The U.S. Government was trying to create the Ultimate Super Soldier. They tested the serum on us orphans. It took a few years, but now the new, working serum is being manufactured in large quantities for the army. We are the old model that never made it to the shelves, we are the only group that worked perfectly, but our specific recipe was burned in a fire. We were their test run, and now, they're hunting us down.
It felt like the walls were closing in around me, the sound of snoring filled the room. The four of us were crammed into bunk beds in a small room. Kate had the bunk on top of mine, because we were both girls, and Joey and Sam shared the bunk on the other side of the room. When I say it like that, it sounds like they're far away, but by "the other side of the room" I mean about 3 feet away.
Kate is 14 and amazingly strong, though she most definitely doesn't look it. She is only 5 ft 3" and 95 pounds, but she could throw a grown man across a room without breaking a sweat. We tease her about being like Samson, from the Bible, because her hair goes almost past her waist. She's a sweet kid, and wouldn't hurt a fly unless said fly did something to deeply offend her.
Joey's my age, 17. If we were normal kids, he'd be in the popular group, and a track jock. He says that before this happened to us, he was going to go to regional's for the 800m race. Now, he has super speed, thanks to the serum. Joey can run faster than an aeroplane, and we're pretty sure that he's fast enough to run on water. We haven't tested yet, because we're always locked up in the "Mutant Orphan" part of Area 51. I think it's hardest on Joey to be locked up in here. The first few weeks he tried to run in the room, but its only about 88 square feet, and with his super speed, he ended up running into the walls and breaking his nose.
Sam is 8 years old, the baby of the group, and he can breath underwater, according to the scientists. He can also mimic the powers or strength of any human being, and as such, is the strongest in our group. I think of Sam as my own son, and when he starts talking to me with his adorable English accent, I just melt inside.
Me? I have something called "echolocation", which means I'm like a bat. I can locate objects in the dark or with my eyes closed by using sound waves. It doesn't really help much in our room, because it's so small and I've been here so long, that I could find my way around with my eyes closed, not even using my power.
I was lying in bed, thinking about all this and about what our lives would have been like had none of this happened, when I heard Sam's quiet voice coming from his bunk.
"Rachel? Are you awake? I think I can smell something burning!"
Now that he had mentioned it, I smelt it too. Smoke. Getting out of bed, i went over to the door. Looking through the small window the scientists used to "observe" us, I saw an orange glow coming from the end of the long hallway.
"Sam, I think there is a fire farther down the hallway. Don't worry too much about it, I'm sure the scientists will put it out"
"But what if they don't? What if it burns the place down?"
"If they're is no chance of them putting it out, they will come and get us," I try to say reassuringly "They wouldn't want us dead, they want to preform more experiments. We're their greatest creations!"
"Not necessarily," I here a sluggish voice coming from the bunk above mine "They could just make more serum and inject it into other hapless orphans, turning them into war machines,"
"Kate, I'm trying to comfort Sam, please quiet!"
"Is Kate right?" Sam wimpers.
"Of course I'm-"
I cut her off "No Sam, I'm sure they'll come back for us, they wouldn't leave us to die, whether or not they could make more,"
I leave Sam on my bed and go to check the window. The light is brighter, and I can hear shouting. Good, that means the scientists know what's going on and are trying to fix it. When I turn around, Joey is sitting up in bed, confused.
Kate explains to him that there is a fire and we need to break out, because if we dont', we'll die.
"Don't listen to Kate, Joey, The scientists are going to put it out, we'll all be fine!"
Standing, Joey stretches and looks directly at me. "We should break out,"
"WHAT? You can't possibly-"
He shakes his head and explains "No, I think the scientists will be able to put the fire out, they can do much more complicated things, but there will be damage, and there are probably much more impoortant projects then us that will take top priority, it will be a while before they notice we're gone,"
Nodding, I sit down beside Sam and Kate on my bed, "Alright then, how do you propose we escape? The door is too thick for Kate to kick down, we've tried it before, remember?"
"I've got an idea...."
Joey explains his plan to us, and we all agree that it is brilliant. I stand back while Sam touches Kate's forehead so he can use her powers, then Kate and Sam kick at the door, while Joey repeatedly runs his shoulder into it. I hold my breath and after what seems like forever, the door bursts outward.
We run outside into the corridor. The hallway straight in front of us is ablaze with hot red fire that burns my my when I look that way. The air is thick with smoke, but as we run to the left, I can't help smiling. Because for the first time in a long time, I'm free.
