Crossover Earth '98
The American Way
by Mike Cocker
The small briefing room was overcrowded and hot. Located four stories beneath the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, no open window could cool the room and the small ventilation system wasn’t designed for a quick turnover of air. Normally the gray-painted room was used for storage of office supplies and copy paper. But today all the supplies had been stacked along the wall in the halls to make room for twenty-four folding chairs, a small podium, a large digital screen standing behind the podium.
Twelve men had crowded into the room at five minutes before nine in the morning and taken their seats facing the podium and the screen. Three of the men wore the formal attire of the Army, Navy and Air Force, the breasts of their jackets decorated with various badges and medals. Another five men were dressed like government delegates, wearing tones of brown or gray, with dark ties and polished black shoes. That last four men wore casual clothes underneath white lab coats. All the men varied in age, but none was under that of forty.
As the heat grew in the room several men began loosening their ties. They sat, rather uncomfortably, waiting.
Some men had been talking softly among themselves to help get their minds off the stuffy, dry room. But that stopped immediately as, at exactly nine, a man in an expensive three-piece suit entered and strolled to the small podium. His suit was a rich dark blue and he wore a light blue tie.
The silence was complete as the man at the front looked down at the twenty-five seated men.
Maxwell Carter was his name and he was known to everyone in the room as a respected member of the Department of Defense. He had been known as the man who made things happen, and what he said, in many ways, determined the protection of the United States of America. He had no known vices, unless a ten handicap at golf was a vice, and Carter would have probably found a means to keep such knowledge locked in the vaults of national security.
As the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation, Carter was the principal staff assistant and senior advisor to the Secretary of Defense on workable studies and assessments in the Department of Defense. He was responsible for issuing policy and procedures; reviewing and analyzing the results of operational experiments and analyses conducted for each major acquisition program; providing independent assessments to Secretary of Defense, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology, and Congress; making budgetary and financial recommendations to the Secretary of Defense regarding ongoing and upcoming programs; and oversight to ensure Operational Test and Evaluation for major Department of Defense Acquisition programs was adequate to confirm operational effectiveness and suitability of the defense system in combat use.
And for Carter to have twelve selected representatives to furtively meet in the subterranean levels of the office building meant something important was about to be surface.
"Gentlemen," Carter said, finally breaking the silence in the humid room. His voice was firm, low, and full of authority. A voice no one ever argued with. "You have all been selected by me either because of your renowned skills or legal and political clout. And the information I am about to share with you does not leave this room for it is of the strictest confidence."
He let the silence drive his message home through the hot air. Not one man said a word, so he continued.
"In 1955, the Department of Defense recruited ten soldiers for a top secret program known only as the Tyrian Project. Named after Tyr, the god of war and lawful justice in Norse mythology, this project was an attempt to create the strongest squadron of fighting men to help quiet the wave of preternatural villainy that had surfaced throughout the United States. There the men underwent training more intensive than any athlete in the free world had experienced. This was coupled with a battery of tests and exposure to a variety of synthetic drugs, all designed to enhance their performance to the absolute limits of human potential."
Seeing that Carter piqued the interest of his associates, he continued. "For the final stage of the project, the soldiers were given a very special anabolic compound designed by DARPA scientists. Known as the Tyrian Formula, or just the T-Formula, the compound was supposed to push its subjects over the edge of human limits and into the realms of metahumanity.
"There were risks, of course.
"In fact, out of the ten soldiers that were recruited, four of the subjects died of an overdose while five were induced into vegetal states of catalepsy. Only one subject survived the effects of the formula’s complex chain of chemicals, and it’s anabolic effects had worked much better than anyone had expected. This sole survivor achieved superhuman strength as well as enhanced speed, agility and stamina. I don’t pretend to understand all the science behind the T-Formula -- only the researchers fully understand its process -- but you can well see the results."
Carter turned to the video screen, which seemed to flicker to life as he faced it. The once blank screen now displayed grainy black-and-white lab footage of a costumed man sporting the stars and stripes. He moved about a gymnasium of vast, almost dreamlike proportions, where parallel bars, balance beams, rings and floor mats met at infinity. The men in the briefing room stirred as they watched a swiss-perfect body twirl and circle through the air in easy defiance of gravity.
The screen then displayed color footage of the same costumed man standing beside a jeep. His mask concealed most of his facial features, but exposed his crew-cut blond hair, his deep blue eyes, and prominent J.F.K. smile. Faces of recognition washed over the men watching the screen. Funny a how color and clarity refreshed one’s memory. But their expressions became overwhelmed with awe as the costumed man squatted down in front of the jeep and lifted the end of it with relative ease. Then the man military pressed the vehicle over his head once he placed himself under its chassis.
And the J.F.K. smile was still on his face.
"Freeze it," said Carter, and the picture obediently paused on the screen. The costumed man was in motion and so the his image was a slight blur. But it was still easy to discern.
"Yes, you all remember the super-patriot known as Old Glory." The director paused, waiting a moment to let his words be the only thing of focus in the room. "It was he who was the surviving subject of the Tyrian Project. And as a living symbol of the ideals and principles of this great nation of ours, Old Glory held hope to wipe out all moral decay in our country’s name. And he did just that.
"He personified the American way.
"Granted, he has been absent for fifteen years now, but this doesn’t mean our immortal icon is dead. And with this resurgence of super-powered criminals and terrorists, it is time to resurrect Old Glory. Our nation is being threatened by the likes of Spectrum, Wayward, Cheshire, Apocalypse Now, and more and more each day. In the name of national security we must make a stand."
Around the room heads nodded in understanding.
Carter slams a knotted fist down on the podium. "We must show the world that Old Glory still flies high!"