Cykopath- Birth

by Luca Braña

  “And I promise I’ll help you out as much as I can. No, I’ll definitely help you out. We’ll escape this and punish those cowards!” Cyko affirmed as he held Myo close, determined to help everyone out of this place, even if he had to go through that massive dragon-man in order to do it.

  “Thank you. I really need to know your name now,” she said with a slightly cheerier voice, giving him a feeling of warmth. “If anything else happens, please, tell me,” she requested with a gentle tone before going silent. Cyko focused back on Myo and separated from the hug to look at him.

  “Hey, how you doing, little bro? Are you all right?” Cyko asked in concern towards the smaller boy, who was still trembling and had watery eyes, but he was not crying. He was terrified, but not crying.

  “I-I’m scared… S-someone like him… is much stronger than me…” he said in a small, horrified voice. Cyko, who was grasping his shoulders comfortingly, could tell that his trembles were only getting stronger. “H-h-he is s-so big… s-so… scary… He… likes this place… He said the weak will die… I-I’m so scared…” He grabbed the older boy’s wrists in a vice grip, and even if Cyko could barely feel the strength behind his hands, he could tell how fearful he was.

  “Myo, Myo! Look!” Cyko said as he put his hand in front of the scared boy and willed his power to flow through him, giving him a blue aura. The smaller child let go of his right hand at the display and instantly he stopped shaking, looking at the blue glow that covered his hand in wonder.

  “I will NOT let that big, hulking bully hurt you—you are my little brother! And look, I am strong too, Myo,” he said with a confident smile, before descending his hand into the hard ground faster than Myo could see, earning a surprised squeak from the boy. When Myo looked down at the area his big brother had punched, he was surprised to see a small crater. The ground was supposed to be very hard to break!

  “Big brother…” he said in awe, because he sure as heck would be completely unable to ever accomplish that. He really, really admired the person he had come to know as his big brother over these past weeks.

  “I swear to you, I’ll use these powers to get all of us out of this prison, and I will not let you get hurt!” Cyko declared as he put out his palm, now lacking its blue glow, and began to rub Myo’s head gently.

  “Th-thank you… Sorry for always crying…” Myo said with a small smile. He really admired the braveness and determination of his surrogate older brother, and many times, he wished he could emulate them. Cyko, for his part, tilted his head.

  “What you talking about, lil bro? You are not crying at all!” said the older brother with a small, proud smile. Myo looked confused, before touching his eyes and adopting a surprised face. “If anything, Myo, I’d say you are getting stronger! You used to cry a lot when we met, remember? You don’t need to be a butt-kicking hero, though, leave that part to me,” he said, taking his hands off Myo’s head and standing up, his little brother following his actions.

  Truth be told, Myo didn’t really feel all that much braver, but… It made him happy that his big brother said he was getting stronger. As they began to move around the gym, avoiding the areas with the mutants and looking for anyone familiar, Myo made himself a promise… that one day, he would help Cyko in a vital way, even if he had to give his all for it.

  As they walked around the gym, Cyko stopped abruptly. The younger boy looked up at him before realizing he was staring at someone. He turned to look in the direction he was observing… And saw someone walking up to them. She was a girl, she was just a little taller than him and just like everyone, she was wearing rags, the most notable part was her long, pink hair and a mole under her right eye. She was looking at Cyko with a smug smile on her face.

  “Nice to meet you, my name is Magy,” the pink-haired girl said with a grin, before offering her hand to Cyko.

  The blue-haired child looked at her suspiciously for a second, before smiling and taking her hand. “I am Cyko and this is Myo, my little bro. Nice to meet you,” he said in an easygoing manner. Myo looked up at her, the corners of his lips turning upwards.

  “Aww, he is so cute!” she said, before leaning over and pinching his cheeks, making him yelp in pain. Cyko seemed amused at the scene, but Myo definitely wasn’t!

  “S-stop it!” he protested, earning himself a happy giggle from the older girl, who continued pinching his cheeks, much to his chagrin.

  “It’s so nice to meet someone who likes him, he was really afraid of that big brute from before,” Cyko commented, turning to glare at the giant dragon, easily visible even from this distance. The pink-haired girl stopped her teasing before turning to look at Drago, adopting an expression of distaste on her face.

  “That idiot thinks he runs the place. If I’m not mistaken, he’s just been here for a little over four months now. He is a weakling, that’s what he truly is, a weakling that hides behind that huge frame of his and terrorizes those scrawnier than him. It makes me want to… hurt him, badly,” she said with a frown, glaring at his form in the distance. Myo froze at her words. Did, did that girl honestly think she could go up against that giant?! She was barely taller than himself!

  “How long you have been here, then?” Cyko asked with curiosity, but also a bit of sadness in his voice.

  Magy looked at him and gave a small smile. “A year already. It feels like I’ve been staying here forever. My powers have already been awakened for a long time now,” she said with a voice that sounded nostalgic, freaking Myo out a little and making Cyko raise an eyebrow.

  “It must’ve been hard, being here that long, I mean.”

  “It was hard at first. I was alone and scared, and the pain, the torture… I am a traumatized child, I know that, but eventually… I learned to like it,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself.

  “Y-you what?!” Myo exclaimed in surprise.

  Like it? How can anyone like the torture they were going through?! It made no sense! Cyko thought to himself. However, he didn’t seem as shocked as Myo, which made the younger boy worry a little.

  Magy looked serene. “After a while… You find ways of coping with things that are making you sad, even if it seems weird to others. I am happier that way, well, as happy as I can be in this place anyway.” She sighed and turned to glare at the giant mutant again. “However, if there is one thing I can’t forgive, it is to make others suffer against their consent. That is cruelty and I hate it,” she declared with fervor, causing streaks of black lightning to run across her body, surprising both of the boys because of its intensity.

  Cyko stared at her, his brow furrowed, before nodding to himself. He calmly touched her shoulder, making Magy turn to him, confused. The blue-haired boy simply gave her a smirk, his body giving off a blue glow. “Actually, Magy, I have something to talk to you about. Do you know this girl called Tela?”

  4

  In a large surveillance room, several scientists watched through cameras the events that were happening in the ‘Socialization Area’ as they opted to refer to it in the current phase of their preparations. Amongst them, Dr. Gacha was making several notations in his tablet.

  “Sir, was bringing the mutants into the mix really a good idea?” a scientist wearing glasses that concealed his eyes, said in confusion.

  The head scientist took a moment to look at him, before returning to type information into his device. “It was an experiment. Previously, we only allowed non-mutant subjects to experience a single socialization. Purposefully lying to them about the frequency of their meeting would instill enough stress to accelerate the process of awakening. However, many of those recently awakened had decided to… try to escape with their newly acquired powers,” the head scientist explained, his voice analytical and his expression neutral.

  He turned his tablet off and opened his coat to drop it in the pocket. “As such, I deemed it necessary to instill some greater feeling for consequences. At this point, subjects are already used to pain… However…” He gestured to the screen
that was showing the massive form of Drago, who was sitting in the far north corner of the gymnasium, surrounded by many other, large mutants. “They are not used to terror. As you all know, it was fortunate for us that much of the mutant ward grew to respect power and strength. Their very genetic structure is completely overwritten when they awaken, and as such, they are no longer human. Their DNA now matches many of the monsters encountered in the wilderness, on the most dangerous places of this planet. Whatever humanity the subjects who turned into these great beasts had, is dead, and as such, they respect the power we gave them and have no wish for it to stop. The mutants would be the ones that would defend Project R.N.G. the hardest and their great stature and power can be very… intimidating,” he said as he kept looking at Drago with a blank stare.

  “Wouldn’t that cause further unrest between the subjects?” another scientist, one with a beard, asked curiously.

  Dr. Gacha shook his head, turning away to look at the other screens. “Drago is far from being the strongest subject, or from being the most important, however, it is true that he is the strongest mutant and that very few others would have the courage to stand up against him… Granted, they aren’t motivated by something, however, the might of the loyal mutants plus our security measures should be more than enough,” the head scientist declared, earning a nod from the two that had questioned him. Any doubts would be swiftly answered, there were no secrets amongst the scientists working in the deep levels, after all.

  “On that note, sir, fifty more subjects have awakened this past week, the reports will be sent to your office for analysis. As it stands, only a few dozen are yet to have their hidden genes unlocked, but current data indicates that it’s only a matter of time,” the bespectacled scientist said as he began typing on the console in front of him, “we’ve been conducting the experiments and the treatments at an accelerated pace these past weeks, but it appears that there has been no drop in efficiency.”

  “Excellent. We should soon be ready to start the next phase then. How are the preparations coming along?” Dr. Gacha said blandly, while turning to look at the bearded scientist, who was still gazing at the subject’s interactions. He then switched his stare to the head scientist, giving a smile.

  “Things are progressing smoothly; the subjects are bonding well with each other. And if I were to say, the introduction of the strongest mutant will only strengthen the connection between the non-mutant ones. We will continue the preparations as planned,” he said while stroking his beard.

  Dr. Gacha nodded. “Very well.”

  Soon, everything will be set in place. The next phase is important, as current experiments are not enough to determine the usefulness of their awakened powers. If everything goes well, we’ll soon have an army capable enough to take over any nation, an army good enough to protect the whole world, the head scientist thought to himself as he looked at the many screens, his face still in the mask of neutrality he always wears.

  He knew what hangs on the balance, what was necessary to ensure safety. The danger they were preparing for is not to be underestimated, for Creators are the most dangerous creatures of them all, but if there is something humans like him are good at… It is to surpass the dangers they face, no matter what methods are used.

  5

  It felt like the weight of a thousand elephants was weighing him down, making every single muscle in his body hard to move, yet… he could still walk at a rather normal pace, even if it took a lot of effort to do so.

  Today he was to be the subject of another experiment to test his powers, and once again, the coated jerks had put him in the gravity room, except that this time, they told him to make use of his enhancement to resist the increasing gravity as much as he could, and that was what he was doing.

  His previous limit of eight times the planet’s gravity? That was left in the dust. If his prior endurance was already great for a non-awakened child, then his new endurance—now that he had his powers—was much, much greater.

  “Current gravity setting is at eighty times that of the planet’s. Subject Number 444, how are you faring?” the voice of one of the two scientists monitoring him asked via the intercom. Cyko looked at the window glass that separated him from the control room where he was sure the idiots were observing him. He gave them a small smirk, the blue aura around his body providing him an intimidating visage.

  “Well, we’ll keep the gravity at this setting for now. For the next part, we would like you to run a few laps around the room,” the voice said, making Cyko give them an ‘Are you kidding?’ look.

  “We assure you, this is serious. From now on, all the experiments we will subject you to will be to help you strengthen yourself or to make an accurate analysis of your limits,” another voice spoke from the intercom, likely the bearded idiot that always accompanied the four-eyed jerk.

  Grunting to himself, Cyko nodded in affirmation and got himself in position, before breaking into a fast jog around the room. It was large, so he had plenty of space to run at least. As for the activity itself, it was hard, but the electricity running through his veins was making it easier and if he was honest with himself… he liked this challenge, the opportunity to train and better himself for their eventual rebellion and escape from this imprisonment.

  Panting from the effort he was making, Cyko continued his laps as he thought about the events of yesterday. The giant dragon mutant, Drago, a possible obstacle on their way to freedom, someone he would not hesitate to strike down, even if he used to be a child just like the rest. That child was far gone by now.

  The better part of the socialization was meeting Magy, the serene girl who seemed to have found her peace inside this facility. Yet, she still hated it enough to despise the dragon mutant for bullying the weak into following him and that the scientists of this place didn’t care if you had no desire to be part of those experiments.

  He had told her of their plan to start a rebellion to escape their prison, and how someone with strong telepathic powers was leading them and organizing things. She was cooperative, even adding that should the giant dragon get in their way, she would help to slay him.

  She seemed to be looking forward to the eventual bloodshed that would happen—if her chilling smile at his words of rebellion were any sign. Still, after that, they had hung out and talked about some other things. Myo even seemed to have taken a liking to her even if he was also a little intimidated by her way of coping.

  As for the small boy himself, well, he appeared to be in a much better mood when they had come back yesterday. Meeting Magy had been a positive experience for him even if he had to go through that giant brute of a dragon’s presence to enjoy it. The sad part was… he would still need to endure the experiments as usual, and Cyko didn’t know if he would come back terrified and traumatized as always, and that worried him.

  “You now have a record of ten laps,” the intercom voiced, breaking Cyko out of his thoughts and making him notice he was slowing down. He gritted his teeth; the pressure was increasing and his jog became more tiring; he was reaching his limit.

  He shook his head and took a hard, deep breath and concentrated on feeling the electricity run through his body and suddenly, he felt better. Running around while feeling that heavy though, was still a problem, but he would not stop, he would get stronger no matter what!

  Grunting to himself, he felt his muscles starting to burn and his breathing get heavier. He was tired and exhausted—he had arrived at his limit in this test of endurance. But even as he now knew his true potential… Somehow, somehow, he felt like he could continue on, continue running with this heavy weight on his shoulders for a long time yet, even if it hurt him in the process.

  Slowing down, he allowed himself to fall to his knees in exhaustion, his body drenched in sweat. He felt thirsty; his body demanded that he consume water, but still, he ignored it. He felt the pressure on his shoulders lessen and sure enough, it soon disappeared completely.

  A thick metal door near the glass
panel opened, and from it, the two scientists that always seemed to hound him stepped forward, accompanied by three security guards, one of them being that giant brute. He spared a moment to give the guard a glare before returning his focus towards the two smug scientists.

  “Subject Number 444, your current record is fifteen laps total in eight minutes. Your performance is excellent for your power group, as is your endurance. Current results show you have a positive growth in efficiency,” the bearded scientist said as he raised his eyebrows. Like always, both seemed optimistic with his performance.

  “Hah… Next time… I’ll beat that record,” Cyko said with determination, earning a chuckle from the hairy crook. The scientist threw something at him, which Cyko caught with ease. Blinking, he realized he was now holding a cold bottle of water. A bottle, of water. What? They never gave him water.

  “What?” the blue-haired child asked in confusion, to which the bearded imbecile laughed again.

  The one with glasses then took out a tablet and took notes on it. “Drink, it’s mineral water. Your body needs to replenish what it lost with your sweat,” he said in an uninterested voice.

  “Okay, but why?” he asked in confusion, but still opened the bottle and took a big, large gulp from it. The refreshing coolness entering his throat felt like heaven, and he couldn’t help but let out a satisfied sigh as he finished. He was still a little thirsty, but at least he felt better now.

  The bearded scientist waited until he was finished before replying. “The experiments were hard, but it was a necessity to integrate you into our project and awaken your dormant powers. All subjects that show even a little promise will receive better treatment and accommodations. We all will work together to protect this world,” he explained with a sneer, earning a nod from the one with glasses.

  Cyko just stared at them before looking down. “I see. Thanks, I guess,” he said in a neutral voice. He was fighting hard to not lose it right then and there. Those jerks, how dare they!