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

Another surge of pain rushes through my body, and I can tell it’s originating from my legs. I scream, or at least I try to, but my mouth won’t open. Panic sets in as I desperately call out for Ev or Fe or anyone, but they are just thoughts without the ability to move my mouth.

Frustration sets in, followed immediately by fear when I realize that I’m paralyzed. I’m alive, but my body is dead. I put all the effort I can into moving a muscle, any muscle. My fingers—I’m going to move my fingers. I focus on my right hand and picture my thumb and index finger. I envision them curling toward each other until they touch, and with every ounce of my body, I try to bring them together with an internal scream.

The scream in my head climbs to an unthinkable level. A pain I have never experienced before rises from my legs through my body. I give up, and the clouds of darkness consume me entirely.

Slowly, my eyes open to a blur. I blink a couple of times, and my vision clears. Above me is the distinct ceiling of the simulation room. The same one I was teaching the Genesys to jump up to touch just a few weeks ago.

I roll my head over to the side and am immediately met by Fe’s eyes. She smiles at me and sits up. “He’s awake.”

“What happened?” I try to sit up, but a dull pain in my leg keeps me on my back.

“Just stay still.” She squeezes my hand, and I realize that she’s been holding it this entire time. A small group gathers around me, including Titan.

“Welcome back from the dead, buddy,” Cal says with a sly smile.

“How long was I out?” I push myself onto my elbows.

“Maybe twelve hours,” Hydro responds.

“What?” My head struggles to make sense of this. It felt like seconds.

“Easy, man, you were injured. Remember?” Al looks down at my leg, and I follow his gaze to see it wrapped in bandages.

Everything rushes back into my memory. The missiles, scrambling to get everyone down here, Ev. I shoot up into a sitting position, ignoring the pain. “Where’s Ev?”

“Take it easy, Atom,” Titan interjects. “She’s fine. She’s in that back corner, sleeping.”

I look toward the corner and then at Fe.

“She’s doing fine,” Fe says. “You really should rest some more. You lost a lot of blood, especially after Mag pulled the piece of shrapnel out.”

Mag has kept her distance from me. Her shyness is endearing. When she looks over at me, I mouth the words ‘Thank you,’ and she smiles back.

“We need to figure out what’s going on.” I look around at the group.

“Titan has got it covered. Just rest up,” Cal says. It surprises me, considering the rough past he shares with Titan. It does, however, put me at ease.

I look at Titan. “Any news?”

“Sodi and I took the elevator up a couple of hours ago,” Titan explains. “We didn’t get out, so all we could do was listen. I think the missiles have stopped. I figured that we would be better off down here with you and Ev recovering until one or both of you were ready. Either that or wait until someone came down.”

I’m impressed by Titan’s instincts. There isn’t much that I would have done differently. “Thank you, Titan.”

He smiles at me and walks away. Cal, Al, Hydro, and K join Fe and take a seat around me.

“What happened?” K asks.

“The outsiders shot missiles at us,” Fe jumps in before I can say anything.

“Why?” K prods.

The group looks at me, and I can tell that the others sitting a little farther away have turned their attention to hear what I’m about to say. I adjust my legs to put less pressure on the one that’s bandaged up.

“Because they are trying to survive. They know that the scientist’s plan is to set off nuclear bombs to purge the earth of the current population so that the twelve of us can start it over. The outsiders are doing everything they can to stop us.” I look around and see that every eye is on me. In the far corner, Ev has woken up and is also listening in.

“Why do they have to die for us to live?” Fe asks.

“Rene and the other scientists believe that their tendency toward selfishness and war will rub off on us,” I say.

“They also don’t want us to mix our superior genes with their inferior ones,” Ev speaks up. I smile at her, but she doesn’t return the gesture. She continues, “We were created with enhanced genes that make us immune to most diseases. Our genes also give us the advanced physical and mental ability that will help us survive through the ice age.”

I actually had not thought of that before. Even if the outsiders were to be spared, the ice age would most likely kill off most of the population.

“Well, the outsiders can all die for all I care,” Sil says as he leans back against the wall.

“Exactly,” Sodi adds. “Anyone who wants to kill us doesn’t deserve a place on this earth.” A few people mumble in agreement.

“They aren’t savages. They’re just defending themselves,” Hydro pushes back. This kicks off a shouting match between the Genesys. Titan, Sil, and Sodi are all in favor of the eradication of the outsiders. The rest, except for Ev and me, seem to be outsider apologists.

Ev and I have been through and learned enough to accept both sides of the argument. We have realized that there is no right answer, and we just need to accept things as they are. As the voices rise, I see that I need to control the situation before it gets any more heated.

“Enough!” I yell over everyone. I pull myself to my feet and place all my weight on my left leg, alleviating the pain in my right leg a little. The Genesys have all quieted and