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

I dream that I’m being chased by thousands of drones. They chase me through the hallways and out into the grounds of the compound. No walls surround the compound, so I can see the pyramid ahead of me. I run toward the pyramid, but I see Ev standing off to the side of it. She is calling me to her, but I choose to run toward the pyramid to escape the drones pursuing me. I run into an opening, and the drones stop outside and gather around the entire pyramid.

I wake up when the warmth of the morning sun hits my face. I might have slept through the night, but I know I’ll be sore today because the concrete roof offers no comfort. I eat one of my protein pouches and gather the blanket. I’m hoping to get a little more time in my bed before training this morning.

I crawl into my bed and fall right to sleep. I’m not sure how long I was out when I get woken up, but it doesn’t matter; my back is stiff. The pounding on the door amplifies the pounding in my head. I do my best to keep my balance as I walk to the door.

The door feels heavier this morning, and when I open it, I’m surprised to see my dad and Ev instead of Grant. Ev avoids any eye contact and is visibly upset. I want to apologize, but dad’s presence makes it difficult. It’s a private matter that doesn’t concern him.

“Oh good, you’re dressed,” Dad says as he pulls me out into the hallway. I look down and realize I never changed out of my jumpsuit from yesterday.

Before I know it, we’re walking down the hallways. “Where is Grant?”

“You will both train later. Right now, you’re coming with me because I think it’s about time I show you something.” His pace picks up, showing mobility I didn’t think he’d have at his age. He takes us through the last hallway to a door that has always been off-limits. I’ve only seen scientists come through those doors. He puts his hand up to a screen by the door and leans into it. “Rene Anfang.” A light scans his hand, and the door unlocks. He holds it open for Ev and me to walk through.

The halls in this part of the complex are red instead of the blue I am used to. I know that this is the area where the scientists sleep, but that’s about it.

Ev speaks up. “Where are we?

“This is the research and development wing.” Dad keeps walking, and we follow.

“What happens here?” I look around.

“This is where us scientists work and sleep. In that order.” He chuckles to himself; I don’t get it.

He leads us down a couple more hallways to an elevator. We get in, and he puts his hand on another screen. “Rene Anfang.” I can feel it taking us down. After a few moments, it stops, and the doors open. What I see is so overwhelming that I can barely take it all in. It’s a giant room filled with machinery and monitors. Around thirty scientists are working on the various equipment. In the center stand twelve giant tubes. Dad turns to Ev and me. “Welcome to the Center for Genetic and Obstetric Design, or G.O.D. This, Atom and Ev, was where you were created.”

She and I look at each other, not sure what to make of this information. Dad takes us down a set of metallic stairs to the ground floor. The clang of our feet hitting the metal steps pulls everyone’s eyes to us. I get a better look at the twelve tubes and can’t move. Ev takes my hand and grips it tightly. If she was at all angry with me from last night, the shock of what we see before us has changed her mind.

The first two tubes are empty, but the remaining ten have bodies floating in green liquid, five males and five females. It has never been a secret that Ev and I were created this way, but we thought we were the only ones. I feel betrayed, and I just want to run out of there, but I can’t look away. Each one of them has different skin tones and different hair colors.

Dad comes up behind us and puts his hands on our shoulders. “These, my dear Atom and Ev, are the other Genetic Systems. Together you will all be Earth’s regenesis. I know this doesn’t really make much sense to you, and I know you both have tons of questions, but I promise you it will all start making sense soon enough. The answers to your questions will make themselves known, but if I try to explain it all to you now, it will be too much for you to process.”

This catches my attention since Ev and I sit through hours of classes and are fed loads of information to retain in one pass. He’s not wrong, though. I’m seeing what is directly before me, and I have no idea what to make of it. What is the purpose of this? Does it rewrite the purpose I thought I had? I feel like I need to say something. “Why did you bring us down here?”

I don’t think he was expecting that question, because he takes a moment to answer. “These ten will be released tomorrow, and when they are ready, we are going to need you two to teach them. You both are a couple of months ahead of them, and we need you to catch them up to speed, especially in the training room. They will be looking at you two as leaders.”

“Is this why there were the other locked rooms in our hallways?” Ev speaks up. I haven’t thought about that, but it makes sense now. They’ve known that they were going to make twelve of us for a while.

My entire perception of who I am and where I am has been turned on