Annihilation Gen-1 2.0

The howling wind of a vicious sandstorm tore against the stronghold walls, beating against it relentlessly. Bow Tie squinted, narrowing her gaze towards a glass containment unit as she anxiously watched a caged rat chew on feed curiously. The scientists around her circled the cage, examining a hologram with all the animal’s biological changes withholding their breath.

“The Xocruorium is entering the subject’s bloodstream, and should be coating the lumbar vertebrae before spreading to both the backside ending at the tip of its tailbone and ending at the cranium.” An intrigued researcher updated, as the sandstorm roughly slammed against the outer walls creating an echo within the laboratory.

The rat’s hologram began to fill with a red liquid, covering every inch of its skeleton. Bow Tie watched closely, as it began to stretch out its jaws before arching its back. The Xocruorium was coating the vital and breakable bones that were hidden within the rat, the only matter she cared about was if it would survive.

“Beginning transfusion, the Xocruorium is starting to settle.” Another scientist said, his shaggy orange mane falling over the sweaty muzzle he had leaning into the computer. “Stand by the subject’s body is introducing the metal into the rat’s system.”

The rat squealed, its spine straightening as its head stood tall. Its lips parted from its large bucked teeth before the rugged fur along the base of its tail began to leak. Bow Tie flinched, as the rat started to suffocate, clawing its way towards nowhere before squirming on the wood chips scattered along its cage.

“The liquidated Xocruorium is starting to gather, at this rate it will be fatal.” Someone reported as the rat’s blackened eyes began to leak silvery tears. Its mouth opened before its last strain caused a gurgled screech, and caused it to grow still. Bow Tie sighed in defeat, as she heard the familiar beep of another dead test subject. “We have lost another one, marking the two hundred and fifth failure.”

“I was sure we had gotten it right this time.” Bow Tie whispered, turning away from the pooling Xocruorium at the base of the deceased rat’s mouth. “What went wrong this time? The digital rats seemed to have survived in the simulation.”

A pony named Firefly, who happened to be Bow Tie’s special helper fiddled nervously with a report being printed out of a machine. She tore off the paper, before using her blue wings to gather them in front of an advanced scanner that deciphered the code.

“The rat’s body began to reject the Xocruorium, and when it tried coating the white blood cells, its system started to retaliate against the metal. When the body viewed the injection as a sickness, the Xocruorium began to formulate and gather together which ultimately reversed its mission to coat the bones. The Xocruorium fought back, by coming together forming a blockage in the rat’s veins, ultimately killing it before the metal completely clumped together and resisted the body’s natural order to get rid of it. Unlike the simulated rats, the computerized test showed that it was possible for the metal and the animal to fuse… but for some reason, on a live field test, they all seem to be rejecting it... and dying immediately.”

Bow Tie turned to the room. “I need to know why every single rat is rejecting the formula. We’ve injected bits and pieces of it to this one, so the body would warm up to it and we could gradually introduce more of it… but the results still seem the same.”

Firefly cleared her throat before brushing her ragged blue mane from her eyes. “Introducing the Xocruorium like a vaccine seems to not be working. We hoped that by putting the foreign object into the rat, the lymphocytes wouldn't attack but instead grow an immunity to it, to where the metal could do its job without being viewed as a virus… for that triggers the metal’s defenses and soon after kills its host.”

“Exactly… but how do we make the body accept it, instead of fighting it?”

The blue pegasus sat back down at her computer, before glancing at the dimmed screen and running her hoof along the dimensional illusion providing an analysis. “Well if we could build up the rat’s immune system, I think that could bump our chances at providing a Xocruorium fusion successfully. We need the body to ignore the metal, and not view it as a threat in order for this to work without fault.”

“What is Surprise’s immunity rate?”

Firefly pulled up the mutant’s stats, “I don’t know, but probably not very strong to other diseases since Crimson bred her to only withstand Blackheart’s genetically modified plague.”

Bow Tie circled around the pegasus before tapping the screen lightly with her hoof and allowing a detailed chart of the advanced genome and DNA sequence created for Surprise.

“Go into her reptilian DNA modifications,” Bow Tie said as Firefly obeyed and brought up a chart for her boss to scan through intensely. “There right in between her RNA, it seems to be carrying information to the rest of her body regarding the immune system. It seems like this has genetic code from the genes implanted from an alligator....”

Firefly pointed to a swirling DNA spiral, “Well yeah… alligators are known to have one of the fiercest immune systems known to pony kind, easily able to defeat most viruses even HIV. Crimson gave Surprise a modified version of an alligators genome, to where she can build up an immunity to Blackheart’s plague. Since simply creating a cure is near impossible and breeding ponies who are immune to it seems relatively achievable. No ponies carry this gene, and so he had to create one all on his own… even though the failures resulted in the five hundreds.”

“If alligators are known for being immune to almost any disease, do you think the reptile’s body will respond positively to the Xocruorium and not pose it as a threat?”

Firefly shrugged. “I have no idea, should we test on alligators instead of rats? Since Subject 666’s genome is closer to a gator’s immune system, instead of what we have been testing on?”

Bow Tie nodded her head, “We have many animals in our biology lab. We have salvaged them and bred them hoping to transfer DNA to create Surprise’s genome a while back, we should have a gator in there somewhere if she has specific coding from one.”

“You heard Bow Tie we need one alligator stat, prepare for another testing! Boot up the systems to where we get a live feed of the animal’s vitals, and for God’s sake next time give us a heads up earlier if things start going south!”

Firefly’s voice boomed over the shredding sand clawing its way through the walls, as the scientists responded accordingly. They scattered, disposing of the rat in the cage before setting up another one for the length and height of a gator. A table was brought out, straps and wires hanging loosely as the cage was set atop it. The monitors were booted up, a hologram ready to be presented as a reptile was brought into the room. Its short body was brought in by a team of unicorns and slid onto the table.

“A black caiman, small… but efficient with diseases.” Bow Tie said as the gator’s mouth was wrapped tightly with thickened black tape. His throat bubbled, as his eyes flicked around the room while he was wired up to the machines. “Prepare the injection.”

A syringe needle was brought forward, filled with liquefied Xocruorium which was mixed in with different chemicals to help guide it towards the skeletal system. The gator remained calm, used to scientist handling him as the needle was pressed through a flap. The needle was poised near the gator’s ribcage where the injection would start, as they awaited her commands.

“All set Bow Tie,” Firefly said as she and a dozen other workers glanced at their screens. The gator’s living feed from within his body was observed, as his hologram spun around for the researchers to view. With a nod from her boss, Firefly gave the order. “Begin the procedure.”

The needle poked the gator, as Bow Tie held her breath when the liquid started to seep into the animal’s bloodstream. The hologram showed the mass flowing and spreading throughout the reptile’s system, as reports began to be documented electronically. The caiman seemed emotionless, his breaths steady and his tail twitching as the thin skin casing refreshed his eye.

“The body is now responding to the injected metal, stand by.” A pony said updating the crew, as the hologram began to show the blood cells mixing with the Xocruorium. “The cells have ignored the metal, now increasing the success rate. The Xocruorium is now starting to engage with the bones, beginning with the ribs.”

Bow Tie silently cheered, as the gator began to tremble. His skin bubbled, along with his legs spasming as his jaws were trying to open up involuntarily! The muscles of the reptile overpowered the tape, snapping the hold on his muzzle as the gator screeched! The leading scientist watching her experiment started to sweat, as loud beeps coursed throughout the room!

“The Xocruorium has now covered eighty percent of the subject’s bone density. Around 0.101 lbs added to the increased mass of the gator, we might actually pull this off!” Firefly cheered, as the caiman stopped shaking and relaxed when the beeps ceased. “Oh my God… the gator… fused successfully… we… we did it.”

Bow Tie threw her muzzle against the glass, watching the animal casually blink his eyes lazily while staring at the ponies cheering. She took a sigh of relief, knowing she had an answer to give Crimson who was starting to breathe down her neck!

“Get Crimson this instant, and tell him we have succeeded in injecting a test subject successfully with Xocruorium!” Bow Tie breathed, as Firefly saluted and sped off to find the doctor who was scouting with Glory in the sandstorm.

Bow Tie stroked the glass with the urge to cry… she had done it… after weeks of researching, she was able to succeed! Her heart suddenly ached, knowing Crimson would want this procedure done on Surprise, but she was a subject… and Bow Tie had made a pledge to not grow too attached to her.

“Forgive me Surprise… for what you are about to go through… I’m so sorry.”

She let her hoof slide off the glass cage before glancing at the monitor, which the researchers were already hooking up for the unaware mutant.

Crimson stared at the glass, examining the gator as his team stood orderly behind him. He upped the confined alligator’s jaws, before running his hoof along the scaly surface of his skin. The doctor nodded his head in approval, before slowly turning around to face Bow Tie who nervously wiped the sweat from her brow.

“Good… your work pleases me, but how can you be sure this will not kill Subject 666?”

Firefly was interrupted as Glory spoke. “You can't be sure, you are literally infusing a pony with bucking metal! Ten bits says she drops dead from just the fear of it all!”

“Anyways,” Firefly growled. “The alligator genes you gave Subject 666 for her immunity towards Blackheart’s disease, also gave her a built-in system to fight pretty much any virus. With her strong immune system, the metal will be injected and ignored by her white blood cells, because they do not perceive it as a threat to her body. If the Xocruorium is viewed as harmless, it can effortlessly connect to her skeleton, providing the results you so wished.”

Crimson seemed a bit cautious but nodded his head attentively. “You do understand if she dies, our entire operation will crumble into dust. I am putting my faith in you both Bow Tie and Firefly… if she dies, you will die as well, so you better be damn sure about this and bargain your confidence with caution!”

Bow Tie felt her neck constrict with anxiety, “Yes.. yes sir… we will not allow this fusion to be fatal, I understand the severity of her importance.”

“Then if you are willing to bet your lives on the matter of your research… I have confidence this operation will succeed.” Crimson said as he glanced at Glory who was fiddling with a piece of paper in boredom. “Glory fetch the subject, we will begin her fusion at once.”

“W-Wait, we are infusing her r-right now?” Bow Tie asked worriedly, as Crimson gave her a slight glare. His forehead wrinkled, as Glory and her squad broke off from the scientists and marched down the hall in unison.

“Indeed, I fear we cannot wait any longer… while we were scouting, Glory was almost captured by Blackheart’s army… she hardly came out unscathed. Our time is limited Bow Tie, we have weeks left until we must release Subject 666 for our protection. Unless you mean to tell me, your research is not ready which I hope is not the case.”

His scowl made her heart quicken, as Firefly cut in. “No sir, she will be ready for the procedure, I have all the confidence in the world that Bow Tie and I will pull through.”

“Good.” He said gruffly, as something clanked through the hall. The door slid open, granting access into the laboratory as Glory advanced with the mutant behind her. Soldiers clung onto her chains, a taser positioned at her flank as Surprise flattened her ears and glared at every single nervous scientist in the room. Her jaws clenched even behind the muzzle, as she lumbered into the room clinking her massive chains with her movements.

A harsh tiger sounding growl rumbled from her throat, as the ponies backed away in immense fear staring at the cold-blooded killer being shoved through the room.

Glory patted a table. “Up!”

Surprise didn't move her eyelids lowering, as a soldier without any hesitation rammed a heavy taser into the side of her rump making her yelp! The subject seemed annoyed and partially angry as her hooves pressed onto the table before she kicked herself upwards. She sat down, her growls never ceasing as her gaze caught onto Bow Tie for a second, and her eyes softened, before her gaze drifting downwards. She felt a stab in her heart seeing the pegasus start to understand what she was being forced to do, as Surprise growled when Crimson approached.

He lifted a hoof before stroking her mane with curiosity. “What an interesting specimen, this is the first time I have laid a hoof on what I have created. Now be a good girl and-”

“HIIIIIISSSSSS!” Surprise screeched, making Bow Tie chuckle a bit as the doctor stumbled back in both fear and surprise! Her hissing sounds were a side effect to being infused with animalistic properties, giving her un-ponylike behaviors… one of which was slaughtering any pony who touched her or hissing when she was too tied down to attack.

“Ugh! You vile mutant!” Crimson shouted as the taser was rammed into her flank for the second time making her howl in agony as the electricity bore into her fur! “Let’s get this over with… secure her!”

The chains wrapping around her clamped wings were clipped onto the table, as Glory patted the hard metal end of the table. “Lay down!”

Through the muzzle, Surprise seemed to scoff, before obeying and placing her head down by Glory’s hoof and looking up towards the ceiling.

“Steer clear of her hooves, even though they are chained she can still reach a certain distance… this is a warning to every pony in this room! One mistake can prove to be fatal, so watch and mind your actions at all times!” Glory said loud and clear, as the soldiers responded with a short and loud cry. “Begin!”

“Prepare to sedate her if she proves to be-” Crimson stopped as Surprise hissed once more making him back away to where he was behind Glory. “-Uncooperative…”

“What about her telekinesis?” Firefly asked Bow Tie in a whisper.

“Crimson has systems that suck and absorb magic in other rooms, even if Surprise were to use her magic… it would be ineffective unless the room authorizes her to use it. Only soldiers, scientists, and ponies that work under him may use magic throughout the entire stronghold.”

The soldiers began to secure Surprise’s hooves and bind them to the base of the table, they steered clear of her limbs as she watched them like a hawk. Glory observed, making sure every inch of her was tied down, even her tail before a soldier loomed over her forehead to start strapping her skull down onto the table as well.

Surprise twitched, before looking directly into the eyes of the stallion preparing the metal bindings. The subject suddenly threw her head back, knocking her skull into the soldier’s chest as saliva sprayed from his mouth from the force of the blow! Glory jumped into action, as Surprise started going ballistic! The soldier collapsed on the ground, heaving from loss of air, twitching and spasming as a tranquilizer gun was quickly aimed!

The mutant was struggling so hard, the table was starting to crack and split before a dart was shot into her neck! Glory pulled the soldier away from Surprise as her eyelids suddenly fluttered before closing softly. Her muscles relaxed, and the chains hung loosely as the general slapped the soldier’s cheeks to wake him up.

His head limply rolled around his neck, as Glory shook her head in shame. “He was a good soldier, poor thing had no idea she would strike like that.” She rubbed the back of her neck with her hoof as a slight trickle of blood came from his nose. “He died of chest contusions, and the blow stopped his heart, that mutant is too strong already Crimson! Are you sure you want to go through with this?”

Crimson rolled his shoulders. “Risks are a given with our kind of job, this is no different than walking out onto the battlefield. Our lives are born with danger, we just now have a weapon to fire back at our enemies.”

He nodded to Bow Tie as the scientists settled in their seats nervously, as Firefly brought over the dosage high enough to completely cover a pony’s skeleton. Her body was brought up by a holographic blueprint of her nerves, heart, and brain along with the steady rhythm of her heartbeat. The team was silent, as Crimson strolled over at a safe distance from the mutant as he waved his hoof to give permission.

“Begin the fusion,” Bow Tie said with a squeak as she glanced to Crimson who gave her a warning glare as she shrunk in her skin. “Actually… I’ll… I-I’ll inject her.”

Firefly followed her leader, as Bow Tie carefully took the syringe needle in her hooves and placed it at the plump vein near her neck. She stared at Surprise’s closed eyes, her breaths ragged from her worry, as Crimson cleared his throat in frustration.

She bit her lip before pressing the needle into the subject’s vein, causing the Xocruorium to spill into her bloodstream and start to spread in seconds.

“The Xocruorium has been injected, Subject 666’s body is quickly responding to the foreign material.” A scientist reported as he leaned forward and steadily watched the hologram begin to spread a red light over Surprise’s blueprints. “We have a problem… the injection is starting to swell in the bases of the skull and near her heart!”

Bow Tie started to tremble, for if the Xocruorium leaked into her brain and the body started to view it as a growth or a tumor, it would end in the results like the rats! Firefly’s face turned pale, as Crimson ran his tongue over his teeth with an intimidating curled lip.

Surprise lurched up, the monitors screaming as she unconsciously started to spasm! Bow Tie held her down before screaming at the scientists beginning to panic!

“What’s happening! I need an update NOW!”

“There is a blockade near her arteries, the Xocruorium seems too thick when it was expanding! Subject 666 is going into cardiac arrest, her blood is unable to flow freely through her veins causing her heart to malfunction!” Firefly shouted as a medical team rushed into action while a dark haze floated above a silent Crimson.

“Get a defibrillator right this instant! Inject her with heparin, to thin her blood and gamma-Aminobutyric acid so her body will relax! If we don't calm her heart and nerves down, her system will continue to freak out! GO!” Bow Tie commanded as the objects were brought in a blink of an eye. The defibrillator was brought onto her chest, gently shocking the heart as more needles were poked into her skin. The poor scientist was sweating bullets as she pressed her hoof on Surprise’s stomach. “Hang in there girl, I know you can do it.”

“The gamma-Aminobutyric acid relaxant has been injected, her nerves are now becoming numb and her system starting to relax.” A reporting researcher shouted as her thrashing started to become less and less. “The swollen arteries from her increased adrenaline have ceased, the Xocruorium’s strain is going down due to the body no longer stressing it out!”

Surprise stopped shaking, her vitals beginning to become calm again as Firefly took a shaky breath and glared at the hologram. “It’s… It’s working!”

“Don’t you dare CHEER!” Bow Tie shouted, scaring her assistant as she focused on Surprise’s soft breathing. “Not yet.”

Her hooves were digging into the table so hard she was afraid her force would snap it in two! “Progress of the Xocruorium covering her bones is at fifty percent.”

The voice of her worker caused a cold grip to snatch her spine, as a cold sweat started to drip onto the table from her extreme fear of failure!

“Sixty… eighty… eighty-five percent!”

“Come on… come on…” Bow Tie pleaded as Surprise’s eyes rolled from under her closed eyelids. “You can do it… I know you can.”

“Her bloodstream has been coated successfully, her cells fully accepting the transfusion! The procedure is almost finished!” Firefly said excitedly, eagerly watching the screen as Bow Tie shot a look at her to make her calm down.

Suddenly the screen’s red light from the Xocruorium’s injection melted into the body before the bones lit up with a new coating. The room cheered, as the procedure beeped with the given sound that her body was now mixed with the metal.

Bow Tie nearly fainted, her legs giving out from under her as her stomach hit the floor. She was shaky as Crimson nodded his head in approval, and Glory puffed out her cheeks from holding in a largely contained breath!

“Well… that was one of the most suspenseful moments of my career…” The general mumbled as Crimson approached her casually with no expression at all.

“My dear the test is still not over.”

Firefly panted. “Wait… what?”

Suddenly the unicorn used his magic to rip a gun from the commander’s holster. The loaded gun was pointed straight at the pegasus, as Bow Tie shrieked. The doctor aimed for her head as he bellowed, “You better pray this works!”

“Wait, NO!” Bow Tie screamed.

BANG!

A bullet shot out from the muzzle spinning until it collided with Surprise’s skull! Her head moved just slightly, as the pink-maned mare leapt up to inspect the mutant’s head! She was shocked when the bullet clanked on the metal ground, before rolling towards her hoof and bumping against it.

“Shoot it.” Crimson said calmly as Glory shook her head in disapproval.

The general aimed her machine gun, before locking on Surprise who flattened her ears while locking onto the muzzle of the gun. Three shots were fired directly at the pegasus as the bullets flew off of her fur, like little rubber balls as the shells fell onto the ground and rolled to a stop. The smoke from the gun waved up in the air, as Glory pulled the tip of the weapon from the latch and looked towards Crimson with a shrug.

“Well, she can resist all the guns in our arsenal, even the plasma infused ones.”

“Extraordinary... “ Crimson mumbled, as the pegasus numbly kicked at the shells before wandering around the empty room glancing at the dented walls. “Bow Tie.. dear I have a question for you.”

The scientist stood at attention, as she responded. “Yes, boss?”

“What kind of guns are infused with the moldable Xocruorium, it can shapeshift into many different forms before settling back in its original shape… thus making it possible to coat subject 666’s bones with it.”

She pondered before responding. “Fiberglass Launchers, Refined Plasma Carbines, Mechanical Desolation Fusils, but they are all weapons of mass destruction… I’d be careful handling them.”

“Would it be possible to infuse these weapons into Subject 666? The Xocruorium can be molded to form a gun, along with an implanted renewable energy source that can act as continuous fuel that feeds the weapons.”

Bow Tie stammered. “I-I mean yes Xocruorium is used every day to be molded into guns that can peel back into the walls and reform at will… b-but... We would have to implant a microchip in her brain, that acts as a control center to where she can mold the metal into different weapons and reshape her body when not needing them…”

“OOOOH YEAH, what a genius idea, let’s give the murderous mutant weapons of mass destruction… oh yeah, that’s a wonderful idea… you deserve a medal… COME ON, are you two serious… this is getting out of hoof, she WILL turn on us!” Glory shouted, before sticking her gun back into the latch and shooting one bullet. “She’s enhanced, and NOW bulletproof… you’re creating something that will soon exceed your own power Crimson!”

“Quiet!” Crimson hissed, as he jerked the machine gun from her hooves. “We will have to cut into some of her muscle and flesh and replace it with robotic parts then coat it Xocruorium. We will replace both of her forelegs with these mechanical parts, but she will still need some tendons to where she can move around freely.”

Bow Tie licked her crusty lips. “Y-Yes, sir… but finding an energy source that will both power the microchip and act as fuel for the molded gun will provide difficult. Xocruorium has to be molded first, before it memorizes the position, but to connect it to the microchip that will send signals to reshape it, we will also have to install wires into Subject 666 as well.”

Crimson flicked his hoof. “Well get on it, as soon as you are ready we will begin the surgery at once.”

Bow Tie nodded her head quickly before darting out of the room and rushing down the garrison towards her lab which was secluded. Firefly spun in a chair in the darkness in boredom, as her boss came stumbling in shouting orders.

“Get me some Xocruorium, a lot of it… I need to start building weapons of mass destruction!”

“Should I ask why?” Firefly giggled, as Bow Tie gave her a sharp look making her scramble to her hooves with quick attention. “I-I mean yes ma'am! I’ll get that for you, wait here!”

Her assistant bolted from her lab, as Bow Tie sat in a rolling chair and pulled out a pad and a pen which she held in her teeth. “An unlimited energy source… we have many of them here in the garrison, but one we could minimize and insert into a pony’s body… hmmm..”

Most generators that created oxygen throughout the hold ran on controlled nuclear fusion, which also powered the weapons and guns attached to the walls. Xocruorium was used to reinforce just about everything so the fort could withstand a dropped bomb with no casualties. Unfortunately, the metal needed to be commanded to transform, it did not just do it out of its own will for it was not alive.

“If I were to shrink a core reactor, the amount of nuclear power it holds would be decreased to where it couldn't even possibly generate enough energy to fuel Surprise.” Bow Tie whispered as she kicked her chair to where it rolled onto the other side of the room. “If I were to somehow collect uranium that could fit in my hoof, and shape Xocruorium around it to where it could safely connect in Surprise’s chest then… maybe…”

Bow Tie tapped on a glowing blue tube running through her lab, as her pen danced around her mouth by her moving tongue.

“A ping pong ball sized chunk of uranium generates enough energy to supply a lifetime, but we need to recycle this energy to where it becomes an unlimited power source small enough to implant within a body…” She hummed, before scribbling down notes and puffing out her lips. “What if.. I were to also give Surprise magnets… with the constant magnetic flow, it will charge the energy and forcing the nuclear power to never die out! Thus creating unlimited energy! Ah, there we go… I knew my brain wouldn't fail me.”

She sketched out a core before writing side notes all around the reactor.

Bow Tie glanced at the clock, before continuing to work. “The Xocruorium’s immunity to magnets will provide useful since we only want the magnet’s job to be recharging the nuclear flow throughout the reactor. Hmm… I can create it to be the size an apple, giving me enough room to install safety equipment… if that core were to explode… it would demolish half of a continent!”

“I have arrived!” Firefly declared, pushing in a cart full of the lightweight metal. “Had to bargain with a few newbie guards patrolling the warehouse… sheesh, they were pretty serious on their first day. Onyx Star and Sky Charge were their names, good stallions… and not too shabby with their looks too!”

“Calm down tiger.” Bow Tie laughed, as she walked to the cart and rummaged through the chunks of Xocruorium. “Yes… this will do quite nicely.”

Firefly sat down sighing in relief. “Man that took me hours feels so good to sit-”

“I am going to need some uranium… sorry.”

She growled in frustration. “-aaaand back out I go.”