Survival Suit 95
Survival Suit 95
I was proud to be in the military. I really was. Sure, I wasn't exactly suited for the traditional type of soldier. I was not nearly as muscle bound as my classmates, and I lacked any kind of killer mentality. In simulations, I would be too merciful to my opponents; as if they actually cared about me or something. When we tested actual combat, I couldn't hurt the other trainee. I just couldn't. As soon as I visualize my fist hitting someone, I lost all will to fight. My one chance to shine was in our random "Special Ops" tests to pick out beeper men, medics, and people bound for leadership positions.
I had always wanted to be a beeper, but I knew I would do better as a general or medic. What I wasn't expecting is exactly what they gave me. Only one of a hundred. Not spoken of, not known. The weakest man on the battlefield doesn't have to fight because he doesn't exist. But, this one man can topple governments, take on an entire army, or simply blend in. He is nothing, everything; no one, and everyone.
All of this power was in a little briefcase in Kaskaskia. It would be sitting at my feet in less than ten hours at the main base. Then it would be off to the Survival Suit division of the International Security Rotunda. If I told anyone about this, the consequences would be incredible. All I would have to do is sit still for a few minutes then, death. Instant. They could find my position, crunch some numbers, and launch a single rail projectile, just big enough for me, and it would drop right on my head with about 20 Mega Joules of force. That's why traitors have a nasty habit of just "evaporating".
I looked down at my digital ticket as I sat in my seat on the train. I was surprised my identity wasn't erased. Nothing changed. The only things that set me apart from any of the other occupants was that I had a bottle of nameless pills, and a tiny device in my right pocket which read "off" on a small display.
I was more than a little envious that a few of my comrades were already on assignment, but I knew that my expertise would be applied soon enough. And apply it I would. Nothing would be out of reach for me. My only question was, with unlimited power, what keeps us in check?
My thoughts were broken up by the sounds of a scuffle outside. I looked to see that one of the beast men, not much older than I was, had dropped some luggage was being punished for it. He was an arctic fox type, and his white fur was dappled with small spots of red from where he was being hit by the conductor.
I never really had a taste for violence of any kind, so I just averted my gaze. Beast men weren't really "people" after all. They were made by us, to be used by us. No different than robots really. I always found them rather strange. It made me glad that they had their own separate living areas and couldn't join the military. Domesticated dogs and cats were very prevalent in the past, but ones with hands are so much more useful.
As soon as everyone was on board the train sped off across the frozen landscape toward our destination. It was a small train which only sat fifty people. It was especially spacious since there were only fifteen passengers, all of them military.
Of course, that didnt stop someone from taking a seat next to me. He was bound to be a beeper man. He told me all about his surgeries and conditioning, and how he feels himself snap at the sound. He even showed me the tone emitter on his belt. He was such a show off. I almost wanted to turn it on just so he would shut up. I just pretended to be a medic. He wouldn't have believed anything anyway.
I took to staring out the window as the scenery went by. It was about two hours into our ride and we had just crossed the frozen plains into the Arabol forest. I loved the way the snow clung to the branches of the trees; even though they whipped by so fast. I noticed a reflection in the window and turned to see the arctic fox standing with a tray ready, his muzzle still covered with a bit of blood.
"Would you two gentlemen like any tea?" he asked.
"No thanks," I said.
"You're right," he said, "It's obviously not good enough for you. If you want, I can go pick the leaves myself."
I had never had a beast man say that to me. I didn't even think they could be like that. He was being snide with me. Though I had every right to stand up and give him another beating, I of course didn't have the courage to bring harm to anyone. The beeper however, obliged.
After he was done he told him to take his seat at the front of the car. Once the fox had cleaned up his tray, he did just that, with a gleeful smile on his face. It was so odd. I hated looking at him. The servant seats faced in reverse, opposite the direction of travel. They actually have the safest seats on the whole train.
I looked out the window again as the train sped along through the forest. I even managed to just barely start to drift off to sleep before a sudden jolt brought me back to my senses. Our seatbelts snapped back and tightened to prepare us for the crash. The trains go so fast that I had hit my head on the seat in front of me. The whiplash was fantastic.
I must have been knocked unconscious. I dimly looked up to see that we were under the maglev track. The entire roof had been sheared off by the remainder of the track in front of us.
The seat belt was still holding me tight. I thought they had malfunctioned, but I knew that wasn't the case as soon as I saw a familiar figure rise up out of the snow. The fox had a big grin on his bloodstained muzzle as he screwed a silencer onto a small and easily concealable pistol.
"Don't worry folks. No need to panic. This will only take a minute," he announced.
I couldn't see what he was doing at first, all I could hear was some rustling of clothes, a few words, and then a faint puff. Once he got closer I could see what was happening. The beast man was patting down the passengers before shooting them. I didn't care what his motive was, I struggled in my seat and the others who were conscious started to do the same.
"Nope," said the fox after patting down another passenger.
He was in the seats across the aisle from me. He checked the pockets of the nearby passenger before saying, "Your not it," and casually shooting him in the head. A very tiny bit of spattering met the snow due to the low caliber pistol and subsonic rounds.
I was shivering. I knew my turn was coming. I wanted to scream at him but I couldn't; I wanted to make every breath count. It wasn't just the seatbelts that held me still; I was frozen in fear by his casual efficiency.
The beeper man next to me managed to switch on his tone emitter manually when the fox made it to him. I guess he was hoping to burst out of his seat and surprise him, but he didn't have the strength. He flopped in the chair like a feral dog on a leash. He'd chew threw the seatbelt if he could. The silencer chuffed again before the fox reached down and switched off the screeching box at his side.
He looked at me as he said, "Obviously not," with that big smile on his face. As he dropped the empty clip into his pocket and pulled out another he said, "Man, those guys are so creepy. They're like robots or something."
I could only stare at him, knowing that I was next. I thought my heart would explode. Such a thing could have very well been in my future. When he went through my pockets he found the bottle of pills and my little device. His stupid grin got even bigger.
"Alright! I guess this means youre my man. This is your little sneeze box, right?" he then shook the bottle and said, "And these must be the pills for your joints and whatever."
I was stunned that anyone had any knowledge of the survival suits, but if anyone did, it would be him. He took out a pair of plastic handcuffs and tied my hands together. I was still surprised that he didn't kill me.
Once the cuffs were biting into my wrists, the fox took a pistol he had found on the passenger next to me. It was a hefty, rail-gun model carried almost exclusively by beeper men. "Popper's", they call them. Obvious reason for that. Even a paint chip hitting you with 4 Mega J's would seriously fuck you up. The recoil and god awful heat is enough to make most people wary of using it. The white furred fox wasn't concerned with that though. He flipped a switch and the retractable bayonet snapped into place.
"Don't move," he said before cutting me out of my seatbelt.
I finally found the courage to speak. I had to swallow a few times but I managed to ask about the fate of the other passengers.
The fox's face brightened before he cheerily said, "That's right! Thanks for reminding me."
He raised a white arm and let off some more chuffs from his pistol. I was glad that most of the others were unconscious, but I was still chilled to the bone. Was he just messing with me and trying to make me feel responsible for their deaths? When he was done, he theatrically blew the smoke away. What a sick bastard.
"Thanks," he said, "I almost screwed that up. We're the only unaccounted victims on this train; can't let nobody hear about Survival Suits."
He pulled me out of my seat easily with one arm. Either he had some kind of exoskeleton on under his clothes, or he was very strong. He put away his gun and brandished the bayoneted pistol at me. He waved it and gestured with his intense eyes.
"Start walking," he said.
"Where are we going?"
"No. No not we. I_am going somewhere. _We would imply that you are my equal. You don't count as a person. You're just a cog in a machine. You've been brought up to be used as a tool. So have I for that matter. I want you to really think about this," he leaned in close to me so that I could smell his breath even in the cold and hear his fangs clack, "I am more natural than you are. I haven't had any surgeries. I do everything myself. Now go."
I didn't want to ask any more questions. I had been around people who had killed before, but there is a massive difference between soldiers and serial murderers. I just accepted my fate and walked with the point of the bayonet tickling my back to show me the right direction or to speed me up with a gentle poke.
The cold was really getting to me in only a few minutes. The beast man with his thick pelt was fine though. The snow just stuck to it and refused to melt. My face was practically ready to fall off and he hardly noticed. I kept trying to think of someway I could send out a signal, or escape, but I knew it was impossible. If I ran, he could smell me. He was not someone to mess with.
It felt like hours but we finally made it to where we were going. I thought it was a cave in the side of a mountain, but as we got closer I saw that it was an old military bunker. Far older than anything I had ever seen. It must have been built hundreds of years ago.
The fox stepped in front of me and squeaked the door open just enough for us to get in. He pulled me inside and slammed it behind me. My eyes searched in the total darkness until the lights came on and I was thrown against the wall, not that I could have resisted with my severe shivers.
"Sven, hold him while I scan you," said a female voice.
"Why do you always have to scan me, Mardi?" whined my captor, "You know me!"
"He might have planted a chip on you."
There was a buzz behind me which would have stung my ears had they not been nearly frostbitten.
"See what I mean? Looks like your new toy is chipped. Turn it in."
"I liked this gun."
I could feel someone close to me as they ran the scanner over my body. The faint brush of fur told me that it was a beast man. Once they reached my neck, the machine buzzed again.
"He's chipped in his neck," she said.
"Is it a tracker?"
"Bigger than that. I couldnt tell you what it is. I'm gonna fry it."
There was no time to react as two metal prongs touched my neck and there was the whine of a capacitor charging. A split second later, I cried out as it arced through me. Oddly enough, it felt good. Better than anything, actually. I had an itch I didn't know needed scratching. I ended up being held by the arctic fox as a new face peered down at me. She was one of the dog kinds, a German Shepherd with a wide head.
"Now don't you feel better?" she asked.
"No."
The fox patted my face in a demeaning way with his stupid grin. "That was just volts. It's the amps that kill you."
I was taken into a room where I saw the last thing I expected. A Luxy Looker XXX sat in the middle powered by extension cord. Sven, as I had by that time learned his name, stood in front of me and patted the machine.
"This will be your home for the next few hours," said the white fox.
"But that's a consciousness uptake unit, and it's a model that's mostly used for sexual playback."
"I know damn well what it is!" he barked, "We can't afford the best."
"It's the only way to make you understand," offered the German Shepherd, Mardi, who was holding my still-cuffed wrists.
I finally snapped. I couldn't discuss Survival Suit technology with anyone or else I would be killed. If they were going to do it anyway, I'd rather it be sooner than later.
"I don't want to understand! Don't you get it already? I hate you guys! I wish you had never been made!"
I would have preferred that the fox had just pistol whipped me or killed me right on the spot. I wish he would have kept the Popper if that had been the case. I'd rather puff into a fine, inhalable mist than bleed out on the floor like a bitch. But he just chuckled.
"No one has ever seen what we're about to show you and not changed their opinion. Many people had to work undercover to get the information in that machine," said Sven.
"And what kind of information is in there?"
The dog behind me said, "It's a memory. Not many people can record their memories you know. The surgery is very expensive. This is the memory of a servant."
"Oh yeah? How far along in the memory until he gets laid?"
Sven laughed again only more boisterously, "Oh my god! Oh that's funny right there! I mean, it's so not right, but so funny! You are going to feel like such an ass later."
"That is pretty terrible," admitted the dog behind me.
"Just stick him in there and he'll get the idea," said Sven.
I was tugged over to the machine and my head was carefully placed inside.
"You've been in the military, so you must know all about these things," said Mardi, "It's just a memory, and it's not one of yours either. Don't go trying to change things because nothing will happen."
The machine started to power up. I was a little concerned about what I was going to see. It was only a moment before my thoughts weren't my own.
_My bedroom. I always hated how small it is. Just big enough for me, I guess. At least I have my own bathroom.
Time to brush my teeth. Lord Adams has a larger bathroom. Much larger. In fact, I bet I could fit about twenty people in his shower. I don't know why anyone would want that many people in their shower._
A quick look in the mirror... yeah. I'm looking good. Maybe I'll see Sharon today? She's the funniest, hottest feline I've ever worked with. Just a few more days and maybe I can woo her with my intellect and dashing good looks. Or maybe not.
Whoa. I'm already heading to Adam's room. I hate it when that happens. I don't like my days to just run together like that. I have to tread carefully. A few extra kilograms of pressure on the floor sensors will set off a lockdown. I remember that it's only calibrated for me, Lord Adams, and some of the state personnel. Just what is it supposed to protect from anyway? What a crazy man.
He is crazy though. I never trusted him. He always looks at me funny. I mean, the guards or dignitaries just ignore me, but he's different. It makes me feel so weird. Who cares though? It's not like he's a bad guy. He is a lord after all.
There's Sharon, there's Sharon! Oh my.
"Hi there Sharon. Where are you off to?"
"Just heading over to breakfast. Aren't you coming?"
Oh no. She's invited me but I can't go!
"I... can't Sharon. Lord Adams likes his room cleaned early in the day. You know how he is."
"So picky!"
"Is lunch good?"
"Sure thing, just let me know."
_Yes! Oh yes! I've got a date! Oh this is good. I'm going to clean that room just as fast as I possibly can! I know it won't get me any closer to lunch, but it might help me work off the stress.
And, here's Lord Adam's room. I know what to do, this will be easy. Wait, he left his computer on. I don't think he's ever done that. He's logged in too! What a klutz! I'll just log him off real quick... but maybe I shouldn't...
I mean, this is a once in a lifetime sort of deal. There might be some really important stuff on here. Maybe, information I can sell. If I can just gather up some dirt on Adams, I could get him deposed, pick up some serious dough, and then get the heck out of here like those "free" servants I've heard of!
I have to do it. I could marry Sharon and leave with the money. He paid for my memory recorder, so all I have to do is look at it! Hold on, what if he reads my memory? Oh well, I'm dead just for thinking of it anyway. Let's take a look._
So many files just sitting here! I'm glad I at least know how to use these things. Maybe he has something in this folder. SS... whatever that means.
Here's something. It's a blueprint for some kind of... clothing? I think it has some electronics in it and like... scuba gear or something. Well, it's stored in my memory, so I hope it's top secret.
C'mon... I need some dirt! Maybe in his video files? I just have to force myself to watch him with some prostitute or something, then we'll be set.
Interrogation 11/10/2966. Isn't that just after I was born? What could this video be. My father. That man at the table is my father. It looks like he is in prison or something. Maybe that's why I never met him. He's in prison I guess. I should bust him out.
"Where's the tech, kitty?"
"I don't have it."
His voice. I never heard his voice.
"Tell us!"
"I don't have it, you do! You just don't know about it because you're not high up enough! I know how far the Survival Suit technology goes and it's well out of your hands! Don't be surprised if this place gets bombed some day, or you just don't wake up one morning! It's not for you, it's not for anyone!"
"Shut up!"
_He slapped him! That bastard. I'll kill him. He slapped the man I never even met!
It's Adams! He's younger! It's his military days before he became a lord! He's interrogating my father about these stupid clothes._
"Why are you skulking around my room you pest?"
That wasn't the movie. Adams is back early! He's at the door!
"Are you looking at my computer? Are you?"
"I was just logging you off sir."
"Bullshit. I heard the speakers. You were watching the movie with your daddy weren't you? How many times have you seen it?"
I can't lie. He'll know.
"Just this once."
I guess I'll be alright. He looks like he has relaxed. But, he's right next to me. I hate being next to him. I know the humans can't smell it. They can't smell how gross he is.
"Uh-huh. So do you know anything about them?"
"About what?"
"The survival suits you moron? What did your dad tell you about them?"
"Nothing! I was only a few days old!
His knife! It was in his pocket. So cold I've never felt...
"Here bitch, put that on ice."
My ear. Its my ear on the floor. It hurts so much. Why did he do that? He'll go to jail. He can't do that. He can hit, but this isn't hitting. He cut my ear off. My ear! I have to hold back the blood. Doesn't he know? Why doesn't he care? I'm going to have to clean up the blood.
"You asshole. You'll go to jail for that!"
That's right, you're going to jail! It's in my recordable memory, remember? The one you paid to install? Dumbass.
"Not if I kill you. Lords kill their servants for fun all the time. I got a cousin who stacks shits like you five feet high and sets 'em on fire. You don't even matter you little experiment."
_My dad on fire. I can't think about it. The knife! He's so weak because he's old! I have it! I'm going to kill him! Bastard. He'll die and I'll run away...
There's blood all over my hands. I think he's still breathing. What have I done? Is he dead? There's a screeching noise. What is that? It's still so loud even with only one...
Footsteps down the hall. They're running so fast. Men at the door. It's those strange men with the boxes on their belts. They're shooting. I can't feel it. Why can't I feel it? I miss my mom. There's so many bullets.
Oh god, please be real. I want..._
"There's so many bullets," mimicked Sven, "You've died in those military machines, but not like that. Right?"
I wanted to wipe tears away from my face. They always stop it before the end. They always stop it. Or else you wouldn't want to kill. You know what it feels like if they let it run to the end.
I had no idea. I had only ever seen human memories, but a beast man's memory is exactly the same. The feelings, the sensations, it's all there. Nothing was a secret as I had thought. They know all about Survival Suits, just not how to use one. No one does. I was still dying.
"I'm sorry," was all I could say.
"It's alright," said Mardi.
I couldn't think of them as monsters anymore. Walking, talking animals means that they're just like me. I'm no different.
"I'm sorry. I had no idea."
"It's alright Grey. Just get over it. We're those freed servants he was talking about, some of them anyway," said Sven.
"How do you know my name?"
"We've been tracking you for a while. C'mon. I'll explain on the way to the briefing room," said the Sheppard.
I left the room with the uptake machine. I still a wreak, but it was then that I could take a better look at my surroundings. It was an underground bunker, much like an ancient missile silo. No windows that I could see, and it was filled of old machines and computers of all kinds.
"One of our agents in Kaskaskia stole a Survival Suit," she said in the dimly lit corridor, "He didn't know what it was at the time. It looked important so we kept it here. It wasn't until I reviewed the memories in our archives that I realized what it was."
We turned into a small room and I could see a metallic briefcase on a table. It didn't look too unusual, but that's the idea. The number "95" was illuminated by a harsh fluorescent light. It wasn't just any Survival Suit...
"Yours, right?" asked Mardi.
"Yeah."
"Hey let's get Donuts in here; he'd love this shit," suggested the fox. He stuck his head into the corridor and shouted, "Yo! Donuts!"
It was a short time later that a skinny snow leopard arrived. He had on some dowdy clothes. He was a big ball of stress. Not a man for the field.
"You're G-Grey!" he stammered, "I'm Donuts. I'm sort of the tech guy here, I guess. I-I wanted to use this thing, but I guess it's calibrated for you or something. It's obviously not for someone like me."
"That's right, it's for humans only," I explained "Each suit is also custom made. Even if there was a human in here, I doubt he'd be able to use it."
I couldn't believe it. I was committing treason and it felt so easy.
Donuts went and opened the case. It looked so normal. Nothing like you would by at the store, but not far from it either. The only tip off that it was something special was the visor.
Donuts ran his paws over everything. He was being very gentle. I appreciated that as a touch or bump could ruin the suit. He found a rigid structure off to the side.
"What is this?"
"That's the exoskeleton. Not like a military one for fast running or heavy lifting, just enough to keep even weight distribution and lock out my legs for resting."
"And this?"
"The visor," I explained, "There are three, micro-cameras aligned vertically. Ambient, night vision, and thermal."
"What's this?"
"Catheter."
Donuts dropped the small tube with a comical look of disgust.
"Well, I'll just let you explain from here on," he said, "I guess the main question here is what it does. So..."
I gulped once before I answered. I knew there would be no turning back. I had already seen too much, they had already seen too much. It was over.
"It turns me invisible; completely. The survival suit is optical, thermal, even sound camouflage. There had been experiments with meta-materials to pipe light from one side to the other, but the simplest way is with nanotechnology. I guess the best way to explain it is to talk about bug eyes. You know how they have many, tiny lenses? The survival suit is coated with the same thing sort of, only next to each lens is a pixel-wide screen that displays the view of the camera on the other side"
"You're kidding me," interrupted Sven, "I mean... this has been done before. What's so important?"
"I'll show you," I said, "One more thing, you may have noticed that only my right arm, my dominant side, is free. And even so, it fits into a kind of holster. This is to preserve the effect. My entire left arm is encapsulated in the suit. My left hand and tongue control everything."
"Just put in on you big geek," ordered Sven.
It took only a minute for me to put the suit on once they cut the handcuffs off. The hardest part is avoiding touching it. I had my head up in the visor soon enough. I wrapped my mouth around the breath diffuser and switched it on. The effect is instant and shocking to see in person, but my captors were less than impressed.
"Well, that is something at least," said Mardi, "but I can still see you. Not as well, but you're still there."
I un-holstered my right arm, exposing the bare underside to switch off the lights. They all jumped as their eyes got accustomed to the darkness, however I could see perfectly once I switched cameras. Donuts was the first to fumble for the switch.
With the lights back on, all there of them looked around searching in every corner for me. It's easy to stand in plain sight. But if someone is looking, they will find you. I had to move in an unexpected and inorganic way. I followed in front of Sven facing him, letting the exoskeleton take the tension out my legs so I could rest comfortably as I crouched below his line of sight.
"That door didn't open, right?" asked Donuts, "If it did, he could be anywhere."
"Man, I can't see him," said Sven, "I know he's here, but I can't see him. I can't even smell him. Do you know where he is Mardi?"
"I can't see him," she said, "He could be anywhere. Donuts, just what can that thing do?"
"Shit, shit shit," quietly repeated Sven.
I let them cook for a few seconds more before I gave Sven a shove and turned off the suit. It felt so good to be better than him at something. It was another minute while I took off the suit as they insisted that I never do it with out their permission.
"Why couldn't we see you that time?" asked Mardi.
"It's all perception," I explained, "At first, you knew where I was and I was in your line of sight. You saw me turn it on. Just now, I was in front of Sven the whole time."
The snow leopard was visibly shaking as if the cold was getting to him through all of his fur.
"Grey, c-could there by a Survial Suitist in here, right now? That's what Adams was afraid of in the memory, right?" he asked.
There was no way around it. I couldn't just lie to him. Someone with a Survival Suit could be anywhere in the world. They could slip in even through the squeaky and narrow front door to the bunker. I knew the truth. I had heard it while in training.
"Number 23 is here."