LYCCYX Episode 1: The Declaration (2 page)

It was the end of day fifty-eight of our scouting mission. In two days, a few of us are taking some well-earned leave and heading back to Earth.  I haven’t seen my folks in what feels like ages.  I really miss Kate.  She had mixed feelings about me joining but has been very supportive the last few months.  Two more days.  Two… more… days… I can make it. Sleep finally came as I closed my eyes and thought of home.

The next morning aboard the Lander:

“We can do this, gentlemen.  This is our last scouting expedition for this trip.  Pretty soon, some of you will be returning to Earth and the rest of you will be free to enjoy some R and R aboard the Orbiter.  So stay alert, we’ll be on the Far Side today.  There is no telling what we might find, but most likely it’ll just be more dirt.”  I could barely hold back the sarcasm mixed with relief that this tour was almost over.  As we exited the Lander, I felt my left pocket… the coin was still there.  I glanced up at the Orbiter, AMC’s orbital space-tourism mega-facility, took a deep breath and on we went.

It seemed like we trudged on for days with the hypnotic crunch of the lunar crust beneath our feet.  The generated air in my suit began to feel stale even though I knew that wasn’t scientifically possible. Just a couple more hours and we could wrap up this boring mission and get some rest.  The thought of getting to go back to Earth and seeing my Kate was the only thing keeping me going at this point.  The blue of her eyes, the smell of her hair, the sound of her voice…

“Captain, did you feel that?” Stephan intruded into my fantasy.  Jerk.

“Feel what, Lieutenant?”  I asked.

“Could’ve sworn I detected a bit of seismic activity…”

“Acknowledged.  Baaz, check your sensors.”

No sooner than the words left my mouth a thunderous crack disrupted the otherwise silent atmosphere.  The first thought that went through my mind was, “Wait a minute, this is the flippin’ moon – we are in a vacuum.  There is no sound in a vacuum…”

Just then a blinding, searing bright light filled the black of space.  If we survived this, it would be the mother of all miracles.  The light was so overwhelming, I felt as if every particle of my being was penetrated by its power.  To be honest, it was quite majestic… that is, until everything suddenly went black and completely silent.

“Luke, are you okay?”

“Kate!” I gasped.  Wow, am I dead?  If so, being dead ain’t half bad if you get to wake up to this, I thought as my eyes cleared up and her face got sharper. My entire body was stiff and ached like I’d lost a fight to an Amalgam. My head was throbbing.

“Where am I?” I managed to utter.

“You’re back on Earth.  You’re lucky to be alive.” She said.

“What happened to the guys? Did they make it?” I asked.

“Dyas and Baaz are fine; they are recovering aboard the Orbiter.  They never found Stephan.  He is missing along with over 300 others.” She said in that sweet voice of hers.  Even bad news sounded better coming from her.

“My God… what was that light?” I asked.

“It was an explosion.  From what they told me, one of the research stations ignited and went off like an H-Bomb.  The Haven Project has been suspended pending a full investigation.” She replied.

The Haven Project… I thought to myself.  That
was
an H-Bomb – a modified hydrogen warhead designed to alter the lunar landscape by scattering something called LifeSeeds. I’m not exactly sure what they are made of but I do remember overhearing something about strains of animal and plant DNA and biological programming – all of which was classified well above my pay grade.  If the Haven warhead detonated prematurely, it could be very bad news for humanity’s hopes of colonization.

“Geez… I need a vacation.”  I sighed as I tried to get up.

“The Colonel granted you two weeks off to recover, sweetie – just rest for now.”

I closed my eyes and fell into the deepest, most restorative sleep of my entire life.  I dreamed of running along the beach with Kate.  I dreamed of camping with the guys back home.  I dreamed of skydiving and riding my motorcycle.  It was good to be back on good old terra firma.

              Several days passed before we heard anything at all regarding the incident.  Dyas, Baaz, and I had been debriefed and were told to enjoy our leave but to stand by for activation as the thermal scan for survivors was currently underway.  The chances of any living thing surviving that blast unscathed were next to nothing.  The only thing that saved us was our protective gear.  We were all doing our best to come to terms with the possible loss of our friends and fellow workers.  There were civilians and even families living aboard LB127.

              During the debriefing, we were given more insight into the nature of the Haven Project.  The field of biological computing has advanced far more than any of us had realized.  Sure, we heard that scientists were able to passively control bacterial cells by altering the DNA sequence of the cell, but nothing could have prepared us for what we learned: scientists could now create a fully functioning, programmable supercomputer inside of a viral cell.  The Haven Project involved trillions of these “viral UAVs” dispersed by the blast along with other experimental compounds intended to restructure the moon’s surface and transform it into rich, life-sustaining soil.

              We were already aware of AMC’s water production facilities but knew nothing about the synthetic atmosphere generators – that explains the vibrancy of the blast we heard and felt.  The moon was in the process of being converted into a Micro Earth.  If the process worked on the moon, we could then set our sights on colonizing Mars.  Now all of that hangs in the balance as we wait for the dust to settle, as it were.

“Look alive, men.” The Colonel called us all to attention.  “I’d like to introduce you to Dr. Joel Brason.  He is the lead scientist and developer of the Haven Project and will brief you on what you men will be facing down there.  It won’t be pretty…”

“Good morning, gentlemen.  I have good news and bad news.  The good news is that we believe that all 303 people aboard Lunar Base 127 survived.  Our thermal scans show all life forms intact and there appears to be a good bit of movement.”

“The bad news?” I inquired aloud, before my mind had a chance to catch up to my mouth.

“The bad news is that we have made an interesting discovery regarding the LifeSeed technology.  It appears that the unexpected detonation of the Haven warhead altered the structure of the viral bots.  We don’t yet know the full extent of the effect this will have on the survivors.”

“Could you take a guess?” By now I was annoyed at his vague pretense.  I needed some straight answers.

The Colonel interrupted: “That’s enough, Captain.”

“It’s quite alright, Colonel,” the good doctor replied as he took off his glasses.  He seemed like an honest guy and I could tell he knew more than he was sharing.

“To be honest, Captain Xander, I
have
run a few simulations on the potential effects of this new virus – which I have tentatively named LYCCYX due to its possible symptoms and it’s appearance under a scanning electron microscope – it resembles a tiny wolf.  I believe LYCCYX has the ability to alter the DNA of its host and literally morph the victim into the most extreme version of him or herself.”

“Say what?” I asked.

“LYCCYX could turn a man who has anger management issues into a hulking beast with uncontrollable rage.”

“You mean like a werewolf?”

“Well, sort of. More like a… caricature.  For example, it may possess the power to transform an individual with greedy tendencies into an opportunistic, cunning monster bent on thievery.  It apparently brings out the worst characteristics of its host.”

              This was all a bit more than I could handle.  My heart was racing and my hands felt deathly cold; a sinking feeling of dread took hold of me.  On the one hand, our friends did survive the explosion but what are they now?  Are they even human?  Can they be saved?

“There is one more item you might consider good news.” Dr. Brason announced.  “Before the Haven Project was ever implemented, we created a contingency plan in case the viral bots malfunctioned.   We developed a compound called STRIPES – Stable Reconstructive Inoculant in a Protein Enhanced Solution.  STRIPES works by destroying LYCCYX in the first three stages of infection, before the mutations go too far.  Much like LYCCYX, it is also based on nanotechnology but instead of harming the host, it heals and has a number of positive benefits.  LYCCYX infection consists of a total of four stages, marked by progressively increasing mutations.  If we can deliver the antidote in any of the first three stages, the victim should recover completely.  Additional doses of STRIPES will be necessary to undo the mutations done by LYCCYX.”

“What about the fourth stage?” I asked.

“We don’t really know for certain, Captain, but it appears that the changes become permanent and the victim is beyond assistance,” He answered solemnly.

Dr. Brason made it clear – we had to get down there and administer the cure before it was too late.  Though I knew there were women and children in need of the antidote, all I could think about was helping my best friend, John Stephan.

Back on Lunar Base 127:

“I have never felt so alive!” Stephan exclaimed as he leaned back and stretched while flexing his biceps.  “Whatever happened during that blast was amazing!  It was like a catalyst toward the next step in our evolution.”

“We have a lot of work to do in order to get the manufacturing facilities back online, Lt Stephan.” Madras said.

“Right you are, Sgt Madras.  Or should I say Kent?  Let’s do away with these silly titles.”

“But… you… you’re still the highest ranking officer here, sir,” Madras replied with a slight twinge of disappointment.

“You are absolutely right, Kent.  In that case, rally the survivors – men, women, and children.  I have an announcement to make at 1300.”

“Yes, sir!” he complied.

“Captain, sensors detect a sudden spike in radio signal activity coming from LB127.”  Dyas reported.

“Acknowledged, Corporal Dyas – looks like the survivors have restored the communications equipment,” I replied.  “Let’s hope that this is a good sign.”

              The plan was to give the inhabitants instructions before a team was deployed to LB127.  It would be a massive effort to inoculate all 303 individuals aboard and would require full cooperation of the remaining personnel.  We were now standing by aboard Water Production Facility 4 (WPF4), one of AMC’s satellite facilities that not only generated water from pulverized asteroid matter but also served as a great launching point for lunar landings.

We sent the following message:

To all base personnel and family members:

              It is with deepest regret and sincere urgency that we inform you that all individuals aboard Lunar Base 127 have been infected with an experimental virus called LYCCYX.  Fortunately, we have an antidote available to every person affected, known as STRIPES.  If left untreated, LYCCYX causes severe mutations and could be fatal.  We will soon be dispatching a team of SEF Alpha troops to deliver the antidote.  Please follow any and all instructions they give you in order to ensure that all infected individuals are treated in a timely manner.

              All UCM personnel aboard LB127 are hereby relieved of their military duties until a full medical examination can be performed.  We advise extra rest and adequate nutrition to help slow the spread of LYCCYX.

Very Respectfully,

UCM Space Command

Main Meeting Hall, LB127:

“Such arrogance!  How dare they make such demands?!” Stephan growled.

“Maybe they’re right, sir,” Madras said sheepishly.  “Maybe we should all get some rest and wait for the SEF team.”

With that, Stephan quickly turned around and grabbed Madras by the throat, lifting him off the floor. 

“
Right
?! Just like they were
right
when they were putting performance-enhancers in our food?”

“We cannot trust the UCM; we are the dominant species now!  We are Hyans!” He snarled and then slung Madras to the floor. 

“Yessss… sir.” Madras gasped as he sat in a crumbled heap. “What… what is our next move?”

“We’ll send them a message: our declaration of independence from Earth!” Stephan said triumphantly.  His beastly voice echoed through the hall. 

              Stephan and his troops made a very interesting discovery beneath LB127.  Now that they were no longer under UCM protocol they broke into the top-secret subterranean labs located deep below the surface of the moon.  AMC had been testing rapid cloning technology for years and had relocated their center of operations beneath LB127 to avoid the scrutiny of Earth’s human rights groups.  They also pioneered BioHybrid technology (mechanically enhanced clones) with the intent to build a massive labor force for constructing additional facilities and weapons.

              John Stephan is not only a fierce warrior, but also possesses a genius-level IQ.  Apparently he now chooses to use his cognitive abilities to serve his own purposes rather than the needs of the people he once swore to protect.  He now refers to himself and the other occupants of LB127 as Hyans (a play on words – “high-ends” or “high-and-mighty”) because he is convinced that the “incident” – the explosion that exposed LB127 to LYCCYX, freed them from the limitations of being human and now they are the next step in the evolution of the human race.

Stephan’s reply to the UCM directive:

On behalf of the Hyan People of New Earth:

              We hereby declare our independence from The United Continents and Planet Earth.  We have discovered a new and revolutionary way of life that has freed us from the limitations of living as weak human beings.  Thanks to LYCCYX, we have embraced the next step in the evolution of man, that of the Hyan – a new race created by the Miraculous Catalyst that UCM is calling an accident.

              We extend the offer to join us to any humans of Earth who wish to become complete as we now are.  Receive LYCCYX and experience the freedom we now enjoy.  Additionally, let it be known to any who would oppose us that we are prepared for battle.  We have discovered and activated the rapid cloning, BioHybrid, and weapons manufacturing facilities developed and hidden by the Asteroid Mining Corporation.  We have also weaponized the remaining Haven warheads and are prepared to launch them toward Earth at a moment’s notice.

              Choose for yourselves, Earth-dwellers: remain on an overpopulated planet torn by war and politics as pathetic humans, or join us – the Hyans; as we progress toward higher levels of life and freedom.  Together, we can cast off the restraints of tradition and government and pursue true freedom through science and technology thanks to our savior: LYCCYX.

John Sebastian Stephan

Chancellor of New Earth

Leader of the Hyan People