Code Ragnarok: Genesis (Second Draft) - Chapter One The prologue is pretty much unchanged since I finished last year. I'll have to rewrite that at the end, since we'll be revisiting Sybil.
The story is rated Teen for Blood. (As if you couldn't tell by the Icon ;P ) Word Count is 3,104.
But now here's the new, improved Chapter One
19th November 2043 It was sunset when the boat dropped anchor off the coast of the island. Six people all dressed in black got off the boat into a small speedboat which they used to land on the beach.
The leader looked at the blood red sky as two black shadows rose into the air and flew over them to the island. He shivered with cold as their shadows passed over him.
The first two to get out of the boat pointed at the other two pairs and motioned for them to go in opposite directions.
The first pair went North West, the second pair went west, both quickly vanishing into the woods, and the third pair went north along the coast line.
Pair one had the most direct route to the rendezvous, they were to assess the situation.
Pair two were to check the surface emergency shelters, they did not want to have anyone where they weren’t meant to be. They found the shelter hidden in a cave. Open and ready for anyone who may need it. The Pair was one man and one woman. The man, a blond pulled out his radio and sent two clicks to the first pair to confirm that the emergency shelter was currently unused.
They started heading to the meeting point when they heard a scream. They spit up into different directions and started running. Each knew to click the other if they needed help. But right now it was more important to remain unseen.
Pair three stopped when they saw someone wandering along the beach. They were forced to double back and climb up the cliff path to avoid being seen. They continued this way until they could see the empty pier. One pulled the radio out so they sent could the two clicks over the radio to confirm that no one was waiting there.
The other grabbed the first one’s hand, and shook her head. She pointed two fingers at her eyes and then pointed at the empty pier. She wanted a closer look. The one with the radio shrugged. He didn’t see the point, but he didn’t see a problem either. The pair found a narrow path down to the pier. They heard nothing more than the waves against the cliff and smelt nothing but the brine of the sea.
They found nothing, but a few moments after the radio man had sent the two clicks and the pair had left a wave washed a battered and bloody copse onto the rocks left of the pier.
The leader of the squad was not in a good mood. The bad weather of yesterday had delayed this mission, and now the rest of the squad were late reaching the rendezvous. And things were not as they should be.
The mission was meant to be simple, cause a panic in the complex hidden underground on this island, pick up their mark in the chaos and escort him back to base in exchange for information. And although he had received the signals that the emergency shelter and pier were both unused, the entrance to the complex was wide open and the red emergency lights was flashing.
“Miller, signal the ravens.” Owen Brook sighed. “I want to know what the hold up is.”
Miller Blackman the communications specialist nodded.
The medic and Weapons Specialist, William Lock, a tall black man and Maria Slate, she wasn’t that short but looked it compared to William, returned even before the ravens replied their acceptance of the order.
Maria looked around, a curl of red hair peeking out from under her helmet. “We’ve lost a few people I see.”
A black shadow fell out of the sky and landed on a tree branch not far away, he seemed little more than shadows and bright yellow eyes hidden in foliage.
“Muninn, Makes a change since Maria is normally the last to show.” Muninn clicked his beak in a laugh.
Maria turned to Owen. “Permission to make Muninn into new pillow sir?”
“Permission denied. You can help me rip Valente a new one when he gets here instead.”
“Always happy to help sir.”
“Is that Huginn?” Miller asked.
It was, the second raven landed next to his brother.
“Huginn. Valente is coming. He was avoiding two humans making babies.”
“…Er…okay.” Owen sighed as the rest of the team either snickered or blushed. “What about Jessica?”
Huginn snapped his beak shut, and took to the air again.
“Muninn, Hugunn forgot to look for her Muninn thinks.” The remaining raven said sheepishly.
“I gathered.” Owen sighed. “How can someone with an IQ as high as his keep forgetting so much?”
“Muninn. Because Muninn is Muninn and Huginn is Huginn.”
Any reply to that statement was cut off when someone staggered though the trees towards the team; they quickly brought their guns to bare, as a person in a white lab coat came into view.
“What the hell is that?” William asked.
“You’re the medic Wills.” Owen said.
The labcoat wearer, a woman with long raggity brown hair, she was leaning forward her hair covering most of her face as she swayed side to side like snake. Blood covered the lower half of her face. Her hands hung lose, but it was clear that at least two of the blood coated fingers were broken.
Suddenly the woman snarled and started running forward right at William.
She was about to reach him and he was frozen with a look of shock on his face.
There was gun shot and the woman fell against William, he yelled and pushed the copse off him, she fell lifelessly to the ground.
“You need to work on your reflexes Wills.” Maria laughed putting her gun away. “Have you forgotten that the black man always dies first?”
“We’re not in a horror movie.” William said.
Maria looked down at the dead woman. “Are you sure about that?”
*****
The blond man, Valente Brook was hidden in the bushes, he wanted to move forwards but the couple who had decided to turn this part of the woods into lover’s lane would see him in a second. That was if the flapping of really big wings didn’t drag their attention towards him and his own companion first.
“Huginn, Odin what’s to know what’s taking so long.” The new arrival said.
The man looked up at the … bird. Moon light catching on his black feathers. It was meant to be a raven, but genetic engineering had seen to it that the poor thing would be something not animal and not human either. Ravens, Corvus Corax did not have four limbs and wings for a start. They did not stand at four foot tall, and they did not talk.
Corvus Corax erectus did. Although he hoped they didn’t all have the same annoying habit of saying their name before talking like Huginn and Muninn did, maybe it was just a twin thing.
“Huginn, Valente should not ignore his father!” The Raven demanded.
“Huginn should shut up before we’re seen.” Valente hissed. “And my father’s name is not Odin.”
The raven blinked and looked over to where the two other humans were. Valente wanted to hit his head against the tree he was hiding behind.
“Huginn, what are they doing?” Huginn asked.
“If they keep going to like they’re going to make babies.” Valente muttered. Honestly couldn’t they go and make out somewhere else?
“Huginn, Babies? Not eggs?”
Valente had to fight the urge to roll his eyes, like he hadn’t seen that question coming a mile off. He glanced at the couple, they seemed distracted enough now not to notice him. “Go and tell Owen and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Huginn nodded and flew off. A few seconds later Valente Brook followed. It wasn’t until after he was gone that the moon came out from behind the clouds and revealed that it hadn’t been a pair of lovers that they had narrowly avoided.
Eventually he caught up with the squad, surprised to find them crowded around the dishevelled corpse of a woman.
“Whoa…what did I miss?” Valente asked as he stepped though the trees.
“Where’s Jessica?” Owen asked.
“We got separated in the woods.” Valente said. “You orders said that if any of us got separated we were to continue to the meeting point.”
Owen glared at his son. He was in the right, but he still didn’t like the fact that he was already missing a member of his team and that they had been attacked by some insane, possibly drugged, maybe even mutated, human.
Huginn flew over head.
“Huginn, Jessica in trouble!” he shouted, “Huginn Many things chase her.”
*****
The blond man’s partner, a woman with long black hair tied back in a plait took cover behind a tree and assessed the situation. That’s pretty damn sick.
A woman, her green coveralls ripped and her face bloody was being attacked by a man.
The woman shed cover and aimed her gun at the man.
“Cease or I will fire you sicko.” Jessica threatened
Both the man and the woman turned to look at her with blank eyes. The woman started to look uncertain and aim her gun away from them.
“Has there been some kind of miss understanding here?” Jessica asked. “Cause if I’ve gotten the wrong end of the stick I’ll be happy to forget that I saw you if you forget that you saw me…”
The woman snarled bloody foam spraying from her mouth. The man growled as blood dribbled down his chin. Both sounded totally inhuman.
And the noises were answered by other voices in the woods.
Jessica Valentine was normally the kind of woman to think things trough before acting, this time she went with instinct.
She ran.
She decided she could kill Valente, once she had lost her pursuers. She ignored the branches that whipped at her, until one knocked her helmet off, and another tangled in her short black hair. She cried out, as what felt like half her scalp was left behind on the branch.
Her lungs and legs were burning as they screamed for more oxygen and still there was snarling moaning and growling behind her. four of them were human, and two more of them were animal erectus morphs, some kind of canine.
She shot one of the morphs in the knee, dropped it and two of the humans turned on it.
Jessica thought she was going to throw up. </i>Run now, puke later</i>.
Two humans and one morph were still after her.
Three more humans suddenly appeared before her and she darted left. The six still chasing her.
Suddenly it was just five as one fell to the ground in a blur of black feathers. The raven which ever one of the twins it was shot back up into the air before the others could attack him.
Human he had taken down however no longer had any eyes. But it was still groping around looking for her.
Jessica aimed as she ran and took out another ones legs and the other raven dive-bombed the morph, landing on his back hanging on with his hide legs and using his hands to snap his neck.
“Huginn. Go west, help waits!” He shouted.
Jessica glanced down at the compass hanging around her neck and turned right.
Another snarling human came at her from ahead. A raven dived on him and kept him occupied as she ran past.
Two more came at her from her right,
Then both ravens grabbed a person each and dropped them on the others, they fell with a sickening crunch and Jessica thought she might have been safe, but one started getting back up again.
There were seven behind her when she reached the meeting point.
“Down Down Down!” Owen ordered.
Jessica dropped and rolled. Covering her head with her hands as a hail of bullets flew over her head.
As they looked over the copses seeing that they were all in the same rabid feral state.
“What do you think caused it Wills?”
“No idea sir, it could be an illness, drugs, they could have been experimenting on a new kind of mind control and it drove them insane, there’s no way to tell with just a cursory examination.”
“What can you tell us?”
“They don’t seem to feel pain, many of these people were running on legs that, although still capable of carrying weight, would have been agony to run on. Many have broken arms and fingers.” William picked up an arm to show them, Maria turned green at how it bent at the wrong place. “They all seen to have bitten the inside of their mouths which would explain why the foam at their mouths is bloody, the foam it self lends support that this is either an illness or drugs. Apart from that I would need a lab.”
“This is FUBAR.” Valente said. “This was meant to be a simple extraction. What if everyone on this island is like this? I say we pull out and call for back up.”
“No. What if the professor we’re meant to get is killed while we’re sitting on our hands like lemons?” Owen argued. “Everyone tell me what you’re still packing.”
“My automatic’s still full. The berretta’s got one and half clips and one in the chamber.” Jessica answered. “Wasted my flash and tear gas grenades on these guys. It doesn’t seem to affect them.”
“Automatic good to go. Berretta’s has a full clip and one in the chamber.” Maria answered. “Still got my grenades.”
“Down ten nine millimetres.” William said.
“Same as Maria.” Miller answered.
“Fired off five nine mils, still got everything else.” Valente shrugged.
Jessica looked at the corpses nervously. “What if we get cut off from the boat by these things?”
Owen turned to the ravens. Their glossy black feathers splattered in blood.
“You two stay up here, make sure we have a clear path to the boat, and make sure Jack and Xander know what’s going on, we don’t want to get to the boat to find them dead and the boat over run.”
The ravens nodded and flew off.
“What about these people?” William asked waving at the seven humans and morphs they had just been forced to shoot dead. “What if this is only a temporarily condition or what if it could be reversed?”
“We have a mission and I am in charge. We get in, get the professor, and get out. If we can avoid killing these…rabid ferals even better. We can send in a medical team to help survivors of this after we have completed our job.”
“If we’re staying we’d better get moving sir.” Miller said holding up the his radio. “Huginn can see more of these guys coming out way.”
“Maria, Miller you’re on our six, Valente your point, everyone keep your eyes open.” Owen ordered. “And Jessica try not to get lost this time.”
*****
Far underground a woman sighed in relief as the klaxons were turned off.
Their noise had been the least of her problems but at least now she could think. She didn’t understand how things could have gone so wrong. If only her departure hadn’t be delayed.
“Professor Rhys…” A male voice sung over the intercom system. “You still alive in there?”
The Professor sighed and rubber her forehead. There was a growl from a cage on the other side of the room.
The Professor glanced over at the large grey Canis Lupus Erectus that was staring at her.
“Or has Fenris killed you yet? He has good reason after all.”
Tiffany Rhys ground her teeth together and started working on the computer again, there had to be some way she could unseal the lab and get out.
“What with how you failed his pack. Those clones of him were very, very useful to me, although I doubt they’d be any use to anyone else now.”
There was a screech of metal and the bars of the wolf’s cage was slightly dented from he had punched them.
“I’m sorry.” She said. “I tried, I really tried to get all of you out, but … that stupid stupid storm … all I can do now is give you a chance at starting a new pack.”
She shuddered when the yellow eyes pinned her. “I do not want new children my Professor.” Fenris growled.
“That…that was thoughtless…I…damn it why can’t I do more that just say sorry!” Professor Rhys stood up stood before Fenris’ cage. “I tried I really did…but…Professer Laufey, that bastard went over my head…”
“The only think more painful that losing your pack, is being betrayed by it.”
Professior Rhys reached a hand though the bars of the cage to rest her hand on Fenris’ shoulder. The Wolf backed away from her.
“I don’t think he likes you anymore?”
Fenris snarled at intercom as Professors Laufey’s voice came back to taunt them.
“I don’t know what you’re planning Tiffany.” Laufay laughed. “But no one is getting out of this place alive, I’ve done more than take over the computer system…it’s a pity that you skipped lunch.”
“Lunch?” Professor Rhys asked. “What’s so important about Lunch?”
</i> “You saw the results of my experiments on Fenris’ dear pack, didn’t you?” </i> Professor Laufey laughed. “I’ve decided that I’ve gone as far as I can with this company. It’s time for me to move on, but I couldn’t leave anything, or anyone, behind that could copy my work. So this place is….going to the dogs.”
As if that had been a cue, there was banging a yapping and human moaning at the door. Fenris growled, his hackles rising.
Professor Rhys gasped eyes wide and her hands to her mouth.
“Oh my god … you didn’t.” She turned to the speaker. “Tell me you didn’t!” The only answer was insane laughter, which almost covered the small yelp that Fenris heard.
Fenris snarled and threw himself at the bars. They didn’t break, and allow they did bend it wasn’t enough to allow escape, the cage had been made to hold stronger things than him, on some level he knew that but what else could he do?
Professor Rhys ran back to the computer and started typing in orders. The door burst open.
The things that fought their way in were changed in the same way as Fenris’ ‘sons’. They were wild, ferial, bloody mouths foaming and eyes rolling and driven by nothing more that violence and hunger.