Evolve - Chapter 2 Chapter Two

So it really has been a year, I had grown a beard and my hair grew out longer dreads and well maintained in my sleep. In the last few hours mom has been unconscious, dad has given me a shave but he didn’t say a single word the whole time. Now I’m the bathroom looking at my face in the mirror, I look older maybe that’s because technically I haven’t seen my own face for a year, well my face hasn’t changed much, I still have one dark brown eye and one hazel eye, same almost triangular face and I’m still skinny and not really any taller than I was, and here I was think I’d get the Peter Parker treatment, only he didn’t wake up a year later.

I take a deep breath and put on my wolverine t-shirt. I open the bathroom door and step out, the apartment is different, the walls painted grey, all the art works and sculptures gone, there’s only one thing hanging on the walls in entire place, across the room is a picture of a silhouette of a person, their hand reaching up toward the word ‘REMEMBER’. I think I saw something like that in a Transformers movie or was it Batman vs Superman, I can’t really remember, all I know is you don’t put up something like that unless something tragic happened.

I approach my parents who are standing in the living room area, staring at me, waiting, I wonder what they’re feeling, for me I was barely gone forty minutes but for them it was an entire year of God knows what they went through and somehow I can’t help but feel bad, right about now I’d gladly turn back time and take the first option Marlea offered. I begin my nervous approach to them and stop a few steps away and suddenly the floors seems like the most interesting thing in the world because I can’t look either of them in the eyes.

Two pairs of feet come into view and I feel the familiar embrace of my parents hugging me at the same time, a feeling of longing and a happy sadness washes over me and tears stream down my face. All three of us stand there embracing for a while then they release me.

“Hey mom and dad.” I say forcing a smile

My voice sounds like I’m gargling stones, so a deep voice manifested in my one year coma, well I guess that’s expected, go into a coma 17, come out of it at 18 with a beard and a manlier voice, nice.

“Terry” Says mom wiping tears out of her eyes

“We thought you’d never wake up, son.” Says dad

I take a seat on the couch and my parents do the same across the room.

“What happened that night, after I uh knocked out?” I ask clearing my throat

My parents exchange a sorrowful look and they both look at me.

“You… your body froze, as if you we made of rock, your vitals were all over the place, the doctors… they didn’t know what to do. And then—.” My mom says, her voice breaking up before she can finish, my dad comforts her

“And then what?” I ask, my eyes darting between the both of them

“I think it would be easier if we showed you the footage.” Says dad in a soft voice

He takes a flash drive from his pocket then stands and walks over to the TV switches it on and plugs in the flash drive, on it is a single file with a date as its title ’21-10-17′, it’s CCTV footage, I know because Jabu and I had to erase some footage one time but that’s a story for another day.

“After what your mother just described happened you stabilised but your body didn’t lose its frigid state you got fed and were kept hydrated through a tube, visible changes kept happening to your body, and somehow whatever the doctors couldn’t figure out what was going on so the hospital kept you but then on the day on the uh— on the tape something happened, your mother and I were on a flight from Germany visiting a specialist and you were left in the hospital’s care when this happened.” Says dad

He then plays the video, its footage from inside my room, I look peaceful, facing up eyes closed. My eyes suddenly open, only I have blank expression on my face but instead of sitting up or something my body starts to levitate above the bed like something out of the Exorcist my arms spread out, in that moment a nurse walks in then immediately runs out and a few seconds later she walks in with a doctor and both of them approach my body, I’m assuming to attempt to lower me down but the moment they touch me a shockwave of sorts emanates from my body instantly vaporising them both but doing no damage what so ever to anything else not the machines or the walls or the bed, after that my body crashes back down onto the bed and it’s back to sleep then the footage ends.

I look down at my hands and they’re shaking. My chest is tightening, not that I’m about to cry way but more something just awakened in me. The best way to describe it is it’s as if there’s a box somewhere inside me that was closed but was opened when I was unconscious the closed again and now it wants to be opened again, and what happened on the video is what happens when the box gets opened. Two people died from touching me.

“How come you didn’t get vaporised just now from touching me?” I ask

“They said it happens once for enhanced people, a coming out of sorts, that’s what happened when it is interrupted.” Says mom

“They?” I ask inquisitively

“W.E.C.A, the World Enhanced Control Agency, formed about 11 months ago they’ve helped bring some order, your mother and I work for the Southern African branch.” Says dad

“The doctor and the nurse are the only people that died right?” I ask softly, hopefully but somehow I know that isn’t the case

My dad looks down, “No son, that shockwave that came off you hit a two kilometre radius, killing hundreds of people. And you died, at least we thought you had, a friend of mine Scott was about to perform the autopsy when you, when your body came back to life, he called me and we snuck we up here and have been doing our best to take care of since then. Scott faked the autopsy and made it so that you were declared dead and cremated.”

“Why did you have to sneak me in?”

“Because around the world you are considered patient zero, the first enhanced person, everyone is convinced that the other third of the world’s population that gained abilities gained them because you set off some kind of infection, it is one the ideals of WECA.”

Patient zero, makes it sound like a horror move, a zombie movie to be exact and I was the first infected and set off a chain reaction. So hypothetically I am dead and some kinda of villainous power giving entity thing. Is this what your goal was Marlea? Am I the focus of your experiment? Why cost me a year of my life and make my world like this.

“Is it mandatory to work for this WECA?” I ask looking my mom in the eyes

“No, but we had no choice, it was the only way to keep tabs on making sure no information about you leaked, not even rumours.” Says mom

It’s hard to imagine my parents quitting their jobs, my father a year ago was working his dream job as one of the bigger names at Archive Architecture, a company that was quickly climbing the cooperate ladder and my mother a mathematics high school teacher with a passion for her job. Something tells me there’s a lot more to this WECA, there’s no way a company pops up and becomes worldwide big in six months with some very deep pockets and an angle of some kind, my guess is experiments.

“You need to understand that things are very different out there Terry,” Says dad breaking the silence “The world’s not how you remember.”

“Somehow you’ve been stressing that but still being vague.” I say

A single beeping sound goes off coming from across the room goes off. Both my parents take phones out of their pockets and stand immediately.

“We have to go to work, we can’t be late. We’ll talk when we get home.” Says mom sounding distant

Only now do I notice they have identical jackets on, all black with a W in a double circle on the right side, I’m guessing that’s the WECA logo. Both my parents head for the door quickly, exit and lock the door. I didn’t even get a goodbye.

I would be remised if I didn’t mention how dejected that felt, it’s as if I wasn’t even talking to my parents, it was like being in a room with two strangers that were looking after while I was a coma for a year, the only non-dejected thing they did was the hug. What do they know that I don’t? A changed world huh, I really hope that doesn’t mean Mc Donald’s is gone, I could really go for a burger right now.

I stand and head for my room and open my built in wardrobe and pick out a few clothes, put on my denim jacket, pick out an extra pair of sneakers. I begin packing it all into my backpack. I wonder if dad took his car, I mean they did leave in a bit of a hurry. I zip my bag and throw it over my shoulder and head into my parents bedroom, and right there it they are on the bedside table next to a bedside lamp the keys to the Impala, I grab them and stuff them into my pocket. Sorry dad, but I need this more than you apparently, now to actually get out of here.

I almost jog to the door with my old set of keys, and just as I thought the lock has changed, damn, now what? It’s not like I can wait for them to get home and be like ‘Hey mom and dad, I was just waiting for you to open the door so I can run away’.

I look down at my hands and close my eyes searching for feeling of untapped potential and I find it. Somehow I know I can force the door open but then again this is probably a bad idea, I mean I could gently force it to open and it works or I could over estimate and tear the door in half but then again with a key that’s the only way I’m leaving. So here goes nothing

Gently I place one hand on the handle and one pressed against the door frame, twisting the handle I take a deep breath and jerk the door backwards, with a small cracking sound the door swings open. I pop my head out the door and check down both ends of the hallway to see if there’s anyone who might see me, no one walking about that’s good.

I dart across to the fire escape stairs, my best option to get down without being noticed, I run down the metal steps trying to make as little noise as I can, after a few minutes I’m standing on the ground floor, opening the door into the building lobby I scan the area for people, lucky for me there’s no one in sight. I need to move quickly.

I enter the lobby and dart towards the exit, the floor is gleaming as always, the front desk is empty and a few letter boxes have letters in them, I walk around the building lot looking for the Impala and spot it at the far end of the lot close to the wall. I feel like I’m being watched or maybe that’s just me being paranoid, that makes me walk faster towards the Impala I reach it and fumble for the keys in my pocket.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Says a female voice, I freeze instantly

“Why is that? By the way just so you know this isn’t my car.” I say nervously

The person laughs, “I don’t want your car.”

A hand is placed on my shoulder and I’m turned around. The girl in front of me is the beautiful faced, soft brown eyed girl named Lerato from my school, you remember her right, the really beautiful senior with the jerk boyfriend. She’s wearing a denim jacket with a red top, blue jeans and chucks.

“Uhh right, Ms top senior Lerato, why are you creeping around to jump me?” I ask nervously

She seems taken back a little, I can tell because of the confused look on her face from what I said.

“I don’t think you can call me that anymore, it’s just Lerato.” She says

“Right, just Lerato, that’s nice first name basis, but still doesn’t answer why you’re here.”

“We don’t have time, they are coming for you in exactly,” she pauses to check the watch on her wrist, “We’ve got six minutes.”

“Okay that doesn’t freak me out at all but this exactly why we need to get into this 275 horsepower car we’re both standing in front of.” I say giving the Chevy a gentle tap

Lerato stares at me with a slightly raised eyebrow.

“I guess he wasn’t kidding after all. Come on, let’s go.” She says grabbing my hand and pulling me along

“Who wasn’t kidding? And about what?” I say in a hushed but insistent tone

“I’ll explain all that later, right now we need to go.”

It’s happening again, someone showing up out of nowhere and dragging me along for a ride.

Coming to a dead stop I yank my arm out of Lerato’s grip, she turns with a surprised expression on her face.

“I have had it with people just showing up out of nowhere and spewing nonsensical bull then dragging me into their mess then not even bothering to explain why, now I ain’t taking another step until you tell me what is going on and why I am being dragging around a building parking lot.” I say sternly

Lerato steps towards me slowly as if she’s gauging how serious I am being right now.

After a moment she nods, “Okay, I am a part of a small anti WECA organisation which has its many reasons for being anti WECA, think of WECA as the galactic empire from star wars and us as the rebellion. You with me so far?”

This time I’m the one nodding, she has an almost annoyed expression on her face, she once again takes a look at her wrist watch.

“Now the leader of this particular branch saw a vision of you, MR patient zero, in this vision, about four minutes from now, there will be law enforcement and WECA coming for you, you valiantly go on the run in your father’s car for a few kilometres before you’re run off the road but still one piece and then taken by WECA because you are important to their plan, which we know nothing about.”

Something vibrates from Lerato’s pocket, she quickly reaches into her pocket and pulls out a phone, she turns and walks out of my hearing range and answers it.

Plan? Did my parents know? I thought I am supposed to be dead, I’ve been awake not that long and I’m already being hunted. If I can’t trust my own parents, why should I trust Lerato and whoever she is with, the last time I checked not all rebellions are good.

Lerato has her back turned to be and I still have the keys to the Impala in my left hand, I might regret this maybe but at least this one time I’ll be able to do things on my terms.

With my eyes fixed on Lerato I turn around and make a feline for the car, quickly unlocking the driver’s side, I’m already turning the ignition before the door is all the way shut, the engine roars to life, I manoeuvre the car through the parking lot, catching a glimpse of Lerato in the rear view mirror, she has her arms spread in that ‘what the hell are you doing?’ motion. I will the Impala on, lucky for me the gate is still open, I power the Impala through then tap the break just enough to take a hard left into the road, the second I’m on the road, I tug on the hand brake, bring the car to a screeching halt.

Would you believe it, she was right, ahead of me blocking the entire street are five squad cars and about ten police officers, on the other side of the squad cars is a vehicle that looks like an ambulance only it’s all white with the letter W in a double circle, I’m guessing WECA. The police officers part way and from behind them steps forward my parents, my dad is carrying a megaphone which he raises to his mouth.

“Terry, son I need you to get out of the car and come with me and your mother, it’s for your own good.” Says dad, softly, pleadingly through the megaphone

“Your parents huh?” says a voice that’s becoming all too familiar at this point.

I look beside me to see what I can only describe as thin wispy smoke that is moulding into Lerato.

“Teleportation, or at least that’s what they’re telling me,” she says, I’m guessing she noticed the inquisitive look on my face

“Kid, step out of the vehicle with your hands up, do not make us have to come over there and more importantly do not make us chase you, you are wanted alive, that doesn’t mean you have to be in one piece.” Says a different, brash harsh voice. A beefy police officer has taken control of the megaphone

I turn to face Lerato seeking ideas.

“We just need to get to Constitution Hill, our ride is waiting.” Says Lerato, her breathing sounding a bit shallow and she’s still all wispy

This is a bad idea but I nod anyway and do a complete 180 with the Impala roaring in approval and head the opposite direction and take an immediate right driving past the police station, oh man the irony.

“Are you okay? You’re all wispy” I ask concerned about her.

“I’ll be fine, I just need time to get myself together. Get it?” She says chuckling, I’m not sure if I should laugh, I think a slight smile will do fine.

I take a left and head towards Constitution Hill and drive straight past the security area, and drive down the path with the historic part old, part new constructs of the constitution hill court building alongside. Ahead there are two men standing next to the forever burning flames of freedom furnace.

“Stop the car that’s our ride.” She says pointing at the two dudes

No doubt the dudes are big dudes, big and burly like two wrestlers from the 70s, one of those guys could probably run 5 kilometres with both me and Lerato on his back easy but I fail to see how they are our ride. I bring the car to a halt next to them and open the door and step out, without a word the dude nearest to me grabs me slings me over his shoulder and shoots straight until the air and we’re flying, well he’s flying and I’m being tagged along in a fireman’s carry position, that explains the term ‘ride’. In the direction I’m facing, behind burly dude 1 the ground is getting smaller and burly dude 2 carrying Lerato is catching up.

Don’t get me wrong I’ve always wanted to fly, but I’ve always pictured it more Harry Potter like, not Harry Potter playing quidditch flying but more Half-Blood Prince Harry flying through London, with the wind in my hair and a smile on my face. Not being hauled through the air on a burly dude’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes, if potatoes were flown around that is. Burly dude 2 is carrying Lerato in his arms and from here she looks as though she’s passed out, but her form seems to be all together no longer wispy. I hope she’s alright.

After what feels like an hour I notice the ground getting closer, we’re descending over the roof of a building. The area around doesn’t have many tall buildings to speak of, on the far right is a pedestrian bridge over a busy street, there are a few people selling fruits and vegetables, behind them is a bunch of shops and supermarket, further past all that is what looks like a mini mall. Behind the pedestrian bridge is a taxi rank with a bunch of mini bus taxis and people, the whole place is basically really busy and it all looks normal apart from the heavy presence of people in blue uniforms, armed people I think.

Burly 1 and 2 land on the roof, Burly 1 puts me on the ground

“Thanks for the ride,” I say flashing a smile

I’m about to ask how Lerato’s doing but Burly 2 is already quickly going into the building through the roof access with Lerato still in his arms, burly 1 is sticking around though.

“Is she gonna be okay?” I ask

Burly 1 scratches the side of his face, “I don’t know kid, she used her ability too without resting much.”

He walks past me without saying a word for me to follow him, but I’m assuming I wasn’t flown this whole way to be left standing outside on a building roof. Burly 1 leads the way down the stairs to the elevators, where he presses the down button and we wait.

“What did you mean back there?” I ask

Burly turns to me with a slightly pained expression.

“She already had used her teleportation to get us to the city three hours before we had to come get you so she could recover and she’d already used it a few more times before, that much in one day is stretching your ability’s backlash.” He says just as the elevator arrives

The elevator doors open with a bit of creak, we step inside, Burly presses two buttons, one for the 6th floor and the other for the 4th. I look up at Burly, he has a very stern look on his face, I am really itching to ask questions about the backlash thing, why I’m here, who saw into the future, and the general question of the week, I mean question of the year since I’ve been gone that long which is what the hell is going on?. But I’ll save my questions for someone who smiles more.

The elevator door opens, Burly places his hand on the door to prevent it closing, I turn to face him and somehow he seems really pale now like he’s in pain, and only now do I realise his stern expression is actually him putting on a brave face, as if he doesn’t want to show that he’s in some sort of pain, could that be this backlash he mentioned?

“Down the hall, second door on the left.” He says, breathing heavily

It’s better if I say nothing, I simply nod and step out of the elevator, I look back just as the doors close and look on as Burly crumples to the elevator floor. Instinctively I reach for the elevator buttons to try and stop it.

“Don’t worry he’ll be fine,” says a man’s voice

I turn and look down the hall, and right by the door Burly told me to go stands a tall man dressed in a white shirt, shorts and flip flops, his hair is cut short, buzz cut really and he’s wearing a pair of slim white custom made looking goggles that have glowing thin yellow circles in them. He is sporting an extremely rugged stubby beard like he hasn’t shaved for a few days. Other than that the man looks at least 40.

“Come inside Terry,” he says before disappearing inside

I take one last look at the elevator buttons before head down the hall and slowly entering the dude’s place which is an office/apartment mash-up, greeting me is a mini hallway with a door on my left bathroom I’m guessing, the hall way then opens up into an open space the size of your average office, a table on the far right on it a bunch of papers and, and also what looks like blueprints, a pot plant in one corner, a massive window on the other end of the room, the blinds are open, letting the sunlight pour in and another door leading to what I assume is his bedroom because he emerges from there.

Now wearing a pair of sweatpants with the white shirt, but oddly still wearing the goggles. He smiles as he walks past me, he goes over and closes and locks the door into his humble abode. He yet again walks past me and sits behind his desk, not bothering to fix the mess on it. He then gestures for me to take a seat. And considering the day I’ve had I’m more than glad to sit down.

And here we are sitting, staring into each other’s eyes, well he’s staring into my eyes and I’m trying to find his in the glowing circles of his goggles.

“You have questions I’m sure.” He says

The last time someone said something like to me was an alien who cost me a year of my life and well now I’m here.

“Plenty, but I’d rather start with the obvious one, I’m not even sure I have to say it out loud really.” I say with a mild sarcastic tone

Goggles man scoffs, “Of course, the question of who I am and what this is exactly.”

“You’d be great on Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” I say, before I can stop myself really

This time goggles laughs showing a row of white teeth.

“I would not have pegged for the joker type.” He says

I’m about to ask ‘and you would know this how?’ and then it hits me like the sunlight flowing into this room, he’s the one who had the vision about me getting kidnapped, well not that I’m still not kidnapped I think but I don’t see any needles or men in white coats around here yet.

“You know what they say, you can never know a guy after just one vision of them you know.” I say shrugging my shoulders

Goggles smiles and rubs the side of his head, “My name is Frank Garnet, I am the leader of Johannesburg’s anti WECA organisation, there is one of these sit up in every city around the world, our operation is small but we do what we can.”

“I took a look outside when we were landing just now and everything seemed fine to me.” I say

“Did you also happen to see the men in uniform roaming around out there wearing the same kind of eyewear?”

“The cops? Yeah they were hard to miss, I don’t know about the eyewear but I saw guns.”

“Those men and women down there are anything but cops those are simply people placed by WECA to keep people under their thump and monitor people with abilities, the eyewear I mentioned can differentiate normal people from enhanced people, basically there’s a lot that you don’t know about what’s going on.” Says Frank

“Sounds like a conspiracy theory to me, I’m not big on those.” I say shaking my head

“I know how it sounds Terry, take at look at this to start with.” Says Frank pulling from under the mess of papers a tablet and sliding it to me

On it is an open document, on it is the smiling face of a girl with dark hair and red glasses, the watermark over the picture is the WECA symbol, underneath the picture is information like his name is Carla Cole born in Minneapolis, Minnesota she was residing in Miami she’s 22. There is other information on here about her parents, the year and time and place she was born, where she was when the meteor shower hit, heck they have her favourite meal on here. Underneath everything is a summary of her abilities.

[ Subject has displayed these three different powerful abilities are predicted which:

-temperature control, subject can lower the air temperature within a five hundred metre radius of herself the lowest being -100 degrees Celsius, and subsequently raise to 100 degrees. Either melting or freezing anything she touches or whatever may be around her.

-temporary enhanced speed, subject has the ability to increase her own speed limitations exponentially, record fastest the subject has achieved is 510 km/h

-augmentation of materials, subject has the ability to augment any material to her will in any shape or way she desires.

It is importantly to note that despite having three completely different abilities that do not in any way complement each other, the subject has shown little to zero side effects of using any one of her abilities, the conclusion being the subject’s DNA composition may be key to the bigger picture. ]

“The bigger picture?” I say looking up from the tablet

“WECA has employees that are enhanced, that is to say they have the biggest collection of the existing enhanced population all over the world from random employees to trained killers and their own WECA agents not to mention the sheer number of people they have captured or otherwise pledged.”

“Pledged?”

“WECA has an initiative that allows people with enhanced abilities to come forward and pledge themselves that is to say they register them, and inject chips into their skins so they can keep track of them so long as they don’t use their abilities without WECA’s consent.” Says Frank

“You said something about eyewear that detects normal people from enhanced people how does that work, factoring in these pledged?”

“The eyewear shows in essence an individual’s aura, blue means normal, green enhanced but not pledged, orange enhanced and pledged.”

“What if you use your powers by mistake or in your sleep, isn’t that like living in fear?”

“There have been cases where people get too curious and try to use their abilities or accidentally as you said, WECA pounces on them and makes them disappear.” Says Frank darkly

A knock comes from the front door, Frank immediately stands, walks past me and goes to the door, I don’t bother turning to look at who’s at the door, instead I’m analysing the rest of Carla’s document, there’s some interesting stuff here, like how she likes videogames, and also is believed to be dead. I’m believed to be dead, under normal circumstances she’s a cool dudet.

Is that why they want me, but if that’s the case why wait until I woke up? I mean it would have been a lot easier to take me in my sleep.

“They wouldn’t have been able to find out what your capabilities are in your sleep, and waking up in captivity would have probably made you not discover your abilities,” says a girl’s voice, wide eyed I turn around. “And now I need pain medication, do you have any Frank?” she asks

“Yeah I think I have some in my room, let me grab them for you.” Says Frank disappearing into his room

The girl in front of me is dressed a leather jacket, power ranger black t-shirt, black jeans and short boots, her long dark curly hair hangs on her shoulders, her build is lean, like a bikini model but way less skinny and she looks my age. Is love at first sight a thing? Because I think cupid just stuck an arrow in my butt. And I think she read my mind just now.

“Did you just read my mind a second ago?” I ask

“Yeah, you were kinda throwing your thoughts everywhere like you’re breaking the fourth wall or something, kinda hard to miss and now because of you I get to nurse a 24 hour splitting headache.” She says looking annoyed

I’m not the one who said read my mind.

“Oh, sorry about that, Frank’s getting pain killers though, won’t those help?” I say, standing up and leaning on my chair, trying to look cool

“Geez you really are clueless, I thought Frank was kidding. Anyway no they won’t help per say, more like lessen a third of the pain.” She says wincing and rubbing her temples

“Do you wanna sit? You can have my chair.” I ask pulling the chair back

“You do realise there’s a free chair next to where you were sitting right?”

And so I turn like an idiot and of course there is another chair in the room, heck there’s one more next to it.

“Yeah, uh… well… I just thought.” Blabbering and clearing my throat

Frank re-enters the room, thank goodness. “I found some Panado, hope it’s enough to help out.”

“Yeah they’ll do great, better than nothing. Thanks Frank.” She says

“No problem, take a seat, both of you.” Says Frank realising I’m now on my feet

The girl and I take a seat, Frank reaches under his desk and pulls out a bottle of water which he hands to the girl with the bottle of pills, she takes the meds and puts the pill bottle in her pocket.

“Alright then, Terry this is Janice, she pretty much keeps this place off the grid, and running, I guess you could call her our tech girl.” Says Frank

“Nice to meet to you,” I say extending my hand, which she thankfully shakes.

“You said keeps this place off the grind, what does that mean exactly?” I ask

“You wanna take it from here?” Says Frank looking at Janice, she nods

“Cloaking tech we liberated from WECA about five months ago keeps this place hidden from everyone that doesn’t need to know exists, basically before we settled here we were on the run constantly.” Says Janice looking in my eyes

Her eyes are a dark shade of brown but really pretty, back to business I can’t be mesmerised yet, I still need information.

“What about when we flew in, why didn’t anyone see us?” I ask

“I modified a bit of it into a few trinkets, watches and cellphones, kinda like a modern day invisibility cloak.”

“Woah that is really cool.” I can practically feel my eyes widening with awe and possibilities

“Well you kids can catch up later, but for now, let’s get back to the reason we brought you here, Janice if you will, he’s already read the file.” Says Frank

“I got the gist of you two’s conversation when I read your minds.” Janice turns to me with an intensity that draws my full attention

“Okay here’s the deal, as far as we know with the intel we’ve gathered around the world and here at home base there are only five people in the world that have been found to have more than one ability, a set of set to be exact.”

“And I’m one of those people?” I blurt out

“Yes, don’t interrupt me.” Says Janice looking annoyed, “Everyone else who got affected after the event got one ability and one completely opposite physically affecting downside to that ability, take Frank for example, you obviously noticed the goggles he’s wearing right?”

It takes a second before I nod, I nod only after she gives me the ‘are you paying attention?’ look.

“Frank can see into the future, one of the many possible futures of a person, or a group of people, sometimes it’s random, a lot of the time he can focus on a person or a plan and see what he needs to see, but every time he uses his ability his eye sight weakens, the goggles I made him adjust to how bad his eyesight is and multiplies it, they constantly enhanced what he sees, but eventually he will go blind.”

“I’m sorry I know what you said about interruptions but eventually as in like a year or two?” I ask glancing at Frank

Janice chuckles lightly, “No as in five or six more looks into the future and that’s it, he goes blind and his ability is gone.”

“What about you with the headaches, will you head explode or something?” I ask, almost wincing

“The part of my brain that controls emotion is being destroyed bit by bit and I’ll be in constant pain for whatever’s left of my life and feel no emotion only pain, and that’ll be it for my ability.” Says Janice, she casts her eyes down sadly

With great power comes a cost with it, I could think of a million abilities right now off the top of my head and I’m not sure I can begin to consider the ramifications that come with them.

“What about flight and teleportation?” I ask, obviously I’m thinking of Lerato and the Burly dudes.

“For flight it’s uh paralysis from the neck down, temporary and then eventually permanent. Teleportation, the best way I can put it is eventually the person will lose their physical form and disappear.” Says Janice

Frank clears his throat, “Now the five with three abilities feel little to no effects but if they use their abilities none stop interchanging them they do feel the effects but that’s only been documented in WECA experiments and we’re days of none stop usage.” He says

“So Carla Cole is the only one that WECA has right now?” I ask

“No, they have another,” says Janice reaching for the tablet, “Toni Lewandowski, a former Polish national also declared dead. He has invisibility, telekinesis and accelerated healing.”

She hands me the tablet, this time it’s just a kid, maybe 7 years old, shaved head, blue eyes.

“Okay so they have two, so there’s thee more out there and I’m guessing I’m in this chair because I’m one of them. Where are the others?”

“In the country, that’s what the Intel I have says, we’re closing in on the first one, his Marc Van De Walt, I’ve been running an algorithm to find him, maybe in a day or two we’ll know where he is.” Says Janice

“And you’re gonna bring him here?”

“We’re gonna free them of a possible WECA capture.” Says Frank before Janice can say anything

This is some heavy stuff, but that still begs the question.

“What does WECA plan to do if they were to get all five of us?” I ask

“Their scientists believe that if they isolate the part of your DNA which lessens the side effects of abilities they can create a cure of sorts and their data has been cross checked by every branch they have in the world, but before you go being excited about how it’s a good thing, they don’t plan on distributing it to the world freely, WECA has the biggest collection of enhanced humans in the world and the deepest pockets from who knows where, there’s only one thing they want, the same thing all leaders and factions with power crave and that’s—”

“World domination,” I say slowly, “but that’s impossible right, the DNA thing it’s a bit farfetched isn’t it?” I say laughing a dry laugh.

The serious looks on both Frank and Janice’s faces isn’t encouraging.

“I thought that too, but I’ve run the numbers a million times, Frank has sent teams to a lot of places including other anti WECA places for Intel and it all checks out.” Says Janice crossing her arms over her chest

“Then tell someone, the media, social media, get attention on WECA.” I say quickly, I can feel myself panicking a little

“We tried that, the media thought we were crazy and they practically own the internet, nothing damning about them is going up. No normal person is going to turn on the brand that saved the world at a time when people with abilities were running rampart everywhere, they restored order. And used you for the perfect cover, you are in their and the world’s eyes the person who altered people and gave them abilities, which of course is not true, but you were the first to manifest.” Says Frank

“I’m just a kid, living in South Africa, I mean come on if their whole patient zero shtick was meant to stick, they could have used America or Europe that sounds likely, even I’d believe that.” I say

“You’d be surprised the amount of influence they have, also the other cases of people manifesting abilities came a month after your video was seen around the world and that only strengthened their claim, the world treated it like it was another case of Ebola.” Says Janice

In a way WECA played their cards right, they have this front that claims they protect people from enhanced humans, probably arresting a few rowdy ones for public appeal, then experimenting on the rest, it’s genius really if you look at it.

“My parents are in there, and I don’t think they know.” I say, my voice breaking and some tears welling in my eyes a little

“Terry with your help we can end their plan.” Says Janice

“WECA will still stand after that, if they are smart as they sound they’ll find another way. I don’t even know what I can actually do.” I say

“No they won’t, because once we stop the manufacturing of their cure and free Carl and Toni, every anti WECA branch will hit WECA with everything it’s got and we will bring them down.” Says Frank, confidently

Something in the tone of his voice fills me with a bit of fighting strength. The three of us sit silently, mostly I just look down at my hands.

“You mind if I borrow him for a little bit Frank?” Says Janice

“Knock yourself out.” He says

“Come on, let’s go find out what you’re made of.” Says Janice

She stands and heads for the door, I stand and follow her, turning around to close to door behind me. And get the shock of my new found life when I turn back around, standing between me and Janice is none other than Marlea, she’s wearing a bright red business suit this time, she’s really going through the colours isn’t she. I take a glance behind her, and Janice isn’t moving, time’s been frozen.

“How do you like the new world?” She asks

“It’s pretty crappy. Is this the true test you mentioned? Costing me a year and throwing me into the empire strikes back?” I ask, maliciously

Marlea chuckles, “A Star Wars reference I believe, but no, this is man’s design, creative I must say I did not in factor an organisation such as this WECA however their plan is familiar with man’s history.”

“Can they do it? Can they make a cure for the side effects?” I ask

Marlea stares at me and smiles.

“Indeed they can. But my question is, how do you think your new found comrades will free those like yourself?” She says smiling darkly

I won’t let taunting work, “Why did you make it so that there’s only five like me?”

“World beliefs though out history are tied to beings of great influence or power being limited to a certain number, such as the Greek Gods, the disciples of Jesus, the wonders of the world. My chosen number is five, the five of you were meant to be the titans for my true test, however it seems the numbers will be tested in time.” She says

A portal opens up to her right.

“When is this true test of yours Marlea?” I ask

“It will come when you are most conflicted and vulnerable.” She says smiling

“Why me?”

“As I said when we first met, Terry Barnes you fascinate me therefore I will torment you the most because of it.” She says as she steps through the portal and disappears.

The world resumes as soon as she’s gone, Janice presses the elevator button and turns to face me.

“Are you okay?” She asks

It must be a thinker look I have on my face, which I instantly switch for a smile.

“Yeah I’m okay, I just realised I left my gaming console at home, it helps me relax.” I say

Janice smiles, the first genuine smile I have seen on her.

“No worries, I got you covered, we’ll play a round or two after I check you out.” She says

The elevator arrives and she presses for the third floor