The War Begins

In the northern tribal regions of the Republic of Derbaran, a small town began to stir as the pink light of dawn colored the desert mountaintops in the distance. Bakers and merchants, midwives and school teachers, emerged from their mud brick homes to begin their day. As always, they threw nervous glances at the razor wire and concrete compound of the Derbaran military depot that squatted below a yellow banner just beyond the village. The coexistence was an uncomfortable one; the Derbaran government had little love for the tribal minorities in the area.

Cries of alarm rose from the men stationed at the depot when a column of tanks and trucks crested a rise. They flew green banners, the colors of the National Independence Union, the rebel coalition of minority tribes. But these were not poor peasants with cheap rifles. The Derbaran soldiers scrambled in panic as the NIU tanks rained explosive rounds on the ammo depot, shattering concrete bunkers and crushing soldiers beneath a hail of rubble. NIU trucks disgorged scores of men who peppered the defensive positions with small arms fire.

When it was over, the only sound came from the crackle of flames and the screams of wounded and dying Derbaran soldiers. The villagers slowly emerged from hiding. They gasped when they recognized the man who climbed from the lead tank and stood on the turret to address them. Even in this small village, the televisions in the tea houses and shops had shown his face many times. He was General Ikram Karmali, decorated officer of the Derbaran military and military advisor to the President. The pride of the Derbaran military had become a rebel.

“My people,” General Karmali said, “I cannot stand by any longer while President Zaripov and his government oppress us. I renounce my allegiance to Zaripov. The NIU will take this country back!”

The Resistance

The helicopter touched down amid a dusty whirlwind at the NIU operating base. Captain Ramazan, commander of NIU’s special forces unit called the Desert Dogs, climbed from the helicopter and strode through the dust. Salutes snapped at him from both sides. He had earned this respect with his blood, spending ten years in the Derbaran military under General Karmali before they had both defected to the NIU. Many of the men here who saluted him had served under him before the rebellion. They were battle tested, hardened men. But there were others here too, the goatherds and farmers who fought only because they believed in the cause.

The NIU was not short on heart. What they had been short on was weapons. Even the People’s Press, the underground newspaper that was the voice of the rebellion, had openly questioned whether the few tanks and weapons General Karmali had brought from the military would be enough to pose a serious threat to the Derbaran government.

And then the mysterious deliveries had begun.
A convoy of trucks was rumbling out of the encampment back to wherever they had come from, their mysterious payload of crates stacked neatly beside the armory. Already men were prying them open and removing the weapons from their packing. They were the reason Ramazan had come.

In his temporary headquarters General Karmali was whispering quietly with a handful of his commanders. The general dismissed them with a terse gesture when Ramazan entered.

“Don’t ask me any questions, my friend,” the general preempted him.

Ramazan pulled the folded piece of paper from his breast pocket and scanned it. “Assault rifles, pistols, rocket launchers, all dropped at a half dozen of our operating bases that are supposed to be secret,” he said. “And I hear talk of vehicles too. Armor. Even aircraft.”

“No questions,” the general repeated.

“At least tell me where they’re coming from,” Ramazan said. “How are they getting through the borders?”

“The people supplying us have the funds and the contacts to make it all possible,” the general said. “What matters is that we are armed well enough to stand a serious chance against the Derbaran military. Without the help of these friends, we wouldn’t have much of a chance. You know that as well as I do.”

“But why should they help us?” Ramazan demanded. “What the hell do they care about our little rebellion? This is a domestic matter.”

General Karmali only smiled. “Let’s just say they have a vested interest in the NIU winning the war. Now take up those arms and call out your Dogs, Ramazan. There’s a war on.”

The Resistors

Major Selik sat at the boardroom table reading a newspaper, looking for all the world like an accountant waiting to see a client. As the head of the Derbaran military’s Security Services arm and leader of the elite Nightwatch 1 strike team, looking innocuous had served him well.

He tossed down the newspaper. The Derbaran National Press Agency had gotten wind of President Zaripov pulling resources from the country’s many oil operations to redeploy them to the much smaller uranium mining sector. There were, as expected, questions. Of course Zaripov could have had the story squashed. But that would have caused rumors. And the president had made it very clear how much he wanted to avoid rumors right now.

President Zaripov and his cadre of advisors swept into the room.

“With all due respect, Mr. President,” the portly Minister of Economy was saying, “the blow to our revenues is too much. You can’t take that much manpower away from oil. Uranium doesn’t provide us with adequate cash flow. And we’ll need funds for this war.”

“I’m not concerned about revenues just now," the President responded. “Uranium will soon become a much more important component of our national security.” The Minister began to retort but the President held up a hand for silence. “I won’t discuss it further.”

There was a rumble in the distance. Selik gazed through the balcony doors and, on the horizon, saw the black column of smoke rising. The war was spreading, with NIU forces striking at highways, power plants, the harbor... They were hitting all the strategic points they were expected to hit, and no one quite knew how they had come to be so well armed. And yet they were behaving erratically, sending units to far-flung locations. It was strange.

“Everyone out,” President Zaripov said. “I need to speak with Major Selik.”

As his advisors filed out of the room, Zaripov approached Selik. “I have a job for your Nightwatch 1, Major,” the president said.

“Anything, Mr. President.”

“You know of a certain recovery project that has been ongoing in the desert region north of the Republic Highway?”

Major Selik hesitated only a moment before nodding. He had not been briefed into the project, of course, but there was little that escaped his awareness as head of Security Services. “I must confess I don’t know any details, only that there is such a project ongoing.”

“There is village near the project site. Make sure there are no witnesses there that the NIU might get their hands on.”

“Of course.” The president smiled. “I knew I could count on you, Selik.”

As the president swept out of the room with his gaggle of suited advisors in tow, Major Selik frowned at the black smoke rising on the horizon. He wondered what mysterious project in the desert could be more important than holding their ground against the NIU.

“War Rock”

Captain Ramazan’s boots felt like someone had filled them with lead. The war was growing. What had begun as a handful of small unit operations – planting explosives, ambushes, and so forth – had become a series of battles involving armor and aircraft. His Desert Dogs had been fighting nonstop for days.

And now this.

The encampment was little more than a handful of tents arrayed around a crater in the desert. Industrial lights had been set up on scaffolding around the empty hole. The general had sent him here with his elite Desert Dogs on what he claimed was the most sensitive mission of the rebellion to date. But they had only found an empty camp guarded by only a handful of Derbaran soldiers. Worse, only one of the Derbaran officers had offered any information of use under interrogation. “War Rock,” the officer had blubbered in the blood-stinking interrogation tent. “The project is called War Rock.” But whatever “War Rock” was, the officer had been unable to shed any light on it.

One of Ramazan’s lieutenants ran up, breathless and harried. “Captain, a Derbaran snatch operation just happened in the village over the hill. The villagers say the security men took an old man and a boy who saw something at this camp.”

“Let’s go!” Ramazan snapped.

Ramazan’s men caught up with the convoy of three trucks on a stretch of dirt road south of the village. The skirmish was intense but the Derbaran security contingent fell quickly under the Desert Dogs’ assault. They found the old man and boy bound hand and foot in the rear of one of the trucks. Ramazan had them moved into a nearby farmhouse for questioning.

The old man spoke rapidly, his toothless mouth slurring his words and his eyes wide with fear. Ramazan could not understand the old man’s dialect and looked to the boy for translation as he questioned them about the empty camp.

“It was a rock,” the boy said. “A big rock that fell from the heavens.”

“A meteor?” Ramazan asked, but the boy only stared at him blankly. “Did the old man see it?” he asked.

The boy nodded. “He saw it. It made a noise like thunder and shook the ground when it fell. The army came very soon after. Many men with rifles, many trucks. They built the camp around it.” Here the old man added something. “There were men in white suits and helmets,” the boy translated. “Scientists.”

Secrecy Among Allies

“Have the old man and boy sequestered,” General Karmali told Ramazan later that night. “We don’t want them telling tales. And what you heard about that camp does not go beyond your immediate chain of command, do you understand? Tell no one.”

Ramazan studied the general’s face. He had served this man for many years, had followed him into wars of bloodshed and wars of politics, but never had he seen such intensity in the man’s expression. “What is this War Rock?” Ramazan asked quietly.

Instead of answering, General Karmali said only, “Get your Dogs together. A small team, small enough to maintain a clandestine posture.”

“A team for what purpose?” Ramazan asked.

“You’ve got a meteor to find, Captain.”

Dr. Black

Malcolm Black was jarred awake by the rocking of the Land Rover. The roads in this part of China were not as well maintained as one might hope, and he hadn’t been able to get much rest on his way to the airport. He turned to look out the window, and noticed light creeping over the horizon. This would be the last sunrise he would see in China, because he was finally going home.

Malcolm reached into his jacket and retrieved a small photo of his wife and daughter, smiling back at him from their small apartment in New Jersey. He had brought it to remind himself why he had taken this assignment; thanks to the substantial consultant’s fee he had been paid, they could finally have the life they deserved.

A couple of months ago, he had been contacted by a military officer named Selik; he had heard about Malcolm from his thesis paper on yellowcake uranium and its potential applications for military use. Hailing from a relatively unknown country known as Derbaran, Major Selik had indicated that his government had an interest in uranium R&D and needed a consultant. Malcolm hadn’t been interested – until the Major mentioned the commission rate. For leading a team of Derbaran scientists through a uranium lab in southern China, he would return home debt-free and with enough money left over to provide a comfortable life for himself and his family.

His phone rang as his driver pulled into the airport.

“Black here,” he answered.

“Dr. Black, this is Major Selik. I am calling to thank you for your efforts in China. I have received reports from our scientists and they stated that your training and expertise was invaluable to them.” Selik’s tone was formal, but Black couldn’t help but feel there was more to this phone call than a simple thank-you.

“It’s nothing, Major, just doing what you paid me to do.” Malcolm chose his words carefully. “I don’t mean to cut our conversation short, but my plane is boarding and…”

“I would like you on a different plane, Dr. Black. We have need of you in Derbaran for a few days more.” There was an edge of finality in his statement. “Before you say anything, I want you to understand that your visit to Derbaran is of vital importance to our country. You will be paid double what we have already given you if you choose to come. I hope to meet you soon.” The phone went silent.

Malcolm wanted to contest, but instead he silently watched the plane to New York take flight. He would have to wait a few more days to see his family.

The Resistance Strengthens

Two days later…

“Thank you for coming to see me on such short notice, Major,” Zaripov said from behind his desk. He motioned for Selik to sit down.

“Of course, sir. You can always count on me.” Selik took the seat in front of his desk. “What questions did you have on my report?”

“Before we get to your report, tell me how Black has responded to our offer,” Zaripov asked.
“He seems fine with everything. I think he can be trusted; he will make enough money in the next few days to be set for life. Also, he seems to be a devoted family man and wouldn’t do anything to risk his wife or child.”

“Excellent, everyone is happy then.” Zaripov smiled. “Now, it says here that the weapons you uncovered are a bit of a mystery?”

“Not so much a mystery sir, we know where they came from and how they were made, we just can’t trace who made them. These weapons should be easily traceable, as only a few companies make guns as sophisticated as this. However, these guns are counterfeit, constructed from legal parts you can pretty much find anywhere on the planet.”
“So the N.I.U. is constructing illicit guns. How can they have the resources to do that?” Zaripov asked.

Stars…

At the N.I.U. stronghold

General Karmali had even more questions now than before he interviewed the War Rock witnesses. While he was sure of the power and value of the War Rock, he could not determine what it was. At the same time, things were tense for the N.I.U. tribal leaders. While they were committed to the cause, they were superstitious, and rumors about the War Rock being a sign of doom from heaven were spreading like wildfire. Adding to Karmali’s problems was the fact that the People’s Press had somehow gotten hold of the witness’ account, probably during the Derbaran counterattack to try and recover the witnesses.
Karmali recalled the interrogation with the witness of the War Rock…

“Stars…” said the boy, with a vacant look on his face.

“What do you mean by ‘stars,’ boy?” Karmali asked gently. The witnesses were sympathetic to the N.I.U. cause anyway; there was no need to be harsh.
“Inside the rock, it looked like it was full of stars…that’s all I remember sir…”

None of this sat well with Karmali. He called in Captain Ramazan.

“General, you called for me?” Ramazan said as he walked into Karmali’s office.
“Captain, I have need of your talents.” Karmali got right to the point. “Take the Desert Dogs and get me information about the War Rock. The Derbaran have a secret information stockpile here, in this town.” He pointed to a wall map of the Republic of Derbaran. “I wish I knew more, but all I know is that the storage facility is called ‘the Bloc.’ Find it; get me something that I can use. I’m tired of being in the dark here.”

“Consider it done, General. I will contact you as soon as I have your information.” Ramazan left quickly; Karmali’s impatience demanded immediate results.

The Source Discovered

Selik was ecstatic. Finally, some answers! He thought to himself as he walked through the sprawling headquarters that led to Zaripov’s office. Everything made sense now. Selik was proud that Nightwatch 1 had been able to come through for Zaripov. Only by chance had one of his lieutenants recognized the man from Apollo Defense Systems during a stakeout of an N.I.U. supply shipment; it seemed that luck was on his side today.

Apollo Defense Systems was a huge multinational company capable of supplying Karmali with the assets to continue the war. After recognizing the man from Apollo, it did not take much research to confirm that the company was heavily invested in Karmali’s operation. Zaripov must know about this as soon as possible; he could likely put a stop to Karmali’s shipments from Apollo within the week. Finally he reached Zaripov’s office. He ignored the secretary’s cries of protest and burst through the doors.

“Sir!” he exclaimed before thinking. But the office was empty; Zaripov was not there.
“Like I tried to tell you…” Zaripov’s secretary had caught up with him, her tone edgy and her face indignant. “He’s not in at the moment. I can schedule an appointment for you as soon as he gets back…”

Stupid woman. Selik cut her off before her self-importance got the better of her. “Yes, do that. Have him contact me as soon as he can, tell him it’s urgent.” Where could he have gone to at this time? Surely the war demanded that he stay in the protective care of Nightwatch 1. How did Zaripov slip beneath his radar?

The Pursuit Continues

Karmali left the meeting fully convinced that taking on Apollo Defense Systems as a partner in the war was one of the best decisions he had ever made. Truly, if it were not for Apollo, he would probably still be in the military, working as Zaripov’s lapdog. The information they had shared with him convinced him that Derbaran would be heading down a path of destruction if Zaripov were allowed to remain in control.

Today Karmali was to meet them about a Derbaran arms shipment that the N.I.U. had intercepted. These new weapons and armor were more advanced than anything the N.I.U. had in its arsenal, and Apollo was going to mimic the designs for N.I.U. use.
His phone rang; it was Ramazan.

“Hello, Captain. I trust you have good news for me?” Karmali asked hopefully.
“Yes and no sir.” Ramazan didn’t want to get Karmali’s hopes up.
“Just spit it out, Ramazan. Don’t be coy,” Karmali chided.
“Well sir, we captured the Bloc, but we left due to information that the War Rock was being moved from its current location not far from the Bloc. One of the Derbaran officers cracked under questioning and told us the War Rock was being held at Kahli, which would never have considered due to the arms convention going on...”

“Where are you now, Captain?” Karmali knew there was more to the story.
“At Kahli. The convention ended a few days ago but there was still a small Derbaran force there. After we dispatched them we searched everywhere. The War Rock is not here… it was moved before we arrived. Whatever this ‘War Rock’ is, it certainly moves around a lot. We are going to attempt to track it down, but Derbaran reinforcements are closing in fast,” Ramazan explained.

“Very well. Good work, Captain. Continue your course and let’s see where it leads us. Let me know when you find out more.” Karmali trusted Ramazan above all his other soldiers, so he was allowed to operate on his own without direct orders from superiors.
“Yes sir.”

The Pursuit Continues

Karmali left the meeting fully convinced that taking on Apollo Defense Systems as a partner in the war was one of the best decisions he had ever made. Truly, if it were not for Apollo, he would probably still be in the military, working as Zaripov’s lapdog. The information they had shared with him convinced him that Derbaran would be heading down a path of destruction if Zaripov were allowed to remain in control.

Today Karmali was to meet them about a Derbaran arms shipment that the N.I.U. had intercepted. These new weapons and armor were more advanced than anything the N.I.U. had in its arsenal, and Apollo was going to mimic the designs for N.I.U. use.

His phone rang; it was Ramazan.

“Hello, Captain. I trust you have good news for me?” Karmali asked hopefully.
“Yes and no sir.” Ramazan didn’t want to get Karmali’s hopes up.
“Just spit it out, Ramazan. Don’t be coy,” Karmali chided.
“Well sir, we captured the Bloc, but we left due to information that the War Rock was being moved from its current location not far from the Bloc. One of the Derbaran officers cracked under questioning and told us the War Rock was being held at Kahli, which would never have considered due to the arms convention going on...”

“Where are you now, Captain?” Karmali knew there was more to the story.
“At Kahli. The convention ended a few days ago but there was still a small Derbaran force there. After we dispatched them we searched everywhere. The War Rock is not here… it was moved before we arrived. Whatever this ‘War Rock’ is, it certainly moves around a lot. We are going to attempt to track it down, but Derbaran reinforcements are closing in fast,” Ramazan explained.

“Very well. Good work, Captain. Continue your course and let’s see where it leads us. Let me know when you find out more.” Karmali trusted Ramazan above all his other soldiers, so he was allowed to operate on his own without direct orders from superiors.
“Yes sir.”

Running Scared

Malcolm Black was crouched down low in an alley behind a dumpster. He had been waiting here for the day to get dark enough for him to safely move again without being seen. The information he had accidentally uncovered about the “War Rock” needed to be released to the public. Malcolm did not consider himself to be a hero, nor did he want to be one. He would drop this information off at the Associated Press office, and then get back to his post in the Derbaran lab before anyone would notice he was gone. He was scared; if he were found with this information he knew he could be killed for it.

It’s not like it was in the movies, with the reluctant hero miraculously summoning courage out of thin air. He couldn’t stop shaking; all he could think about was his family at home. Just drop it off and get back, you’ll be home tomorrow, everything will be fine. He began to move down the street, only a few blocks left to go before he was there. He began to calm down now; he could not wait to get home, and the last two days had been intense, both physically and mentally. The War Rock was a fascinating, as well as highly dangerous, subject. The construction of the object was like nothing he had ever seen before; even the metal was unique. All he knew for certain was that someone had built it and it was deadly if misused. Black’s instinctive curiosity made him want to keep working on the project; he was sure a Nobel Prize could be his for the work he had done over the last two days. Just thinking about the War Rock’s potential made his head spin. But he could tell that it was going to be used for warmongering and power struggles; at least, that was the path Zaripov and Karmali had chosen.

He was almost to the office. In his haste, he turned the corner so quickly he almost knocked over a homeless ma
n.
“Excuse me, sorry…” Malcolm apologized.

“It’s okay. Any chance you can spare any change?” asked the transient.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have anything on me…I was in a rush when I left.” Malcolm ascended the stairs to the night drop when he heard the unmistakable click of a loaded sidearm. Malcolm turned around to see the homeless man holding a silenced pistol pointed directly at him. “I really don’t have any money…”

“That’s alright, I only want that document in your coat.” Malcolm knew that he had no choice but to give the document up.

“Okay.” He handed over the document. “I was just doing what I thought was right, please don’t…” But he never got to finish the sentence.

The assassin concealed the document in his coat, put his sleeve to his mouth and said “Package acquired” into a hidden radio.

Malcolm passed away silently on the street, his last thoughts of his family.

Suspicion Grows

“Karmali, thank you for making time to talk to me. I had just a few questions.” Ramazan spoke softly into the cell phone; he was undercover, observing a possible facility that might house the War Rock.

“As always, I will answer you to the best of my ability.” Karmali answered tactfully. Ramazan was in the business of secrets, so he understood that Karmali couldn’t tell him everything.

“I was reading the papers today. It seems an American scientist was killed last night outside the press building half a mile from where I am sitting.” Ramazan was concerned that he knew nothing about this scientist’s presence in Derbaran. “Did you know he was here?”
“I did not.” Karmali answered. “Apparently Zaripov had managed to hide him from us while he was here. He was killed by our silent partner; the man knew too much.”
“Well then, did they get what they wanted from him? I still wonder about the motivation of our partner. Are they personally tied to the War Rock? Did they lose it?” Ramazan and Karmali were dancing around the name Apollo because it was imperative that their influence in the N.I.U. remained a secret.

“Do not worry about their motivation.” Karmali assured him. “Trust me when I say that I have them under control. What they know, I know.”

“I hope so Karmali, because I do not trust them. They knew that he was here when we didn’t. Why didn’t they tell us?” Ramazan asked.

“They had to act fast to find him. Informing us would have been unnecessary as the result would been the same.” Karmali explained. “Ramazan, I do not need you to trust them. Just trust in me that I know what I am doing. I will need your strength in the coming days. Things are about to get very interesting…”

Minister Dong

The Minister’s convoy quickly made its way across the narrow, dirt road that ran through Cloud Forest. The convoy consisted of two Humvees accompanied by four motorcycles; President Zaripov had given the order himself regarding the security of Derbaran’s Minister of Science and Research. After all she had promised much to The President and Zaripov did not take failure kindly.

After a bumpy ride, a tough looking, pale stone structure stood out in a clearing. The hummers pulled over as close to the front entrance as possible. The guards on the motorcycles got off their bikes; two of them stepped forward, armed with MP7s and checked the way they came from for any danger. One of the remaining two approached the big metal door of the bunker; on the right side of the door was a panel The guard, took the plastic lid off and the panel display lit up. He punched a series of numbers into the panel and put back the plastic cover. A few short moments later the metal door screeched open. The guard by the Minister’s Humvee gently opened the right passenger side door and bowed slightly, his eyes not meeting hers. A pair of jet black Prada shoes emerged from the Humvee, followed by a long white trench coat. Minister Young Ju Dong was a well dressed woman as far as scientists went and especially so for a country amidst a civil war. She carried herself with confidence and kept a firm grip on the chrome briefcase at her side. She stepped off the Humvee and walked towards the Bunker without hesitation. There was a sense of urgency in her movements but she did not rush. The guards followed her in and the metal door screeched shut behind them.

Inside the bunker, two of the guards approached a stockpile of crates and started moving them out of the way. Underneath the crates was a small access hatch. The guard reached down and pulled the rectangular hatch door open. There was a flight of narrow stairs that led down. Minister Dong proceeded down the stairs, as soon as the hatch was closed shut, two florescent lights flickered on. A man greeted the group, his white hair was messy, he had a wrinkled lab coat and his glasses leaned slightly to one side. “Welcome to Artifact, Minister!” he said cheeringly. These scientists worked under isolation and this was probably the most interesting thing that happened in Artifact since one of the scientists set his lab coat on fire with a Bunsen burner. “I’m sure you want to see the bodies, Minister. This way…” The scientist led the group of scientists deeper into the facility.

General Karmali’s Office, NIU Headquarters

General Karmali was sitting at his mahogany desk in his office, going over some reports when the phone rang. He let it ring twice, then picked it up.

“Hello General, I trust all is well,” the man’s voice was deep and commanding,

“Yes Mr. Guyner, all is well. I assume you have information for me to be calling at 3 AM,” replied the General. He was experienced in diplomacy and was not going to let Mr. Guyner patronize him. At least, not at 3 AM.

“We have received some new intelligence regarding the War Rock that we wanted to share with you. If we are to work as allies then we need to trust each other, am I wrong General?” It was a rhetorical question, the General didn’t respond, he wanted to but he just was not sure of the answer at the time.

“Well General, I wanted to let you know that the War Rock is not one of ours. We have no intelligence on any project within the Apollo Defense Systems or any project in that matter remotely resembling the War Rock. We trust that you and your men could retrieve the War Rock for us. Of course, we would share the entirety of our knowledge and research with the N.I.U and compensate you handsomely for your efforts. What do you say?”

Anyway Karmali looked at it, this was a good offer. Especially for something he had planned on doing all along. Recovering the War Rock would definitely give the N.I.U an edge in the war.

“I say we could help you out with that Mr. Guyner” responded Karmali.

“I’m glad to hear that General. I will be looking forward to your results, have a good evening.” The man had hung up the phone quickly, but not rudely. Their conversation was strictly business, and business was concluded.

The Next Morning

There was a brief knock on Karmali’s door, then the door opened and Captain Ramazan walked in.
“You asked for me General?”

“Ramazan, I need you to talk to your contacts and see if they heard anything new about the whereabouts of the War Rock or anything related to it. Oh and while you’re at it, ask your inside man at the People’s Press as well. The A.D.S. is counting on us to locate the War Rock as soon as possible.”

“Yes sir. I will report back to you when I find anything concrete,” Ramazan responded, quickly saluted and left.

Artifact Research and Dev. Facility Part 1

3 Months Later

Minister Dong was sitting at her desk, analyzing the latest test results when she was startled by a knock on her door. It was one of the head scientists from her research team. They had been studying the two bodies that were found on the War Rock crash site for what seemed like an eternity but every time they got close to synthesizing a sample, it would wither and die within hours. This time was different.

“Come in,” responded Minister Dong.

The scientist slowly opened the door and closed it behind him. “Minister! I think we got a stable sample!” he said. You could hear the excitement in the man’s voice. “Here are the reports. It has been almost 5 hours now and the sample is still in a stable state!”

The man handed the test reports to the Minister. She shifted through the first few pages briefly stopping here and there to check a few numbers. After several moments, she sat back on her chair, took off her glasses and put them on the table. “We did it! This is great news. Zaripov will be pleased.” She said. This was the most excited anyone has seen Minister Dong in a very long time.

“When can we have a sample ready for field testing,” Minister Dong asked.

“We should have a usable sample ready for tomorrow,” responded the scientist. “But shouldn’t we test it further? We don’t know how human subjects will respond to it,” he added.

“No need!” responded Minister Dong, almost cutting the man off. “We will finalize our tests on the field, where we can get real results. Find me a suitable location for the tests.” There was finality in her voice, the scientist dared not argue. He nodded and said, “I will get the team ready.”

Ruins of Vitious

24 Hours Later

Minister Dong and her science team arrived at the ruins of Vitious to test their new “weapon”. That’s what Zaripov called it and if this prototype worked it was going to change the face of the war forever.

They were all wearing hazmat suits. Two of the scientists were carrying large briefcases that contained laptops and other research equipment. The intel was that this area was home to a small group of N.I.U soldiers that were left behind from a battle with Derbaran troops in the area. Theses soldiers were chasing the retreating Derbaran troops and decided to set up camp in the old ruins of the once proud capitol of Derbaran to regroup with the rest of their unit. Minister Dong couldn’t ask for a better test area. The N.I.U dogs would pay for their insolence.

“We’re in position, over.” Spoke Minister Dong into a walkie-talkie. A few seconds later a muffled voice responded “Roger that artifact team, beginning operation spray-n-pray over.”

Minister Dong couldn’t sit still; she had been working for this moment for close to a year now. Her career, her research, her paycheck…everything was hinging at this moment. She motioned one of the guards to give her a pair of binoculars. It was almost time. She looked through the binoculars at the ruins of the old Derbaran capitol building where the N.I.U group was believed to have holed up. Within a few seconds the sounds of two Blackhawk helicopters could be heard in the distance. Within moments the sounds were loud and clear, the N.I.U soldiers who heard the sounds came out of their cover to investigate. “There they are!” exclaimed Minister Dong. The sound of the helicopters flying overhead covered the skies followed by a distinct blue smoke that spread rapidly across the horizon. Soon, everything was engulfed in thick blue smoke. This was President Zaripov’s prized weapon; this was the salvation of Derbaran.

“Let’s move in!” ordered Minister Dong to her team after the all clear was given, the scientists took their equipments and marched into the thick blue smoke. After a few minutes of walking, they started hearing garbled voices and choking sounds. They could see shapes and figures moving in the dense smoke. It was all like a surreal dream. Suddenly a distorted figure leaped out of towards a scientist, breaking the wall of smoke so fast that Minister Dong could see the hole left behind by it. It was too fast to react, the crazed N.I.U soldier managed to grab the arm of the startled scientist and ripped it clean off. The N.I.U soldiers had descended into madness. Instead of dying out in a matter of minutes the blue smoke had caused all the affected soldiers to go on a rage and attack whatever was in arm’s reach. The guards opened fire but there was too much smoke and the crazed N.I.U soldier’s movements were too erratic. One guard got pulled in by one of them into the smoke, his scream fading into the distance.

Ruins of Vitious Part 2

“Pull back!” screamed Minister Dong. Among the grunts of the crazed soldiers and short bursts of random gunfire, Minister Dong and a few of her science team, including the head scientists manage to get out of the blue smoke. Minister Dong, paused to take one last look. The shapes and shadows of the crazed soldiers were now entangled together in one big shape. “What an interesting turn of events” she thought in her head. “This opens up a whole new field of research”. Minister Dong and the remaining science team headed back to Artifact to prepare their field test report for President Zaripov.

A few hours later, when a small N.I.U detachment arrived at the ruins of Vitious, the thick blue smoke had already cleared. Unfortunately for N.I.U, local folk from the villages around Vitious had seen the blue smoke and came to investigate and discovered what was later described in the newspapers by “A field of mutilated bodies that were so deformed that there was no way to identify them except from the bits and pieces of torn up N.I.U uniforms.”

The news spread fast. It wasn’t every day in Derbaran that mutilated and horribly deformed bodies turned up out of nowhere. Soon, the media coverage and the lack of response time from the N.I.U forces were becoming more of a problem for Karmali than the war itself. Several tribes and villages that were loyal and supported the N.I.U and General Karmali demanded vengeance and blamed General Karmali for being power hungry and forgot about the people that N.I.U was established to protect. Things were spiraling out of control and it wasn’t looking good for the General . There were still no news about the whereabouts of the War Rock or any information regarding the appearance of this mysterious blue smoke. General Karmali and the N.I.U were running out of time. Soon their followers would turn against them and stop their support.

Artifact Research and Dev. Facility Part 2

A Few Days Later

Minister Dong was going over the autopsy report of one of the mutilated remains from the Vitious incident.

“Magnificient,” she blurted. She couldn’t contain her excitement. “The pathogen, now named “Blue Smoke” has caused rapid growth in muscle and nerve tissue of most affected subjects. Some subjects died instantly from heart failure.” Even though there were “side effects” such as loss of intelligence and rage, Minister Dong considered this trivial. With direct orders from President Zaripov, she was to concentrate all her attention and her research to perfecting the Blue Storm.

General Karmali’s Office, NIU Headquarters

General Karmali’s phone rang. It was another one of those 3 AM calls, he thought to himself. “I’m starting to think more and more that Mr. Guyner is a vampire…” Karmali chuckled to himself. He reluctantly picked up the phone. But it wasn’t Mr. Guyner. It was Captain Ramazan.

“Sir I have urgent news, I have information regarding the mysterious blue smoke incident. I heard from my contact at the People’s Press. His dad was around the area just before the incident and said he saw some scientists with armed escorts arrive in Humvees and they were carrying heavy equipment. Now why would scientists need armed escorts and humvees sir? ”

“That’s a good question Ramazan, one we need to find out as soon as possible. They probably have a research lab or base somewhere nearby. Do you have any leads yet?” responded Karmali.

“Not yet sir but some of the villagers in Cloud Forest reported that they saw increased activity there recently. They mentioned people in lab coats. So I’m going to start there,” Ramazan replied.

After a brief pause, General Karmali responded, “Good job Ramazan, I want you to take your best men and find this facility. I want everything. Personnel, documents, everything.”

“Understood sir. I will report back ASAP. Ramazan out,” responded Captain Ramazan, and hung up.

Artifact Research and Dev. Facility Part 3

A Few Hours Later

Captain Ramazan’s Desert Dogs were famous for their speed and ruthless efficiency. Within a few hours Ramazan and his elite team were standing outside the Derbaran bunker in Cloud Forest. The recent tire marks around the area had led them to entrance of the bunker. It was suspicious for a small bunker in the middle of nowhere to receive this much traffic and the lack of guards or security of any form was also suspicious.

The Captain signaled his men to move forward. The big bunker door was already open. The Desert Dogs moved swiftly, searching each room. It didn’t take them long until they discovered the entrance to the Artifact Research facility.

Captain Ramazan and his men descended through the narrow stairs to the facility. The lights were out through out the facility and there was no one in sight. Ramazan motioned his men to turn put on their night vision goggles and spread out to search the facility.

The Desert Dogs scoured the facility. They have been to every room, searched every cabinet and every shelf. There was nothing left in Artifact. No documents, no scientists. There were signs of struggle, broken test tubes, overthrown tables and shattered glass littered the floor of the facility.

“Damn, there is nothing here,” said Captain Ramazan out loud. “We were too late,” he continued. “Gather up your stuff and let’s get back to HQ” he ordered his men. “The General will want to hear about this,” So the Desert Dogs, having hit a dead end and with no more leads, returned back to General Karmali.

The Smoke Begins to Clear

At an Undisclosed Location Not Far from Cloud Forest

A giant metal door screeched open, the room was especially bright and there was a sense of emptiness. There was no furniture in the room. Handcuffed and blindfolded Derbaran scientists were being escorted in by what appeared to be hired mercenaries. Among them was Minister Dong. The guards waited outside. Once the scientists were all inside the room, the giant metal door closed shut.

The scientists, terrified and unaware of their fate, were huddling together, turning their heads from one direction to another, trying to see through the blind folds. A sound interrupted them. They paused with fear. A smaller metal door on the other side of the room opened slowly and a well dressed, tall man entered the room. Behind him was a guard that also entered the room. The tall man gestured the guard to remove the blindfolds of the scientists. One by one the scientists’ blindfolds were removed and one by one they looked around the room, desperately trying to discern where they were.

Once all the blindfolds were removed and the scientists’ eyes had adjusted to the bright light in the room, the tall man spoke. He was brief and to the point, “Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Mr. Guyner. Welcome to the Apollo Defense Systems Headquarters. If you all cooperate, you will all get through this unharmed and will see your families again.”

As he finished his sentence, the metal door behind Mr. Guyner creaked open once again and another man entered the room; contrary to Mr. Guyner, this man was well built and had a cold, distant look in his eyes. Mr. Guyner leaned slightly and whispered a few words to the man’s ear. Soon after, the man picked Minister Dong from the group of scientists and escorted her out of the room back through the metal door. Just before she stepped outside the room, Minister Dong took one last look at her science team. Inside, she knew that she would not see them again. Among the worried looks from the other Derbaran scientists, Mr. Guyner followed, the minister out and the metal door creaked shut.