2025-01-06 01:38:56"... I mean, can't we just disconnect it and shut down this stupid lair," Jacq paced back and forth as he said that.
Cassie disagreed... "No, we can't. We should not. The lair will crumble to dust if we so much as touch it. And we can't remove it. The orb has a mind of its own, have you noticed?" She paced restlessly too. "But you said you know what to do... Forgotten?" Jacq fired at her. Cassie sat down for a while, trying to gather her wits together. She knew what to do. She has the plan all ready in her head. But... "It could be dangerous," she said softly to Jacq. "It could be dangerous," she repeated. Her first plan was to run up the wall with her superhuman speed and strength, and disconnect the orb like Jacq said. But, the whole lair would shut down and it could mean the death of everyone inside. The two of them included. Her second plan was to channel the energy from the orb to a maximum level, in the direction of the door to eliminate the incoming soldiers. That could prove destructive too. She doesn't have a full idea of how the blue orb works. She might loss control and destroy everything. Another round of thrumming began again, breaking Cassie's thoughts. The orb... It senses two living matters down below. And it is reacting to the aura they gave. Cassie knew the soldiers are close now. She could feel it with her advanced superhuman sense. She heard the sickly sound of metal boots marching in sync and in formation. She stretched her arms and made a popping sound from her neck as she stretched. She's not going to go down do easily, like Jacq said. The boy had inspired her more than she could admit. He has shown braveness and every bit of calmness in those dangerous situations they've encountered. He has come up with escape plans twice and he has bought them more time before dying. He is not a superhuman, yet he has superpowers. I've failed myself, Cassie thought to herself. Now is the time to redeem her flaws. Her father can go to hell for all she cared. She's not doing to budge any longer. She reached into her belt pocket and extracted the only plasma gun she has. She walked up to the nearby shelf and picked up a plasma sword that is made from an incredibly hot gas but powered and perfected by the electrical power of the orb. It is the closest thing to a proper weapon against the metal suits of the soldiers. She walked up to the wall serving as a door and poised. Half crouched, and sword in hand, she waited patiently. Jacq who understood that their death is nigh, went to the shelf and picked up the last plasma sword too. He didn't know what they hoped to achieve against a hundred soldiers and half their number in drones... But he joined her anyway. He broke a sweat. When they waited for about a minute and nothing appeared, Jacq grew tired and said, "they are probably preparing something big. Let's use the orb, Cassie. Let's try, please." "And how do you hope to use the orb, Jacq?" Cassie questioned. "I... I... Don't know... It's..." Jacq stuttered and was cut short. "They are coming," Cassie warned. She tensed as she gripped the hilt of the plasma sword more tightly. Jacq simply walked away from her side to stand behind her. He rolled the plasma sword in his hand. He felt like Darth Vader from Star Wars. Give me his mask and his black cloak... And I can become the key to tipping the balance... Ahaa. The key... The key... Jacq burst out, "Cassie, the key! It's with you, right?" "She looked back, eyes glinting wildly. "Yes, it's with me. Don't worry... I've set this suit to self destruct of I die. It'll burn itself with the key." She faced the door again. "No. You can use it, Cassie. Can't you see? Use it on the orb!" Cassie looked back in late realization. Bee eyes showed a little bit of hope. Then, she gave up again. "It's too late," she said. "Then, fucking give it to me, and buy some fucking time for me!!" Jacq yelled at her. "Give it to me!!!" Cassie relented and brought out the key from an enclosed space in her suit. She threw it behind her towards Jacq. He caught it and ran behind the shelves immediately, aiming to start the climb for the orb. He opened the case holding the key and had a quick look at the content. It was a light quantum chip not bigger than an SD card, but with complex details. The key is light blue in colour and it contains intricate lines and shapes resembling a maze of quantum circuit, coloured in shades of black. These circuits are made of superconducting materials and it has a built-in wireless connection that allows it connect with the orb thereby unlocking it's full powers. Jacq looked up and saw a series of steps by the wall to his right each leading up but only one connected with the cage housing the orb. Without thinking, Jacq took his first step up the nearest ladder. He's taking no chances and he hopes to find the right ladder once he's a safe way up above. He climbed up the fleet of rungs at a fast pace at first, but later on, the ladders started getting all curved and twisted as he advanced. He paused and tucked the key safely into his pants' pocket before climbing up the twisted steps. Down below was another scene entirely... The had burst into the lab armed with the best weapons they could lay their hands on, and firing plasma shots sporadically as they moved. Cassie on the other hand, had activated the special skill she unlocked when she was raised to be a commander – The Holographic Decoy. This skill enables her to be in multiple locations at the same time, thereby confusing her attackers about her actual location. She hid behind a large metal shelf as she projected her Holographic versions of herself holding plasma sword and running towards the soldiers. They looked as real and opaque as a normal human would. And this gave the soldiers a little scare. They shot at the holographic figures continuously but the plasma bullets only went through them. They came close and the soldiers got the surprise of their life. The decoys can cause damage to them. The first decoy sliced a soldier's arm in half with the plasma sword, slicing through metal and flesh and bone. Twenty holographs of Cassie caused a whole lot of damage to these intruders. They wielded the plasma sword with an athletic touch to them, pulling stunts and stylishly causing drastic losses on the enemy's side Their leader realizing what was going on, called on the drones to scan the lab. He realized that eliminating the girl is the only way to stop the decoys from killing them all. At once, a score of drones sped out, buzzing in different directions, pointing red beams of light around the lab. Cassie unsheated her gun and shot two nearby drones. They scattered in a shower of metals and wires. She ran from cover with nimble steps and shot another one above her. This time, the other drones picked up her signal and they all sped to where she stood, pointing their nozzled ends down in her direction. The thirteen drones all turned red as they started shooting down at her. Cassie activated her super reflexes and took off towards another deserted part of the lab. Cassie darted through an empty space, her heart pounding as she weaved between the lasers fired by the pursuing drones. She ducked, rolled, and leaped over the incoming fire, her movements fluid and precise, like a ballet dancer dodging bullets. She could feel the heat of the lasers singeing her bare face, but she kept moving, relying on her superhuman reflexes to stay ahead of the drones. The chase intensified as the drones redoubled their efforts, swarming around Cassie like a hive of angry wasps. She dived into a narrow disconnected ventilation duct, sliding through the cramped space as the drones buzzed overhead, their weapons ricocheting off the metal walls. Cassie emerged from the end of the ventilation duct and sprinted towards a heavy blast metal shelf, sliding under it just as a barrage of lasers struck the surface, sizzling the metal where she had just been run by. Her breath ragged, Cassie turned and faced her pursuers, her eyes narrowed with determination. Her senses peaked. She got a hold of her plasma gun one more time and shot at the drones from this safe angle that she stood. She turned a dead shot in an instant... With squinted eyes and a focused mind, she shot at the drones, left to right. Her shots never missing the target. She shot four drones down in the blink of an eye. Cassie moved away from her cover as the drones started another shower of lasers. She looked upa tiny bit and saw Jacq still struggling with the ladders high above. I hope what you're planning works out, Cassie thought bitterly to herself. Time was running out. The drones damaged the metallic shel with their lasers and it's time for Cassie to be on the run again. "Stupid drones!" She ran off towards another end of the lab, away from where the soldiers are battling her decoys. She slid through low spaces and jumped obstacles so she could find another clear spot to shoot the never relenting drones. She got to a corner and maneuvered around a stack of barrels to hide behind a shelf. But, it was a dead end. Cassie stopped right in her tracks as the realization dawned on her. She turned slowly to face the drones loomiadvancing. Her gun is out of charge. As the drones advanced on Cassie, she raised her voice to test if she can still control them. They had all been under her command before but she knew this is just a wasted effort. They would have been reprogrammed, she knew but still wanted to try. "Stop!" She yelled. They kept advancing. Then suddenly, the drones halted their advance and hovered in place, their weapons trained on her. They glowed red again in readiness for another laser shower. Cassie closed her eyes as she heard the first whistling shots. Nine whistling shots... Everywhere grew silent at first, then the sound of metals hitting the ground erupted. The world went dark, but Cassie opened her eyes. She's not dead... The drones are. K-43 and K-44 appeared before her, mask down with their advanced guns blazing hot in their hands. The middle aged man was grinning down at her, while the blond boy just stared with blue eyes and an empty face. "We couldn't allow you have these fun all to yourself," the middle-aged man with pointed nose said, still grinning. Blond boy murmured, "Commander Cassie." Cassie stood on her feet and ran to thank her two subordinates who appeared to save her life. She was happy for a moment before remembering something. Jacq. She ran out into the centre of the lab and looked up towards where the orb was caged. There was no Jacq. Cassie panicked and called out his name at the top of her lungs. There was a slight movement from the cage, and then... A blast... A deafening blast. The whole lab shook. A brilliant flash of blue light, like a miniature sun exploding in shades of blue, was the only warning they had before the shockwave spread out to every corner of the large lab. The blast radiated outwards with the forced of a small supernova, painting the metal walls of the laboratory with a shifting otherworldly hue. Jacq being so close to the orb was knocked full force out of the cage. His limp body travelled thirty metres in the air before landing with a loud bang on the floor of the lab. A loud, "nooooooo..." A sickening crunch... A fading world... Jacq breathed his last.
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My Strange System Welcome, Goodbye... Welcome
The cold chamber was a speaker producing different array of sounds. The whirring noise never stopped, the beeping sound of active machines, the thrumming sound coming from above, and the ragged breathing coming from Commander Cassie.She wasn't going to give up saving this boy she had pronounced calamity upon. Her guilt won't allow her. She doesn't want to admit she has caused his death. She doesn't want to admit that he's not going to wake up from this deep slumber.Jacq was laid face up on a bed with series of wires and tubes attached to his body. His face was completely covered by a transparent mask to help with breathing just in case.His bare chest was loaded with taped wires and multiple syringes piercing the skin into the heart. The wires all connected to another machine operating electrically as it makes the non stopping whirring noise.The laboratory which the little battle for survival took place has been prepared and transformed into a mini hospital in an effort to revive J
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************************************Cassie understood.Greg and Callum understood later. The three of them had just been bested in combat against Jacq. It came as a huge blow to them. They had never lost before.Well, Greg and Callum had lost multiple fights against Cassie, their commander but that was mostly because she had been mutated with special attention and she even has a special skill since she was a commander. She is a great fighter, and it is understandable losing to her.But, bring trashed hands down against a boy they had tied up and laughed at in their lab some hours ago, was unfathomable. It hurts their pride. Especially the silent blond boy, Callum's.They started coming to terms with Jacq's strange movements and attitudes, but what was even stranger was the way he ran away down the hall after he had whooped their asses.Has he run insane? These thoughts bothered Cassie.She spread the team out in different directions to look for Jacq. She scanned the entire lair with
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Jacq appeared at the door of his house, the same spot at which he was kidnapped. It was dark outside and everywhere was quiet. He walked to a sofa and slumped heavily on it.He was tired mentally, not physically. The whole experience is so hard for him to process. Rightly so, he is a sixteen year old high school boy who dwelled heavily on his imaginations,, but right now, his imaginations had come true and he couldn't believe all that had happened.Maybe it wasn't true, he thought to himself. Maybe it was all just an illusion. He raised his head and checked the door handle and saw the burnt patch where they had forced the door open. It wasn't an illusion after all. It all happened.Jacq tested his powers again. He reached deep into his mind and focused on his vision. He could see through the door into his room. The scattered clothes still lay there. He could see the broken wardrobe door, he scanned the room further and his mood soured when be saw his game console split cleanly into t
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It's finally happening. I didn't know it will be this fast...Right... Ugh...Jacq pressed hard on the Power Off button of the TV remote angrily that he almost broke it. It took all level of self control to stop him from smashing it down in the tiled floor. It is here... It is finally here, the reason for this system. The reason for building these technologies.Professor Lambert had carried out these measures just for the sake of America. His personal gain was not thought about when he embarked on developing the system from the already created blue orb. The owner of the system holds the power to lead the war and is essential if there was any chance of this war being won. And the owner of the system is me? Me? The more I think of it, the crazier it becomes... How..?"I can just stay hidden, can't I?" Jacq asked hoping for a reply from Stranger. There was only silence. He went on..."After all, the country is not aware of the existence of the orb anymore. They were convinced it wa
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Activating the radar detector ability that he copied from Tade, the tunnel suddenly turned a greenish shade before his eyes. Each turning in the tunnel opened up easily to him as his mind traveled far before him.Everything stopped moving when he sensed the presence in the tunnel. Two men and a woman, it seemed, he couldn't be sure since this is the first time Jacq is using this ability but these people sure didn't number more than three.In the muscular hand of one of the men was the Mutant detector device that Stranger told him about. It flashed red light against the green vision that Jacq was seeing.The three figures appeared as a light yellow colour against the green environment that Jacq was seeing for easy detection of people and movement. Jacq could see that they were moving restlessly from foot to foot as they discussed, one of the men was gesticulating wildly.The man holding the device turned immediately to Jacq's line of vision as if he knew that someone was watching them
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[The tunnel is free. Enjoy your stroll] a notification popped.Jacq gave a soft chuckle that attracted a raised eyebrow from the kid. He looked down at the boy, his smile getting broader and he managed a wink. Then Jacq remembered that he didn't know the boy's name. Olatunde never told him."Hey, what is your name?" Jacq asked.Of course, the boy remained silent.[Scanning...][Name: Tade Adeola][Age: 12][Form: Mutant][Skill: Spy]Jacq was instantly amazed at this new development he's experiencing. He never knew the system could do something like this. Now, he doesn't have to ask for people's name and status before he knows them. The system can do any research work for him anytime.A tiny voice said in his head, [you will need to settle down to discover all I can do]Ugh, if only this system can send notifications alone and stop speaking in my head... Jacq thought.[I can do that too, if you want]Yes, I will love that...[System set to mute mode][Notifications only...][Completed
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Jacq caught up with the boy in few seconds, cursing silently after him. Either the boy did not hear or he chose not to bother, he kept on along a small patch of bare land amidst the sea of grass before jumping suddenly, diagonally to his left. Jacq followed suit, lifting his body weightlessly and jumping silently a few inches from the kid.The going was slow as the boy looked back continuously to make sure Jacq never missed a step. Then, the hop became more frequent, left to right, to right, to left, forward... They went on jumping the invisible landmines, apparently visible only to the boy.Then, as if he remembered something, the black boy looked back one last time, with one eyebrow raised meaningfully at Jacq, before running two steps forward and stepping sideways to his right, the last of him concealed by the thick dry bushes.Alarmed, Jacq followed at once, running two steps and jumping to his right just as he did. He got behind the thick set of bushes and saw the black figure of
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A week has passed since the suiting and preparations. The present day gave birth to tight chests, ragged breathing, muffled curses, nervous whispers, and the greatest of these feelings — Fear.Mutant soldiers, old and young, friends and foes could be seen clustered in groups, whispering both hopeful and damning thoughts. Unison never seen amongst them ensued in the past seven days. Arguments reduced and fights had come to a complete halt... Only one thing was on everyone's mind, and only one thing kept them together — the inevitable war.Many have been mutated long before the Green war and before the orb was declared to have been destroyed. They have secured properties and lives of wealthy men, some even engaged in little street battles when it comes to it. Many have lost friends and families since their recreation, many have lost their humanity, and few have even lost some body parts. Every man lived with his own fate and bore the consequences of acquiring inhuman powers. As a result
Cassie's POV
Cassie walked up silently to a raised platform inside the suiting lab. As she walked, murmurings were heard among the onlookers of the lab. Cassie bowed her head shyly as she made to speak. She was not built for this. She had always shied away from public speaking but right now, she has no choice... These are her people now. She is their commander and she wasn't about to let go of that position based on fear. More than half of the people here will jump at her post at any given opportunity.She raised her head and breathed deep one last time. The crowd before her gave her a little scare. She could see the glum face above his shuby blue suit, Greg's face plastered with a wide smile like a proud kid cheering his parents on, she could see Olatunde the Nigerian boy's eager face, like be was about to jump a playmate on a ring. She could see a whole lot of familiar faces that she hasn't seen together at once... Mutants created by her father, mutants bit recognized by the American government.
Let's get suited
It's finally happening. I didn't know it will be this fast...Right... Ugh...Jacq pressed hard on the Power Off button of the TV remote angrily that he almost broke it. It took all level of self control to stop him from smashing it down in the tiled floor. It is here... It is finally here, the reason for this system. The reason for building these technologies.Professor Lambert had carried out these measures just for the sake of America. His personal gain was not thought about when he embarked on developing the system from the already created blue orb. The owner of the system holds the power to lead the war and is essential if there was any chance of this war being won. And the owner of the system is me? Me? The more I think of it, the crazier it becomes... How..?"I can just stay hidden, can't I?" Jacq asked hoping for a reply from Stranger. There was only silence. He went on..."After all, the country is not aware of the existence of the orb anymore. They were convinced it wa
Reconciliation
The first crow of the day sounded down a deserted alley. In the gloom of the midnight, dark buildings rose high down the street with the moonlight making a silhouette of them. It had just rained and the ground was all muddy and slippery to walk on. Down a corner a little distance from the beginning of the street, a stray cat leapt over a gutter running from a stone thrown lamely at it. There were whispered sounds coming from cloaked men behind a dirty bakery."Munoz, listen to me. You only have three days to find the boy. After that, I won't defend you this time around." A dirty old man in his late sixties addressed his mate. He was dressed in black coat and a dark hat that concealed half his face. His foul breath mixed with the scent of the cigarette hanging from his mouth, giving a more offensive odour.Munoz stood opposite him in similar dress code, black on black. A middle aged man with a slightly tanned skin and a hooked nose. Coarse strands of hair scattered all over his sharp j
A Black Saviour
Stranger, I think I should join them, Jacq thought in his mind.[Don't.]Jacq whispered a "why?" But he wasn't expecting an answer. He was engrossed in the insane combat between these two – Cassie and Olatunde.His sharp senses made him capture every movement they made, no matter how fast. The speed of the fight would have made everything look like a blur if observed by a normal human eye.After a short while, the two foes stopped to dialogue a little. From where Jacq hid, he could understand that Olatunde was proposing peace in exchange for something. That something though, he had no idea. Cassie showed a defiant reaction with an angry face, and in no time, Olatunde pounced on her again ready for another battle.Ugh, she's stubborn as always. But, Olatunde... How did he come about this power? He claimed this is his first time in this country.[Are you asking me or you're thinking to yourself?]"Both," Jacq whispered. "I mean, the orb is the only object responsible for..." He broke of
Sweats and Threats
Jacq's head was bent in thought as he treaded the lonely path on the way to school. He has a lot on his mind. Lots he couldn't even tell his best friend, Karl.Jacq wasn't convinced of the peace that has been happening in his life lately. He knew what is there waiting for him. The system of the greatest human weapon in the history of mankind that he had encountered can never be one to give him so much peace, he knew.As of late, he has been living in perfect harmony with the system. He had even given it a name – Stranger. The system had reacted rashly against the name but Jacq would have none of it. At the moment, all these are all a form of amusement to him. On his free evenings, he goes out down to the most deserted location in the area, just to test his speed and reflexes. He once ran a kilometer, amused by how the distance was less strenuous and how he hardly broke a sweat. Life was smiling at him at the moment, and he is enjoying every bit of it.But there was always that uneasy
