>>>March 2nd, 1991

>>>East Germany, Berlin, CLASSIFIED

The Oberst lit a cigar, offering one to the Gefreitor as he saluted to the Russian Private guarding the gates of the base. "They're from Cuba. You can tell by the smell." He said, as the young soldier graciously took it. 

"You've been around far, Sir?" 

"Me? No. A few conferences in Russia a few excercises in Poland, vacation in Bulgaria. I got these from a Spetsnaz commander. Terrifying man." They entered the building, the flash of NLCs on their keycards touching sensors leaving an afterglow in the eye. 

"I see. Special Operations, in Russian. Was he related to this new unit?" The two entered an elevator. 

"You catch on fast."

"So what is it about then?”


“You’ll see.”

The elevator went on for a rather long time, Gefreitor Joachim looking at the apparently malfunctioning indicator of what floor they were on. “Something seems to be wrong with the lift, Sir.”

“No. Nothing is wrong. Relax. [i]Last opportunity to do so you’ll have in a while.[/i]”

The soldier was confused, but he didn’t question what he was told lest he ruin what he was told was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

At last the door opened, and the two were on a rather peculiar floor. It had the sanitary white layout of a hospital or laboratory and yet whenever he received a glimpse of any rooms they were dark, either cramped or very spacious with little in between. Despite this being a military base he counted only a total of six firearms amkngst dozens of men and women going about.rms amongst dozens of men and women he saw about the place. A lot of people had their faces obscured in part or entirety. Some had balaclavas, other surgical masks, others peculiar helmets including goggles or some sort of rebreather. 

“Follow me.” The Oberst said as he lead Joachim down a few turns, tapping him on the shoulder to get him out of a daze he had. He opened the door to one of the strange rooms, getting the young soldier to sit in a reclined seat whilst he himself stood behind a tall desk, typing at a computer. “Gefreitor Joachim Lukas Wegener. Medic of the 20th Engineer Battalion. Made Gefreitor rather fast. Talent.” At this point a large light descended from the ceiling along with several smaller devices all poised at the Gefreitor. With his surroundings he could hardly see the Oberst with all the things obstructing his vision. 

He finished the cigar, and motioned with the stub to his counterpart. “Somewhere I can throw it out? It was a good one.” 

A mechanical appendage was extended from beneath him, apparently a trash can into which he almost threw it, before it turned over to perform some function yet unrevealed; thus he simply blew out the embers and pocketed the stub. Joachim remembered when he had laughing gas pumped into him when he had his wisdom teeth pulled. For some reason, he felt like that now and the yet lucid parts of his mind told him that this was very very wrong. “How much do you know about Langium?” the Oberst asked. 

“Same things as everyone.” Joachim replied. “What I learned in school, University, Academy.”

“Have you heard much about its biological applications?”

“Uhh… a little. I know mutations happen, usually fatal.”

The Oberst sighed, thanking a man in medical garb entering the room with a clipboard. “There is more to it. It is our division’s specialty, in a sense.”

Suddenly Joachim felt anxious despite being drugged, and looked down to find that there were now mechanical restraints on his hands, elbow, knees, feet. He tried to speak, but he felt unable to, as if there was an unheard speaker within him that had priority over his mouth, and was holding it shut. 

“Our Fatherland has a long history. Long before the DDR was formed there was one of our kinsmen, a colonist in the Baltics. Weiss. Some Knight or something of the sort. As the Baltic traded hands between Poles and Lithuanians and Swedes and Russians Weiss become Weissau, Weissau became Wejsow, Wejsow became Veisov. A doctor Veisov existed, loyal servant of the Russians. He met Mendeleev who met Lang at a symposium on the material, and from there gained an interest in using the stuff for the betterment of their Empire. After Mendeleev’s death he was enamoured with the idea of using the material to cure the son of the royal family of his hemophilia, and take away the influence of Rasputin. You’ve heard of him yes?”

“What….” the dazed Gefreitor asked as more machinery arose from slots in the floor. 

“But war broke out between our nations; Germany and Russia. His work was interrupted and in furor he went on to try to weaponize his research on what Langium could do to humans be it directly if used upon them, or what those under its influence could do to others. His breakthrough was interrupted when that glorious revolution of 1917 broke out. With the White Army he fled East until there was nowhere more to flee. He was granted a quiet amnesty in exchange for his services. Many doubted his loyalty to the Union, but the CPSU insisted that he was too useful to purge even during Stalin’s most harsh period. When war broke out between our nations his work was yet again interrupted as resources were pooled for more practical purpose and yet….” 

The Oberst was now eerily visible through the light, as if he produced one of his own. Several brains were encased in some sort of plastic or glass case, wiring running beneath their stands glowing the glow of NLCs once the Oberst placed his hands on them. Soon after, the depressions of the brains started to glow too. 

“Afraid? You should be. When the Russians came into our fatherland they found that we had been performing research of a similar vein. Not nearly as advanced of course, we had not our kinsman in Weiss to aid us. But advancement was a relative thing, it was all crackpottery then. Veisov simply hadn’t consumed so much methamphetamine as our scientists. With the peculiar peace of the cold war Veisov was soon showered with resources to create more wunderwaffe for the Russians. At some point he told high command of a breakthrough, but also a coming change in all the world. The New Earth Oracle then yet nameless had changed Langium, and with it the effects of it on mankind, our minds. History is a fickle thing, it is whatever we believe it to be, but often it is said that through the NEO’s effects on human brains in Veisov’s experiments the Russians knew of its coming long before their cosmonauts and probes actually saw it coming in space. They say their announced evacuation of territories to be struck by the NEO was ahead of its time thanks to their space craft. But others, those with more esoteric knowledge say they could have evacuated well before that. They chose not to, hoping to see the effects of NLCs upon humans first hand. Uncontrolled experiments upon thousands, millions of people.”

Joachim tried to squirm now but felt himself unable to. All he could do was move his eyes to look up, seeing a series of vices wrap around his head before a larger clamp started to squeeze. 

“You won’t be hurt. I’ll see to that.” The Oberst said, interrupting his monologue to speak to his counterpart. 

“What happened to Veisov after the visit is unclear, at least to those without appropriate clearance — such that it is said even the Soviet Premiere lacks. Some say he still works, some say he died, theories are many. But dead or alive, even now the effects of his work are felt globally.”

An ancient looking revolver floated from the holster at the hip of the Officer. “The Russians say this work is for the greater good. Those that haven’t disappeared, anyway. They smile and wink if you ask if it has had any relation to the inexplicable work of terrorists, zones, and other such things around our precious Earth. The Psychic Forces operate well above the Warsaw Pact joint command, or any other authority. It is rumoured Veisov had intended the psychic forces to be something… different to what they are now, and what the Soviets intended. That he left things around the world. Messages, items, all to ensure his work didn’t get out of hand.”

Without anyone touching it the hammer of the revolved was pulled back at the same time as a bullet was loaded into it and the Oberst placed a new, modern pistol into his holster. “I am sorry, Joachim. But in the coming times, remember all that I have told you. If you cannot, then at least all that you learned as a child. Minds should be free. Minds should be free. Don't let the Russians or the shadows in smoky rooms control thoughts.” 
Joachim screamed a soundless scream as a sharp sensation was felt along his skull. “Good luck.” The Oberst said as the revolved evaporated, and a single shot ended his life. As he keeled over the table, a smile struck his lips and the consciousness of the Gefreitor escaped him. 

[hr]
[hr]
>>>Several hours later

Joachim awoke in what looked to be a hospital room of sorts. He was still in the strange new uniform he was given, albeit it now felt more tailored to him. A doctor soon came in, writing on a clipboard. “Slept well?” she asked. 


“I… what? The Oberst he? Why did he kill himself how did he get the gun in the air?”

“The woman raised an eyebrow but then relaxed. “That’s the sedatives and other medication we had to give you for the medical tests we performed. The barium-NLC derivative in particular does strange things in someone’s sleep. But you’re all healthy, just a few more tests before we go on.”

“How did you know I was awake now?” The man asked, surprised to be struck by what he thought only happened in movies. 

“Our medical technology is somewhat ahead of what you might have seen in the domestic sectors. Come. Follow me.” she said, leaving the room with the door shutting itself behind her.

Joachim arose, grunting as something pressed into his thigh when he got off the bed. Stepping out of the room he pulled out the stub of the cigar at the same time as he realized that the door opened for him without it having been touched.