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

I tuck it under my arm and walk over to my old closet. When I open it, I am surprised to see that many of my jumpsuits still remain in pretty good shape. I grab a handful and fold them over my arm. After another quick look through the closet, I turn back and see two drones staring at me from the hole that used to be the door.

Their silhouettes appear ominous, and I feel vulnerable. “Hey, guys.”

They stand scowling at me for a few more uneasy moments, and then they walk away. I let out a deep breath and suddenly realize how dirty and tired I feel. I proceed toward my new room at a double pace, avoiding eye contact with any of the other drones I pass along the way.

As soon as I enter Grant’s old room, I throw the book and jumpsuits on the bed and head straight for the bathroom. I turn the shower on and make sure the water is nice and warm. The second I climb into the shower, I sit on the floor and pull my knees to my chest with my arms. I watch the water stream its way toward the drain as the back of my head receives most of the flow coming from the showerhead.

I think more about Dr. Kivuli and Joey, wondering who else might be involved. How big of a group are these Mutineers? What other plans do they have? Who is on the council? Was Dennis on the council? Either way, I know I have to tell Rene what I saw. I should probably tell Ev too.

All these questions cause my head to throb and make my eyelids feel twice as heavy. I use all the strength I have left to pull myself out of the shower, dry off and crawl into the bed. The large size allows me to spread my arms and legs as far as I can. I am barely able to acknowledge how great it feels before I fall asleep.

I dream of the white abyss again. This time I am calm and know my bearings. I don’t feel lost or alone. I walk toward the area where I usually saw the silhouette and, just as always, Fe is standing there.

She smiles as I reach her, and I take her hand. She leans in and gives me a kiss. I don’t want it to stop, but she starts pulling me by my hand toward a large structure. It doesn’t take long for me to recognize it as the Great Pyramid.

At the base of the pyramid, I see a large gathering of people and instantly recognize them as outsiders. Their eyes burn with rage and death. They look like they are eager to tear us apart. I try to stop Fe, but her pull is too strong. She’s taking me right to them.

“Stop!” I yell, but she doesn’t hear me.

Suddenly, another hand grabs my other arm and begins to pull me in a different direction. I look to see Ev at the end of the hand. She is slightly stronger than Fe, so her pull starts moving us the opposite way. Beyond her, I see another Great Pyramid with outsiders at the base.

I struggle to pull away from both of them, but before I can gain any traction, I feel myself being pulled in two additional directions. Between Fe and Ev, right in front of me is 80, pulling me from a third arm protruding from my chest.

When I look behind me, I see Rene yanking me from a fourth arm sticking out of my back. Both of them are also pulling me toward the Great Pyramids with hungry outsiders at the bottom.

Their combined strength is ripping me apart, but none of them have gained an advantage over the others, so I remain stuck in the same place. A look around reveals that the outsiders have begun closing in on us. They all seem rabid.

I struggle and scream to get loose, but I can’t. I only have time to look around one more time before the outsiders are on top of us. My body and those of Fe, Ev, 80, and Rene get torn to shreds. As they rip the last parts of my flesh and eyes out, the white abyss that once surrounded me turns pitch black.

There is nothing there. I can’t feel my body or see anything, but my consciousness just floats in the black. The only thing I feel is fear. Dark, black fear.

CHAPTER XIV

My body is drenched in sweat when I wake up. The aches in my body and burning in my eyes tell me that it’s still very early. I know I can’t go back to sleep, so I take my time in the shower and getting ready. I replay what I saw with Joey and Dr. Kivuli in my head.

After I put on one of the jumpsuits that I retrieved from my old room, I make my way to find Rene. The hallways are relatively empty, except for a few drones. Most of them pay little attention to me, but a couple stare at me intensely, making me uncomfortable.

I knock on Rene’s door, and just as I am about to turn away, he answers. “Morning, Atom. You’re up early.”

“I couldn’t go back to sleep.” I walk past him into his room. “I have some information.”

Rene looks into the hallway and then closes the door. “What is it?”

“I was walking around the compound last night and overheard something,” I say.

He sits on his bed and places his breathing mask over his face. He looks weak, and it makes me ill. Even without the Ragnarok, he wouldn’t have much longer anyway. Rene waves his hand, urging me to continue.

“As I said, I was walking around the compound, and I happened to be in the area behind the library. I saw Dr. Kivuli and a man called Joey talking.” I