Author note: Good morning everyone once again I thank you for you support and I hope you continue to enjoy the story I wish to tell. Please if you have the time comment/rate/review every bit of support and feedback is appreciated. I also have a little gift for you all! I have some character art of the MC in the google link down below at the end of the chapter.

 

 

CHAPTER EIGHT: ARE YOU WORTHY?

 

The green-eyed Superiōrem led us alongside his fellow Superiōrem training cadre deeper into a section of the training department. I glanced around, trying to get a sense of the place. I was never enthusiastic about the doctor’s office growing up and I for damn sure, was even much less so after what I endured over the past months. We walked through a set of doors with holo-warning signs that opened and shut instantly right after, with a loud jarring noise. The cadre took up a perimeter around our group, making sure no one fell behind or took a wrong turn. Tiny red lights flashed every time we passed one of the small cameras in the upper corner of the halls, recording our arrival. Whatever they have to show us must be pretty important. We came up as a group to a set of larger doors covered in the same holographic yellow warning signs. Our group leader, the green-eyed Superiōrem, walked up, leaning into a camera off to the side that shot out light that first scanned vertical and then horizontal across one of his eyes.

“Greetings and salutations, First Sergeant Ackerman. You and your sponsored guests may now enter.” A feminine voice said as the doors jettisoned open.

I watched with wide eyes as the last set of doors revealed a Frankenstein-esque workshop of scientists in suits that tested out enormous rifles, handguns, and other firearms. Gunshots rang out in quick succession, with flashes of light and noise coming from every which way. I dropped to my knees instantly as a sharp pain radiated throughout my entire body from head to toe. My eyes burned at the same time. My head thumped as if someone took a lead weight time and time again to my skull. Neither senses could bear the full brunt of extreme noise and light. I wasn’t the sole victim, however, as many other recruits were in a similar situation, with the only ones left standing being the cadre and First Sergeant Ackerman himself. What made it worse was that I could still hear our First Sergeant’s sick ass maniacal laugh over the gunshots. Fucking Devil. The commotion came to a stop as rifles and weapons ceased firing. 

 “I hope everyone enjoyed that brief introduction. Now get the fuck up, there’s work to be done.” First Sergeant Ackerman said with a thunderous clap of his scarred hands.

It took some time for me to finally get back up to my feet. My entire world was a menagerie of intense colors that hovered at the corner of my vision, while a high-pitch ring that occupied my hearing. I rose to see a dark-skinned woman I guessed to be of Yoru descent like myself that wore a white lab coat, goggles that hung around her neck with her hands in her pockets and shaggy silver curls styled into a pixie-cut that covered her ears.

“Everyone, meet the genius behind the Superiōrem Project brainchild, Doctor Atunde. You will give her the utmost respect, even more than you would give myself. Stay quiet and pay attention.” First Sergeant Ackerman stepped back. “After you Doc.” 

Doctor Atunde wasted no time stepping forward with a certain level of authority I had only seen in Hounds. The authority that you knew could decide your fate with just a look.

“Thank you, Top. It’s always a pleasure to have you and your comrades around to visit our workshop. It makes things just that more lively around here. Now I’m sure everyone here might have a thousand and one questions they wished to ask and as much as I treasure an inquiring mind, I treasure my time that much more to keep you all alive. I’ll keep it sweet and concise. We have been at war with the Parasites for years and the Superiōrem, you all included here, are our most effective weapons against them. Parasites are stronger, faster, and tens of times more resilient than anything a normal human could ever dream to face. Which doesn’t even account for the Parasites’ ability to asexually reproduce, turning any country into a wasteland within weeks.” 

Doctor Atunde waved over at a holo-screen that displayed an interface labeled Average Superiōrem Build.

“To face such a threat, we came to realize that if we were to have any hope of pushing back this apocalyptic level threat, we had to fight it with a different kind of weapon, a different kind of soldier per se.”

 Doctor Atunde paced back and forth before gliding towards a coffin that looked to be made of metal, pointing towards it as it opened to showcase an ash-gray armor suit resembling those the Superiōrem cadre wore. 

“Enter the Superiōrem, not only have we enhanced everyone past what one would consider ethical and morale boundaries on both a genetic and neurological level. We have imbued everyone with the features and capabilities of the world’s deadliest and efficient predators. One might ask, Doctor Atunde, what exactly does that mean? In short, we have genetically spliced each and everyone of you with the DNA of a predatory insect most compatible to you based on your own genetic makeup and behavioral analysis. The letters on your shoulder are two or three-letter abbreviations for its scientific name. I won’t be a spoilsport and tell you what they are, but know whatever was selected for you is a valid representation of you as a person. On the flip side if you don’t enjoy a little brain teaser, you can tear off your bandages and look for yourself. Moving on, it is our belief and the belief of the UNF military that a soldier is only as good as their skills and armor. In line with that line of thinking, the armor we have displayed here is we have spent blood, sweat, and tears on. This is our baby. It is what we call the Mark V Nano Chimera Suit, created to not only protect the wearer, but to fuse with them on an intimate biological level. Forged out of titanium and reinforced with depleted uranium three-dimensionally printed nano, these suits will be your second skin, for lack of a better phrase. We will issue each Superiōrem recruit a suit at this time. Fair warning: Because of the compressive strength of the suit, one must prepare for the pain that comes during the induction process. It will shatter those with weaker minds into pieces. I guarantee it. Now here is the question you all must ask yourself. Are you worthy of such power? Top, be a dear and take it from here, please.”

Doctor Atunde turned sideways to First Sergeant Ackerman with a smile after she sped through her speech with a kind of zeal I’d rarely seen. I’d nearly forgotten the revelation that I might be a half roach human hybrid. I stared at the letters on my shoulder now with greater interest. SSM? What does that stand for? It can’t mean spiders. Those are arachnids. Scorpions maybe? No, they’re arachnids as well. Shit, I should’ve paid more attention during my Latin classes. 

I admonished myself, trying to figure out the insect they spliced me with, giving up halfway as I tore off my tattered bandages with vigor. I could hear the other recruits do the same as they reached for their hands, muttering to themselves as they revealed the various bodies of insects tattooed on their skin. There was a black and red creature that shimmered on my skin. A centipede? Ok. Now I have something to go off of. It had to be a specific kind. I tried again now to guess which species after with that crucial bit of information. Centipedes are in the Scolopendra genus. So ‘S’ and ‘M’ must be the species. Come on Davu, think.

“No problem, ma’am. Recruits. Attention!” First Sergeant Ackerman said, his voice was hoarse. “Everybody will line up next to a nano-pod. It doesn’t matter which one. The chimera suit will mold to you regardless while you await further instruction from your assigned medical officer.”

Startled at first by the boom of his voice, it didn’t take long for each recruit to sprint to a nearby suit, nearly trampling others in their way. Annoyed at the sight, doing my best to stay out of the scuffle. Watching the childish spectacle provoked an entirely new feeling within me. Not the familiar red-hot anger from before or pain-inducing hunger, but a completely new emotion, a want, no, a need to dominate. To put others in their place. I snapped back to reality as I came up to a chimera suit nano-pod near the far back of the research workshop. With no one nearby, I waited for an incoming medical officer to approach from the other side.

“Good morning. How are you doing today?” The medical officer asked. 

They scanned my band as a look of surprise snuck onto their face that I couldn’t miss. They motioned for me to take my initial steps into the pod filled to the brim with glimmering microscopic nanos. I took a deep breath in and out, planting both feet into the bubbling liquid. A frigid sensation eroded my body. I turned to face the medical officer with a schooled expression, knowing full well I was cold as shit.

“I’m doing fan-fucking-tastic, all things considered that this might be my last bath. Literally.” I said, my hands gripping at the outer edges of my pod for dear life.

“Don’t be too afraid, Recruit SSM-13. I’m confident that you’ll be just fine.” The man said. 

“How would you know when you don’t even know me?” I snickered sarcastically, damn near shivering now. 

The medical officer chuckled a bit, giving me a brief side-eye. 

“You’re right. I don’t know you personally, but I have a rough idea of the person you are from your insect gene selection.” 

 

“And what does that mean? I’d be elated if you would kindly reveal the significance of the last two letters on my shoulder. It’s easy to say it’s a kind of centipede from looking at my tattoo, but that tells me little to nothing.” I said. 

“You know, it would be more fun to tease you. However, I can see from your expression that you’re not fond of word games. Surprising since most Noblesse, I’ve met love word puzzles.” The medical officer went to work on the 

“Well, Doc, you can consider me an anomaly.” I said, raising my brow.

A loud beep repeated a few times as a holo-counter appeared on the screen in the middle of the workshop. The number ten floated in the air. 

“I’ll make sure to write that down in my notes Recruit SSM-13.” The medical officer went to work on the nearby computer module. 

They tapped away at the screen. A plethora of holo-screens came to life all around me. Each one denoting a set of vital signs from what I read off the bits of information. Another beep echoed as the counter began dialing down. 

“Since you don’t care, I’ll give you a few bits of advice, one a holo-screen containing the full name of your exact species along with a photo is situated to you left. Second, don’t try to hold your breath, it’ll just make it that much worse, I promise you. Last, if you want to make it through, try to do your best to remember whatever happy memory you can. That or whatever goal, mission, or purpose that might drive you. Good luck Recruit SSM–13, just know pain never lasts forever.” The medical officer said, pressing at a few buttons without making eye-contact.

I twisted my head to the left, staring at an enlarged image of a giant centipede with a body as black as obsidian glass and a face that gave the impression that they carved it of hell-fire and pure hate. The holo-screen wasn’t a still image. The creature’s jaws snapped repeatedly with a desperate starvation in its eyes. I moved to the text under the short motion picture. 

‘Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans, the Red-Headed Centipede. A venomous species of the Scolopendridae family, a class of giant centipedes. Known to be one of the most aggressive species that will predate on any and everything in its path. Recruit SSM-13’s genetics test shows an incredibly high physical potential benchmark that would allow for them to bring out the full potential of the firearm and hand-to-hand close-combat capabilities of a Superiōrem bonded with said DNA—.’

Fuck. Was the sole word that came to mind as I read the last few lines of text before the final beep came at the same time the holo-counter reached the number three. The medical officer pushed me back into the pool of nano liquid as the reinforced panels enclosed me in. Light from the holo-counter refracted onto the clear panel as it reached zero. The male scientist threw me a thumbs up that strangely gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling on the inside. I reciprocated with a thumbs-up of my own, pressing my hand to the panel door. My breath fogging up the interior. The bubbling nano liquid rose at the same as the pod stirred to life with the blasting sound that resembled an industrial-vacuum. Frigid cold encapsulated my body as I tried to heed the doctor’s advice, taking in deep breaths as it sucked my body into the pseudo-liquid. It didn’t hurt just yet, but I wanted to mentally prepare myself for the coming pain.

I told myself again and again that I was worthy, repeating the mantra in my mind. I had to convince myself that I really believed it. Otherwise, what other reason was there for me to be here? One final beep reverberated in the pod. I knew it would come soon. Please watch over me mom, dad, little bro, hell, even you Ricky. I did one last prayer. And then it came. Whatever attempts the scientists had made to warn us about the pain paled compared to the actual sensation. It was a worse pain than when they had performed the modifications on my body.  

The previous pain I experienced was like hot palm grease slithering through my veins. This, this, was more like they had submerged my entire body into a vat of hot palm grease as each one of the tens of millions of nano machines invaded my flesh, bones, and muscle. Synchronizing with my very being. I tried to scream, but nothing came out. All I could do was endure my silent anguish. My throat, lungs, and diaphragm were packed with the nano-liquid. I mocked myself for thinking I had been through the worst before this. I quickly realized this was where Superiōrem were made. With my hands, I braced myself against the interior of the Pod. What was a few minutes dragged on for an eternity. My consciousness struggled to hold on. Right when I had thought I would pass out from shock, another beep resounded out. The nano-liquid that engulfed me drained out. I could hardly make sense of the world around me. Everything was a mixture of blur and intense light once again. I trembled from the pain, panting harshly, tears and snot ran down from my eyes and nostrils. It took me a while before I could even force my neck to lift my head as I glanced back at the scientist that worked at the computer module. I hacked up the black jelly as the panels of my pod slid open. Anger immersed my very spirit, the image of the devil spawn of a creature etched into my mind. I wanted to rip the scientist and everyone inside the workshop apart. 

“Welcome back to the world of the living Recruit SSM-13. I apologize for whatever pain you experienced, but know we have done nothing to any of you out of malice.”  

“Doubt it.” I sneered, bracing myself, delirious from the residual pain. 

“Understandable. I’ll help you out. The first few moments are always the roughest. We need to engage your suit.” 

“I thought that was the whole point of that little boil.” I said. 

“No, that’s just to assimilate the material into your body. The reason we call them chimera suits is that they become one with your body. You never have to take them off since you carry them with you, inside of you.”

Confused, I looked at myself, noticing that he was right. The only thing covering my body now was the black bodysuit. Ain’t this about a bitch? I clenched my fists. 

“So how do I engage my chimera suit then, Doc?” I asked. 

“Here’s the good news. That’s the straightforward part. From what I’ve been told, it helps to think of a sad memory or angry thoughts.” The scientists braced my body against his, aiding me out. 

I stepped out of the pod once again on unsteady feet. Looking around, I saw many other recruits were in the same plastered condition with even more not making it out of their pods alive. I never took a headcount of who had made it to this point. From what I recalled from memory, our initial in-processing group had gone from roughly two hundred to a little over a hundred after the enhancement process. Those numbers dwindled as I counted fewer than sixty left standing and breathing. The bodies of the rest laid stiff at the bottom of their respective pods. Are you worthy? Doctor Atunde’s question haunted my mind.  

“That won’t be hard at all. I’m sure I can think of something.” I said, closing my eyes tight. 

A sad memory or angry thought? Easier than taking a shit after eating some bad sushi. Images raced through my mind. At first blurry, then eventually, over time, becoming clear as day. My fingernails dug into my palms as I felt the blood trickle down my hand, dripping onto the floor. At least what I would consider blood at this point. I dug deep, forcing back up the memory of the wide-eyed, open stare of my little brother. The reddish hole that allowed me to see his thoughts through his skull. The screams of my mother as Hounds took turns with her while she fought to reach for my little brother and the silhouette of my father, hung by a noose off a corner streetlight as they beat his lifeless body with the butt of their guns. Sad memories? Angry thoughts? I had those and more. 

My breathing became ragged, sensing a tingling sensation creeping over my skin as a dense liquid embraced my entire body. The clinking of metal was noticeable as what I figured to be plates of body armor shifted into place. It took a handful of minutes for everything to work itself into place as the sound of a computer booting up echoed in my ears.  

I slowly opened my eyes to see myself covered in my chimera nano armor. Its primary color was a stark black while red weaved its way, accentuating certain sizable portions of my limbs with gold sneaking itself around my arms, turning themselves into braces and clips. I didn’t notice that I had also activated the protective helmet of my chimera suit. Each corner of my vision was notated with different interfaces. There was one that documented the identity of my medical officer. Another that measured distance, direction, and ‘danger level,’ of other individuals and recruits. A metric shit ton of information flooded into my mind that gave me an unceasing headache as I stumbled a bit.

“How do you like your suit Recruit SSM-13? Great stuff, am I right?” The science officer asked with an ear to ear grin. 

I lifted my fists, ignoring his questions as I opened and closed my armored death grips. I made it. No one can stop me now. Ha, see Ricky, what did I tell you? I told you I could make it! Everything's going to change for us now. I can do anything. I began panting within my suit, lifting my fists even higher into the air bellowing a silent roar of victory. Can you see me? Can you? Mother, father, brother? I made it. I am worthy!

 

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Davu Commission

Art credit: INSTAGRAM - @Nuensart

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WLiv1AVq04H9ywNlszc-ZmyDstW9C2H9/view