Story - Project Akuma
From Gwn
A noxious event plagues southern Mars. Zea-Corp produced the world's first super newtype, something which offended the Gemini foundation. The result occured on the rainy night of September 15, AC 246. What resulted was the Gemini Foundation gaining important information on genetic engineering and the Martian Confederation gaining seven test subjects. This is the story of the infamous Project Akuma.
Story
Thunder arced across the night sky. Ever since humans arrived on the planet, Martian nights slowly got warmer and rain dropped more often. Terra forming machines slowly transformed the toxic atmosphere into a balanced air of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Colonists planted forests under domes, slowly filtering the air to human-standards. Rain resulted from the increased levels of hydrogen and oxygen, and now the Martian soil slowly gained moisture.
Rain also foreshadowed turmoil.
“MOVE ALL UNITS TO THE HOPPER!” A Zea-corp foreman screamed, while a transport bed slowly backed to an ingress point. The truck carried materials shipped into the port from an outside colony. The port manifest listed grains. Tynacorp did not produce any baked goods, especially in the isolated factory in the southern Ma’adim Vallis, a two mile-long canyon. Private soldiers guarded the drop, special grains genetically altered with human DNA.
“Excellent.” A shady man watched the transport unloading the cargo. Today, the labs would refine the DNA into a super sample. This sample would override all prior genetic research, and would hopefully help them develop a new human being.
The man served as Zea-corp’s CEO. His company developed brand-new hybrids of common earth flora. The plants helped accelerate the development of Mars’s new atmosphere. The company earned billions, and became a trusted part of the Martian economy. The Martian Confederation even ceded the entire Ma’adim Vallis to the company for their experiments. An unexpected result, the company began to work on illegal experiments.
An aide approach Zea-corp’s CEO. “Sir, what about the subjects in the monorail?”
The CEO looked down on the monorail line. 5 years ago the government installed the line. They had no idea what they used it for. Now seven subjects were selected for removal due to mental instability. The genetic therapy affected them differently, and they reacted stronger than the other subjects. For this final test, he had to have them relocated.
“Send them to the beta-station. After we’re finished... well if we don’t need them they can be disposed of.”
The aide made the note on his tablet, “Right, sir. We’ve begun to extract the DNA from the samples, and are currently preparing a brew. Test subjects 5 through 11 are being prepared.”
“Excellent,” The CEO responded, “If this is successful, we will make millions selling the formula to the Confederation. This will give them soldiers beyond their wonder, soldiers capable of excelling physically and mentally.”
The labs hummed to life while the CEO and his aide descended in the elevator. Zea-Corp created Project Akuma after their genetic experiments with plant-life excelled beyond their wildest dreams. A main objective sought to find out what had happened to children born in space, adversely affected by space radiation and variable gravity. The evolution could be accelerated, though only if proper genetic strains could be isolated.
“Sir, you have a meeting tonight with a Hyas Polydueces. He is representing a corporation that mines around Uranus.” The aide spoke out.
“Hmm? Yes, after the experiments, have all R&D wings sealed off. I don’t want some potential rival spying on us.”
The aide looked back at the response with puzzlement, “But doesn’t he want to subcontract work?”
The CEO smiled, “Corporate espionage always comes with a smile. This work we’re doing is important for Martian survival, and our continued profitability. If this Gemini person is looking to work with us, he still needs to know what we’re capable of. The longer we keep him in the dark, the more we can charge him.”
“Right, sir.”
The elevator stopped. Doors opened, and the pair stepped into the lab. It glowed with a sickly green light. Tubes of a gelatinous organic-brew bubbled as genetic impurities slowly filtered out. Each tube would soon house a test subject. The test subjects were children, selected from orphanages for genetic markers absent in most human beings. Previous experiments produced mentally unstable subjects with only small changes. The Zea-Corp scientists based this new formula on the genetic code stored in the grain. The hopes lay on this brew producing a successful subject fundamentally altered by gene therapy.
“If these tests are successful... in fifteen years, Mars will have an invincible army.” A scientist stepped from the shadows. The CEO smiled, shaking the man’s hand. He looked up at the tubes, above each a child was suspended. “The subjects are prepared. Shall we begin?”
The crew celebrated, except one. A lone scientist, an infiltrator, tapped in a code to his laptop. Perched outside a arboreal dome, a small dish beamed a signal to a ship, cloaked in Martian orbit. The infiltrator smiled, and made his way to a small escape point. While everyone prepared for the experiments, the spy ran.
“Eh?” A security guard observed the runner. His section was on high alert because of the important nature of this test. At the same time, outside sensors detected an unauthorized signal.
“What is it, Hitachi?” A second guard asked.
“We have a spy. Put all units on alert.”
A lone figure descended, silently toward the Martian surface. The black hull blocked sensors, no Martian bases would notice the unit until it had engaged the target. Above the descending figure, the ship maintained a direct microwave signal. The figure watching the suit controlled its motions. Their doom was upon them.
A loud thud reverberated throughout the canyon floor. Zea-Corp trucks sped off toward the escaping spy. The seismic event matched his destination. Security knew what was going on, but was unaware what caused the sound detected through subterranean sensors.
“All data are downloading to the ship. See you in two weeks. Enjoy the security forces.”
The object stood at full height, acknowledging the infiltrator’s broadcast. The jeep flew by while the pursuing security forces skidded to a stop. Before them stood a colossus unseen for almost 30 years. The black hull was barely visible against the morning Martian daylight that crept into the canyon. The security force commander frantically pulled up the radio to his mouth, and screamed his final words. “THERE’S A GUNDAM DOWN HERE!”
Brilliant jets of crimson plasma jetted out at the jeeps. The flames reduced each Zea-corp vehicle to ashes. This was the corporation’s defense. Smiling, the pilot from orbit resumed his assignment. The suit armed its main weapons, a pair of heavy rifles. Each thundering footstep brought it closer to the main complex.
“THE TEST IS SUCCESSFUL! We have engineered the perfect psychic!”
The crowd cheered, and champagne corks flew throughout the lab. The CEO did not celebrate. While the tests commenced, he was aware of the spy on base. He hoped that his security would plug the leak, but now the situation was dire.
The CEO pushed the communicator into his ear, patched to his company’s main control room. “Repeat, what is going on?”
“We have reports from the squad intercepting the spy... that there’s a Gundam in the canyon. We lost contact with the units, and now we’re detecting movement with the seismic sensors. Whatever it is, it’s big. I suggest alerting the Martian Confederation and immediate evacuation of the facility.”
“I don’t pay you to make these decisions. Arm all forces, and shoot it down. We have rockets, and it’s only a robot. Stop it.” The CEO walked to his private elevator, flagging his aide to follow. She stepped in before the doors closed, and could detect her bosses’ stress.
“Dear, transmit all data to the beta site, and prepare the monorail for a quick departure.”
“Um, sir? The monorail has already departed with the subjects to the beta site. What is going on?”
“WHAT!?” He forgot that the subjects were removed. “Get me a truck then, anything that can get us to a colony.
“Right, should I be worried?” Her question was soon answered by an alert klaxon. The glass elevator had a clear view of the behemoth illuminated by spotlights. A large Gundam marched on the building, firing off its weapons into the resisting security forces.
“Christine, I want you to get us out of here. Prepare the truck, or anything. I have some things in my office I need.” The CEO left his aide in the elevator, while she nodded in approval. He rushed to his desk, unlocking the small draw above his chair. He pulled out his personal handgun and a picture of his wife. “I made a deal with the devil, and now he is collecting his due.”
The black Gundam stopped. Security forces fired off small rounds in vain, unable to pierce the gundanium alloy wrapped around the coltan frame. Each metal made the walking beast indestructible to most weaponry available to the private sector.
A smile crept across the pilot’s face. He engaged the suit forward, firing off round after around into the building. It would take all day for the Gundam to destroy the building by itself. Data streamed into the ship soon proved useful. The pilot aimed chest missiles at a dome-shaped building. Metal flaps opened, and a pair of rockets streaked out, vaporizing the concrete. The impact and explosion ruptured volatile chemical stores, creating a chain reaction. The mission was almost complete.
“Our research, ruined.” The CEO slumped in his chair. He was unable to stop this, his company was ruined. The beast now turned to the main tower. Its evil red eyes glowed among the acrid smoke billowing from the remnants of the lab. His own hand shook while holding the gun. The beast aimed his monstrous rifles at the building.
The CEO put the handgun under his chin. His final thought would be he hoped that his aide had made it with the surviving data, and his personal sacrifices would not be in vain. A loud thudding soon gave way to vibrations and rumbling. He pulled the trigger.
“Mission accomplished. Zea-Corp is no more. Detonating unit 66, preparing to return home. The pilot smiled, pushing the ship’s thrusters into the darkness of space. The suit would soon detonate, dissolving the coltan frame and spreading the gundanium throughout the canyon walls. The Martian Confederation would never be able to trace this unit to them. Project Akuma had ended.
“We lost all contact with the main building.” The security guard reported. The aide sat in the back of the jeep, crying over her close brush with death. They had cleared the building shortly before the chemical dome had exploded. They could see the dust from the main tower collapsing.
“We have the data, has the Confederacy responded?” The aide tried to keep a bright face on, despite the terror they had just experienced.
“MC Central Command acknowledged the disturbance and are sending units to our installations. If it was a Gundam, then they would not have anything to beat it, would they?” The soldier replied.
The aide ignored the question, “Then we move to the Beta site. Whatever we did, someone out there was not happy. Alert our forces to watch for anything there.”
After many hours traversing the red Martian desert, the truck soon reached the Beta site. Zea-corp constructed the building to hold archives, but now it held the company’s future. The building crawled with Martian soldiers, wearing their black and crimson uniforms. Each soldier patrolling the grounds wore breather masks to protect them from the high carbon dioxide levels present in the atmosphere.
The CEO’s aide slipped on a breather-mask, and stepped out into the shaded walkway. An officer approached her, extending his arm. Behind him, two soldiers armed with rifles seemed intent on intimidating the civilian.
“Thank you, sir. I am glad to see this show of force. Whatever attacked us used a Gun-“
“Stop.” The officer said, interrupting her. “Do not mention what happened. The anomaly has since been destroyed, there is no threat of it returning.”
“Oh, then what is going on here?” The aide responded.
“I would like to ask you that. Follow me.” The officer gestured, and the aide realized they were now surrounded by armed Martian soldiers. He walked to the building’s entrance, which was now guarded like a fortress. They entered the building, and several children stood shackled in the lobby’s center.
“Oh?” The aide responded.
“What is this. There is no legal reason for your company to experiment on children. Martian law clearly defines the guidelines to human experimentation. So I must ask, why are these children branded like cattle?”
“I do not know. I am an aide, just an assistant. I am not privy to these matters.”
The officer eyed her. His name tag read ‘Whitewolf’. That name had aristocratic origins in the brief Martian history. “You’re the only survivor of an assault by a Gundam. A Gundam has not appeared on Martian soil for some time, especially one that assaults a civilian business complex. Then the Gundam destroys that complex, leaving only a handful of survivors and then self detonates. Now we find the company’s Beta site has human experiments, and I am sure many other illegal activities. Now tell me, what were you doing.”
“I don’t...”
“They experimented on us!” A boy shouted. Of the seven, he stood out. His name tag read ‘Kusinagi’, a mythical name. They all had unusual names, seeming jokes.
“Experimented? Yes, we can tell this. We’ve begun to search through your data and we have found many things disturbing about your company. For a business that produces genetically altered trees and crops, you’ve done your fair share of human research. Thankfully, my son never entered the gaze of your sick experiments.” The officer nodded to his soldiers, who carted the children off. He took the data pad from the aide, and passed it to a subordinate.
“So, what happens to me?”
“You’re a survivor. Nothing will happen to you. You will disavow all knowledge of Akuma, and you will find new employment in another industry. If we find that you have shared anything you know to anyone else, we will have you arrested for treason. Is this understood?”
The aide fell silent. She had no choice. Her life was safe, so she had no choice to comply. “I agree.”
“Then,” The officer replied, “You will be accompanied to Lazuli 7. Have a good day.”
Characters
- Colonel Whitewolf
- Phrixus Kushrenada
- Shiro Kusinagi
- Kaneda Mitsurugi
