The Henders Conflict

Chapter One

Three years later

'Gentlemen, if you would please, have a seat. Before we begin, I would like to introduce you to Dr. Daniel Ethne, one of our leading scientist on the understanding of the ore, who will be joining us today. Daniel, for your notification, you are in the presence of Lucas Lunson, Martian minister of external affairs; and general Stormborn, but I believe you and Victor already know each other quite well.'

'Yes, Mr. President.'

'Excellent. Now, Victor, give us some good news. These are troubling times and I want answers.'

'I am glad to say that Phase one is finally complete. We have used the Ore to create hundreds of improved suits and the first few subjects are ready for field testing. The Academy is on its way to a bright future.'

'Good. How much of the Ore is left?'

We have used as much as we had at our disposal. The remaining fragments are in Ethne's lab.'

'Excellent. Now, doctor Ethne, how are our prized pupils doing. I assume their wellbeing is carefully monitored.'

'Experimentation and careful examination of the subjects have shown that exposure to a very small amount of the Ore drastically enhances physical and cognitive abilities. However, the proper dosing of the ore per suit is essential. If exposed to a quantity of ore above the maximum the subject starts to hallucinate and death incurs within the hour.'

'But you have found the proper dose?'

'Yes, Mr. President, long ago.'

'Are there any other effects?'

'The ore seems to be emitting some kind of radiation of late. This only occurred to us recently, probably due to the lack of proper measuring equipment we have had in the past. The radiation only emits from the Ore when it comes in contact with the subjects. The radiation pattern is immensely complex and we are still working on what the effects are, because we have found none so far. The subjects don't notice it. But there is one thing...'

'What is it?'

'It; s the radiation pattern. The first time we noticed that the ore started emitting radiation I went to the laboratory to study the piece of ore in question. This is where I found out that if you separate the subject from the ore, the radiation stops. The chemistry behind the composition of the ore is incredible. It's structured in such a complex way that;'

'Get to the point, Ethne', Victor said.

'Alright. When I put the data from the radiation detectors into the system, the system recognized it.'

'That's absurd. Before the Academy project, no-one has ever touched the Ore. How can something we came across less than a week ago already be in our computer system?'

'The system recognized it, but I couldn't trace the origin. I accessed Luna's main data grid and started digging. The data was hidden away, but I found it.'

'Well? Why did it recognize the pattern?'

'Because the radiation pattern matched the one of.. of earth.'

A deep silence fell onto the room. The three men stunned by what they just heard.

The president was in deep thought. Everyone could see it from his face. A small muscle in his neck started twitching.

The president got out of his chair and straightened his suit.

'Gentlemen,' the president said in a soft but serious voice, 'I know what you are thinking right now, but the time for speculation is over. We need answers. It is time we went back to Earth. Victor, this is where we'll get to see what your subjects are able to do. We will also need a team to investigate the origin of Crying Dead Day.'