by Luca Braña
“Very well, I would like to know as much about it as I can. We need all the precision we can get to make sure everything goes well.”
3
He was spasming, his muscles painfully twitching every three seconds or so as he turned and thrashed in his bed. It hurts, it still hurts, even after the pain he had gone through, it still hurts so much!
“Aargh… Why… Why is this…” he muttered pitifully to no one as he spasmed once again, bringing out another painful groan as a muffled sob escaped from his throat, tears falling from his eyes. This was wrong, this was so wrong! Even if the boy considered himself mature for his age, in no small part due to the accident that killed his parents, this was still too much for his nine-year-old brain to endure.
It had been three months since he had been taken here, three months of constant suffering, of pure torture! He barely got any food, and when he did eat, it was some form of disgusting porridge. “It is good for the body,” they said. What a lie! That he could still bathe was a miracle in itself, considering how terribly he was treated in here.
Just a few hours earlier, he had been taken in for another ‘experiment.’
“More like torture,” he grumbled to himself. According to the guys in white, or ‘scientists’ as they were called, it’s all a part of a procedure to awaken some form of ultimate power inside him or something. He didn’t care. They still had the gall to try to convince him that this was for the greater good of humanity and that he should endure it silently. They should do this to themselves, not to children!
“Urgh… Stupid shocks…” he grumbled once again, grimacing as another spasm ran through his muscles. They usually change up what they do to him, but they always take care to not cause any permanent damage. The idiots told him to be optimistic after the torture, saying that he should awaken his powers ‘soon.’ As if he cared about that. He just wanted to leave this place…
“Goodness… It hurts…” He guessed he should count himself lucky that at least it wasn’t as bad as his first week there, where it was harder to shrug the pain off, and when he shed more tears than he does now. All the children seemed to have grown used to the experiments, even if the whispers of “granny” or “I want to leave” could still be heard in the corridors.
“Goddess, uh? Urgh…” He clutched his stomach and bent over. The Creator, the Goddess, she was the very reason those people are doing this, the babbling scientists said. They were to be humanity’s shield if any of the Creators ever were to go berserk. What a bunch of garbage, no one can go against the Goddess, and why would they? The lady always seemed nice enough whenever she decided to appear. Even in his young mind, he thought it ridiculous that she would try something after 4,000 years of leaving them be. It wouldn’t make any sense.
At last, the spasms were ceasing and the blue-haired boy could now breathe normally again. He would be sore in the morning, but the painful part had passed, for now at least. He raised one of his arms and looked at his palm. He started to focus on it, as if trying to will something, any sort of power that could aid in his escape, before sighing and letting it fall back down.
Maybe he could try praying? Praying to the Creator? No, that wouldn’t work, she made it quite clear that people who prayed to her were wasting their faith, as she was not a religious deity. But maybe, just maybe…
He shook his head, there was nothing he could do at this point. The Neon countries had several deities that he could pray to, at least, some he knew from what little time he had at school, but the damned scientist, once again, told them that prayers would be useless. Their mages had created barriers that would block and trap any faith trying to leave this underground prison. It didn’t stop the other children from trying though, and most of them, just to spite their captors, were sending their faith to the Creator.
Dang it, if he does get any power from those experiments, he would make sure to find a way to escape—and take everyone with him that he possibly can. This was a shared sentiment, no one wanted to stay here their wholes lives, or worse. He knew some kids did not make it, and that just made their situation increasingly tragic. A child like him should not have such mature thoughts, he knew that, but any chances of a normal life were lost the moment that fat lard first appeared.
The door in his room was suddenly banged on loudly, snapping him from his thoughts with a startle. He hates it when the damned guards do that, and to make matters worse, he noticed that they always seem to do that at set points during the day, and occasionally at night. The boy had no way of telling time, but their harassments seemed to follow a pattern. So, yes it appeared they were doing it on purpose, and not even from being cruel jerks, but likely because someone ordered them to.
He still hated the guards the same anyways.
Then he heard a sliding sound and once again his door was banged on, meaning the awful guards had decided to feed him. He was feeling hungry anyway, so he might as well see what trash was on the menu today. He slowly made his way out of bed, wincing as his muscles still hurt from the spasms.
“Jeez, did they look through the sewers from home to make this?” he whined in annoyance, noticing that the cooks decided once again that he should eat with his hands, as no cutlery was included. Thankfully, he stole some from the meals that did come with them. Even if they were frail, plastic things, it was better than to eat with his hands.
Grimacing at the taste of wet paper and a cardboard-like texture, he ate the meal in silence. All the kids had quickly learned that if they did not eat their meals, they would likely die from starvation, as they got literally nothing else. Water was supposed to be drank from the shower, and these porridges were the only meal they ever received. They would vary in colors or texture sometimes, but other than that, very little changed.
Sometimes though, the idiots would ‘forget’ to feed them for days on end, making their existence even more miserable. The only good side was that when they did that, they also ‘forgot’ to call them in for experiments, allowing them some days of peace. If having your stomach gnaw at you is considered peace after all. It was obvious that the starvation was only another part of their sick experiments, but they could do nothing to stop it.
“Ah, at least I can eat it without feeling nauseous now,” he mumbled to himself. And there was another part that was driving him mad about this whole thing. Even after three months, the boy still had no roommates, essentially having the whole ‘room’ to himself. That also meant he had no one to connect to, no one to talk with beyond occasionally seeing other kids when they were allowed to go out. He had no way to communicate with anyone else, unless he decided to shout from his room. It would quickly get the guards mad, though, so it was not very useful.
Essentially, he had to rely on the whispers he could hear from those walking the corridors, from other kids who talked too loudly, or from the scientists themselves, who seemed to love explaining the reason behind every single thing they did to him. Most of the time it was surprisingly informative, but only about each other rather than any information on an escape method, so it wasn’t really that useful, although he still kept on listening occasionally, if at least to know how the other kids were doing. They are all together in this.
As he finished his horrible excuse for a meal, the boy looked back up at the ceiling. Sometimes, he just wanted to cry, to beg his parents to come back to him, to save him from this horrible place, but he knew he couldn’t. He lost much of that childish impulse in the first months after they died, and had nearly lost it completely those past months here, but he was still a child after all.
Still, crying and begging for help wouldn’t benefit him in any way. He learned this, all of them learned this, but the only thing they could do was endure, and hope to find a way to escape this forsaken place.
“Maybe a bath will help me relax… Yeah, right,” he moaned as he got up and made his way to the terribly small bathroom, opening the rusty steel door to enter. The space inside was barely enough to fit both the shower and
the toilet. That they had even this much was a miracle in itself, but he was sure they would one day find a way to create more experiments even in their safe spaces.
Whatever, he should try to at least take it easy, or he might go mad from all of this.
4
“Gah!” Suddenly waking up due to a heavy bang on his door, the blue-haired boy looked around in shock, before realizing once again that it must’ve been the mean guard that had woken him up. He groaned. Now, he would have to try to sleep again.
“Get up, rat. It’s socialization time,” the gruff, robotic voice of the guard loudly called out, making the boy blink in confusion. Socialization time? What?
“What?” he asked out loud, making the guard once again grunt at him.
“That means, get up and get out there. All of you rats are going to the big area, those are my orders. Now get up before I get my shock rod,” the guard barked, banging the door loudly one more time before stepping back, leaving the boy confused as he made his way to the door. This had never happened before. They were never allowed out of their prison for no reason. The only time they had the opportunity to get out, was when their turn to be experimented on came. What could they have planned this time?
The thick metal door opened, revealing a large guard waiting for him, suited up in power armor that glowed a menacing red, covering his entire body from head to foot. In his hands was a large gun which the boy knew had been used at least once. The guards didn’t play around at all.
“The bullets in this gun are rubber, but they can leave nasty bruises on your body, and they can be switched to live ones really quickly. This is the first time you will be allowed out to do whatever, don’t get any funny ideas,” the guard said gruffly, the red glowing eyes of the powered soldier glared at him. The boy looked back at the ground, silently following him as he tried to glance at other kids also being roused up by the guards.
If they wanted an army so bad why not use those guys? he thought. They are already big, and looked pretty strong, why would small children need so many armed soldiers to look after them? The boy knew, he knew he would have no chance of beating the guard in front of him, or the hundreds that they seemed to have in this prison. Fat chance, even with whatever powers they unlocked. He rolled his eyes at the thought.
“We’ve arrived. Go inside and don’t try anything funny. If a fight breaks out, we will make you hurt,” the guard said, snapping the boy from his thoughts and bringing to his attention a very large metal door in front of them. One of the guards walked towards it and pressed a switch, causing it to start sliding upwards, revealing…
“Is that… a gym?” one of the many kids asked incredulously. The door indeed revealed what appeared to be a gymnasium, it was large and had some sports equipment scattered around, alongside a few chairs and tables. The gym was large; much larger than the garage they had been first brought in.
“All right, rats, get inside! Now!” another guard shouted, prompting the security that was escorting them to push them in, forcefully, earning several pained yelps in the process, though no one tried to resist. They had all learned what happens when they do. If they were to escape, they had to be intelligent about it, to think of a plan, like a grown up.
The boy looked around as he stepped inside with many other children, glancing suspiciously across the gym-like room. The door then closed with a loud bang, startling them and making them turn around, confused. What were they supposed to do now? Talk? Were those guys really allowing them to do this? Then they noticed that the gym had other giant metal doors all around, some of which were opening, revealing crowds of more children, looking just as confused as they were. What was going on?
As the doors closed, everyone looked uncertain, staring blankly at each other, before hearing a loud static sound coming from the ceiling. There were speakers in there, and after a second, a cold voice began talking to them.
“As of now, all of you will be allowed to mingle with each other for two hours at this set time on certain days in the near future,” the robotic voice advised them. “The gymnasium can also be used as a training ground for those of you who have awakened your powers, but be advised that use of lethal force against your fellow subjects will result in harsh punishment. Fights are discouraged. Make connections with each other as those of you who survive will become the army that shields the world.” After the speech, there was a loud crack followed by silence, making the children even more confused than before.
They spent a few minutes rooted on the spot, looking around in fear and suspicion, unsure about what to do. Was this another experiment that would result in terrible pain, be it on the body or on the heart? Was this a trap of some sort, to identify the rebellious ones? Should they even trust each other? The trauma each of them had gone through in here was making them hesitant to step away from their respective entrance doors. Even the boy was unsure about what to do, he knew he wanted to be able to talk to others again, but…
Then, a person walked forward. She had emerged from the door directly in front of them. The girl had deep red hair and orange-ish eyes, and like everyone here, she was wearing rags that barely fit her. The thing that set her apart was the determination in her stare; the gentleness in her aura. Then the children noticed that they could actually feel a soothing, calm sensation being emanated from her.
The girl looked at all the doors, taking in the vision of all the children in the gym, their weak forms, their desperation, their longing for a better life, their sadness, their anger, but not figuratively. It seemed like she was taking all of their negative emotions in, like she could tell what every single one of them was feeling at this moment. The girl smiled sadly, her own feelings being transmitted to each child’s heart.
“You do not have to be afraid, not of each other.” The boy heard a voice, making him jump and look around for the source, but the only thing he was met with was the confused look of another kid. Then he noticed that everyone was looking around, bewildered, causing the redhead to giggle slightly, transmitting her feelings of funny amusement to them all, making some kids actually giggle at each other’s silliness.
“I’m the one who is speaking to you all, in the center. The power those… people… unlocked in me was the power of telepathy. My name is Tela, by the way, and I really hope I didn’t get named that as a baby on purpose!” The girl giggled again, making the children reunited here once again feel a funny sensation in their hearts, making them want to laugh, something they haven’t felt for months, and for some, years.
“All of us… We are in a terrible situation right now, but we can’t lose hope! If there is anyone we should trust, it’s each other. We are all in this together, we’ve all suffered from their horrible ‘experiments,’” she made air quotes, “but if we all work together… I’m sure we can escape, I’m sure we can get out of this place!” the girl declared through their minds, sending feelings of understanding and determination through them all.
This girl… She was something else, the boy thought. Amazed that she indeed did have powers, but more than that, that she had such great charisma. He could already see everyone’s spirits rising from the bottom. With such few words, she had given the children hope; hope that if they worked together, they might escape this place. The boy himself felt like he could trust her words and that they could trust each other.
“This ‘socialization,’” she air quoted again, “that they call it may seem suspicious, but now, it gives us a chance. My powers… they should allow us to talk through our minds, secretly, without them knowing. We can plan something. We can do anything, I’m sure of it!” She transmitted her thoughts through their minds, the message laced with bravery and optimism.
Her words, like magic, broke through the ice created by trauma and fear. Slowly, the kids from the different gates began to walk towards each other, and, though awkwardly, began talking to each other. At first with small hellos and how are yous, but after a while, they began to talk in earnest, with many kids circli
ng around Tela, impressed by her words. Everyone slowly got used to being around other kids, even after so long. Some even tentatively started to play, using the sports equipment that was around.
The boy was taking all of this in with a strange expression on his face, for someone had managed to so easily rally them up, to make them leave their fears behind, at least when they were with each other, a sense of camaraderie between fellow prisoners. He knew he could trust her and that he should trust everyone around him, for the simple reason that they were all going through the same thing. But… he was alone, all by himself for months, just going up to someone and talking to them was…
“Hey, Cyko, is that you?!” A familiar voice sounded from somewhere near him, making the boy turn around to see a small crowd of children, looking at him with surprised faces.
“Y-you guys!” The blue-haired boy, named Cyko, widened his eyes in surprise and shock even as the small crowd began to move closer to him. Those children, they were his brothers and sisters from the orphanage! They are still alive, they are okay! They’re okay!
“Cyko! You’re here! W-we thought you had disappeared, no one heard from you for months, I thought all of us had been placed near each other!” a short blonde girl exclaimed, smiling in relief at seeing one of her brothers okay, relatively speaking. Her name was Anna, a very sisterly and protective girl. Back in the orphanage she used to help the old lady around, and keep an eye on the younger ones, such as himself.
“I-I was placed alone, I had no idea where everyone was, and those guards didn’t let us out… Until now at least…” Cyko said with a nervous, but happy voice. If anything, the fact that they were dragged out here was good, if at least for allowing him to see his brothers and sisters again, to finally be able to talk with them after so long.