• Part 1
    The escape
    “Run damn it, run!” I yelled, leaping over the fence. “You damn clone! I’ll get you!” cried the guard who was chasing after us as we burst through the foliage. He would stop chasing us at the tree line. This was our land. Everybody thought that the GMARC dumped all the experiments and mutations in the woods. A bunch of stupid crap from the endless pile called the government if you ask me. We stopped to catch our breath. “You good?” I asked Zack. “Yeah, fine.” he replied. He was my best friend. Ever since we had come out of the growth tanks, we had been buddies. We had spent our time in our dorm/cell, dreaming of the outside. Beyond the fences and barbed wire. Beyond the guard towers with gauss canons poking out the windows. Dreaming of escape. I guess I should explain. We where clones. 50 others that looked exactly like us stood somewhere in that gleaming building we where running away from. The year was 2832. GMARC, or the genetic mutation and replication corporation, made things like us every day. The clones where used as organ donors or soldiers. The mutations where frightening weapons of awesome power. People came in every day wanting to buy us. Or part of us. It sucked. But that’s life. And now, today had been the final straw. Zack was scheduled to be cut up and shipped away today, all because some stupid rich politician needed a new arm, or kidney, or heart, or whatever. The point was he was done for. So we ran. They told him he had five minutes for goodbyes, and we had slipped out of a window. Now here we where, in the woods. Wanted. I looked around, and heard a deep keening howl in the distance. Definitely not the normal German shepherds used by the guards. No, this was something more sinister. I figured we had maybe ten minutes before they got to us, so I shook Zack and told him to get moving. We got maybe half a mile before we heard the howl again. So much closer than before. “Zack…” I started, taking our small tri barreled blaster out of its holster on my thigh. “I hate stupid mutations…” he said, pulling his 8 inch hunting knife out of its sheath on his belt. Just then, the thing charged through the brush at blinding speed. Ten feet of horrifying beast, a panther/horse mix. Half a ton, probably more. We where mince meat. It glared at us with its pulsing orange eyes, and pounced. I emptied an entire clip into the thing, and it barely even flinched. Maybe some rhino in there to. I rolled sideways just in time, and reloaded. The thing turned on Zack, and he went pale. “Hey kitty kitty!” I shouted, drawing its attention away from him. I loosed off five more shots, and it roared. “Do something!” I yelled, hoping for some help. It came. Zack jumped on the thing’s back. It bucked and kicked, trying to throw him off. “Damn it!” he yelled, after his third knife broke. “It’s got leather thick skin! I can’t cut through it!” crap. This was a problem. It reared back on its hind legs, and he flew off. I saw my chance, and my target. A patch about two inches in diameter, a gray discoloration in its camouflaged fur. It was the spot where they had grafted the armor skin on. I shot twice into it, and the mutation roared one last time. With a final snort, it fell on its back. “Are you crazy?!” I screamed at Zack. “What where you thinking, jumping onto its back?! Your crazy.” his only response was to grin, and say “yes, I am.” I glared at him. He had red eyes and blonde hair. I had brown hair and the same color eyes. Our eyes where part of an experiment that GMARC was doing. They could interpret things at slower speeds, so we saw things in slow motion. We could also see through walls or other objects that where less than three feet thick. It helped in combat situations. It was also pretty cool, I guess. I slotted a new clip into the gun, and started walking. After another mile, we set up camp for the night. “So…” I started, trying to make conversation. Suddenly, Zack sat bolt upright on his log. “Don’t move.” he said calmly, drawing a knife from his belt. He took careful aim, and whipped it at something behind me. I turned around, and saw a small girl limping out of the woods, cringing in pain and swearing at us. The knife had gone through her leg, and she had pulled it out. She was still holding it. She was wearing the clothes that all clones at GMARC wore. The standard white slacks and same color tee shirt, but she also had on a black jacket and a white scarf draped around her head, so all we could see where her eyes. She glared at us, and threw the knife at Zack. It lodged in the log, clearly missing him by at least a foot. She then fell to the ground, bleeding heavily from the wound in her leg. “Oh damn, I think I hit an artery!” said Zack, bending down to examine the damage. He took a tourniquet kit from the medical supplies, and put it on. It staunched the bleeding, but she was still pale. We put her down near the fire on a blanket we found in her pack. “Why the hell did you do that?” I asked, staring at him. He looked pale. “I… I didn’t mean to…” he whispered. “She’ll be fine man. It’s not your fault.” I said, patting him on the shoulder. “Ugh… I feel like… ouch.” said the girl, starting to sit up. “Yeah, that’s normal. You got a knife in an artery in your leg, and you hit your head when you fell. You may have a concussion.” I said, sitting down next to her bed. She bolted up in surprise, apparently just noticing me. “You guys threw a knife at me!” she cried, leaping on top of me. She pinned my arms with her knees, and pulled my knife out of my belt. She held the blade to my throat. “Throw a knife at me, will you?” she asked. “Let’s be a bit more civilized, shall we?” said Zack, cocking all three hammers on the blaster as he held it to the back of her head. “Yes, lets” said the girl, standing up. She held out her hand to me. “I’m Meghan. And your names are?” “I’m Joe. This is Zack” I answer, shaking it. “No way! You’re the two clones that broke out of GMARC!” she shouts, and I can tell by her eyes that she‘s grinning. “You guys are heroes. Everybody’s talking about it! You’re the two clones that escaped!” she continues. Then she stops, and her eyes went wide. “So it’s true… you do have the surgically enhanced eyes!” Zack looks down, cleaning his knives. I suddenly become very interested in my shoes. Hey, I was used to scrutiny. They made us go through inspection everyday back at GMARC to make sure none of the “merchandise” was damaged. But another clone, not to mention a girl, that was a different story. So I continued to like my shoes, and she changed the subject. “So, what’s the supply situation?” she asked, rummaging through her pack. “Well, for weapons, we have at least six more knives, this blaster, and two makeshift bombs. We have no food. They don’t keep it in the dorms. We have clothes and blankets, And a good amount of water.” I say, making a checklist in the dirt with a stick. “I have some blankets and clothes, enough food for a week if we ration it and this.” says Meghan, pulling a long black box out of her pack. She turns her backs to us, and when she turns back around, she is holding one of the most amazing weapons I have ever seen. It’s a gauss rifle, a farshoot2830. It has a starlight scope clipped to it, with 60x4 zoom. And it’s one of the best sniper rifles available to anybody. “Where in the name of zergonith did you get that?” I ask, reaching out towards it. “Five finger discount at the guards’ barracks.” she says, laughing. We sleep in the woods that night, eating a light dinner. We take turns keeping watch on the GMARC building through the gauss rifles scope, filling each other in when we trade watches. We begin to understand each other. We begin to become friends. Then, at sunrise, we pack up.
    “Let’s go.” I say, putting on my pack. She follows. Zack scouts ahead, to watch out for patrols. “So you’re a clone?” I ask Meghan, keeping pace with her. “None of your business.” she says, cocking the bolt on her rifle. “Ok, ok, no need to freak out. Sorry I asked.” I say, stepping ahead of her. She looks at me. “I’m sorry. That was so rude. Look, I’m not a clone. As of now, I can’t tell you what I Am.” she apologizes. “So you’re human?” I ask. “sure.” she responds. “Hey guys! I found something up ahead!” shouts Zack, running towards us. “What is it?” I ask. “I ran all the way back. It’s a camp. Lots of people. At least a hundred campfires. And they’re armed.” he says, gasping for air. “Are they government, or GMARC?” I continue. “That’s the thing man; they don’t look official at all. they look like some kind of guerrilla faction.” he finishes. “We have to check this out.” I say. “Let’s go.” says Megan, and we start walking. Five minutes later, we are at the edge of a large clearing, spying on the large group of what appear to be soldiers. They are standing around campfires, holding large rifles. “What have we got here, some clone spies and their girly friend?” says a voice from behind us, and we feel knives at the back of our necks. “damn.” is all Zack has to say. We are led through the camp, to the back of the clearing. A table sits with six people around it, all leaning over an old age paper map. “We must strike now, or the camp will surely be overrun!” shouts one. “Nonsense, we need to pack up and flee.” calls another. “Sir, we have to strike or they will hunt us with…” “Silence!” screams the man at the head of the table, cutting off the woman who was just speaking. “We have guests.” we are hit on the back and driven to our knees. “Speak scum. Are you GMARC spies, or leviathans?” he asks. “Umm…” Zack seems at a loss for words. Megan is sitting silently, with her head down. “Neither sir. We aren’t spies because we ran away from GMARC, and we don’t even know what leviathans are.” I answer, mumbling. “Nonsense.” Says the commander. “The girl is clearly hiding something. Come on, off with that scarf.” and then boom, two soldiers are there, unwrapping the scarf. Underneath, she has curly red hair and a some freckles. As the last strip of cloth comes free, I can see her snapping at them with her deadly razor fangs. Wait. Fangs? Where did those come from? The more I looked at her, the worse it got. Claws that had been hidden under gloves. The fact that her face was very slightly elongated, like a snout. And her mouth was bigger than a normal human’s, and it was curved. She looked like a grinning shark. I didn’t think this creature I thought I knew was human at all. “What the…” Zack never finished, as we where all simultaneously knocked out. My last conscious thought was still spiraling around in my head, playing back to me over and over again. Because only one thing registered in my brain as the rifle butt collided with my skull. Meghan is a monster.
    Part 2
    The leviathans
    What are the leviathans? What is Megan? Is she a leviathan? Does that make her the enemy? Will they kill her? These, and many other questions floated around my brain as I lay there on my cot. Zack was snoring a couple of feet away. It had been a month since we came to the camp of the resistance. Megan was being kept in a cement bunker, and nobody was allowed in except for the interrogators. Zack and I filled our days with five mile hikes, target practice, and other military training exercises. But at night, when I had nothing else to think about… my mind drifted back to these same questions. And I still had no answers. Zack kept snoring away, and I jumped up out of bed, my mind restless. I went through my nightly ritual of walking in circles around the unguarded bunker. But there didn’t need to be any guards. The thing had a solid steel soundproof door. Though I was probably only about six feet away from her, it might as well have been a mile. Every once in a while I could feel the ground shake when she thrashed and bashed against the sides, or a reverberating hollow “thud” when she tried for the umpteenth time to brake down the door. But it was no use. This thing was made to take the force of a nuclear bomb. She wasn’t even putting a dent in it. “Megan…” I said, and slumped down and sat against the side of the bunker. I stared out at the tree line, my rifle at the ready. It didn’t pay to be unarmed in these mutation infested woods at night. I’m here I thought, hoping that she might hear me. As she smashed against the bunker again, I slammed my fist into it in frustration. “I’m sorry!” I shouted, and stood up. “I’m so sorry…” I muttered, and began to walk back to my hut.
    …

    As I sat by my campfire the next night eating dinner, a message runner came sprinting into our clearing. “the commander wants to see both of you. Now.” said the kid, and began running back to the map table. “what for?” I shouted after him, but he just kept running. “oh well. I guess we better go.” said Zack. We walked to the clearing where an old age paper map sat on a sturdy wooden table. I was surprised to find the commander wasn’t in his usual spot. I looked around, and spotted him at a space in the trees a couple of feet away, firing his rifle at some pop up targets. He never missed a shot. “come over here.” he ordered us, and we stood next to him while he finished the clip. He wore camouflaged cargo pants, with sturdy combat boots laced up to his calves. He had on a forest green tank top, with a belt of grenades and energy cells for his blaster attached to it. He wore a strip of camouflaged cloth as a headband to keep his short, spiky hair out of his eyes. He stood six feet and seven inches tall, an impressive and muscular figure. It was obvious that he was a natural born leader, with a determined spark in his eyes. This was a man who never gave up, never surrendered, and never made any retreats. “you summoned us sir?” I said, standing with my hands behind my back. “yes I did. You boys should get ready. We may have to pull out soon. The border patrol is requesting backup. The entire camp will soon be on the move.” he replied, and put his rifle back onto its strap. “anything else?” I ask. “yes. We have found that she is suitable to join the rest of the camp, and we are releasing your friend.” he says. “you can go to the bunker. We are about to open the door.” I sprint off into the tree line, not waiting to be dismissed. As I race through the woods, I think about what is about to happen. will she hate me for not trying to get her out? Will she want me dead? What will I say? I think to myself. I arrive out of breath at the bunker. “stand clear!” shouts a large rebel as they unlock the door. It swings slowly open into a dark void. Then, a word. Just one. “kill.” it rings out quietly, and the crowd goes silent. Out she comes, and she isn’t happy. Megan is in full kill mode, swinging her claws and snapping her fangs at anyone close enough. I intercept her claws just as she is about to eviscerate a guard next to her. I grab her wrist, and push her back. “stop.” I say. As I look into her eyes, her pupils shrink back to their original size. As she slowly lowers her claws and stops baring her fangs, she stares at me wide eyed. “Joe…?” she says, coming back from her frenzied rage. “yes. Its ok. You don’t have to stay in the bunker anymore. Its me. Your alright.” I say. She faints. I rush towards her to stop the fall. I walk back to camp with her in my arms. When I get back, Zack sits down by the fire. I lay out a bedroll next to the flames, and place her down next to the blaze. “throw a knife at me, will you…” she says weakly, then chuckles. I grin. “go to sleep. I’ll make sure your ok.” I say, as her eyes close. As I sit on a log next to the fire, Zack stares at me. “what was that?” he asks. “she fainted.” I respond. “you love her. I can tell.” he says. “no I don’t.” I answer. “you cant lie to me Joey. I am your best friend. I know the truth.” I sigh. “so what?” I ask. “nothing.” he says, smirking. I swing my fist at him half-heartedly, and he brushes it aside. “go to bed.” I tell him. “nah.” he answers, staring absentmindedly into the fire. “what’s on your mind man?” I ask. “don’t worry about it. I’m just thinking about the border fight between us and the leviathans. We might get deployed soon.” he says. I stand up. “I know. Good night, Zack.” I say, and go to my bed in the hut.
    …
    The next morning, I wake up first. I Grab a piece of meat from the dead buck in the ice box, get a pot of water from the tap, get some roots and vegetables from the cabinet, and cook a pot of stew over the fire for breakfast. After three days of nothing but canned food and powdered field rations, the smell draws my friends from their beds. “food.” mutters Zack, stumbling towards the fire pit. Megan murmurs something inaudible and slowly steps towards the smell of food. As we sit by the fire chewing venison and drinking broth, Megan picks up her head and looks towards me. “thanks Joe.” she says, and stands up. “agreed.” says Zack, taking the bowls to the stream. As he washes them, I walk over and stand next to Megan. “hey.” I say. “hey.” she replies, yawning. “you ok?” I ask. She nods. “you know something?” ask. “what?” she wonders. “your pretty cool.” I say. “you to.” is her response. “your more than just cool.” I say. “your great. And a good friend.” she yawns again, then smiles. “thanks Joe. You to.” I stand there, wondering how to voice my thoughts. “Megan… I…” I am interrupted by Zack coming back from dish duty. “come on you to. Lets go to the map table and see what we are going to do today.” he prompts us, and starts to walk away. I look at Megan. She looks back. Then, we follow Zack together out of our camp. As we arrive at the clearing, we see a group of rebels standing around the commander. “welcome. Our brave men at the leviathan border are requesting back up. Get your gear and lock and load. Be back here in two hours.” he barks the orders. Soldiers scatter to their huts, grabbing their gear. “Joe.” he calls me over. “yes sir.” I stand at attention. “I want you to have this.” he opens a box on the table. Inside is a large steel compound bow, with a belt quiver full of arrows. I pick it up, and try to string it. The first to times I fail, but then I get it. “whoa.” I say, as I pull back the string. “how many pounds of draw?” I ask. “seventy-five.” says the commander. “amazing.” I say, pulling one of the arrows out of the quiver. “careful. Those will explode.” he says. “thank you sir.” I say, shaking his hand. “use it well.” he says. “I will.” I assure him. I run back to my hut, and grab my other weapons. I put on my field suit, a suit of lightly armored camouflage fatigues. I put my bow on my back, right above my rifle. I slip my pistol into its holster on my hip, and clip three grenades to my belt. Zack puts on his field suit, and puts his heavy blaster on his back. He grabs several belts of power cells, and a couple of grenades. At his hip, he caries a lightweight, compact, HF flamethrower. Megan grabs her gauss rifle, a pistol, and several balanced throwing knives. It was time to pull out. It was time for war. After grabbing our gear, we meet up by the campfire. “hey.” I say to Megan, as we start the walk to the map table. “I was going to tell you something before Zack interrupted us.” I look at Zack, who is jogging a few feet in front of us. “what is it Joe?” asks Megan. I can tell by the look on her face that she knows what I am about to say. I put my arm around her shoulders. “what if I said I loved you?” I ask. “then I might say that I love you back.” she replies. “then, since that’s cleared up, I want to tell you something.” we are both grinning. “I love you.” I say. “I know. It was kind of obvious for a while.” she responds. We both say nothing for a little while. After about a minute, she says. “I love you to.” and she leans in and kisses me. By now, Zack is hanging back and listening to the conversation. “took you two long enough.” he says, and I punch him on the shoulder. We all laugh, and continue walking to the map table. By the time we arrive, the last of the troops are just coming in. a convoy of trucks and hover tanks are being loaded up with soldiers and ammunition. The commander is poking out of the roof hatch of a tank, loading a large energy cell into a heavy blaster. An officer stands before a single file line, assigning the men their positions on the vehicles. Me, Zack, and Megan all get in line. “you three.” says the officer. “I want you driving that one!” he says to me. “you in the shotgun seat.” he points to Megan. “and you on the roof gun.” he says to Zack, and points towards our truck. He assigns two more men to the back seat, and we get in. “the men on border patrol need our help! Do any of you think that we are going to say no?” shouts the commander. The noise is deafening as the entire convoy screams in response. “no!” the shout. “then lets move out!” shouts the commander. I hear engines starting, and I turn the key in the ignition of my truck. The engine roars to life and I get the call on the radio. “we are got to roll. Lets move.” and I follow the rest of the convoy out of the camp. “you okay Joe?” asks Megan as she points her rifle out the side window. “yeah.” I say. We get to the main road, and the convoy picks up speed. “I got movement!” says Megan. Zack says the same, and I look out to the tree line. Large shapes move through the trees, keeping pace with the convoy. “its just some mutations.” I say. “they wont mess with us.” but Megan still watches them intently, and Zack is now on full alert. The two men in the back are talking and laughing about different war stories. Suddenly, the entire line of vehicles ahead of us stops, and I have to slam on the brakes. I hear screams and garbled messages over the radio, and I see flashing lights ahead. The sound of blaster fire rings out into the night, and dark, winged shapes glide through the sky, breathing fire down onto the troops. We had reached the border. As the vehicles slowly spread out to start killing leviathans, I have a clear shot to the border. I put the petal to the metal, while Zack and Megan open fire at the mass of leviathans. The border ditch has already been overrun. Large, bulked up people jump over the ditch and swing claws at our troops. The leviathans where attacking. I pull a hard right to avoid fire from the an aerial attack, and end up crashing the truck into a shell hole. “is everybody alright?” I shout at my comrades. “I’m good.” says Zack, clambering out and into the battle. Megan shouts “yes!” and kicks open the door, opening fire at the approaching crowd of leviathans. I get out, followed closely by the guys that where in the back seat. As I fire arrow after arrow into the crowd of enemies, more hop over the ditch and run at us. Zack starts spraying fire into the mass, taking them down like dominoes. Megan hunkers down in a shell hole and starts dropping leviathans with quick, precise shots. The monsters drop down from the sky, breathing fire into the lines of resistance troops. I fire an arrow into the flock in the air, dropping a group of them with my explosive arrows. Suddenly, a horrible sound rings out beside me. I look over to see the barrel of a tank get bent sideways until it points strait at me. I scream and try do get out of the way, but the explosion still knocks me out. As my vision slowly slips away, I fire one last arrow into the crowd before blacking out.