Untold Deception

by William Staikos

  “I guess he would…” I drifted off.

  The way they kidnapped me still raised questions.

  “Hey, how did you know I’d go to the bar?”

  “We were actually on a mission to find you before the trial. When we couldn’t trace your steps, we decided to stay at the bar for the night when you walked right in. I bumped into you to confirm you had one arm. I turned and winked, so the Leader distracted you as the bartender slipped in the drug. You toasted the Leader, and you know the rest.”

  I had walked right into them.

  “When we do our training exercises, I’m sparring against you,” Cassiella said sternly.

  “Oh, so scary,” I said, shaking my hands up in the air.

  We moved past several long hallways that led to an open doorway marked,

  ‘B-1 Training Facility.’

  This lead to a significant opening where a dome-like shape formed. There were ledges on the sides of the walls for maneuvering. The floor was a reflective black that had some give to it. There were bright lights along the roof. About 30 kids, of all races, kneeled at a white wall. It jutted outwards from the dome. Cassiella filed in line and kneeled. I still stood up. She tugged on my clothing to sit, and I refused. I need answers.

  Suddenly, the wall they faced opened and split apart. A blinding light glowed from the opening. The old man from the bar walked out with two men in his wake. One of them was the bartender. He entered the room as if he were a god. Only the sounds of the three men walking echoed through the room. The Leader leaned on a carved wooden cane. The handle had the shape of an eagle. He wasn’t ragged and poor like in the bar. He had tricked me well. His face had a five-o-clock shadow over brown skin that made him look suave. He wore a white tuxedo with a black bow tie. His obsession with white was irritating.

  All eager eyes were on the Leader. I couldn’t believe how much they respected him. The Leader stared down at me. The light from his back made him appear like an angel. He still smiled and calmly opened his mouth to speak.

  “Would you mine kneeling, Salan?” announced the Leader.

  Gazing down, I saw Cassiella was motioning me to sit. Suddenly, the Leader hugged me. I didn’t hug him back out of shock. Instead, I pushed him away.

  The Leader drew back a bit to speak. “Guess you’re still nervous, Salan. Don’t worry; I’ll teach you to be strong in a fight. You are weak now, but if you stay with me, you will be strong.”

  The kids stared at him as if they were wise words from a father. He has total control over them. However, I was still curious about one thing.

  “If this is for our own benefit, why do you have shock collars on us like we’re your pets?”

  All the kids looked at me with hate as if I had spat in his face. The Leader, however, remained calm.

  “If a child acts out of line, a parent sometimes needs to discipline him. I do not raise brats. I’m too physically weak to use normal methods against you; I’m only an old Human,” said the Leader.

  He won’t give me the reason, no point in arguing for now.

  “OK,” I responded.

  I took a knee.

  “You do not trust people. That’s understandable; you see, all these kids lived rough lives like you until I took them in. I gave them food, a place to sleep, and tools to better themselves. I will never discriminate against you because I fear you as an Abundan, unlike the people you grow up with. You know that pain, Salan. You're even an Abomination after all. Some other kids here are Abominations, too.”

  He had the respect of the room. What he said made sense but who spends this much money for only moral reasons. For what purpose did he intend to use these soldiers?

  “Now since we have a newcomer, I’ll explain the rules. You will choose a sparring partner for Monday lessons. Once your opponent is down, no further damage may occur, and you earn a point. If you win multiple times, you will gain more privileges in this facility. You will gain nothing for losing—as you would in life. If you are disobedient or break the rules, you will be shocked. You may also be taken into the room and will receive minimum food.”

  Some of the classmates shivered just from just the word, room. Whatever the room was, it must represent some substantial type of punishment.

  “Cassiella, you are to show Salan the ropes here OK?” said the Leader.

  Cassiella nodded back. She glared at me with hate, but she didn’t scare me.

  “You may begin this lesson and remember…” paused the Leader.

  “Work will set you free,” said everyone in unison except me.

  “Dismissed.”

  He walked away along with the two men in suits. The walls slid open, and they stepped back into the bright light. I stood up, and Cassiella ushered me into the empty space where we could spar. The room was massive, so it wasn’t hard to get some distance.

  The room flourished with Abundan colors. One could extend his yellow aura and keep his distance. I was so amazed by that use of aura that I didn’t notice Cassiella had started. I saw a flash, and a blue aura fist hit my cheek. It knocked me clean over. I peered up, feeling my face swell.

  “Always keep your eyes on your target.”

  She stared at me with cold eyes, some of the other kids laughing at my expense. I stood back up and used my black aura. No way was I going to let a girl beat me up.

  “Alright; if you're gonna sucker punch me,” I said.

  I used a Muay Thai technique head kick that could shatter part of a tree trunk. She blocked it easily as if a feather had grazed her forearm. She used her aura to form a rounded shield. I didn’t even know you could do that. My jaw dropped in astonishment. I crossed my arms to block another sudden attack but she went for my gut. It completely winded me, and I fell to the ground again. She was much stronger than I anticipated.

  “I’m way out of your league. I’m one of the top fighters here,” Cassiella bragged.

  I’ve always heard of an Abundan being powerful, but this was the first I met one stronger than me. She must be class 1. I got myself back up.

  “That’s two losses. Do me a favor and keep losing so I can get more stuff in my room,” she mocked.

  “Why don’t you kiss my ass instead?”

  I didn’t realize that up to that point; she had been holding back, but I hit a nerve. A barrage of punches and kicks came towards me. As one would expect, my metallic arm blocked better than the other. If I kept letting her do the work, maybe I could tire her out. A few of the hits landed, but I stayed up. Suddenly, I got an idea. If I couldn’t punch her, then maybe I could out think her.

  I discreetly tore a piece of my clothing with my claws on my left side. Still dodging attacks, I stepped back and tried to make my aura as big as possible. Pretending to condense something in my palm, I put on a fake smile like I had some secret technique. She anticipated an attack and moved back.

  “Ahhh!” I shouted, throwing the piece of clothing at her.

  Since she was distracted by the clothing, I got a good hit with my metallic arm and knocked her down.

  “Always keep your eyes on your target,” I mimicked.

  Some of the other kids giggled. That’s when Cassiella lost all control. She tackled me fiercely and started to punch me on the ground. Two of the other Abundans pulled her off.

  “Are you trying to get us in trouble?” a Cyclops’ asked.

  She had knocked three of my teeth out. The left side of my face was swollen. I got up and pretended it didn’t hurt.

  “Yea, she’s just a goody two shoes angel after all,” I grunted.

  She glowed bright blue and wanted nothing more than to pummel me more. I had a way of pissing people off. One of the guys was a Cyclops’, and the other seemed Tranvesus’. He had webbed hands and feet with gills. However, his physical traits, seemed less intense than Babel’s.

  They both held Cassiella back until she calmed down.

  “Alright; let me go. I’ll only beat him up if he stands, and if you don’t let go of me I’m g
oing to get very angry,” said Cassiella.

  Both men let go of her immediately.

  “Are you ready?” asked Cassiella.

  I threw my hands up, “Ohhh, so scary.”

  “I was instructed by the Leader to go easy on you, but I’m not gonna pull my punches anymore.”

  “Are we gonna fight or what?”

  I saw a flash of blue light and then darkness.

  The next thing I remembered was waking up in the hospital bed. My head felt like it had been split open with an axe.

  “Welcome back. How was practice?” Dr. Mengel asked with a wink.

  “Shut up. I’m heading back to teach her a lesson,” I muttered, standing up.

  “It’s ten at night, so I doubt that.”

  I leaned back, still dazed, “I was unconscious for that long!”

  “There was a reason the Leader told her to go easy on you. I admit that clothing trick was smart for your lack of skill with aura.”

  “I’m class 1. What the hell are you talking about?”

  “She had an unfair advantage. Cassiella had gone through P.S.O. or a Power Stimulus Operation. It’s a chemical compound that strengthens your aura. It is potent and draining in large dosages, and too much treatment can even lead to death if the user isn’t strong enough. It overclocks the external battery organ near your heart. You’ll receive P.S.O. treatment tonight for initiation.”

  “Is it safe?”

  “It’s painful, and you will be tied up to stop you from damaging medical equipment. It’s important we start now. The Leader says the sooner, the better.”

  I stopped his sudden approach, “Why did you wake me up if it was going to be painful?”

  “You need to be awake, so your heart rate stays up. It would be dangerous if it wasn’t pumped through your system as fast as possible. Also, painkillers hurt your cardiovascular endurance, and as a soldier, you’ll need to get used to dealing with physical pain.”

  He tied me down to the bed with leather straps. He grabbed a needle and hit it with his index finger. The liquid was bright red, almost glowing. The injection felt like poison and ran through my veins. My aura flared out, and my hands shook from the pain. It felt as if someone had injected acid into my body. The pain wouldn’t stop. I cried out several times.

  This lasted for three hours. Eventually, it died down, and there was no more pain. The doctor came by and lifted off the restraints. I walked by him, dripping with sweat, and out of breath.

  “Remember that you need to swipe your wrist at the door to go to your room. Also, this is the only exception for you to be up this late. From now on, nine is your curfew!” Shouted Dr. Mengel.

  I slowly shuffled back down the long hallways. I had no idea where to go in this maze. Suddenly, I heard a voice around the corner. Slowing my pace, I heard the Leader to someone.

  “How long will it take to get the modified Ovium insects to be born without any defects?” asked the Leader.

  “I can’t say, but even after the defects are fixed, incorporating it into white mice will take some time,” said Dr. Mengel.

  I must have went the wrong way, but this information seemed important. So, I stood still.

  “Since the mother died, we have more of an initiative now that we have a second shade Abundan,” said the Leader.

  “I understand; I’ll work as hard as I can. See you in the morning,” said the doctor.

  The sound of footsteps grew faint, and soon they were both gone. Why were those Ovium insects so crucial to the Leader? It took several wrong turns until I reached my room. Shaking my head in exhaustion, I opened the door with my barcode. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

  8- Angel of Death

  “But she wasn’t around, and that’s the thing when your parents die, you feel like instead of going in to every fight with backup, you are going into every fight alone.”

  ― Kiongozi Albom

  Cassiella shook me awake. As soon as I saw her, I jumped out of my bed for a fight.

  “Relax. I have orders to take you to the training room for target practice. That’s the custom for Tuesdays.”

  Something important was on my mind.

  “I have something to discuss. What is this ‘room’ that terrifies people – the punishment the Leader mentioned?”

  “I went in there once; the scary thing is that there’s nothing at all.”

  “What?” I said in surprise.

  I had expected a torture chamber.

  “It’s just an empty room filled with clocks where no one can contact you. You are left alone, and if they leave you in there long enough, you’ll go insane. Time moves slower.”

  “How is an empty room supposed to terrify people?”

  “Some people begin to hallucinate after long periods in there. Trust me; you don’t want to go in there. I was in there for a week, but it felt like an eternity.”

  She seemed very sincere about this. Maybe this was why she always tried not to get on their bad side?

  “Can I ask something else?” I questioned.

  “Make it quick; we’re going to be late.”

  “Why are there cameras in my room?”

  “The Leader believes he needs to keep an eye on all of the Abundans to teach them properly.”

  ‘The Leader seems a bit overprotective as a parent.’

  “Makes sense, but he doesn’t watch us go to the bathroom, does he?”

  “Of course not. There are no cameras in there.”

  So, the bathroom was the only place I had for privacy. I planned to use that to collect my thoughts. The Leader has trust issues as well. I need more information about this place.

  “Come on, we’re gonna be late,” said Cassiella.

  “I had the P.S.O. treatment for initiation. How often will this happen?”

  “As you know, everyone has their first treatment after arrival. Then, Saturday is treatment day. Sunday is a break day due to fatigue.”

  “If Monday is sparing and Tuesday is target practice. What are the other weekdays?” I asked

  “Wednesdays are aura control; Thursdays are blade practice, and Fridays are squad battles.”

  “So, we get weekends off?”

  “Most use them for additional training, and I suggest you do the same.”

  I saluted and then said, “Yes ma’am!”

  She didn’t seem too amused. I followed her to the training room. So, Sunday’s are my day to test the perimeter of this facility. I could even do that on Saturdays if I had enough energy after P.S.O. treatment. My stomach rumbled because the doctor had only given me IV fluids.

  “Where do I get food?”

  “You can go after practice.”

  “I’ve been on IV fluids, come on.”

  “Those are the rules.”

  This place was always about rules. We arrived at the training facility for target practice. There were many distance weapons all scattered across a white table. Throwing knives, ninja stars, bow, and arrows, and some I haven’t seen before. All the people were lined up kneeling, so I kneeled too.

  “Nice of you to join us kitty cat,” said a blue Hymer.

  The other kids laughed out of fear; they wanted to be friends with the bully.

  “I may be a cat, but of the two of us, you're the bigger pussy, blue boy. Are you blue because you’re always sad or just when you look in the mirror?” I asked.

  “I’d kill you in a fight,” said the blue Hymer enraged.

  Some of the other kids laughed. His aura turned into a sickly colored green. I had him.

  “Your skin color should be yellow. It suits you better bitch,” I retaliated.

  He stood up and shot out a punch at me. I dodged and struck him with a right uppercut that left a trail of smoky black aura, sending him flat on his back. I glanced at my robotic hand. My aura felt stronger, and faster. Those experiments might be painful, but they packed a serious punch. A glowing white light filled the room. Two men followed behind the Leader.


  “What’s going on here!” shouted the Leader.

  We both knelt back down, not wanting to get shocked.

  “Explain yourselves, the both of you.”

  “I’m sorry sir,” said the blue Hymer.

  The Leader stared at me, expecting an apology. “What about you?”

  I did not respond.

  “Salan!”

  “My hand slipped sir,” I joked.

  The Leader gazed at me like a stallion that needed to be broken. He took out the pain receptor controller for my arm.

  “I’m sorry, but I must shock you,” said the Leader.

  He held up the remote for all to see. The dial had a green, yellow, and red gauge. He cranked the pain to yellow, and I fell to the floor writhing in pain. I looked up at him and noticed he was smiling. Not like a disappointed parent, but a smile worn by a man with power.

  “If you keep up this behavior, you will go to the room. Understand?”

  “Fine,” I muttered.

  “Yes what?”

  “Yes, sir!” I said gritting my teeth.

  He cranked down the pain receptor.

  “That’s better. You will be doing target practice today; please ensure not to hit any other Abundans and remember…”

  “To work is to triumph,” recited everyone, including me that time.

  “Dismissed.”

  He walked back to the sliding doors and disappeared. We all took positions in a line formation. Ahead of us, targets from the roof fell with lines attached. They seemed thick, so they didn’t give when you hit them. The metal lines extended from the ceiling. There was a light to indicate the number of hits above the target – a decorated circle with three points for the bullseye, blue, yellow, and then red.

  People picked up a multitude of different weapons form a nearby fold out table. I chose throwing knives. I lined up beside Cassiella and took aim. I hit the target with three daggers, and the target moved back. This was a cake walk for me. Mine was the first to move, so I turned to Cassiella. I was still confused on how the scoring works.

  “How does the target system work?”

  “The target moves back every three good hits near the center. It starts at 25m, then 50m, then 75m, and finally 100m. After that you can go back early for free time,” said Cassiella.