Chapter 110 - Can't Change Destiny

Without stopping to rest, Dageer got near the door, and prepared to breach in. However, he was stopped before he could.

"Hohohoho... don't come in clone, or all your friends die."

Dageer ignored the arrogant voice, and kicked the door, swinging it open. However, he didn't come in, and that was proved to be a wise decision, since the doorway was soon filled with lasers.

Standing on the other side was a scene from hell. Aside from the dozen or so gang members, this side of the warehouse was filled with Coruscant Guard clones. But they weren't chained like prisoners as Dageer had expected.

About sixty beds filled the warehouse, an on each of them was a n.a.k.e.d clone. Plastic tubes and syringes came from a glass container near the bed, and ended under the skin of the clones. Medical droids were walking amidst the beds without caring for the battle.

The liquid in the glass containers was yellow, and was flowing without stop in the veins of the clones. Beads of sweat adorned their bodies, and their veins were bulging out. None of them was awake, but Dageer could see they were visibly in pain.

"What are you doing?! Release them, now!"

Dageer yelled at the man responsible for that without thinking, and stepped out in the open, aiming his DC-15A at him. Immediately, a dozen guns were aimed at him, but before they could shoot, they all dropped dead to the ground with ten burning holes on each of them.

Commander Fox and the Coruscant Guard, as well as Hell Squad, had arrived. But the man didn't seem afraid. He put his right hand up in the air, so every clone could see a trigger in his hand.

"Hohoho... this is a release trigger, clones. I am pressing it, the moment I release it... every clone on those beds dies."

The man was tall and slim, and had a purplish-blue skin. His eyes were wide, and he was laughing maniacally. He was totally crazy.

Seeing that, Commander Fox gave the order to hold fire.

"You captured soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic. That is a crime which the penalty is death or a lifelong sentence. But if you carefully deactivate that trigger, and come with us, we can say you cooperated."

"Hohoho... hohoho!!! Crime against the Republic, you say? I don't care about the Republic! You are all dirty liars and murderers. But I will show this galaxy the Republic is nothing! When my creation is complete, the Republic will be a defenseless prey for the Separatist cause!"

While he was saying that, the man kept lifting his thumb off the trigger, and then pressing it again. Every time they saw the finger lift, the clones gripped their blasters harder, and relaxed a little when the crazy man pressed the trigger again.

"Sir, I have him on my scope."

"Don't. If he dies, that trigger will be released."

The clones would have to talk their way out of the situation. Fortunately, the crazy man didn't seem interested in dying either, and offered the solution himself.

"You see, clone commander, I have much more to do in my life. I still haven't completed the task Count Dooku gave me. So, I will retreat slowly, and you won't shoot. Because if you shoot, hoho..."

"I can't agree with that. Stop right where you are, and disarm the bomb."

However, the man ignored Commander Fox, and started walking without turning his back to the clones.

"Hohohoho! Who said... it is a bomb?!"

Without any warning, the crazy man simply dropped the trigger. Without the pressure, the trigger popped back into place.

Dageer had subconsciously shrunken, waiting for a blast, but nothing of the kind happened. Commander Fox fired his twin DC-17.

"It was a bluff! Catch him!"

The clones had stopped worrying about capturing him alive, now that they knew where their missing brothers were. However, the man was crazy but not stupid. The moment he released the trigger, a hatch opened under his feet, and he dropped into it. Before any clone went after him, the hatch closed.

"Split and look for any exit on the outside. He can't be too far. Bring the rest of our forces here, search for him everywhere!"

The Coruscant Guard had been on standby on the levels above, just waiting for that order. The moment Commander Fox gave it, they moved fast.

"Urgh... Arghhhh! ARGHHHHHH!!!"

Horrifying screams overwhelmed Commander Fox's voice on the comlink. The clone that had been laying on the beds had started to contort and scream in pain.

Dageer ran to the nearest one, and saw that the yellow liquid on the containers had started pumping out much faster. The skin of the clone started turning yellow, and his screams got louder.

Dageer pulled the syringes connected to the arm of the clone, making the liquid splash and acc.u.mulate on the ground. The other clones started doing the same to their brothers, but it was useless.

After more than ten minutes of blood-curdling screams, the clones started to get quiet one by one. Dageer, Commander Fox, Hell Squad, the Coruscant Guard, medics and anyone else had been able to do nothing, but watch the clones suffer and die.

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Back at the clone army headquarters.

"Thire, please, tell the commanders the analysis results."

"Yes, commander. Of the fifty-one troopers captured, none of them survived. They were injected with something that caused their genes to degenerate in a fast and painful way. We suspect the man who escaped was working for the Separatist, trying to create a chemical weapon that affects only clones. That is why only clones were being kidnapped. Before the enemy escaped, he injected a much larger amount of the chemical, activating it."

"... We also lost twenty-two troopers on the assault."

Commander Fox said that very quietly, but the impact was big. In a day, more than seventy clones died. They had suffered a total defeat, and a huge blow.

"We didn't find the crazy scientist, but the most intelligent thing to do would be to leave the planet. The Coruscant Guard will send a warning to all the legions. If the same thing happens to them, they will be better prepared. Meanwhile, our analysts are working on a cure or at least a medicine for the chemical. I think that concludes our meeting here. Commanders, make sure to let your men vent out their stress. The Separatist are starting to fight back, and you can't be sure when your legions will have another break."

None of the commanders said anything, because they couldn't change what happened. The best they could do was follow Commander Fox's advice.