Extinction

1 The AttackThe perimeter fence around the complex was scarcely illuminated by the moonlight. Careless guards smoked and their eyes had no time to adjust to the extreme light of the explosion that tore them from their sockets. The enemy was already within the secondary defences and fast approaching the main structure that loomed in their path as the remnants of the dead guards fell to the flame-scorched earth. This was the first time that the attacking force had hit such a high profile target. In fact, it was the first time that they had launched a major offensive operation and apart from the stealth of their approach, there was little finesse in the attack. Skilled delicate hands worked furiously, placing explosives around the solid steel door that barred the way into the main building. Like most high security doors, this one was fitted with sturdy locks, but frail hinges, and with the charges positioned on the frame and directed towards the hinges, the door would be opened more easily than the cover on a paint pot. A soft fizz followed by a resonant pop was all that could be heard and in an instant the vast doors were levered out of place with an almighty crash as they slammed into the slate grey walkway. The attacking force raced down numerous corridors carrying heavy steel cryogenic chambers. Each one was carried between two soldiers with another riding shotgun: five chambers in all. None of them was any bigger than five-six and appeared heavily built under their black and green fatigues. Their faces were not visible under their night fighting helmets. However, the soldiers could see perfectly without the benefit of light, even though they had cut the site’s electricity precisely at the moment when the first guards had died. Lack of power gave the soldiers one headache; it meant that they had little time to liberate their intended quarry and make good their escape. The lateness of the hour ensured that only essential personnel were on duty - and although the soldiers had no time to hunt them down, they summarily executed any that crossed their path. The military unit arrived breathlessly at the womb of the building. Two guards appeared from the control room, confused in the darkness and groping their way forwards with weapons slung uselessly over their shoulders. Rapid and precise hand signals from the commanding soldier quickly passed orders to the rest of the following squad. Silence swarmed the corridor while two members of the unit crept forward as ordered, vision assured from their helmet visors. The leading soldier raised his pistol almost mechanically, within touching distance of the guards, until the icy barrel caressed the forehead of the one closest. Realising that the pressure he felt meant only one thing, he stopped suddenly and his comrade behind blindly stumbled into the back of him. Bang! The single shot dropped the stationary guard just as the other was seized from behind. The attackers held him so tight that he could hardly catch his breath, as they wrenched one arm up behind his back and twisted his wrist ready to break it. The restrained guard was forced back into the control room and, even in his panic, he managed to focus on the warm sweet flavours in his mouth, which came from the blood sliding down over the contours of his face. The soldiers began to work on the next stage of the operation and he knew that, in all probability, he would not get the opportunity to wash his dead companion’s blood from his face. The complex was dull and grey, as were most buildings now; as were most lives lived now. The main structure had been partially built into the side of a sheer rock face with various other smaller buildings remotely connected by long glazed walkways that snaked their way across the finely manicured lawns. It was an easy target for the attacking soldiers, because those in power thought it not to be one. The break away group of soldiers sent to destroy the power plant were now waiting tensely for the signal to reconnect their portable power units to the control circuits. The main generators, and also the back up ones, had been destroyed during the first attack, providing essential cover for the intruders. It was also a pathetic attempt to slow down the manufacturing process when normality returned. Any embryos and the more mature but not fully developed livestock would perish as a result of the power being severed for more than a couple of precious hours. It would take maybe a month or two to get the livestock farm back up to full production, but the soldiers knew that every obstacle they could put in the way of the normal breeding programme, however small, was worthwhile. The radio crackled into life next to the soldiers waiting to re-connect the power, making more than a few of them flinch from their silent pause in proceedings. ‘Tango-Charlotte-Four-Zero to Alpha-Rachel-Three-Zero are you receiving? Over,’ asked the ranking soldier waiting in the cryo-womb, which was housed within the main complex. The senior officer who stood lazily by the main circuit breakers replied, ‘Alpha-Rachel-Three-Zero to Tango-Charlotte-Four-Zero, receiving you loud and clear. Please advise on reconnection status, over.’ Before the request to reconnect the power to the control circuits arrived, desperate screams leapt fearfully from the radio. ‘Alpha–Rachel-Three-Zero to Tango-Charlotte-Four-Zero are you in need of assistance? Repeat. Are you in need of assistance? Over,’ the officer repeated with renewed urgency. Preceded simply by a single shot, the reply finally came as the screaming terminated. ‘Tango-Charlotte-Four-Zero to Alpha Rachel-Three-Zero. Assistance not required. We were just being brought up to speed with the control panel operations, but as you know I never liked male instructors much,’ replied the soldier at the cryo-womb doors. The guard had divulged what little knowledge he had been entrusted with and was now dead, bundled into the corner like a discarded piece of information. The information that he’d given was not essential to the operation, but it had saved precious minutes in completing the final stage of the plan. Moreover, it had put a little entertainment into what was otherwise turning out to be a quiet night. Two soldiers sat intently in the control room at the two mother panel desks while the rest of the unit moved into the entrance of the Cryo-womb. The soldier at the desk closest to the entrance entered the code 4398 followed by the word sss into the worn keyboard. The doors opened quietly and the waiting unit advanced eagerly into the defenceless room. The soldiers at the desks began throwing switches and entering further codes while they surveyed the chamber before them. It reminded them more of a mortuary than a place of creation. Located all around the walls of the Cryo-womb were silver coloured doors of varying sizes. A false ceiling concealed the pipes and control valves that fed the development chambers and the seductive lighting made for an extremely peaceful atmosphere. There was a low hum, much like that of a refrigerator. This soothed the soldiers’ volatile tensions; but they still leapt for cover as the soft whoosh of seals opening on five of the wall-mounted cryogenic chambers broke the pervading peace. The soldiers pulled the trays of black flasks, now drained of fluid, from their frozen sanctuary. No orders were passed; they all knew the drill. They transferred flasks from their trays to the portable cryogenic chambers that they had been carrying and, once full, sealed them. On each chamber there was a small chrome keypad used to input a start-up code; upon the ‘enter’ button being pressed they purred into life. Finally, with the portable chambers now waiting in the corridor, the soldiers returned to set the charges in the Cryo-womb leaving themselves a ten-minute window in which to evacuate the area. ‘This is going to be the biggest bang this womb’s ever gonna get’ thought the soldier as he triggered the timer and then they were gone into the night, taking with them both guards’ testicles, which they had neatly placed in sterilised containers.