PROJECT LEADERS
The pillars of Project Delta-Omega were the original four members of the 1957 forum. Their individual contributions to their fields have made them ideal candidates to study and work with the newly defined DNA.
IDENTIFICATION No. 00256
DATE: May 3, 1960
LAST NAME: Vukovich
FIRST NAME: Aleksandr M.I.: I.
RANK/TITLE: M.D., Ph.D.
DEPARTMENT: Biochemistry
CLEARANCE: Blue
Before joining the forum, Dr. Vukovich and his wife, Jana were primarily working with pharmaceuticals, studying the effectiveness of drugs used to treat common illnesses of the time, and the mechanisms of drug-resistance. Their findings on virus adaptability led to Dr. Vukovich’s involvement in Project Delta-Omega. He postulated, and later proved, that life could prevail under the harshest of conditions, adapting to its environment to exploit even the smallest advantage.
His research led to the discovery of a unique adaptation of being able to regenerate from physical injuries and infections, which could be introduced into a life form and integrated into the body’s natural immune system, but only temporarily. His theory was that such an adaptation could be “bred into” a species and made part of its genetic make-up if introduced early enough in the individual’s life cycle. It seemed Dr. Vukovich was well on his way to curing death.
In an attempt to acquire the process for military use and bribe his cooperation with the Ukrainian government, Dr. Vukovich was awarded the rank of General in the Ukrainian army in 1974. He accepted the honor, but refused to divulge any information regarding the classified project on moral grounds. In early 1986, just as the project leaders were planning the technical aspects of moving the primary facility, Dr. Vukovich was taken prisoner by the Ukrainian government. Under severe duress, he was recorded as making the following statement: “Nature will always find a way.”
He later succumbed to his injuries and died at the age of 82.
IDENTIFICATION No. 00263
DATE: May 4, 1960
LAST NAME: Saito
FIRST NAME: Akira M.I.:
RANK/TITLE: M.D.
DEPARTMENT: Genetic Research
CLEARANCE: Blue
Dr. Saito was a scientific peer to James Watson and Francis Crick. Born in Hiroshima, Japan, Dr. Saito was an army medic during World War II. After the bombing, having lost both his family and his livelihood, he devoted his life to the treatment of those affected by the tragedy.
His study into the effects of nuclear radiation on cell structure led him to his findings on DNA, and his subsequent addition to Project Delta-Omega. As part of his independent study, Dr. Saito identified unique markers in the DNA strand which acted as connectors that could be opened or closed to allow foreign segments to be added, thus altering the genetic makeup of a cell.
His contribution to the project was perhaps the most notable, in that it made the creation of new subspecies not only plausible, but possible. However, after battling cancer for long years, Dr. Saito died in 1973 at the age of 52, having never seen his toils come to fruition.
IDENTIFICATION No. 00267
DATE: May 4, 1960
LAST NAME: Nejem
FIRST NAME: Rajab M.I.:
RANK/TITLE: Ph.D.
DEPARTMENT: Ecology
CLEARANCE: Green
Dr. Nejem’s field of research centered around environmentalism and ecological balance. With the growth of oil production and export in his home country of Saudi Arabia, Dr. Nejem’s interest in the DNA study was fueled by concerns about Man’s impact on the planet, and the consequences to our continued survival.
A deeply religious man, he was decidedly against the prospect of meddling with God’s creation of life. However, as attempt after attempt to create a new species failed to produce a viable specimen, his fears were somewhat allayed and he turned his attention to the impact of the study itself.
In 1972, in a moment of divine enlightenment, Dr. Nejem had a vision of a future no one had yet conceived of. He was driven to document it in a fervid two-hundred page account which earned him the mockery of his own team members, and a subsequent ejection from Project Delta-Omega. In his report, Dr. Nejem predicted the birth of a species so invasive and prolific it would overwhelm the planet. He spoke of the delicate balance between native species and their environment being irreparably disrupted by the introduction of an artificially engineered life form which we would neither understand nor be able to contain. He predicted the destruction of cities and civilization, endless famine, the breakdown of communication and travel; complete and total isolation for the surviving individuals–the concept of “divide and conquer” on a global scale. The report concluded with a desperate plea to suspend the study and a prayer:
Al-Rahim, waste not your mercy on us, for we are beyond redemption. Watch instead over our children, and their children, for they are the ones who will suffer for our sins. Our avarice paves the road for Shaytan and they will have no defense against him. Al-Rahman, I beseech you in the name of all innocents, but I fear this evil we are bringing forth will be so great it will destroy you, too. Forgive us.
IDENTIFICATION No. 00250
DATE: April 30, 1960
LAST NAME: Creedy
FIRST NAME: Belinda M.I.: K
RANK/TITLE: MSG
DEPARTMENT: Security
CLEARANCE: Red
As the only non-scientific member of the forum, MSG Creedy was commissioned for the purposes of technical logistics and security. After being presented with the initial research along with the other forum members, MSG Creedy astutely came to the conclusion that any attempt to tamper with the laws of nature could prove to be hazardous beyond the teams’ ability to contain. Her objective during the first five years of independent research was to design a facility large enough to accommodate scientific freedom of research and expansion, while also accounting for serious safety measures in case of a breach.
In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Defense Intelligence Agency confiscated all blueprints associated with the project. When she filed a formal complaint with her commanding officer, she was summarily dismissed and advised not to pursue the matter further. Creedy went as far as the White House and, after sneaking into the oval office–exposing a major security flaw in the process–presented her suspicions of a growing conspiracy within the highest ranks of the US Armed Forces to the Commander in Chief himself. Her fears were not allayed. Creedy was taken into custody for treason. The case against her was never brought to trial. All records of her involvement in the US Armed Forces were disappeared, and any paper trail documenting her life were destroyed. The last and only remaining evidence of Creedy’s existence was a blurry photograph taken in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963, moments before the John F. Kennedy assassination.
