by Luca Braña
“Yes… Yes, but you can come tell us that yourself!” she tried again.
“I’m sorry…” was the only thing he could tell her as he focused his power deep within him. The only thing he could do was degenerate things and make them frailer. If he so wished, he probably had enough strength left to degenerate either Drago’s heart or brain… but at the cost of his own life. He had already pushed himself too far. Any more and he would die.
But… as he glared at the dragon who had arrived in front of him, he knew he had to do something, even if it would be fatal to himself. Raising both fists in the air, he spoke out.
“We’ll be free! No matter what! WE’LL ALL ESCAPE THIS PLACE!” he yelled with a resolve he had never felt before in his life. His eyes shone gold with power as he yelled out in determination.
“YOU’LL NEVER ESCAPE! ACCEPT YOUR FATE, WEAKLING!” the leader of mutants roared as plumes of smoke escaped his mouth before letting out a white-hot stream of fire against Myo, whose entire body was engulfed and enveloped by the dragon’s fire of hate.
Yet… even as he felt his body burning, his senses slowly leaving him, his vision turning black, he kept reaching out, willing his power to reach as far as it could, with as much strength as his dying body could allow. Even as his body burned in the fire, even as it gradually turned into cinders… Myo never gave up, reaching forward… Until the end.
Drago’s stream of fire stopped, revealing the only thing left…
A small stain of black ashes.
Myo was nowhere to be found.
The dragon stood to his full height, tall and proud before letting out a mighty roar of victory.
But for those watching, this was anything but. The only thing they could do was stare in horror and despair as the dragon mocked his opponent.
A scream from the seats echoed around the entire Coliseum. “MYYYYYOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”
CHAPTER 4
AWAKENING
1
There were several emergency protocols created during the long initial phase of Project R.N.G. to protect research data and essential staff in situations of crisis, like the one happening now. Here, all rooms, corridors and laboratories in the facility can be sealed off, both physically and magically, to help protect against a non-physical invasion, whether it be magical or mental.
However, one disadvantage of such methods is that it cuts them off from the outside world. Soon the room was enveloped in darkness, lasting all of one second before the emergency lights, which depended on their power sources, kicked in and a faint, red glow illuminated the area.
In cases where such a thing was to be evoked, both the third-floor security ward and all guards near the affected room would be notified of the emergency and instructed to prepare countermeasures, tighten security, scan for possible leaks and, if possible, counter them to restore normal levels of order. Dr. Gacha was sure that, at this moment, a large team of guards and mages was outside the door, scanning for any traces of the mental attack that was cast on them.
Looking around the dimly lit room, the head scientist saw the status of his staff. Many seemed visibly unnerved that they were caught in such a way, including Dr. Ferdinand and Dr. Ivanovski, who were stiffly conversing with other mages to find out what they had felt during the mental control. Dr. Gacha couldn’t blame them for feeling this way, they were brilliant scientists and there were few things people like them valued over their own minds and intelligence. To know someone had tampered with them in such a way as to act completely out of logic and reason was unnerving.
Making a mental note to have both himself and all affected staff in the room checked for any traces of further mental corruption, he turned to look at the guards and the magical researchers. Some guards were also exhibiting anxiousness, visible even through their full body power suits, thanks to their constant twitching. The mages, however, had a look of professionalism, typical of those who were trained to act in such situations, as expected of elite researchers in their field of specialization. While the guards were professional in their own right, they had no way to defend themselves against mental attacks, so that job fell to the mages. Dr. Gacha made another note to assign at least one mage to all critical areas.
Soon after, the mages were walking around, searching every nook and cranny with their diagnostic spells to define the nature of the invasion, and determining if any effect of mental control remained. This was good. They needed to lift the seal as soon as possible to counteract more disorder from happening, but he could tell it would still take a while.
Deciding to hasten the process as much as he could, he walked towards the magical researcher who had freed him from the mental hold. The man, who had been directing the other mages, noticed him and nodded respectfully at his boss.
“Sir! All personnel under mental control have been freed and at the moment, we are securing the area to make sure no remnants of mental interference remain. Results are promising. The room should be unsealed within ten minutes,” the man said in a professional tone, gesturing towards the researchers walking around, glowing staffs in hand.
“Excellent work Dr. Myers,” Dr. Gacha praised, his mouth curving upwards ever so slightly to show his approval. “There is much to be done, both now and when the seal is lifted. Can you tell me what you know about the mental attack?” the head scientist inquired, earning a nod from the mage who after a brief look around the surveillance room, turned back towards his boss.
“At first, nothing was wrong. Activity in the surveillance room during the matches was proceeding as normal, even when Dr. Ferdinand and Dr. Ivanovski objected to allowing the latest match to proceed, we didn’t suspect foul play until we noticed more and more scientists were speaking up to stop the match,” Dr. Myers replied, gesturing to the scientists who were still discussing the situation amongst themselves. “Mental interference was confirmed both when a guard, of all people, objected to the match and when we ourselves felt our mental shields being attacked. I acted immediately and after making a quick report about the situation, I initiated the emergency seal.”
As expected of the team he personally assembled, the man could adequately react to a situation that fell within his jurisdiction. Dr. Myers’ expertise lies in magical research, specifically the research of the mind and magical powers related to it. Normally, he stays in the soft labs conducting research on the numerous samples provided by the experiments on subjects with mind-related abilities, but he made an exception to watch the live combats, wanting to witness the powers he researches.
“Do you have any suspects in mind?” Dr. Gacha asked the man, who shook his head in denial.
“At the moment, we have none. All subjects that have recorded mental abilities lack either the range or control to pull off something like this, or they have shown no ability of mental control,” the mage said before gesturing once again to the rest who were scanning the room.
“We still don’t know how the attack got past the usual protections for this kind of situation. The magical wards show no signs of being tampered with,” the researcher continued, earning a nod from Dr. Gacha. “Normally, such attempts would leave a trail but… So far, no traces of the attack have been found. We suspect this is because of the hidden genes’ unique properties—if the attack came from a subject.” Dr. Gacha’s face slipped into the slightest of frowns.
He already knew powers gained through hidden genes would be different, but to leave no trace of its uses… A chilling, but exciting thought. If they could find out who was responsible for the attack and… correct them, they would gain an enormous advantage in the spying field, for he knew even a Creator would have a hard time finding someone powerful enough to leave no trace.
Now, however, it was an inconvenience, one they would be better off without.
“Dr. Myers, starting tomorrow, all scientists will be required to undergo a medical examination to determine if they have been compromised physically or otherwise. I will need you to assemble a team of members with medic
al knowledge for this. I will send any further details and schedules to your personal workstation,” Dr. Gacha said, making sure to emphasis the importance of this. What happened here cannot happen ever again.
“Understood sir. This may affect research speed, but we will make sure the impact is minimal,” Dr. Myers answered with a nod before turning to a mage walking towards them.
“We finished scanning the perimeter. While no evidence of the attack is left, we have determined that the area is secure from any remaining mental control,” the man said.
“Stay on standby and be on the lookout for any more possible attacks,” Dr. Myers said, earning a nod from the mage who walked away to inform the others. He turned towards Dr. Gacha, who was waiting for more information. “It seems the area is clear, sir. We can now lift the seal and move on to further the investigation.”
“Waste no more time,” the head scientist declared as he moved back to the center surveillance console. While the isolation cut off all power and any incoming signals, it would be foolish to have no way to remove the seal from the inside and as such, small terminals were located in key areas of every room and corridor, of which every higher-up scientist and mercenary were made aware of. Said terminals were made specifically to deactivate the isolation field, both physically and magically, as it was connected with the magical wards.
Crouching and reaching under the main console, the scientist felt around the floor for a small hole in the ground wide enough to fit four fingers and deep enough for a good grip. Finding it, he pulled, causing the tile to slide towards him, revealing a glowing, holographic screen. It worked in a manner similar to the emergency lights where its battery charged as long as the room was connected but would activate once a full seal was confirmed. It had enough power to last for a full week, but in case of a power loss, there was an additional manual lever just under it.
The screen showed information regarding the room—temperature, oxygen levels, battery duration, structural integrity—mostly useless information that becomes useful in a crisis. In the middle was a glowing green button the size of his palm. Tapping it, the screen changed to a confirmation message, and after pressing again, a ‘please wait’ request appeared.
After putting the tile back in place, Dr. Gacha stepped back to wait, watching how the equipment went back online as the seal was lifted. The staff who had been quietly discussing the situation amongst themselves went back to their previous positions. Dr. Ferdinand and Dr. Ivanovski joined him at the console.
“We apologize for our behavior, sir,” the bespectacled scientist said as he sat down and worked on bringing the system back online.
“Yes, we should have expected something like this would happen sooner or later,” the bearded scientist said, mirroring his colleagues moves.
“It’s no fault of your own. Even I was affected by the mental attack, which is why we should work as quickly as possible to find out how our defenses were breached,” the head scientist said as he typed on his console, “the surveillance cameras will be back online in a few seconds. I suspect the last match already ended, therefore, we will conclude today’s battles and proceed immediately to investigations.” He moved his head towards the screens as the live feed from the Coliseum went back online. His eyes widened.
“W-What?!” The two scientists beside him exclaimed at what appeared on their screen, many others around the room jumped at what they were seeing. Chaos, it was pure and complete chaos.
From the large screen in the surveillance room, a bird’s-eye view of the Coliseum emerged, and everything was in disarray. Besides the current match, which was still ongoing despite their expectations, all the subjects present were engaged in a massive battle royale which, Dr. Gacha quickly noticed after his initial shock, seemed to be the mutants against the other subjects.
“What’s going on?! Why has no security guard stepped in?!” Dr. Ferdinand asked in confusion, watching the battle proceed.
“… That’s because no security guard stayed inside both the gymnasium and the Coliseum. The only mercenaries present are the mages holding their barriers,” Dr. Ivanovski replied with a frown, realizing the mistake made during planning.
“The mages need to stay still to maintain that high-level barrier, and this room is the only one with access to surveillance of the Coliseum. We were careless; we never expected an attack,” Dr. Gacha explained, his face back into a mask of cold focus. Examining the fight, he noticed how some subjects, two in particular, were desperately trying to attack the barrier where Drago was playing with his opponent.
“Activate the bracelets of all subjects in the Coliseum except for the two in the middle of their match. We need to put an end to this rebellion now!” Dr. Gacha ordered, forcing his staff to snap out of their shock and work on his orders. Soon enough, all subjects, human and mutant, were covered in the restrictive tendrils, except for the two supposed to be engaged in combat.
“Order the ward guards to move in and subdue any subjects still struggling. After the match is finished, everyone will return to their dorms,” he ordered, keeping his eyes firmly on the screen. Normally, he would restrain everyone and cancel the combat in case of a crisis such as this, but whoever tried to control them wanted to save that useless subject currently in battle. If he could make them desperate enough to tip their hand, they may discover who is responsible.
For the moment, however, as the doors to the Coliseum opened and guards poured in, it was time to wait until the suspect made their next move.
2
The battle was over just like that. Despite his best efforts, despite everyone banding together to save him… Myo was still defeated. No, much, much worse than that. He was dead, reduced to ashes in the fiery storm of Drago’s wrath. Cyko’s scream of despair snapped the children back to reality and hopelessness set in.
Reddox stared weakly at his friend as he tried to resist the restraints. Ellyn’s body was shaking with sobs as she whispered to the boy who used to be. She didn’t know him well, but she felt the loss. Guilt settled inside Reddox’s cold heart; he could have done more, he should have done more. He was the strongest subject according to the scientists—he should have been able to save a simple life, like he saved himself so long ago.
His own guilt was nothing next to the sadness that those who knew him well were feeling.
Close to him was a group of siblings, who had also tried their best to help their new brother… but it was not enough. A little pink-haired girl was on her knees, wailing as another child, a redhead, was crawling towards her to provide comfort, even as his own tears streamed down his cheeks.
Their older siblings felt torn, their tearful gazes alternating between their siblings and the arena where their new family member had met a tragic end. Despite their improvements, despite their teamwork, they couldn’t save Myo… They failed him as his new family and as older siblings. They could do nothing but watch as the great dragon continued to laugh and proclaim that all who were weak would perish, just like Myo did.
Even those who had never personally met Myo were feeling the tragedy of what happened as they all tried to help the little boy. They had joined in bombarding against the barrier, remembering Tela’s words about how they all should work together to escape, many even trying to fight against the mutants who were sent to run interference, but it was not enough.
In particular, a small group of children was feeling guilty for not being able to save Myo. His previous roommates, who had never treated the little boy well, were crying at his death, knowing now they’d never be able to make amends for their horrible treatment, and feeling they should have helped him and stuck close rather than driving him away. The shame of what they did and did not do… would stay with them for the rest of their lives.
And then there were those who had lived with Myo, who talked to him and gave both comfort and encouragement in his darkest hours. Magy and Cyko stood on their knees next to the barrier, the former crying her eyes out and holding her twin scythes
in a death grip as she struggled against the binds, yelling Myo’s name out to all who could hear. Magy admitted to loving pain, but the kind she was feeling right now was far from pleasant, the hurt she wanted to avoid the most.
Cyko, however, was the opposite of the pink-haired girl. After shouting Myo’s name, he shut down, staring, his eyes cloudy and unfocused, towards the arena. Tears rolled down his cheeks, his emotions feeling like a hollow pit of hopelessness as his thousand-yard stare bore down on the blackened remains of his little brother.
To make matters worse, the barrier mages, who had already deactivated their obstruction, were mocking the two children, laughing and taunting them about how useless their efforts were, how painful it must have been for Myo to die the way he did, and about how they made it worse by giving the boy hope. Even as they panted from keeping the barrier against the earlier onslaught, they were exhaling an aura of superiority, basking in the two’s sadness.
And Tela… Tela could feel it all. The emotions coursing through the crowd, both hers and the others, were very strong. She usually takes measures to not be overwhelmed by the feelings of sadness and despair of the other children she interacts with, but… this time, she let it course through her body.
A long time ago, she took upon the mantle of a leader and a source of hope for the children present in this prison. Her powers were suited for the role and ever since she awakened them over two years ago, she had been planning the best way to break them free and stop this accursed project, training and honing her powers in secret. As far as the scientists knew, she had some ability of telepathy, but it was restricted by eyesight since it was a mere secondary ability to her main one: telekinesis.
It was difficult. She hardly managed to catch a glimpse at other subjects during that time, but the few she did… She had to work hard at trying to convince them to join her, and now they were the people who helped her the most. When the socialization was announced, she jumped at the chance of being able to talk with everyone at once, to know who was who, to unite everyone under a single banner, and to save themselves.