Evolve - Chapter 7 Chapter 7

Immediately after exiting the park version of the rec room the doors close behind me and the wall to my left slides aside revealing an elevator, Hera steps inside and waits for me to join her.

This place is like an ever shifiting labyrinth of sorts, everything keeps changing. I wonder how many of these walls slide aside, surely the white coats have some kind of exit path hidden because I haven’t seen anything indicating any other place that I haven’t been to.

The elevator doesn’t have any buttons, odd.

The door slides closed and it decends one floor.

The doors open into a Maroon red room, I’m guessing this is my lab then. It’s got chemical cabinets in the far corner of the room and an environment chamber, a table covered with a white sheet is at the very centre the white’s about the only thing that isn’t dashed with a splash of maroon, other things in the room including one of those treadmills with feedback receptors and a breathing mask apparatus hanging from it I guess I might be running, containers and beakers and such are on a counter top, a cryogenic container, cytospin, of there’s a trolley with sharp things and freaking needles. And what self respecting lab doesn’t have an x-ray machine and a microscope.

Four large men wearing uniforms and black visors over their faces bearing the WECA symbol on their chest stand at each corner of the room they each have a pistol at their side but I suspect they might have abilities.

“Mika, your patient is here.” Says Hera. Addressing a man seated amid hologram data, symbols floating in the air and a screen all of which he’s controlling with black cloved hands, he’s dressed in white as well only his coat is colour coded to me which is maroon red.

He snaps his fingers after having taken a single look at us and it all disappears. He turns around and removes the gloves tossing across the room onto the counter top. The look in his eyes is as wild as his long hair and long beard.

Oh please don’t tell me I got stuck with the mad scientist.

He waits motionless his hands folded behind him and clearly it’s a cue because Hera turns and leaves via the elevator.

A white wall now stands where there was an elevator a second ago and I’m trapped in a lab underground. Yay.

“You have no idea, how much, h-h-h-how much I’ve been anticipating this since I heard you were found and got told what you’re capable of.” He says speaking really fast despite having a slight sutter. He walks over to the counter top and slaps on a pair of rubber gloves.

“I’m fascinated b-b-b-by your kind and no one gets to, to, to study other people’s uhh whats worse the word….. SUBJECTS,” he says with a sudden shout of ‘subjects’ that startles me, “Not even the data obtained, can you beli-eve-eve-eve that?” He says pausing Infront of a cabinet, the way he’s looking at me tells me he wants a reponse.

“Uhhh unbelievable i guess.” I say

“Exactly.”

He opens the cabinet and pulls out a few liquid filled vial sized things and stares at them, putting a few back until he looks satisfied closes the cabinet places three of the small liquid filled things on the trolley and rolls it next to the table.

“But you’re here n-n-n-now and it’s my turn.” He says. “Come, come sit.”

I take a nervous glance at the guards before approaching the table and sitting on it.

“So your name is T-T-T-Terry then, is it Terrence in full?” He asks

“No just Terry.” I reply. The guards are making me nervous they’re just standing there with arms folded. I can’t tell from the visors but I can feel their eyes glaring at me.

“Oh don’t worry abo-u–u-ut them, they’re just here as a precaution. Unless you’re planning something.” Says Mika breaking into a manic series of chuckles that sound like hiccups.

He takes each of the vials and draws the contents into a single injection needle, he grabs my arm with needle in hand but I’m quick to squirm away. In unison the guards unfold their arms.

“You might wa-nt to relax. N-n-n-ot a fan of needles either but it’s necessary.”

“Whats in there?” I ask

“A mix of acc-cc-elerants for my tests.” I’m still nervous about giving you my arm.

“How ab-b-b-out we talk. You can ask or tell m-m-m-me anything these guys wont say a word to anyone.” He says talking my arm and putting the needle down then rubbing a numbing agent to the area of my arm where a vein bulges

If that’s true, which I doubt, this man may hold some answers to some questions I can ask.

“What’s the point of my being here?”

“Such is the great mystery of life,” he says jokingly, “I’m afraid that is need to know, unle-e-e-ss I wanted to get blown away by these men.”

So you can’t answer any questions. Great. Ouch! Mika suddenly jabs the needle into my arm and pulls it out after emptying it’s contents into my bloodstream.

“Is something supposed to hap—” i get the answer to my question before I’m even done asking it.

I feel woozy and slump forward, fortunately Mika catches me.

“Woah there, i-i-i-its a kicker that’s for sure.”

Then suddenly I feel way sharper and energy filled like someone just gave me a shot of adrenaline. I’m staring around wildly as I nonchalantly push Mika away and jump off the bed. All the guards have their pistols out and pointed at me, they haven’t moved from where their standing but their trained on me as I pace around the table.

Ughh!! I close my eyes in pain from a headache that makes it feel like brain is pulled out of my skull through my ears it brings me down to my hands and knees then on the cold floor.

My body now is pain so immense all I can do is stare up wide eyed and gasp as my brain, which still feels like its been pulled through my ears, tries to process the two different levels of pain I am until it decides there’s only one way out and so everything turns black…..

I wake with a start nearly falling off the table that I am now apparently on, Mika is hunched over the microsope and a mild whirring comes from a closed blue container beside him, the guards still have their guns trained on me. But why?

Of course! I can feel my abilities in here, maybe I can…

“Round ab-b-b-bout now you can feel your abilities or so I’m told. But I-I-I-I wouldn’t try anything, these boys are good and they have abilities t-t-t-too and are trained killers.” He says without looking up.

“I think I could still take them.”

“Oh, then w-w-w-what? No way out u-u-u-nless I say so and trust me I wouldn’t and if you’re thinking of using your energy to blast o-o-o-out this room is designed to cave in on itself if anyone tries to force their way out. But f-f-f-for interest sake lets say you make it out of here, you’re powerless up there and don’t know the security measures or where an exit is.” He says finally looking up and turning around. The bastard is right.

He’s wearing his black hologram controlling gloves, he clicks his fingers and two separate screens appear. One of them has some sort of data capture thing with my name on it and he logs something on there. The other is me running on the treadmill in the corner, just what the hell is going on?”

“I don’t remember doing that.” I say softly

“Y-y-you wouldn’t, that stuff I gave you ensured that.” He replies calmly with a flick of his hands enlarges his data and stares at it for a moment.

“You gave me a mind control drug?”

“It’s more ef-f-f-fficent that way no time spent quelling any resistance. I w-w-w-wasn’t lying about it being an accelerating agent as well, you see it a-aggrivates your cells opening them up to tampering.”

“I thought I was dying from that stuff. What else did you do to me?”

“Procedure. N-n-n-nothing more.”

“You don’t have any right to do something like that.” I say clinching my fist in anger.

“Terry, relax.” Says dad. I guess he’s still there, “you don’t want to do anything rash.”

I think I actually might.

As fast as I can manage I thrust out my arms and fire an energy burst, simultaneously a gun shot goes and I feel a sting on my right side I’m hit, the blast however does send Mika flying backward and the guards crashing into the walls, the glass on the displays crack but don’t break everything else that isn’t tied down anywhere is broken or knocked over.

I reach for my side and feel wetness before I bring my hand to my face, a grey liquid is on there I try wiping it off with my other hand but it won’t come off. Instead it seeps into the pores of my skin disappearing completely. I’m sure my eyes are as big as saucers as I look down at where I was shot, it’s clean the liquid soaked in through the suit.

What the hell did they shoot me with?

The guards are getting up so is Mika, better if I hit them again, knock out everyone except for the doc and get some answers even if I am not gonna be going anywhere Immediately.

I spread my arms again to send another burst of energy. Nothing happens. I try again and again, three times and still nothing.

“Nullifer rounds, now you can’t use shit, we’ll be right here if you wanna try a different approach.” Says a guard as he takes his position back where he stood like nothing happened. The rest do the same, none of them bother helping up Mika

“I t-t-t-told you it’s futile.” Says Mika standing up straight and he too goes about his work

So just to recap. It’s limited time with the others meaning even if we do scheme it’ll be tricky, no one that isn’t an employee knows where the exit is, all employees seem fiercely loyal as in I’ll die and still not say anything loyal, I haven’t seen any ID cards on anyone or DNA or retinal scan for secret doors, rooms keep changing, somehow they’re watching but I can’t see any cameras, mind control juice that make it easier to cooperate with their tests and to top it all off they have guns that shoot paintball bullets that seep in and hit the off switch to abilities. Right now I wish I had Michael Scofield’s number because he’s sorely needed.

Hera arrives a short while later, she raises an eyebrow to the damage in the lab but says nothing.

We’re now walking down the hall.

“Back to the dome” I ask. Hera nods in response.

“What for?”

“Limit testing.” She says. “You will be simulated to an environment where you will be tested in different situations.”

“I’m guessing as it will be recorded.” I say

“Naturally, and the more days that pass you will improve.” She says.

“You sound sure.” I say

“This entire facility is dedicated to pushing whats within you to its fullest potential.”

“Why?”

Hera doesn’t answer. Need to know basis kind of thing again.

“Is that why myself and the others are here to be pushed and pushed to our peaks for an unknown goal?”

“There is a goal, it is simply I cannot as yet tell you about.” Yet? So I will be told.

I need to test something. “There are people who will look for me. And when they find me they’ll raise hell in this place.”

Hera snorts a laughter. “The anti-WECA establishment? That ragtag thing that spends much of its time training, hiding, executing small raids and calling it victories?” She says. “They helped us find almost all of you WECA has the minds yes but they lacked the small thinking they have a resourcefulness that allowed them to look in places WECA turned a blind eye to. WECA keeps a close eye on them world wide, letting them have victories every now then victories significant enough to make them feel like they’re making in a difference. The time is close when their usefulness will simply run out.” She says stopping and turning to look me in the eyes.

“They would have had you killed because they believe it eliminates what we’re doing here and they are right but we are a step ahead. You see here it may be harsh at times but believe me you will not be allowed to die no matter what your bodies and minds are put through.” She says darkly.

She turns and continues walking

And here I was thinking she was just a hard shell white coat. I honestly don’t know what to think if what she just said, in all honesty it kinda makes sense that they’d do something like that as twisted as it sounds but makes sense that Frank and his people would want to kill us. And it also makes sense that WECA are watching them, question is how close are they to finding out where Nicole is and how I get us out.

“Oh drink this.” She says handing me a vial filled with a clear liquid as we approach the doors into the dome.

I take the vial and glance back at her.

“It’ll do nothing else except to cancel out the nullification you were exposed to. You aren’t the first try what you tried.” She says

“And if I refuse?” I ask

“Then all your friends in there are going to be put through excruciating pain while you watch.” She says stopping Infront of the opening doors and watching me as I down the liquid. It tastes like a bad batch of vinegar.

She leads the way into the dome, this time it seems I’m the last to arrive because Carla and Toni have already taken position at the dome’s center and as soon as the doors close behind me the simulation stars up.

We’re in a barren land, Mad Max Fury Road style, just a flat hard ground terrain surrounded by jaggered hills and rock formations. The heat blazes down from a hot sun but a gentle breeze is also blowing.

“We will begin with your speed and control as you run to cover 505 kilometres. And control of telekinetic assault.” Comes Euroc Carmichael’s voice.

Carla immediately starts running shooting off the mark with a whoosh only this time third person camera is able to stay within close enough distance to see her although she is becoming more blurred with each second that passes. A speed-o-meter is on the top right of my vision and it is going up fast.

15km/5s, 35km/5s… And it just keeps going, meaning a timer is counting down from what was two minutes.

Toni is lifts into the air with different sizes of rock and bolders torn from the surrouning landscape and shoots it into the sky in an wide spreading arch angle, they begin to fall in Carla’s path the larger bolders throw up dust clouds that obsure Carlas path, there’s a few close calls almost got squashed moments because of it but she does the doesn’t stop running and Toni doesn’t stop his barrage of fast travelling telepathically thrown rocks.

Carla has a look of determination on her face, like a sprinter focused on breaking their own record a fierce determination stemming from her eyes.

Damn she’s fast.

She goes for a bit longer before a buzzer sounds and flows down to a halt and falls to her hands and knees breathing heavily, her hair and facr are damp from sweat. I can’t believe my eyes with the statistic before my eyes:

Carla Cole:

– DISTANCE COVERED: 505 KILOMETRES

– TIME TAKEN: 02MINS;01SECS

Toni Lewandowski:

– TELEPATHIC PROFIENCY IMPROVED BY 8.6%

A slight smile creeps across my face because although she’s breathing heavily Carla Cole has a satisfied smile on her face, I guess a record was broken. I guess her directory told her? Toni, floating himself on a bolder, lands next to Carla and hops down to check on her.

“Hey dad do directories get feedback about some stuff in real time.” I whisper

“Yes we do.” He replies

So it was your directory that told you.

“Next temperature control. And survival.” Says Euroc

The air within my forcefield suddenly becomes incredibly almost freezing cold and the ground below me becomes elevated. Is it Carla?

I look back her and she’s Only standing up. The simulation is changing to the inside of a fiery angry volcano and the heat goes back up to normal to really not in my dug out. Now i get it, the cold is to somehow counter act the environement.

Instantly Carla is focused on cooling the air around her to freeze the lava and cool to volcano enough to freeze it. But she a pained expression on her face, her feet are burnt black but encased within a block of solid ice that doesn’t look like melting. Still it must have hurt.

Whilst Toni who’s sweating profusely is focused on holding a telepathically barrier around him against the lava and Carla’s temperature ability, his teeth are gritted.

Almost suddenly as though Carla hit a eurika moment the entire volcano freezes in a burst of what looks like freezing cold wind. Toni doesn’t let up on his barrier which now turns in a kinetic ball that he sits within but why?

Instead he rolls over quick still within his ball to Carla and touches her forehead head healing her feet whilst Carla breathes heavily, the ice around her is melting and she’s steaming. Wait she isn’t going to….

In a built up cry she she lets loose a blast of heat so intense the volcano shakes as violently, volcanic rock breaking off the walls splashes the lava about like pool water.

Carla Cole

-SWITCH BETWEEN HOT AND COLD: 3SECS

-USE OF BOTH HOT AND COLD AT ONCE: N/A

Toni Lewandowski

-SURVIVAL IN CONDITIONS: SUCCESSFUL AND UNSCATHED

-SUPPORT: EFFICIENT

Support counts? Curious. Maybe Marc’s super team idea isn’t off either considering the mind control drug.

“Lastly stealth.” Says Euroc

The simulation changes to the inside of a black walled room Carla and Toni stand on one end of it with a door behind them, on the other end is a key in a glass box. Its a heist style of set up.

Carla kneels down and breathes frosted air out. The air reveals a series nof zigzagging lazers between them and the key.

The door behind them clicks and Toni just disappears completely.

Oh snap so that’s his third ability invisibility.

Carl zips to a wall flattening herself on it, she quickly kneels down and pulls up the floor like it were made of putty and molds an augmented version of the black walls Infront of her just as the door opens and a man steps through. He walks over and punches a wall panel before putting a key in and turning it three times deactivating the laser grid. Before he can walk son however he’s suddenly thrown up again the wall, hard and slumps again it in an awkward position.

At the other end of the room Toni reappears opens the glass display and takes the key. As soon as he doors a cage descends around him and the glass display, the door out is sealed of and a loud alarm goes off.

“End simulation.” Says Euroc

Carla Cole & Toni Lewandowski

-STEALTH: FAILED.

Next up its me and Marc.

“First time assessment is done alone. Marc Van Der Walt plesse step back.” Or so I thought.

Marc shrugs and heads back to his dug out.

So I guess its just me.

“First test, escape.” Says Euroc. But what does that mean?

The simulation goes up and I’m in an all metal room, no doors just walls. Walls that begin closing it. Shit.

Okay maybe I can push the walls back with a bit of energy projection.

I fire a constant stream of clear energy from my palms which works, for about two seconds then the walls double in approach. Okay strength it is.

So I augment my physical strength and charge and throw a hard punch which hurts a little and vibrates the metal. The only result I get however is the walls closing in little faster. Okay if not this side the other. I land a punch on the opposite wall and the speed increases, crap.

Maybe the walls that aren’t moving.

I throw consecutive rapid fire strength filled punches and only dent each none moving wall just a tiny bit. And the ones closing in are faster and closer. Maybe if I punch all four as fast as I can.

So I run around in a circle landing a hard punch of each wall and again nothing. What now? I’m panting lightly as I loom up… Up ofcourse!

The walls are really close now about an arms length each direction.

I focus my entire augment ability into my legs from a squat position and on my head. I hope I’m not wrong or this will just hurt.

I spring up jumping with all the force I can muster crash straight through the metal ceiling and land painfully on a roof. I’m in a city, but I can’t tell where, it’s night times and as far as I can tell I’m on the tallest building around, the others are about maybe four floors tall.

Terry Barnes

-PERILOUS ESCAPE: MODERATE

“Next life saving.” Says Euroc.

Immediately the building I’m on tips over and begins to tip over and screams can be heard from the inside.

No time to waste I turn on my flight and fly through a window, grabbing my first person as I go through and leaving them on the other side in safety. I do it again and again as the building falls, it seems to be falling in stages going and stopping for about three seconds.

This won’t work there’s still a lot of people. As I land on the ground from about my tenth trip the building just begins to careen toward the ground. On instinct I raise my hands and with a shout I fire all the energy i can muster opposing the building’s force it stops mid fall but I can’t do anything about things and people falling out of windows.

My eyes meet those of a terrified mad pressed against up between a cracking window and a window pane.

“Go! And tell people to get out i can’t hold it for long.” I shout.

He nods and disappears.

After a little bit he jumps out from a low point of the half falled building, for a second I think he’s just saved his own ass then he reaches up and helps a little girl down and then more people follow. I can feel my stream of energy faultering, clearly I’m not meant to produce this much for this long, the building feels it too because it falls a little more its move shatters glass, a few pieces brush by me making a deep cut on my cheek and neck, blood trickles and drops on the ground. Desperate I look over and people have stopped coming out of the low point hole.

“Is that everyone!” I shout at the man from who earlier as he makes a mad dash to come away from underneath the falling building, he says nothing though I’m not even sure he heard me.

I let the building fall and it hits the ground with a loud crash and a shower of debris, dust and wind.

Terry Barnes

-LIVES LOST: 10

-SUCCESS PERCENTAGE: 94%

Dammit people died.

I’m not really given time to feel sorry for myself because the simulation changes to Mad Max world again, still night time.

“You will straight up as fast and as high as possible.”

Okay simple enough.

With a bit of thrust I shoot straight up into the sky and add a little extra burst when I’m high enough and keep going until the air starts to feel thinner and add a little bit more and go faster.

I gotta keep going, maybe I can hit the tropopause.

Just a little….. Further…. And I’m blacking out… Again.

My eyes open into a room that’s all too familiar at this point. I think I’ll call the Marlea room from now on.

Marlea stands in front of me wearing another pants suit, her hair is tied in a bun and her strobe light eyes are fixed on me.

“I bet you’re happy with me being trapped in what is effectively a birdcage where the the exit is non-existent.”

She smiles, “On the contrary I’m disappointed Terry Barnes, no great plot to escape in play, towing the line. Not even an attempt to make a shiv to stick that Hera.” She says

“Give me a toothbrush right now and I can make one and give you a demonstration with you as the volunteer. What is it this time am I gonna wake up on Mars?”

“No you will wake up where you were, you simply lost consciousness during your attempt to touch a layer of your earth’s end.” She says with a reach for something unseen

“And you took the opportunity to chat because?”

“To offer motivation, I grow bored. Find a way to escape and face my true test. The fifth will be found soon and when she is your friends,” she says pausing and for some reason vivid stills of Janice and Becky flash though my mind, “they will die and so will your parents.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I do nothing Terry Barnes, I merely move the pieces and at times when a piece refuses to move there must be action around it that yields results.” She says.

I wake with a start in my room colour coded room, I guess its time for my best Michael Scofield impersonation.