What Lies Beneath

Warnings: I’m quite new at writing slash, frankly. This fic contains violence and some gore. If you don’t like boys lusting after boys, then shoo! Go away! There will be rape, but waaaayyy later. Sorry for you guys who crave that…
Disclaimer: Mine damnit! No touchie, unless you wanna use these bishies in one of your stories. I’ll read it then and review…

A/N: Yay! I got one review! I was actually surprised how quickly I got it…
Part I: Epicenter
Chapter I

I was dubbed a Miracle Child. I was named after the Apocalypse that destroyed the world before my birth. I was told that in 2103, the men had created such havoc in their pursuit for energy and power that the world had been engulfed in a glow of lethal heat, eradicating civilizations, nations and men. Thus, science once more, in the hands of greedy men had fostered the destruction of the world.
Slowly after the explosion, the survivors, and the scientists who were sensible enough to protect themselves emerged. Then came the culminant point of man’s scientific creations. A new generation was born: a generation of rare human specimens. They were not simply human, but perfected through minute genetic modification. They created us apt with high learning capabilities, without forgetting the increased abilities that led to strange results. We marked the end of an ancient era, and the dawn of a new one.
By the year of 2105, emerging from test tubes, they gave us categories of numbers and letters instead of traditional names. Of course, we were only test subjects kept tightly locked away from the world. We were all of different ages, and I was the youngest. My name was esset 01 and the rest came as followed. Note the names were invented on our own.
Seth Reynolds: L02
Selina Coppertone: N03
Jordan Ash: I04
Steven White: K05
We never had any real parents, and the only place we could call home was the Institution where we had been conceived. It was unfair for us five but we learned soon enough that life was not fair. We learned it the hard way.
By that time I was ten years old, Seth was a year older than me. Selina and Jordan were both thirteen and Steven was fourteen. It was he who led the way to our escape. The strange results ended with the emergence of supernatural powers beyond human conception. All of us used those abilities to our best advantage. Steve had the ability to shapeshift. Jordan controlled electricity, Selina was a Possessor: a very dangerous ability indeed. With a mere touch, she was able to control anybody at her own whim. Seth was a telepath and a telekinetic and my gift was strange. I had a hard time determining what it was, and I still do now.
I have this ability to tune into the energies of the earth and control them. This meant I could grow any kind of natural life on earth with the energy I could draw out from the earth and myself. I can control the elements, the plants and all living beings. I can also sense different energies around me. Call it strange, or anything, I found it very useful. In many ways it saved my friends and I. So in other ways, I am also able to give energy, thus heal. But I cannot resurrect dead people. I would have done anything just to bring Selina and Jordan back from the dead.
On that day, the 13th of June 2119, we knew that we had to escape. The so-called tests that they made us go through were cleverly disguised as games and tasks until we got smart and realized that we were mere lab rats. And we did not like the idea of being considered as instruments. We saw ourselves as human beings. Despite the fact that we were superior to the normal human due to our preternatural speed, agility and our senses, we still felt human. After the escape I came to realize that we were human, no matter the biological makeup.
The escape was pure, simple and efficiently organized. Through Seth’s network, we had formed a plan. Shapeshifting and the control of electricity proved extremely useful for tricking the security guards into believing we were still in our cells, when in fact, we were gone.
High IQ and learning abilities added to our plethora of skills Because of this, we managed to coordinate in a way our supervisors would have never anticipated. After we had cleared the premises, running in the dense forest of the wilderness surrounding the lab, Jordan started a fire through an electric shock. We did not want the lab to construct a whole new species of genetically modified beings to be brainwashed and used against us. I remember Seth holding me up when I tripped and fell. The others face wrinkled with concern. Being the youngest, they took it upon themselves to keep me safe. We had made acquaintance pretty easily because of the situation we were in.
Now you’re probably wondering how my friends looked like. Well we made a very unusual bunch, if you hadn’t figured it out already. Steve’s features were the essence of contradiction. His hair was almost white, flaxen blonde, in shaggy locks, eyes of the deepest black I had ever seen. His eerie nature frightened me. An iciness about him barely toned down by Jordan’s attempts settled around his core.
Jordan reflected the calm and collected energy that resided in him. The distinctive color of his eyes reminded me of the peaceful mountain lakes. His hair colored fair and light. He was the weakest looking of us all, but perhaps the most generous. He had compassion for all of us, and displayed friendliness with equal tenderness.
Selina, who could have been my twin, was perhaps the person I admired the most, due to her indomitable spirit. Her energy thrummed with such optimistic views of the world. I would find myself wondering if she ever got depressed. If she did, she rarely showed it. She displayed the vitality that lay dormant in all of us. She impersonated the fire of our beliefs, the fighter of our cause. When actions were needed, it was she who jumped in first. When decisions needed to be taken, it was she who enforced them.
Of course, at that time, we still had not developed into our full personalities so I hint at the later years when our paths crossed again. I say this because right after we left the place of our birth, piled up in ashes of destruction, we disbanded and went our separate ways. We thought we would be able to make a living of our own and did not see the utility of uniting any further. Our truce had been valid only in the circumstances of our escape and that was it.
Seth decided to stick up with me, and together, we made it to civilization, in dire need for food and shelter. We had not planned beyond the getaway, so we were basically stranded. Seth ended up proposing we hitchhike. Now, we were mere children, but people tend to forget that we were far from normal and we had matured faster than any other child. But I was still too innocent and shy to take a decision and it was Seth who took it for me. I was still considered the Benjamin, endowed with the juvenile innocence that many attribute to youths.
However, I knew that Seth was different in many ways than me. He had grown up quickly, often protecting me from the temperament of the laboratory scientists. In my eyes, he was the strong one that could take on almost anything, who protected me from the wrath of our supervisors. With the others, he worked as the facilitator between the five of us, and assumed most of the responsibility. He would reason with Steve to try to make him more cooperative and less arrogant. With Jordan, he would reassure him much like he did with me when the adults lashed out in anger. With Selina he tried to reason her headstrong temper. Right now, he showed mild fear, tugging my sleeve towards the edge of a lonely road.
“Let’s just hope a car will drop by.” He muttered, wiping away droplets of sweat. He nervously looked around for any signs of danger. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
I confirmed with a nod. “Yeah. I used my powers to heal myself so I should be fine. You know, since we’ve only numbers for names, I say we start giving ourselves real names.”
Our next target came in the form of a lone man in a flying car, probably on his way towards the main city. The countryside and certain parts of towns and cities still remained on the ground. He hovered by us, a concerned look on his face.
“Aren’t you kids too young to be out by this hour?” He leaned over through the passenger seat. His pleasant and groomed face smiled in greeting beneath fair hair. He wore loose tan slacks and a navy blue sweater. As for us, we wore flimsy jeans and shirts, having forgotten coats or sweaters in our haste. The wind blew harshly, tugging at our hair. “You sure you’re okay?”
We nodded. Seth took over, face guarded from emotion. “We would like you to bring us to Deltoid City.”
The man frowned, but did not question us further. I could still feel his puzzled confusion in his close scrutiny namely me. “Maybe I should contact police and…”
“That will not be necessary.” Seth cut in with a voice trenchant with danger. We certainly did not want any official authorities to hunt us. As far as we were concerned, they were already on the hunt. “Just bring us to the edge of the town and we’ll take it from there.” Without any further comments about the odd request, he drove on. The rest of our conversation happened in our thoughts.
‘Do you think he’ll turn us in?’ I could not help the worries pouring through our link.
Seth gave me a smile. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll erase the memory of him seeing us so he won’t bother us.’
‘I’m glad you have that gift of yours. It sure does come in handy.’ I replied, resisting the urge to smirk. Instead, I sighed and snuggled up to him. The mad dash out of the institution had drained me. I fell asleep amidst my friend’s soft words.
Seth shook me awake. “Wake up. We’re here.”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” The man insisted, looking me over worriedly. I understood him. It was not often young people our age would be running away and unwilling to go to the police.
“We’ll be fine.” Seth insisted then propelled me out of the car. Here was actually the worst part of Detloid city, but also the best hiding place ever: the Underworld. In this place, nobody bothered asking questions, and nobody cared, as long as you whad the guts to survive to survive. And we certainly took up the challenge. We had to be, for what was to come. After Seth finished erasing the man’s memory, we headed off towards the streets, and towards what looked like the center of this slum area.
“Are you sure this is the right way?” I questioned, as we stumbled through a landscape of spilled trash and machine carcasses.
Seth paused for a while, turning to me in frustration. “What would you have me do? We need a place to hide and some food and shelter. As far as I know, this is a good place. We’ll just have to learn how to live on the streets.”
This was a euphemism to what we would go through. But I did not complain, merely following him. The first nights, we slept through various empty warehouses, feeding on the small rodents we managed to catch. Somehow rummaging through one of the warehouses, we had found a camping stove. Cooked rat meat. That is what we ate for three full days.
My stomach retched it, but I forced myself to keep it down so that my body could function. I was glad I still had a pouch with the seeds I had been practicing to grow at the belt of my jeans. I pulled a tomato seed out and grew it. When it was done, Seth appreciatively took one of the ripe tomatoes and I followed. We needed real food fast.
“I’m starving. If we don’t find any real food fast, I’ll collapse.” I groaned, clutching my stomach. Another sigh made me wish I could be in a warm comfy bed with real food. At least, at the Institution…
“You can’t mean you regret leaving that horrid place.” Seth bristled when he heard my thoughts. “It was torture out there, using us like that for their own selfishness.”
I hesitated, picturing the last days. They had been particularly harsh and unyielding, pushing me to the limits of my endurance. When neither of us would obey their orders, they would lock us up in what soon came to be, the dungeon. It was a cold, dismal place so dark it spawned many of my nightmares as a child. None of us had evaded a few nights in that horrible place.
I knew what Seth meant. “Yeah. I hate being their guinea pigs. They never bothered giving us real names or talking to us as if we were persons. I can never forgive them for that.” I sighed once more, bringing my knees up against my chest. “So I guess you’re right. I would rather make my own decisions than have someone govern my life.” A moment later, I fell asleep, my body gradually shutting down. On the fourth day, Seth told me he would be going out to ask for some work.
“I want to go with you.” I insisted, just as he made for the street. “I won’t stay here alone.”
An internal struggle reflected on his face, and finally accepted. “Fine, but you do exactly as I say.” With no further comments, we made it outside, just as the rare rays of sunlight peaked through the smog.
The lingering smell of pollution clung to the air, to our clothes and hair, leaving us with a burning itch in our throats. In the decrepit street, refuse of all sorts littered the streets. Fossils of ancient civilization erected the scummy world of the poor in a portrait of crumbling granite buildings and food wrappers.
We entered a sorry excuse for a shopping area. The shelves sagged, walls yellowed with urine and filth, the linoleum caked with dust and dirt. Not only the filthy shelves, but the food looked like it had been sitting there for decades, emanating a pungent odor that infected the very store. The air clung around the store in such a heavy fog of infestation that a sword could have cut a hole through it. The clerk looked just as worse. I began to wonder if the infected air did this to him. He was haggard in soiled clothes, greasy hair hanging in lumps while his pasty face inspected us.
“Whaddya young ones want?” His gruff voice scared me, especially when those eyes narrowed on me. “Aintcha too young to be lurking here?”
“Excuse us sir, but we would be awfully grateful if you could provide us a job.” Seth worked on his charms to lull the clerk. His eyes became complacent and adopted a begging stance. He looked me from head to toe, then switched to Seth, an evil grin lighting his face up.
“I got a good job opening for ya, but it won’t be here. You’d be best working at the bar a few blocks from here. The bar across from here could very well use your pretty flesh to attract more customers.” With a predatory gleam in his eye, he motioned a shrewd man looming to the side, who had secretly been eyeing us for some time. I could not resist a blush at those last words. They had been so blatantly sexual. “Thorny here will show ya.” With a wave and a grunt, the tall lanky man guided us out into the street.
His elongated face spoke volumes as to what he thought of us and I had to say that the curious eyes did nothing to reassure me. He wore a tattered suit and a hat. “Welcome to the Underworld.” He swept the desolate place with an enthusiastic wave. Note the sarcasm. “If you’re here for a living, ya can’t expect much from this place. You’re new ones here aren’t you?”
Seth did the talking for us. I stayed rather diminutive, intimidated by the man. “Yes. How did you know?”
“Your accents and your faces are not familiar. I know just about everything that goes on in this place.”
“So what is there to know?” Seth’s eyes flashed hard amber as they scrutinized our guide.
“If you’re not part of any of the gangs, then you’re safest not meddling with them. There are currently three gangs now, each battling for territory. They sometimes have street fights, as well as organized tournaments. Since you’re free game, it’s best if you remain that way. Some may end up wanting to claim you, but I’ll make sure you’re unharmed.” He grinned toothily, twirling a blade. “Sides I think I’ve taken a liking to you two.” I raised a brow at the mention of free game but did not insist any further.
Seth in my head echoed his reassurance. ‘There’s nothing to worry about. I’ll make sure you’re safe.’
Smiling at the mental encouragement, I squared my shoulders as we cleared the doorframe of the bar. The sight expelled the air from my lungs. The place was packed with literally all sorts of people. Lithe sculpted men in low leather pants and short crop tops, obese slobs, slut females and of course, whores. Seth must have seen me cringe, because he walked back to me and encircled my shoulders.
‘You have my word, Nick.’ Seth touched me gently through our telepathic link. His soothing presence comforted me. I nodded and straightened out my face. The overbearing stench of sweat, stale urine and alcohol swirled around us in an almost comforting blanket. Thorny led us to the bartender who grinned when he saw him, then nodded when his eyes landed on us.
“New ones, I presume?” the bartender turned to us, a handsome young man in his late twenties, with a smooth clean-cut complexion and ebony slicked back hair. Fine eyebrows etched over intense golden eyes that flickered with malice. “My name’s Finney. I will be providing you with some work, even though I know you’re not legally old enough.”
He ceremoniously passed us behind the counter and towards the back kitchens. He guided us the dishwasher and the piles of unwashed dishes. Repressing a mental sigh, I plunged into my work with Seth along my side.
When I finally got a hold of a date and year, I was serving out shots to a few tables. We were the fourth of July 2119. How ironic. The national day. I couldn’t say that our nation had really done anything to protect us or make us feel welcome to the world.
After deflecting a few advances from sleazy customers, I dropped off my orders then made it back to the counter, where Finney was busy wiping up. A few days and we had already learned a few tricks. For example, refusing a customer’s too obvious pick up lines with gentle smiles without offending her or him.
In the few weeks we had started working here, Finney had also taught us a bit about self-defense and street-smart tips. I greatly appreciated his help. I did not know why he was dedicated to us so much, but I knew that he was a person that did not deserve to even be in this dump.
“What’s new today, Finney?” I inquired, always curious about the street gang news, in order to avoid them.
“Well, the Creepers have been at it again, against the Ravens. They’re one of the most notorious ones in the area. Nobody’s ever dare to provoke them.’
I tugged at a lock of my own hair I had grown to my shoulders. It had grown unruly, despite the miraculous shampoo we had dug out from the same grocery store we had stumbled into. Of course no hair-dressers resided in the area and we wouldn’t have the money anyways. We found out that the sales clerk’s name was Orson and that he had taken a liking to us too. It seemed a lot of people in the neighborhood did.
“Well I don’t count on running into them at all.” I paused for a while, taking a break against the counter. “I wanted to know, Finney…” He arched a brow as I trailed off.
“What‘
“Why are you being so nice to us?”
A fleeting expression of affinity crossed his face. “I don’t really know. You kind of remind me of my younger brother I lost a long time ago, and Seth is someone you could only want to help.” A smile tugged at his lips. “I wasn’t always in this dump, you know. I used to live in the better part of Deltoid city, but a set of accidents forced me to come down here.” I waited for him to continue, as Seth walked up to us. He grabbed a barstool and hooked his feet around it.
“My brother and I did just fine. I was working my way to college and paying his medical bills. He was sick with a costly disease that dried me out until I could not pay anymore.” His voice trailed off in profound sadness and I realized the pain he must still be going through. He was so overrun with the hospital bills that he couldn’t pay anymore. How terrible could that be?
“I’m sorry.” I whispered, finally taking up the next order and placed it on my plateau. Finney put his emotionless face again, but I could feel it deep inside me. Seth did not say a thing, but merely nodded to him, then disappeared to the back to finish his own load. We had worked up enough money to rent ourselves a modest apartment just over the bar, nothing fancy. Rent was cheap in such decrepit places.
After the shift, Seth and I walked up to the roof where we usually had our practice spars. Despite our wish to appear normal, we could not deny our more deadly instincts that honed our senses. We had been developed to become perfect killing machines, despite the fact we did not want to admit it.
‘But if we accept that darker part of ourselves, we can cope’ Seth completed through our mind link. I agreed, reluctant to give in to that side. ‘It’s not wrong to experience other facets of ourselves. We can cope with ourselves like this. Even if we kill, we will never let go of our conscience.’
I acknowledged this with a sinking heart because this was what we were. I came to realize this when we had come upon the files of the scientific lab before we had made our escape. We were to be the weapons of modern science. But did that give us the right to kill? Yes it does. What they did to us is unforgivable. Never forgive the bad ones. They deserve death just as the victims they have indirectly hurt.
With a firm nod, I faced him, assuming a fighting stance, opening my senses for any opportunities. He did not leave me the pleasure of catching him off guard, though. We met each other with the ruthlessness of lethal predators but with agility of jungle cats. A dance of punches and well placed kicks ensued, with neither of us gaining an advantage because we both blocked and evaded so well. Seth was more advantaged due to his long limbs and his reach, but I was faster thus making me nimbler.
Our breaths mingled and accelerated as we reached a climax to our playful spar. He snagged a staff, and I, ninchuks Seth had snatched from an abandoned weapons factory. Skillfully, I spun the weapon around me, catching it with each hand, blocking and striking with all the knowledge I had absorbed from our earlier training sessions.
Seth managed to catch my face, and a bruise already formed on my cheek. I retaliated in time with the crack of the wooden extension of my ninchuks to his neck, then twisted the metal chain around his throat, grabbing the second wooden stick in a deadly choking grip.
“Seems you have absorbed more than I thought.” Seth said through the deadly hold. Yet somehow, he managed to disengage himself from my grip and his staff swiped my legs, throwing me off balance.
I landed painfully on my ass and lay back there, panting lightly. “Not fair. You always win.”
“Cuz I’m older than you.”
“That’s still not a reason!” I protested, as I pursed my mouth. I let go of my weapon and stretched my arms out in front of me. “I bet you anticipated my moves by roaming through my head!”
“Did not!” Seth shot back, rapping me on the head.
“Ow! That hurt!” I whacked him in return. We ended up in a playful tumble. After a time, we ended our fight and took sips from our water bottles, then lugged down our weapons to our room. Since we had no private shower in our bathroom, the communal shower hid in the back of the building surrounded by a wooden fence. Seth opted for a nap while I went out for a shower, towel slung over my shoulder.
“I’ll be back in a few.” I bent down to give him a quick hug, and walked off to the public showers. To my relief, the shower was empty. Peeling off my sweat-drenched clothes, I recalled all the troubles we had gone through. Upon arrival, I had been frightened at the prospect of coming in this urban jungle, but I had quickly grown into a stronger person intent on surviving in this savage neighborhood.
This environment and my special training with Seth and Finney taught me to develop my senses and my awareness to any threatening presence. And now, it came back with a vengence, as I stepped into the shower of lukewarm water. I strained my ears to sense any footsteps or breathing lungs, but none registered. So why was my mind buzzing danger? Quickly, I went about my business. I was not about to whimper in fear about a peeping Tom that did not even exist. You’re being stupid. If anybody were watching, you’d know it. My rational mind tried to reassure me. I let go of that nagging sense of danger and rinsed off, tipping my face against the jets. I relished the feel of warm water against quivering muscles, forgetting the worrisome presence. It’s probably a cat or a dog.
After a moment, I twisted off the knob and toweled myself off. As I tied a it around my waist, I opened the makeshift stall and went about to fish for my clothes.
My heart somersaulted just as the breath froze in my lungs. My clothes had vanished! But that couldn’t be possible! Now what could have happened! I angrily looked around for the thief. I trained my eyes and ears for the intruder. Before I could open my mouth to speak, a package fluttered to the ground, at my feet from the roof of a taller neighboring building. Curious, I unbound the string keeping the parcel together. They were brand new clothes.
“Now who would do this?” I wondered aloud, fingering the clothes. “Surely not Seth.” Pushing away puzzled thoughts, I examined the clothes more closely. I held a fresh pair of boxers, socks, black shorts and a deep emerald green v-neck t-shirt. Why would anyone bother to offer me new clothes? I mean I actually needed new ones, but why in this fashion? When my fingers fluttered over a piece of paper, I frowned, unfolding it. My eyes scanned over it, and widened.
To a beautiful rose, who has yet to bloom.
What the hell, clumsy love poem from a secret admirer? Give me a break! This is so stupid! Rolling my eyes, I half-heartedly pulled on the clothes, since there were the only ones I had and pocketed the message. I would have to tell Seth about it. I had just recovered from a major escape and was still in hiding from official authorities, I did not need a foolish person courting me.
‘What’s the matter Nick?’ Seth’s warm voice filled my head.
‘Dunno. Someone took off with my clothes and left other ones in exchange, and a stupid note.’
‘Hn. I would advise you to keep up your guard up then.’
I acknowledged my friend’s warning and quickly trodded it back to our flat. He frowned then gave me another look over when I walked through the doorframe.
“That person sure has taste, though.” Seth grinned. “Green brings out your eyecolor.”
“Stop it!” I blushed, swatting his head and headed out to the kitchen to prepare dinner. “What’s left in the fridge?”
“Nothing much, I’m afraid.” Seth sighed. “I’ll go run down at the store if you want. Anything you need in particular?”
I shook my head, fixing up leftovers and eating them at record speed. “I need to go on my second shift for the afternoon anyway. I’ll tell him you needed to go do some shopping. I’m sure he will understand.” I gave his hand a gentle squeeze then skipped downstairs. Finney arched an eyebrow when he saw me in my new attire. His approving once over induced a flush across my cheeks.
“Hey there, Nick!” He called out, with a friendly wave. “Looking good.” He broad ear to ear grin accompanied a wink. A few whistles followed at my heels. Head hung, I quickly pulled on my apron and my notepad.
“Rest assured, those are not clothes I usually choose.” I warned him, throwing an angry look. “Someone stole my clothes while I was in the shower and dropped these, so I had to put them on.”
“Well I’d say you look delectable in those clothes.” A Chesire grin stuck on his face.
I waved away the compliment and rolled my eyes. My physique had often attracted looks and unwanted attention, but these clothes offered more than I would have wanted. First, I thought the shorts were too short, the shirt a little too snug on my upper body and showing a little too much of my belly.
Vaguely irritated, I walked up to the new table of disgusting loads of men. They were the worst species and their leering eyes rubbed me raw. It seemed they eyed me more as prey in the eyes of a predator.
Well, they had to know sooner or later that this prey had teeth. “When you’re done ogling me, maybe you could give me your orders.” I was so not in the mood for being pleasant now. I played a dangerous game, attracting even more stares but I was tired of playing nice obedient puppy dog.
One of the men in his late teens bore a long scar running down his cheek. His companion in ripped denims and a blue open shirt grinned with a feral glimmer and waggled an eyebrow suggestively. Their ages were difficult to gauge, but I placed him at about fifteen or sixteen.
“Ya know, we’d actually like to have you. Why don’t you join us for a drink?”
He gestured to a sweating beer bottle.
I scowled at the implications. “Sorry, but I’m on a shift right now. I’m paid for my work.” I snapped irately. A third boy presumably the oldest of them all wore black leather pants and a navy blue blazer with nothing under. His muscled chest ran with inked tattoos. “Now if you’re not ordering anything…” The beast in me howled in impatience but I beat it back into submission, heading off to another table.
A hand shot out, catching my wrist. The force of the grip surprised me, and my breath shoved back into my lungs as I stared wide-eyed at the imposter. It was the oldest one. Fiery golden eyes narrowed on me.
“You know, you need to be taught a lesson.” Long fingers hovered across my bare leg. Instincts screamed danger.
“Get off me!” I growled, struggling with his grip. This only served to make the others chortle in scornful laughter.
“Hey boss, when you’re done, leave some fer us!” The scar man joked, throwing his head back in glee.
I bristled in anger to conceal the shame. From the corner of my eye Finney’s alarmed face contrasted with the curious stares from the other tables. Since I had already started a scene, the only thing I could do was save my innocence.
The boss suddenly yanked, causing me to stumble even closer into his arms and his warm wet breath on my neck made me shudder. “I said leggo!” I yelled in one last attempt to warn him. Unfazed, I sighed. Nobody was going to help me anyways. I grabbed his groping hand and snapped them in the opposite angle earning a painful yelp from the brute above me.
I bounced away from the heavy slap he gave me. I recovered from the tumble in a shoulder roll and came up on my knees, a bestial growl in my throat. Gone was the little boy façade and the animal instincts surged fighting for its life.
Scar face lunged for me in a pitiful attempt to punch me, but I sailed above him tucked in a neat flip. I landed a few paces from him, a side kick plowing through his vulnerable ribs. As the crunch of broken bones accompanied his graceless fall to the ground, I followed with a crunch of the elbow.
My supernatural speed shocked the crowd. I dodged the young man with ripped denims. He waved a switchblade now, and the tables were turned. Or so the opponent thought. I feigned defeat.
“You’ll pay for that you scoundrel!” He threatened. “I’ll teach you how to behave!” The knife flew towards me. His speed took me by surprise and I barely evaded the slash as I flipped over him, facing in his back. His swift about face cost me a nasty gash to my collar bone.
I barely flinched at the pain too concentrated on keeping up a defense. Bad luck clung to me as one of the goons recovered and came to me with a sword. Shit! Outnumbered.
The knife man stiffened jerking in a pantomime and suddenly fell forwards lifeless. In quick strokes I assessed the threat and encountered a shocking sight. A boy, who could not have been older than twelve of thirteen grinned, an arrogant smirk aimed at me. His clothes were odd. He wore shorts matching mine and a deep purple crop top. His eyes radiated amethyst and his silken crimson hair, was caught in a high ponytail. A belt of throwing knives and darts cinched at his waist, a sword flashing from his other hip. He produced another dart, from delicate hands instantly immobilizing the swordsman.
“This boy is off-limits…” He stabbed me with a piercing glare. You would think that a boy his age would have a small voice, but this one belonged to an adult who had learned to live on the streets. “He’s mine, so nobody touches him. Understood?”
Apparently, the implied threat worked because they backed away. Why did this happen to me? There was no way I help from a boy who thought he owned the place, and especially me. I opened my mouth to protest but when I caught a flash of his eyes, I was mesmerized. Only when I recovered did he flaunt me a maniacal grin.
“Well, the beautiful rose has thorns.” My gaze snapped up. That clothes thief! Anger skyrocketed.
“Hey! You clothes theif!” In my haste to jump at his throat, I stumbled on one of the fallen attackers. He materialized before I could fall graceless. He met my death glare. “I don’t need protection, you know.”
He deflected my anger never loosing that cool gaze. He whispered, he whispered eyes half-mast. “Of course. You handled yourself quite well on the roof.”
A startled gasp escaped my lips. “Hey what do you mean…” He cut me off with the most efficient of things. His lips sealed over my own, taking full advantage of my parted lips to dart his tongue inside my territory. Too numbed to react, he pulled away lips running across my lower lip then dashed off. A blush of epic proportions blossomed across my face. Despite my protesting mindvoice telling me this wasn’t right it felt, well, so good. I did not know until now that my sexuality could be doubted. But here it was.
“Nick!” The worried cry jolted me awake. Confused, I could only sag into his comforting embrace. “Are you alright? Did he hurt you?”
I shook my head, finding my words. “He protected me…” I cut out the odd choice of words the boy had used. He’s mine. What did that mean? That I was this little boy’s property? Who did he think I was? Some toy he could fool around with?
“Come on, let’s get you washed up…” He pulled me away from the scene of violence and firmly guided me with a hand on my elbow. “Are you sure you’re okay? How is your wound? Did they touch you?” I shook my head mutely. What had happened was to be expected in such a broken down bar, the clothes not helping either. But with only these clothes, what else was I to do?
‘We’ll go to the mall and buy you some other clothes.’ Seth replied, reading my thoughts. ‘I agree. You shouldn’t be exposing yourself like that. Now we’ll have to push away every advance from other sleazy customers.’ This irritated Seth beyond my understanding.
He seemed angrier than I would have expected from him, as a friend. He almost reacted with… jealousy. Of course, I took care to shield those thoughts from his prying telepathy. I had been taught since a small child how to form mental barriers around my thoughts and I was grateful. If Seth knew what I was thinking now, he would get mad.
Back in our quarters, I tore off the shirt in rage and gingerly ran my hands through my wound. A flow of energy warmed the cut into soothing heat, gradually healing. I opened the eyes I did not realize I had closed and saw Seth standing there. The bemused expression remained even as he smiled.
“That gift comes in handy, doesn’t it?” That rare smile that revealed his true self only made him more beautiful. He rarely showed the caring and loving part of him. It was so different from his serious personality.
“Yeah, but it’s not always good for offensive attacks.” I paused, making an inventory of my gift. “Unless you count controlling elements or channeling energy as offensive.”
“It’s not that bad you know. You are lucky in a way.” Our proximity shrank as he fell into the couch next to me. “You have a gift that enables you to heal and give life to all living things around you. You nurture with your life force and energy. We only have gifts that are harmful and cannot help people…” His voice drifted into sadness. I knew right then that he missed the others. “Do you think the others are alright?”
Deep inside, I knew they were. “Of course. I know it inside me. Even though some of us were not willing to bond together, I know there’s some deep connection between all of u. Whether we like it or not.” That got me wondering why we had separated so dispassionately. Why had Steve always acted so cold towards the rest of us? “I just don’t understand why the others disbanded so easily. Why has Steve always been so cold with everyone?”
Seth sighed, shifting to lean against the couch, legs sprawled in front of him, arms crossed behind his head. “I don’t really know. I’ve tried to talk to him and get him to trust me, but he always cut me off. His mind is untouchable with impeccable walls. I think that since he’s the oldest one, he’s the one who was most affected by the Institution. And he probably felt responsible for all of us.”
“That’s not a reason for him to snub us as if we were vermine.” I replied, slightly miffed. “He held a particular dislike to me.”
“Don’t be fooled. I know that deep inside him, he cares a lot about you. Probably even more than all the others because you are the youngest one.”
I grimaced. It always came back to this. “Why does it always have to be about me being the youngest!” I abandoned the couch for pacing. “It’s always do this, do that, be careful because you’re the youngest…” Only when Seth put his arms around me did I gasp, frame stiffening as I realized I had overreacted.
“Yeah, but that’s what makes you so lovable…” I could have melted into him, loosing all sense as he whispered and nuzzled my neck. A shiver of pleasure coursed through me. It was this changed that frightened me. Somehow, I had started to look at Seth in a different light. This made things awkward. Who had first been the first to start the change? Was it him, or was it me?
I blushed as I used the struggle to conceal my embarrassment. The pragmatic/realist Nick did not want to admit it. The romantic Nick had been harboring a crush that would blossom into full-fledged love soon. This dilemma tore me as a whole. The object of my desire, still considered me as a brother, and the youngest team member. So how was I going to confess this to him, when he did not consider me in the same light that I did?
“Yeah, I guess I’m lovable, but I can bite too…” To demonstrate this, I nipped gently at the inside of his wrist. What the helk are you doing dropping hints? My reasonable self battered my head-over-heels-in-love-side into submission. I quickly let go, suddenly just as my face heated up.
Seth released me, sensing my discomfort but the sly grin did not leave his tempting luscious mouth. I looked away fighting to looknormal. Some sides of me seriously freaked me out even now. The gang leader’s face broke that fragile illusion.
“Oh Seth. I need to tell you that we have a spy in our midst.” I reported, recalling the earlier conversation. “He must have been watching our fight on the roof, and, he was the one who got me these clothes.” I then pulled out the note so that he could examine it. The air literally raised a few degrees as Seth’s anger boiled over. “He interrupted my fight with one of the guys and said to everyone to hear that…” The next words stuck in the back of my throat. It was just too embarrassing. He read the note once more then frowned in concern.
“Nick, this is serious. You can tell me. I won’t be mad or make fun of you.” He took my hand to give it a friendly squeeze. “I am your best friend. I will be with you all the way.”
I swallowed my pride and blurted it out in a rush. “He said I was off-limits and that no one could touch me, because I am supposedly his…”
Seth fumed, his brows furrowed. “What did he look like?”
“He had crimson hair and purple eyes, and he was wearing the same type of clothing I am wearing now… I don’t know why I haven’t sensed him eyeing us, though…”
“So how did you know he was watching us spar on the roof?” Seth’s eyes flashed hard stone, but not towards me. I feared the consequences. What would he do in retaliation? What if he tried to go after him and got hurt in the process?
“Well, he told me my beautiful rose has thorns. And I insisted I did not need protection. He replied that he knew because he saw me on the roof.” I fell into silence tense. I was nervous now, expecting a pair of angry amethyst eyes and admonishing taunts. Why is Lukas focusing on me when he knows Seth keeps an eye on me?
“Nick, from now on, I want you to keep the telepathic link you have with me constantly open so I can contact you. I know it probably won’t be possible for me to constantly look after you, but if you’re ever in trouble, don’t hesitate to call out.” He grasped my shoulders in a firm grip making sure I looked into his eyes. “Do you understand me?”
I swallowed past the ball of anxiousness and nodded. It reassured me to know that Seth cared this much for me. Yet the knowledge that unwanted eyes loomed over us dampened my mood. It was now late afternoon and I itched to dispel my pent up energy I had stored up since the fight. I needed some time to practice my gift as well. But first, work shift. It was almost three o’clock in the afternoon and I was off at six.
“I’ll finish my shift and then we could maybe spar after dinner. I need to practice my gift more often and so do you.” I declared. As I got up, Seth handed me a pair of black jeans and a midnight blue t-shirt. I sighed in relief. Thank God for normal clothes!
“I picked up a few clothes along with the groceries. You’d better get out of those that outfit.”
I squeezed his hand gratefully. “Thanks. I’ll see you later.” This time I headed downstairs armed with a dagger that fit snuggly in my hip sheath.
To my great relief, nobody else bothered me. Death glares tinged with admiration came my way. I could definitely handle glares. On my way to the bar, Finney had recovered from shock.
“Sorry… This happens sometimes.” He admitted sheepishly.
“Well that’s why I’ve been sparing with my friend…” I reassured him. “Gives me extra practice anyway. I won’t be caught off-guard next time. By the way, who was that boy?”
Fear transformed the growing smile into a frown. Finney tightened the grip on the towel he had been using to wipe away a glass. “He’s the leader of the Raven gang. They’re the most vicious gangs walking the streets just above the Creeper gang. The bunch of guys after you were just a minor gang… Luck stuck to you. And you’ve gotta be damn special to attract the attention of one of the toughest homeboys around. It’s not too often he lays claims on people like that.”
I snorted, shrugging it off. Inside a small pinprick of fear blossomed. “I still have to see him in for real. Anyway, it’s better if I don’t get involved in this.” I waltzed away tray in hand and weaved around to a new table. All the while, my senses tuned on full alert detected no uninvited spies. No matter how much training I had undergone, nothing turned up. Was I slacking or did he use a certain of technique to hide his presence? Whichever it was, it seriously miffed me.
Seth dropped down after a few moments, taking up his dishwasher shift and I felt more at ease. This led me to ponder about the location of the rest of the gang. Wherever could they be? Were they chances of meeting them in this place? The Underworld spanned many miles around, and the odds were very rare. At the end of the shift, I admitted defeat. No signs of any spy whatsoever. I nursed a cola on the barstool while Finney slid glasses in their overhead hanging positions.
“I would advise you to be watch out. Rival gangs are getting more and more violent in public, so you should not go out alone in the street. This is the Underworld after all.”
I agreed, twirling an ice cube in my fizzling drink. I idled there, leaning on the counter when new customers walked in. I froze. I switched to full alert mode in a matter of seconds. My eyes narrowed to slits, my hand tensed at the hidden dagger.
They did not belong to this place. They wore their casual clothes too impeccably. An aged man with gray sideburns glared at the place in disgust over his tub of fat. His two other associates younger in appearance nervously darted their eyes, the slicked back hair odd amongst the other customers. One was fair and the other dark, but obviously identical twins. They searched their surroundings and finally grabbed seats.
‘Suspicious people just entered the bar. They look like officials. They might be looking for us since our escape from the lab.’ I warned Seth through our link.
Seth’s mind voice barely quivered calm and commanding. ‘Okay. Don’t panic or you’ll attract more attention. They obviously don’t want to cause too much of a scene.’
‘Yeah. Underworlders don’t want officials in this neighborhood. What do we do?’
‘You up for some target practice?’
‘Definitely.’
I kept in mind Seth’s warning about the stun guns and assessed them in the predatory fashion I reverted to when threatened. Adrenaline pumped in my veins. The beast inside me screamed for action. Calming my instincts, I pushed off the stool with my tray. How did they track us? I wondered as I approached the table. Either they had captured some of us, or they had infected us with a tracer. I was bent on interrogation. I could feel Seth’s excitement as he prepared for battle.
“What will it be, sirs?” I chirped whipping my notepad in an almost innocent gesture.
The old man frowned then his features brightened in recognition. ‘Subject ß01, if you will please come with us.”
My face soured in distaste as I clipped my pen. “How much will it take for us to make you understand we are people, not lab experiments!” I flared my powers intent on battle. The click of a gun cued me. My tray became an ultimate weapon. The round edge knocked away the stun gun from the blond man. I whipped out my dagger. Too fast for him to even register, I lashed out with lethal intent. His throat splashed open with a spray of metallic crimson. Seth slipped behind me, using telekinesis to wrench the black haired man’s stun gun from his hand then, snapped his neck.
I transferred my gaze to the old man. A guttural sound rumbled from deep in my throat and the dagger pressed against his throat, a hair’s breadth away from slitting skin. “You’ll start talking before I kill you. How did you track us?”
The man kept still despite his situation. “We placed tracking devices in your bodies. You may kill us, but we’ll find you eventually.”
“Bullshit! We’ll eliminate you all, you worthless scum!” In blood red anger, I dragged the dagger from ear to ear in a mortal blow. As the blood washed over me, I stood gaping. Is this really me? Have we turned into savage killers? I let go of the lifeless corpse, overcome with a wave of disgust. I did not want to be like this. I hated that part of myself, but this world gave me no choice. It was kill or be killed.
‘We always kill for a cause, don’t forget that, Nick. We are maybe killers, the necessary evil, but what we do is not in vain. In the end we make the world a better place.’ Seth’s reasoning reverberated in my head as I turned shimmering eyes to him. He enveloped me in a brotherly embraced holding me through my cries.
‘Why does it have to be like this? How could I be so ruthless?’ I demanded, thirsting for answers.
‘It’s not our fault if we were born with supernatural powers and people are after us. If we give in to them, we will just make the world more dangerous.’
It was true. Being born with these powers did not make us cold emotionless killers. It was not because we were not human that we were monsters or threats to humankind. It was the people who manipulated us that were threats.
‘We have to get rid of our trackers, Seth.’ I reminded him. A heavy silence settled around them as the crowd stared open mouthed. Finney as white as a sheet huddled behind the counter. Seth nodded eyes falling shut as he focused his powers.
“I have one in my left arm, and yours is in your right arm.” He said. I glanced at Finney.
“We’ll get rid of the corpses, and then, we’ll head back upstairs to wash up.” I said deadpanned. Finney could only stare mute, shock clearly written all over his face. I must have appeared as ruthless as a deadly killer right there. All of this lethalness wrapped up in the body of an innocent-looking child, without forgetting that I was the youngest amongst us.
Wordlessly, amongst the frightened buzz, we dragged the bodies to the back where I would soon burn them. Mops and buckets of water followed to erase the transgression. Moments later, the floor gleamed spotless.
“I trust you won’t spread rumors?” I warned Finney in a glacial voice. He shook his head bound by fear.
“No. Of course not. Anything like this would have happened anywhere here. You know there is no law here and no police force here.”
“Good.” I concluded. The bodies lay prone in the backyard. I bent down to search through their belongings and came up with a communicator.
“Are you sure you want to burn them?” asked Seth.
“Yeah. I’ll try to get a hold of Focus Labs and Science research facilities to make it clear that we do not want any people after us.”
“You know they won’t stop no matter how hard we try.”
“No harm in rattling them.” I insisted as I set fire to the bodies. Why had Seth suddenly started doubting our future? A fraction of a second later, the bodies were aflame. We fanned away the smell of burning flesh. All that remained were a bunch of charred bones, which we dumped in the garbage. Disgust still clung to my mouth like a lingering bitter after taste.
“You know in some ways, you’re scarier than I am. I mean, you killed with so much skill.”
“Sometimes the deadliest can be the weakest in appearance.” I replied as the com came alive in my hands.
“Jinney! Is that you?” A crackled voice exclaimed on the other side of the line. A grin upturned my lips. They had no idea what had happened. “What’s the matter? The com was jammed for a while and…”
“Subject ß01 here speaking. We have just eliminated your three men. Let this be a fair warning for Focus corporation. We do not want any more people after us. If you do, you will find yourself with a downsizing of staff.” My voice rang cold and hard, unbefitting for a ten year old. “Let this be your ultimate warning. The experiments from project Miracle will not tolerate anymore pursuers.” I flipped the com off and Seth crushed it. We then proceeded to the tricky part. Back in our apartment, we took our seats opposite each other in the kitchen, a gleaming knife between us.
Seth winced. “If we had Jordan, he would have located the bugger. Instead we’re left playing by ear and carving it out ourselves.”
An idea bloomed into fruition. “Hey I know! I built a metal detector during my free time.” Out of sheer lack of boredom, I had found that I had a knack in electronics and computer engineering. The device was the result. “let’s see if it works.” I rummaged through the recesses of my drawers that had started building up junk. The device could have been a simple metal detector, the different switches and buttons indicated otherwise. The laser easily picked out the foreign object and located it up in his arm. I marked it with a big X in marker. I proceeded similarly with my own body and soon I held the sharp blade ready for the bloody deed.
Seth handled the knife with skill. The blade sliced through his flesh like a knife through butter, only blood quickly flowed to the surface, dripping onto the table in thick puddles of crimson. Forcing down disgust and the pain shooting up my arm, I dug my fingers through slick flesh. Seth’s telekinesis made it easier for him, but his brows still scrunched. After much sweat and turmoil, the nasty bugs emerged. Seth crushed them in relief while I focused on closing our wounds. The process should have drained us, but we had been born and bred to take it. No words or complaint escaped my mouth as I mopped up the excess blood with care. When I was done, I lifted my eyes only to find him deep in thought.
“You think they’ll listen?” Seth questioned, referring to the Focus agents.
I dropped an arm around his shoulders in an attempt to ease his doubts. “Who knows? How about some sparing?” He responded in kind, favoring me with a affectionate headlock. I joined him on the roof, the rush of adrenaline already humming through my veins like a sweet addiction.
We decided to use our swords. I fell in love with the feeling of a sword in my hand. I delighted in the way it sang in the air as we stepped into our dance of death. Each of our movements were calculated with intelligent and precise aim. Inhuman speed and reflexes honed our senses making the spar even more enjoyable as each of us danced the thin line between defeat and victory; death and life. Step, thrust, dodge, regroup. Our movements became a succession of a lethal form. Sublime master of our trade, we were deadly killers cultivating that dark instinct within us. Fighters, we battled for our life, for our survival and enjoyed every minute of it.
The spar lasted for two hours straight, none of us gaining an advantage and neither faltering. Finally, for the sake of boredom, we halted. A sheen of sweat covered our trembling muscles and breaths coming in a little labored. Contrary to appearances, not even the minimum fraction of our full potential had been used. Part of our nature was built to survive even in the direst of conditions.
I knew that Seth had less moral qualms than me. He leaned towards efficiency and being the most practical one. Deep beneath that mask of feigned indifference, a soul and conscience lurked. It came up in rare moments of peace. In the role of the decision maker, the responsible one, he could not have any place for inner doubts. He just did what needed to be done and carried on. I on the other hand, burned little of what I had of judgment with passion and hotheaded decisions. This just proved how young I was and not ready to don the skin of a true predator. But I played the role very well. The ruthless kill, the way I disposed of the bodies and the spoken threat to the Focus laboratories corporation were all results of that. So maybe I worked more with my heart as opposed to my head, but when the job had to be done I did everything to finish it. As I faced the city with a sigh, the sun dipped down into the gray skies of the forsaken realm. It was the time for me to build my own future. The urge to out of my childish fantasies forced me into maturity. From the moment I lay eyes on the remains of the Underworld, changed called for me.
TBC.