mom yelled out from the kitchen. ?Go on up to your room, and I?ll be there in a few minutes to tuck you in.?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]Davey sighed as he arose from the couch, his spirit filled with fear. His feet guided his small body to the seemingly endless staircase and then froze. He half-heartedly tried to obey his foster mother, but stared up at the obstacle. The stairs were draped in a blanket-like darkness as they climbed up from the light. He didn?t want to go. The stairs were so big and scary to climb up alone in the dark. But, at times like this, he could always hear the last words Daddy had told him before he went to work that day, the day he never came back. He heard the words aloud even now, as if Daddy were holding him up in his arms again, telling him in his ear, ?Be a man for me today, Davey. Be strong.?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]Davey mustered his courage and grabbed onto the banister with both hands. He began to slowly climb into the darkness. But, the more steps he took, it seemed, the more the darkness covered him, swallowing him whole like an evil monster. Soon, all the light from downstairs was gone and still he climbed. Suddenly, Davey?s fear began to rise fast. Something was wrong. The stairs weren?t ever this long and steep and high. Davey turned around to start back down, but when he did, the downstairs was gone. The dark steps stretched on forever and ever. Davey did the only thing that made sense. He yelled at the top of his lungs, ?DADDY!!!?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]Seemingly in response, something stepped into Davey?s view. His heart began to pound hard and fast, jumping out of his chest. It was a real monster. It was really tall and covered in muscles, just like Daddy. But, instead of Daddy?s kind face, the monster?s face was nothing but glowing eyes and huge teeth. If he were strong like Daddy he could beat up the monster. But, he wasn?t; so he ran. Davey tried to get away, but the monster chased him down. In moments the great thing grabbed him and pushed him down toward the stairs . . . except the stairs disappeared from under him. He was falling -- falling forever with the monster sitting right on top of him. Davey tried to struggle, but the monster was way too strong. Davey screamed . . . [/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]Davey?s eyes snapped open. For a few moments, he was still scared to death, looking around for the monster. Was it still trying to eat him? But, there was light in his room; so it wasn?t here. It had all been a bad dream. Davey tried to raise himself up in the bed, but he couldn?t. His body hurt every time he tried it. Now, he remembered where he was, and for a minute, Davey wished that all of this was a bad dream too. He painfully rolled over in the hospital bed to see the two big men standing outside his room. They were always there behind the glass, dressed in army uniforms like Daddy was when he went to work.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]Davey relaxed, allowing the constant hurting to lessen a bit. He was so confused, he felt like crying, even though strong men never cried. He didn?t understand any of this. It had all happened so fast, and nobody explained it so that he could understand. He remembered it all in a flash of disjointed images. The blond doctor -- at least the man looked and acted like a doctor. Most doctors Davey had seen were normal men but the blond doctor was as big as, maybe even bigger, than Daddy -- telling him that he was going to be special and that great things were going to happen to him. Then there was the room with all the lights and the pokes and shots and shocks and machines that hurt him. Then there were all the things they asked him to do. They had him picking up and moving things while all these men in uniforms watched. He remembered that Daddy did things sort of like it when he was exercising, but why did those men care if he could pick up some stupid pole with metal plates or move some bar attached to a metal chair he was sitting in. Davey could still see the stack of black numbered metal pieces moving up and down as he moved them, and the uniformed men cheering as he did it. It was just crazy. But, he?d felt so good then. He felt like he could play for days at a time without ever getting tired. He could see so well and hear so much. He started to believe what the blond doctor had said. He was going to be special. Maybe he could be a strong man Daddy would be proud of.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]Then, he got sick. Instead of feeling good all the time, he was so weak he could barely move. Breathing was hard. His muscles ached all over. He could feel his heart pounding so hard it hurt most of the time. Now, he was here in the hospital, hooked up to strange machines, the men in uniforms always there. The blond doctor would bring lots of other people Davey didn?t know into his room with lots of papers. Although they stared at him, poked and prodded him, they would never talk to him. They only talked to each other in big words that made no sense. The only one?s Davey understood were things like ?sick? and ?subject 61? but he didn?t know what they meant. Only the blond doctor ever talked to him the way Daddy did, but that only happened a few days ago when the man started coming into his room alone.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]Davey felt tears welling from his eyes. He tried to fight them back, but he missed his Daddy so much. He missed playing football and baseball with Daddy. He wanted to ride on his Daddy?s broad shoulders again, to hold on to Daddy?s neck as Daddy pulled both of them into the air while he held onto the metal pole. He wanted to sit on Daddy?s wide back, like he was riding a horse, while Daddy pushed them both up and down with just his arms. He always wanted to be strong like Daddy and the blond doctor. But for some reason, Davey thought I can?t be strong. Daddy?s gone ?emm-eye-a?-- whatever that meant. Davey just knew his father wasn?t coming back to see him, and now, maybe he wasn?t going to be alive much longer if Daddy ever did come back.

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[COLOR=#000000]As the tears wet his cheeks, Davey closed his eyes and wished for the zillionth time that he could feel his Daddy pick him up in his big, hard arms and hug him and feel his love just one more time.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]* * *[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]John sat at his desk staring at the reports in his desk terminal screens. He?d thought he was tough, and anyone who saw him would have thought the same. He?d seen everything ? from broken people in emergency rooms to murder autopsies to combat surgery. He prided himself on his professional detachment in every medical situation. It had advanced him and saved countless lives before this project. Everything on the walls of his office attested to it. Citations for bravery and valor, metals, photos from tribute articles of him treating men in combat, letters from fellow soldier who he had saved. He?d even kept that detachment in the years and trials of this project, even as men lay dying. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]But now, here was an innocent 4 year old boy, whose parents were both dead, who he was knowingly killing. And for what? Progress? Curiosity? Or was he just a monster? Had this project turned him into a heartless medical serial killer? The other subjects had been volunteers, adult servicemen, who understood the risks, at least as much as the project team was willing to tell them. When their cases concluded ? what a horrible euphemism for death, John thought to himself ? his clinical coldness had allowed him to just turn the page to a new subject. But this little boy was none of that. He was so innocent and trusting ? a part of him wished he could have a boy of his own like Davey, no matter how impossible that was in reality. And now, John was giving him a death sentence, as if he were some angel of death over Egypt, killing the first born.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]John looked up at the monitor on the wall and the 24 hour camera feed of Davey?s room. The boy was sleeping fitfully, but that wouldn?t last long. The pain would intensify shortly, given the course of the project?s effects on him. He glared back down to the latest imaging. He?d studied every detail, every pixel, himself, but the reports from the radiology team were concise, simple, and devastating:[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]?Pulmonary and cardiac muscle hypertrophy continues unchanged from previous comparison studies . . . Cardiac chamber volume continues to degrade, now estimated at less than 50% nominal volume pre-intervention . . . Conclusion: Subject 61 life functions likely terminable within 48 hours due to complications from cardiomegaly and reduced blood flow/pulmonary oxygenation ability as a by-product of hypertrophy due to project intervention. End report.?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]John had been agonized ever since Davey?s turn for the worse. He knew his orders -- orders never written but clearly understood nonetheless -- from his superiors in the Pentagon. Allow all the subjects to complete their testing cycles, no matter what the predicted outcome. Gather data up to and after possible termination of subject involvement. He had been ordered to let Davey and all the others die. And so far he had. And he could see why they were so insistent, at least on the surface. The potential to revolutionize the armed forces, to create the next generation of soldier, was very real in this project ? his project. It had even worked . . . if only partially and with one subject. But, now he was murdering a child. It was against everything he believed in before he made his proposal to the top brass. As a physician, as a soldier, and as a man, he knew that everything he?d done since subject 2 was nothing short of murder. He?d turned his back on that for so long now, but could he really continue? [/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]Beyond ethics and his own peace of mind, from a cold, science point of view, there was nothing more to be gained by this. This project was a failure. The current state of technology just wasn?t advanced enough to support subjects through enhancement. Even at this late stage, the reversal agents may still work on the boy. He?d used them only once. But he had to try again, didn?t he? Was his failure worth more death? Was it worth destroying the last of himself, his oath as a physician, this little boy ? over something that had only one in a billion chance of success?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]John sank back in his chair. For a split second, he couldn?t believe he was actually considering throwing himself and his life away. But, then he looked up at that monitor again. He saw that trusting, angelic face twisted in pain. John could take it no more. His soldier?s resolve and his physician?s charge to protect the innocent -- something long dead in him -- finally took hold. No matter the cost, saving his boy was worth it. After all that these black ops projects had done to strip him of his humanity, that had changed him inside and out into someone his own parents would never have known - - maybe, just maybe, this was a chance at redemption, however small.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]John arose from his chair, exited his office, and crossed the hall to the secure pharmacy. He began the long process of entering codes and passwords, allowing him access to the heart of the project. Once inside, instead of going to the normal storage units, John crossed to the back, to a vault he?d opened only once before. This was it. He was the only person on earth who could open this door. It was now or never. He entered the access codes, performed the necessary retinal scan, and the vault opened. There it was, a series of two syringes labeled in his own hand as ?Substance S-00193?. John removed the vials and carefully placed them in his pocket. He carefully resealed all the security doors before walking down the 100 foot hallway to Davey?s room.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]The guards, upon seeing John rose to attention. John automatically transformed into the soldier and snapped the commands he knew he must. ?I?m taking the subject for more testing. Several hours at least. There?s no need for you to guard an empty room. Dismissed.? The guards turned and moved down the hall. Once he was certain the hall was empty, John went into Davey?s room.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]* * *[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]Davey heard the door latch click, and his eyes blinked open. There was the blond doctor, John. For the first time Davey could remember, John looked a little scared. What?s wrong? Davey thought. John always seemed strong like Daddy was. What could scare him? John quickly crossed the distance to Davey?s bed.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]?Hi Davey,? the familiar, friendly voice said, ?How are you feeling today??[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]?I feel bad,? Davey replied weakly, ?My heart keeps beating hard, and I can?t breathe sometimes. Everything hurts.?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]John reached down and lowered the guard rail on the side of the bed, and to Davey?s amazement, he started taking off the wires that led to the machines. John had told him never to touch them. They could hurt him if they came off. ?Well, I have something that will fix all that. It will make you better again.?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]?Will it hurt, like before?? Davey asked.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]John reached down and lovingly ran his hand through Davey?s hair. Davey felt strange like somehow Daddy was here. This was exactly what his Daddy did when he was sick. ?It might Davey. I don?t want to lie to you. It may hurt a lot, but I think you?ll be as good as new in a day or two. I?ll stay with you all the time, but it?s your choice. Want to try it??[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]?Then, I?ll be well, and I can go home??[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]?Yeah, Davey. You?ll be as good as new.?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]Davey heard his father?s voice in his head. ?Be a man, Davey. Be strong.? Davey felt his father?s presence even more and it gave him courage. ?OK. I?ll do it.?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]John smiled down and reached around Davey, lifting him effortlessly into his arms. Davey was amazed as the doctor cradled him ? it was just like Daddy used to do. He?d wished for it a few minutes ago, and now -- even though it was John carrying him -- it felt just like Daddy was doing it. For the first time since he got here, he felt safe in the doctor?s strength. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]Maybe John would know, Davey thought. If he got OK and left, he might not see John again; so he decided to ask now.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]?John??[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]?Yes, Davey??[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]?What?s it like to be strong? Like you and Daddy??[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]Davey looked up into John?s face, and saw a tear ? That can?t be. Strong men like John and Daddy don?t cry ? come up in John?s eyes as he looked down. ?I wanted to know that myself Davey a long time ago. I don?t know what to tell you except for one thing. You?re already strong. Stronger than I?ll ever be. No matter what happens to you, you?re already strong.?

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[COLOR=#000000]John?s answer didn?t make sense to Davey, but so many things he?d heard lately made no sense. Davey decided he?d think about it later. He settled back into the doctor?s strong arms and balanced his head on the large lump of muscle he felt. It felt as big as his own head. He closed his eyes and made believe that it was Daddy carrying him to bed as John led them down the hall.[/COLOR]

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[COLOR=#000000]?Colonel, I have only one question for you. Have you completely lost your mind?? The Marine Corps representative said. There were several murmurs of agreement in the room, even from the head table of the conference room where the military chiefs sat. ?Subject 61 showed more promise and progress, by your own admission, than anyone else since your first success. He was the key to bringing this project to fruition and you destroyed it all. This government has spent tens of millions on your personal theories, and then you decide to fuck it over as soon as we get close to something workable!?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]?General, please calm down,? the admiral chairing the meeting said. ?Anger will get us nowhere, no matter how justified you may be.? He then turned his head to address the man sitting alone in front of them all. ?But, colonel, the general makes several valid points. Why did you do it??[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]?Admiral, in my judgment there was nothing left to learn. This boy was our ? my ? last chance, and he was dying like the others. The last seven years of my life are destroyed. My dream, my life?s work, is a failure, despite the one partial success. But whatever success there may have been in the future, that doesn?t give us the right to kill a child for nothing. He wasn?t a volunteer who signed his life away. You can?t treat him like a lab animal.?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]?Colonel, this is about national security. It has nothing to do with your personal morals or interpretations of this project. This boy could have given us an advantage in combat quantum leaps beyond anything any fighting force has ever seen. It was not your choice to make.? The marine responded.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]?I was given full control of this project. I had every right ?? John started to say, his voice rising in anger.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]The admiral cut him off, ?Colonel, will all due respect, we?ve heard this before. This committee?s deliberations are ended. The fact that the other scientists on staff agree with your medical assessments and the state of technology pertaining to this project are beside the point. This will cost you your career both in the military and in civilian practice. Your medical license will be stripped. You will lose all military rank and privilege. It is only your prior exemplary service to this nation that will allow you an honorable discharge instead of jail. This project is cancelled until our technology advances enough to determine what went wrong. But heads will roll over this. Your head specifically.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]?Only one question remains. What do we do with the boy??[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]The marine spoke up again, ?The boy is a liability to this government. He could provide rivals with valuable information medically, and there is no way we can ever know what he will remember. We should eliminate that liability.? The rest of the flag officers sitting at the table became visibly uneasy at the suggestion. It was well enough to allow the boy to die by other?s hands, but to murder him outright with the blood on their own hands . . . they were more than a little uncomfortable. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]The admiral looked past John to the other staff scientists. ?Doctors, what is the boy?s current status??[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]?Colonel Batchelor is the expert of course, but there are no signs of any of the treatment agents in the boy?s blood and tissue samples. All examinations show him to be perfectly normal, the enhancements having totally reversed themselves. Even the cardiac and pulmonary damage is repairing, although we suspect that will never fully heal.?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]?What will he remember??[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]?At his age, nothing more than a few flashes of being sick and getting better in a hospital. He knows nothing if consequence about the project, and what he may remember, no one would ever believe.?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]The admiral considered this for a moment before saying. ?Alright. My inclination, if agreed on by the committee, is to place the boy in protective surveillance. New identity, the works. We will observe him until such time as we are certain there are no recurrences of project related enhancements. We?ll leave him alone when we are certain.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]?Colonel, you?ve cost this country a lot. I hope you can live with your decision here. Committee adjourned.?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]John smiled to himself inside. He couldn?t be sure what the future would hold for Davey. But, he had enough pull left to be able to learn Davey?s new identity and be able to follow his life, even if they could have no formal contact. And there was good reason for him to do so. His calculations showed he was a few minutes too late to fully reverse the process. The agents were not destroyed, they were merely dormant. What might arise in Davey years, decades from now? But, one thing was certain. Davey would live, no matter what. John could live with that.[/COLOR]