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

The fear rises in me again. If Atom succeeds, I die. Everyone dies.

“Stop!” I push away from the wall, angry at myself. The bed hits me behind my knees, and I fall back. These aren't thoughts I should be having. If Dr. Anfang knew, he'd kill me immediately. I was created for one reason only: to protect Atom, Ev, and the other Genesys at all costs. To sacrifice myself to ensure they live. But why? Am I not as valuable? Is my life worth less than theirs? I deserve to live!

A small tickle on my cheek snaps me out of my head. My reflexes send my hand to my face, and my fingers wipe away the culprit. Tears. I'm crying. I'm not supposed to cry. I fight it, but the more I fight, the harder it fights back. My chest hurts. It feels like it's collapsing in on itself.

“80!” Grant opens the door, startling me.

I stand up and face him. “Yes, sir?”

“Sit down.” He points to the bed and pulls up a chair for himself. I sit back, wiping the remnants of the tears from my face. He stares at me for what feels like hours, not saying a word. I find it hard to keep eye contact, but I hold firm. It's unnerving.

“Please don't kill me.” The words escape my mouth before I can stifle them.

“We aren't going to kill you.” Grant states. “Atom cares a great deal about you. Killing you could have very dire consequences on his development.”

I'm relieved, even though I know that if it weren't for Atom, I'd already be dead. “So, what happens now?”

Grant is taken aback by my brash response. “That's what I'm trying to figure out. We can't keep you here and have you be more of a distraction. I have some ideas, but I need to run things by Dr. Anfang.”

I don't know how to respond. I can sense a hint of compassion in Grant's voice. I nod.

“You'll have to be placed in confinement. I'm not sure how long, but I'll try to make your stay there as brief as possible.” He stands and heads to the door.

As soon as Grant leaves, the two drones who dragged me here walk into the room. I recognize them now. 164 and 44. They are both excellent Breekbal players and have rooms in the same building as mine.

“Let's go,” 164 orders. I don't say a word as I follow them out of the room and down a series of hallways.

I can't believe I used to be one of them. If it weren't for the patch over my eye, all three of us would look identical: black hair, black eyes, pale skin. As much as we appear the same, they seem alien to me. I remember how I used to think before I met Atom. It was all so simple; there were no layers. I can't imagine there’s much going on in their heads. While I feel as though my brain won't shut off.

Atom opened my eyes to the world. Before, I was merely alive. Now, I am living, and I don't want to waste this new opportunity given to me.

44 turns to me when we get in. “Why haven't they killed you?”

His question throws me off. 164's look tells me he is just as surprised. I know that Atom is the reason, but I don't know what to say to them.

“I don't know,” is all I can muster. None of us seems satisfied with the answer.

We weave down a couple more hallways and reach a metal door. Standing in front of it is a man twice my size. He’s a scientist and looks familiar, but he turns before I get a good look at his face. He places his hand on the pad next to the door and speaks some words to get the panels to open. It’s an elevator, and if the man plans on joining us inside of it, we won’t have much room left to breathe.

The two drones walk me in, but the scientist stays behind. I get another look at him before the doors close, and flash to when I was taken to the medical ward to fix my eye. He was there.

The elevator hits its destination, and the doors open. The smell that greets me is stale, and it stings like I inhaled dust. The cold air causes my skin to bump up. As we walk down the corridor, I take in my surroundings. Cells are built into the rocks that form the foundation of the compound. Bars extend from the ground to the ceiling, separating what must be over one hundred cells. As far as I can tell, all the cells are empty.

164 and 44 lead me five cells down and open the cell door. I walk in, grateful to have this, especially knowing what the alternative could have been. The door slams hard behind me as I take inventory of my space. There is a stack of protein pouches in the back right corner. In the back left corner is a small toilet built into the wall. To my left is a mat that I can only assume is my bed. I turn and see the elevator doors close. I'm alone down here. The silence is so loud that it's haunting.

I grab a protein pouch and lie down on the mat. The taste is sweet, but my mouth yearns for more of the chicken I got myself and Atom from the outsiders. I take another mouthful of the protein pouch. My eyes feel heavy, and my body needs rest. I close my eyes, and the darkness comes.

A loud clang wakes me from my slumber. I sit up and look toward the elevator. I'm not sure how long I was asleep, but I still feel groggy. The elevator doors open, and two drones drag a body into the cell across from mine. They dump it on the ground as if it were trash. There