Guardians Of The Deep - Part III

Guardians of the Deep–Part 111

Ned got in touch with John at home from his hospital bed. As soon as his friend’s face was in focus on the monitor, he blurted out, “John, I really fouled up this time. I got blasted with an aqua-ray.”

John was in the middle of dinner and dropped his fork when he heard Ned speak. “Say no more! I’ll be right there, buddy." In no time, John was at his bedside.

After a hearty greeting, John settled down to listen to Ned’s report as to what happened on the mission.

“I was with two comrades, and was zapped with the ray gun when we had an altercation with looters. It bore a hole in my left shoulder. We met late at night at a preset site in a secluded section in the dunes close to where the Island stood before. We uncovered a glass mini sub that was left for our use. Actually, it took us a while before we spotted it in the dark. Once in the water, we each took turns piloting the vehicle. It had incredible speed. We were assigned to observe a particular area that was in the process of excavation to uncover valuable metals from a collapsed business building. The owners had engaged a private crew that worked non-stop on the job during the week, but left for the weekend. There wasn’t a replacement crew due until the following Monday."

Clearing his throat, Ned continued on. “We didn’t expect any problems once we reached the target area. Salvaging and looting was absolutely forbidden in any part of the sunken Island, and the penalty was immediate death for the offenders. Who in their right mind would attempt to pilfer anything knowing the consequences? But then we spotted some movement up ahead. I knew that the workers had left many hours before. We lowered the sub and hid it behind some wreckage out of sight. We added headgear to our scuba suits, vacated the sub and swam out to investigate the intrusion in that area. That’s when we came upon the intruders, a half-dozen of them. They moved swiftly in their water garb, boldly moving boxes of precious metals from a stockpile. They were loading the merchandise onto an amphibian truck with an open hatch to accommodate cargo. It also had a watertight compartment for passengers and driver. The looters somehow knew that the workers would leave for the weekend. I figured that the heist had to be preplanned, maybe even an inside job. They boldly went on that caper knowing that they would only have to contend with a handful of security, if at all.”

Shifting position in his hospital bed, and with a voice slightly hoarse, Ned went on with his story. “So I motioned for my men to follow me, and that’s when we engaged in combat with those ugly scavengers. They had similar weapons of their own. The conflict lasted for a few minutes.” Ned cleared his throat before saying, “ The two agents with me were killed in the cross fire as well as two from the other side, and I was hit in the shoulder, and left for dead. The looters quickly added what they could to the other metals already loaded into the truck, and left the area with their precious cargo. The amphibian was gone when I regained consciousness later, and I somehow managed to make it back to the mini sub. I alerted headquarters that I was on my way back, and asked for medical assistance.”

John listened to Ned’s tale of woe, but he had no sympathy for him. “Why did you rush in to engage battle with those hoodlums? I’m pretty sure that you were sent in to only observe and then call for backup should the need arise. That’s what your problem is. You don’t think. You just rush right in with no regard for your own safety. Now your buddies are dead, too.”

Ned just gulped at the indignities that were thrown his way. “I don’t know why I am this way, but this was the first time that lives were lost, and the bad guys got away.”

"How long will you be in the hospital?,” was John’s next question.

Ned responded, “I’ll be out of commission for a while. I need two, maybe three of those laser cell-building treatments to close the hole in my shoulder. The doctors say when they are finished with me, no one would ever suspect that I was injured. With the crook of his elbow on his knee and his hand cupped in his chin, John agreed with Ned’s words.

“You lucky S.O.B. I hope this is a lesson for you. Think with your head and not with brawn the next time you are in a compromising situation, that is if there is a next time.”

Ned frowned knowingly, “I’ll probably be sitting at a desk for the next six months.”

When John left the hospital, he was thinking about what Ned told him about his life. Ned never knew his parents. In fact, he searched for them most of his life, but never got anywhere with the authorities. All he knew was that he was in and out of orphanages. The times he spent with foster parents were sometimes pleasant and sometimes he was treated poorly. Still he managed to keep out of trouble, even though he got into many scraps with other boys, especially when they picked on a helpless kid. He never hesitated to act instantly at the first sign of trouble. You knew you could count on Ned Young to help you with anything. He may come across as a bully, himself, but in actuality, he was kind hearted, and he would give you the shirt off his back if you asked him for it. The Federation saw to his education all the way through College.

John thought it strange that the Federation would sponsor his education in his early years. When John was temporarily assigned to the Documents Room at the Federation's Cell Research and Rejuvenation Plant, he somehow came upon Ned's birth records. He wisely did not disclose this information to Ned reasoning that if the authorities wanted him to know, they would have told him sooner.

What Ned didn’t know was that he was a special human being. He was created in a laboratory that was dedicated to growing genetically enhanced human beings. They also grew other parts and organs. It wasn’t uncommon to use donated sperm and ova, sometimes with the nucleus extracted to grow embryos that would develop into special humans or make organs and cells for medical research or for transplants. Ned was one of those laboratory babies.

All the growing fetuses in this particular batch were injected with protein enzymes and other chemicals to give the growing specimen their own super personality. Somehow, most of the fluid that was injected into Ned’s growing fetus passed right through him. A routine check by the staff to make sure that the procedure took, failed to uncover the mistake with Ned. He was allowed to develop into a full-grown baby boy. At that time, any embryo that was found to be defective was usually destroyed. When they realized their error with Ned, he was already a living person, and they didn’t have the heart to kill him, nor was it legal. Instead, they sent him to an orphanage. His birth papers were kept away from public officials, but filed secretly with the Federation.


Next is Part IV "Guardians Of The Deep - Part IV"