Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Project Alpha ❯ Journal ( Prologue )

 

{:} Prologue {:}

 

Project Alpha

 

 

 

 

Name: Professor Kenneth L. Williamson, Chief Senior Researcher of Genetic altercations

 

…Data log entry 1344: April 12, 2086, 1:44 pm

…Location: Madagascar, Forty-two miles north

Of Antananarivo, BGRT (Biogenetic Research and Testing) compound.

…Current research: Project Alpha.

…Project specifications: The enhancement and potential findings of our global research projects and teams will be increased 10 fold by our newest, and possibly most dangerous project, codenamed Alpha. It's specifics are as follows: to increase our knowledge of our ever-changing world, we will attempt to create humans capable of reaching where our detectors and camera's cannot reach, where the elements keep us from progressing…fighting fire with fire, so to speak.

 

Date of Research start: October 21, 2033

Projected date of completion: July 2064

Actual date of completion; January 2086

Overrun time: 21 years, 6 months…

 

 

It had become quite clear to the others, less than a year ago, that this project might live longer than some of us, including me. We no longer fear the coming day of our death, now that our work is complete. Now 76, I can gladly relax, knowing we have conquered what we sought to achieve. Over the past 10 years, we have made enormous breakthroughs and successful results. In the past, our mistakes and our underestimations have cost us all greatly. For all I know, this may be my last day alive, so I will give an account- my account, of our decades of work. In 2045, we managed to finally isolate and experiment on the genetic factor in the DNA code to enable out altercations to subjects. There was a major problem though. What we found in the DNA code was something akin to a blank check, a tiny link that could be “filled” That gap was filled with what most elements and bio-matter was comprised of; Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Carbon and Oxygen.

 

By filling the gap, new possibilities surfaced. Not only were elements such as water and fire available to us, but also entirely new types, although not considered elements, came about. The prime example for that was Electricity.

 

We began our tests in 2047 with Water, it being the most highly present Element on the planet. Our beginning test subjects, sadly, suffered greatly for our mistakes. Because using animals would not produce the same effect, convicted criminals sentenced to death were “materials” for experiments. The first of them were able to live for a week, but showed signs of rejection. Many simply melted away into puddles, bodies unable to tolerate the effects, but most died from faults in the procedure; we were set back 12 years.

 

In 2059, Fire and Ice were our next attempts, and surprisingly, they were the only first-time successful ones. A recent discovery had shown us why our earlier tests had failed; the introduction of the enhanced DNA to full-grown people forced an automatic rejection. After great debate over the subject, we proposed a new method; Children. After one subject from each survived for two years, we decided to end the research on Fire and Ice. At that time, we received two orphans, a boy and girl, who eventually became the test subjects. Fire was…problematic, to say the least. Fire, by definition, is a phenomenon of combustion manifested in intense heat and light in the form of a glow or flames. The main problem with that was enabling our subject to generate enough energy from themselves to reach adequate heat levels, which would ignite by the air and form fire, which in turn would sustain itself by the present oxygen around them.

 

With Ice, it was just the opposite. We tried at first to allow our subject to lower their body temperature at will to below freezing levels…but to accomplish that without killing them was impossible. All seemed lost until I, merely a scientific aide at the time, proposeda new idea. Allowing our subject to generate energy, but in a negative form; antimatter, basically…both easily explained, but nearly impossible to accomplish.

 

We managed both and administered the procedures in eight weeks

 

Our next attempts were Wind and Electricity. Wind proved the most difficult, as wind was caused by both temperature change in the upper atmosphere and the high and low-pressure systems. Ultimately, a body that could absorb heat and change the air-pressure around them was created. Electricity, for lack of better words, drove everyone crazy. The main problem was that Electricity is caused by the reaction to oppositely charged particles,. So creating filler that allowed one to change their body's natural charge at will was our goal. Two young girls, brought to a children's center after a train crash in Antananarivo, were then brought to us. They managed to survive.

 

Our last and by far the toughest was Earth. To possess powers to control and manipulate all earth- or soil- based life seems impossible, even to myself. Soil is comprised of nitrogen and carbon mostly, with hydrogen and oxygen found in the ever-present water in the earth. So, all four elements had to be `fitted' to match his genetic code. Unfortunately, we could no nothing without lower the overall potency of subject Earth's abilities…that meant we need more room to work. A lab-altered strain of his DNA was constructed, now with an extra `space' in his code. We found a subject, another young male, who was abandoned by his parents. His procedure nearly five months.

 

With our life's goal achieved, everyone felt a great level of relief and an enormous lift of stress from themselves. A celebration was held with the staff, along with those of our subjects old enough to not fall asleep past six-thirty. At that time, I was informed by a phone call from our director's office back in the United States that we were to undergo two last procedures…two which proved to be our undoing'

 

 

In August of 2068, we underwent creating two, as I was informed, essential subject types, as the beginning of our new project; Epsilon. Our target subject to create, as we were informed, shocked us beyond anything we've ever had to do; create life form of Light and Dark Matter. During the years of research and testing, our six original subjects had grown. Each was close to the age of 9 years, fire at 10 and earth and water, both at 12. Regular exercise was required, but we began performance tests. The subjects were expected develop their main abilities, or “powers” around an early age. Each had the ability to generate a physical form of their element. After most had begun puberty, they were assigned to accompany our field scientist on their various assignments, or whichever one was most related to where the assignment was located.

 

Ironically, we could not even begin our tests, simply because in those times Dark matter had not yet even been discovered. No one knew what it was comprised of, what level of energy it possessed…any physical or chemical attributes of dark matter and dark energy where unknown. After 13 years of research and testing, trial after trial, countless failures and technological setback, we managed to produce the raw form of Dark Matter. The most trouble we had was keeping the portion of matter from destroying its host DNA chain. Our successful subject was much older than our original ones, being 20 at the time. We feared a repeat of our very first tests, but he proved much tougher than we anticipated. The Dark Matter caused our first one to die almost instantly, their bodies simply broken down by the energy from the matter.

 

During 2083, Entering our second year of performance tests for our Dark candidate, he began acting oddly. Rumors flew around that the Dark Matter had corrupted his mind, causing his imbalance of personality, erratic emotional responses and irregular sleeping and eating patterns. What a few feared most was dementia setting in; then it would only be a matter of time before he sough to chase the images from his head, inadvertently attacking the entire facility. Most of us dismissed that notion as a very unlikely scenario. We didn't have to worry for too long. Within seven weeks of exhibiting these behaviors, he attacked anything around him. Our initial six subjects gave a valiant effort to stop him, but it was all in vain. The sheer magnitude of his powers dwarfed theirs, causing little hindrance to his onslaught against us. He escaped.

 

However, we couldn't be counted out yet. There were many who believed that once the subjects understood that we had no real means to make them stay, they would flee the base. So, anticipating this several years back, Fifty-five nodes were placed around the island, `Fencing off' the island. Imagine it as a fence for a ranch; they emit a specific energy frequency that streams directly to the next node, acting as the `planks' of the fence, with the nodes as the `posts'. They are designed to repel anything that emits the same energy frequencies as the bodies of the subjects. They are connected to a home-base satellite above the planet, which anchors a web of fifty-five corresponding satellites, preventing any form of an upward escape. Subject Dark had not yet been able to get past them, as they were all still functioning, so he was still on the island.

 

At that point, we decided to create the subject Light for the purpose of capturing and retrieving Dark. Our research, however, hit a colossal roadblock; Our funding would no longer allows the persistent usage many tests subjects, only to find one would be suitable. We were delayed for nearly a month, having to now search for specific that would enable one to be used as a subject. A former colleague of mine, Prof. Wallace Ashford brought his own daughter to us, hoping she would be suitable for our continuation. I have known Wallace for nearly twenty-five years, but even I denounced his decision, to give up his only child for a mere chance, a chance that had a successful probability of only 44%…Upon examining a blood sample we were given quite a shock. Her genetic code was beyond belief; She possessed over six empty links in her DNA, though none had caused any deformations in her body. Our first six only had two, and subject Dark had surprised us initially with his five. After administering the implantation, we proceeded to run dozens of tests, comparing the data to subject Dark's. Everything was taken into account; Physical strength, speed, element-augmented strength and speed, vision balance, organ functioning, and a multitude of others. Comparative data gave most quite a shock. Subject Light was indeed slightly more powerful than subject Dark, but his higher level of experience with his abilities would tip the scales in his favor.

 

For months on end, she was trained in every way possible for her forthcoming confrontation with subject Dark. Around March of 2084, subject Light began acting in the same manner as Dark had, but it was less noticeable and not as severe as he was…but the same results came to pass. Repairs were still underway when subject Light made her `path' to freedom.

 

It's been a month since subject Light has escaped, but we are in no rush to find her, or Dark for that matter. They cannot leave the island, so we at least have a decent sized area to search. My first six subjects, my living dreams, my children, have volunteered to go and help retrieve both Light and Dark. They must be found, for only they can help us achieve our final goal. The completion of out last project; Omega.

 

We must succeed. My children- project Alpha- helped bring about our beginning. It is only suiting that Light and Dark- project Epsilon- help bring project Omega to be. They are all the beginning, and they will all be the end.

 

-Entry end