Xenogenesis
A 7.7 Apex Production
Just for the record, I co-authored this fic with a friend. His name has been imparted upon one of the characters, but I ain't saying which one. However, he and I both shall admit that I did more of the writing. And he's all but lost interest in the project. So furthermore, I'll be writing solely. Maybe, maybe he'll return to write some more, who knows? The lollygagger!
Amos Sobi – Andromeda – "Mercury 7" power, where he can shape-shift his liquefied body parts. Downside: If the mass grows past his common body weight, all of it is taken from his normal amount.
Phoebe McCoynn – Phobia – "Nightmare Syndrome," where she makes the opponent hallucinate scenes of their deepest fears.
Ian Carter – Geo – Electricity and cyberspace powers (?)
Edgar McCoynn – Rebound – Elastic powers
---
Bonnie Yañez – Vipersna – Vampire dragon freak
Allan Got – Sonar – Sound. Can manipulate sound, make barriers, all that good stuff
Name Unknown - First Gunman – Internal guns and weapons
Nathanoel Gibbs – Zion – Uncontrollable power in causing things to detonate
QUOTA 6
"Veni, vidi, vici - I came, I saw, I conquered."
—Julius Caesar
Earth.
Site 469, Jewel Continent
10/8/Year - 1145 Hours
"'On the stroke of midnight,' Cinderella's fairy godmother said, 'the spell will be broken. Everything you have come to see right now will disappear, and you will return to your normal form. Now let's get you going. And remember, midnight…"
Nathanoel flipped the page. A portrait of a young blond woman riding in a golden pumpkin-shaped carriage, being pulled by pure angelic white animals Nathanoel called "horses," was on the page. The young children paid close attention to the story Nathanoel was telling as they huddled together on the floor.
"Amos, you listening?" Nathanoel inquired.
Amos shuffled. "Yes, sir."
Nathanoel smiled. Amos was a bright child for the age of fourteen. Yet a bit ignorant at times. He never seemed to notice his position in life, what with no family and no life but this poorhouse. All these kids were under the same situation. But Amos was different….
Amos brushed down on his pale short bushy haircut, which always spiked to the side, and listened.
"And so the glamorous and gallant horses galloped to the lovely castle at the peak of the village. All the way there, Cinderella thought anxiously whether she was proper enough, whether she would be accepted into the ball, whether she would gain a chance to dance with the prince himself…"
Nathanoel flipped another page. This time it showed the grand ballroom. "And she did. The prince noticed a mysterious woman at the corner of his eye and immediately went to her. He bowed and she curtsied. He took her hand into the very center of the ballroom, and they danced there with every eye alit upon them. They didn't notice nor care that every person gawked; they just knew that at that moment, that very moment, they were meant to be. They were destined for each other. It was fate."
Amos leaned on his hand and sighed, admiring the tale.
Earth.
Site 210: Subzero Protocol, Jewel Continent
10/8/Year – 1147 Hours
There is a reoccurring flash, one that would cause seizures to most normal people, and a shifting through the scenery. A figure emerges and solidifies into a condensed mass of matter. The light decreases into nothing, and the final effect is a visual human boy, about 15.
The boy takes a step, faltering as he tries to gain balance, and staggers into a thickset metallic door. He presses his hand against the wire-frame screen beside the door and the door opens wide. Two more people amble into the chilled room. One is a tall girl about the same age as the boy with raven black hair and black makeup. A younger boy who is about the age of twelve follows her.
"Good work, Geo," the girl said to the fifteen-year-old boy.
"Their systems are unbearably easy to hack," the boy announced. "I'm surprised nobody's ever done this before. But, Phoebe…"
The girl, captured in a black disguise, cupped a mad coughing and drew a line along her neck with her index finger, all apparent so this boy named Geo could perceive.
"Phobia…" he corrected himself, annoyed, "did you really have to bring your little brother along?"
"I had to. He would rat on me if I didn't."
Geo inclined to the little boy's level. "Ain't everyday you get to see somebody robbin' a place, is it, Eddie?"
The boy glared. "I'll have you know that this 'klepto experience' of yours is to pay off those senseless Government bills and our parents' debts. And it's Edgar, not Eddie. So bug off, nincompoop."
Phoebe cupped the child's mouth. "No, it's Elastico sapien, you idiot."
"Get off me, twit! I've chosen 'Rebound' instead."
Geo leveled back up. "Isn't he a charmer? Ok, let's just do this so we can get out of here." He held out his hand and the surveillance cameras were overloaded by a multicolored energy blast.
"Why didn't you do that before?" Phoebe questioned. "They know our names now!"
"Come off it, Phoe—oh, I'm sorry—Phobia."
After that, Phoebe pranced toward the superchilled cells in the wall and opened them, keeping clear of the flowing liquid nitrogen. She collected from the shelves twelve thick transparent blocks that seemed to have frozen dyed liquids inside and closed the cells, quickly hurrying back with the others. "Easy as pie."
Brrrr! Brrrr! Brrrr! Their conversation was stirred by the sudden high frequency resonance echoing throughout the cooled sector. Alarms were sounding off.
"Easy as pie, eh?" Eddie.
"I didn't do it!"
"Never mind that!" Geo said. "Let's just get out of here!"
Of course, they ran like heck. Their footsteps clattered as they produced the highest amount of adrenaline as they could possibly handle. It was during that time when security guards in azure leather uniforms burst into the linoleum hallways and chased after them.
"Freeze!" they screamed. "Get down on the floor with your hands on your head!"
Just then, Phoebe stopped as the other two ran past. She turned to face the security guards, who were aiming their taser weapons, with a glare. Her right hand made a sturdy gesture and she said angrily, "With your frightened carcasses in Subzero, then I'll freeze."
There was a flicker in the overhead lights and the men chasing them collapsed on their knees. There were bloodcurdling screams in the air as the men clutched their heads in pure and utter horror. One man actually slammed his head into the linoleum-plated concrete wall, allowing a leakage of gushing red blood.
She listened in to the many fears appearing. Mutants… Nuclear war… Neo-Nazis… Clowns… Hot air balloons… Paper cuts…
Phoebe licked the remains of the dark matter from her fingers and tried catching up with the others.
The three of them discovered themselves at a dead end: a solid metallic door sealing away the final hallway and their escape.
"Geo," Phoebe huffed. "Can you disable the locking system?"
"Piece o' cake."
Geo slid his bare finger across the computer board with an ember of light. He then gripped it with all five fingers, channeling a warm flux of energy into the system, sorting all the 1s and 0s into easily accessible files. He basically hacked all the security in the simple and essential matrix of computer data.
"Got it," said Geo as the gate slid open.
"FREEZE!" Two security guards jumped in-between them and the exit, blocking them with two very large guns. One of the men shot his taser, causing large bolts of electricity to erupt toward them. Phoebe shrieked and Geo ducked, but that didn't quite matter since they were now safeguarded by a barrier. It was a rubber barrier that had previously been Edgar, and he was now absorbing the blows like an impenetrable force. Phoebe and Geo heard a quick snap and a clinking of metal, and the rubber barrier morphed back to the original Edgar. Edgar waved his hand to the other two and they all ran past the unconscious men to the exit.
Earth.
Site 153, Jewel Continent
10/8/Year – 1153 hours
A group of large kids walked through the schoolyard, toward the brainy little boy who was playing by himself in one corner.
"Mutant." The biggest spat, and pushed the poor little kid to the ground.
Poor kid, Allan Got thought. There was nothing mutant about him; the kid was just some genius. And he couldn't just sit by and watch some bullies push a harmless and helpless little kid around.
"Yo, dude. Leave the little kid alone."
"Screw off, loser!" These four didn't seem interested in anything but trouble. No reasoning with them, so…
"I said, 'back off.' What part of that don't you understand, moron? Leave the kid alone."
"Go to hell."
Allan punched him in the mouth. Then smashed him in the nose with his elbow. The guy fell back, and the little kid ran off. Two of the loser's friends ganged up on Allan, the other one ran after the little kid. Allan took off running, just as the bullies started picking their large friend up off the ground. He was clutching his bloody nose, and his lip was bleeding, but he managed to shout: "Get that piece of-" The rest was cut off as his friends dropped him back in the dirt, and ran after Allan. After about 30 seconds of plowing over people, they caught up to him. One held his arms behind his back, and the other punched him. Allan kicked him in the stomach, but he didn't even flinch. After a few more seconds of getting beaten up and futilely trying to fight back, the biggest guy showed up again.
"Like startin' trouble? What's the matter, can't settle it?"
"Big words, from a guy who has his friends holding me back."
He punched Allan so hard in the nose that he thought it broke. Then he hit him in the face over and over again.
"Aaah!" Allan yelled, then squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the next blow. It never came. He tentatively opened his eyes, and saw the bully on the ground, screaming in pain. The guy holding Allan's arms ran over to help him, and the two looked up at him with a mixture of fear and hatred.
"His bones are broken! What did you do to him?" one of them spat, then realization dawned on his thick skull. "Mutant!"
The two of them charged at him. They never made it. Allan swung a punch to meet them coming, and there was a ripple in the air, and they went flying. The first flew backwards, and smashed into a fence, breaking it. But it slowed his flight enough so that when he hit the parked car across the street opposite the schoolyard they were in, he lived but was knocked unconscious. The other was not so lucky. He flew straight into a tree, and fell to the ground with blood leaking out from the back of his skull.
Other kids witnessed what happened. At first they stared with shock and horror, then with hatred as they realized what had happened. A unanimous cry of what everyone was thinking arose from one of the smaller kids: "Mutant!"
It spread like wildfire. Soon more kids were running over towards the mutant.
Allan turned and ran.
Earth.
Site 469, Jewel Continent
10/8/Year – 1155 Hours
Amos formed the words in his mouth. "And they lived happily ever after."
The other kids were arising from the floor after the story had ended, yet Amos still took that one-liner into consideration. Lived happily… Hmm.
"Oh, Amos," Nathanoel Gibbs, the person who had taken him in from the dirty streets of Jewel, called, "could you please help me with my easel and paints?"
"Sure thing."
As Nathanoel scooped up the many jars of pigments, Amos gently removed the giant pad of sketching paper and folded the easel.
"You want them up there?" Amos asked, pointing at the very pinnacle of the immense wooden bookcase.
"Umm, yea. That's fine."
As Amos collected the items, he continued to wonder about that line. And they lived happily ever after. He wondered, while tentatively climbing the bookcase, whether he would ever live a permanent happy life. He gripped one shelf and stepped on the lower shelf and continued this on the way up.
"Now, be careful on that," Nathanoel mentioned.
"Don't worry. I'm a pro at this."
The easel suddenly slipped out of position from under his armpit and he caught it just in time. He breathed a sigh of relief and continued upward. When he finally reached the top, he properly placed the stuff away.
"There."
Amos couldn't wait to get back down. The surface was so… normal.
Amos's wish was going to be completed, though in the way he did not expect. He took one step, careful not to make a single wrong move. His worn sneakers slipped against the gently polished wood and Amos's hand slammed the shelf for further support. The bookcase conveyed little friction as Amos stood still, recovering from shock. There was a creak in the wood of the bookcase as if splinters were busting apart. Amos's mouth fell open as he realized his mistake. He grabbed a thick hardcover book in anxiety and whipped his arms against the inner walls and cursed himself as the large bookcase tipped over to the floor with him hanging on.
Crash!
"Amos!" Nathanoel yelped.
The other kids witnessed this scene and gathered together in a bundle to gawk.
Nathanoel released the highboy bookcase frantically to reveal that Amos's chest had little bloody cave-ins. As Nathanoel ripped the thin T-shirt beneath Amos's hang-off shirt, he shouted at the kids to back off. Nathanoel pressed his palm against one flesh wound and commanded, "Someone get a warm washcloth! Now!"
Sweat drenched Nathanoel's face as he endeavored to heal Amos with bare hands. "Hold on, Amos. You're okay, you're okay." He kept chanting this as if it were a special voodoo treatment. His hand even slipped on the blood once, but when he looked at his hand, he noticed that it wasn't blood. It was a sort of reflective liquid, a chrome-colored mire.
"Nathanoel…" Amos moaned.
Nathanoel stared down in horror at what was formerly an injured fourteen-year-old. He was healing. His wounds were forming back into place with the same chrome-like substance Nathanoel had touched.
A child with thick brown eyebrows came in with a moist washcloth, saw Amos sitting up with a chest rebuilding itself with silvery goo, and dropped the washcloth in fright.
Amos looked at Nathanoel and then at the standing kids. "I'm in a tight situation, aren't I?"
Earth.
Site 469, Jewel Continent
10/8/Year – 1548 Hours
"Come out of there, mutant!"
Nathanoel Gibbs stormed down the longest hallway in his middleclass poorhouse to the specified room of Amos Sobi. Many kids were surrounding the door from the outside, some shouting foul insults and profanity to the person inside. Nathanoel threw aside the child who had said the above statement and immediately faced a small girl in a frilly dress.
"Jessica, how long has he been in there?"
"Ever since the incident awhile ago," she said in a squeaky voice that was nearly forced out.
Nathanoel grew a grim expression and gently tapped the door in a knock. "Amos, may we talk to you?"
No answer.
"Amos?"
Still none.
"Amos??"
Nothing.
Nathanoel shrugged. "Don't worry. He'll come out soon enough. And then…" He glared at the boy he had pushed, mere inches away from his face. "… we'll have a serious conversation."
Earth.
Site 199, Jewel Continent
10/8/Year – 1549 Hours
Phoebe crossed her feet atop the recreationally built glass-and-metal coffee table and reclined in her rotten antique Laz-E-Boy.
Geo sipped his warm tea. "I still think we should've done it at night. That was too much risk. Especially when Eddie was with us."
"Edgar," Edgar corrected, not even looking back from his outdated video game.
"Edgar, whatever."
Phoebe set down her frosty glass of cola. "Oh, come on, Ian. Do you ever have any courage or pizzazz? If you have, I've never seen it. Settle down, you're as rigid as an ox." She dipped the part of her finger that wasn't covered in black makeup into her soda. "Besides, I think you're just jealous of our powers."
"Jealous?? Me? Ha! That's a laugh! I can control both electric currents and cyberspace. Why would I be envious of the ability to become rubber or the ability to turn people insane by their deepest fears? Sorry, no cigar, Phoebe, you're not even close."
"See? That's great, Ian. You've lightened up! Instead of worrying whether everything is going to go wrong, think about what good uses you can put your powers to."
"I'd be a whole lot easier if any of it were legal. But anyway, do you have the money genesï with you?"
Phoebe took the liquid-filled blocks out of her pouch. Each one had a different color of fluid. "They're all right here. We'll have to make out a perfect plan for the snatching of a mint machine."
"No duh. What worth would these genesï be without it?"
"No worth," Edgar said.
Ian curled his lips. "Thank you, Eddie."
"That's Edgar."
"Same difference."
Just then, Edgar and Phoebe's father walked through the apartment door. He carried in his hand a plastic bag full of cans. Their father was a tall and burly man with a mustache and a small goatee. "Phoebe, I want to see you in the Martial Arts room, now."
Phoebe's expression turned sour toward that sinister face. She spoke no words as she rose from her chair and followed him.
"OK. One… Two…"
"Oof!"
"Aha! See? You must be prepared all the time. You can't be waiting for someone to tell you when to go."
Phoebe slapped the solid floor and arose, feeling lightheaded. She cleared her mind of all that and felt flexible in her karate outfit.
"OK. Let's try this again. One…"
Smack!
"That's great! Now you've really gotten the hang of it."
"Dad, do I really have to go through this? I mean, I don't need to learn martial arts for defense. I know how to defend myself."
"Don't give me that. There are mutants out there that are twenty-five times more powerful than you are. I want you to stay normal and still have a defense against them."
Phoebe's heart felt as if it were stabbed. This wasn't the first time he'd said something like that.
You're nothing, Dad. You're pathetic. You think you're such a hotshot since you're so normal. You believe you're superior, eh? Well, I can make you whimper. I can make you crawl into a corner of a room and curl into a ball! You're nothing, Dad! You're nothing!
Indeed, Phoebe had used her powers against her father more than once. As he slept late at night, Phoebe would concentrate… arouse the demons that plagued her father's mind… unleash his fears with every second of his dreams. Phoebe would do this and listen to him whimper, for that momentary satisfaction of having proven him to be inferior.
Oh my God… You're nothing.
"Phoebe, are you okay?"
"Huh?" Phoebe broke out of her train of thought. "Oh, uh, yeah. I'm fine. Let's do over."
Earth.
Site 469, Jewel Continent
10/8/Year – 2311 Hours
That night, Amos had a dream. Or rather, a nightmare. He was running… running from a giant mob of angry folks with flaming torches. He knew they would not show any mercy for they knew what he was: a mutant.
Amos came to a dead end: a fence. His fingers morphed, coating themselves with a silvery substance and transforming into solid claws. Using these claws, he sliced a wide hole into the metal fence. But it was too late. The mob had caught up and they were grabbing him with hands and tentacles. Amos screamed and screamed and his insides churned. He could feel his flesh and skin and blood melt and squelch in the hands of the mob. He was turning into the most powerful creature on the planet. It was something everyone feared….
"AAAAAH!!" Amos's scream was muffled against the fluffy pillow smothering him. Discovering the pillow, Amos did a kick against whoever was trying to kill him and flipped out of bed, onto the floor.
"Who's there?!" he yelled.
Amos scuffled against the ground, frantically searching for the switch on his lamp. He heard a click in the background and then a crash. He twirled onto his rear and smacked the light switch. The entire room was radiated. The person's identity was uncovered.
"Erik? What are you doing here?"
Amos recognized the kid. Erik was a loner kid in this poorhouse. He was one of those kids Amos would nod to as he passed by; he never became a serious friend.
"You shouldn't be here," he responded.
"What—? Who the hell do you think you are!! You tried to kill me!"
He nodded, the blubber in his neck jiggling. "That's exactly what I did… mutant."
"You damned idiot! Get out of here! Get OUT of here!!" Amos whipped the door open to reveal kids of all ages crowded outside. Amos's lip quivered at the sight. "Go away! All of you! There's no show here!"
"Hey, aren't you that mutant?" someone shouted.
"No! Nonononono! Go away, you sons of—!"
"Mutant!" the same person continued. It turned into a chant. "Mutant!—Mutant!—Mutant!"
More of the kids joined in. "Mutant! Mutant!"
Amos's face was struck with fear and he had flashes of the previous dream. The mob with torches… chasing him… just because he was… different.
"Hey! HEY!" The chanting ended to the voice of Nathanoel Gibbs. He stood with his arms akimbo and a menacing facial expression. "What's going on here?"
The kids hesitated as Nathanoel, the 30-year-old housekeeper for this poorhouse, forced his way through the demon multitude. He cut between Amos and Erik. "I said, what's going on?"
"He tried to kill me!!!" Amos squealed.
"Get this mutant out of here!" Erik retorted.
"Enough!" Nathanoel's back hand met with Erik's cheek. Erik recoiled with a new red mark on his face.
Just then, Amos's lamp shattered into pieces to the ground. There wasn't even a final flicker, just CRASH! Time froze there.
"Everyone…" Nathanoel said, more calmly, "Go to your rooms and stay there for the remainder of the night. Amos, follow me. And Erik…" Nathanoel straightened his poise in the darkness. "Erik, Erik, Erik… Poor Erik…"
Nathanoel seized Erik by his neckband and swung him against the side of the bed, to the floor, in a purely violent act. Erik collapsed like a manikin.
Nathanoel did no more than that. He left the room, shoving through the crowd, Amos tagging along.
"Now, Amos…" Nathanoel folded his hands. "I understand you have certain powers that have never been mentioned."
Amos felt like bolting out of his chair and running. Yet he stayed and didn't change his gaze at all. "Sir, if you'd like me to leave, then I'll gladly—"
"No, no. It's not that. I find it mortally intriguing. Tell me about it."
Amos stared. Nathanoel seemed very interested in the subject. "Well, basically I can reform to any shape possible. It's like my body melts and morphs into whatever I think."
"Hmm…"
"There's a downside, though. If the shape I take expands past my regular body amount, then that mass is extracted from my weight. That's why I'm always hungry."
"Ah… Mercury 7."
"Huh?"
"Mercury 7. I had a friend with that power once. Back when mutant powers were still legal. Mercury 7 was what I called it. No reason really, it just sounded cool. That friend died a long time ago, trying to battle in a war between mutants and normal humans."
"Does that mean—?"
"Yes. You and I are very alike."
"Well, what can you do?"
Nathanoel appeared uneasy at this question. "It's a bit complex. I have an uncontrollable power, where inanimate objects explode when I aggress. Sort of like a telekinetic Hulk."
"Oh! Hulk! That dude was awesome! I am thinking of the same one, right? Green guy with temper tantrums?"
"Never mind." Nathanoel stood up. "I created this poorhouse because I wanted to cure the unhappiness left out there. But now I find this is practically impossible, what with the constant prejudice between human beings. Men vs. women, races vs. races, countries vs. countries. 'Normal' people vs. mutants." At this current stage, we are like women without the right to vote. It will take a long time before we are given equality. And even longer to gain respect. Amos, we have to fight this. No, I do not want you to leave. I want you to stay and live normally like all of us, ignoring what people might think. Someday we'll win, Amos. Someday we'll win."
Amos set his head against the table. "How? It's impossible."
"Nothing's impossible when you set your mind to it! Remember that. It'll become your savior one day."
Amos sat up and walked off. He gave Nathanoel a firm handshake and, just before leaving, said, "I will." Though he didn't really believe it to be true.
Earth.
Site 501a4, Jewel Continent
10/9/Year – 0341 Hours
A shadow wanders through the sewers at night.
No one knows what the monstrosity is, only that it is there. It lurks at midnight, devouring every creature that stumbles into its territory.
Skeletons and decomposing corpses of dead rats are aligned on the floor in an unorganized pattern. No squeaks were left in the grimy pipelines underground, just the soft taptaptap of water droplets and the rumbling footsteps of the mythical beast.
A lone man with a plastic uniform and a hardhat tumbles down through the manhole in the streets and down the rusted ladder. His leather shoes slopped through the greenish puddles left in these abandoned sewers as the man searched for the proper lever needed for the job. He clicked on his flashlight and a beacon of light shone on the septic walls.
"Dan, is that you?" he wondered when he heard a snuffling noise in the background. He found no one and continued his gait.
He heard the snuffling again and ignored it, for he had discovered the lever he was aiming for. He placed the flashlight under his armpit and gripped the handle of the lever. The snuffling came back, louder this time, and his eyes bulged out. He stood there for moments with his hands gripping the lever, and then he pulled it to point number three. There was an abrupt sloshing and a large thud as the third emergency wall closed permanently.
The snuffling was like heavy breathing and snoring combined. As if someone were congested with phlegm and he couldn't breathe correctly.
As the huffing and puffing grew heavier and more severe, that's when the man decided to run. His feet thumped into the puddles and his ankles became drenched. He didn't mind; he just wanted to get the hell out of there. He ran, and it was audible to tell that someone (or something) was following him, with each footstep extra collision and friction in the pavement.
There it is! The ladder! The man was so close, so near freedom.
Thud.
The manhole was placed back into position.
Outside the sewers, above, Dan kneeled onto his left knee and giggled to himself. "'Wonder if Gregg is freaking out now," he said. Dan was not aware of the situation his joke had placed on Gregg.
He was trapped in the sewers, in the dark, with a monster.
"Ah-AAAAAAAH!!"
Blood splattered the walls as the man was decapitated. After that, the dragon creature aimed for the legs, carefully and yet agilely chewing through the flesh and bones.
No one knew what had happened.
The dragon licked its chops after finishing and strolled through the sewers, awaiting its next meal.
Earth.
Site 676: The Midtown Mall, Jewel Continent
10/9/Year – 0809 Hours
"Hi, hi. How're ya doing? That's excellent."
Lately these days, Nathanoel Gibbs gained a tendency to shake hands with a lot of people during a trip to the mall. One reason could be that everyone wants to shake hands, since he is known as the most generous man in all of Jewel.
Today, things were somewhat different. People seemed to be… avoiding him.
Nathanoel came up to a chubby man on a bench who was eating a chilidog, letting it dribble unknowingly down his chin.
"Hello, Jackson."
The man scooped the falling bits into his mouth. "Oh, hey, Nathanoel."
Jackson was one of those sloppy people who never read the newspaper or watched the news at all or worked hard at his job, barely with any life left. He was unique in some ways, though. He was deeply experienced in the culinary trade and he had a well grip in psychoanalysis.
"Jackson, do you have any idea why people seem to be afraid of me today?" Nathanoel asked.
Jackson bit the last of the chilidog and wiped himself with a napkin. "No clue. I'm not psychic. Thank God for that. I'd be like a mutant if I was."
Nathanoel frowned. "Jackson, don't talk like that."
"Sorry, I forgot your personal 'treaty of balance and peace.' You do realize that mutants are banished from the Jewel Continent, right?"
"Of course, Jackson. I just don't approve of it."
"Why? It's not like you're a mutant yourself." Jackson made a tinny chuckle.
Nathanoel grunted in response and placed quarters in the newspaper dispenser. "How do you know I'm not?"
"Don't fool yourself," Jackson said as Nathanoel flipped the Monday newspaper open. Nathanoel sat beside Jackson on the bench and started reading.
"Hey, what's this?" Jackson said after a moment. He pointed to a small article in a page corner, which was just below an article about the mutant that committed suicide because she believed she was possessed with demons.
Nathanoel's eyes focused in.
Poorhouse Keeper Mutant?
Nathanoel's eyes widened. He caught glimpses of sentences in the article.
Everyone knows Nathanoel Gibbs, the founder of the Gibbs House for the poor and rejected children. But just how much do we know about him?...
…Anonymous sources tell this journalist that Nathanoel Gibbs has powers beyond our normal capacity….
…Meaning what? Meaning that Nathanoel Gibbs, the so-called "Most Generous Man Alive" might actually be a mutant….
…Our sources have told us that they have seen Mr. Gibbs make things shatter to pieces without touching them, and hitting kids when they make mutant-prejudiced remarks….
…So I ask you, the next time you meet up with this man, be cautious. There's no knowing what he might do….
"I wouldn't bother," Nathanoel said, waving his hand. "It's just one of those National Enquirer-like articles. You don't believe it, do you?"
Jackson didn't respond.
"Jackson?"
"I-I have to go." Jackson walked away.
Nathanoel sat there, expressionless, no thoughts coming up due to emotion.
"Hey! There's that mutant!"
Nathanoel jolted in surprise to the clamor. Someone was pointing at him.
"It's Nathanoel Gibbs!"
"Let's run him out of town!"
"He's a freak! Kill him!"
That's when Nathanoel decided to leave the mall.
Earth.
Site 469, Jewel Continent
10/9/Year – 0820 Hours
"What are you doing?" Jessica, the little girl in the frilly dress, asked.
Amos placed the pile of clothes on his bed into his knapsack. "Leaving."
"Why?"
"You know."
"Don't leave."
"I have to." Amos stuffed his bag with his personal possessions: his collection of hangover shirts, his DR player, his stuffed panda bear. "And I believe you realize why, too."
Jessica paused. "I've never known you to be a quitter."
Amos twirled to meet Jessica face-to-face. "I have no choice! If I stay here, I'll be killed! You know that! I know that! Here, mutants… are… banished. They either leave, or die. Instead of being courageous, I'm being smart, and getting the hell out of here." Amos returned to his pack, zipped it, heaved it over his shoulder, and started to leave.
"I heard you and Nathanoel talking last night."
Amos stopped and clenched his eyelids. "How much did you hear?"
"All of it. And it was enough to know that you promised Nathanoel to stay and live normally like all of us."
"It can't stay that way. It used to be that we were one whole family. It's different now. They view me as vile, not part of them. I can't live normally. Even when he gave that dramatic speech, I could tell Nathanoel didn't expect me to stay. It's just something that has to be done."
For a moment, they were both silent. Amos broke it. "Well then… I guess this means goodbye."
A long pause. "Yea."
"So long, old friend."
"Yea, see ya."
Amos opened the door and stepped into the light. A new light. One that he'd better get acquainted with.
"Yo, you wanna buy some drugs, man?"
Amos held out his hands and, while slowing backing away, tripped over sidewalk curb. "No, no. I'm fine."
"Come ooon. I know you want them." The crummy man in a red coat waved bags of white and black powder. "They're cheap."
"No."
"Come on…"
"I said no!!" Amos watched the man fly away and realized that his arm had morphed into a bat.
Amos strolled down the sidewalk, heeding in panicked thoughts the gunfire and police sirens. His quivering hand pressed down on his head bristles in a feeble attempt to tranquilize his self. He could hear almost everything in circumference of his path, including the indistinct humming, like a mixture of screams and footsteps in the distance.
Think… easy thoughts, Amos. Quiet. Yea, that's right. Serene. Nobody's going to kill you… yet.
"Aaah! Help me! Help me!"
Amos immediately jolted to the shout and morphed knives from his fingertips. Something was coming…
Earth.
Site 501c10, Jewel Continent
10/9/Year – 0830 Hours
Drip. Drip. No drip. Drip.Something was following Allan. Just why the heck had he gone into the sewers, he wondered. He looked up into the dim light coming down from the storm drain. Torches interrupted by silhouettes of people. A riot was going on up there. No way was he going to escape by going up there. Only one thing left to decide: Run or fight? Duh. After a few seconds of thought, Allan decided. He took off running down the long corridor of sewer pipes.
Drip. Drip. No drip. Drip. Drip. Thud. Thud.
Allan spun on his heel. "Who's there?!" There was a squishing noise, then some kind of half-snarl-half-growl noise.
"Graaarl."
"S-stay away!" he stuttered.
"H-h-h…" A horrible, shadowy figure stepped partially into the light, making Allan completely freak.
"Aaah!" A shockwave shot out from his outstretched hands blowing the horrible freak back to wherever it came from.
Earth.
Site 988, Jewel Continent
10/9/Year – 0832 hours
Amos watched in horror as Nathanoel ran past, pursued by the bloodthirsty mob. Nathanoel?
"He's a yella mutant! Lynch him!"
"We crave carnage! Blood, gore, guts, and more!"
One thought passed through Amos's mind as he formed into the mob and chased after Nathanoel. Why me? Why, God? Why me?
Sneakers and boots galloped as Nathanoel turned a tight corner, into a large sector of residences.
Earth.
Site 199, Jewel Continent
10/9/Year – 0833 Hours
Phoebe chivied out the front door after Ian Carter, the only friend she's ever actually respected. Ian had traits distinguishing him from everybody else that she has ever known. For one thing, the fact that they were both mutant was something they both had in common.
But then there were times when Ian was only an object for pity. Now was one of those times.
"Ian, how many times must we have this discussion?" Phoebe asked, shoving Edgar toward the trashcans. "You need a home, then stay with us."
"No comment," Ian said again, for the tenth time. "Get it through your head, Phoebe. I told you this years ago. I . . . I have places to go, people to see, money to make." Ian grinned. "That's just the way it is."
"Ian, what more do you want from us? We're offering shelter. Isn't that enough?"
"Phoebe, you're overwhelming the guy," Edgar commented. "He wants to go, let him go."
Ian waved his hand toward Edgar as if he were the answer to life's problems. "Simply put. You should listen to your brother more often."
"You don't want to stay with us?"
"It's not like that. I just wouldn't feel right if I did. It's like accepting food from a stranger."
Thoughts ran through Phoebe's mind. Ian, my only friend. Sometimes the only person worthy of my presence, sometimes an object for my hatred.
"But we're your friends. We're not strangers."
"It's not like—!" Ian exhaled in irritation. "You don't get it." He raised his eyes to the sky. "There's something out there, waiting for me. I feel I need to find it. It's strange. I can't explain it."
"Ooo-kay."
"Hey check this out." Edgar was staring out at the street.
"Not now, Edgar, we're busy."
"You really need to see this." A riot was going past, people screaming and chasing somebody who was running as fast as he could go.
"Oh shoot!" Phoebe shouted and dodged the mayhem. Ian did the same, except he shouted something more intense.
They watched in shock as the man who was being chased ceased his run and faced the mob. The mob slowed a little, creating a semiopaque view of the redheaded man. The three of them hardly saw the cause, just the effect that soon followed.
BOOOOOOM!!
Earth.
Site 199, Jewel Continent
10/9/Year – 0836 Hours
The explosions were alit in Amos's eyes like ever-ablaze embers. He could not say one thing nor scream anything. The entire mob was silent as rows and rows of well-constructed, reinforced houses erupted into trillions of assorted crumbs and remainders.
Smog whisked over the scene, smothering the sky and slowly asphyxiating the people. Soot and smoke drifting in-between every person, Amos made a quick move and melted into the base of the asphalt. As a puddle of chrome slime, he leaked into every crevasse in the pavement. When he realized he couldn't seep into any nook or cranny, he tried to slide away, constantly being stepped on yet enduring everything. Once he was outside the crowd, he spotted Nathanoel running. He morphed back into regular form and pursued.
Amos came to a dead end: the crummy alley that Nathanoel had vanished in. Amos's trail was blocked by a reinforced steel wall, sided by buttresses doubling in height. Amos strengthened his fingers until they formed into meat hooks. Using these hooks in his hands, Amos mounted the left buttress and began climbing.
Amos stood arched over the apex of the buttress, certifying his safety by making suction pods with his feet. The day was bright, he could see.
Earth.
Site 210: Subzero Protocol, Jewel Continent
10/9/Year – 0836 Hours
"Nothing like an early morning wakeup call to start the day."
These were the words of General Romeo Priest as he paced back and forth in Subzero Protocol. The team of soldiers seated watched as the general uncovered every cell in the wall. Subzero Protocol had been an area for private briefings, cold beyond belief, yet invisible to terrorists. This is the truth today.
What the soldiers had not known about Subzero Protocol was that it was a hiding place. A hiding place for money genesï, the important toner for U.S. mints. The Government had set up this hiding place, telling only several generals on the base.
The genesï had been stolen by a bunch of mutant kids before the soldiers even knew it was there.
"Soldiers, this is why you're here." The general pointed to the cells. "These cells had once secretly contained U.S. money genesï. Three for $100 bills. Four for $50 bills. Four for $20 bills. Six for $5 bills. Seven for $1 bills. Two for $500 bills. Two for $1,000 bills. And one for $5,000 bills. This was just one of the many hiding places the Government made for genesï, mints, and presses, after being run out of Washington D.C. and New York.
"The genesï hidden here were located and taken by three children—two guessed to be between ages 13-17, one guessed to be between 8-12. The children were mutants. The Army can identify the girl teenager and the young boy—Phoebe McCoynn and Edgar McCoynn.
"Your mission, men, is to locate the children that came and stole the genesï, at Jewel's Site 199. Locate the genesï and bring the kids back to this base."
The soldiers, an ensemble dressed in anti-mutant suits, were primed. They wanted the blood of those juvenile mutants.
Earth.
Site 199, Jewel Continent
10/9/Year – 0838 Hours
Amos hesitated, before finally jumping.
Earth.
Site 501c12, Jewel Continent
10/9/Year – 0850 Hours
If it was possible, the sewers were even creepier at night. Between the rats, and the knowledge that something was down here with him, Allan was almost creeped out beyond belief. But certain things, like stumbling across lifeless, bloodless corpses would do that to you…. No. Mustn't think about that. He could feel hysterics settling in again. He had to stay calm….
Forget about sleeping down here. If those freakin' mutant sentinels weren't patrolling the streets, he would have been out of these miserable, stinking rotten sewers long ago, but as it was, he was stuck here.
At least it was daylight now…. The meager light streaming through the drain covers helped a little. And with it came a new view of the sludge he had to walk through. Oh well, he hadn't come down here looking for a good time. Not that it had been smart to come down here in the first place, but at least he wasn't the one being chased by those mutant sentinels. Wait… Is that light down the tunnel?! He doubled his step….
Earth.
Site 001, Jewel Continent
10/9/Year – 0909 Hours
Gills come in handy when you're underwater. Superpowers come in handy when you need gills. A mutation comes in handy when you need superpowers.
This is so cool, Amos thought. The people in those mobs have no idea what they're missing.
Amos sunk deeper into the sea, propelling himself through the thick waters with two armfuls of revolving blades. Coral reefs, seaweed, and aquaculture of all sorts were alit by the flashlight he had brought, contained by a transparent box growing from Amos's forehead.
Gills… propellers… a box holding the flashlight… and a compartment for his knapsack? Amos was beginning to wonder if he would soon lose room for his organs.
And I'll be really hungry later.
Of course, Amos had predicted his needs before jumping into the ocean. Amos took time wrestling with his anatomy so gills would not be a troublesome addition. If Amos was one of those "act now-think later" people (that is, had he jumped into the ocean without wait), he would have either drowned while trying to alter himself or wilted as his body was liquefied.
A school of fish—just "fish" because Amos couldn't identify this type—swarmed his face. Their many fins and scales felt like bristles against his skin, even in the seawater.
Well, here I am. Running away from home sweet home. And chasing after Nathanoel. Funny how things can change so quickly. Just why did Nathanoel jump into the sea? Is he still here? Is he even alive? I don't seem to remember him ever mentioning a boat. Then again… he has many things. Many things we've never seen. Rich guys usually do.
Or maybe his mutation is more than he's told me? I still can't believe he's a mutant! He seemed to have an affinity with all humans, so I never suspected him to be mutant. Had he ever discussed the topic with us? No.
Wait! Yes, he did! He had us all sit down and listen to him speak about equality between Homo sapiens and Homo superior. That every day, more and more mutants are born, outnumbering those who are normal. He said that soon the human race will be composed entirely of mutants, that Homo sapiens will become extinct. Spooky. A person born without powers in that race would be the outcast.
My God. How could I have forgotten about that?
Nathanoel said that trying to eliminate mutants was a vain doing. All past experiences proved it to merely make things worse. A biological weapon meant to use against mutants instead turned into a virus that infected and killed the race of horses. Mechanical sentinels demolished landmarks and caused an accident that killed a USA president. And this is the point of history, after all, Nathanoel had continued to say, to describe the mistakes of humanity, to guide future generations in making the correct decisions, and Nathanoel went into his history lesson.
Amos floated past a shark, which showed no interest in eating him.
Perhaps Nathanoel went to Mélange Continent?
That brought a slight silence to Amos's thoughts. He slinked downward like he belonged to this environment. The extra weight of his knapsack (which he held internally) made no difference in Amos's swiftness underwater.
The wonders of the sea were hidden from the powerless. This is what Amos came to believe. This made him both happy and sad. Happy, because he could witness sights rarely seen. Sad, because many, many people were missing out.
The sea was silent. That's what attracted Amos most. He couldn't even hear the fish or himself swim. It tempted Amos to try the parts of the sea with more pressure and more darkness. He could handle it. As long as he had time to prepare. Otherwise, he would melt away into the water.
Every which way Amos went, he would find what he considered tall, wide heaps of diverse life. This is why he almost missed seeing the doll. It wasn't floating with the main water. It was in an unordinary pattern. It would sink very quickly at first, like a plane plummeting from the sky. But then the doll would avert the sea bottom by twisting back up. It continued like this: plummeting, rising, plummeting, rising, plummeting…
The doll was missing an eye. Her little dolly clothes were spoiled rags. The hair (which probably was once blond) showed signs of being chomped on by fish. The arms—designed to be plump—were raised up. In her outstretched position, she gave the impression that she was flying voluntarily. Plummeting, rising, plummeting, with not a care in the world. Her one remaining eye seemed to be glued open by algae, so that even as she flew, she was keeping a watch on Amos.
So this is what's come of humanity, Amos thought. A discarded doll floating around on a current. With one eye constantly open toward the thing that may interrupt its routine.
Amos kept the doll in view. She continued to plummet, rise, and plummet as he came forward, as he passed her, and as he left her. She would continue to do so when she was a mile behind him, and she would continue to do so when the doll had left Amos's mind.
Alright. I think I need some sun.