Genesis

This room has been your "home" for as long as you can remember. Completely made of metal with only one way in or out, the room is cut off from the outside world. The only proof you have that it even exists are the small gifts that Maria, your caretaker, brings you. Pictures, small toys, and books portray a beautiful world, and you long for nothing more than to be able to be a part of it. You lay in your bed, your hands waving ever so slightly in front of you. With the movement of your hands a stuffed dog chases a stuffed cat above you. You hear the door to the room open. [[Sit up.]] [[References.]] {(set: $notebook to 0)} {(set: $Skylar to 0)} {(set: $Maria to 0)} {(set: $bat to 0)} {(set: $shock to 0)} {(set: $truck to 0)}

You sit up and throw you legs over the side of your cot. At the same time, the stuffed animals fall out of the air into your lap. Maria rolls a cart in and parks it next your bed and sits next to you. "Good morning," she says. [[Good morning, Maria.]] [[Say nothing.]]

Maria smiles. She pulls a stethescope from the cart and begins giving you your daily check up: heart check, blood preassure, eyes and ears. While Maria does all of that, you glimpse at the door where two large, burly men you've never seen before stand on either side. Once she's finished, you hold out your hand for your usual dose of "vitamins." Maria shakes her head. "No meds today, but I do have something else for you." She pulls a book from the cart and holds it out to you. "Happy Birthday, Genesis." It's a small thing, not much bigger than the palm of your hand, made of black leather. Etched on the cover, a silver "G" shimmers in the light of the single flourescent light hanging from the ceiling. [[ It is beautiful.]] [[Stare at the book.]]

Maria sighs. She pulls a stethscope out from her cart and begins your daily check up: heart check, blood preassure, eyes and ears. While she does that, you look at the door. Standing on either side are two burly men that you've never seen before. "All done," Maria says. You absently hold your hand out for your daily "vitamins." Maria returns her stethescope to the cart. "No meds today, but I do have something else for you. Happy birthday, Genesis." She pulls out a little black leather book. Engraved on the cover, reflecting the fluorescent light with it's metallic silver material is the letter "G." [[Stare at the book.]] [[Who are they?]]

You take the book, careful not to drop it. You brush your fingers gingerly over the "G." You open it. Written on the inside are the words "For your hopes and dreams." "I thought maybe you can write down stories or thoughts or dreams you remember." She hands you a pen. [[Thank you.]] {(set: $Maria to 1)}

Maria glances at the men standing guard at the door, a worried expression on her face. She pulls some folded clothes off her cart and holds them out to you. When you don't take the clothes from her, Maria closes her eyes and takes a shakey breath. "They are here to escort you to your Trial." [[Trial?]] [[Stay quiet.]]

You set the book next to you on the bed. One of the men standing guard clears his throat. "Alright," Maria says over her shoulder, a slight edge in her voice. She turns to you and smiles gently. "We've got to get you ready for your Trial." [[Trial?]]

You stare at the journal. "I thought maybe you could right your thoughts or dreams in it." You look at Maria. She gives you a weak smile. "You're a tough one." She sets the book down next to you along with a pen. You look back at the men at the door. [[Who are they?]]

You think back to the day before when they put you into the arena and forced you to fight a Bengal Tiger. You squeeze your eyes shut as you remember it's broken body lying on the dust floor, a dark pool of blood seeping into the dust around it Your hands start to shake. Maria puts her hand on your shoulder. "I'll explain on the way." The look on her face gives you no sense of relief. Without another word, she grabs a clean pair of clothes from the cart and hands them to you. "Just get dressed and let us know when you are ready to go." She gets up and rolls her cart out, closing the door behind her. With no other choice, you change into a your clean clothes and slip your feet into your tennis shoes. You look down at the the notebook and pen on the bed. [[Pick up notebook.]] [[Leave notebook.]]

You grab the notebook and the pen and slip them into your pocket. The door opens. Maria peeks her head inside. "It's time." [[Follow her out.]] {(set: $notebook to 1)}

You tuck the notebook and pen under you pillow. It won't do you any good in the arena anyway. The door opens. Maria peeks her head inside. "It's time." [[Follow her out.]]

<img src="Assets/hallway.jpg"> You follow Maria into the hallway. It's a lot brighter out here with the fluorescents reflecting off the prestine white exterior. Doors line the hall on both sides going in either direction. "Follow me," Maria starts down the right. You jog to catch up to her. "Everything you've endured since you were born has been leading up to today," Maria says. Maria leads you and the guards left through some doors and into another long hallway. She doesn't look at you, but you can see her eyes glistening ever so slightly. "Today...is your final test," she says. [[Isn't that a good thing?]]

Maria says nothing as she leads you to a large metal door. "Give us a moment," she says, taking your hand and pulling you a little ways back down the hall. The guards exchange looks but take their places at either end of the door without arguement. Maria lowers her voice. "This trial...this trial will tell them whether you'll be useful to them. You either pass and they use you as a weapon, or..." Her voice catches. She squeezes her eyes shut and takes a deep breath. When she looks at you again, her gaze is deteremined. "You are not a weapon. No matter what they make you do. You are not a weapon. You are good." The metal door where the guards stand rises into the ceiling revealing the open arena. "Do you you have your notebook?" {(if: $notebook is 1) [[Pull out notebook and pen.]]} {(if: $notebook is 0) [[I left it in my room.]]}

Maria sighs. "It's alright. It will be there if...when you get back." The metal door at the end of the hall rises, revealing the arena. "Be careful, Genesis." {(if: $Maria is 1) [[Hug Maria.]]} {(if: $Maria is 0) [[Nod.]]}

Maria takes the notebook and the pen from you. She flips to the first blank page and scribbles something down. "When you get out of there," she says, "I want you to read this. I know that it's usually the birthday girl that gets to make the wish, but this is my wish for you. Read it when you're safe." What does she mean 'when you're safe?' She closes notebook and hands it and the pen back to you. "Be careful." {(if: $Maria is 1) [[Hug Maria.]]} {(if: $Maria is 0) [[Nod.]]}

Your eyes begin to water as she squeezes you tight. A booming voice reverberates from the arena. "Enter." "Alright!" Maria yells over her shoulder. She turns back to you and smiles. "I love you, Gen." Before you can answer, the guards pull you away from Maria. They lead you to the now open door of the arena. For moment you just stare at it. So many times they've thrown you in here and forced you fight for your life against animals twice your size without any explanation as to why. Every time you managed to win. Why should today be any different? Yet...you can't get Maria's worried expression out of your head. Something big is waiting for you through that door. Something much more dangerous than anything you've fought before. With no other apparent options, you take a deep breath. [[Enter arena.]]

The metal door at the end of the hall rises, revealing the arena. Since you were ten, they've thrown you into the Arena expecting you to fight and kill animals much bigger than you with no reasoning except too survive. Every single time, you managed it. If this is the last time, then You should fight better than you ever had. Whatever they throw at you can't be any scarier than the beasts you've fought in the past. Steeling yourself, you take a deep breath. [[Enter arena.]]

The Arena is a large circle of a room with a dust floor, much like the ancient Roman colliseum from one of the books Maria brought you. Boulders are scattered around the space. There is no seating, but where the Emperor's box would be, there is a two-way mirror built into the wall. Your own golden eyes stare back at you. You know they are there. The people behind all of this. The experiments, the tests, the isolation. All of it has been because of whoever sits on the other side of that glass. "Welcome," a commanding, female voice booms over a speaker somewhere in the ceiling. "To your final Trial." [[Be quiet.]] [[What is with all the theatrics?]]

You think back to the day before when they put you into the arena and forced you to fight a Bengal Tiger. You squeeze your eyes shut as you remember it's broken body lying on the dust floor, a dark pool of blood growing around it You clench your fists. She places the clothes on your lap and stands. "I will be outside when you are ready." She gathers the rest of her things and exits the room, closing the door behind her. With no other choice, you change into a your clean clothes and slip your feet into your tennis shoes. You look down at the the notebook and pen on the bed. [[Pick up notebook.]] [[Leave notebook.]]

"This is a big day. Not only are you turning sixteen, your actions today will change the course of all of humanity." Another voice, this one male, speaks up. "Everything in your life has been leading you to this moment." The door that you came in from slides closed and another one not to far to your left opens. Standing there, flanked by two guards is a tall boy with dark hair. One of the guards pushes him into the Arena. The boy trips and falls onto the dusty floor. "Thanks for the great service guys," he says. "Five stars." The guard grunts and steps back, letting the door shut between them. The boy stands and wipes the dust off his clothes. When he sees you, his frown deepens. [[What is this?]]

Your eyes land on a mirror built into the wall about ten feet above you. "Welcome, 1," a female voice booms. You say nothing. Your face is stone cold as you stare up at the mirror that is no doubt two way to allow them to watch you from the other side. "Before we get to far, let's bring in your oppponent." The door that you came in from slides closed and another one not to far to your left opens. A boy tall, dark haired boy stands there with two guards flanking him. The guard on the left pushes the boy, causing him to trip and fall onto the dust ground. "Thanks for the great service guys," he says. "Five stars." The guard grunts and steps back, letting the door shut between them. The boy stands and wipes the dust off his clothes. When he sees you, his frown deepens. "What...?" His voice falters, eyes widening in understanding. The woman's voice pulls your attention back to the mirror. "The two of you are the only remaining participants in these trials that were scattered around the world. Subjects 1 and 19." In your peripheral, you see the boy clench his fists at his sides. [[...]] [[What happened to the others?]]

You put all you focus into pushing the word from your mind into his. At first nothing happens. He doesn't seem to react at all. Then you feel it. The slight buzz in your skull. //So you can read minds.// You sigh in relief. //We need to get out of here.// [[How?]]

"The two of you will use your current abilities and whatever others awaken to fight until one of you falls." "So you want us to kill each other?" The boy asks. More silence. "One of you may die, yes." You look at the boy. His stormy blue eyes become even darker. They aren't like the eyes of the animals you defeated. Rather than a raging hunger or desire to survive, you see concern and fear. //There has to be a way.// [[What if we refuse?]] [[There is no way out.]]

"Why don't you show us, 1?" This is a new voice. Another male, but instead of a harsh, calculating voice, this one is kinder, even through the distortion of the speakers. What do they want from you? You loook around the Arena. Your eyes stop on the boulder closest to you. You've never tried to pick up something that big before. You raise your hand and boulder rises with you. The boy gawks at you. Sweat gathers on your forehead from the effort. Unable to hold it anymore, you drop your hand. The space shakes from the impact of the boulder. "19?" The kind voice says. The stares at his hand for a moment. Suddenly, his entire arm erupts into flames. You step back instinctively. He frantically shakes the flames until they dissipate "Woah," he says. "And this is only the beginning." The first man says, a little to excited. "Thank you, 19." The boy closes his fist, extinguishing the flame. //My name is Skylar.// You say his name softly. He turns to you, a confused look on his face. "How did you-?" "Today will determine which one of you will move on to the next stage." [[What do you want us to do?]]

"Did you really believe you were our only participant, 1?" //Participant?// You flinch at the sudden voice. You look at the boy, but he doesn't seem to have heard anything. The woman's booming voice pulls your attention back to the mirror. "The two of you are the only remaining participants in these trials that were scattered around the world." "What happened to the others?" The boys asks. Silence for a moment, then... "They were not strong enough." You look at each other. "You both have always had abilities beyond those of regular humans. We have given you suppressants up to this point to keep you from losing control." The man clears his throat. "Over the past weeks, we have slowly lessened those suppressant doses in order to slowly unlock your full potential." [[What do you mean potential?]]

"We have ways of getting you to cooperate, 19." Her tone is laced with cold amusement. You look at the boy. He stares at the ground, hands are clenched in fist at his side. You wonder who or what they may be using to force him to do this. Then you think about what they could possibly use against you. You stiffen. Maria... A boulder nearby starts to tremble. "Now, now," The first man says. "There is no need to get upset. As long as you do what we ask, we won't have to resort to extreme measures." The boy shakes his head. [[Skylar?]] [[There is no way out.]]

//On your left.// Before you can ask what he means, a fireball comes flying at your head. You jump to your right just before the projectile hits. The heat sucks the air from your lungs, leaving you gasping for breath as scramble behind a boulder. You barely settle behind it when it explodes. Skylar walks toward you, hands ablaze. //Fight back. We need to make this look real.// [[Trip him.]]

You focus on the dust around Skylar's feet. You yank your hand back and dust follows your command, knocking the boy to the ground. You run and climb up onto another boulder. Skylar gets to his feet and follows suit. He throws another fireball. On the ground, you find metal baseball bat. [[Take bat.]]

You will the bat to your hands. You swing it, knocking sending a fireball right into the observation glass leaving behind a superheated mark and a thin hairline fracture. //You thinking what I'm thinking?// You nod. Skylar climbs onto a boulder right in front of the mirror. [[Use bat.]] [[Use broken boulder pieces.]] {(set: $bat to 1)}

You raise your hands toward the broken pieces of boulder. You arrange the in a single file line aimed directly at Skylar. You thrust your hand foward and the shards of rock shoot foward. Skylar ducks out of the way and the rocks fly into the glass. The impact is so focused that it immediately shatters. You collapse to your knees, panting with exhaustion. "Hey! This is only step one!" [[Follow Skylar.]]

You nod. Arms shaking, you push yourself to your feet. You manage to climb up the boulder and into the observation room. Once inside, you find the space to be empty. As you wonder where everybody, red lights start flashing, followed by a loud alarm. The door to the left of you bursts open. Five guards charge in, holding rods that spark with electricity.They don't seem deadly, but you doubt they feel good when they touch you. Skylar grins. "This is going to be fun." He charges the guard in front, kicking him square in the chest. A female guard approaches you, rod ready. [[Use power.]] [[Swing bat.]] {(set: $Skylar to 1)} <audio autoplay>\ <source src="Assets/alarm.wav"></audio>

You drop the bat in your hand and attempt use your telekenesis, but the woman is quick. She rushes you and jabs the electrified rod into your stomach. Instead of the jolting pain you expected, you feel a surge of energy. You look at your hands and see blue electrical energy pulsing down from your forearms to you fingertips. The guard's eyes widen in surprise. [[Shock her.]] {(set: $bat to 0)}

You swing the bat you obtained in the Arena and swing it at the guard. It connects with the woman's side. She3 flies to the side and crumples into a pained heap. A large man walks toward you. You recognize him as one of the men who brough you to the Arena earlier. You swing your bat at him, but he catches it easily. He yanks it out of your hand and tosses it to the side. He cracks his knuckles as he continues to appraoch you. You step back and trip over you own feet. Right before the man reaches you, Skylar punches him in the face. You hear a crack and the man falls to the ground. Skylar pulls you to your feet. "That was a close one...what was your name again. [[It's Genesis.]] {(set: $bat to 0)}

You grab the woman's shoulder. The guard screams as she is shocked. She falls to the ground, convulsing violently. Another guard charges you. [[Shock him.]] [[Swing bat.]] {(set: $shock to 1)}

You side step the huge man and tap him on the shoulder. He shakes for a moment before join his colleague on the floor. You look over Skylar just as he knocks out the last guard. He looks at the two guards jerking around on the floor. "Nice work, Sparky." [[It's Genesis.]]

"Well, Genny, let's get out of here." He grabs your hand and pulls you into the hallway right into Maria. Skylar's hand erupts into flame. "Wait!" MAria says, holding up her hands. "I'm a friend." [[Defend Maria.]]

You quickly introduce Maria. Warily, Skylar extinguishes his fire ball. "Follow me." She leads you to the left. Every so often, you hear footsteps and shouting coming from far off, but it quickly subsides. After some turns and a few barely missed altercations, Maria stops in front of an elevator. "This will lead you to the surface," she says. "Wouldn't they shut down the elevators during a prison break?" Skylar asks. She pulls out a keycard. "You need one of these to operate the elevators." You turn to Maria. [[Come with us.]]

Maria brushes a strand of hair from your face. "I can't." Skylar crosses his arms. "Why not? You can't agree with what they're doing here." "I don't, but you heard what they said. You aren't the only ones they've experimented on and with the two of you so successful, you won't be the last." A voice booms from overhead. "All units converge on sector C." "You need to go." She swipes the keycard and usher the two of you in. "Once you're up there, head into the woods and keep going until you hit the town. AFter that, head south. You'll reach a farmhouse where my brother, Jorge, lives. He'll help you." [[Thank you, Maria.]]

She hugs you. "Be safe." Skylar nods. "Thank you." Maria presses the button for the top floor and steps back. The doors close and the elevator starts its ascent. When the doors open again, you are greeted with the warm morning air. Before you is a lot of trucks and black SUVs. To your left you can see a plane an a couple of helicopters. The woods that Maria told you about stretch out to your left. Skylar tugs on your arm. "Let's go." But you hesitate. You've spent your entire life within the wall of this place. The only things you know came from books and verbal accounts from others. Now, you stand there. The sun. The actual sun shines down on you, warming you to your core. It's beautiful. The door to a hangar not far from you opens. People in fatigues and brandishing guns come flooding toward us. [[Use telekenesis.]] [[Head for woods.]]

You focus on one of the SUVs nearby and and drag it between you and the approaching army. Skylar throws fireball at the vehicle, causing it to blow up and create a wall of fire. [[Run.]] <audio autoplay>\ <source src="Assets/explosion.mp3"></audio> {(set: $truck to 1)}

<img src="Assets/woods.jpg"> The two of you take off toward the woods. Bullets whiz by you. You break throw the treeline. You bob and weave through the trees. You know you're faster than them, but every few steps you tripped over rocks and roots, slowing you down significantly. After a while, you lose track of of Skylar. At the same time, your pursuers come into view through the trees. [[Look for Skylar.]]

Quietly and carefully, you move around, reaching out with your mind. You don't here anything, but just as you pass by a extra thick tree trunk, someone grabs you and pulls you to the right. A hand covers your mouth. //It's me.// You feel Skylar's hand on your shoulder, but you can't see him. You look down at your own body and see nothing. [[Invisibility.]]

//Pretty cool, huh?// Soldiers round the trunk. Guns raised, they pass by, looking around. One of them turns the barrel of his gun directly at your face, then continues walking. A few minutes pass, before deem it safe to keep moving. You and SKylar run together for a long time. By early afternoon, you reach the town Maria told about. We stop in an alleyway. Cars are parked on the side of the street. People walk up and down the sidewalks, chatting, oblivious to the experiments happening not to far away. The two of you remain on the outskirts of town, moving south like Maria instructed. By nightfall, you reach a large farmhouse with an old truck parked out front. Lights are on inside. You walk up to the front door. [[Knock.]]

The door opens revealing a guy maybe twenty or so. "Can I help you?" He gives a friendly smile that looks just like Maria. {(if: $Skylar is 1)["You Jorge?" Skylar asks. He frowns. "Why?" [[Maria sent us.]]]} {(if: $Skylar is 0)["Jorge?" "Yes?" [[Maria sent me.]]]} <audio auotplay>\ <source src="Assets/knock.m4a"></audio>

His eyes widen. He motions for the two of you to come into the house. Once your inside, he takes one more look outside before closing the door. "You're the ones Maria called about?" Jorge asks. "The experiments." You cringe at the title. "That's kind of rude, don't you think, Jorge?" Skylar admires a picture of a table of men sitting at a long table. The one in the middle looks directly at him. "I'm sorry. It's just...I've never met people with powers before." [[We'll show you later.]]

Jorge nods. He offers the two of you something to eat but you both agree that you just want to go to bed, so Jorge leads you to two rooms upstairs. "You can stay here tonight. Genesis to the right, Skylar to the right. There are clothes that should fit you in the drawers. We'll figure what to do next in the morning." [[Thank you, Jorge.]]

"Get some rest." He retreats down the hall to another room. {(if: $Skylar is 1) [Skylar turns to you. "Do you think we're safe here?" [[For now.]]]} {(if: $Skylar is 0) [You go in the room. You've never seen a normal room before, but the warmth you feel makes you feel more at home than you ever have. You open the drawer next to the bed and find fresh clothes. You change into the clothes and climb into the full size bed. The bed is so comfortable you and warm, and yet you struggle to sleep. You can't stop thinking about Skylar. You doubt they killed him, but your mind keeps wandering to the punishments they might be inflicting on him.]} {(if: $notebook is 1) [In the pile of clothes next to the bed, you see the notebook Maria gave you. [[Grab notebook.]]]} {(if: $notebook is 0) [[Go to sleep.]]}

He nods. "Goodnight, Genny." You roll your eyes at the nickname and retreat into your room. You've never seen a normal room before, but the warmth you feel makes you feel more at home than you ever have. You open the drawer next to the bed and find fresh clothes. You change into the clothes and climb into the full size bed. {(if: $notebook is 1) [You turn on your side. In the pile of clothes next to the bed, you see the notebook that Maria gave you. [[Grab notebook.]]]} {(if: $notebook is 0) [[Go to sleep.]]}

You climb under the comforter and sink into the plush pillows. As you drift off to sleep, you realize that you've just learned the true meaning of home. [[Epilogue.]]

https://pixabay.com/photos/corridor-hallway-floor-tiles-empty-362166/ https://freesound.org/people/SieuAmThanh/sounds/397787/ https://pixabay.com/photos/forest-dark-woods-trail-path-1031022/ https://freesound.org/people/Iwiploppenisse/sounds/156031/ [[Start]]

Silence for a moment, then... "They were not strong enough." You look at each other. Another voice, this one male, speaks up. "Both of you have been genetically altered and given abilities beyond those of regular people: 1 with her telekinetic powers and 19 with his pyrokinetic." "Up to this point, the full potential of these abilities have been mostly suppressed and any other powers doormant. "What other powers?" The boy asks. You can almost hear him smiling. "That is what we hope to find out." "You want us to kill each other." Silence. "It is likely that one of you will die, yes." You lock eyes with the boy. [[There is no way out.]] [[What if we refuse?]]

Fernando Sanchez is a young looking man. With kind brown eyes and smile lines rather than worry ones, he seems too young and carefree to be part of a triumvirate of powerful scientists running these kinds of experiments on children. He sits in between Johnson (a pudgy, balding man) and Quinn (a spindly woman with the face of a rat) in front of a large screen watching the two children climb into the observation room from the Arena. Three guards charge 19 and he single handedly incapacitates all of them with his strength alone. {(if: $shock is 1) [1 hesitates and one of the guards manages to connect the electric rod right to her chest. Rather than fall convulsing on the ground, she seems to absorb the energy. She touches the guard sending the woman into a fit of convulsions. She then proceeds to do the same to the remaining guard.]} {(if: $shock is 0) [1 uses the bat she obtained from the Arena to whack the approaching guard. She tries to do the same to the next, but he grabs the bat and pulls it from her grip. She falls back and scoots back as the wall of a man stalks toward her, cracking his knuckles. Just before he gets to her, 19's fist connects hard with the man's jaw. With a loud crack, the man crumples into a heap. 19 pulls 1 to her feet.]} [[Switch cameras.]]

Fernando presses a button on the remote in his hand. The screen changes to a camera in the hallway outside of the observation room. The duo exit the room where they run into 1's caretaker, Maria. They watch as she leads them to the elevator that leads out of the facility. Fernando smiles. [[Switch camera again.]]

Once outside, the real chaos ensues. Troops advance on the kids. {(if: $truck is 1) [1 and 19 work together to blow up an SUV, slowing down their pursuers.]} They run toward the woods. {(if: $truck is 0) [Though faster than the troops, with no cover from the bullets, 19 is his hit in the leg. He collapses. 1 stops to help him, but he pushes her away. He turns twoard the approaching hoard and starts blasts a funnel of fire at them. He yells something to 1, who then takes off into the treeline.] (set: $Skylar to 0)} [[Turn off screen.]]

The screen goes dark and the ceiling lights come on. "Well," Johnson grumbles. "What do you have to say about all of this, Sanchez? I would love to hear your oh so positive spin on this disaster." "Disater?" Fernando says. "I have to disagree with you there, old friend. This experimennt has been a great success." "How?" Quinn chimes in. "We've lost {(if: $Skylar is 0) [one of our test subjects!]} {(if: $Skylar is 1) [both of our test subjects!]} "This is all a part of the plan. Isn't that right, Maria?" Fernando turns to the back of the room where Maria sits, staring down at her hands. "Yes, Fer-I mean, yes Doctor Sanchez." Her voice is small, like that of a child who has done something wrong and is admitting it to their parents. "Escape was a part of your plan?" Johnson's face turns bright red, which always brings a bit of joy to Fernando. "What better way to test the full potential of powers, then to let them loose in the world and see what happens?" "How did you expect to monitor them outside of the facility?" Quinn asks as if this one question would make the entire plan crumble. "Rest assured. I have ways of reaching the outcome that will be favorable to all of us." {(if: $Skylar is 1) [[Start]]} {(if: $Skylar is 0) [[Bring him in.]]}

The door to the room opens. Two guards come in with a shackled 19 between them. He struggles against him, but his clunky movements make it clear that not only he has been drugged. "Get off me!" "Easy. Skylar, right?" The glares at Sanchez. "We don't want to hurt you." "Tell that to the bullet you put in my leg, or the years you throw me into the Arena and told me to survive." Skylar's gaze falls on the caretaker in the corner. "Maria?" The woman looks up at him tears in her eyes. Fernando puts a hand on Skylar's shoulder. "She'll have plenty of time to explain while we prepare you." "Prepare me for what?" Fernando smiles. "For your fight with Genesis, of course." [[Start]]

You take off toward the woods, Skylar right on your heals. You seem to be keeping distance between you and the troops, but there is nothing protecting you from the bullets flying by. Skylar screams. You stop and see that he's been shot in the leg. He tries to stand, but collapses back on the ground. You grab his arm and try to drag him onward, but it's obvious that you were not given super strength like he was. Skylar pushes you off. "Go," he says. "I'll give you some cover." [[I can't just leave you.]]

"I'm just giving you a head start. I'll catch up. I'll see you soon, Genny." Before you can protest further, Skylar turns toward the approaching group. He summons a funnel of flames and aims it at the group. "Go!" He yells over his shoulder. [[Go.]]

You turn and run to the woods. You don't know how long you're running, but when you stop, you're on the edge of a town. You struggle to breathe. You're all alone again. You left behind to be killed, or worse. You take a shaky breath and start south toward the farmhouse. By nightfall, you reach the house. It's bigger than you thought it'd be. The lights are on downstairs. You walk up to the door. [[Knock.]] {(set: $Skylar to 0)}

His eyes widen. He motions for you to come into the house. Once your inside, he takes one more look outside before closing the door. "You're the one Maria called about?" Jorge asks. "One of the experiment." You flinch at the title but nod. "Aren't there supposed to be two of you?" A lump forms in your throat. "It's just me." "Oh. Well, I'm sure they would be happy that you made it." You don't say anything. He asks you if you are hungry, but all you want to do is sleep. Jorge shows you to a room upstairs. "You can stay here tonight. There are clothes that should fit you in the drawers. We'll figure out what to do next in the morning." [[Thank you, Jorge.]]

You pick up the book and flip to the page where Maria wrote her note earlier. //Genesis, If you're reading this, you're safe. I am so sorry for all the things you've had to endure. My wish for you is that you do something great. Get out of here. Live the life you want to live, with or without powers. I love you, Gen. Please be safe.// Tears well up in your eyes as you set the notebook down. [[Go to sleep.]]

You raise your hand and focus your energy on him. Immediately, he goes flying backward. 19 slams into the wall then falls to the ground. He holds his chest and gasps for breath. "Good, 1," the woman says. "Now use the boulder." Across the Arena, 19 is on his feet. "I don't want to fight you." You focus on a boulder next to you. Following your hand, the rock flies toward the boy. Suddenly, it explodes into a bunch of smaller, flaming rocks. When the dust clear, you see 19 standing there, entire body engulfed in flames. He sends a column of flames at you. [[Jump out of the way.]]

The flames only manage to singe your clothes a bit as you jump behind another boulder. "Excellent, 19!" The man's voice booms. The boy rounds the rock. Now his eyes are blazing. The fire disappears from one of his hands as he grabs you by the front of your shirt. You struggle against him, but his grip is like steel. "Why are you doing this? We should be working together!" He slams you against the boulder. "We could get out of here." "You think they'd just leave us alone if we got out?" You ask. "You think we'd be safe?" You catch a glimpse of a some particularrly sharp pieces of rubble on the ground behind 19. You raise your hand, ever so slightly, lifting the pieces. "We'd be free." "That's not freedom. That's an extended prison." With a flick of the wrist, you pull the rocks foward, impaling them into the boy. Blood trickles from his mouth. You watch as the literal light leaves his eyes. All the flames dissipate and he slumps against you. Your hands shake as you lower him to the ground. When you pull your hands back, they are covered in blood. "Well done, 1." This is a new voice. Another male, but instead of a harsh, calculating voice, this one is kinder, even through the distortion of the speakers. "You have shown us that you have what it takes to move on to the next stage." [[The next stage.]]

Your voice is shaky. "Genesis," the voice coos, "It is okay. You did what had to. You survived." The door you entered from opens. Maria runs in and pulls you into her arms. This one act brreaks what little resolve you were holding on to breaks. You sob into her chest. "It's alright," She says, stroking your hair. But you know it isn't. You don't have the energy or the heart to fight anything ever again. How could you ever? But there is nothing else for you now. After what you've done, the only thing that you can do...is whatever they tell you. [[Start]]

You look over the boy. He's a few inches taller than you. Just over six feet. Dark, slightly curled hair falls into his stormy blue eyes as he stares at you. "You both have come a long way in you trials and today." This is a man's voice; low and gruff. "At birth, the two of you were genetically altered and gifted with great abilities: telekenesis and pyrokinesis." //More like cursed.// You flinch. You look around, but can't pinpoint who spoke. Unlike the voices over the loudspeaker, this one lacks the static. "Over the past few weeks, we have lessened the medications meant to suppress your abilities in favor of awakening your full potential today." [[What do you mean potential?]]

Skylar ignites another flame. He reels his arm back, winks at you, and sends the ball flying toward you. You focus all your physical strength into the swing until the bat makes contact. Then you use your mind to push the projectile as fast and with as much force as possible. Skylar ducks out of the way as it flies past and connects with the glass, shattering it. You collapse to your knees, panting. "Hey!" You look up and see Skylar leaning out from the observation room. "I know you're tired, but this isn't over." [[Follow Skylar.]]