The Wrong Side

Chapter 1

I've heard of people making a choice that changed their life. I never really understood how a single decision could change one's life, but my choice not only turned my life around; it erased it.

Completely.

Finding myself again was quite an adventure, but if I had the chance to turn back the clock and relive my life, I don't think I'd have made a different choice even if I wanted to.

And I'm okay with that.

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If there's anything I've learned in my short life, it's don't piss off Venning. He's scary when he's angry but kind when in a good mood.

If there's anything I've been told repeatedly, it's don't ask questions about the Endurance and Freeborn. I already know everything I need to for now.

That doesn't stop me though from asking about it all, about the lab accident, about the soldier program, about how my parents died in the whole incident, about the Freeborn attempting to shut down the program, about my purpose.

Nearly fifteen years after my birth, and I still don't know why Damon Ophia is living in isolation in a tiny abandoned town away from everyone else. They tell me it's for my protection. They don't want anyone finding me and that's why I live with a robot as a mother and Doctor James Venning as the only thing I can consider a father. Calling him a father might be a bit of a stretch, seeing as he only comes once a week to make sure I'm still alive and healthy.

Often when I'm turned down an answer, I try to focus on what I do know rather than what I don't know. The latter outweighs the former, but it makes me feel a bit better. What I do know is the story -- the story of the Endurance's greatest success, yet most epic failure. The story of the creation of their rivals, the Freeborn. The story of the first successful super soldier program. The story of the infamous lab accident.

My parents died in the accident. Venning won't tell me anymore than that, and it drives me crazy. All he says is that there's a mission planned out especially for me and I'll be told it when I'm older. It's supposed to help the Endurance somehow, but he won't tell me more except that I'm a secret from everyone and no one besides him knows of my existence. And with that, it brings us to the present where I am sitting on a roof, looking at the tiny town and surrounding landscape.

Every other house in this vicinity has been abandoned a while ago and mine is the only one which is occupied by anyone. It's the middle of the night right now and a crescent moon reflects pale light down on the world. Generally, there would be a sky full of stars, but tonight, a layer of clouds block my view of the black expanse above me.

I slowly lean back against my elbows in order to get a better view of the sky. I know I can't see anything of interest but I like to stare at the black expanse above me. It relaxes me.

I take in a few deep breaths of the cool air as a small gust picks up and ruffles my hair. I hear a beep in my left ear, warning me that there's an Endurance sky-craft approaching. I'm glad that I didn't take out the ear piece earlier, otherwise I might have been caught by the craft. I stand up and take a few steps back in order to get a running start. I sprint across the roof and leap over the gap in between the roof I was sitting on and my house. I land on the roof of my house and I tuck into a roll in order to minimize any injuries. I go to the edge of the roof and I scale down the wall to the window of my room.

When I climb in through my window, Ada is standing there with her arms on her hips. Crap. I freeze and stare at her and she stares back. I grin at her and her expression doesn't change. I close the window behind me and walk closer to her.