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_ ~~~CHAPTER 2~~~ _

Nothing left to do but scream...

"Greg, chopper's almost here. Look alive."

"Huh?"

"Helicopter. Flying towards us. Just thought you should know."

"R-right. Thanks, Francis..."

Somehow, our ride always seemed to get here precisely when my least favorite memory came to an end....

My earpiece came to life with another unnecessarily loud announcement: "Subjects Delta Four, Kappa Ten, and Omega Three, we have you in our sights. Please prepare for evacuation."

"That's a copy" Francis replied.

This was my squad, named Team Omega after my codename, but I always let Francis do most of the talking. Even though he was an ex-Marine, HAC chose me of all people to be the leader of our glorious, zombie-slaughtering threesome. I had asked why on several occasions, and each time received a different answer. 'You've got the drive to lead,' they said. 'You're more down to earth than most others.' Yadda, yadda, yadda... But I wasn't losing sleep over it or anything, though. My superiors thought I did a good job commanding Team Omega, and I wasn't going to argue with it.

It's just EVERYTHING ELSE I'm losing sleep over...

The large helicopter zoomed in on us, hovering about 20 feet above our heads. Rather than landing, they dropped a rope ladder out of the side door, motioning for us to climb up. Harry just smirked and teleported up; the helicopter blades sucking up his red mist by-product. Francis climbed up after that, with me bringing up the rear. And once again, they didn't even wait for me to climb into the cabin before starting to move.

"Christ, can you guys PLEASE not do that? Or at least not do that every time I'm the last one in?" I shouted over the loud sound of the rotors.

"Sorry, Greg. But we're low on fuel, and have to keep moving. We picked up three other squads before you guys today" the pilot replied.

I liked that guy. His name was Charles, and he was one of the only normal humans who actually bothered to learn my real name. The other passengers, two human HAC soldiers, had nothing to say during the entire flight back to base. They just stared at us. Probably wondering what it was like to be a hybrid. Or, more likely, wondering if THIS would be the day we hijacked the chopper and made off on our own, which was the real reason why they were here.

Where would we go, Detroit? Trick question: it burned to the ground months ago.

The three of us slept through the ride back, waking up in time to get off and get escorted to our millionth debriefing. They asked us the same questions; how many did we kill, how we used our powers, how did we specifically use our powers, did we use our powers in any new ways, on and on and on...

~One hour later~

"Oh my GOD that took forever" Harry bitched as we were walking back to our rooms for the night. "I mean, I know I've said it before---

Yes. Yes you have. Please shut up now.

---but this one DEFINITELY took longer than usual. I can understand some of their questions, but what the hell do they care EXACTLY how many fireballs I threw, or what temperature they were? Does it REALLY matter?"

Francis did me a favor by answering: "Yes, Harry, it does. They need to carefully assess our powers, to see if they're not slowly destroying our bodies or driving us insane. When I was with the Marines, we were asked out of place questions, too. They're always looking for soldiers showing early signs of instability."

"Well, why can't they just tell us that? It'd help if I knew why I'm being grilled so much."

"Because they don't want us to know that we're expendable and that if there's anything wrong with us, they'll get rid of us."

"Well, that's your opinion. Whaddayou think, Greg?"

Oh my GOD! Can I PLEASE grieve in PEACE, Harry!?

My fists clenched and I spat out a response before even thinking it over. "Huh? I'm sorry; let me remove my metal earplugs first. Then you can ask me ANYTHING you want."

Harry stopped walking while Francis and I kept trudging on ahead. But after a few seconds, he zipped in front of me and stopped me in my path, poking at my chest plate with his finger.

"Okay, I don't know why EVERY time we come back from a mission you go on an emo rampage, but I'm getting tired of it. I mean, I'm sorry if I ask so many questions, but you, sir, are our LEADER! Answering questions is what you're SUPPOSED to do. Who knows, maybe one day you'll finally tell me why there's a giant stick up your ass..."

I sighed. Even though I knew he'd wake up tomorrow all hunky-dory, he had a point. I wished I could just forget the past and focus on the future, however long or short it may be. But the truth was that I needed to remember. I needed to know why I made the choices I did and got involved in the hybrid program. My loss of everything important in life was what gave me my motivation on the battlefield, which in turn made me the killing machine I was today. It was exactly like making a deal with the devil backwards; I lost something great, but gained something else in return. And as long as I was able to continue using what I gained to remove as many zombies from the planet as I could, then at least I'd be doing my parents and Cali justice.

"Look, Harry, I'm sorry. Really. I'm sorry I'm such a dick to you all the time... You were my first friend here, and I want to keep it that way. I'm just... really tired right now. Let me get some sleep, and we'll play some Dead Nation tomorrow."

Oh, the irony...

Harry stared at me hard for a few seconds, until he realized I was being sincere. He smiled and said "Okay, man. See you tomorrow". We knuckle pounded, and he zipped to his room, leaving me and Francis alone in the hallway.

"Same shit, different day, huh? Ghosts of the past still driving you crazy?"

Unlike Harry, my other teammate knew EXACTLY what was on my mind.

"Yeah, you can say that... But it's getting weird now. I'm starting to miss Cali way more than my folks. I mean, I loved all three of them, but I loved Cali in both senses of the word. I see her, dying in my arms every time I close my eyes, and just wish I could've held her for another second. I don't know, does that make me a bad person?"

We started walking back to our rooms. No eye contact, no pat on the back, just me talking to my personal Dr. Phil.

"No, Greg, it doesn't. You can't love anyone like you can love your woman, that I know from experience. I've lost important people in my life just the same, but you losing your family and your girlfriend in the same day... That's the real kicker. I know you cannot and will not forget, but all I can say for now is at least try to find someone else who'll make you happy. Wouldn't Cali want that? For you to be happy?"

"She probably would, but I don't think I can do that right now---"

He stopped and stared into my eyes WAY harder than Harry did. "You've been saying that for four months now, Greg. Four. Going for a fifth?"

We were right outside his room, so we just left the conversation at that. He knew that I knew he was right, so we didn't even need any more words.

"See you tomorrow, Omega Three."

He went inside and shut the door, leaving me alone to walk to my room.

They're right.... They're both completely right about me.... Am I really doomed to be an emotional asshole forever? Will I go completely insane if things go on like this? What if---

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts I didn't see another hybrid walking down the hallway in my direction. She was just as distracted as I was by reading a book as she walked, and we appropriately bumped into each other.

"Oh, sorry Greg! I really have to stop reading while I walk. You okay?"

I was staring at the ground when we collided, but I could tell who it was by her voice alone. Her name was Kyla Briggs, also known as Subject Theta Twelve. A genuinely nice and optimistic HAC hybrid; something very rare around here. I picked up her book from the floor and handed it to her. "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks. Whatcha reading this time?"

She took her book back and smiled, apparently not upset that I had accidentally caused her to lose her place. "Dante's Inferno. I just picked one randomly off the shelf this time. Gotta stay entertained, right?"

We never really had any extended conversations with each other, just a quick hi and bye every so often. But there was a hint of sweetness in her voice, slightly more than usual just now. The reason for it, however, was obvious. I could tell, even back when she was a new recruit, that she liked me. It was in her eyes. And maybe the fact that I could hear her heart beating faster than normal had something to do with it. I wasn't sure what about me seemed so appealing to her, especially given the 'half-human' thing. I figured that either she was attracted to broken men, or just used to be a metaphorical furry and happened to like whatever the hell I was.

But despite all my grief, it wasn't like I'd never thought of her, either.

It's... It's almost like the universe is throwing me a bone here. She likes me, for whatever reason, and I'm the one in desperate need of a woman's love. What excuse do I have not to start a new relationship with her? What excuse do I have not to give a relationship with her a shot?

...The fact that I'm a giant pussy and still can't get over Cali. That's my excuse...

"Yeah, especially with no more internet, books are making a big comeback, huh? Our high school English teachers would be so proud."

She laughed at that. Not an amused chuckle; a full-blown laugh. It was good to know I hadn't lost my touch with making jokes, but I still wasn't ready to try anything else with her right now.

"Uh, Kyla, I'm sorry, but I gotta run. One of my teammates needs my help with something. I'll see you around, though."

I am such an asshole...

But my excuse seemed to be enough to fool her. "Sure, don't worry about it I was on my way to bed anyway. My squad's mission lasted all day, and I am BEAT. Reading always helps me fall asleep faster. Good night, Greg."

"G'night, Kyla."

She smiled and walked away, while opening her book back up and resuming her fictional journey into the seven levels of Hell. I watched her out of the corner of my eye, seeing her hips sway in a manner that was clearly meant to spark interest.

Overall, Kyla wasn't as hot as Cali was, per se, but nevertheless wasn't too far off from my lost love's physique. Even though I never saw her as a human, she was still very good looking as a hybrid in my honest opinion. She was a snow leopard morph; white and light grey fur with dark spots. Her entire body, like Cali's, was finely tuned and muscle-tight, making her a lot stronger than she looked. The combat training we regularly undertook ensured we were all kept in perfect shape, but Kyla managed to pull it off better than most of the other girls here. Her most prominent feature, however, was her hair. For reasons still completely unknown to herself of the HAC scientists in charge of hybrid transformations, her neck-length hair had turned blue during the process. Not that it looked bad on her or anything; it matched her eyes perfectly and complimented her grayscale fur.

Power-wise, she was another cryokinetic like Francis. It was almost like they give people with arctic animal DNA ice powers on purpose... But what I liked about her fighting style was that she used her powers defensively, rather than like Francis using his for brute force. It just seemed to suit her better; picking off individual zombies with ice beams and standing on giant ice towers to keep her distance. She didn't like the job as much as others, but understood that it was all for the good of humanity. Or whatever's left of it anyway.

I finally reached my room after this third conversation of the night. I closed the door, turned off the lights, and just sat on the edge of my bed. Just sat and stared at the floor, thinking about all the things I'd said and heard in the last ten minutes. Thinking about my future... About these people that had acted as my new family for over a year now... I never even knew any of them before the apocalypse, but I wished I could've had them as friends back when I was happier.

When I was human...

~Two weeks after Z-Day~

"Are you entirely certain you agree to our terms, Mr. Ossland? We're required to remind you a final time that this is a one-way path. Your life as you know it will never be the same again. It will be devoted to the scientific advancement of winning this battle against the living dead."

"Yes. I'm sure." I stared at the floor as I spoke, still not in a mood to make eye contact with anyone.

I was at the quarantine base the soldiers took me to on Z-Day when one of the resident doctors came to me with a proposal. He had overheard that I had been reduced to an antisocial, blank-eyed loner who just sat and stared all day after Cali's failed surgery. He figured that my loneliness and emptiness would give me nothing to lose, to which I told him he was right and that I'd do whatever he was asking. Next thing I knew, I was being flown to this top-secret underground bunker; Human Advancement Companies' seventh base across America.

But only now was the real part starting.

"Very well then. Please follow me" the scientist said as he shut off his tape recorder. It was to let the record show that they now had my permission, written and verbal, to use me for any experiment they wanted. We left the briefing area and took the elevator down three more levels, ending up in a room full of small glass and metal pods.

Normally, these kinds of things would probably have been government regulated, but Z-Day changed that. The initial outbreak was so bad that almost every political figure in America was either zombified or went into hiding overnight, leaving "we the people" to defend ourselves. With no government breathing down the necks of the major corporations that managed to survive, they were free to do pretty much anything they wanted. It didn't matter to me though. I knew I wouldn't last long in this horror movie called Earth anyway. Either that, or the experiments would kill me and end my internal suffering. Win win.

"These are the transformation pods, Greg. You will be placed inside one, and will breathe in the special chemicals we release into the pod. The pods are air-tight, but the process will be over long before you have a chance to suffocate. Once it starts, however, there will be pain. Survivors of the procedure have told us that it was the worst they've ever felt."

I broke my concentration with the floor and glared at him right in the eyes. "You don't know ANYTHING about pain" I rasped. He flinched.

Good. Be intimidated by me and my empty soul. It almost makes me happy.

"R-right then," he stuttered. "Please remove your clothes and enter the chamber. The light on the inside will turn from green to red when it starts."

I did as he said, not caring that I was nude in front of a bunch of adults. I just wanted to get this over with. The pod itself was slightly bigger than I was, but I had plenty of room inside. The glass door closed down over my head, sealing me off from the rest of the world. I couldn't hear the scientists talking outside the pod, and I was pretty sure they wouldn't be able to hear me.

Yeah, they probably don't wanna hear me screaming whenever this mad science project is supposed to---

The light turned red.

At first, nothing. Then I could hear the gas flooding into the pod. Odorless and tasteless, but it was there. I was getting a little freaked out, but I continued to breathe normally. I could see the scientists furiously scribbling notes and making observations outside the pod. After a full minute passed, I was beginning to wonder if it wasn't going to work. But that exact moment was when it TOTALLY began to work.

"WRRRRRAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!"

PAIN! So INTENSE! My entire body was in white-hot AGONY!

I could feel my bones moving and snapping underneath my skin, changing to new shapes. My vision was blurring up and my ears weren't working properly. My limbs were changing, becoming more muscular and unnatural. All over my body, it felt like millions of needles were being forced through my skin, growing a couple of inches and stopping. My hands and feet were changing, nails being replaced with claws, the palms of my hands and the soles of my feet growing pads. Every one of my teeth fell out, with new, sharper ones painfully pushing through my gums and replacing them.

"AAAARGH! GUWAAAAAH!!! FUUUUUUUCK!!!"

WHAT IS THIS? WHAT AM I BEING TRANSFORMED INTO? They told me they'd make me immune to the virus, but why didn't I ask HOW!?!?

I screamed and screamed, thrashing madly inside the pod. I still couldn't see, but I could tell the damn scientists were still just watching and writing. This was happening to me, not them, so of course they were cool with it.

About thirty seconds in, the pain just became too much to handle, and I could feel myself blacking out. More, crazier things were going on all over my body, but I couldn't even feel them. I could only feel myself slipping into unconsciousness...

~~~

"Sir, he's regaining consciousness."

"Good. Keep him restrained."

I opened my eyes, and was instantly blinded by light. It might've been because my eyes were now more sensitive, or because my entire body felt so numb. Either way, it wasn't a good thing, because I REALLY wanted to see what they'd done to me. I tried to lift my head, but it was strapped down onto the bed I was lying on. I tried moving my other limbs, but found that every other part of my body was strapped down as well. I could only squint and try to make out the faces of the scientists in the room. Same ones as before, of course. One of them walked over to me with a mirror in his hands, and held it up to my face.

I almost passed out again when I saw what they had done to me.

I instantly recognized my new features as half-human, half hyena, with several of my unique facial features still intact. My face was the same shape, my eyes were the same color, and my hair was still there. I wanted to look more, but the mirror was removed while my bed was raised to a vertical position so the scientist in charge could talk to me on an eye-to-eye level.

"How do you feel, Mr. Ossland?" he said.

My throat was sore as hell, but I answered him anyway: "Numb. Very, very numb. But if you don't mind me asking, what in the HELL did you guys do to me? You said you were gonna make me immune to the virus, not make me into a half human freak!"

"We did, Greg. You are now a hybrid creature; half human, half animal. We found that our genetically altered hybrid DNA makes you immune to the virus entirely. No amount of infected blood or saliva will have any effect on you."

...Ok, that makes sense. But I'm still pissed...

"Then why didn't you tell me it would involve all this!?"

The scientist was unfazed. "I'll answer your question with one of my own: does it really matter? You yourself told us you had nothing left in the world, and didn't care what would happen to you. You even saw death as a blessing. It's almost like you were drunk off of sorrow and weren't mentally stable. But the good news is, you're not the only hybrid here. There are about thirty others in this facility at the moment, all of whom are part of the same experiment. You'll all be working together, combatting the undead with your new bodies and abilities."

This was even more of a surprise to me. "Abilities? You mean SUPERPOWERS?"

With a hopeful expression that somehow eased my fear and confusion a little, the scientist patted me on the shoulder and replied honestly. "All will be answered in time, Greg. For now, you need to sleep the pain and numbness off, clear your head, and tomorrow the answers will come. But think about this: there's one power you share with everyone here. You have the power to save the earth. Yes, it can't fix your past, but it can help build a better future, for yourself and for everyone here. You may even find this new body and the gifts it comes with to be... enjoyable. Just sleep it off, and we'll come to you tomorrow."

As much as I wanted to challenge him, I knew he was right about everything. I had no argument. Maybe it was the fatigue and numbness, but I couldn't think of a single thing to say.

Maybe this is good for me. Maybe this can be my way to blow off some steam and try to get back in touch with reality. But no matter how things turn out, I can't forget the past. I need it. I hate it, but I need it to be my motivation. Even if it haunts me every day for the rest of my life.

The scientist pressed a button on my bed which rotated it back into a horizontal position, then pulled out a small syringe filled with a clear liquid.

"I'm going to give you a mild sedative. You'll sleep twelve hours, and wake up refreshed and active."

He injected it as he talked, and in no time I could feel myself getting sleepy. As I was rolled away to wherever they were going to put me, I could faintly hear him say one final thing.

"Sleep well, Subject Omega Three..."