Yes, everything is wrong!
“Nothing that is a big deal,” she mouthed. He wasn’t buying it. Her mind flipped for an excuse. “My dad, um … just recently had another false call about my brother being spotted again. Turns out it was someone else’s boy, it always is.” It was the first thing she could think of and it was the truth.
“I’m sorry, Donna. I know one day they’ll find David,” he answered her. It’s what he’d always said every year since she could remember, and then he took a step forward again, coming closer and closer to her flesh.
“No, I don’t think they ever will,” she mumbled as she quickly wheeled around him. “We better get back inside.” She started walking quickly toward the door when his words forced her to come to a halt again.
“Are you sure that is all that’s wrong?” He paused for a painful moment, then continued. For the first time in a lifetime, his words sounded insecure. “I saw half of the gift I gave to you has been put underneath my family’s tree, unopened.”
She turned, heart beating so fast, she needed to say this now, say what she had never ever wanted to breathe in the past, back when she knew nothing. How the clueless Donna would hate these words … the Donna that had loved him.
“Making me a new beam in woodshop is the nicest thing anybody has ever done for me.” Her voice came out in trembles she didn’t understand. “All your gifts are, but—” But why do you do this to me? How can any of this be real? How can you really be the same monster that tried to … kill me. “It’s not like we’re really friends anymore, Ryan. Let’s face it, we haven’t been real friends or even talked in-depth in years. The gifts and pretending we’re not from two totally different worlds should stop.”
After Donna said it, she felt like she couldn’t speak anymore, couldn’t continue to stand there, couldn’t breath; this crushed her in ways she wished she couldn’t recognize, because in the most pathetic way she still cared about hurting him right now; even after everything. Her courage was drained, and yet somehow here and now she was staring at Ryan completely still.
Her words had taken him aback; she could see it all over his face, her old best friend’s face. As if she had been the one who cut things off years ago, when they both knew it was really him who had. His taken aback look cut into her soul, as if a part of her still stupidly forgot who he and his family really were, and what they had done.
Before she could think more about it, she turned around and went back inside, leaving him out in the cold all alone. Their chapter was done.
Part Two
What Is A Real Biomax Solider?
Chapter Seven
Rebecca
Rebecca woke, only half awake to the smells of Christmas. Her parents, who’d stayed in town extra long this holiday season because they’d been so worried about their daughter, called for her to get out of bed so they could start their dorky part Jewish part Christian holiday because her family celebrated both. But Rebecca, wanting nothing more than to keep her eyes closed, asked them if they could start a little later. Her mom agreed, and Rebecca’s mind fell back into deep, meaningless sleep. Her head was not cushioned on a pillow but next to a special computer tablet. One of Paul’s that he had built by hand.
She had been on it last night, partially researching things that could pertain to Donna, pertain to the whole mystery of the town … and partially just typing away numbingly, while she waited to hear that Donna had returned safely from a night of pretending to be normal at the Applegate’s. Donna had put on a brave face, and deep down in Rebecca’s mind after everything Donna had been through, Rebecca knew she could pull off sitting across from those wicked people and pretend to be normal. Donna was way stronger than Rebecca, who had been filled with nothing but tension and worry the whole night. Typing on Paul’s tablet, feeling the screen and buttons that he had once touched, seemed the only calming thing she could do.
Once she heard news that Donna was fine, Rebecca had fallen asleep dreaming about Paul, and about the day she’d first seen Donna turn into electricity and survive a deadly car accident. She’d dreamt about the way Paul had comforted her that day, and how he’d brilliantly discovered pieces of this mystery before she’d even told him anything.
She’d fallen asleep lastly dreaming about one of the times they’d kissed. The way his lips had felt so smooth and good against her own. How had she never had a crush on him, or even gotten a glimpse of who Paul really was, until after Donna’s accident? How did she not know until it was too late how much he was the best, most brave and brilliant, most perfect young man in the world? A boy she had only kissed a few times and that would never be enough. Rebecca had been robbed of the first person, and maybe the last person, her lips would ever touch.
She heard a noise, awaking her once more to the unfortunate reality, but she was unable to open her eyes. “Mom, I’m not ready to celebrate yet, please start without me,” she said groggily. She knew she no longer looked or sounded anything like her old delicate self, but what did that really matter. She heard the noise again; it shook her further out of sleep. “Mom!”
That’s when she opened her eyes, now fully awake, and realized it wasn’t her mother’s voice or presence waking her. Paul’s tablet was beeping … buzzing as it was downloading information that was partially burning up the motor. Her eyes still blurry from tiredness, she turned her lights on and waited for her vision to adjust, then looked at the tablet as she heard the sounds of old Christmas cartoons her dad loved playing loudly in the other room.
On the screen, staring her in the face, was a program that had started running on its own. Something Paul must have programmed or uploaded before he died. It was loading at a fast rate, and Rebecca tried hitting keys and opening different tabs and windows to try to understand what was happening. Her heart was trembling, a new life to her fingers as she tried to crack the computer code. A program was running that could have been either an upload or a virus; and the most haunting thing about it was it was titled with Paul’s name. The words “Paul Cohen” were flashing on and off the tablet’s screen.
Rebecca felt her heart shake as a part of her brain she’d been pushing down snapped back to life. Something was happening, she could feel it in her gut, in the deepest part of her intuition, and she had a feeling whatever this was, it would have consequences.
* * *
Randy
It was early Christmas morning and small, cheesy little East Applegate was overly holiday decorated like a bad Christmas card. Randy walked through it like the Grinch with a terrible hangover. He’d spent the night at one of the hot female soccer players homes, leaving before she woke, and wanting nothing more than to just crash at his family’s guest house and sleep all day.
Finally when he arrived, he tried his key to get inside and found it no longer fit into the door’s keyhole. What the … ! Had his moron father really changed the locks on Christmas Day? Of course he had. Randy felt his groggy temper rise. He could always burn his way through. In fact, that was probably exactly what his dad wanted so Randy would be forced to come stay at their family’s main mansion instead. Where he would be monitored twenty-four seven with all his dad’s psycho cameras and spy gear.
I don’t think so. Cussing, he turned and started walking toward where his dad would be; not at their home on Christmas morning but toward the power plant. Hopefully he wouldn’t find his brother there with him.
* * *
“Well, I have to say I’m impressed,” Randy heard his dad call out to him from the plant’s monitoring room. It was a giant space underground, with tall ceilings covered from head to toe with monitoring computer screens. They monitored every room in the entire power plant, and not to mention extra screens that showed special key points in their town, their surrounding towns; and even key points that spread throughout the US.
Right now Mr. Applegate was staring at the screen that showed his son was walking up from behind him. “Merry Christmas. Have you come for your yearly lump of coal t
o burn?” his dad said with the same cocky smile Randy had always hated.
“I’d settle for the new quarters of your precious power plant burning down, but I see you’ve reengineered all your doors with a special un-flammable steel just for me, Pops. I’m touched,” Randy spat sarcastically.
His dad’s smile grew because he knew he was majorly pissing his oldest son off. “I’d love to say the millions the government has given me to reinforce this place is to entertain you, son, but after we found the Electrolite intruder could go through all the walls except for our newly built ones, we realized restructuring the entire plant was a must.”
“Wow, one intruder made you do all that,” Randy shrugged, making sure he put on a face that showed his father he didn’t care. “If I hadn’t tried to kill the guy, I’d probably shake his hand, considering how small he’s made you look. Division 6 must be pretty pleased.”
Those final words successfully made his dad cringe and Randy felt proud of himself. If there was anything Randy’s mid-life crisis, head honcho dad hated, it was to hear that he was small, or that he was one step behind, which brought Randy to his next dig.
His face fell on the computer screen of the fake bedroom his dad had set up in the plant’s lowest, most guarded level where a set of two kids, a brother and sister, were sitting. Scientists were with them, trying to make the kids perform tests they’d disguised as childish games and toys. The two munchkins refused to budge. They knew they were prisoners here. Just like Randy himself had always known he was a prisoner.
“You still don’t know who they are do you?” Randy said to his father as his hand touched the screen. “Or what government made them?”
His father walked up beside him. He was a half-foot shorter than Randy and yet his dad’s presence still seemed over powering. Mr. Applegate studied the screen like an angry Mad Hatter. “Every government that’s tried to imitate my work and create their own version of Biomax soldiers or enhanced human beings has a signature. The signatures are usually found in their points of failure, whereas my signature on your kind is at my point of success. I’ll figure out where these children are from. It’s not as if humans with super life changing abilities can just pop out of nowhere; or suddenly evolve an ability for no reason. There is always an explanation.” His father repeated what Randy already knew, “And when we figure out who my copycats are, we’ll capture their resources and fix their mistakes.”
“We … ” Randy turned to his father with the most hateful eyes. “Please. You’re talking to me, not Ryan. What makes you think I’ll ever feel like doing anything you say?”
His father let out a tired laugh, his eyes all mocking. “Oh yes, I know. I’m always the bad guy to you, son. Just like I was always the bad guy to your mother when all I wanted was to save her.”
“Don’t!” Randy barked, now truly tasting the big root to all his anger. “Don’t you dare mention her name!” Randy warned as all the papers on one of the monitoring tec’s desk started to smoke, and then catch on fire. The technician jumped, quickly rushing to put out the flames and save his files as Randy’s dad just kept on talking like nothing out of the ordinary had interrupted their conversation.
“And all I want is for you to be a part of this family. To work hard to do great things and protect your brother. He’ll be going with your other teammates for his first out of state mission soon. Are you really going to have him do this alone? Where he could get hurt?”
Randy’s heart started beating. Why should he care what danger his dad constantly put his brother into? Not to mention all the people his brother stayed in public contact with? Why should Randy care what happened to anyone in this town? Problem was, he did.
“What mission is that, the same first mission you had me do after you got Lea killed and I returned from the compound?” His father’s silence clearly marked that Randy knew exactly where this was going. “You made me escort someone else back to those cells. So I could become the same kind of mad man you are. Now you’re gonna have Ryan and Lynn be the main muscle and do the same thing to these kids aren’t you?”
When his father said nothing, that confirmed it. Randy let out a hateful laugh, as if this was all a joke. As if transporting an unbroken person with abilities was no big deal. It was.
“Not until I know where they come from,” Mr. Applegate told his son as they both stared at the screen of the two children. They were just staring at one another in the room, as if they could communicate with their minds. Maybe they could.
Then suddenly the screen went black. Every screen in the monitoring room went black like it had the day the Electrolite intruder had walked through one of their main base walls. Only this time only half the monitors came back on. The other half were rebooting, with something loading on the screens, some kind of computer program.
“What’s happening?” Mr. Applegate barked at his technicians. They all squirmed around, hitting all the touch screen monitors, trying to figure out what was going on. Turns out someone really was trying to make Randy’s dad look stupid as everyone tried to figure out who that was and what was taking place.
Randy’s eyes went from screen to screen as someone yelled, “It’s some kind of virus loading into our data frame again! Just like the one the Cohen boy had uploaded and hacked us with before … ”
“That should never be able to happen again with all our new equipment!” Mr. Applegate snapped as almost every screen that was uploading this super virus filled with a name. The name made Randy freeze, like an old ghost was coming to play on Christmas Day. The name that was spelled out on the screen was PAUL COHEN.
Then the monitor that showed those two mysterious kids he and his father had been watching, showed that the doors to their room were clicking open. Shit! Then they were running.
“Those children are powerful and dangerous!” his father snapped as Randy swore and took off, knowing his brother would be here with his inhuman speed any second. They’d have to chase these kids down, having no idea what their abilities or what kind of Bios they were; and they’d have to do it fast! As much as he would love to see his father even further pissed off, if these kids got one step outside the plant, everyone in their small town could be in danger again, all on Christmas Day.
Chapter Eight
Spencer
So Spencer had bought himself the Christmas gift of all Christmas gifts. A car! An old, crappy car, but a car nonetheless; and after a day of normalcy with his mom—or what they considered to be normal anyway—he wanted to show Donna and Rebecca his new wheels ASAP. He also selfishly wanted a drama free—no end to their lives, weird deadly soldiers/big town conspiracy—day.
So he turned on his favorite old-timer Linkin Park songs and cruised to the radio. He’d driven out of town at the fastest speed his car could go, and now that he was almost out of gas he had to turn back. God, do I really have too? He cranked his music louder as he made a long, slow U-turn and began driving back into town. Back to the land of the lost, where the bullies in high school have secret powers and everyone worships them, Spencer thought sarcastically as he began to drive near the power plant.
Just seeing the big building at a distance was enough to make his palms sweat; making Spencer feel like a powerless boy. He sped up fast, hoping and praying now he had enough gas to get past this long stretch of field and back into town. Geez, why didn’t I think about having a full tank of gas business before I left? Because as usual I’m an idiot.
He pushed himself to relax, and after a few moments he was past the plant. The place that was full of memories he hated to think about. Memories of Donna trying to survive against super powered freaks, and Paul … I can’t think about this right now! Keeping his peddle to the metal, Spencer entered the road that ran along the side of the woods. Yes, power plant of hell out of sight!
He took a deep breath of relief, making a fast turn, but then Spencer felt his brain scream for him to stop before he could even command his foot to get off the gas and on the brake. Bef
ore he could even compute what was happening.
There was a girl, the size of a little kid, running across the road and into the woods, right as Spencer’s car was speeding up to her. She had appeared out of nowhere. Spencer yelled out, “Stop!” as if the little girl could hear him from inside his vehicle.
He slammed hard on the breaks, but she was moving, trying to cross the road despite his car slamming into her, and he didn’t have enough time. OH GOD! Please!
Just as he felt his car jerk as it hit the obstacle—a human being—the impossible and most terrifying thing happened … again. Her body became transparent, as her big deer-in-the-head-light eyes made contact with Spencer’s. Instead of turning electric and glowing, her entire being lost it’s light, becoming like water, a puddle of see-through flesh, and then she was melting. The little girl’s body just collapsed as if she’d been turned by a wicked witch into a boiling pot of water.
Then Spencer ran over her, all the way over. His car finally screeched to a stop about twenty feet ahead as Spencer felt his neck and body bounce back against his seat harshly.
What the hell! What the hell just happened?
And then everything Spencer never wanted to relive was about to take place all over again.
* * *
Donna
“Donna, you have a phone call,” she heard her dad call to her right as she got in from a long run. Her dad had made them his traditional Christmas chocolate chip pancake breakfast earlier, causing Donna’s stomach to feel so heavy, she knew she needed to run some of that bad eating off ASAP. Her instincts to stay healthy were still with her, even after everything.
What’s the point of eating healthy if I have nothing to look forward to? she thought earlier before her run. Survival, because someone has given up their life for me and there has to be some kind of reason for it. And … keeping my dad and friends alive, she constantly snapped back at herself.