Ranger in the CRISPR - SP2022

It was Spring 2006 , I was eating breakfast after morning PT. The sun was coming up and I could see Mt.Rainier out the window of the chow hall. I smiled and sighed deeply , Ft.Lewis was my favorite base thus far . The 2nd Ranger Battalion was my home and had been for four years now. I was still unmarried with no children but honestly I had never known such contentment in my life.

I had four deployments under my belt and five stripes on my chest and I was looking for that bottom rocker, ‘soon’ I thought. I exited the chow hall and made my way to the squad room. I needed to get my med bag ready for the Range this after noon , “Sgt Johnson ! “ I heard a familiar voice yell from behind me , it was my Platoon Leader SFC.Heart he made his way to me I immediately snapped to parade rest . Yes Sgt I replied , ‘Johnson’ get to headquarters they need to speak with you , About what Sgt ? I asked without thinking . SFC Johnson was a short man about 5 '8 in boots but his shoulders were as wide as he was tall and he commanded respect . The # if I know ‘Johnson’ just get there and then get to the Range , Rgr that Sgt I replied .

The 2nd Battalion Headquarters was a short drive from Alpha Company. I walked in the Headquarters door and was greeted by a sleep deprived PFC sitting behind the HQ desk ‘Can I help you Sgt ‘? . Yes you can start by getting to Parade Rest and asking again , The PFC snapped to and apologized . “ Can I help you Sgt?'' he asked shakily . Actually I said I’m not sure , Just go tell someone ‘Sgt Johnson’ is here as ordered. ‘Yes Sgt ‘ He exclaimed loudly and jogged off , I smiled feeling sorry for him as I knew he’d been up all night on 24hr duty but such is the life of a Private.

The PFC returned a few minutes later followed closely by a SFC who’s name I didn’t recognize but from the dark circles under his eyes and shadow on his face I surmised he must be Intel . Sgt Johnson he asked, watching my eyes , “ Yes I replied '' , Follow me he said Sharply as he turned without a second glance. “Yep must be Intel,'' I said under my breath . We took a long hallway to another long hallway through two double doors with CAC Card access . The Intel SFC led me to a simple room with a table and three chairs, “ Wait Here he said “ .

Many thoughts ran through my mind as I sat in that small room alone. The first thought of course “ Was I in trouble ? “ I quickly ran through the last month in my mind for egregious infractions that would land me here at HQ . I couldn't come up with anything , for the most part a Rangers Life on base was very structured and at times even boring . We often drank our weight in assorted liquors and Beer but other than that all good I thought . “ Is it a promotion ?” I thought no, that's handled on a company level .

My thoughts were interrupted by the door opening and two men walking in , they were not in uniform but rather black suits . From the look of their suits and the mat of their hair they had been in a car for sometime and in a Plane for even longer . I quickly rose to greet them , but they interjected asking me to sit and relax. The two men sat across from me and laid a folder on the table ,” Sgt Johnson “ we would like to talk to you, said the man to my Left ‘he looked 25 about 6ft 200lbs his eyes blue with a strange iridescence ‘ . I replied with military formality “ Can you gentlemen tell me who you are ? “ “We are from the DOD, `` the man to my right replied” . I waited for more responses such as a name or Job title but instead silence filled the air. They just stared at me with no emotions , no pupil dilation , no clearing of the throat, no nothing . “Well are we going to talk or is this some sort of joke or what” , I said with mounting irritation .

The man to the Right spoke , “Sgt Johnson we understand your parents died when you were 12 is that right” ? I felt anger building at the base of my skull where the medulla meets the brain stem , I pushed the anger down . ‘Deep breath’ I met his eyes with mine. “ That's an interesting way to start a conversation “, I said . “Yes I suppose it is,'' he said with no detectable human emotion . I studied his face intently and found nothing but his eyes betrayed a flash of empathy . “ Ok let's just skip the formalities and get to the point of this meeting gentlemen” I said calmly . His eyes widened as if relieved by the opening and he did just that. “Sgt Johnson, you have an impressive service record , you're a highly trained Ranger Medic with an IQ over 160 and we would like you to be a part of our Unit “ .

I thought for a moment ‘ My IQ ? ‘ The last person to mention my IQ was my mother at a Parent/Teacher meeting . “ Why is my IQ relevant and what kinda unit are we talking about? “ I asked . “ Sgt Johnson we need you to sign this NDA form first and also take this pill before we continue any further “ said the man to the right . “Take a Pill , What Why I asked incredulously ?” The man to the right looked confused , “ It's just a minor formality “ he said blankly . ‘ “Taking a pill from a random nameless suit is not a formality , just what in the actual # is going on here” , I asked loudly . The man to the Left spoke , “ Sgt Johnson the pill is a ‘synaptic binder’ it uses a simple protein binding to your neural synapse over the next 72 hrs so that anything that happens to you over the next 72 hrs can be effectively erased from your memory if we so choose , Sgt Johnson we are a unit that technically does not exist and this is how we recruit so either sign the paper and take the pill or you can forget this ever happen “ .

“ What kind of Unit is this? “ I thought to myself , I knew people in Tier one SMU’s and even they don’t recruit like this. I looked at the pill and NDA Form on the table and then I looked at the two suits sitting across from me , searching their faces for any discernible clue . They looked back with cold faces but their eyes seemed curious, even hopeful . I grabbed the form and signed it , then I grabbed the pill and held it in my hand . The man to the Right said “ the Pill it's sublingual so place it under your tongue “ . The pill had a sweet taste , I half expected to die when it dissolved . “ Ok now what ? “ I asked . “ Now you make a choice Sgt Johnson , either you come with us now and ask no more questions until we get to the plane or we leave you in this room and the pill will run its course erasing your recent memories ”.

I gave them both a resolute look“ I made the choice when I took the pill , so let's go”. “ Follow us “ they both said , We made our way out of 2nd Battalion HQ into the parking lot straight to a Blacked out GMC Suburban . I jumped in the Front seat unsure of our journey so I just settled in , one suit got in the Driver seat and the other suit got in the back . The Drive was short. We headed out the back gate of Ft.Lewis and headed East towards Mcchord Airforce base , Like most Air Force bases Mcchord was huge but desolate . The Suit drove straight onto the main airstrip and pulled us up next to a Private Jet. “Alright Sgt Johnson that’s your plane to catch” said the suit in the driver's seat . “Are you guys not coming? “ I asked, thinking perhaps I should get their names but at this point it seemed moot. “ Negative Sgt Johnson , we’ve got more recruits to potentially memory wipe “ he said with a smirk . “ Wait really a joke I yelled as he sped off “ ‘#ing suits I thought, a

a reply to: asabuvsobelow

all the same ‘.

The stairs were down on the Jet and the door was open , I looked around for anyone else and just shrugged my shoulders thinking “ Well I’ve come this far “ . I was met at the top of the stairs by another suit but this one had a name . “ Sgt Johnson , My name is Dr Pittman, welcome aboard please make yourself comfortable we’ll be taking off shortly . “ . I made my way into the spacious cabin of the plane , it was situated with six large seats facing outward with a table in between each set of seats . “ May I call you ‘ Solomon ‘ “ ? Dr.Pittman asked. Solomon was my first name though I heard it very rarely in the Army , “ Yes that’s Fine Dr.Pittman “ . “ I assume you have a lot of questions you would like to ask, “ said the Dr . “ “Several questions are in my mind Doc but just one pressing” .

“ What Kind of Unit is this Doc and what’s with all the theatrics ? “ I asked . The Doc took a long drink from a glass of what I assumed was whisky , He tapped the glass with his index finger “ would you like a Drink Solomon “ ? I stayed silent, giving him a look of impatience . He finished his drink “ We are them , We are they , We are the Men in Black “ the Doc said . His face began to crack with a smile as he laughed loudly pouring himself another whisky . I smiled , “ Yeah good movie but this is reality and I left my unit for this unit Doc “ . “ You're quite right Solomon , you sure you won't have a drink “ asked the Dr ? I paused for a long moment , “ Sure Doc I’ll have what you're having “ Figuring it would put him at ease . He poured me two fingers of Scotch at 10:30 in the morning and it turned out I would need that drink to process his next sentence.

The Dr said plainly “ We are an Extraterrestrial Interdiction Unit , We stop any and all Alien Life from interfering in any way on Earth” . I could feel my mouth hanging open , “ You’re serious , as in actual Aliens from outer space”? “ That’s right Solomon , We are a Black on Black Unit that operates alongside DARPA and we do not exist “ the doc said in a serious tone . I heard a low humming outside the plane , I looked out the window to see the engines emitting a green glow. The Dr spoke “ The engines are a highly modified smaller version of the B2 Stealth engines , the skin of the Jet is radar absorbent and she can cruise around Mach1.2 . I sipped my drink which was almost gone at this point, though I remained painfully sober. We were in the air cruising before I knew it , I could feel the Jet heading south . “ I need to draw some blood solomon also I need a hair sample and a skin sample “ the Doc said. I took off my uniform top still in a sort of daze “ Sure Doc go ahead “ I said



The Dr and I didn’t speak for the rest of the flight , He was busy on a laptop and some portable lab gear , while I stared out the window processing the existence of Extraterrestrials . We landed on a Jungle Island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean , the Jet made an astonishingly short landing and taxied to a simple small concrete building . The Jets door opened and Dr.Pittman stood he turned to me, Saying “ Solomon you're going to be put into a Medical quarantine we have to run more tests and get some things taken care of before you can begin training” . I stood making my way to the door then I turned and asked “ Doc are the Aliens hostile “ ? The Dr’s face turned serious, his eyes facing the ground and then up to meet mine , “ Most of them Yes but one species isn’t “ he said solemnly . “ Go to the concrete building,'' said the Doc'' you'll find a metal door with a hand scanner , your biometrics are already in the system Solomon so just let yourself in “ .

I watched the Jet taxi further down the runway as I stood at the Metal door. It stopped on a white square and the Jet began to sink into the ground on a small patch of runway not unlike Naval jets on an Aircraft carrier. ‘ Cool I thought'' as I put my hand on the Biometric Scanner , the door slid to the left and I walked into a 12x12 room with an Elevator door . I used my hand to access the Biometrics on the Elevator and stepped in. As the elevator descended I had only one thought “ Man SFC Heart must be pissed I’m not at the Range “ I laughed to myself as the elevator continued down. Finally the Elevator stopped, “ jeez must be 20 stories underground “ I thought. I stepped out to be greeted by two men in White Lab coats , “Sgt Johnson ? “ They asked , “Just call me Solomon “ I said . “ Of Course Solomon, if you will come with us , we need to get you into quarantine immediately” . The Lab Coats led me to what I can only describe as an ICU room in a hospital , “ Strange Place for a guy who’s not sick “ I thought.

I stood in the Medical room thinking of the guys back at my unit, my brothers , I went through Hell to get to Ranger Regiment and now here I am underground on some Island in the Pacific. I joined up wanting to be a part of something that matters , Now I feel I’m a part of something that holds the very world together . The Lab coat behind me spoke “ Solomon, I'm Dr.Goldman and this is Dr.Wallace we’re Geneticist and we will be your CRISPR Modification team “ . I turned to face them “ you mean CRISPR tech as in Genetic Modification , Really “ ? I said, feeling stunned. “ Yes we will handle the entire Modification process from start to finish , but before we can begin we need you to sign some paperwork “ . He handed me a three pound stack of paper and a pen ,” Please take your time to review this paperwork Solomon and sign it when you're ready “ said Dr.Goldman. I glanced at the paperwork briefly. It might as well have been Egyption hieroglyphs , it would take me hours to read it and days to even begin comprehension. “ Ok Ok hold on a second there Doc ,I’m not prepping for my MCATS and this is 4 inches of medical paperwork .So why don’t you and Dr.wallace give me the broad strokes of the process and then I’ll sign it , Deal “ ? I said with a sideways smile .

Dr Wallace and Goldman looked at each other saying “ Sure yeah that works “ . “ Great “ I said as I sat down on the Bed . Dr.Wallace began speaking , “ So the procedure starts with us Drawing a CSF sample from your spine and then we take your samples including the ones taken on the plane and we run your DNA through the CRISPR system modifying and personalizing your series of injections . “ How many injections are there “ I asked . “ In total there are Four injections , One Intravenous , One Intramuscular , One Subdermal and the final one is a Spinal injection , it will take us around 12 hours to customize your round of Gene Therapy “ said doctor Goldman. “ I guess the most pressing question is , what exactly is going to happen to me Doctor “ , I asked with some concern but mostly Curiosity . “ The Modified Genes are injected into your DNA via a Vector Virus , so in short Solomon you're going to get very sick but we have done this many times so we can anticipate 99% of all complications “ . Said Dr Goldman. “ I see ,But I’m asking what is going to happen to me, what sort of Genetic modifications are going to be done to me Doctor ? “ I asked .


Dr.Wallace took a deep breath “ It’s not so much Genetic Modifications as it is unlocking the Human Genetic potential , It’s a two part approach we modify your Mind and Body “ . Dr.Goldman interjected “ To speak plainly Solomon , The Process will start with your min

a reply to: asabuvsobelow

and Body “ . Dr.Goldman interjected “ To speak plainly Solomon , The Process will start with your mind Reigniting your bodies ability to produce new Brain Cells and increasing the overall Neural plasticity of said cells , also the Nerve Conduction Velocity will be increased to immeasurable levels in turn increasing your Reflexes and hand eye coordination , the process affects everyone differently so we will not know for sure until it’s complete. “ I sat listening intently , honestly I was barely able to contain myself . “Call me naive but man I can't wait to get this started” I thought to myself . Dr.Goldman Continued “ As for the physical side , your skin and organs will be modified into a sort of Bio-Kevlar and your bones will be restructured into a Bio-CarbonFiber likewise your muscles will be adapted to use 100% of their muscle fiber potential also there will be a 4% Mitochondrial protein uptake increase which increases every conceivable Muscle performance parameter known , furthermore your cellular regeneration will be increased by 200% giving you the improved ability to heal “ .

“ Why is all of this necessary, Doctor ? “ I asked , “ Solomon, the training alone would kill you if you were to even attempt it unmodified, “ he said. “ Jesus Christ '' I thought as I signed the Paperwork. “ Ok Solomon we need to take a CSF sample “ Said Dr.Goldman . I Took my shirt off and laid on the bed turning on my side facing away from them tucking my body into the fetal position . “ I assume you’ve done this before, “ said Dr.Goldman . “ I’m familiar with the Medical world Doc. I'm a Combat Medic so let's just get this unpleasant part over with . '' I said. So they took the sample and gave me a timeline. My injections would be ready in 12 hrs . I sat alone in the quarantine room wondering if this was all a big Joke , one second I was in the 2nd Battalion chow hall eating breakfast and now I’m 20 stories underground in some Captain America Sci-Fi dream. I checked my watch and it was 22:00 , “ Damn has it been that long '' I said aloud to myself . I laid in the bed waiting for sleep to take me , I missed my unit, I missed my friends `` this better be worth it” I thought.

I woke the next day to the sound of Dr.Goldman's voice , “ Did you sleep Solomon ? “ I looked at my watch, it was 07:30 “ I did Doc , about nine hours “ . “ Good, “ he said, placing a metal tray with four syringes on my bed. ” Shall we get started?” he said smiling. “ How about some breakfast and Coffee first Doc I’m starving “ I said stretching my arms above my head. “ No can do Solomon , I’m afraid you can't have any food or fluids before the procedure” he said. I frowned “ I see well let's get this over with then Doc “ . A nurse came in and prepped an IV while I changed into a Hospital gown , Dr.Goldman started with the Spinal Injection which I was thankful for it was the most painful , then came the intramuscular and subdermal injections then the Intravenous he gave through the IV . I felt a warm flush through my body “ How sick am I going to Get Doc ? “ I ask. He looked up from his laptop with a solemn face , “ Sick enough Solomon that we will need to induce you into a Coma “ . I took a deep breath “ How long do I have ?” “ An hour, maybe less, “ the doc said.

Doctor Goldman never left the room he stayed at my side working diligently on his computer and the nurse was in and out bringing IV fluids and ice packs. There was a syringe of Propofol on the table beside my bed . “ What's with the Ice packs Doc ? “ I said just as a massive cramp hit my stomach . “ They are for when the Fever hits, “ he said . I Groaned as another Cramp hit me , the Machine beside me beeped as my blood pressure began spiking . “ Are you ok Solomon? “ the Doc asked as he stood up . I tried to speak but I immediately began vomiting , I could feel the sweat pooling on my body . “ Nurse ! get Dr.Wallace it’s time. “ he yelled . The Doctor laid my bed all the way back and pulled the cover off of me , my body felt like it was on fire . The nurse came rushing in followed by Dr.Wallace . “ His fever is spiking and his blood pressure is through the roof “ Dr. Goldman said . They immediately administered a large dose of intravenous Acetaminophen , and began putting ice packs all around my body. “ Jesus Christ! I screamed, my spine feels like it's going to snap in half !“ I tried to sit up but my body was cramping all over , “ I’m Going to die “ I thought to myself . My body began convulsing violently “ Do something ! I can't take it!, “ I screamed . Dr.Wallace grabbed the Propofol from the counter and Quickly administered it into my IV . I let out a final scream and breathed in and out deeply , I felt fading thoughts and then complete darkness.

I was awakened by the sound of a rhythmic beating like distant knocking on a door “ Thump Thump - Thump Thump “ , I opened my eyes to see the nurse standing over me . “ How long have I been out ?” I asked . “ Three Days , How are you feeling?” She asked . I thought for a moment ‘ still hearing the Thump Thump - Thump Thump ‘ then I said “ I’m not sure how I feel and what's that noise ?” . “ Noise , What Noise ?” the nurse asked . I listened more intently realizing I was hearing the nurses beating Heart , I sat up in my bed turning my head to the side getting closer to her chest . “ My God , this is amazing “ I thought . “ Are you ok ? “ she asked . “ I can hear your Heart , I can feel your Heart ! “ I yelled, grabbing her by the wrist in excitement . She screamed in pain “ Stop Let Go ! “ I felt her wrist bones snapping beneath my grip , she ran from the room in horror . “ Damn I barely touched her “ I thought as I looked down at my hand . A voice started speaking from behind me “ Don't worry Solomon she will be fine “ . I recoiled and jumped from my bed, taken off guard by the voice behind me , my head crashed into the ceiling as I looked down and realized I was 10 feet off the ground . I came back down to the ground listening for the voice's heartbeat “ Where is your Heart Beat “ ? I yelled . “It’s there Solomon, just listen very closely, “ the man said laughing . I listened closely and he was right it was there but it was so slow and quiet. “ Who are you? “ I asked. “ My name is Jeff but you can call me Sgt Howard , I’m your new team leader” he said . I sat back down on the bed “ have you been modified like me ? “I asked . “ Yes I’m Modified Solomon , and I’m here to help you get your new abilities under control , Welcome to the Unit “ He said with a smile.

The end.

Thanks for your story submission.


I wish you success in the Contest!
Johnny

a reply to: asabuvsobelow

That was an amazing story; I couldn't read it fast enough. The second read through was even better, because I could slow myself down and chew all the little phrases like,

I felt anger building at the base of my skull where the medulla meets the brain stem , I pushed the anger down . ‘Deep breath’

. Delicous. You really have a talent, and unless you are a virologist or microbiologist, you've done a spell of research, and I admire that.

Well done!

originally posted by: argentus
a reply to: asabuvsobelow

That was an amazing story; I couldn't read it fast enough. The second read through was even better, because I could slow myself down and chew all the little phrases like,

I felt anger building at the base of my skull where the medulla meets the brain stem , I pushed the anger down . ‘Deep breath’

. Delicous. You really have a talent, and unless you are a virologist or microbiologist, you've done a spell of research, and I admire that.

Well done!

Thank you for your Kind words and I'm glad you like my story

p.s. I hope you write one this time around.

a reply to: asabuvsobelow

I have an idea for story. My subconscious is [probably, maybe] mulling it over. If it gells, I will be suddenly taken with the urge to write. We'll see.

a reply to: asabuvsobelow

Long, but very detailed and immensely gripping! I love it, asabuvsobelow!

I can easily this as a pilot episode of a new TV series. Johnson's weekly adventures would make for an adventurous and compelling Science Fiction series... Seriously!

My favourite part: "egregious infractions", something I can relate to.

originally posted by: Encia22
a reply to: asabuvsobelow

Long, but very detailed and immensely gripping! I love it, asabuvsobelow!

I can easily this as a pilot episode of a new TV series. Johnson's weekly adventures would make for an adventurous and compelling Science Fiction series... Seriously!

My favourite part: "egregious infractions", something I can relate to.

Thank you for reading my Story and it was a bit long , Trust me I could have turned this story into an entire book but I condensed as much as I could .

Awesome!
I read it twice.
May I forward it to a close friend?


a reply to: asabuvsobelow

originally posted by: PiratesCut
Awesome!
I read it twice.
May I forward it to a close friend?


a reply to: asabuvsobelow

Of course mate I would be honored.