Aberrant: Stargate Universe - Major Ryan Hawke

[Mr Fox]

Major Ryan Hawke saluted the Colonel. He had never been to the pentagon and wasn't used to the protocols, he was definitely more comfortable on assignment than in the halls of power. Not that it mattered to the Colonel whether he was comfortable or not he was sure. Colonel John Tobias returned the salute, "At ease Major, take a seat." Hawke did as he was told. This was a good sign. The upper brass didn't ask you to have a seat if you were about to get your ass chewed off and handed to you raw. He waited patiently for the older man to finish whatever he was reading on his desk which only took a moment. That might or might not be a good sign. Keeping him waiting would have told him this visit was no big deal. The fact that a ranking officer made time for him almost immediately mean he wanted something of Hawke, and that might be good, or it might be very bad.

"So, Major, you have a very distinguished record. Honors at every turn, never met a training course that you didn't conquer in near record time. This is all very good." He pointed indicating the file on the desk. Apparently Hawke's own record. Hawke had a sinking feeling he was about to be volunteered for something very unpleasant.

He answered carefully, "Yes sir. I've served my country to the best of my ability, sir."

Tobias nodded as if that was exactly the answer a good soldier would give. "Lets take a walk Major. I would like your thoughts on a project that has recently come to my attention." He stood and retrieved his hat an placed it smartly under his arm and led the way out into the hall. Hawke was surprised when the walk ended up leading entirely out of the pentagon and the Colonel hailed a taxi. This was most unusual. That did not bode well, it was either cloak and dagger stuff, too important to talk about where a bug could be planted or Tobias was just a man who liked the outdoors. Tobias didn't look all that tanned...

After a good 15 minute drive the taxi stopped at a park and Tobias led the way down a path and began to speak. "I apologize about all this, but there is a program that just came to my attention that I think you would be perfect for. A top secret laboratory working for one of our intelligence agencies has just developed a means of greatly enhancing a soldiers capabilities. It's cutting edge, but the results I've seen have been absolutely amazing. How would you like to go into battle with a fifty pound pack on your back carrying a large caliber rifle in your arms and three boxes of ammo?"

Major Hawke thought for a moment wondering if this was some kind of trick question. "I wouldn't Sir, I would be dead in a matter of minutes carrying all that weight."

The Colonel smiled a triumphant smile, "Ah, but not if you agreed to join the program. The soldiers that have undergone the process so far could easily handle that weight and lug it around for hours before tiring. Their strength and stamina are amazing and I don't say that lightly. Darpa is working on exoskeleton powered suits to allow soldiers to carry that kind of weigh, but they are still years from a successful prototype. These men are doing it today! It's all do to a breakthrough in genetics, and you are not only an excellent soldier with unquestioned loyalty to his country. You also have the perfect genetic profile of any candidate we've seen so far."

Hawke thought about it for a moment then asked, "Is there any risk involved Sir?"

The Tobias smiled a fatherly smile, "No Major, I can tell you with complete confidence that not one soldier has been harmed by the treatment. What do you say, will you do it for your country?"

Hawke nodded, "I will Sir."

Tobias reached out his hand and shook Hawkes warmly. "I knew I could count on you!"

*****

Three days later Hawke found himself in front of the strangest stone statue he'd ever seen. He'd been instructed to push the glowing symbol. How this was supposed to begin the process of his treatment he didn't know, but orders were orders. "Here goes," he said to the empty room. He knew he was being observed. The touch brought instant and blinding pain. He had only seconds in which his brain barely functioned but he realized it wasn't blinding pain, it was actually blinding light AND pain. He lasted a record 33 seconds in the light before passing out cold. He also had a record headache after wards. Over the next several days he was given operational instructions. He had been reassigned to an agency that he'd never heard of before the NID and he didn't know what that stood for, but they were well funded and had a decent esprit de corps. He thought he might like working with them. He was concerned that there were so many guards around though. He wasn't sure what that was about, but it meant something and he was afraid it wouldn't be good. People didn't put that much effort into security for no good reason. The problem was that the security seemed as much aimed inward as outward and that gave him a bad feeling.

[Ryan Hawke]

Ryan got settled into his new place in the NID barracks and since his orders didn't include reporting the CO immediately he felt it was time see what he could do.

He placed a handful of calls to old friends and comrades around the service, seeing if they could find out anything about the NID, hoping to learn a bit more and not fumble about in the dark.

Next he got dressed for a workout and grabbed his duffle with a change of clothe and towel and called information to get directions to the base gymnasium. He makes his way there, under the watchful eyes of a pair of Security MP's. The constant scrutiny bothers him, but he doesn't let it show.

He knew before the enhancement he could Bench a hundred and thirty kilos easily. He fits a full two hundred on the bar and lays beneath it. He motions for one of the guards to come over. "One of you spot me, the other can keep me covered with the gun. I just want a little safety. I haven't tried this much before."

The MP reluctantly agrees and Ryan lifts the bar and does fifteen reps in rapid succession. It takes utterly no effort, and this suprises him.

He sets the bar back on and ands another fifty Kilos. This continues until he's got all the weights he can fit on the bar, to the tune of 350 kilos. "Still too easy."

He laughs knowing he'd come close to trippling his strength at the very least. He went into the next room followed by a pair of somewhat subdued MP's now and went to work on the punching bag for close to an hour. The end result was a punching bag with signs of extreme abuse. Finally finished he nods to them. "I'll be returning to the barracks now."

He makes his way back and the leave him after he closes the door. He goes to take a shower and get cleaned up. Finally refreshed and ready to get back into the swing of things he checks his answering machine to see if there's any messages.

[Mr Fox]

When he arrived back at his room Ryan found a note on the table. It read: Please do not ask questions about the NID outside this building. We are a covert branch of the US government and we don't appreciate our name being bandied about. It makes that 'covert' part difficult to maintain."

The note was unsigned.

[Ryan Hawke]

"Well, that's better than I expected honestly." He shrugged the bag off onto the floor in the bedroom and took a good shower. He figured it was around ten in the morning, and if he was lucky he could make the mess hall for a late breakfast.

He got dressed and left, and found himself escorted to the Mess Hall just as they were picking things up. He snagged a plate with some eggs and a couple of biscuits and grabbed a glass of water from the table where the dispenser was. He sat down alone and ate, trying to figure out just what on earth he had gotten pulled into.

[Mr Fox]

Captain Ryan Hawke was getting annoyed. He had volunteered for this program but he'd spent the better part of the last two days confined to a padded room, or being poked at and prodded by docs. That wasn't too surprising though, he expected that. Two straight days of it though was a bit excessive. Dr. Soie had said that it was only 48 hours of observation though and he would be able to report for duty. Assuming he checked out of course. Tomorrow he would be out of the padded room. They would even allow him to have a newspaper or book in here... He grumbled under his breath.

A perimeter alarm sounded. He was on his feet at once. Something was going on. He should be out there helping not stuck here in this room. Maybe they would let him out, he was eager to test his new abilities in a real situation.

The door slammed open and made a quiet but solid thump against the padded wall.

At last he was going to get his chance.

His two guards stepped inside before he could go out to them. He was just about to ask for a sit-rep when they raised their weapons and pointed them at him. What the hell?

Hawke init: 11

BG init: 7

(You both rolled 1s, lol)

[Ryan Hawke]

He reacted with Explosive movement upon seeing the murderous intent in their eyes, diving between them both and lashing out with his legs in a brutal sweep, aimed at taking them both down at once.

[Ryan Hawke]

The sweep catches both of them unprepared, and hitting with all his might he manages to snap bones on both of them. In a rage born of Anger and pain they turned their weapons on him. He took several hits, but due to a toughening of his flesh, the bullets did no harm. He lashed out and snapped the hand of one of them and snatched up the assault rifle and wheeled on the other one and prepared to fire.

[Ryan Hawke]

OOC Note what follows is Ryan's Debrief by General O'Neil

After some time of sitting in the concrete room with the thick steel door, it opened and a man with a single star on each collar walked in.

Ryan rises to his feet and Salutes in proper military decorum.

"I am General Jack O'Neil." He salutes in return.

"I am Major Ryan Hawke, United States Marine Corps." he maitains formal bearing and "at attention" stance.

,,

O'Neil smiles slightly and says "Welcome to the Stargate Command facility Major. May I ask what you were doing in that old VA hospital?"

Ryan seems troubled momentarily over confidentiality, but decides to answer. "I was a volunteer for a program instituded by the NID."

"What program was that?"

"Superhuman Enhancement"

"Superhuman enhancement? How long have you been associated with the NID?"

"Roughly three days. Colonel Tobias recruited me." He shifts as he gives his former commander's name, feeling as if he'd given up an old friend.

"O'Neil makes a note to look up Tobias later.

"How long have you known of the NID?"

"Three days. I've served in the Corps for eleven years, and three days ago was the first I'd heard of them."

O'Neil nodded, "I see."The door opens and an airman enters and places a folder in front of the General and then leaves.

"A question General."

O'Neil looks over the folder for a moment then looks up. "Go ahead."

"What exactly is going on? I do not know about the others who came with me, but I was allowed

relatively free access to the NID compound. I was shadowed by guards, but due to the nature of the the program it made a sort of sense. Can you shed any light on this?"

"The NID is a rogue agency. Their charter was revoked about a year ago by the President himself, but elements of their command structure disobeyed the Presidents' direct order and have gone awol."

Ryan considers his next words carefully. "That would explain the note I found after i returned from the gym."

"Note?"

"I tried to gather some information on the NID from comrades, and found a nice unsigned note "Requesting that I not casually use theorganization's name."

That is the way they operate. A year ago we thought we have them completely shut down, but it looks like they managed to reestablish themselves. File says you are on active duty with the Marines but that you are currenlty on special assignment. Tell me son, do you feel any loyalty to the NID after what they did to you?

"The enhancement program, or the "Bomb-rigged building with guncrazy MP's? I am glad I volunteered, despite the pain, the process did work."

"I'm not sure what happend with the building, just that my guards who'd watchmed decided to shoot me. If anything Sir I'd like to know just what was going on."

"If Colonel Tobias and the rest of NID truly have gone rogue, then I am prepared to do what any Marine would do to a threat to the United States, Sir."

Well, I can tell but it is classified and you will be requried to sign an NDA. Are you ok with that?

"SIr, yes sir."

"You are currenly in the facility known as Stargate command. That big ring thing you saw when you entered is an alien device that allows travel between worlds, and even galaxies. Several years ago we ventured through it and met some of those aliens for the first time. Some of them are hostile and would like nothing better than to ether enslave the Earth's population oreven kill us all. More importantly some of those aliens have a grudge against the fact that our ancestors back in ancient Egypt rebelled against them and locked away the Stargate preventing them from coming back.

Ryan nods, managing to hide his disbelief. "Alright."

"The device the NID was using to experiment on you and their other test subjects was discovered three weeks ago by one of our teams on a world designated RL1137. It was subsequently stolen by NID operatives through means we have yet to determine and returned to Earth where they appear to have been planning to create themselves some super soldiers."

"I see. So is that why the team lead by Caine was roaming our base as the likely cause of the base alert?

SGC was trying to recover the artifact?"

The artifact and our personnel. When they stole the device they killed three of our people and kidnapped a

fourth. We don't let our people remain in enemy hands. That is the kind of people the NID are.

Your current assignment is for an indefinite period... What I would like to do is have you reassigned to

Stargate command and keep you under observation for a couple weeks to be sure there wasn't any harm done from contact with the alien device and after that, if you are willing to offer you a position here in one of our teams."

Ryan Hawke nods "Sounds like an interesting assigment."

"You signed up to serve your country and you've done a fine job of that. The SGC serves to protect not just

this country but the entire world from threats far greater than some petty dictator in Iraq. For now, you will be confined to the base thoughout the observation period, but assuming you pass the background checks and everything works out we will get you assigned a team within a month." General O'Neil stands up picking up the folder and putting it under his left arm and extending the right to shake Hawke's hand.

,,

"Any questions before I leave?"

"You guys do have a gymnasium onsite right? I wasn't quite done testing the enhancements. I'd like to see just how far they go." Ryan Hawke shakes the extended hand. "Sounds like the world got a whole lot more interesting."

General O'Neil smiles "We will be very interested to see how that turns out."

[Ryan Hawke]

Ryan spends the next two weeks pushing the limits of his enhanced abilities, to the point of injurung himself, only to find the wound healing up quickly.

He diligently trained, and did his level best to get to know the other "not-normal" people brought here with him.