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

I look away, but I can sense all their heads turn to me. I have usually been pretty candid with Cal and Al. This, however, is much more than they have gotten before. I don’t know why I suddenly feel comfortable talking about it. Maybe it’s because of Fe, but I can already feel a weight lifting.

They all look at me, anticipating my next words. With my sights set on the top of the Great Pyramid, I speak. “They just make piles of them on the outside of the city. There were also a lot in the middle of the streets. The smell stings your nose, but the sight of the rotting flesh is something you will never forget.

“When I snuck out there, I had to strip one of the bodies and wear its clothes. I still feel it on my skin sometimes, the death. The outsiders struggle so hard to survive, and yet they have no respect for a life lost. I would say they aren’t worthy of survival, but they are no better in this compound. They used to discard injured drones like they were finished protein pouches.

“What’s worse is that none of it matters. In a few months, all those who are living will join their former friends on the streets. We will be all that is left, and we will have to make our way through the layer of corpses that will line the earth, to hopefully start something better than what we left behind.”

Instantly I regret having spoken my mind, but it’s done. Minutes pass without anyone saying a word. If it weren’t for the sound of their breathing, I would have thought they had left. Part of me wishes they had. I feel this might have been too much for them to handle, though I am glad to have gotten it out of my mind. I no longer carry that burden alone.

“That kind of sucks,” Al exhales. We all look at him, and the tension is lifted as he laughs and the rest of us join in.

The laughter turns to shivers as the wind picks up. We use it as our cue to head back downstairs and to our rooms. The second my head hits the pillow, I fall into the deepest of sleep.

I wake up the most rested I can remember. My body feels relaxed, and my mind is focused. Even knowing that I need to visit Titan because he is being released isn’t affecting me.

The next training session is in a couple of hours, so I head to the medical ward after a warm shower. The hallways are mostly empty as I make my way. I internally question the motive of every scientist I pass. Even though Grant said I shouldn’t concern myself with finding the group of scientists that plan to stop us, my curiosity is winning out.

As I enter the medical ward, I see Dennis, the same doctor that helped Rene, do some final tests on Titan’s arm. Titan turns his head toward me, and I see the disgust on his face. Though I can justify what I did, I am sickened by the fact that I did it. I would never have expected such malice to come from me.

I walk into the room while Dennis is still in there to keep the tension low.

“Morning, Atom,” Dennis says without looking up.

“Morning. Hey Titan.” I’m not expecting much of a response, and sure enough, he rolls his eyes at me.

“You’re good to go, Titan. Your arm is back to about 95 percent, just be careful with it for a couple of days.” Dennis puts his tools away and walks out, leaving the two of us alone.

“I’m sorry.” I genuinely mean it.

“I would have done the same.” He avoids eye contact. Still, I can’t believe he just said that. I don’t know how to respond.

We both look up as we hear a small commotion outside the room. On the far end of the medical ward, Brianna is yelling at Hawk. Both of them appear red with anger. Hawk tries to get a word in, but Brianna won’t let him.

I walk to the door of the room and poke my head out to see if I can hear anything they are saying, but the second I do, an older woman walks up to them, and they get quiet. The woman is tall and slightly overweight. Her hair is a sharp black, which allows the many white hairs she has to stand out. She is obviously older than both Brianna and Hawk.

The woman points over in my direction and says something quietly to the two of them, causing them to look over. Without saying a word to us, they walk out of the medical ward.

“What do you think that was about?” Titan asks. I didn’t notice that he walked to the door with me.

“I have no idea, and I don’t know who the other woman was.” I try hard to place her face, but I don’t recall seeing her anywhere. Not even while passing in the hallways.

“So what now?” Titan rubs his arm.

I begin to walk toward the hallway. “I want to catch you up on the weapons training. We are doing the first simulation today, and I want to make sure that you’re on the same page as all the others. You learn fast, so I don’t think it will take long.”

He jogs to catch up to me, and I see a smile on his face. I walk quickly to the elevators that will take us to the simulation room. Neither of us says a word to each other.

Titan eventually breaks the silence. “I want to focus on close combat, like knives and hand to hand. I’m already pretty good with the guns, so we can skip that.”

His arrogance is something that I will have to get used to, but he’s right. Still, he needs to remember that I was put in charge. “Titan, if this