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Introduction

The streets were quiet, filled with an eerie foreboding. To say this was the result of a disaster would be a major understatement. As Thomas A Edison said "There will one day spring from the brain of science a machine or force so fearful in its potentialities, so absolutely terrifying, that even man, the fighter, who will dare torture and death in order to inflict torture and death, will be appalled, and so abandon war forever." He was right, except for one major part. Man did not abandon war, he embraced it. By this time many had become cold and heartless due to the immense fighting on their little rock. Fighting for this piece of land or that, they killed for a pile of dirt. When that ceased to satisfy them, they fought for a different piece to add to theirs. The thrill of war took over the human mind, changing it, forming the heart to be hard, empty, and cold. For a while, scientists worked tirelessly studying plants and animals, in their never-ending quest to design some sort of bio-weapon - Edison's weapon - a weapon said to end war forever. After years and generations, they still hadn't found anything. Then, one day, they found it. The discovery was simple, destructively so. It even provided its own delivery system. Such a design was incredible! All anyone had to do was release a valve. It dispersed itself. One twenty pound canister could decimate the population in a 500 mile radius. What was really interesting was that it would kill faster the farther away from it you got. But, oh the results! Sure, it wasn't the best way to go, but you can't argue with results! Subjects were needed to test cures and vaccines, and they were found. These test subjects were found in all walks of life: doctors, lawyers, drug dealers, gas station attendants, fathers, mothers, and even children. Most experiments failed, ending with the subject's disappearance from society. Only short articles were written about them. "Died in the line of duty," they read. Not that anyone cared. Everything had become so cold that no one cared about deaths or anything other than themselves for that matter. In actuality, each subject was injected with a sample of the doctors' idea of a "cure." Most of the time, the subject was unable to endure the testing, but some good ones were mutated. They were changed into something only part human. The scientists were meddling with gene-splicing and DNA modification in order to create a viral blood-barrier to the toxin, but nothing was bringing results without mutation of the test subject. Their creations were deemed unfit to return to the general population, and were stored in cells to be poked and prodded by the scientists. All the while, the creatures pleaded for death. I am subject F150, and I will tell you the story of the world after the Edison from the eyes of one who survived. I will tell you the story as seen through my eyes. My name is Wade Johnson, and I survived the Edison.

Chapter 1

Specters

I never had many friends, and most of the ones that I had were simply business friends. My former employment was not conducive to friends, so I became used to not having them. I wasn't happy, but I wasn't unhappy either. I don't really remember my childhood. I remember that I have loving parents that died while I was still young. My parents adopted another son sometime after I was born. He always seemed so quiet, so vulnerable. I could tell that he had wonderful ideas. He was just not inclined to share them with anyone. His name was difficult for most to understand, let alone pronounce, so most of us just called him Johnson. Years later, when my brother and I had gone our separate ways, I had joined with a small company that specialized in security consulting. However, we did not provide security, we taught others how to augment their own security, or make their security more efficient. My coworkers - James, Zaq, and Kryss - had quickly become my good friends. We had been working together in this business of James' creation for a long time. It was designed, in part, to offer civilians training on what to do in case of any disaster. We based some of it on the Red Cross, an organization we had learned a little about in school. According to history majors, the Red Cross was a group that made millions teaching martial arts to children in Kenya, and giving food to the starving country of California, before it broke off of North Americas and became its own island. We just wanted to help people help themselves, so we recruited some people that wanted the same thing. Our group had grown to almost 50 people, training and equipping the general population for a disaster. Business wasn't going very well recently. We had heard of a laboratory that needed test subjects, and they mentioned that they would pay handsomely. Many of our employees had already taken the offer. We thought over the prospect and thought that it couldn't be so bad. After some deliberation, we decided to go and apply. The four of us were accepted and given rooms to stay in for the duration of the testing. "It's probably just me, but does it seem like new people come in, yet the population here doesn't get any bigger?" James asked me. "Hmm, I guess," I replied, "I guess some can't hack it here." We were sitting with many from our team in the Cafeteria that was housed in Science Building 1243. I wasn't much of a talker, especially that day. Something just felt wrong, but I tried to shake it off. An amateur body-builder like me shouldn't worry about such things, I thought to myself. "I think this place is a big cover up," said Kryss, "a scam, so they can try out their new weapons and experiment on the remains." "Not too loud, Kryss," said Zaq, sarcastically, "they might hear you." "Give it a break, Zaq," said James, "And Kryss, can you just stop for one day, please?" I chuckled a little at the comments. Kryss always had some wacky ideas. Maybe I would have been a better friend to him if I knew what was going to happen. The next day proceeded as usual; we all went for our daily shots, but something felt off. The group and I soon figured out what it was. "Where's Kryss?" I asked as we entered the cafeteria. "Probably gathering some great 'evidence' on the 'system' somewhere," said Zaq, sarcastic as usual. "You don't find it a bit odd that people keep disappearing?" I asked. "Dude, what's the worst that could happen? So he left. This place scared him anyways." "No, Wade has a point," said James, "first, Johnson disappears, and now Kryss. You think they let him go, or something?" "You act like we're imprisoned here!" Zaq exclaimed. "If we want to leave, we can! Of course, we wouldn't get paid, but it's not like we need permission to leave." "Well, that's not a good sign," I replied. James nodded and looked down at his food. "I'm not hungry anymore." He said, standing up to leave. "I'll see y'all later." I watched my best friend walk out. "Who do you think will be next?" "It depends on what they're looking for. If they're looking for brawn, probably you; but if they're looking for smarts," he said, looking to where James walked, "probably James." "You callin me stupid now?" I asked with a chuckle. Zaq sighed, "My goodness Wade." "Okay okay, sorry. You know how I relieve tension. I just can't shake this feeling that something bad has happened," I said with a pause, "or is going to happen." "Wow, Wade, how deep," sneered Zaq, "You have the ability to say nothing and everything at the same time." "I aim to please." I said as I began to quietly eat.

Chapter 2

Chemical Tests

The next day I woke up and checked my schedule. I saw that I had more chemical tests and sighed. Chemical tests, a nice way to say injections of whatever crap they don't have the balls to test on themselves. Oh, the things I do for money. I took a quick shower and walked to my first appointment. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door. It swung open almost immediately and I saw the head doctor standing in the doorway. "Oh! You must be Wade! Honor to make your acquaintance!" he said with a bright smile and an extended hand. "I am Doctor J, but if it makes you feel better, you can call me J." I shook his hand and nodded. "Yeah yeah. Look, I hate needles, can we just get this over with?" "Oh, yes of course. This session will be short. Well, mostly short. The injection is, but the observation isn't." He smiled and ushered me in. I walked inside and sat on the chair in the middle of the room. The doctor wasted no time cleaning a spot on my arm and pulling out a small syringe. "Well, doc, that's a small one," I said with a grin. "It's not the size that-" he started. I immediately cut him off. "Doc, really? A size joke? Please, I'm not twelve." "I apologise," he said with a chuckle. He stabbed my arm and injected me quickly. It felt cold, very cold in fact, as it flowed through my veins. I looked at the doctor. He was silent, watching me intensely. "Doc? Aren't you gonna ask me questions?" His reply was short and quite surprising. "Nope," was his simple reply. Suddenly, it hit me. I tensed up in pain, feeling my muscles tense and grow. I looked down and watched as it looked like something was alive under my skin. I gasped as black patches appear on the outside of my arm and pale white spots on the inside. I check under my shirt, and sure enough, my chest was slowly turning pure white. "What was that stuff?!" I yelled. "Just some genes we use for splicing." Doctor J said with a grin. I started to pant as I felt my face shift and change. My nose and mouth started to be drawn out, my nose merging with my mouth. Soon, I realized what I had was a muzzle. I was a human with a muzzle! Well, at this point I couldn't really be considered a human. I rolled off the chair and laid on the ground, squirming in agony. My back felt like it was going to break out of my skin. I felt something push up and stop. This was all very confusing to me, but I didn't have time to think about it as the base of my spine began to hurt badly. I reached back to feel what it was. My eyes widened when I felt what could only be described as a tail. For a time, I entertained the fact of having a tail, but now that I had one, I was less than excited. The pain began to be too much and I saw the light slowly fade as I blacked out.

Chapter 3

Awakening

I awoke in a large, dark room. I must have been out for hours; I know what it is like to come to, but this felt different; I felt like I just completed a triathlon. I took a qick look around before getting up. Upon closer inspection I saw I was in some sort of cell; no, not a cell, a cage. It looked like I was in some kind of oversized dog crate. "What the hell?" I asked myself. "Yah, the first day is always the most difficult one," came a voice to my left. As I looked around, I noticed that I was not the only one in the room. This almost lightless room was filled with cages similar to mine. They were only about 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide and deep. Almost every cage had an occupant. To my left, where the voice came from, sat what looked like a cross between a person and a bull. "An Orca, I must admit, I haven't seen one like you before," he said, smiling, "I am John, but I prefer Bob." "Sorry if I don't shake your hand Bob," I said, still woozy, "the name's Wade. What did you say I was?" "Orca, Killer Whale, Orcinus Orca; in short, you are a whale. Well, if you want to be specific, you are a type of dolphin, but most call orcas whales anyways," he said, obviously well versed on the subject. "You seem to know what you are talking about," I said. "I used to be a marine biologist, before all this," he motioned to his own form. "How did you go from the sea to a landlocked laboratory?" "Well, I thought to myself 'I'm in good shape, and I take care of myself; I should be a perfect candidate for testing.' That and I was going nowhere financially." "I know what that's like. How long have you been here?" "I have no idea. Long enough, though, to see people like you and me go in and out of here. Now that I think of it," he said, his face showing deep thought, "someone did come in yesterday repeating four names. Wade was one of them." I immediately thought of Kryss, "What else did he say," I asked leaning in, "what else did you hear?!" "Calm down big guy, you probably don't even know the guy." "I would be willing to bet I do," I said, a little frustrated by his lack of interest. "It sounded like Wade, Zach, James, Johnson. He wouldn't stop saying it until he came to." "Where is he?" "Hmmph," said the bull. I watched as he produced a stick from under one of the many blankets in his cage. He slipped it through the bars behind him and gave a forceful poke to the cage's resident. The animal in the cage looked like a humanoid tiger. His fur was messy, but I could still see the telltale black stripes on an orange background. "What now, Bob," said the tiger, "can't you just let a sleeping cat lie?" "Someone wants to talk to you," said the bull, obviously still lacking any interest, "an Orca, says his name is Wade." "Wade?" he asked, still waking up, "don't mess with me, bro." "Kryss, is that you?" I asked, finding it hard to hide my relief. "Wade! Thank goodness it is you," he finally turned to look at me and was instantly surprised, "you look...different." "You're looking good yourself," I said chuckling. "I can say I know why cats like sleeping so much now." "So, if this is where we all go, have you seen Johnson," I asked, hoping my little brother was alright. "I saw him," he said, looking concerned all of a sudden, "I'm sorry Wade, but he didn't make it." Mixed emotions welled up inside of me; mostly anger. With a look that I am sure would terrify concrete I asked (actually, it kind of sounded like a growl), "what did they do?" "I don't know," Kryss continued quietly, "all I could gather was that he was one of the ones that didn't change. Next I heard, his limp body was taken away by a group of people talking about an autopsy." "They kill him then defile his body," I growled through my teeth. With a roar, I started beating on the bars of my cage. "Wade, calm down," said Bob. He was probably freaking out at that point, but I was so consumed with rage. "WADE," yelled Kryss, "THEY WILL PUNISH YOU!" At that point some men dressed all dressed in black quickly came to my cage with what looked like a huge cattle prod. "EVERYONE CLEAR!" I heard Bob call out. Before I could react they jammed the prod into my bars. Excruciating pain rocketed through my body. A squirrel could have easily knocked me over. I screamed out in pain. The shock seemed to last forever. When the shocking finally stopped, I heard a voice over an intercom say, "I am starting to think it was a mistake for me to allow any sound from any of you. One more outburst and I will shut up the LOT of you!" I never felt that I'd feel so dehumanized. I never imagined I'd feel like so much of an animal. Then again, I guess I was a human. Reduced to just a beast in a cave. I sat and sulked angrily.

Chapter 4

The End Begins

I wish I could say it got easier. I wish I could say that my first taste of freedom was sweet. But I can't. Freedom only reminded me of my brother. It only reminded me of my own loss, my own anger, my own pain. I heard that Zaq had made it into "the room" as well, but it wasn't until he actually spoke that I knew which one of the new arrivals he was. Originally, nobody was to my right, or immediately behind me. That was until this day. I guess those scientists knew that something was going to happen, because they did many more 'tests' that day. We had many new arrivals. The cages to my right and behind me were filled. One had a scaly-looking animal, I couldn't tell what, and the other, a black panther. The scaly woke up with a start, and immediately started hyperventilating. "You alright, man," I asked. "WHAT IS THIS? WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME?!" He was obviously very shaken by this new experience. "Welcome to hell," I said matter-of-factly, "and science happened." I could tell immediately that this was not my friend. My friend was very security conscious, and would never draw so much attention to himself. "Wade, is it safe," I heard the panther say. "Well, look who finally decided to make it," said Kryss, "to tell you the truth, it is about as safe as you want it to be." He opened his eyes and looked around. He was kind of hard to see in the dim light, him being jet-black and all. "Hmm," he said, inspecting his new form, "when everyone says expect the unexpected, I am sure this isn't what they mean." "That unexpected, huh," asked Bob. "How can you be so calm," asked the scaly quietly, but still very shocked. "There 'aint nothing we can do right now, is there," asked Zaq. It was nice that my friends were here, but this wasn't something I wanted for James. Sure, he was strong, and he is and was the leader of our little group, but I still didn't think he could adjust well. Actually, I found it difficult to see how any of us adjusted in such a short time period. This had become my reality; so much so that my dreams ceased being of me human. My dreams were of swimming; swimming in a deep, blue sea, surrounded only by the empty expanse of ocean. Time meant nothing to us. The light never changed, so we never knew what time of day it was. It must have been ten hours after Zaq's arrival that we all heard a hissing sound. Those men that watched us, and made sure we stayed in our cages suddenly started clawing at their necks. I saw the face of one of them break out in boils. They collapsed, wheezing. Then, everything stopped. Everything was quiet as we realized we were spared. Something about what had happened to us allowed us to survive an attack from an unseen enemy. I heard a click as all the cages were unlocked. We were free! I must admit, though, getting out of that cage was painful. After adjusting to standing again, I regrouped with Kryss and Zaq. We decided to look for James. Even if we find him dead, we needed to know where he was. We found a door out and began our search. We were not the only ones looking for something. The others from the cages, about 200 of us started pouring out of the prison. We searched every room. We found more and more evidence of a bioweapon as we searched. Then, we found him. "Oh, crap," I said under my breath, "I found him," I called to my friends, "he's here!" He was alive. I couldn't believe it, but he was alive. He was barely hanging on to consciousness, but he was alive. I looked around the room, and saw blood all over the walls. There was no explanation to that seeing as the gas caused a bloodless death. Then I realized it: I saw a form of who must have been doctor John. He had been affected by the gas, but it also looked like he had been mauled by something, and the restraints meant to hold James were snapped. I turned back to James, unwilling to accept that he could do such a thing. "I got you James, we're getting out of here." I picked him up as he said, "Wade?" He passed out as I carried him out of the facility. We found a building that we could hunker down in for a while, and Zaq and Kryss found some food and water for us. We really didn't do much; we were all worried about our friend. We wanted to make sure James made it through. There was no signs of life outside; no people, no cars, the stores were filled with the bodies of men, women, and children affected by the gas. It seemed as if we needed to restart our entire lives. Apocalypse; an idea I knew was real, but one I never thought I would experience in real life.

To Be Continued