Love is Hell: Prologue
Note: If you haven't read either of my previous two series yet, read this journal first real quick to update yourself on the plot. Also, porn coming in next chapter, hence the M/M and M/F tags which are meant for the series as a whole, not the one chapter. U.S. Marine Corps Miami Air Station - August 7th,
2195 4:54 A.M.Kyle Blackmon had never
felt so confused as he sat alone in a small interrogation room housed deep
inside a U.S. military base along the Florida coast. Two hours ago he'd awoken
naked in an office building filled with the very demons he'd fought years before,
only to be rescued by a SWAT team and discover that he was now nearly two
hundred years in the future. His mind tried to piece together what had
happened, but for the most part his memory was a blur up till the moment he'd
supposedly blown himself up back in Panama. Finally, he gave up and decided to
just sit and stare at the silver window that hid two furs in the adjacent room.
No doubt the two of them were watching him, wondering just who he was. Blackmon
cracked a smile since even he was having a hard time answering that question
now. "So, what's the word on our
new guest?" asked Captain Eric Boles, a German Shepherd of medium height, "Is
he really like that other guy from four months back?"Standing next to Captain
Boles was Dr. Charles Dreier, an overweight lion with a trimmed mane and
growing beer gut that hung over the belt of his pants and made his white lab
coat almost impossible to button closed, hence why he currently left it open. Dr.
Dreier wasn't a psychologist by any means, but rather a physicist who worked
for the UAC's Special Projects Division, which was merely code jargon for
anything that would net the company another massive military contract. "Indeed, I believe so. The
alien outbreak in the Waltham Office Complex here in Miami was preceded by the
same electromagnetic disturbance we saw in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington
D.C. In all four cases the buildings were completely blacked out, with every
electronic system suffering some sort of damage, including those with level two
EMP shielding.""Not to mention those
creatures. How many did they find here?" Boles asked as he looked through a one
way mirror into the interrogation room where their strange guest, Kyle
Blackmon, had been sitting for the last hour. "Most of the building was
empty, so only a few of the employees were 'turned,' as they're calling it,
into those shambling zombies. Those who weren't infected were promptly killed
by the dozen or so 'crawlers,' as in the thirteen eyed humanoid creatures
capable of hurling fire. We also encountered a new creature that resembled a
cross between a feral dog and a large bull. Private Atkins suffered a severe
puncture wound to his leg before his team could put it down."Boles nodded and turned to
face Dreier. "Doc, I know these monsters aren't your specialty, but do you have
any idea where they're coming from?" "As in the source? None
whatsoever.""What of Mr. Blackmon
there? He's not like them, yet he arrived in the same manner as that other
fellow did.""Indeed, it is a mystery,"
Dreier admitted. "The police already interrogated him, don't you think you
should let him get some rest and go to the hospital before you have a word with
him?""The medics bandaged him up
good and proper, the most he'll need is a few stitches. He can wait another
twenty minutes for me to find out just what the hell is going on here," Boles
said as he picked up a tablet PC and walked out of the observation chamber to
join Blackmon in the interrogation cell."Alright," Boles said as he
pulled up a chair across from the folding table where Blackmon was seated, his
paws cuffed in front of him once more, "I'm going to ask you a few questions,
you answer them as best as you can, okay?"Blackmon nodded, but said
nothing."Name.""Kyle Blackmon.""Address?""2080 Copedge Court,
Alpharetta, Georgia."Boles looked up the address
to find it no longer existed. "Okay then, date of birth, year included.""October 8th,
1992.""You expect me to believe
that?""Am I giving you a reason
not to?" Blackmon retorted calmly."Occupation?""Unemployed.""Former occupations then.""3151 Assaultman, U.S.
Marine Corps, Lance Corporal in rank.""Serial number?""853-55-375.""...is that it?""Is what it?" Blackmon
asked, somewhat surprised."Why is your number only
eight digits?""That's what they gave me."Boles looked down at his
computer and found that a query for 00085355375 sure enough brought up an
employment record for a Kyle Blackmon, only he was listed as having been
deceased since July 27th, 2015."Mr. Blackmon, what
happened on July 27th, 2015?" Boles saw Kyle shift in his
seat, as if the invocation of the memory had struck a nerve. "I...I don't remember.""You're lying, Kyle. You
know what happened, I have the story right here. You're supposed to be dead,
and yet here you are. What the fuck is going on?"Kyle looked up from the
table to meet Boles' gaze. "I don't know, okay? The last thing I remember is
falling out of a window with a member of the PRA strapped to me, and a live
grenade strapped to him. Then it's just specks of some nightmare I dreamt, and
then I woke up naked in that office building with those demons.""Demons? You mean the
aliens we found.""They're not...okay well I
guess they do count as being alien in nature, but there's more to them than
that.""How do you know about them
then?" Boles asked as he chewed on the end of his stylus pen."I've fought them once or
twice.""Back when you were alive?""No.""Then when?""If I tell you, you're
gonna have me hauled off to Belleview's psychiatric ward," Blackmon chuckled in
response."Humor me, Mr. Blackmon.
Let's just pretend that everything you say is true, and that I believe you,
okay?"Blackmon shrugged again and
leaned back in his chair. "Well...it all started back in Afghanistan..."******An hour later Captain Boles
was sitting in his office, along with Dr. Dreier and a UAC fox in a gray
business suit who declined to give his name. The fox was merely a
representative of a the UAC's corporate higher ups, namely the ones who owned
half of Congress and held the keys to most of the U.S. Air Force's planes and
satellites"So Captain, is he just
like the other wolf who arrived?" asked the fox with an impatient twirl of his
paw."For all intents and
purposes, yes. Although he seems to know far more about these creatures than
our other friend did," Boles responded. "He's got some wild story about how he
literally fought death to save himself and his sister, who was apparently
cursed or something. At one point he claims to have gone to Hell itself and
narrowly escaped with the help of guardian angels...no, seriously."The fox coughed in
disbelief. "And you actually believe him?""For some reason...yeah. I
can usually tell when I'm being lied to. This kid, whether it happened or not,
truly believes what he's telling me.""This is nothing more than
some child's fairytale! For god's sake Captain, you're supposed to be a man of
logic and reason, and here you are believing something that my sister's
retarded kids would have heard in Bible camp.""Be that as it may,"
interrupted Dreier, "He did know much about the creatures we've encountered. He
ever referenced one we witnessed in Los Angeles.""The Knight, as you called
it?" the foxed inquired. "Yes, the behemoth with a
skull-like helmet capable of throwing deadly green plasma bolts. None of us had
mentioned that creature to him, and yet he seemed very familiar with its
physiology and methods of attack."The fox seemed somewhat
perturbed by this revelation. "What if he's one of them? A spy, or an
infiltrator of some sort? How do we know he won't turn into one of those
walking dead we always find?""That seems unlikely,"
Dreier advised, "The other survivor we found is still okay and has not shown
any signs of infection.""And where is he now?"
asked the fox. "Millions of miles away at
our Europa facility.""Europe is not that far
away you dolt," the fox uttered in exasperation."Europa...as in one of
Jupiter's moons. We established a small colony there thirty years ago to see if
alien life could develop there. Our first guest was sent there at his own
request to assist in the investigation as to the origin of the aliens we've
encountered.""What the hell could there
possibly be on Europa that relates to these creatures?" the fox inquired
agitatedly. "The science team there,
they found something. Something big. We just sent an archeological survey team
pulled straight from NYU to investigate," Dreier explained. The fox's eyes were wide as
dinner plates now. "W-what did they find? What could they find?! That moon's
been dead for its entire existence. Hell, we only put a colony there to harvest
water for our Titan orbital refinery.""According to their last
transmission they found an alien vessel lodged in the ice. From the looks of
it, it's been there for at least three, maybe four centuries.""Out of all the places we'd
find an alien ship, why Europa?" Boles asked.Dreier shrugged looked back
at the fox. "We only recently found it. We'll know more in a couple of months
once they start investigating it further. I do know that all signs of life aboard
it are dead though. If you ask me, this ship isn't related to the creatures
we've found here. These things act like feral animals, not intelligent beings
capable of mastering interstellar space flight and aeronautical engineering."The fox and Boles both
nodded in consent. "So, what should we do with
Mr. Blackmon for now?" Boles asked after a moment of silence."For all intents and
purposes he doesn't exist," the fox said purposefully, "And the last thing we
need is him telling anyone else this rubbish about demons and space aliens.
Fuck, half the country is demanding answers as to the last few outbreaks of
alien activity. If he talks with anyone in the media this could turn into a
full blown riot!""Since when does the UAC
care about such things?" Dreier asked curiously."Because the American
people are idiots, and since we're the company that found the aliens we'll be
the ones to take the blame for pissing them off!" "So what then, we detain
him indefinitely on a government base?" Boles asked."Of course not. I have the
full authority to register him as a UAC guest and provide appropriate
accommodations for him at the starport facility we have here in Miami," the fox
answered with a wry smile. Boles just shook his head
and looked the fox dead in the eyes. "I assume he won't be free to leave when
he chooses, and that I don't really have a choice in the matter?""Correct in both instances,
Captain. I'm glad you recognize that there's no need to involve your superiors
in this matter though, really I am."Boles was about respond
when his desk phone rang. "Captain Boles here.""Sir, we've just received
an urgent transmission from the Europa complex. General Morris and a director
from the UAC are waiting for you and your two guests in briefing room 3C, sir,"
came the message over the speaker.Boles affirmed his
understanding and then ushered his two colleagues upstairs to be briefed. In
the briefing room was a long table with eight chairs. General Morris, an aging
black bear in his fifties sat at one end of the table with a tablet computer in
front of him. To his immediate left sat an otter dressed in a gray suit nearly
identical to the one the fox was wearing. Like his friend, the otter had
declined to give a name. Boles and Dreier took seats to the general's right,
while the fox sat next to his co-worker. "Good morning gentlemen,"
Morris began, his voice groggy from exhaustion since he'd been awake for nearly
twenty-four hours now. "Thirty-minutes ago, we received a message from the
Phobos complex; a relayed distress call from Europa."Morris paused to operate a
small control panel built into the table that controlled a hologram projector
in the center of the table. After a moment, he pulled up a copy of the message
for everyone to see.BEGIN MSG: FROM - UAC Europa Complex AlphaRE: EMP DisasterUrgent! Urgent! At 15:31 hours EDST on August 6th, 2195, the Europa complex suffered a severe
electrical failure. Primary power and life support systems compromised.
Secondary systems not effected, thankfully. Damage control teams working on
repairs. Expect replenishment ship to arrive from Mars in three weeks. Electrical failure cause discovered to be EMP pulse.
Spectroscopes show its signature is identical to ones on Earth linked to alien
outbreaks. No signs of alien life at the moment, but mysterious events
currently occurring on base and around the artifact site. Requesting immediate reinforcements from U.S. military
personnel and UAC private security forces. Additionally, provide large enough
vessel to accommodate for a possible evacuation of the facility in the event
life support systems go offline again. Do not delay, crew on edge and more
electronic activity detected in atmosphere. -END MSG"As you can see, things
have escalated fairly quickly," Morris said once everyone had finished reading.
"It takes nearly twelve hours for a message sent from Europa to arrive here on
Earth, which means for all we know that base could be dust right now.""Excuse me, General," the
otter interrupted as he stood at his place. "Captain Boles, Dr. Dreier, you
both are being sent to Europa to help deal with this matter. Captain we're
sending 1st platoon, Easy Company with you aboard the U.S.S.
Sacramento.""Sacramento? That's not a
military vessel, it's a cargo freighter," Boles protested."We know. It's the only
vessel we currently have that's ready to leave right this minute. Plus, its
airtight and the empty cargo space can be converted into a living area for any
refugees in the event you have to evacuate the facility and bring everyone
home."Boles grumbled to himself
but said nothing. "Dr. Dreier, we understand
that you have been studying these electrical disturbances. We need you to tag
along and continue your research to see if you can determine the origin of
these events, and if it's possible to stop them," the otter continued. "What about Mr. Blackmon,
the wolf who appears to have been brought here by one such event?" Dreier
asked."It has been decided to
send him along. He claims to have military training, so if Captain Boles wishes
he can process Mr. Blackmon and fold him into the unit. However, Mr. Blackmon's
primary job is to talk with the other wolf who arrived six months back and
discover any common experiences between them regarding these aliens and the
electrical storms they bring with them. Maybe then we can finally start piecing
this puzzle together."General Morris stood and
addressed Boles and Dreier. "Alright then gentlemen, your mission seems pretty
clear then. Get to that facility, do whatever it takes to protect it and the
people there, and find out just what the hell is going on. Dismissed!" With that, the General lead
the way out of the room. The fox and otter argued amongst themselves, mostly
about how there had been no provision for any UAC mercenaries to tag along.
U.S. Marines were fine and good, but they did not report directly to the UAC
corporate board, and therefore there would be miles of red tape to deal with to
ensure that the U.S. Marine Corps instructed every man involved to keep his
mouth shut about anything he saw regarding the aliens. Back in the interrogation
room, Kyle was surprised when a marine entered, undead his cuffs, and presented
him with a rucksack preloaded with all his clothing essentials. Boles joined
him a second later and hustled him out into the hallway."Mr. Blackmon I know you've
probably got a lot on your mind right now, but it's all going to have to wait,"
Boles said as he marched double time down the hall."Why, what's going on?"
Kyle asked, utterly confused. "Something's gone down on
one of our off planet bases and we think it's related to the electrical
disturbances that brought you and another wolf here along with those
creatures," Boles explained. "You're coming with us as we reinforce the base so
you can talk to that other guy who arrived.""Huh, great.""I'm sure you'll get along
fine with him, he's a military guy like you who claims to have been alive in
the 1990s. It's funny, he's about your age and even kinda looks like you.""Oh yeah? What's his name?"
Kyle asked."Something really
antiquated...ummm, George Clark, that's it!"Kyle stopped dead in his
tracks and dropped his bag. "What the...Blackmon what the
hell's wrong with you, we gotta go!" Boles yelled before noticing Kyle suddenly
looked like he'd seen a ghost. "Blackmon? What's wrong?""George...Hamilton Clark?""Yeah, that's him. Why?""Dude...I mean sir...that's my
dad."