Gene. Sys. by Aaron Denius (best ereader for comics txt) 📕

I reach for the door handle, but just before I can pull it open, I see a shadow speeding toward my head. The blow of whatever it is knocks me to the ground, and I black out.

CHAPTER III

I open my eyes, and the light amplifies the pounding in my head. I sit up and look around—still in the room downstairs. Hawk and Ev are no longer here, and the screens have been shut off. It’s too quiet. I run out the open door and find myself surrounded by the incubation tubes. The floor is empty. All the scientists are gone.

I’m about to run to the elevator when one of the Genetic Systems catches my attention. Her long, blonde hair floats beautifully in the liquid. I stop breathing for a moment because even though I can’t see her face, I know it’s the girl from my dream.

I walk to the side of the incubator, but before I can get a good look, Ev brings me back to reality.

“Atom! Come on!” She’s standing on the platform just in front of the elevator.

My mind can’t shake the thought of this blonde girl, but I turn and sprint to Ev. “What happened? How is he?”

She holds the elevator for me as I run in. “He’s alive, but he’s hurt badly.”

I feel a sense of relief run through me as we ascend in the elevator. He’s alive, and that’s all that matters to me now. I don’t care how betrayed I’ve been feeling about the things he’s hidden from me. He still created me. He’s still my dad.

The door opens, and Ev leads me down a maze of hallways, farther into the scientist quadrant. She pushes through a set of double doors, and I step into the medical ward. People in medical masks and green scrubs run around in a panic.

“He’s lost a lot of blood,” I hear one of them say. My relief wanes to concern. I push my way through toward a room where I can see doctors working on someone through the window. It’s actually the only room where I see anything happening. Just before I get there, Hawk and Grant cut me off, blocking my view.

“Tell me what’s happening!” I demand.

Grant grabs my arm and uses all his strength to pull me back toward Ev. “Just let the doctors do their work.”

I’m about to give in to Grant’s strength when I see the doctors in the room begin to panic. Another doctor runs by me. “He’s crashing.”

I break free from Grant’s grip and run to the window of the room. I see Rene, my dad, lying motionless on the operating table in the middle of the room. The doctors strategically place patches on his body and cover him with the operating table’s glass top. One of the doctors presses a button on the side of the table, and my dad’s body convulses. I pound on the window to the room. “Dad!”

One of the other doctors walks over to the other side of the window and slides the curtains shut. I can no longer see what’s going on. “You have to save him!”

Grant and Ev have joined me by the window. Ev puts her hand on my shoulder, but I shrug it off. I don’t want to be touched. Instead, I slide down the window and sit against the wall below it. Ev joins me on the ground. Grant pulls over a chair but sits far enough away to give Ev and me some privacy.

“Why aren’t you upset?” I don’t look at her.

She shuffles her body closer to mine. “It doesn’t matter what I feel or how I show it. It won’t affect the outcome.” I look at her. She’s right, but I still don’t like how indifferent she is.

“You don’t like him, do you?” I search her eyes for the truth.

“Of course I like him, Atom. He created me and has been nothing short of generous and kind with me. I’ve just learned not to get too close.” She turns away from me. I’ve hit a sore spot.

“Why is that?” I press on. She tries to hide the tears forming in her eyes.

“There are things that I know that he hasn’t shared with you yet. Things I’m not allowed to share with you, unless something like this happens.” She stands and storms away. Grant doesn’t flinch as she walks past him; he just keeps his eyes on me.

“What is she talking about?” I walk up to Grant. He stays seated in his chair.

“Not right now,” he says as sternly as I’ve ever heard him. He’s concerned. Why wouldn’t he be? Ev and I aren’t the only family that Rene has. I look around and realize that I was so focused on my own emotions that I didn’t notice all the people who have gathered. Every scientist must be here. The number of people who work here is much higher than I would have thought. There must be around a hundred scientists who have come to support Rene. A couple dozen drones patrol the perimeter, placing most of their focus toward the room in the center.

I pull up a chair next to Grant. “Why did those people attack us?”

He sighs and turns to me. “They want to stop us.”

“What do you mean? Stop us from what?” I’m starting to feel like I’ve been kept in the dark my whole life. I know nothing of what is going on here or who I truly am.

“They want to stop us from destroying the world.” He turns his eyes away from me. He’s upset with himself for revealing this information. I’m not sure what to think of it. Rene has told me the world is going to end, and he always makes it seem like we are the good guys, but good guys wouldn’t destroy the world.

“Why are we destroying the world?” I ask. The door to the operating room opens up. Grant is obviously relieved not to have to answer.