Project Perses: Redemption

Prologue

Prologue

Twenty-Four years ago...it began.

 Excerpt from lab file 202339- Code Name: Project Perses

o   Perses: Greek origin.  Known as the Titan god of destruction. 

o   25 test subjects from various branches of the military

o   Multilateral genome study focused on DNA re-sequencing and cellular transmutation

o   Purpose: The creation of an injectable vaccination to reduce war-time stresses on military  personnel in the field.

o  Desired attributes of study: Marked increase in endurance, speed and level of effort expenditures.  Resistance to airborne pathogens with enhanced physicality.  Enhanced cerebral abilities and retainment.

Results of 6-month study:

It is the recommendation of this department that the project be terminated.  With the exception of one test subject, all applicants have expired.  The results of the process are inconclusive, as with the exception of the one still living test subject, all applicants expired before any marked change was noted.

Subjects demonstrated the following symptoms in this order: Psychological instability, uncontrolled tremors, convulsions, muscular atrophy, cardiomegaly, diastolic and systolic murmurs, stroke, and lastly pulmonary edema, which resulted in death.

Test subject 22, the only living subject from this study, has demonstrated the majority of the above noted symptoms, with the exception of psychological instability, stroke and pulmonary edema.  Due to the advancement of the symptoms, like those test subjects before him, he has been released to his familys care.  Life expectancy is less than 3 months.

Journal Update:

Test subject 22 has surpassed the life expectancy projected by this department by one year.  This department has voiced its concerns over the recent birth and the test subjects reluctance to continue the program. In light of the subjects recent AWOL status, this departments recommendation would be to terminate the program in full, including the last living test subject and his progeny.

Today...

Petty Officer Stacy Warner was having a difficult time staying awake at her post.  Her eyes felt like they had sand in them, and her vision was all blurry from staring at the monitors for hours.  All it would take is a blip in the systems algorithm, any sign that the system had intercepted a questionable conversation or any other internet traffic, and she would be calling up the ladder to her superiors. 

Not that anything like that had happened since she was assigned here.  She always got the crappy shift, thanks to that incident a few months ago where shed kneed her commanding officer in the balls because he grabbed her ass.

Of course no one had believed her when she tried to tell the tribunal what had happened.  Her CO, a very well liked and decorated guy with years of service, had swept it all under the rug with little effort, but damned if he didnt make sure that her new CO treated her like shit. 

Stacy shook her head, grumbling to herself.  She was lucky to still have a job; the NSA had been hard to get into, even with her years in the Army.  She'd fought hard to get this position, especially considering that she didnt have a lot of formal education in tech.  Everything she knew, she'd learned through osmosis.  She knew she was smart, and this was her opportunity to prove it.

She leaned back and stretched her arms over her head.  She was the only one assigned to this shift, like that was a surprise.  Of course her CO wouldnt assign anyone to work with her; she had the stigma of not being able to play well with others.  She felt herself getting angry again, knowing that if she'd just swallowed her pride and slept with the bastard, none of this would have happened.