Issue # 39
"Let Me Introduce Myself..."
Part 1
By Brent Lambert
Despite what it may sound like The Janissaries aren't some Communist group looking to conquer the world. That couldn't be farther from the truth. We're all good people and we all just want to protect the interests of Saudi Arabia. We're patriots and glad to be it. Besides the Janissaries will prove to be a force of change. I'm one of four females on this twelve-person team. 50 years ago that would have been unheard of. Some might argue we had just that much potential so it was worth rejecting the social norms. I prefer to think maybe the eyes of some in my country have opened up. I guess we shall see in time.
Honestly, I just wish they would let us get into action. I don't think they can prepare us anymore than they already have. Dreamscape taught every member of the team over 20 different fighting styles and we're all proficient in about 200 different weapons. The government has given us all our own personalized vibranium/titanium laced armor. Certain spots on all of our armor can gain access to a pocket dimension in our base that contains all our weapons so we're able to access enough heat to take out a battalion without having the weaponry weigh us down. Not to mention these new laser field swords we've all been issued that might as well be called light sabers. I got a double-sided one just like Darth Maul and everything. I guess that's one thing I appreciated about Dreamscape and his raising of us. Even though we grew up in his dimension he let us know about the world that was awaiting us. Even the small things like Star Wars and the Matrix. These are things that would have been forbidden in traditional culture and by teaching us about them he has made us far from ignorant. He truly believed knowledge was the ultimate power and even the seemingly useless information could be important. It is definitely one motto I have learned to appreciate.
Dreamscape is the name I started calling myself shortly after the Crusades. I'm the leader. If we lose or fail it all falls on me. The responsibility is mine to shoulder, but I don't think The Janissaries will fail. I've trained all of my team since they were the age of 2. They know each others strengths, weaknesses, and personalities. Besides even in the very slim possibility my team proved to be an utter failure I'm too valuable to the Saudi government now. I trained this team in a matter of months real time. I'm sure that is a bit puzzling to some, but it is part of my power.
I have my own personal dimension to toy with. I bought these children to my dimension only three months ago real time, but I can control time within my dimension. So it really has been 40 odd years since I've been to Saudi Arabia. I kept the team's age in their twenties, but kept training them so they could learn more. I could honestly have made all the training come instantly, but there was no enjoyment in that. I love these children like my own now and I'm glad I didn't take the easy route with them.
Since I am an External I have lived for many centuries and boredom can frequently set in. I think I have found a new burst of life with The Janissaries. One I haven't felt since the rise of Islam so long ago. Yes, it is indeed a good feeling to have again. My team and I are ready for any challenge thrown at us. Even though the Saudi government seems not to be taking any chances. In case a situation occurs where we're deprived of our mutant powers the government has implanted various animal DNA within all of us that will lose its latency when our X-Factor genes are deactivated. It keeps us with abilities outside of normal and able to still function as a team. I feel it's a bit overkill myself, but I might be proven wrong on that one day.
Needless to say, I am ready for our first mission. It should prove to be quite an experience. Though I seriously doubt my team can't handle it. Not to pat myself on the back too much, but we are not pushovers in any sense of the word.
Janissary Compound (Rub Al-Khalil)
Dreamscape hated that he was going to have to tell his team this, but their one mission had suddenly become two and he was going to have to split them all up. They preferred to work together as one cohesive unit and he knew that this was going to disturb them all. It couldn't be helped though. The orders of the government were the orders of the government. All eleven of them looked at him curiously wondering what was taking him so long to talk, "Look guys the bottom line is this. We have two missions before us and I'm going to have to split up the team."
"Just great," Jewel sighed leaning against a computer console. She crossed her arms across her chest and huffed while holding her head downward. Dreamscape had to admit that the woman was a desert beauty. Her eyes were as green as jade and her skin the loveliest brown. Her choice of armor allowed only her arms from the elbow up and her face to be seen. Of course the mesh fit her quite tightly showing off her petit frame. She was most definitely a Jewel, but that was not where her name stemmed from. The young woman had the ability to control any form of diamond and turn anything she touched into diamond.
"Why the hell are they doing that?" Khali exclaimed his normally olive face red with anger. He was a stocky young man with fiery red hair and the slightest hint of chin stubble. Trying his hardest to be sexy Khali had his royal blue armor expose most of his muscular chest. He never considered the exposed flesh to be a vulnerable spot as he simply created a black hole in front of himself whenever fire was coming his way. Khali also had a second sight that allowed him to see when imminent danger was about to come to himself or others. So for the most part you couldn't catch him off guard easily.
"What do they need two missions conducted for at the same time anyway?" Plague asked in that raspy, haunting voice. The woman had cold gray skin that made her look like walking death. So she had a black cloak to accompany her armor, which unlike everyone else was composed from a strange combination of anti-matter, Darkforce, and heavily powered force fields. Her look definitely reminded many of the end and her powers weren't far from it. She could unleash spores into the air that if breathed in allowed her to visit down upon you any disease she wished. That was hardly her worst power though. She could pull you into a nightmare world of her own creation. Dreamscape often gave the team cannon fodder to play with. Many men had been driven mad by Plague's realm.
"Don't they understand we can take on anybody as long as we're all together," Firearm asked annoyed. She just couldn't believe that the government would lead them along and then change their minds at the last moment. The Janissaries kicked ass all day long as a team. Each one of them was deadly formidable on their own, but as a team they truly stood out. It was taking everything she had to keep from going out and kicking one of those Saudi royals in the ass. Of course she had always been that feisty about even the littlest of matters. She gave herself a buzz cut as soon as she came to the compound to simply stand out and give all the men notice that she wouldn't be taking their shit.
"I did not detect any lies from our superiors. This change must have come suddenly," Sharia said. She was the levelheaded one of the team. Knowing when honesty existed and when it didn't had a sobering effect on her personality. Sharia had never felt the need to become riled up about anything because she always knew someone's intent. She felt anger came from a lack of not knowing intentions. She had the ability to detect all lies, deceptions, and half-truths. One could say her poise and calm came from the fact she was so tall in stature and held such a commanding presence. It was like standing next to Lady Liberty or Mona Lisa. You couldn't help, but to be impressed. Not to mention her other ability often garnered respect. She could "eat" the emotions of others and use them to turn into a monstrous Hyena/Human hybrid. The more emotion she ate the more powerful the beast became.
"The change did come suddenly. Only a few hours ago actually," Dreamscape answered.
"So what are our missions then?" Savage Mind asked. He looked very much like Stuart Townsend except his skin was a darker shade and his hair a bit shorter. Unlike some of his other teammates he was far more practical in the structure of his armor. His arms were completely black from an extra diamond layer he had put across the mesh to give his punches more impact. He had the same done for his legs and his torso was red, which had been the original color of his armor.
"We're tracking down a group of government dissidents in Libya and we're infiltrating a base in Sudan where China is supposedly trying to kick up some genetic research," Dreamscape explained. He didn't mind the first mission so much, but he couldn't understand what interest Saudi Arabia would have in messing with China. It was obvious there was something he wasn't being told.
"Sign me up for Sudan!" Nafud exclaimed. Out of the entire group he was probably the least attractive as he had a large nose akin to Ben Kingsley and bulging frogeyes. Despite his looks he was fun loving and actually proved to be quite the charmer when he chose to be. In this case eagerness overwhelmed his charm. He was excited to put his powers to the test on whatever China was trying to cook up. Nafud could turn himself into organic sand and whatever he touched in that form decayed rapidly. If that didn't do the trick he had a poisonous claw under each wrist much like the dead assassin Fatale.
"Don't venture into the desert without water Nafud. You know we must check with Malak before beginning any of our missions," Dreamscape gently reminded.
Malak was the only one of his teammates that was sitting down besides for Dreamscape. His armor was an etching of black and gold. The entire piece of equipment was a living computer that was attached to Malak's nervous system. The thin gold sunglasses were the centerpiece of his armor and where he could view the cyber world like watching a movie. The Iranian descended man was a complete and total technopath. He could understand the most sophisticated of technologies in a matter of minutes. Information was processed and downloaded into his brain faster than any computer on Earth could hope to match. He from a bunch of junk could construct complex machinery and on top of all this he was a powerful clairvoyant. Keeping with this technopathy he could search for his predictions like a search engine of sorts going through his brain.
No one saw his eyes go white behind his sunglasses as he began to see the many possible futures that could occur with the team's first mission. He managed to go through about 200 possibilities in a matter of ten seconds. No one even noticed that he was out of it, "Okay I think I have all the information we're going to need here. Khali you won't be going to Sudan and Drow my friend you won't be heading to Libya."
Drow was the silent one amongst his teammates. In his human form he was an Adonis and eye candy for many of the girls on the team. Of course he wasn't into them. In fact he was very much gay and had been keeping it a secret to himself for many years. That's why he remained quiet because he was afraid he might say something that would reveal his secret. Not to mention he sometimes felt his powers frightened his teammates. He could transform himself into what almost looked like a dark elf creature from the American books. He gained an entirely new physiology and no longer possessed blood in the normal sense, but an oily solution. If his "blood" were removed from his body every drop that hit the ground would turn into a gremlin minion that he could control. While in his transformed state his strength, senses, and healing capacities were all amplified.
He had nothing to say to Malak's comment so the technopath continued on, "The Libya mission will be quite easy to complete. The dissidents are carrying a few grenade launchers with them and that's it. So I suggest some of our heavy hitters like Sultan and our wonderful leader hit the base in Sudan. You'll find some interesting information in there. Take it and destroy the base."
"As always good job Malak. We're going to be splitting into two teams of six. Sultan, Drow, Mustafa, Savage Mind, and Plague you're all coming with me. The rest of you all will be under Malak's leadership in Libya. Lets take care of business people," Dreamscape finished sending everyone in the room out of the door in a single file line. They were all anxious to get started, but they were professionals and knew not to let it show. It was time to show the rest of the world that Saudi Arabia meant business.
Medina
"The Janissaries are far more promising than I had ever hoped for them to be. Your choosing of them as babes was on the mark my friend."
"Of course it was. I have a knack for this sort of thing. I'm glad The Janissaries have met your expectations. Now about my payment?"
"Ask anything of me my friend. I will pay it handsomely."
"I only want the team to protect me when the time comes," Taras Vol said leaning over the desk with a sinister smile.
Author's Notes
This team was conceived for the sole purpose of being a nuisance for another team out there, which they will be down the road. First off though I gotta introduce these guys and have them get their feet wet. I haven't introduced all the members yet, but the ones that didn't get talked about this issue will definitely get spotlight the next.