"Simple thoughts, that's all they are." The orange-haired boy repeated in a continuous mantra over and over as he made his way towards the frightened creature before him. Colorful images and strange sounds were besieging the fortress of the boy's mind continuously, attacking with no end.
As if on cue, a new word flittered quickly through the boy's conscious: human.
"Strange," the boy pondered, "This feels almost – familiar." Indeed it did, the word began to multiply in his mind, becoming various shades of color that tickled the boy's senses as he move about.
He stopped, bringing the foremost limbs up to his face. Right on cue, his mind replied with a new word: hands.
"Interesting." Was all the boy could think as a response to the barrage of thoughts. Turning his attention back to the human feebly attempting to escape their enclosure, the boy resumed his approach, hopefully to make sense of this world he was in.
The closer he got, the hastier the human became in his escape, swiping at a small, black object on the wall with a card.
"Damn you, stupid machine, get me out of here!" The human growled in frustration. The boy approached closer, his interest peaked at the human's bout with the device. Finally, the human looked up, his face contorting in rage.
"If you're gonna kill me, get it over with already." The human snarled at the boy, "You were supposed to be my prized weapon, helping me to take over this wretched Earth." The boy stood there, motionless as his brain worked to decipher the alien terms being spit at him. One came to certain interest: weapon. It seemed to roll around in the boy's head as he watched the growling, red-faced human, on its knees as it tried to escape.
Without as much as a second thought, the boy slowly parted the flaps of tissue on his head, lips, and opened the largest cavity afterwards, mouth, and moved it in certain patterns while vibrating air in his throat, speech. As each action happened, the boy's mind was quick to familiarize each movement by name, quickly skimming through them after each one happened.
With that, the boy, Subject #002, opened his mouth and spoke, "We-e-a-apon." The human before him froze in surprise, an unsteady grin appearing ever so slowly.
"So," he says, a little more than a whisper, "The intelligence is kicking in, then." Subject #002 wanted to respond, but found the words he were searching for jumbled and flitting across his mind too quickly to comprehend.
The human noticed the boy specimen's mouth flapping wordlessly, he smiled weakly, "Well hold on now, you need to wait for your brain to start functioning properly, son." The term confuses #002, who cocks his head as the word assimilated itself. Suddenly, images of an older human with a younger male could be seen together, they appear to be happy; hands gripping, with embraces of happiness in each and every one. The one thing that puzzles the boy is the shape of the humans' mouths. Their lips are upturned, sometimes bearing the teeth in what would normally seem like a threatening, possibly violent gesture; but seemingly warm, and friendly instead.
Dr. Lockhart, who is lying on the blood-smeared floor at the mercy of his experiment, notices the boy's confusion, "It's alright, #002, it'll all make sense soon."
Subject #002 turned slightly to see his brother join him at his side. The two didn't look much alike, differentiating hair-style and eye color made the relationship look misleading; but #002 was curious about the boy that stood next to him and asked his mind for information on the word 'brother'.
Instantly, his head was filled with more images that were similar to the ones related to'son'. Two male humans engaging in activities with outward happiness expressed on their faces.
"There it is again." Subject #002 thought to himself, as the images were processed, "That one gesture with the mouth." He asked his brain to tell him what the gesture meant, he was given the word: smile. With a glance to his "brother", Subject #002 attempts to speak to the human once more, carefully shaping the words with his mouth.
"Who am I?" the boy asks slowly but surely. Subject #003 turns and fixes a curious look on his brother at the question.
Dr. Lockhart is befuddled for a moment, wondering how to respond, before finally making up his mind, "You, my boy, and your brothers, for that matter, are three individuals created by me and my men to genetically engineer the perfect superhuman."
The two brothers pause to comprehend the doctor's answer before a raspy voice pipes up from behind, "You mean the perfect supersoldier, Lockhart." Both boys turn to find the human they had spared earlier shambling towards them, his white lab coat stained dark red, his yellow hair askew, and his glasses shattered.
"You made these boys to be smart, Lockhart; and smart they will be. They will eventually realize how sinister you really are." The newcomer spat angrily.
The human on the floor named Lockhart gradually pulled himself up, "I made them to be smart militarily, Titanium; not generally." He replied. With a grunt, the blond scientist found himself in-between two of his creations, both staring at him with bemusement.
"This whole project is dead, Lockhart. Accept it before it is too late." Titanium threatened, glaring at his superior.
At that moment, the PA system came online, "Warning: the Holding Tank area has been compromised. The facility is now on Red Alert." The female voice announced.
The brothers glanced at each other in confusion as Lockhart grinned through bloody teeth, "Guess #001 will be joining us after all."
Titanium straightened himself and gave off a long sigh, "Do what you like, boys; you two have free will." Subject #002 stared into #003's emerald eyes, the look speaking volumes to each other.
The orange-haired boy turned to Titanium, "Why are we here?"
Titanium smiled, causing the boy's heart to tremble in excitement, there the smile was, in the very flesh of existence.
"You are here because Dr. Lockhart and I created you and your two brothers as an experiment, as our dear doctor stated, 'to genetically engineer the perfect superhuman.'" The scientist explained.
"I sense a great imbalance here." Subject #003 spoke suddenly, his first words coming out smoothly.
Titanium nodded the smile still on his face, "It is because Lockhart and I are arguing your true purpose. Initially, we created you to stand as superhumans of honor and justice; stopping crime and enforcing proper virtues. Then, I discovered that Lockhart intended to turn you into mind-controlled machines of oppression; to drive humanity into his very hands." He looked at the two boys, each very much human, and shrugged, "I can sense death approaching, lads; so, I decided to do what was right and bring you into this world so that you may choose your destiny." He opened his arms, as if the choices were being presented before him, "You two, along with Blizzard, may choose what you want to do with your lives."
Lockhart arched an eyebrow, "Blizzard?"
Titanium nodded, "Just like the ones the PowerPuffs they were made after, I decided to name the boys." He said, his warm smile making the two brothers to be taken back at his friendly, casual demeanor.
The scientist turned to #003, "Blitz," He began, "I named you after your unpredictable, yet decisive, attack strategy when you woke." The green-eyed boy tried to hide his emotions, but his face grew gradually surprised.
The man turned to the auburn-haired boy, Subject #002, a boy designed to be a weapon of mass destruction, and spoke words that seemed to make his insides melt with joy, "Blaze, your powers are focused from our very Sun," Titanium explained, pointing upwards, "The power of fire rages within you, and it is your decision in how to control it." He then gestured to the lot, "The choice is yours."
To Lockhart's dismay, both boys turned to face him, eyes narrowed, "Damn you, Titanium!" he hissed angrily, turning to attempt to unlock the door again, swiping the card against the mechanism. This time, it opened, and Lockhart strode out of the door, looking back at the trio as he retreated.
"I will hunt you the ends of time, if need be! You know it!" He shouted, seconds before he collided with a figure standing in the hallway.
Lockhart turned, facing the boy who had been named Blizzard, eyes glowing a bright blue as he seized the director by his lab coat and hoisted him up.
"Release me, Subject #001!" Lockhart barked, twisting futilely in the boy's grip. Instantly, the temperature dropped to a point where frost began to creep across the wall, sealing the passage in a layer of ice. Blizzard raised his free hand, the limb freezing over with a layer of ice that appeared wickedly sharp like that of a blade. He went for the killing blow just as his brothers appeared alongside him, grabbing his arms tightly.
"Show compassion, brother." Blitz said into the hostile boy's ear, trying to coax him away from violence.
"Learn to be free like us, Blizzard!" Blaze insisted, tugging desperately on the arm of his angered brother. Titanium approached gingerly, his skin prickling with the sudden iciness of the area. He watched as Blizzard paused to acknowledge his brothers' words with surprise before choosing to ignore them and attempting to kill Lockhart instead.
With utter fascination, Titanium watched as Blitz and Blaze exchanged a simple nod before they attacked. Blitz driving his knee into Blizzard's leg while Blaze pushed forward on the blond boy's shoulder. The icy floor allowed the leg to be pushed with ease, causing Blizzard to fall forward; pushed with momentum by Blaze. There was a great crunch as Blizzard was driven into the ground, flattening Lockhart underneath. Working quickly, Blaze pounced forward, pinning his fallen brother to the wall as Blitz stood over Lockhart protectively.
"Wh-why do you try to stop me!?" Blizzard growled from Blaze's grasp, glaring at the crumpled director.
"It is because our creator has explained our purpose in life, Blizzard." Blitz said, gesturing over to Titanium.
The blue-eyed boy fixed his eyes on the scientist before him, "Are you really our creator?" He asked, his voice sounding as if the fight had been squeezed from it, quiet and gentle.
Titanium nodded, "Yes, Blizzard." The boy had a look of surprise as he relaxed in Blaze's hold, taking the information in.
Lockhart began to stir, prompting Blitz to plant a foot on his chest, "You must answer for your crimes," The boy stated, fixing the doctor with a steely stare.
"I have no crimes I need to pay for!" Lockhart gurgled from under Blitz's foot.
"Imprisoning us is a start." Blaze replied, slowly releasing his brother, who stood up quickly but did not attack.
Blitz looked at his creator, "How should we proceed?"
The professor was aghast that Blitz was so submissive to him, "However you like. It is your life after all."
With a nod, Blitz shifted to his brothers, "What do you two prefer?" The two exchanged the tell-tale looks that carried their conversations between them before answering.
Blaze and Blizzard directed their answer to Titanium "We wish to leave with you, creator. To see what life can be like out in the world."
Overjoyed, Titanium strode forward to clap Blitz on the back when suddenly; heavy footsteps could be farther down the hall, heralding a mass approaching. Within seconds, a hundred black-clad guards were racing down the corridor towards them, weapons pointing menacingly. The three boys looked to their creator for directions, but the professor remained quiet; stepping forward defiantly.
"Go no further!" Titanium shouted to them, pointing to the pinned Lockhart. They heeded, slowing to a stop, weapons still at the ready.
"As you can see, we hold Dr. Lockhart hostage. If you approach any closer, we will kill him!" The guards began to murmur nervously, contemplating what to do.
"Forget about me!" Lockhart yelled to them, "Kill the specimens before they can escape. In the wrong hands, they will doom all of our efforts!" The murmuring between the guards continued still, but it was now more feverish, and much more aggressive.
Titanium turned to study his creations, Blaze and Blizzard both frowned, unsure what to do. Blitz however, strode forward to stand with Titanium; eyes locked on the group of guards.
"You mentioned that we possess free will, correct?" The black-haired boy asked. Titanium nodded silently in agreement.
"Then I will act freely." Blitz responded, striding forward confidently. The guards noticed the boy approaching and prepared to fire.
"Here he comes, boys! Shoot without hesitation!" One of the guards, presumably, the leader, shouted to the group.
"That isn't very wise." Blitz replied, still walking.
As he neared, the head guard called out, "Alrighty, here he comes! Fire!" Then, without a moment to spare, they opened fire, spraying a wall of bullets at Blitz. Titanium watched, fascinated as green energy began to flicker around Blitz's hands as he raised them at the oncoming bullets. Bringing his hands together, Blitz focused the energy in both hands, willing a bright green power from them. He spread them outwards suddenly, causing a ripple of green energy to pulse the width of the hall. There was a large collection of zapping noises as the bullets collided with the energy, causing them to seemingly disappear. Too shocked of this, the guards stood still, watching as Blitz turned his head to lock eyes with Titanium and give off a slight grin before addressing the guards.
"My creator has taught me the act of free will, humans. I have decided to heed his advice and spare you all with mercy. Unfortunately, I feel leaving you as you are will not allow us to leave as freely as we hoped." He raised his hands once more, crackling with the green energy as he finished talking, "So, I apologize the suffering I am about to inflict." With that, he swiped out his hands at a slightly downwards angle, the energy sizzling as suddenly, the hall was filled with screams from the guards as the whistling of bullets sounded off in quick succession. A few moments later, the sea of black lay on the ground, nursing bullet wounds in the legs.
Titanium grinned with awe as he spoke to the confused Blizzard and Blaze, "Energy that displaces space, and even time, with focus. Pure magnificence."
Turning to the others, Blitz opened his mouth to speak before his eyes widened suddenly; he lunged forward, trying to stop something right before Titanium felt a searing pain race through his body. With Blitz dealing with the guards with his abilities, he had consequently diverted the attention of the others away from Dr. Lockhart, who albeit crippled by Blizzard, had drawn a gun from his coat and shot Professor Titanium once in the leg, the other in the torso. Now, the three superhumans crowded around their creator, checking on the damage.
"Damn it, Lockhart, why couldn't you have shot me in the head and gotten it over with?" Titanium asked through clenched teeth.
Blaze glanced at the malevolent doctor who smiled sinisterly "Because as revenge for ruining my plans, I have decided to show your boys the meaning of pain, of misery, and of sadness over their dead master." All three boys glowered spitefully at the director, looks of vicious of hatred coursing out in waves.
"No, no, boys," Titanium urged the three, waving his hand to get their attention, "I was meant to die at any point anyway. You three, however, have a journey to partake in. You have to go out into the world, etch your destinies into the sands of time. Hurry, before it is too late."
"It is already too late, Titanium!" Lockhart shouted to the dying scientist. He pulled something from his coat and pushed a button on it. A second later, a deep rumbling could be heard as cracks began to stretch the length of the walls, heralding a collapse of the hall.
"I made a precaution that if these specimens were to run amok, then I was to make sure they would be buried so far underground, that no-one would ever be able to find them!" Lockhart explained, chunks of rock beginning to fall around them.
"I'm sorry, boys, I really am. I wish I made you three with a saner partner." Titanium hissed, blooding began to flow out of his mouth.
"It's alright, creator." Blitz replied, grabbing Titanium's hand tightly.
"No, Blitz, 'creator' sounds too imposing, as I've said before, you three have free will, do as you like." He smiled through his drenched teeth, his eyes beginning to glaze over, "To be honest, you three make me feel like a true father." The word caused images to flood into Blaze's mind, realizing in awe that the older figure in the images of 'son' were connected as 'father'.
"Are we your 'sons' then?" Blaze asked, desperate for an answer.
"Yes, Blaze, all three of you will always be." The professor replied, his grip in Blitz's hand starting to slacken. The boy of fire looked up to notice a clear liquid streaming from Blizzard's eyes. His mind helped him piece the action to: crying. And just like that, Blaze and Blitz began to join their brother in the act of crying of their fallen father.
"Hurry, my sons. You need to escape before this place collapses. Find the access elevator in the North end of the complex. You can do it. Work as a team. I love you all." Then, Professor Titanium was gone, his eyes finally fading out, his grasp going slack, his touch cold.
The three boys stood, as an evil cackle began to sound through the collapsing passageway, Lockhart was laughing manically, stones crushing him in an earthen embrace.
"Run, my specimens, run! Run to the outside world knowing that you enter an alien world with no guidance!" But his threats fell on deaf ears, as the boys' powerful legs were already propelling them down the hall, with their father's words whispering in their heads, calling to the promise of freedom.