Chapter 1- Dreams of the Beginning
"We live in a world in which so few people are there for one another. We live in a world in which everyone only minds their own business and rejects all others. We live in a world where each person's opinion is the only one that matters. We live in a world of violence, rage, and hate. We live in a world divided. But here at Graycon Enterprises, we believe that we don't have to live in this kind of world. We believe that this world can be made beautiful, but we also believe that this has to be worked at. Will you help us in this endeavor? Please check out our website below or call the number on your screen for more information. Remember, we believe that black and white can make shades of gray. Graycon… let's purify the world… together."
How many times have I heard that commercial? It's not surprising that I'm hearing it now then. It is a tad bit ironic though. Don't I have to get up at some point anyways for that meeting…
"Zapto… Zapto, please help me!" A terrified female voice called out in the darkness. Zapto? Who's he? And what could he do to help? Does he have some kind of power, like those mutants I keep hearing about? I guess it doesn't matter, that woman needs help! "Zapto, where are you?" She called out again. I don't know either, but maybe I can help. That voice… what? A flash of yellow blasted across the world.
"Excellent job, my apprentice." An elderly man's voice also seemed to call out from the void. Apprentice? Maybe that Zapto guy is his apprentice? Or maybe I am, sometimes these things get weird… Again? Another flash of yellow ripped the world and then faded. "You can't save her, give in!" A malicious voice also called out. This is all very strange… Argh! This time the flash held more than color, it was full of some kind of electrical energy that seemed to pulse throughout the world. And it… hurts? I… I can't breathe… and then a scream crashed everywhere!
"Ah!" The young man awoke with a shout. "It was, just a dream." He assured himself as he sat up in his bed, again safe in his bedroom. Nightmares weren't uncommon for him, and some were worse than others. But there was something about this one that seemed… a little too real. He glanced over at the clock by his bedside. It read faithfully, and he was glad to find that it was still a few hours before his alarm would go off. "Good, I need all the rest I can get." He though to himself as he laid back down and returned to sleep until the big day ahead of him was to begin.
"Next! James, number 26!" The woman at the front desk called out to the room. The same young man, troubled by bad dreams just hours ago, now raised his head and smiled. He had been waiting for hours in this room, which was not unlike a doctor's waiting room, only perhaps bigger, and he was not here to see a doctor. He was responding to an ad placed by the growing-in-popularity Grayco Company. The ad claimed it was recruiting exceptional young men and women, mutant or not, for a type of initiative designed to help bring more peace to the world. It was vague, but it sounded right up his alley.
After all, the young man was pretty fit, even for someone in their early 20's. He had long dark-brown hair, well by men's standards anyways, and the same color eyes. He appeared slender, and usually wore clothes that played on that. Today, he wore black jeans, a smidgeon on the tight side, and a blue shirt with some kind of band logo on it. He completed the look with gray shoes and his famous gray jacket with angel wings on it. He seldom ever left the house without it. The jacket was a gift from his grandfather before he passed away, and he treated with the utmost respect. Today, he carried with him a backpack full of the items he would use today in his audition to the company. He was obviously nervous, but tried to hide it as he stepped up to the middle-aged woman who had just called his name.
"Yes, I'm James." He told her and he handed her the number he had taken earlier. "Now, does it really look like I care much? Why don't you head on back?" The woman, grumpy from a morning of sitting at this desk, snapped as she motioned to a door to her right. "Um, sure, good idea." James replied sheepishly as he took her advice and went towards the door. He opened it, revealing a semi-long hallway. "Um…" James began but was cut off. "Learn to read, will ya? First door on the left." She snapped again, not even looking at him. "Thanks." James replied, a little annoyed as he entered the hallway and let the door close behind him. Sure enough, the first door on the left had a sign on it that read "Examination Room: Hopefuls enter here." "Well, this must be where it all starts." James said aloud to himself as he took a breath in and knocked.
"Come in." A benevolent-sounding female voice called from the other side. He obeyed the voice and opened the door. The room wasn't very large, maybe a little bigger than a typical doctor's office room, and wasn't filled with much equipment either. There were a set of cabinets above a counter, with a scale next to it. There was also a sitting bench on the other side. Basic medical equipment was arranged both on the counters and on a rack in the room. Overall, it had the feel of a doctor's office room. The thing that struck James the most however, wasn't any of the items in the room, but the person standing in the middle of it. Though she wore a nurse's lab coat, she looked, not only official, but innately beautiful as well. She had long black hair and bright blue eyes, behind a pair of cute glasses, and the face of an angel. She was average height and held a clipboard in one hand, with a pen in the other.
"Um, hi, I'm uh, here for…" James began nervously. He was already nervous to begin with, but now, in the sight of a beautiful woman, he was borderline mortified. He knew he had to get his act together quick so as to not mess up this opportunity. "The Grayco Hero Initiative. I know it's in your record." The nurse woman finished and told him. "You seem nervous. There's no need to be, have a seat." She stated as she motioned to the bench in the room. He did as she wished and fiddled to straighten his jacket to make the most of his appearance. "My name is Amy Merila. I'll be assisting with your evaluation today and handling all of the medical aspects. We need to see if you physically have what it takes to join this initiative." She told him. "That's right, the application said that only the best would be chosen for the team." James replied with a statement.
"Right, and it seems like your application is indeed here, although it appears you got it in a little late." Amy stated with a bit of annoyance as she flipped through her clipboard. "Oh, yea, sorry. That's not going to hurt my evaluation is it?" James asked. "Probably not, but that's not my area to handle either." She replied as she grabbed the blood pressure meter off of the nearby rack. "I'm sure you've been through this before, treat it just like a normal doctor's check up." The kind-sounding nurse stated as she checked his blood pressure and other vitals. James simply smiled shyly as she did so, but she didn't really pay much mind. "You marked approximate height and weight here, but we'd like to double check anyways." She again stated as she motioned for James to step on the scale. "Oh yea, of course. So this hero team thing, what's it all about?" James asked as he complied. "You'll find out more about it later, but there's nothing to worry about." She replied as she recorded James's dimensions. "Um, ok. I've always wanted to be a hero, that's why I'm here. I've trained a while to do something cool, but now's my chance to prove it, to prove that I can be somebody." James told her. "We can all be somebody, whether we're heroes or not. It doesn't matter what we are, it's the future we work for that's important." Amy said to James as he sat down again. "Thanks, that's good advice, I like it." James told her with a smile.
She smiled back and flipped some more pages on her clipboard, making a few marks here and there. "Then again, now that I'm here, it feels like high school soccer all over again." James sighed comically. Amy smiled a little, but didn't look up from her board. "Do you have any history of illness, any genetic disorders you feel we should know about? Any medical conditions at all?" Amy asked, still not looking up. "I have bad dreams semi-often, but other than that, no, not really." James replied, a little worriedly. "That's fine. Grayco Enterprises is working with all kinds of people from all spectrums of the world, but I have to ask, are you a mutant? This won't reflect any way on your treatment here." Amy continued with a serious face. "No, I'm not." James replied. "That's fine. Now as a matter of form, we need to take a blood sample." She told him as she reached into a drawer of medical equipment and pulled out a syringe. "Go for it." James replied as she indeed stuck him with a needle, which he winced a bit upon impact. She bore no expression as she finished taking the sample and prepared it for its lab destination.
"Ok, we're finished here. Congratulations, James, you've passed the first portion of our examination. Please head to the next door on the left for your interview." Amy then stated, much to James' both relief and disappointment. "Great, thank you. Um, am I going to see you again?" James asked as he got up to leave. "That depends on how you perform in the upcoming tests. Just do the best you can." Amy stated with a smile. "Awesome, thanks, I will." James replied with a smile as he exited the room, letting the door shut behind him. "Human." The nurse snapped maliciously under her breath when she was alone in the room.