Z2012SITEFCOLORADOPROJECT



In 1943, the world's great powers were still engaged in the Second World War. America, the last super power to join, finally intervened once the growing powers of the Axis, and more specifically, the Nazis, became obvious. FDR knew the detrimental effects of war on the popularity of presidencies and its costliness. Therefore, Roosevelt crafted the Colorado Project. He wanted to wage biochemical warfar on the Axis. However, funding for the project was limited because the U.S was already putting most of its resources into the Manhattan Project.

The scientists commissioned to the Colorado project were asked to create a type of chemical which could temporarily freeze the frontal lobes of enemy soldiers, and ultimately, their motor cortex. By freezing the frontal lobe, opposing soldiers would lose their ability to make rational decisions, plans, or move.

Dr. Hanover was the lead scientist of the project and he took the project the most serious. After months and months of searching for a chemical which could lobotomize the frontal lobe, Hanover discovered bacteria that could do just that. The bacteria was called P. Cirso, a distant cousin of E. Coli, and found in fungal mushrooms. Hanover implemented the bacteria into a liquid vile. The liquids were able to preserve the life of the bacteria until it was broken, or dispersed. Once in contact with the air, the liquid would vaporize, and spread the bacteria.

Hanover was only able to have one test run before the plug for the project was pulled. The Manhattan Project had successfully developed the nuclear bomb and the new president, Truman, found the idea of biochemical warfare unnecessary. The scientists of the Colorado Project were asked to be disbanded, and all information regarding what they were doing, were requested to be destroyed.

But Hanover could not bear destroying the specimen he labored so ardently on. He planted a false vile, and snuck the real one away.

Once the Colorado Project was wrapped up, Hanover was transferred back to his original station, the North Charleston Institute for the Mentally Insane. Returning to the infirmary, he hid the vile in the storage room. The storage room was lined with shelves. He placed the vile on the top one and intended to come back for it the next day.

However, while driving home from work that night, Dr. Hanover got into a fatal car crash and was announced deceased the next day. Thus, the remnants of the vile were forgotten, for seventeen long and fateful years.

During those years, the bacteria, preserved in the fluid, learned to cope with its new environment. It altered itself, rearranged, and evolved.

It was the year 1959, and Bobby Smith was Infirmary's new custodian. Fresh from dropping out of community college, Bobby was twenty-one and trying to make some form of living, mainly to support his drinking. Today was his third day on the job.

On his first day, Bobby was given a tour of the Infirmary and was trained on the second. But today, he was really on the job.

Because the infirmary was so large, it was impossible for Bobby to be continuously supervised. He took this as an opportunity to the absolute bare minimum at any given time. But he knew he had to get at least something done, and decided to go mop the bathrooms.

"Aww, damn," he said as he went in to the mop the stall. Fresh out of toilet paper.

"Where the hell did they say those were?" he said to himself as he walked out of the bathroom. Bobby peered down the halls and noticed a room which said, "Storage Room." Thinking of how promising that sounded, he went and looked inside.

There room was old, unorganized, and dusty. Bobby took a ladder and rummaged through the shelves. Bang. Something had fallen and shattered on the ground. Bobby looked down and saw a broken glass vile on the ground.

"Fuck," he said to himself but he was grateful that there wasn't anything in the vile that he had to clean up as well. Bobby went down and picked up the broken shards. He coughed some, but didn't think much of it, as the room was rather dusty and he had asthma. Afterwards, he chucked the glass into the garbage.

As the day went on, Bobby felt sicker and sicker. Suddenly, making decisions became harder and he was becoming slightly disoriented. His supervisor noticed this and sent him home.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Bobby did not show up the next day but the supervisor dismissed this, knowing how sick he had been the previous day. Bobby did not show up for another three days. His supervisor called him, leaving a message demanding that he come back to work the next day or be fired.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Bobby showed up the next day, pale, cold, and sickening. His eyes were rimmed with black circles and drool on the side of his mouth.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">He made his way to his supervisors office. Bobby knocked on the door. "Come in," a voice called out. Bobby opened the door and saw a man standing, facing the window and staring out to the infirmary's garden. "Mr. John Shielding," read the name plate on the desk.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">"Bobby, I'm incredibly disappointed with your actions lately. Your conduct was atrocious and any other man would let you go, but I'm giving...."And with each word, Bobby crept closer and closer. He could smell the flesh on Mr. Shielding's bones. And just like that, without hesitation, Bobby lunged forward and bit him.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">And so it had begun.