Sci Fi & Fantasy / X-Mutations Episode One Ch. 1

Chapter One- Alpha

_{Twelve years ago}

A group of ten, five boys and five girls, stood at attention in a bare concrete room, all of them in their normal, drab grey sweat pants and t-shirts. Their heads were shaved and their expressions blank. In front of them, their instructor watched them with scrutinizing eyes, watching for any sign of weakness.
“First sequence,” He ordered in a clipped tone.
In response, the children went through a cadence of punches, kicks, blocks, and jumps.
“At ease,” the instructor ordered as the only door to the room opened and in walked a man, escorted by two soldiers, each strapped with an AK-47. The man wore a business suit and walked with a sense of authority.
“Morning, Instructor Carson,” The man nodded to the instructor standing before the children. “How are my children behaving?”
“Not even a hair out of place sir.” Instructor Carson answered.
“Good,” The man in the suit nodded as he inspected each of the children. Each of them was different in a thousand ways and more. However, there was one thing they had in common; their red eyes. Behind those red eyes burned a cold fire of determination and sheer will.
They will be excellent soldiers, the man thought.
“How are they developing instructor?” The man asked.
“All of them are following the development schedule as planned.”
“How are they performing?”
“Very well sir; I’m sure they could give your escorts a run for their money.” Instructor Carson said.
The escorts exchanged a nervous look.
“Show me,” the man grabbed one of his escorts and brought him to the forefront.
“Soldier Four; attack the designated target.” Instructor Carson ordered.
A boy from the first row broke ranks and walked over to the soldier with an eerie sense of calm.
The soldier looked down at the kid and then back to Carson. “I think he needs some more-”
Before the soldier could finish the sentence, he took a series of sharp blows to the side. One well placed hit rendered his right arm immobile. The soldier heard a rib crack as he took another sharp hit to the chest.
“You little punk.” The soldier growled as he struck out recklessly with his left hand. The kid easily ducked the jab and used his leg to swipe the soldier off his feet.
The soldier grunted as air exploded from his lungs. Then he felt a tiny foot on his neck, threatening to crush his windpipe. The child then looked to Carson for orders.
“Would you like him to finish the job?” Carson looked to the man.
“Not this time,”
“Soldier Four; stand down and resume formation.”
The boy looked at the soldier with his cold red eyes before he removed his foot from the soldier’s throat and took his place among his fellows.
“Are their powers progressing?”
“Yes sir.” Instructor Carson said.
“So I heard… and what about our new soldiers?” The man asked.
“As we speak, they are going through the third stage of memory implantation. As you know, we’ve already given them childhood memories; now we’re laying down the groundwork for their true purpose.”
“What about their powers?”
“Their powers are growing stronger than we could’ve imagined. In a week’s time, they’ll be able to kill your escorts with only a thought.”
“I may just have you prove that,” The man smiled before he left.

_{The present}

Aiden Dantes ran hurriedly down the busy street, bumping random passersby as he went.
How could this happen? This can’t be happening, He thought in a panic as he bumped into another woman.
“Excuse me,” he muttered as he continued on his way. All he wanted to do was get home and sleep.
Aiden stopped to look at himself in a shop window. His pale blonde hair stood on end, and his icy blue eyes were electric. Sweat glazed his skin, pale from lack of sunlight and too much time in front of a computer screen. He looked down at his shaking hands; not too long ago, blue-white bolts of electric energy had danced between his fingers.
What is wrong with me?
A flickering from within the store caught Aiden’s eye. He looked up and saw that the screens of all the televisions were nothing but snow. As Aiden lowered his hands, the screens returned to normal.
“Aiden Dantes?” A voice asked from behind.
Aiden turned and saw a man who looked very much out of place. He wore a black and white suit, had on reflective black sunglasses, and in his ear was an earpiece. The man himself was tan with short brown hair and the almost stereotypical square jaw of the government agents from movies.
“Y-Y-Yes?” Aiden felt a cold lump of fear grow in his gut.
“I have an offer.” The man said.
“What?”
“You are being extended an offer for something that you can’t afford to pass up.” The man answered.
“Actually I think I will,” Aiden walked away, slow at first and then breaking into a run, feeling the man’s cold eyes on him.
After several minutes, Aiden stopped to catch his breath.
“This day keeps getting weirder and weirder.”
“There are people who can help you with that.” The voice of the man said next to him. Aiden jumped at the sound of it.
How had he caught up?
“We know about your powers.” The man’s glasses flashed. “We know you’re a Metahuman.”
“What?”
“Your hands,”
Aiden looked at his fingers and saw that they were indeed pulsating with energy.
“I thought I’d lost my powers a long time ago,” Aiden admitted, mostly to himself.
“Thankfully you haven’t because they are needed.”
“For what?”
“Be in the factory district tonight at midnight. All will be explained.” The man handed Aiden a watch; the band was made up of a silver metal molded in the shape of a double helix. On the digital watch face was an animation of another double helix scrolling across the screen.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” Aiden looked up.
The man was gone.

Evan came to a halt in the middle of the road.
“Okay I’m here; what now?” He asked the semi-darkness around him, the only light coming from those affixed to the factory buildings around him.
He looked down at the watch on his wrist that had been given to him by a mysterious man who looked like he worked for the CIA or FBI or some other covert group.
Then he felt them; five pairs of eyes glaring at him from the darkness.
“The welcome wagon, I presume?” He turned to face one of the figures in the shadows.
“Abomination,” A voice hissed from the shadows.
“Like I haven’t heard that one before,” Evan scoffed. “I take it you guys are looking for a rumble.”
“You must be killed.” A second voice said.
“Here’s your chance,” Evan invited.
The first strike came from behind; a hand jabbed through the air to strike the boy in the back, rendering him stunned. Only there was one problem; the boy was gone.
“Looking for me?” Evan landed behind has attacker. He grabbed the man by the neck and flung him away with more strength than any teenager should have. Next, he targeted another attacker and fired a mental burst channeled through his hands. The attacker was lifted off his feet and flung head-first into a wall.
As Evan turned to take out another attacker he heard the crackle of electricity. He looked and saw another boy had joined the fight. From his first two fingers came stringy bolts of electricity that illuminated the darkness with a pale blue glow. The bolts struck an attacking figure before they were extinguished.
“Nice shot,” Evan raised his voice to complement the newcomer.
“Thanks,” The boy replied.
Evan turned and unleashed his own electrical current on two attackers that had been bold enough to try and take him from behind.
“You’re not too bad yourself.” The boy commented.
With every attacker down for the count, Evan looked around.
“Do you have any idea where we’re supposed to be?” He asked.
“Not a clue,” The other boy answered. “I’m Aiden by the way.”
“Evan,”
“Did some weird guy in a suit give you that?” Aiden pointed to the watch on Evan’s wrist.
“Yeh; after getting ambushed at school.” Evan looked around, expecting more enemies.
“You’re a Metahuman,” Aiden said, more statement than question.
“What was your first clue?” Evan sarcastically shot back. “My mutation gives me multiple powers.”
“Yours too?” Aiden asked, excitement rising in his voice. “I thought I was the only one. Do you like them? Your power, I mean.”
“They make life… interesting,” Evan kicked at one of the unconscious attackers.
“I wish I were normal,” Aiden said.
“Normal?” Evan asked with a laugh. “Why is that?”
Before Aiden could answer, a door in one of the factory storehouses slid open, flooding the darkened area with light. The rings on their fingers pulsated.
“Guess we’re wanted.”
The boys cautiously entered the building, ready for an ambush. In the center of the room, among the towers of storage crates and boxes, they saw the man who’d summoned them.
“You decided to come,” He smiled.
“We ran into a bit of trouble on the way,” Evan mentioned.
“I’d anticipated as much. That means we must move quickly.”
“Hold the hell on; what is going on here?” Aiden asked.
“The people I work for are extending you two an offer.” The man said. “You two are exceptionally powerful Metahumans.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Evan rolled his eyes.
“Why do you say that?” Aiden asked.
“Your neck tells your story,” The man revealed.
Reflexively, both Evan’s and Aiden’s hands shot to the back of their necks.
“If I’m not mistaken, both of you have a tattoo…a triquetra that points upwards.”
“What do you want?” Evan asked, anxiety quickening his heart rate.
“If you two will agree to join our agency, we will give you protection in exchange for your services.”
“What kinds of services?” Aiden asked.
“The job would vary.”
“Forget it,” Aiden said firmly. “All I want to do is graduate without anyone finding out that I’m a freak.”
“I think I agree with him,” Evan joined in.
“This is not something you can pass up.” The man insisted.
“Oh yes I can and will.” Aiden turned and left.
“Later Agent Molder,” Evan smirked before he turned and walked away.
Once alone, the man pulled out a cell phone and dialed his superior.
“It’s me; the boys didn’t go for it.”
“Why not?” His superior asked.
“They seem to be settled into their normal lives.”
“Then they’ll have to learn the hard way.”

Life returned to normal for Evan. School had begun and already Evan was bored as he sat in the back of his Algebra II class.
If only I had the power to speed up time, he thought longingly with an exacerbated sigh as the sun shone warmly on his brown skin.
[You and me both.] A faint voice in the back of his mind echoed.
Evan sat bolt up, now sensing someone else lurking around his mind.
[Who is this?]
[It’s Aiden.] This time the voice was much louder and clearer.
Evan was puzzled; ever since his mutation had manifested Psyon powers, the teen had spent hours erecting mental barriers around his mind, leaving behind nasty surprises for anyone who dared to force their way in. Yet somehow, Aiden had circumvented these defenses.
[You’re lucky; the last person who tried to get in my head wound up in a nice padded room. For all I know he’s still there, babbling on about killer bunny rabbits.]
[I’ll keep that in mind.] Aiden laughed nervously.
[How’d you find my mind? I don’t usually float around.] Evan inquired.
[I’m not sure; I was just drifting out of my body and then I felt a really interesting thought pattern. I followed it and wound up in your head.] Aiden explained.

As soon as Evan entered the house, he could immediately tell that something wasn’t right. Instinctively and without realizing, he changed mindsets; his movements became quieter and his senses tuned in to the slightest sounds and movements. Not wanting to tip off any intruders, Evan manually searched the basement and main levels of the house. Then he crept upstairs, avoiding the stairs that would give him away. He went from room to room, each time expecting an attacker to jump out of a closet or a hand to reach from under a bed. At the end of his search, Evan found himself alone in the house.
“This is weird,” Evan said to himself as he walked back into his room. That’s when he noticed a plain white envelope sitting on his desk with the same symbol stamped on it that was tattooed to his neck. He mentally scolded himself for missing it as he ripped it open:

-We have your family. Be in the warehouse district after dark or else.

“Oh this is just great,” He groaned.
[Evan!]
Evan winced. [Aiden? What is it?]
[My family; they’re gone.]
[Mine too.]
[Did you get a note?]
[Yeh.]
[You think that agent guy had something to do with it?] Aiden asked.
[Probably. Think we should play along?]
[What other choice do we have?]

So later that night, Evan and Aiden met up in the warehouse district.
“So once again we’re being summoned by some mysterious figure in the dead of night. Can life get any better?” Evan asked, his annoyance underlining his sarcasm.
“Can you be serious for one minute?” Aiden snapped. “These people have kidnapped out families! I don’t know about you, but I would prefer to get them back and then have things back to normal!”
“Aiden, you’re a Metahuman; there is no such thing as normal with people like us.” Evan reminded.
“People like you. I’m just here to get my family back. After that, I’m never using my powers again.”
“Well that would be a shame,” A new voice entered the conversation. “We were hoping you’d have a different outlook.”
“Who are you?”
“We represent people who would teach you unbridled power in return for almost nothing.”
“Just our services, right?” Evan guessed.
“Correct.”
“Well my ‘services’ aren’t for sell. Now return my family and leave me alone.” Aiden commanded the darkness around them.
“You don’t realize how important, how very important you are.”
“There’s six people on the roof and another four hiding around the corner,” Evan whispered to Aiden as they found themselves back to back. “We’ll have to work together to get out of this.”
“On you,” Aiden agreed, reaching for the power within him, just as six figures jumped from the rooftops and four more spilled in from an alleyway.
Evan struck first. With unreal speed, he dodged several jabs before forcing his elbow into the face of one assailant. He dodged a punch aimed for his face by bending over. At the same time, Aiden rolled across Evan’s back and his foot connected with the jaw of the one who’d thrown the punch. As Aiden righted himself, he and Evan locked elbows and this time Aiden bent forward to allow Evan to roll headfirst off his back and lock his legs around the neck of an attacker. As Evan came down, he twisted his waist and rendered his victim unconscious. The boys again locked arms as Evan used his strength to lift Aiden off the ground and make a half circle, Aiden’s feet catching two more attackers.
The two then separated and attacked individually. Aiden inhaled deeply, the air around him suddenly getting colder. As he exhaled, a jet of icy mist snaked from his mouth and around two more attackers, turning them into living icicles. Meanwhile, Evan, with just a simple gesture, mentally took hold of two more assailants and flung them into a wall, the force of the impact leaving noticeable indentations. The boys cast their eyes on the remaining man. Without any signal, both Metahumans unleashed electric currents. The man shook violently before collapsing, sporadically twitching on the cold concrete.
“That was good,” Aiden wiped a bit of sweat from his brow.
“Yes it was very good,” A familiar voice said.
The boys turned to see the man in the suit who’d first come to them step into the light.
“You!” Aiden shouted. “Where are our families?”
“They are safe at home; we just simply persuaded them to leave the house for a few hours. However; there are people out there who will use your loved ones as leverage against you. If you join us, we can put protection on them to ensure nothing like this happens for real.”
Before Aiden could give another angry refusal, Evan cut in.
“Give us a minute,” He turned Aiden around and spoke in a whisper. “I think we should check this out.”
“What?” Aiden exclaimed as he looked at Evan in disbelief at what he’d suggested.
“I know it sounds crazy but hear me out; I think these guys can help.”
“Help us with what; getting killed?” Aiden asked through gritted teeth. “I’m not a Metahuman.”
“Yes you are and the sooner you stop denying it the sooner you’ll see that something is different about both of us; no other Metahumans have surfaced claiming to do anything near what we can do. It can’t hurt to go along with it for now and then bail if we get in over our heads.”
Aiden looked away.
“You can’t deny it any longer. So are you with me or what?” Evan asked.
Aiden sighed heavily. The better half of his judgment told him not to but after fighting and using his long-dormant powers again, some part of him had come alive and didn’t want to sleep any longer.
Aiden turned to the man in the black suit. “We’ll do it.”
The man smiled. “Then welcome to Sanctuary.”