Cykopath- Birth

by Luca Braña

  “What can you do?” he asked in the gentlest way possible. Those inhuman, evil scientists, making such a young kid go through such trauma… he thought.

  Myo looked up at him, his lips still curled downwards. “My power is based on the Earth element. I can weaken solid structures and make them brittle… But that is it, that is all I can do,” he murmured softly. Cyko, however, was amazed.

  “But, but that is wonderful! If you can make anything solid frail, then… Then that would greatly help in our plan to escape this horrible prison!” he exclaimed, making the younger boy’s eyes widen.

  “Th-there is an e-escape plan?!” he asked, although after seeing Cyko’s shushing motion, he noticed his mistake and closed his mouth. Hopefully, none of the guards would be paying attention to this particular room at this particular moment to hear them.

  “Yes, there is!” Cyko said with a grin, then proceeded to tell him about the day of the socialization time where they had been allowed to talk with other children in the big gymnasium. Where they had met the telepathic girl who inspired them all and of course, telling him about the determination to escape she set within them.

  “She asked us to think of ways we can help. I still don’t have powers yet, but with yours, escaping will become much easier!” His body was buzzing with excited energy and he smiled at Myo’s surprise. “See, if you can make things easier to break, like this door, or the walls, or even the ceiling, escaping will be a piece of cake! We won’t have to expend much energy breaking down those thick steel doors they have everywhere!” he explained. The boy nodded.

  “I… I see…” he said, his brain numb. Cyko smiled and continued on.

  “Your powers may not be useful to them, but they are useful for us. Together, we can escape this hell, Myo. Trust us, we can do it!”

  Myo looked almost happy at the thought before deflating and looking down guiltily.

  “Sorry… I don’t think I’ll be able to help much… Y-you see… I, I have a sickness,” he declared as Cyko’s smile disappeared from his face, “th-the guys in white, scientis, scienti… scientists, call it myopathy, a sickness that makes my muscles very weak, and it’s true. I’ve always been very thin, even when I eat a lot, and I have next to no strength at all.” He sighed sadly.

  “I understand…” Cyko said with a frown. The poor boy, now he had even more of a reason to get him out of here.

  Myo exhaled. “Sometimes, my muscles give me horrible cramps, and what is troublesome… Whenever I use my powers, the worse my sickness gets. It hurts, too. It’s horrible…” Tears began to gather in his eyes, which worried Cyko. He got up from his bed and sat down next to Myo, putting his hand on his head and patting it like he would for his younger siblings at the orphanage.

  “It’s all right, it’s all right…” He whispered to the boy as he started to sniffle. Snow had woken up and was now rubbing herself against him in an attempt to comfort the younger boy. “The situation we got ourselves in is terrible and we all are suffering through the same thing, just because those evil scientists want to make us into super soldiers or something. But there is still hope, Myo, don’t give up,” he said as he removed his hand from the younger boy’s head and put it around his shoulder, pulling him closer to a one-armed hug.

  The little thing continued to sob, taking all the comfort from both Cyko and Snow as he could. This was the first time someone ever offered a friendly shoulder to him, and despite the sadness and despair that he was feeling about everything, Myo could feel himself beginning to calm down. His breathing started to slow and soon enough, he moved away from Cyko, wiping the tears from his eyes.

  “S-sorry about that, a-and thanks. You are the friendliest person I’ve met so far; my old roommates didn’t like it much when I cried about this, hah,” he said with a hand over his face to hide his smile, though his eyes gave him away. Cyko on the other hand was trying not to frown. What the heck was wrong with his previous roommates?! They were all together in this, weren’t they? he thought angrily. No matter, he could help the boy now.

  “Well, now that you are here, you can cry as much as you want, don’t keep anything in!” Cyko put a hand on Myo’s head, and started messing with his hair gently, making the other boy blush in embarrassment. “Because, Myo, from now on, you are my new little brother, and I’ll take care of you!” He declared with a big grin, once again surprising the little boy who looked at him with big eyes.

  “B-big brother?” He brightened.

  Cyko nodded. “Yes, I came from an orphanage, and we all used to treat each other as family, and now you’ll be part of this family too, Myo. You can count on me, and I’m sure the others would love to meet you, too.”

  At this, Myo blinked back tears that fell onto his smiling lips.

  “Y-you would do this much for me… W-we just met…” he said, earning himself a more vigorous hair rub, which made him let out a yelp of protest.

  “Dummy, all of us, all the children are together in this miserable place, we should be able to trust each other, to comfort each other when we can. Be ready, I may sometimes come back here in tears myself. So, can I count on you, little bro?” he asked, to which Myo furrowed his brows and nodded.

  “Y-yes! Of course, you can, big brother!” He said, elated to have someone need him for a change. He had family now, a brother, an older brother! Someone who would look after him, someone who would comfort him, someone he could talk to.

  This… ever since he awoke to this nightmare, this was the nicest thing that had ever happened to him. Cyko smiled at his reaction and Snow meowed, rubbing herself against the boy’s stomach.

  “Welcome little brother, let’s do our best from now on.”

  7

  Cyko was being escorted to another experiment session, but instead of being resigned, he was walking as tall as he could, determined to withstand whatever torture they would inflict on him today. He hoped Myo would be all right by himself though, the poor boy had just returned from a session when he was called out, and he was a mess. At least Snow was there to comfort him, he hoped it would be enough, at least until he came back.

  Face set with a determined look, he got in the corridor alongside the three guards assigned to escort him. Previously, it was just one. They must be serious about him awakening his powers shortly. He smirked at that thought. Soon he would give those fools what they deserved.

  “What are you smiling about, rat? Don’t tell me you’re getting cocky?” The large guard hounded him again. Cyko willed his smile away and steeled his resolve, not answering the guard’s question. The guard let out an annoyed gruff, and slapped his hand onto Cyko’s head, pulling his hair.

  “Remember, if you try anything, we will put you down. Others have tried before you and do you know where most of them are? Either red and blue in their little rat nests, or six feet under.” Cyko started to wince in pain from his grip, but would not allow himself to show discomfort; he would not give this evil man the pleasure. “Understand? Stay in line and I won’t have to put a bullet in your skull.” The guard removed his hand from the blue scalp.

  Cyko hoped he would get abilities that were useful for combat because he would love to put that particular guard through what he had experienced. Seeing the elevator door open, he shook himself from his daze, it was time to face this experiment head on. What would it be this time? The blasted shocks? Drowning? Beatings? Gravity? The oven? Whatever he would face, he would endure.

  As he entered the room that the experiment would be conducted in, he noticed that it was a bit different. In the middle was a tank full of a green looking fluid with tubes coming out of it, he frowned. Drowning it would be, then, but why did it look different from the usual tank they conducted the water experiments in?

  Two scientists were near the machine, holding some sort of strange equipment that looked like a mask and a cylinder. What is happening? Since these guys always seemed to like answering questions, he decided to ask as the guards escorted him near the contraption. />
  “What are those?” Cyko asked, his face still set in the serious expression, not allowing his fear and apprehension to show. The bearded torturer smiled at him, like a teacher answering a smart student’s question, how disgusting.

  “This, Subject 444, is breathing equipment. Today, we won’t be experimenting on your ability underwater, no. This is special equipment that makes use of the fluids and electricity to give detailed reports about your hidden gene. This particular test is given to subjects who are near awakening, and today, it’s your turn. It works like the electric therapy you have undergone a few times,” he explained like it wasn’t a torture machine he would be put in, but some curious scientific artifact.

  Cyko’s eye twitched. Great, more shocks, he thought, that means he would be convulsing all the way back to his room and probably for a few hours after that. He hoped Myo wouldn’t get too worried about the spasms—they made his limb twitch and move like crazy afterwards.

  The blue-haired boy nodded stoically, it was better to get it over with than to resist it. He learned that a long time ago. Besides, the guards loved to tell him tales of kids who thought of resisting during the experiments and got an additional bruise or two for their troubles. He’d rather not deal with more than what was necessary.

  The scientists smiled at his cooperation as they stripped him of his clothes and put the breathing gear on him. “You’ve been really cooperative, Subject 444. This is nice and allows us to do our jobs as effectively as possible and saves you more suffering than what was necessary. Very few subjects willingly cooperate with our procedures after all.” Cyko had to resist punching the guy in the face. More suffering than what was necessary?! What the heck?! Why did they even have to go through this in the first place?! he thought, allowing his brows to snap together and his eyes to narrow.

  The scientist with the glasses approached him and placed several stickers on his body. “These will connect to the tendrils you see inside the tank—they will be used to both administer the shock therapy and monitor your condition more closely. Remember to breathe as often as you can through the mask and don’t worry, we’ll be monitoring the oxygen levels as well,” he said in a pleasant voice, as if this would be painless. What was wrong with these guys? They acted as if experimenting and putting children through terrible pain was a normal thing to do.

  Shaking his head, he saw that the two idiots had finished strapping him up with the strange equipment. “Now, please proceed to enter the tank, the treatment will begin shortly.”

  Huh, that was new. Usually they called what they did ‘experiments,’ this was the first time they called it a ‘treatment,’ he mused to himself. Unable to resist his curiosity, he decided to ask about it.

  The scientists smirked at his question and the guards standing near them face-palmed as if they had heard it many times before.

  “Why, the experiments are used to determine your worth and whether the hidden genes inside you are useful. The treatment, however, is used to help activate them. Once you are awakened, you’ll receive new experiments in accordance to what powers were hidden within you,” the bearded scientist explained with a smile on his face, pleased to clarify the terms they use. Cyko nodded at the answer he received.

  So, this treatment should allow him to activate his powers, huh? Finally, one step closer to freedom.

  Entering the tank, he noticed that the green fluid was rather viscous and felt strange against his skin. He positioned himself in the middle as the tank was sealed from the top. From where he was, he could see all the three guards and the two scientists that were working on him. The one with glasses held up an open hand to him, and slowly began to descend his fingers one by one, the experiment would begin in three, two, one…

  Several tendrils rose from the bottom of the tank and connected themselves with the stickers they put on his body, and after that… pain. “MHHHRGHH!” He could feel the electricity entering him via the tendrils, and thanks to the strange water, it spread to his whole body, making his muscles twitch in uncontrollable ways.

  “RRrrrgnn…” Still, it was weaker than the jolts he received in the shock therapy, so he at least could maintain some coherence. He remembered that he needed to breathe, forcing out even breaths. He could bear it, he would bear it, and he would not let this pain overwhelm him.

  Willing his spasming muscles to still, he opened his eyes and glanced outwards, the scientists seemed to be discussing something, and despite the fact his vision should normally be cloudy due to the water, he could still see perfectly well. The scientists had smirks on their faces and one, the bearded idiot, even nodded at him. If he could, he would’ve flipped him off, but currently, he was focusing on keeping his limbs as still as he could, unwilling to let the torture get the better of him.

  Resist. That is the only thing he could do right now, resist and keep resisting until the day comes where they would finally strike out against those morons, when they would finally be allowed their freedom from this place. But first… He would really like to hurt them.

  Yes, hurt them for what they did to you, hurt, hurt them for what they did to your family, hurt them for the twelve missing brothers and sisters, hurt them, hurt them all, hurt them for what they did to Myo, hurt, hurt, hurt, hurt hurthurthurthurthurthurthurt! His brain repeated over and over again.

  So focused was he on his thoughts of revenge, that he didn’t notice that his face was set with a bloodthirsty sneer and that his pupils had dilated beyond their normal range. All that Cyko could focus on right now, was the hatred he felt for those that were responsible for this awful fate. Unnoticed to him, his body and eyes had begun to emit a soft, blue glow. He felt powerful, like he could do anything.

  It was like a dream, everything turned into a haze of loathing and anger, yet, he didn’t feel like going out on a rampage, no, he could barely think straight as the images of pain to his captors invaded his mind, teased him with the possibilities of what he could do. It was like the tank had melted away and, in its place, a path of blood stood; everything was red.

  Eventually, he noticed that keeping his muscles still had become easier, and that he couldn’t feel the electricity anymore. Clarity returned to his mind and he could now see the scientists discussing something and pointing at him while the guards had their weapons raised towards him. How much time had passed? He could barely remember it.

  And then, after a while, the shocks stopped altogether as the tendrils left the stickers and the water began to clear out of the tube. The scientists approached the tank as the top cover opened.

  “Can you get out using your own power?” the idiot with glasses asked, making Cyko turn to look at him. Of course he could, even if he was still feeling slight spasms. His control now was much better than before. Easily climbing out of the tank, he waited as the scientist removed the equipment and began to dress himself. At least his clothes weren’t drenched in water or sweat this time.

  “Congratulations, Subject Number 444. You’re officially awakened now. Your hidden genes were successfully activated on your first try, which is rare. Rejoice, for now you have powers beyond most human beings.” The bearded scientist stroked his chin while Cyko’s eyes widened. He awakened?! He had powers now?!

  He looked at his hands and noticed the blue glow that seemed to surround him, how much detail and how much farther he could see, and how little pain he was feeling after what was likely hours of receiving that shock. He felt so… light, like he could do what Torch did and jump to the ceiling of the gymnasium and back effortlessly, maybe even more!

  The scientist beckoned one of the guards to approach, holding a thick metal bar which he handed to Cyko. He blinked and looked questioningly at the bearded idiot, what the heck?

  “Go on, try to bend that with your own strength,” he said, voice still holding on to his optimism. Doing as he said, the blue-haired—and now blue-bodied—boy took the metal bar with both hands… and bent it as easily as he could fold paper. He almost let the thing fall down
to the ground in shock, he was so strong now! He did that so easily!

  Deciding to experiment, he tried to make a knot and was surprised at the ease he did that with. He wrapped the metal bar around itself into a ball and crushed it with both hands. The power he could feel running through his veins was nearly maddening, a rush of excitement that almost made him want to jump around and shout, like he could do anything in the world, including destroying this facility single-handedly.

  But he knew what happened when Torch tried that—he managed to down several guards but was eventually suppressed, either with overwhelming numbers or some sort of drug in the bullets, he didn’t know. What he did know, however, was that he could use this power to help in the escape plan, at least, as a fighter.

  “You are an Enhancer, Subject Number 444. That means you got a massive boost in strength, speed, reaction time and endurance as long as you maintain your energy circulation throughout your body. To turn it off, just simply will it, like you were flipping off a mental switch,” the bearded scientist explained, making Cyko take his eyes off the compressed pile of steel and look up to him. The boy really wanted to shove the steel he was holding down the scientist’s throat and make the blockhead swallow it, but he knew it wouldn’t help much. Now was not the time to go crazy—he could always do that later.

  Nodding, the orphan closed his eyes and imagined a switch that connected to his newfound powers and flipped it off. Instantly, the rush of energy and excitement left his body, making him feel like a lightbulb that was shut off. Shaking his head at the weirdness to it, he looked back at the scientist who was smiling like he was proud of a project gone right, smug idiot.

  “See? You now have the great potential to be a savior of humanity! If only all the other subjects were like you… Now, you may return to your ward. Next time, we’ll make a few tests in regard to your enhancing powers, due in three days from now. Be sure to rest and clean yourself well.” With that, the scientist turned back and walked away, making some notes on his tablet. The scientist with the glasses walked behind him as they left the room, leaving Cyko with just the three guards.