Chapter One
By Cyberbeast
The sun reflected off the crystal blue water of the Pacific as it began it's
decent in the sky. Cyberbeast leaned his head against the glass window of the Navy helicopter that he was now flying in on his way to Pearl Harbor. It had been a long trip from his home in Philadelphia, full of layovers and plane changes. From Philadelphia to Dallas/Ft. Worth, then to Denver, then to LAX, and finally a puddle jumper that dropped him somewhere in Southern California where the Navy so graciously had a helicopter waiting. In all his years dealing with the military, he should have known better then to expect
them to fly him first class, even if it was 'extremely urgent' as they had put it.
Maybe it was because they knew that regardless of how they treated him,
Cyberbeast's allegiance would always lie with them. They had saved his life.
He still had nightmares to this day. Lying in the mud, half of his face
blown off along with one arm. He was dead, he had accepted that. But then,
after it had all gone black, he woke up in a hospital. He remembered looking
at the metallic monstrosity that was his right arm and fighting the urge to
scream. He even remembered the first words that floated across his head as
he saw himself. 'Gentlemen, we can rebuild him.' But six million, that
would have been a bargain. All in all, including research and development,
man-hours, countless clinical trials, and the intricate surgery involved, the
final price tag was about 10.2 million. The Navy figured he owed them, and
he was hardly in a position to argue. For ten years he did their dirty work.
He had been dropped into more hostile places then most soldiers could have
in ten lifetimes. Sent on missions designated impossible, given tasks that
would make grown men fudge their undies and run screaming, and he had come
out on the other side. He could have gone longer, and if the Navy had it's
way he would have. But he had had enough. He had seen one thing too many on
his errands of terror and decided that he was done. The Navy called it Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder, Cyberbeast just called it quits. But technically,
he was still on active duty. It was a stipulation for the Navy to let him
go. That way they could call on him again if he was ever needed, like now.
Cyberbeast looked down at his right hand where it came out of the sleeve of
the black leather jacket that he wore. The bare metal stared back up at him
as he flexed his fingers, hearing the audible whine of the servos that
powered them. He was about ten times stronger, plus he had a few other toys
built in for good measure. He reached up and took off his sunglasses,
revealing the eye that had been replaced as well. The latest in micro
circuitry allowed it to tape directly into his optic nerve, feeding his brain
information that no normal eye had any business knowing. He could see
farther, clearer, in the dark, every color of the electromagnetic spectrum
and then some. He could see infrared, ultraviolet, magnetic energy, and when
he held his head the right way, the occasional cable channel. He found out
that if he stood on the roof of his house and faced South, holding a wire
coat hanger covered in tin foil in one hand, and a metal mixing bowl in the
other angled toward the proper satellite, he could get the Spice channel. Of
course since it required both hands, it was a moot point, but he could do it
nonetheless. He laughed to himself as he thought of that. All the things he
had down with his implants in the past, and that's what impressed him the
most. Free porn. "The miracles of modern technology," he muttered to
himself.
"How's that Sir?" the pilot asked.
"Never mind," he said. "What's our ETA?"
"We're on approach now Sir, we'll be on the ground in ten minutes."
"Good," he said. "The sooner I can get this over with, the better."
*
"Beast, it's good to see you again."
"You too Admiral," Cyberbeast said insincerely. "You'll forgive me if I
don't salute Sir, the last time I did I knocked myself unconscious."
The Admiral laughed. "As long as you'll forgive me if I don't shake your
hand," he said.
Cyberbeast smiled, recalling when he had broken the Admiral's hand they day
he left. He claimed it was an accident, but they both knew it wasn't. They
had a mutual respect for each other, but they had never really gotten along.
The Admiral always treated him like he was Navy property, and Cyberbeast felt
that he never received the credit he deserved for the things he had
accomplished. "Why don't we just get down to business," Cyberbeast said.
"What's this all about?"
"Follow me and I'll show you." The Admiral led him into a briefing room and
motioned for him to sit. He put the briefcase he was carrying down on the
table and opened it, removing some papers and some pictures. "These are
satellite photos taken three days ago," he said giving the pictures to
Cyberbeast. "The longitude and latitude are marked."
"It's an island in the pacific, so?"
"So, that island wasn't there until three days ago. It just appeared."
"What?" Cyberbeast said, his disbelief showing in his voice.
"It just appeared, and that isn't even the weirdest part." He pulled a few
more papers out and showed them to Cyberbeast. "These are reports on the
local marine life, or the lack there of to be exact. We've also detected
bizarre air currents surrounding the island, as well as a strong
electro-magnetic energy reading. Aircraft can't get close because of the
currents, and all the ships dispatched have turned back due to technical
problems. The Sussex was dispatched two days ago, and suffered a complete
electrical systems shutdown before it got within twenty miles of the island.
The Normandy was sent yesterday, and has reported hurricane winds as well as
torrential downpours, even though our whether satellite tells us that it's
calm seas out there. There's something very weird going on here, and it's
less then a hundred miles from the United States."
"You believe that it's some kind of installation set up to spy on the US, or
to launch an invasion?" Cyberbeast asked.
"Frankly, we don't know, but that theory has been raised, that's why you were
among the people chosen for this assignment."
"Among the people chosen? I don't understand."
"Well, there are those who believe that this is some kind of natural
phenomenon, and there are those who believe…well, let's just say that there
are some theories that are way out there. It was decided to assemble a team
of the country's best and brightest to go to this island to investigate.
Scientists, military strategists, parapsychologists, and so on."
"Parapsychologists? Just what are you expecting us to find out there?"
"We honestly don't know what's out there Beast, that's why we want to be
prepared for anything. Several of the others have already arrived, I'll take
you to meet them after we stop by the lab."
"Lab? Why?"
"We want to make sure you're in complete working order. Also, we have a few
new toys to give you."
Cyberbeast stood as the Admiral started to leave the room. He followed him
out. "Why do I feel like James Bond on my way to see Q?" The Admiral
chuckled. "Wait a minute," he said as something occurred to him. "If no
plane or ship can get near this thing, how are we going to get there?"
The Admiral just turned and smiled. "You'll see."
*
