The Order

By: Brad Townsend
(© 2019 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Townsend@tickiestories.us

Prologue / Appendix
 

So, it’s finally come down to this.  The doc said it would, but I hoped he was wrong.  

With a heavy sigh, Captain Dutcher continued his thought: Hell, who am I kiddin,’ he’s never wrong.  At least I don’t have to face it alone.  I’m not sure I could do this without Alan.

Captain Bruce Dutcher glanced back at his Team, his best friends and Brothers, waiting for him on the helicopter.  Pride washed over him as he looked at them, and it pained him at what they were about to go through. It was such a shame events had come to where they were, forcing them to give up their lives and disappear.

He shook his head and thought ruefully: The price of being too successful.

Bruce began preparing them for the inevitability months ago, but now the moment was at hand they all felt apprehensive about what path their lives would take and how they would live.  But, they were soldiers, Navy SEALS, the best in the world, and they would survive.  Each of them had the utmost confidence in the doctor, however starting new lives away from the military and everything they ever knew was… well, daunting, to say the least.  At least there were no families to grieve when everyone thought them dead.

Bruce pushed aside his concerns, focusing on the present, needing to feel and appear confident for his men.  They trusted him and the doctor, and he knew they would follow him.  Their loyalty ran deep, and he loved them for it.  He repeated the mantra drilled into him during his training; A good leader should always appear confident.

Bruce had to shout over the noise of the rotors, “Doc, we’re ready!  Let’s get this show on the road!”

 “Very good, my boy!  You all know what to do!”

 “Doc, are you sure you’ll be okay on your own!?  I’d feel better if you came with me and Lt. Whetherson!”

 “Rest assured Bruce, I will be fine!  I think the phrase you would use is, ‘This is not my first rodeo!’”  

The doctor grinned slightly when he said that, which was rare for him.  He was a very positive man but rarely smiled.  As Bruce and the other men got closer to the doctor after working with him for a few years, they worried about him.  Occasionally, when he let his guard down, a deep thread of sadness surfaced.

The doctor held up a small device, a trigger switch he devised for that very moment.  His thumb toggled the switch, and Bruce watched the light turn on; there was no going back now.  All information about each of them vanished from every Military and US Government database in the world with the flick of that button. The doctor assured him that any hardcopy paper trails would disappear as well.  Oddly enough Bruce felt relieved; there could be no more doubts and moving forward was now the only option.

Bruce knew better than to argue with the doctor, so he reached out and shook his hand in farewell and said, “See you in a few months, Sir!”  

Bruce then turned, ducked his head, and trotted back to the waiting helicopter.  He hopped on board the Sikorsky MH-53 and gave the pilot a thumbs up for takeoff.  As large as the craft was it still bounced slightly from his weight.  Bruce would miss the helicopter; it had been modified and designated for their use, and it held many memories of the past few years of his life.  It had a distinct smell to his enhanced olfactory perceptions; a mix of fuel, salt water, used equipment, and even the musky scent of their sweat over the last few years.  It was oddly comforting, and he was sorry the craft had to be another sacrifice to secure their safety.  

Flipping on his Commlink, Bruce said, “Alright ladies, this is it.  Switch to channel 5.”

Bruce noticed the contemplative looks on his friends faces and knew most of them had thoughts similar to his.  An uncharacteristic quiet fell among them in light of what was about to happen.  Usually, there would be laughter and shit talking amidst their usual banter.   

When everyone was on the secure channel, encrypted by one of the doctor’s devices, Bruce reviewed the plan one more time.  As with any other mission each man had his role down pat and repeated it verbatim.  If they were nervous, none of them showed it.  In fact, now that the mission was underway he saw the same relief on their handsome faces; the fact that there was no turning back gave them a sense of freedom and direction.  Jim’s usual mischievous grin was back and he winked at Bruce, letting him know that everything was going to be alright.  One of them patted his shoulder as he often did to them, expressing their comfort and support.

The wind picked up, and the flight grew bumpy.  As the ten men headed out to sea the sky darkened, and scattered lightning periodically lit up the thick clouds.  Bruce wasn’t sure why the thought came to him, but he realized there always seemed to be stormy weather at crucial times in their lives.  Bruce wasn’t a superstitious man and let the thought go. With his enhanced senses, though, he felt the thunder inside him and sensed there was more going on than he could comprehend.

 Snapping himself back to the present, Bruce asked, “Keith, are you good to go on the pilot?”

 “Yes sir, Cap.”

 “Alright, everybody!  Time to suit up!”  

In pairs, the men began helping their partners get into the scuba gear.  Alan already had his and Bruce’s equipment prepped and was changed and waiting to help Bruce.  

Alan couldn’t help but admire Bruce’s physique as he stripped off his flight suit.  His body was perfect from head to toe, deeply tanned and heavily muscled.  The genetic alterations the doctor induced in Bruce and the rest of the team transformed all of them into perfect physical specimens.  On top of that, Bruce always seemed so graceful and confident, like a statue in motion.  Bruce radiated a natural charisma, and he was also one of the humblest men Alan had ever met.  He was ruggedly handsome, and his physical traits along with his personality made him perfect to Alan.

After joining the Program, Bruce, along with James, Keith, Paul, and Don were far stronger than ordinary men with their bone and muscle density slightly over four times that of a typical fit adult male.  All of them weighed well over an astounding 400 lbs. of solid muscle, however, entirely proportioned to their height along with a low body-fat ratio.   They looked more like Greek statues or bulked up fitness models with their frames covered in thick, lean muscle.  

The changes also encompassed heightened physical abilities including increased agility, speed, dexterity, and balance, as well as enhanced senses.   Alan, Gary, Jim, Dan, and Fred didn’t have the increased muscle and bone density of their counterparts, but the doctor enhanced their minds as well as their bodies so they were smarter and more intuitive.  They became Empathic, allowing them to sense and induce emotional responses in ordinary humans.  Between the Mental and physical attributes of the men, they were the most formidable SEAL Team that ever existed, which is why their unit was also one of the most highly kept secrets in the US Government.  Project Glass Hand was a name only a handful of government officials even heard of.  The Project was off the books and above Top Secret.

The doctor designed each pair of men to be dependent on one another, one representing the Body and one the Mind, and whether it was somehow the doctor or nature taking its course, the couples fell in love with one another within months of first meeting and training together.  All of them were gay to begin with; the doctor told them that was necessary from a genetic standpoint for optimal effectiveness of the procedure, but regardless, they all formed intense emotional bonds and fell deeply in love with their partners in the months after the initial process that changed them.

Once everyone had their gear prepped and ready, Bruce switched his Commlink back to talk to the pilot and gave him a new set of coordinates for their drop.  

“Alright guys, let’s execute this like any other mission.  If anyone has any questions or doubts, this is your last chance ‘ta bring ‘em up.”  

No one said a word, and he didn’t expect them too.

The pilot took them down below radar cover, and an hour later they were hovering at the given coordinates.  His voice came over the Commlink, “Here we are, Captain.  We’re in the middle of nowhere, but this is the spot.”

“Roger that.”

Bruce nodded to Keith, who moved forward pulling out a syringe the doctor prepared for that precise moment.  The pilot wasn’t expecting anything to happen and was caught off guard when Keith reached around and pulled off his flight helmet and oxygen tube, putting him in a chokehold.  The pilot panicked, especially from the sting of the needle entering his neck, flailing his arms and legs as much as he could in the tight confines of the cockpit.  Keith, much stronger than the pilot, effortlessly held him for the few seconds needed for the serum to take effect.

The pilot quickly calmed down, and Keith let him go.  With a face void of emotion, he put the helicopter on autopilot and began changing into a wetsuit Alan had prepped for him.  Bruce went to the back of the aircraft and lowered the rear panel.  The water below looked cold and dark, almost black.  

“Schrader! Shogren! You’re up!  Let’s go!”

Bruce dropped the inflatable raft for the pilot to use once they got him down.  The doctor said there would be a submarine nearby that would pick up the distress beacon. Bruce had never known the doctor to be wrong and felt confident the pilot would be alright.

James and Dan pinched their noses, held their regulators, and jumped, crossing their legs as they dropped.  Bruce watched them splash down.  James bobbed up first and after clearing his mask, gave a thumbs up to let him know they were down safely.

Don and Jim were next, followed by Paul and Gary, and then Keith and Fred.  Alan pulled out a small portable hard drive the doctor gave him and made his way to the cockpit, hooking it into the navigation system of the helicopter.  He flipped the switch and the little light started to flicker, letting Alan know it was transmitting data.

Alan moved back and shouted to Bruce, “It’s plugged in and working!  Let’s get him down!”

The pilot had drop training and knew what to do, even if he wasn’t in control of himself Mentally.  The serum Keith injected him with controlled his actions and would keep him from remembering any of what was currently going on.

The pilot jumped, and in a few minutes Jim and Don had him safely onboard the inflated raft.  Jim climbed up and into the raft, double checking that he was secure and wouldn’t fall out unless the raft capsized.  

Bruce and Alan looked at one another and smiled.  They had come so far together neither man could imagine a life apart.  Alan put his hand on Bruce’s big shoulder and squeezed firmly, putting all the emotions running through him into the gesture.  

Alan said, “Well, Bruce this is it.  I’m glad it’s you and me, together.”

“Me too, Alan.  As long as we’re together, we’ll make it work.  And, I have faith in the doc.”

Alan steeled himself against the dark, frigid waters he was about to plunge into.  He envied Bruce his warmer body temperature, but then he didn’t envy his extra body mass with the swim they were about to make.  Even with the higher oxygen content in his body to help with buoyancy, it would still be a long swim.

Bruce said, “On three… One… Two…”

The little kid grin Bruce sometimes got appeared as he pushed Alan out of the opening one count too soon.  He heard the beginning of “You fuckkerrrrrrrrr!!!” before the wind ripped Alan’s shout away even from Bruce’s exceptional hearing. Bruce chuckled to himself and jumped after his best friend and lover.

When Bruce surfaced and cleared his mask, he saw the others hanging onto the edge of the raft that contained the now sleeping pilot.  A few seconds later the helicopter started to move and gain altitude.  They watched until it was almost out of sight and then saw the ball of fire as it exploded and plummeted into the depths of the Mediterranean.

Just as the ball of fire impacted the water, lightning rippled across the sky and a heavy rain started.  Jim reached into the raft and turned on the S.O.S. beacon and said, “Sleep tight, fella.  Hopefully, that submarine is close.”  

The raft drifted away from them, helped by a solid push from Keith and Don.

The ten men formed a circle, arms out and around each other’s shoulders while their sturdy legs kept them treading water.  

Bruce looked at them and said, “Be careful, guys.  We’ll see each other back in the states in a few months.  Stick ‘ta the plan, and everythin’ll be fine.”  

Bruce grinned and right before he put his regulator back in his mouth he said, “Remember, for a bunch of fuck-ups, you’re still the best.”  

The rest of the men, including Alan, grinned back and flipped him off.  With that gesture, they all put on their masks and started swimming in pairs at slightly different angles, each heading towards the shore and leaving their old lives behind. 

******* 

The doctor had arranged for papers and money to get them out of Syria and back to the United States, and two months later the men began arriving in pairs at predetermined rendezvous points.  By the time they reached Atlanta, after taking a very scenic tour of the U.S. to be sure no one from the Government saw through their ‘accident’ and tried to trace them, the doctor had houses, vehicles, and new identities for them complete with background stories and family histories.  He had also acquired a facility for a new Laboratory and had the building modified according to his needs.

Sitting in the new Lab, Bruce and Alan looked over their new identities.  Bruce’s new name was Ken Habersham, and Alan’s was Brad Wilson.

The doctor had taken care of everything, and they all started their new lives together.

Appendix for The Order:   

The Team

Original/Birth Name and Rank                 Current Name

Lt. Commander Bruce Dutcher (Captain)        Ken Habersham

Lt. Alan Whetherson                          Bradford (Brad) Wilson

Lt. Don Elenburg                             Bryan (Bry) Gunter

Lt. Jim Barton                               Lane Weaver

Lt. James Schrader                           Patrick (Pat) Manning

Lt. Dan Shogren                              Darren (Dar) Wilcox

Lt. Keith Abrams                             Kevin (Kev) Ayers

Lt. Fred Martin                              Willian (Bill) Brennan

Lt. Paul Tibedeaux                           Richard (Rick(y) Crawford

Lt. Gary Bolin                               Loy Barton

The Couples

Brad/Ken

Lane/Bryan

Darren/Pat

Bill/Kevin

Loy/Ricky

Their Mentor

Dr. Aaron Thomas

The Bodies (Ken, Bryan, Pat, Kevin, Ricky)

At the inception of the Program Ken, Bryan, Pat, Kevin, and Ricky (under their original names of Bruce, Don, James, Keith, and Paul) had their physical bodies changed by Dr. Aaron Thomas, altering their genetic structures into a ‘perfect state.’  They are the pinnacle of human physical potential, immune to viruses and diseases, and their skin is smooth and blemish free.  As a result of the genetic alternations the men stopped aging, and while they can be killed, they are effectively immortal.

Their muscle and bone density is nearly four times that of a fit, human male, vastly increasing their weight.  When pushed they are able to bench press nearly one thousand pounds.  To compensate for the extra muscle tissue, bone and muscle density, their bodies contain a much higher level of oxygen, helping with buoyancy and fueling their muscles.  

Their body fat percentage is fixed at 6.5%, making them lean and vascular, similar to a bodybuilder prior to a competition.  While they are large and muscular they are not grotesquely so.

Their body temperature is five degrees higher than a normal human and coupled with their natural charisma it makes them very comforting to be around.  They radiate health and strength.

Their senses are also greatly enhanced along with their balance, agility and dexterity.

The Minds (Brad, Lane, Darren, Bill, Loy)

At the inception of the Program Brad, Lane, Darren, Bill, and Loy (under their original names of Alan, Jim, Dan, Fred, and Gary) had their physical bodies and Minds changed by Dr. Aaron Thomas into a ‘perfect state’ just as their counterparts, the Bodies.  They are also the pinnacle of human potential, immune to viruses and diseases, and their skin is smooth and blemish free.  They stopped aging, the same and the Bodies and are also immortal.

Their bodies were altered somewhat but not to the extent of their partners.  They do not have the bone or muscle density of the Bodies, rather their Minds were altered and they now have perfect recall and photographic memories.  Their intelligence is extremely high, with their IQ’s approaching 200.  They keep in exceptional physical shape, mainly to perform the physical exams on their partners and keep their bodies in alignment.

The most powerful aspect of their change is their Empathic ability.  They are able to read and project emotions into normal humans.

Physical Characteristics and Upbringing

Ken Habersham:

Ken is 5’10” and weighs 420 lbs.  He has dark brown hair and green eyes.  Ken is one of those men who has a perpetual five O’clock shadow on his face.  He is physically the most muscular of the group, although Kevin has more mass.  Ken has a light dusting of hair on his chest, arms, legs, and under his arms.

Ken has no knowledge of any living relatives.  He was placed in foster care as an infant, and then transferred to an orphanage at age twelve when his foster mother died and the father could not handle having an extra child in the house.  Ken stayed in an orphanage until he graduated high school.  He left, got a job, and entered a community college, managing on scholarships and financial aid.  He was able to transfer to a four-year university and attained a degree in Criminal Justice before joining the Navy.  Ken met Kevin in the Navy and they went through BUDS together.  They are the only two men that knew each other before the Program.

Brad Wilson:

Brad is 6’2” and weighs 245 lbs. He has light blond hair, almost golden, and light blue eyes.  Brad has a hairy chest, arms, and legs, but no hair on his shoulders or back.  He does occasionally trim his body hair but never shaves smooth.  

Brad has no knowledge of any living relatives.  He never knew his father and his mother passed away when he was eleven.  He was passed between three separate foster homes until he graduated high school.  Brad went straight to college, attaining a degree in Mathematics before joining the Navy.

Bryan Gunter:

Bryan is 6’0” and weighs 425 lbs.  He has light brown hair and green eyes.  He has minimal body hair and does not trim or shave.

Bryan was raised in a foster home from the time he was infant.  His foster family died in a car accident and the State of Georgia tracked down his natural grandparents in Savannah, GA.  He lived with them through high school but they passed away from old age and infirmity just after he graduated.  Not knowing what path in life he wanted to take, Bryan worked for a few years before joining the Navy after they passed away.  As a result of not having a college degree Bryan was forced to pass additional tests before being accepted into the BUDS Program.

Lane Weaver:

Lane is 5’11” and weighs 235 lbs.  He has dark brown hair and eyes.  Lane has some hair on his chest, arms, and legs, but is otherwise smooth.  

Lane’s mother died childbirth, and when he was four his father abandoned him.  He was fostered temporarily and passed between a number of families until he graduated high school.  While in high school he was notified of his birth father’s death by a rare and aggressive form of cancer.  Lane joined a community college and achieved a two-year degree before transferring to a major university and finishing a dual degree program in Music and Fine Arts.  Unsure what to do with his degrees, Lane joined the Navy hoping to travel the world.

Patrick Manning:

Pat is 6’0” and weighs 430 lbs.  He has light brown hair and brown eyes.  Pat has thick, dark brown hair on his chest, stomach, arms, and legs, but his shoulders and back are smooth.  He occasionally trims his body hair.  

When he was six years old Pat was the only survivor of a horrible car accident, where his entire family was killed.  He almost died himself and was in a coma for weeks before waking up.  He was catatonic for days and it took him almost a year to start speaking again.  He had troubles through school and was passed from family to family until he graduated high school.  Pat went to a four-year college and attained a degree in History before joining the Navy.

Darren Wilcox:

Darren is 5’9” and weighs 240lbs.  He has dark brown hair and green eyes.  Darren has very little body hair and doesn’t trim or shave.  

When Darren was three years old he was the only survivor of a house fire and became a ward of the state.  He was fostered through three different families until he graduated high school.  Darren went to a local university and attained a degree in Business Administration before joining the Navy.

Kevin Ayers:

Kevin is 6’2” and weighs 450 lbs.  He has jet black hair and dark brown eyes.  Kevin is very hairy but keeps himself trimmed, shaving his shoulders and back (with Bill’s help).  

Kevin has no knowledge of any living relatives.  His mother gave him up for adoption at birth, and any knowledge of her was kept from him.  He lived in an orphanage until he was five, when he joined a foster family.  There was trouble with other fostered children in his home and he was passed to another few families as a teenager, until he graduated high school.  Kevin stayed out of school for two years before going to college and getting a two-year degree in English before joining the Navy.

Bill Brennan:

Bill is 6’4” and weighs 265 lbs.  He has medium brown hair and blue eyes.  Bill is naturally smooth.  

Bill was literally left on the doorstep of an orphanage and has no knowledge of his parents or any living relatives.  He was fostered as an infant up through grade school where his foster family had to turn him back over to the state for financial reasons.  As a teenager Bill found out they were killed in a plane crash.  Bill stayed with another foster family temporarily but was eventually put back in an orphanage where he stayed until he graduated from high school.  Bill went to a major university where he attained a degree in Computer Science before joining the Navy.

Rick(y) Crawford:

Rick is 5’10” and weighs 425 lbs.  Rick has brown hair and blue eyes.  Rick has a moderate amount of body hair which he keeps trimmed.  

Rick’s father was in the Army and died in a training accident when he was nine years old.  His mother went into a deep depression and a year later committed suicide, leaving Rick on his own.  He was fostered, but troubled, and his foster family put him back in an orphanage until he graduated high school.  He had a few run ins with the Law and ended up in the Juvenile Justice System.  He was lucky that a guard took him under his wing and kept him out of any serious trouble.  The guard was former Navy and convinced Rick to go to college and join the Navy.  While Rick was in College the guard was killed in a car accident, but to honor his memory Rick continued on the path he promised.

Loy Barton:

Loy is 6’1 and weighs 245 lbs.  He has dark brown hair and eyes.  Loy is very hairy but trimmed and keeps his shoulders and back smooth.  

Loy was born to a single mother and never knew his father.  His mother was killed in a robbery when he was seven, witnessing her getting shot in front of him.  He was troubled and often ran away from his foster families.  Eventually he ran away and managed to live on his own.  He dropped out of school but got his GED before going to a community college and getting a Vet Tech degree.  He was never able to settle and wanted to travel, so he joined the Navy in hopes of seeing more of the world.

Posted: 10/04/19