I woke up. Where am I? What is this place? This certainly wasn't Alders Middle, where I was pretty sure I was a moment before. Now I was in... a dog crate? I looked around me. This definitely was not my 8th-grade classroom, and those... things were not my classmates. Around me in matching crates were other beings, but they weren't human. One was humanoid, but covered in scales and had two large antennae on his head. Suddenly, I felt a stinging pain on my arm. Looking over, there was a chip with a tag on it. It read,
Jim Reyse; Gender: Male. Age: 13. Species: Homo Sapien. Race: 50% Japanese. 50% mixed Caucasian. Specimen 2846. Care of Doctor Hillman. Splices: Turritopsis Nutricula; Corvus Corax. Status: Graft complete. Estimated development time: 72 hours. Start date: 5/2/08.
Potential Abilities: Flight, Heightened Speed/Strength/Agility, Biological age modulation, Limb regrowth, Molting.
What the heck? Specimen? Doctor? My name? How did they get that? Splicing? Some sort of jellyfish? A raven? Flight? More athleticism? Limb regrowth and Molting?! This is all wrong!
I tried to stand up, but there wasn't enough room. I saw what I was wearing- my dark blue sweatshirt and jeans highly contrasted with my light skin. Over it all was my signature long black cloak-like hoodie, which I used to hide the marking on my back: a strange red symbol. It looked like a curling fireball, sort of. I was born with it, like a birthmark, but I had it since I was an embryo. Looking at it now through the reflection on the steel walls of my cage. I saw it was glowing, morphing until it had a circle around it and it was in the top center of my back, instead of in the dead middle. Suddenly, it stopped glowing. Around that, I noticed two small, feathered, black stubs.
What did that tag say? I was spliced with a raven, and I might gain the power of flight. Right. So am I going to have wings? Be able to fly? Is that what those are? Seems like it. Does that mean I'll get those other abilities on the tag?
I tried to think about becoming younger. Sure enough, my fingers started to become less coarse and much smaller. I quickly reversed it just by thinking about it.
Hm, that obviously works. I wonder if I can regrow limbs? I'll just try to heal a scar or something.
I glanced at the thin scar on my forearm.
Perfect.
I concentrated and imagined the skin before the blemish. I opened my closed eyes. Nothing. I tried again, harder. Again, the skin still had a small line through it. One more time, and sat and thought about that skin, just the way it used to be, perfect, for a long time. Slowly I squinted and opened my eyes. No change. So I didn't have that power. Oh well.
Now what else was there... Molting, can't try that, since that's probably about the wings. Strange, that doesn't really seem to be an "ability," more of a hassle. I'll try agility and speed when I get let out - I must be, right? Well, let's see: strength.
I turned around and quickly slammed my hand into the cold, reflective wall of my cage. I made a very small dent, but more than that, my hand hurt like heck!
Well, I'm definitely stronger.