SuperFox #17 - A Visit to the Islands part 5

  The aircraft hurtling towards Hart island skimmed across the surface of the water. It was so close that the massive blades of its turboprop engines barely missed the waves that had been whipped up by the turbulence.

  The MV22 Osprey was a good aircraft with a troubled past. A long, difficult development had seen many accidents and several times the project had almost been canceled. But still like a troubled child that becomes a responsible adult the Osprey had matured into a fine system. The aircraft was more complex than a simple C130 Hercules or a UH60 Blackhawk but it did have its advantages. The special forces loved them as it gave them the long range of a plane but with the vertical landing of a helicopter. It meant that parachute drops were no longer needed in many cases. Parachute drops were always messy and dangerous even under the best of circumstances. It also meant that people who parachuted in could be pulled out fast if things went bad.

  Inside the plane were the reasons for the flight. Their call sign for this operation was Oboe 04 but their real designation was first squad, second platoon, 144th medical detachment. A bland name for a unit that specialized in biological warfare. Their job was to prevent a reoccurrence of things like the Bubonic plague. They waged a little known war against groups like Arachnos. Malta, the Council and a hundred little terrorist groups all bent on killing millions of people.

  All five were long time soldiers with many combat missions behind them. Some were army, others were marines but all were used to dangerous missions. But in the already dangerous world of special forces these soldiers had another whole level of danger. Besides having to worry about being shot, bombed, stabbed or blown up they had to worry about biowarfare. The artificially created plagues that were an all too real a threat.

  The Bubonic plague; a naturally occurring plague had killed a third of the human race in the 14th century. Terrorists, villains, dictators and just plain evil governments had 'improved' on nature. Some of the plagues this group had faced in the past could easily kill ALL life on the planet down to the microbial level.

  Also on the team was the reason for using a MV22 instead of parachuting in; Dr William Temki He possessed a lot of the skills needed for the mission including several degrees in viral medicine and diseases. He had worked for ABERA for many years and was well acquainted with everything done in the facilities. What skill he didn't have was parachuting. Also some of the equipment they were carrying was sensitive in spite of long efforts to toughen them up and might not survive a parachute drop.

  The already uncomfortable flight was made even more uncomfortable by the level 4 biohazard suits they were wearing. They were designed to protect the wearer against even the most virulent disease but they were not comfortable. Captain Miller had seen people killed by some of the diseases created by the likes of the Council. So he really didn't mind being hot and sweaty even if he always seemed to have an itch between the shoulder blades.

  "We are one hundred kilometers from the target. Entering a holding pattern now," the voice sounded throughout the whole aircraft but it came from a pilot who was controlling the aircraft from 300 miles away. The plane's onboard computer was making the moment to moment decisions but it was monitored by a man sitting at a console a long way away.

  "Acknowledged," Captain Miller responded. "What's the sitrep?"

  "Quiet," responded the planes computer. "Search radar is active but I've detected no fire control radar. My own IR and low light TV have detected nothing unusual."

  "It seems Firefly 11 did their job well," Timko said.

  "We're not on the ground yet," Sergeant Harrid countered. The ranger was checking his M4 carbine one last time.

  "When do we land?" The scientist asked. "I'm getting tired and airsick."

  "Not until it's safe for us to land," the captain explained. "We need to have the island's air defenses neutralized first or at least suppressed." The osprey was well equipped with ECM, chaff, flares and its own weapons to protect against being shot down but he was in no mood to risk things unless necessary.


*****************


  "Can you change us back?" Emily asked. "This has been an interesting experience but I miss my opposable thumbs."

  "The enhanced hearing and sense of smell are nice," Sarah commented. The female sabertooth was stretched out on top of a desk and seemed very comfortable. "But I do miss having hands."

  "Can you change them back?" Misha silently asked the nanites.

  "Computing," the nanites responded. "The answer is no. We cannot change all 8 of them back to 100% human DNA. At least not here. It requires a lot more energy and work than is possible on the island."

  "You changed us both into furries and that didn't take too long," Stealth commented.

  "We changed you one at a time and it was not a 100% change. We simply added animal DNA and cybernetics to your human form."

  "You can change them back eventually?" Misha asked.

  "Oh yes! Just not all 8 back to 100% human form. The energy and material requirements are just too high for it to be accomplished in the field. We'll need a lab and some time. BUT we could at least give them an anthropomorphic form. That would require no great DNA alteration and the adjustments to the body would be fairly simple. At the least we could give them opposable thumbs."

"Stealth?" Misha asked confidentially without anyone but the two of them hearing. "What do you think?"

  "About what? This virus and it being released. Someone had to have created that virus."

  "Do you think Sanchez is lying about not knowing anything about it?" Misha asked.

  "No. I don't think she was lying. And she certainly was not responsible for it being released," Stealth responded over the radio. "No one in their right mind would set off a virus in their own base."

  "But their enemies would," Misha added.

  "An enemy with a genetics lab as advanced as ABERA," the feline said.

  "I need a secure channel to Haslett," Misha said silently to the nanites. "One that neither Sanchez nor anyone else can hear."

  "Connecting on ULTRA secure channel."

  "Ultra? You've been watching far too many of those James Bond movies," Misha muttered.

  "I have M on the line," the nanites said.

  "Hello?" came a voice in Misha's mind.

  "This is Misha," the vulpine answered. "I have an update."

  "Go ahead," the Colonel ordered.

  "We got to the island all right. Had a run in with the security robots and the SAM's but we got past both," he explained.

  "Good. What have you uncovered?"

  "There might have been a biological release on the island," Misha answered. "And probably an act of sabotage."

  "Sanchez already told me of the release but not that it was sabotage," the officer commented.

  "The virus that altered the people was definitely created specifically for the task. That much is certain. I am not certain how it was released but I doubt it was accidental. She also claims to have not manufactured the virus."

  "Do you believe her?"

  "Yes," Misha answered. "Someone or something else is involved here."

  "Who?" Haslett asked. "Council, Fifth Column? The Rikti?"

   "Not the Rikti. This doesn't have their style to it. But they are a genetically engineered species and would have the capability. Whoever it is they were most certainly a member of the staff."

  "Which means ABERA has a security leak," the colonel commented.

  "Agreed. Could it be a leftover from the old bio warfare days of the place?" The ranger asked.

  "Doubtful. But the NBC people have been busy since the incident first happened. I have someone who wants to speak with you. He is cleared for information on ABERA but not your little friends. So do not mention them."

  "Understood, sir!" Misha replied.

  "Hello?" A new voice said. "This is captain Miller. I've been studying the records from location 227. We're also interviewing some of the people who worked there. I have a few questions about the people affected. What symptoms are they showing?"

  "You mean besides being changed into a species of animal extinct for the last few thousand years?" Misha asked. "Nothing else."

  "Are they showing any abilities that would be unusual for a Smilodon?" The captain asked. "Anything that might be classified as a super power?"

  "Well none of them have shot flames or ice or been able to teleport. Why?" Misha asked.

  "Well there was an old program in the 1960's that attempted to give super abilities to normal people. It used mostly technology stolen from a similar Russian program at first. But a lot of original work was also done there."

  "No wonder this island was so heavily fortified. Was there any success?" The vulpine inquired.

  "Mixed," the captain admitted. "There was some success but the results were very uneven. The program was curtailed in the 1980's and canceled completely in 1985 after the Argenskov disaster when the Russian research facility was destroyed by an escaping patient. Thankfully our people were a lot more cautious than the Russians. Also we used real volunteers and not political prisoners who already hated the Soviet government."

  "Then this could have been caused by something left over?" Misha asked.

  "It is a possibility we must consider but I highly doubt it. We've reviewed the cleanup procedures used several times and it was most through," Capt Miller replied. There was a moment of silence. "Hmm. This is interesting. We're examining the data you just sent and I can confirm that the changes were probably caused by a virus and definitely an artificially created one. But I cannot be certain until we get more information. I do recommend you use level 3 bio precautions. I'm leading a team there. We'll be onsite within the hour."

  "The island is not secure captain," Misha countered. "You should wait . . "

  "That was not a request sergeant," the captain ordered coldly. "This requires people on site who know what they are doing to obtain more data."

  "Yes sir," Misha replied in clipped tones.

  "A word of warning," the captain commented. "Be very careful sergeant. If there is one plague on the island there are bound to be others. I know of several tailored to specifically kill supers."

  "Understood sir," Misha answered. "Anything else?"

  "Yes, this is just an opinion but if this was done deliberately the list of people capable of doing it is very short. It's not the Council as they have tried using diseases before. Several times as a matter of fact. And all three times they went for the mass death angle. Nothing so subtle as altering people."

  "Could it be the result of some super serum?" Misha asked.

  "A very distinct possibility but these changes are nothing like their Vampyri or War Wolves," the captain commented. "There is an old villain I seem to remember called the Zoomaster. He decided that humans had to be wiped out. He tried several times to do that using some very potent diseases. We have several samples still in custody that showed that he had a very high level of skill and knowledge. Another possibility is the villain Virus. His mutant abilities allowed him to create a disease at will. The man is a walking biowarfare lab. The Germans still have him at a high security prison but we're confirming that now. It took us months to clean up after that psychopath. Another villain comes to mind; a woman," he paused for a moment. "Well, a female at least. Lady Dinosaur. She claimed that the dinosaurs had an advanced civilization before they were wiped out. She wanted to bring them back and reclaim the planet."

  "She sounds like another crazy person," Misha responded.

   "Not too crazy. Last time I saw her she was a six foot tall raptor," the captain commented. "And was using a beam laser that could cut through several meters of steel easily."

  "A laser wielding dinosaur?" Misha asked incredulously. "And people think I'm strange. We've only run into mammalian breeds so far."

  "Good point," the captain responded. "It's probably not her but she bears watching. She was last seen somewhere in Asia. Now this one has some merit. She's called Mother Earth and has vowed to wipe out humans in order to save the planet."

  "An ecoterrorist," Misha growled.

  "An ecoterrorist with enough money to buy scientists with more PHD's than common sense," the captain commented. "She was thought to have been killed several years ago in a fight with a French super team. That came after she had stampeded a herd of elephants through Strasbourg."

  “That’s weird, even by my standards,” Misha commented.

  "And deadly," the captain added. "She did over twenty million Euros worth of damage and left over two hundred dead and wounded."

  The cheetah shook his head. "It can't be her. Lots of people have been changed but no one's been hurt or killed."

  "Good point," the captain said. "But she bears considering."

  "We're checking with the French to be sure she is really dead and will stay that way!" Was the nanites answer.

  “All right,” the colonel said. “First we’ll get the NBC team on site to confirm or deny it was a bioweapon. Once they have confirmed things are safe we’ll bring in a recovery unit. Then we’ll penetrate further onto the site.”

  “We’ll access the network here. One of the people here has the needed access codes,” Misha responded.

  “With those codes we can gain control of the security and defenses,” the nanites added.

  “Do NOT disable the defenses,” the officer ordered. “Just give us safe access to the site.”

  “Of course. We’ll keep all others off the base and we’ll also make sure nothing can leave.”

  “Until the second team declares the site clear and secured we can’t move anyone off the island,” the colonel ordered. “But we must get the people to a safe place.”

  "Define safe?" Stealth asked. "We're on a disease infested island overrun with escaped wild animals all out to kill us."

  "I recommend that you wait till we get control of the defenses and security," Misha said.

  "With Borentilli's help we should have control in a few minutes," the nanites responded.

  "Food," Stealth announced suddenly. "We need food."

  "What?" The colonel asked.

  "We have several tons of full grown feline carnivores here none of whom have eaten in several days," Stealth explained.

  "A good point," the officer responded. "I'll order a food drop right away."


********************


  “With the help of your friends we’ve gained control of the defenses of Hart island,” Borentelli commented. The sabertooth was seated at a PC carefully using one clawed toe to type.

  "We can control things on Hart, but we'll need direct contact to the network on other islands to take control of those," the nanites added.

  "I have limited contact to Carelton and Plum," John said as he carefully tapped the keys with a clawed paw. "But only to the train stations. I've nothing on Diamond at all."

  “Your second team can come in any time. But we recommend they arrive on the southern portion of Hart first," the nanites added.

  “Agreed,” Misha added. “We can meet them there.”

  “No,” the colonel countered. “Continue towards Diamond. The heart of the problem must be there. We need to know what’s happening there and so far you are our only eyes and ears on the ground.”

  "We can also confirm that the defenses and security are all working on automatic. A fairly advanced program but most certainly no intelligence is at work."

  "I'm fairly certain the system wasn't hacked," the sabertooth programmer said. "It was deliberately set that way when someone tripped the containment breach alarm."

  "Probably when everyone started changing into strange creatures," Stealth commented.

  "That makes sense," the colonel commented.

  "It's standard operating procedure. Until we do find out what happened I'll keep the protocols in place. Just modify them to help us," John said in a commanding tone.

   "Exactly how much does Borentelli know about your little friends?" The colonel asked privately to Misha.

  "Nothing," Misha responded. "We told him that they are expert hackers working for the DoD."

  "Which is true," the nanites commented. "Sort of."

  "Good. That's one less complication," the colonel commented. "Also we've gotten a paleontologist online to help. Professor Leonard Ratinov."

  "Does he have security clearance?" Misha asked.

  "Oh yes," the officer responded. "He's been a consultant with us for several years."

  "You have a paleontologist as a consultant?" Stealth asked, surprised. "Why?"

  "You're kidding right?" The colonel asked honestly. "With the likes of the Zoomaster and Lady Dinosaur out there? Besides. This is the SPECIAL Forces. We have a consultant for everything."

  "Everything? Do you have one for . .  ," Stealth paused and shook his head. "Never mind. I . . I don't want to know!"