Cykopath- Birth

by Luca Braña

  “I will do that, sir. We will increase security in her ward and install hidden cameras in her room to keep an eye on her at all times,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone. Dr. Gacha nodded and went back to watching the interactions of the many subjects present today.

  “If you allow me to ask, sir,” the bearded scientist said, earning a nod from his superior, still with his head glued to the screens, “what of… them? The subjects in the highest security ward, and especially our most precious subject. Should we allow them in the next socialization?”

  Dr. Gacha stood silent for a few moments, contemplating his answer. The subjects from that ward were some of the most dangerous ones… Dangerous for the project, as most of them had powers that could increase their chances of either escape or rebellion, still… It would be beneficial to see how they would interact with their peers.

  Preparations were going smoothly; the subjects were trusting one another to share their burdens and one of them even requested to be transferred to the same room they had sent that inevitable failure to. At this rate, everything would soon be in place and they could prepare for the next phase of their project... The part that would determine if they were as useful as they seemed or if they were failures.

  “Dr. Gacha, sir!” one of the scientists present called for him. He turned his head towards the speaker, to show he was paying attention but refused to take his eyes off the screen.

  “Mr. Whale would like to speak with you in his office,” the scientist spoke, earning a nod from his boss.

  “Very well, I’ll be there shortly,” he said with no indication to his feelings, finally taking his eyes off the screen to head towards the office of the person that was financing his project. It was a pity, he hoped to observe for a while longer, but he is a busy man.

  A small part of him, though, was wondering about something unrelated to his project, something that had disappeared from his office a while ago that worried him. He didn’t mind though, she knew how to take care of herself, and he was sure he would find her, eventually. After all, he had raised her to the best of his ability.

  As his mind shifted towards this as he made his way out of the room, he didn’t notice a scientist mutter to himself, “Why do I feel like I’m being observed?” before shaking his head and going back to work. The walk towards Mr. Whale’s office would be a rather boring one, and even as self-disciplined as he is, his mind couldn’t help but find something to do to pass the time.

  9

  “There, there, everything will be all right now, Cyko,” Magy said as she stroked the blue-haired boy’s hair, who was resting his head on her lap and blushing at her treatment.

  “Big sis Magy is so kind, isn’t she? A bit scary, but I like her!” Myo, who was sitting on the other bed and playing with Snow, said with a smile.

  The reason for Magy trying to comfort him? He had just gotten back from an exhausting experiment, which combined the last two they had thrown at him. That meant he had to fight a robot army whilst being held down by heavy gravity levels, the same intensity they had used on him last time.

  Nothing like pain to make him fight for his life even when held down by gravity, as he still destroyed all one thousand robots for his test… He had exhausted himself today, and thanks to the pressure, he was hurt many, many times by both flamethrowers and shock attacks. Luckily the rags he wore were fire resistant, otherwise he would rather die than go back to his room naked.

  When he arrived back, both Myo and Magy had already returned from their respective experiments. Magy could barely keep her eyes open as she comforted Myo, but from the look in Cyko’s eyes, he had put on his bravest face yet. They both looked at him and his wounds with concern but said nothing as he made his way to the shower.

  When he came back from cleaning himself, both gave him quick hugs, and Magy dragged him towards her bed and made him put his head on her lap while his face burned red with embarrassment. But if he was honest, it was calming, and after the stress he went through in that lab, he could use some relaxation.

  “I-I’ll be fine!” he said sheepishly. “What about you guys? How are you doing after today?” he asked, looking first at Myo, who was still playing with Snow, and then looking up at Magy, who was smiling softly.

  “Myo was a very brave boy today. His experiment was hard, but he refused to cry. I think meeting Tela yesterday was a beneficial experience for him. I gave him the treatment I’m giving you as a reward.” She continued to stroke his hair. Still blushing, she turned his head to look at Myo and Snow, who was rubbing herself against him. “The cute kitty has been a great help too, she seems to know when we are sad and in need of comfort.”

  “What about, Magy?” he asked as he turned his head to look up at his friend, she smiled at his question.

  “I’m fine, as I said, I seem to like the pain some of those experiments bring me. Today has been a little rough, so it was a rather enjoyable experience. Scythe says it will get better as I get older though I’m a little afraid of getting too addicted to pain.” She continued pampering her newest friend.

  Cyko’s face, although still flushed, looked at her with concern. Sure, she said she learned to like pain to cope with her suffering, but… Magy noticed the way he was looking at her, and her lips curved downwards. “Does that make me weird, Cyko?” she asked in a sad voice, making the blue-haired boy’s eyes widen.

  “No, no! It’s just… It’s sad that you had to do that at all to find any enjoyment in this life. You are not a bad person for enjoying pain, just be careful not to hurt yourself too much, okay?” he said, concerned. Her frown turned into a smile at his words, and she resumed stroking his head.

  “You are a good friend to me, Cyko. But like I said, I’m fine, I don’t suffer emotionally from those things anymore… Only when I see others put through it, which is why I’m helping you all right now,” she said, reminding Cyko of her promise. “I wouldn’t mind being experimented on forever, as long as the ones who don’t want this could be free.” She smiled sadly.

  “Hey, please, don’t say that! You will be free along with all of us, and then, you can decide when you want to feel pain rather than have it decided for you!” Cyko said, aware of how weird that sounded, but the look she gave him as an answer was worth it.

  After a few minutes, Magy released Cyko from her warm, calming hold to eat as their food had arrived—the same disgusting porridge it always was. Magy even commented on it, citing that “Even if I like pain, I can never like this food,” earning herself a snicker from both boys; it was a happy moment for them.

  They were further surprised when a second bang resonated on the door followed by the burly guard ordering them to get ready for another socialization. This confused them, they had one yesterday! Now they were being called for another one?

  They did as they were told and got themselves ready for the meeting. Cyko hoped they would get to meet his family again this time, he missed them and wondered how they were doing, or if they had gained their powers. Now, though, Cyko decided on doing something else… He would bring Snow with him! Magy seemed hesitant at the idea, but Cyko really wanted to let the others meet her if possible, both because she was an adorable kitty who always helped comfort them, and because he felt like she should take a walk after spending so long in their room.

  As they made their way towards the gate that led to the gymnasium, Cyko took a moment to look at the other children from his ward. He hadn’t had the chance to speak with them much, but he at least knew some of them in passing. Before, they all had looks of despair or sadness, but after that first meeting with Tela, most of them seemed a little more hardened, a little more determined or at least not on the brink of giving up anymore. This brought a smile to his face. Maybe, just maybe, they had a chance.

  The gates were opening, and once again, Cyko looked at the many doors around the large gymnasium. He noticed that Tela’s gate wasn’t opening this time around, but as he scanned the area, he noticed that the one that led to the w
ard where the rest of his family resided was opening! Grinning, he urged both Magy and Myo to follow him, not noticing how Magy briefly stopped to glance at one of the gates, her mouth opened slightly, before shaking her head and following Cyko.

  As the many children from his family’s ward broke off to walk in different directions, likely to mingle with people from the other wards they had gotten to know previously, Cyko could see his family members forming into a group of their own. Starry, his youngest sister, saw him from the distance and tugged at Anna’s clothes to get her attention. They all turned to where she was pointing and when they saw him, they all began to sprint towards him.

  “Cyko! Big brother!” they exclaimed as they reached him, pulling him into a group hug that made him yelp in surprise and Snow, who was tucked inside his rags thrashed around.

  “Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch! Snow, stop!” he shrieked as he hurried to take the feline out of his shirt before she tore his belly apart.

  “A kitty!” Starry cried as she looked at the struggling feline that Cyko had unveiled. His brothers and sisters separated from the hug to give the boy and his cat a surprised look. After a few seconds, he managed to calm down the wriggling kitty.

  “Whew, you can be a handful, you know? Anyway, guys! It’s been so long! Here, meet Snow! She is a kitty that somehow found her way inside this place and I took her with me because I was feeling lonely. Here, do you guys want to hold her? She is sweet!” he said as he handed the feline to Sara, who was nearby him.

  The blue-haired girl cooed at the kitten who began to purr at the attention she was receiving. They all sat down on the ground to play with her. Sara handed Snow to Starry, who was giving heart-eyes to the little cat and immediately snuggled her, making the older members of the family smile, and Torch blush at the adorable sight.

  Magy and Myo caught up to Cyko, who looked behind him to smile at the two. “Myo, Magy, I would like to introduce you to my family from the orphanage I lived in before being… here,” he said, turning to his siblings who were now paying attention to him while Snow was being gently pet by Anna. “Everyone, this is Myo, my new surrogate little brother, and Magy, my friend. These two are my roommates, and I can sincerely say that I like them both very much.” Myo and Magy blushed at his honest words.

  “Hello there, you two! I am Anna!” the blonde girl introduced herself with a smile, before pointing to Geon, who was grinning at them.

  “Hi, I am Geon, thank you very much for taking care of Cyko,” he said, pointing towards Sara, who got the hint.

  “I am Sara, pleased to meet you!” the blue-head said and pointed to the person next to her. Henry.

  The smart boy nodded, offering his hands for them to shake, which they did, smiling. “I am Henry, I hope we can get along well with each other,” he said, motioning to Matthew.

  The boy gave a small bow, letting some embers escape from his mouth to show off his fire breathing power. “I am Matthew, but you can call me Mat! I hope Cyko has been good to you!” He nudged Torch, who had been playing with Snow alongside Starry.

  “I am Torch, and one day, I’ll help us all escape this place!” he said with determination, earning a giggle from Magy. To her, it was obvious how much he cared for the little girl he was playing with, and how much he wanted to protect her. She could see the same thing in Cyko and herself towards Myo.

  Starry looked a little shy at being the center of attention but spoke too. She wanted to know the two people that were keeping her big brother company. “I-I am Starry! I-I can make stars, nice to meet you!” she rushed through her introduction and placed both her hands in front of herself and created a dark star which made both Magy and Myo look at it in awe.

  “That’s very interesting, little Star! I can feel your soul being translated from that pretty thing. Just like you, I’m also dark natured, so I can sense those things better than most,” Magy complemented her, causing the little girl to blush in embarrassment.

  “Th-thank you, miss!”

  “Y-yeah, it’s so pretty… I wished I could do something like that instead of… Never mind, but really, it’s pretty!” Myo offered, awed at the beautiful little star she had created. Starry’s blush intensified, which brought out a small chuckle from the boy.

  Cyko let out a sigh of relief that both Myo and Magy were getting along with his family. Even Snow was receiving attention from meeting them, which made him feel wholesome and truly happy. If there was anything good about these meetings, it was this, these moments of happiness rather than moments of tension like Drago wanted to inflict.

  They moved to sit at one of the many tables present in this place, one large enough to fit their group of ten children plus a cat so they could have somewhere more private and comfortable to discuss the events of past weeks. Cyko began with the topic he was most interested in…

  “Everyone, it has been too long, how are you all doing, after all this time?” he asked in concern.

  Anna was the first to speak after a few seconds of silence. “Well… all of us have powers now, although, I only know the ones we went over last time and those who are in the same room as me, so maybe we should recap everything?” she recommended, to which they all nodded in agreement.

  “Well, since I suggested it, I will start. I can do this!” she exclaimed before putting her left arm on the table. They all watched in awe as her arm turned into a futuristic looking cannon. “I call it the A-Buster! I can do this with both my arms so far, the scientists say I’m classified as a shapeshifter, because I can shift my arms back and forth into those robotic cannons. They are very strong, too! I can fire either weaker automatic shots or charge my cannons for greater damage. They tire me out after a while though.” She smiled and then frowned. “I almost used them to blast the scientists who were experimenting on me, but… I contained myself at the last minute. They congratulated me for it. I like my cannons, since they can be useful for our escape, but I would still prefer to not have them if it meant never being here…” She bit her lip, making Cyko grit his teeth at the sadness on her face.

  “As many of you know, I can breathe fire like a dragon,” Mat said, letting out an ember from his mouth. Putting a hand on Anna’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, he continued his explanation, unaware of her grateful smile. “My ability has gotten stronger since last time, as the area and duration of my breath increased. They made me do many, many exercises to increase the length of my fire by making me survive underwater as long as I could without breathing. At least they allowed me to pull up when I started to run out of breath…” He crossed his arms but grinned and let out a small breath of fire towards the ceiling, surprising them all at the flash of heat that rushed to their faces.

  “I will help everyone out when the time comes,” he promised, the embers in his mouth slowed and stopped.

  Geon, who was sitting next to him, volunteered to speak next. “I said it before, but my power is to cause localized earthquakes. I can also feel vibrations from the ground in such a way that if I closed my eyes, I can tell where in this room you are and who you are based on the level of your vibration.” He smiled, before pointing his hand at the table and making it shake, which made Snow, who was napping on the table, jump up in a panic.

  “Oops, sorry Snow! Anyway, I’ve been helping Tela create a map of this place. She said she is using the aid of as many people as she can, those who have special sensory abilities such as me, to make the most accurate map possible. I’ve practiced seeing if I can feel vibrations in the air, although so far, that has been a little hard to do.” He shrugged and returned Cyko’s grin.

  “That’s amazing Geon! I knew your power would come in handy!” He chuckled as his older brother rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

  “I awakened myself a week ago. My power is to control water!” Sara spoke up, putting both of her hands in front of her in a cupping position. From nowhere, a small puddle formed in her palms. “It feels so… natural to me. I sometimes spend longer in the shower th
an I used to, because I love water so much now… Also, I don’t need to hold my breath underwater anymore, I can breathe!” She smirked, something uncharacteristic for her.

  “I can also do this!” The water in her palms began to float up into the air and take an elongated shape, which then instantly froze into a spear of ice. Cyko, Myo, and Magy looked at her small stake of ice in awe, as did the others. “My elemental powers are very good, I’d say… But I’m weak to dryness, as I found out very painfully during one experiment. Still, I think I am powerful enough to be helpful in our escape.”

  “You guys know what Starry and I can do, but I’ll say it again for the newcomer’s sake. I can strengthen myself with fire, like this!” Torch said as he turned his power on. Magy and Myo were impressed at his transformation: his hair caught on fire and his body and eyes gave off an orange glow. “I’m very strong! And these last couple of days, I’ve been getting stronger. My current record with that robot army is seven hundred. They say if I was a little older, I’d be able to defeat the whole army by myself,” he boasted and gestured for Starry to talk.

  The girl, shy to speak so much about her special powers, simply made another show of stars appear before them, making them dance in different patterns. Magy smiled at the beauty of her show. She finished and beamed at everyone before looking at Henry, who had yet to explain his abilities.

  The boy put one of his hands on the table… and from it, a small, yellow flower emerged. Everyone at the table was silent, watching the flower grow. He smiled as he explained his powers. “I can make plants grow at any speed I want, and I can also create seeds from the earth. It’s useful if I want to capture someone or create obstacles. Making seeds tires me out quickly, though, so I would prefer to have actual seeds with me rather than make ones from scratch. Right now, I have about twenty seeds with me.” He frowned in contemplation. “I don’t know how useful my powers will be, but I’ll try my best. I can think of some strategies to adopt using them, and I’ve been discussing with Tela if they can be of any use to our plan.”