by Luca Braña
Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Prologue
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
Epilogue
AFTERWORD
VOLUME 1
LUCA BRAÑA
ARTWORK BY: AVALOKI
Cykopath: Birth
LUCA BRAÑA
© Lunime Inc. 2019
Artwork by Avaloki
Edited by Alexa Beck
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or person, living or dead, is coincidental.
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KDP ISBN: 9781099370601
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Dedicated to the
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Prologue
PROJECT R.N.G.
1
Children were being brought in, exiting the black bus one-by-one and looking around in wonder. It was some sort of underground garage, spacious and filled with different vehicles. If the garage was this big, then how humongous would this new place be? Would this be their new home?
They had been told that their orphanage would be moved somewhere larger and more comfortable, but was this going to be the place where they would live? Where they would wait until their parents came to take them home?
It was then they noticed the big, mean-looking men everywhere, and one was walking towards the children. He paused, gave them a smirk, and said “Welcome to Hell, kids.”
2
The year was 4049 A.C.—the “A.C.” indicated that this was “after the Creators” made their presence known to the world. Although the universe was mostly at peace, there was a looming fear amongst its citizens, stemming from the unpredictable nature of these Creators, and the destructive power they were capable of.
Near the top of a towering skyscraper in Neon City, one of the most populous cities in all the cosmos, a gathering of individuals was about to take place to address this concern. As the board meeting was about to begin, a few latecomers stumbled into the conference room and took their seats at the table. Standing before them all was Mr. Whale, the CEO of multiple high-ranking companies and a very intelligent and respected member of the upper-class of society.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming out today. What I am about to present to you will revolutionize the universe as you know it. No longer will we have to live with the distress and anxiety of not knowing what the Creators are conspiring, with no protection against their powers. No longer will you go to sleep at night wondering if you might not wake up the next day, just because a Creator erased your city on a whim.”
The ears of most individuals perked up as Mr. Whale’s booming voice echoed throughout the room. Standing up against the Creators? This was an idea unheard of for its time as these supreme beings created their very existence. Was it even possible for an entity to challenge them? This prospect intrigued the board members, who now paid close attention to every word spoken out of Mr. Whale’s mouth.
“I would like to introduce you all to Project R.N.G. With enough funding, we can make this preliminary concept a true reality, and with enough weapons, we can silence the Creators for good and take back what is rightfully ours!”
As his voice rang out, a complex chart with a wide array of images and statistics was displayed upon the screen next to him. In large, bold letters at the top was the title “Project R.N.G.,” the latter initials described below as “Reversing Natural Genes.” The pictures showed what appeared to be various children, each displaying an obvious type of emotion or behavior, though it was not easily identifiable by the eyes of the viewers.
“What you see before you results from years of scientific analysis, done in a secret underground laboratory and carefully hidden from the Creators. I am sure that all the images and calculations you are examining right now don’t have much value to you, so let me give you a brief overview of what this project entails.”
Mr. Whale took a deep breath and exhaled, as if to prepare for a very long, detailed explanation. “I want you all to close your eyes and imagine a world where these Creators do not exist. Now open your eyes. Unfortunately, a world such as this is logically impossible, and I’m not here to advocate the elimination of the Creators, but rather to promote a viable countermeasure.”
The crowd of wealthy executives continued to listen with great intrigue.
“Project R.N.G. will accomplish just this: an effective measure against the unknown threats that these Creators pose. Allow me to further explain the details of this project. Through decades of research, my team of highly trained scientists have discovered hidden natural genes in the human DNA that only appear during the early childhood stages of one’s life. Normally, these genes are abandoned by the body as one ages, but through our elaborate experiments, we were able to reverse this process and actually recover these lost natural genes.”
The display on the screen changed to a new slide, highlighting extensive details of what Mr. Whale had just discussed. Along with the comprehensive DNA diagrams, more images of children were shown. One such photo depicted a young boy with cyan blue hair, sitting alone on a testing facility’s exam table prompted an abrupt question from one of the board members.
“Mr. Whale, are you suggesting that we conduct life-altering experiments on innocent children?”
With a sly grin on his face, Mr. Whale held up his hand to stop the individual from further inquiring about the subject, as if he was expecting such a question would be asked.
“Sir, I understand your concerns, but I can assure you these experiments are harmless. We have conducted tens of thousands of trials to ensure that they would not be detrimental to the current lives of these children, or have any side effects in the future. I wish we could use an older age group for this project, as I’m sure many of you would have volunteered, but unfortunately the concealed genes have already disappeared entirely from our DNA, and we would not be able to reverse the process as we can with the children.”
The individual seemed somewhat accepting of the response he was given, but still had a displeased look on his face. Many other members appeared bewildered, provoking Mr. Whale to continue with his speech.
“Now it appears that many of you are wondering how reversing these natural genes in the children will help prevent the Creators from destroying us at any given second. These heredity units are not just common genes that determine your hair or eye color. They are something much more special. Each group of genes carries a unique and powerful ability that when recovered, brings out the true potential of a human being.”
The con
fusion in the room dissipated, and it seemed that the meeting’s participants were finally grasping the true nature of Project R.N.G.
“Just how powerful are we talking?” probed an executive.
“With enough luck, these powers could equal that of a Creator, perhaps even surpass one. Why luck, you ask? We have discovered several different natural genes hidden amongst children, yet there is currently no test available to predetermine exactly the type of powers that will awaken. Only after we conduct our experiments will we be able to witness this awakening, which is where the elements of luck and randomness are involved.”
“What type of abilities will we see from these children, and will they be able to control themselves without harming others?” shouted one member from the back of the conference room.
“Ah, yes, let me continue. Our team has discovered copious results that occur upon reversing these natural genes. First, I should point out that for many of the children it might be too late for their genes to be recovered. In such an instance, they would be free to leave our facility after the experiments have concluded. For others, new characteristics such as unparalleled accuracy, increased muscle fiber, or unimaginable intelligence will emerge. By harnessing these new traits, along with being trained by our expert technicians, these children will have supreme control over their abilities. While one alone may not be enough to stop a Creator, a whole team of them with the right awakened genes could match the presence of one.”
Smiles formed on the faces of those sitting in the expensive leather chairs as they envisioned a universe filled with these powerful super children. A few were still pondering what Mr. Whale had just disclosed, as one questioned, “Are we going to leave our future up to luck?”
“Ah, thank you, that brings me to my closing point. Yes, there are risks involved in this project, as there are in most ventures. Yes, there is a certain level of randomness involved, and we may not succeed with our goals. Yet a world with children—able to stand against the ambiguous intentions of the Creators—isn’t this worth the risk? With your funding, we can make this dream a reality. So I ask you today, ladies and gentlemen, do you feel lucky?”
As Mr. Whale concluded his presentation and took a seat in the lone empty chair at the front of the table, not a sound could be heard as each member processed the information that was divulged before them. After a few moments passed, the head administrator of the meeting stood up and cleared his throat.
“We will now take a vote to determine the funding of Project R.N.G. If you believe our firm should supply Mr. Whale with the requested amount of capital, please raise your hand at this time.”
A single drop of sweat rolled down Mr. Whale’s cheek as he waited in suspense for the movement of limbs around the table. Would the project he had devoted his life’s research to finally be brought to life? He lowered his head and peered down at a single section of the conference table he was seated at, afraid to look up and see how many people had voted in favor of his proposal. As he was considering the possibility of failure, he glanced up, witnessing a forest of extended arms all across the room. Every single member’s hand was raised.
Project R.N.G. had been approved.
3
A blue-haired child stared at the ceiling of his room, thinking about everything that had led up to this moment. He was an orphan. He had lost both of his parents in a car accident where he was the only survivor. That had been three years ago, and yet he could barely remember it.
He had been taken in by the government of the Blue Faction, who introduced him to his new home at the time, a rather run-down but friendly looking orphanage, run by a kind, grey-haired old lady they all had called their grandmother. She tried her best to make all the children feel at home, despite the circumstances that might have brought them there.
It had been a hard time: grieving the death of his parents, healing from the accident, and adapting to being alone. But eventually, the little old lady and the other children got through to him, and he regained his hopes of a good life and of having a family. He had become a child once again.
But then that all changed. One day, without warning, the old lady disappeared and a huge man came in her place, saying he had bought the orphanage and they would move into a better and bigger house. They were sad leaving their grandma behind, but the fat man assured them she was okay and had just retired.
What a big lie that was. They had been impressed at first, with how big the garage was, but they were introduced to their ‘wards,’ the place where they slept, and they realized something was deeply wrong. Their rooms were much worse than the ones at the old orphanage. It was a bunk bed in an uncomfortably small room, attached to an even smaller bathroom with a very cold shower and, to make matters worse, they couldn’t leave their rooms unless they were told to do so.
The boy grimaced, holding back tears at the sound of screaming and crying. This was the worst part. They all were being taken away, one by one, and from what he could hear, the ones that came back were begging to leave or whimpering. He had no roommates, so he had no way of knowing what happened to the others.
Suddenly, his door slammed open. “Subject Number 444, come,” the ice cold voice of a big guard made his fists tighten. Was he not even going to call him by his name? Even though he was just a nine-year-old boy, he knew something for certain.
This was wrong.
CHAPTER 1
THE CHILDREN OF TOMORROW
1
Three months had passed since the approval of Project R.N.G. Far away from the city’s center, hidden underground in a remote forest, was Mr. Whale’s secret laboratory. With the help of a custom-engineered barrier, the above-ground entrance to the facility was completely hidden from the all-seeing eyes of the Creators. As the moon reflected the bright lights of Neon City, Mr. Whale was seated in the back of his limousine, en route to his life’s work to give his final seal of approval before the real testing began.
As his vehicle made its way to the outskirts of the city, a brief moment of doubt entered Mr. Whale’s consciousness. What if this experiment proves to be a failure? Would I go bankrupt and be forced out of this life of luxury? So many people depended on the success of this project, many of whom believed that this was already a guarantee, and that the possibility of a catastrophe did not exist. Mr. Whale shook his head in denial. Thousands of trial tests had already been conducted and there was no way that such a disaster could occur. Then he started to dream about the newfound fame his results would bring. He would become the wealthiest man in Neon City without a doubt, perhaps even in the entire world. Although he was relatively well known as the architect behind Project R.N.G., his status would soon propel into that of a celebrity idol. As Mr. Whale’s thoughts ran wild with these delusions of grandeur, he was brought back to reality by the voice of his chauffeur.
“Sir, we’ve arrived.”
Mr. Whale slowly stepped out of the limousine, grabbed his briefcase, and headed to the entrance of the facility. Stopping briefly in front of a giant pine tree, he pressed his finger against a small button on his watch, unveiling a control panel that was previously concealed beneath the bark of the tree. He stooped down and aligned his eyeball to the device, standing still while its sensors scanned his retina. After validating his identity, a loud rumbling could be heard from below. A short distance away, a portion of the top of the ground could be seen retracting into itself, uncovering the stairs that descended into the laboratory.
Mr. Whale made his way down the steps and was greeted by two security guards, who again verified his status and then allowed him to proceed to the main corridor of the building. As he gazed across the facility, he took special note of all the new technology and machines that were scattered around; newly purchased additions that were made possible by the funding he had received.
The laboratory was a massive underground complex with seven levels of depth, each one serving a purpose, and protected by thick walls of a nearly indestructible material—the best money co
uld buy—and reinforced with rituals and sigils by the best mages available for hire in Neon City.
Indeed, the laboratory had to both be well-hidden and well-protected against a possible raid from potential rivals, berserker experiments running loose, or even the Creators themselves attacking. Highly sheltered and highly efficient (that is one of the key aspects of this project) and so far, results seem to be showing.
A very well-organized installation indeed. It was a good idea to leave the logistics to the science team, Mr. Whale thought, while reminding himself of the current infrastructure.
The very first level, the administration level, was the perceived ‘front’ of the project, where most of the paperwork was done, and where his personal office was located. Should any footage of the lab be required, the administration was often the very first one to be shown, and often at length. Those who work on the first level, while privy to the location of the facility and the legalities behind it, were often in the dark about the rawer aspects of this project. Well-furnished and visually pleasing, the administration level was the perfect face for Project R.N.G.
The second level was called the dormitory. All of the staff present in the facility was required to live in the plant, even those who just worked in administration. This was to minimize any and all possible information leaks that could make its way to the Creators or any possible adversaries. The Dormitory was designed to be an optimal residential place, with many comfortable dorm rooms, a mess hall, and recreational rooms that had access to television shows. Mr. Whale would be a fool to dismiss the effects that good morale had on workers. But just like its purpose to avoid information leaks, the Dormitory lacked Internet access.
The third level was the security room. On the outside, it was a place where security guards would get outfitted for work, and where those in charge of the security cameras were stationed. In reality, it was a massive fortress outfitted with heavy weaponry and well-trained guards, to prevent people from coming in, or out, without express permission from either Mr. Whale or the head scientist. The remaining four levels can only be accessed through this level and down a large elevator.