Twelve

Chapter 1: Fire

One: Rebirth. Two: Whisper. Three: Manipulation. Four: Speed. Five: Strength. Six: Silence. Seven: Despair. Eight: Growth. Nine: Protection. Ten: Steadiness. Eleven: Quiet. Twelve: Perception.

Twelve. That number must have some significance. Twelve months. Twelve hours in the face of an analog clock. Twelve inches in a foot. Twelve to make a dozen. Twelve astrological signs in the Zodiac. Twelve knights of the round table. Twelve disciples. Twelve.

XII   XII   XII

The Facility was quiet. Maybe a little too quiet. But it was rather late. A single pair of footsteps echoed down the long corridor. A man wearing a white lab coat, black slacks, and black dress shoes, walked down the white and black halls. He had long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. He had a pair of thin-framed glasses hanging from the neck of his black t-shirt. He held a clipboard and was writing something down. He flipped the page to compare notes. He was known as Professor. If he had a name, he never gave it. He only ever went by Professor. 

Heels clicked against the tile floor, causing the man to look up. A woman with curly brown hair pulled into a ponytail walked toward him. She wore a white lab coat, much like the man's, a blue blouse, and a black pencil skirt. She wore black high heels and tights. Her name; Ethel. She was the first of Professor's assistants.

Professor and Ethel walked down the curved hallway and enter a lab of sorts just as another man walked up with a cart. He had messy brown hair and his eyes were hidden behind glasses. He matched the other two with his lab coat. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows so you could see the tattoos up his arms. He had a little bit of stubble and a cigarette in his mouth. This was Archer, the second of Professor's assistants.

Without asking, Archer picked up a glass vile of amber liquid. "It's ready. All we need to do is add the extra ingredients for each one."

Professor placed his hand on a metal plate on the wall. It scanned his hand and the wall slid open, revealing a secret room. A dark and twisted smile curled on Professor's lips. "Let us begin."

XII   XII   XII

Seven watched as the clouds rolled by. The only life she had ever known was inside the Facility. It was a rather strange circular building with a garden in the middle. Even if there was a glass dome over the garden, it was the closest thing to being outside the Facility. As far as she could tell, there was no way of leaving. Not that she would ever want to leave. At least, that's what she had always been told. She would be able to leave once she was ready to save the world. From what? She didn't know. Professor never told her. In fact, there was a lot Professor never told Seven.

Someone walked up to Seven, not saying a word. They simply laid on the grass next to her and took her hand. Seven didn't need to see who it was to know it who was. It was Eight. Seven. Eight. Those weren't real names. She knew that. It was the one thing Seven hated the most. Her not name, as she called it. But it was the closest thing to a name she had. It was the closest to a name any of them had. There were twelve of them—each one with their own unique power and abilities.

"How long have you been out here?" Eight asked. He had a soft way of speaking and Seven never heard him raise his voice even once. Eight was of a muscular build, but still slim. His hair was a dark teal and looked a little messy. He had bright blue eyes that matched Seven's eyes. In fact, they looked pretty similar. The only significant difference was Seven's hair was lighter and longer and she was a female.

"A while."

"Professor is looking for you."

"Let him look. I don't want to do his stupid training," Seven tightened her grip on Eight's hand.