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

fire through my head as the butt of her rifle connects with my neck. The pain in my head is unbearable, and I suddenly feel ashamed for what I just did to Sodi.

As Fe lies down next to me, I am overwhelmed by a tremendous sense of pride and jealousy. What she is doing is beyond genius. Not once did I think to look into the piles of bodies as a possible cover. I wonder if she was one of the Genesys that screamed in the beginning.

“Sorry,” she whispers.

My heart skips, and through my pain, I wince a smile. I can sense her body right next to mine, and it’s making me nervous. I want to turn my head to face her, but the shocks are still running through me, so I can’t. Movement and a couple of quick shots next to me tell me that she has taken down another Genesys.

By my count, there are six down. So not counting her, there are only five left, maybe less. She slowly gets up and works her way to the wall along the side of the road. She ducks into a small seam and disappears. I realize that she is very good at hiding in plain sight. I find myself rooting for her to win. Unfortunately, I won’t know what’s going on until someone wins and ends the simulation.

As I lie on the ground, hearing the occasional gunshot, I take in the surroundings in my peripheral vision. The dead bodies encircle me. Because I am out of the simulation and no longer have to focus on it, I take in the deceased’s details.

Their faces are stone and emotionless. Their eyes are hollow, devoid of everything they ever experienced. No memories remain. Nothing. They are nothing more than an extension of the road they lie on. My heart aches for them. It hurts for the scientists, the drones, the outsiders, and the entire world. Everyone whose fate I’m looking at right now.

“Apokalupto!” a female voice shouts. This snaps me out of my trance, and I realize the voice belongs to Fe. She won!

As the simulation around me disappears, I work hard to remove the prideful smile on my face. I don’t need anyone to know that I was rooting for her. My head pounds as I stand, and I widen my stance as a dizzy spell rushes through me.

The Genesys slowly work their way to me, each recovering from their own aches. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, making sure I have my bearings before I speak. In the darkness of my eyelids, I see the ghosts of the dead.

As I look around at the group, I can tell that each of them struggles with the sights they just saw in the simulation. I realize that no matter what my apprehensions may be, talking to Dr. Kivuli will be good for each one of us. There is no way that any of us can handle the emotions associated with what we saw independently.

All their eyes rest upon me. I take another deep breath. “I’m sorry that I did not prepare you for that before revealing the simulation. The truth is nothing can prepare you for seeing your first dead body. I wish I could tell you how to handle a situation like this and that it gets easier, but it doesn’t. We weren’t created that way.”

“What about the drones?” Ev asks. I know exactly what she is talking about. Though she hasn’t seen it up close, Ev has seen people die. She has noticed that the drones aren’t affected by death, except for 80. He seemed to change in the brief time I had with him. My thoughts slide briefly to him, hoping that he is still safe.

“The drones had their genes altered so that they would lack key traits that would interfere with their ability to think for themselves,” I say with surprising anger. The Genesys are equally surprised—their eyes widen, and some take a step back.

The air in the room has gotten thicker, and I can tell that all anyone wants to do is leave. “Unless any of you have any questions, you are free to leave. I would recommend talking with Dr. Kivuli about what you experienced today. Rene thinks it will help.”

The group turns in silence, and they walk toward the elevator. Ev lags behind and steps closer to me. “Atom, I…”

“Hang on a second.” I run to catch up to Sodi, the throbbing pressure in my head reminding me of what I did to her. “Sodi, I wanted to apologize for—”

“I don’t want to talk to you.” She glares at me for a moment and then turns to catch up to Titan and Sil.

I stand and watch her, bewildered by the exchange. Surely she must understand that I had no other option, that I didn’t do it to inflict harm.

“What was that about?” Ev has stepped up next to me.

“I shot her in the forehead.” I look at Ev. I can feel tears forming in the corners of my eyes. Though I know some of it is empathy because of what I did to Sodi, I can usually hold those tears in. There is definitely something more behind these. I am just grateful that I feel comfortable enough to let Ev see me this way. I don’t have the energy to hide it.

“Yeah, I would be mad at you too. Give her some time.” She looks into my eyes. Her playfulness calms as she sees that I am hurting. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.” I try to force a smile, but before I realize what’s happening, Ev has wrapped her arms around me. She pulls my head onto her shoulder and rubs it with one of her hands. I have a quick flash to one of the lessons we had, where we learned about animals and how they comfort their young. I feel safe in her arms, and I no longer hold my tears back.

“Rene asked