A to Z

Prologue

12:38pm, Sunday 29th of September. The Unknown Sector K recruitment meeting in underground bunker:

Peter Murphy sat at the head of the table, his body spilling over the sides of the chair it was meant to be confined to and his pale scalp glistening with sweat. His beady eyes darted around the room, bouncing from person to person like loose bullets. Sprouts of greying hair grew in thickets over the lower half of his face, interspersed with spots. His white Lab coat had traces of burns and was worn out in most places, frayed threads dangling around his thumbs. His short, chubby legs didn't quite reach the ground and remained crossed over one another, his feet clad in hefty boots to close the gap.

The large room was windowless, lit only by a strip of flickering ceiling lights which cast the room in an eerie glow. The plain walls were faded and peeling, making the conference room look even more like a prison cell – not to mention the complex metal door which appeared to weigh a thousand tonnes.

Though everyone was dressed in white lab coats, a stark difference remained unmentioned between Peter and his colleagues: lining either side of the table sat eight children, the smattering of spots and the first signs of stubble suggesting young teens. They were all wide eyed and open mouthed, attention set on the mass of blubber in front of them. They were listening with such rapt attention that their ears were positively pricked and it seemed as though if they missed even the faintest whisper of a syllable, their world would come crashing to an end.

"Welcome!" boomed Peter, whose echoing voice at once put him superior to his terrified peers. "I am sorry to have called you here on such short notice, I understand it must be hard to get away from your families. But unfortunately, if we are to recruit the sector K subjects, we must act fast. Though the information you brought back to me was lacking in depth, I have chosen the strongest, bravest and brightest of your fellow students to test and potentially recruit. I am sure these eight subjects are perfect to complete the final step of the elimination. After the war, they believed that everyone else who had previously inhabited K was killed by the nuclear attacks but fortunately, 'The Unknown's' underground bunkers proved worthy. So, here's the plan." Peter paused to pull a sleek black remote from his pocket. He selected a button and pushed it. In a matter of seconds, an image of the E survivor's camp was projected onto the wall.

"Now, we are to take action on the night of the fourth of August. and the assessment will commence on the sixth of November. I believe the children will be successful if they act as I predict they will."

He pointed to a mousy haired boy with monkey-like ears, the name 'Ben' scribbled on a paper badge pinned to his chest.

"Now, you. I believe you work in the kitchens. Am I right?"

The monkey boy nodded vigorously, ears flapping comically.

"Well, before you leave tonight, I will give you a sleeping drug. Now it's been on low supply since the war so you cannot mess this up." he said, "You are to slip it into the food that is to be cooked for next Sunday. Within two hours, everyone will be out cold. My other colleagues will assist me in transporting them to our complex, where they will live with you for the foreseeable future."

"Yes sir," Ben said, thrusting his chest out in pride.

"Good. And you," Peter said, jabbing a chubby finger in the direction of a black haired boy named Lewis. "You are familiar with the subjects I believe?"

On the screen there was an image of a pretty, blonde haired, brown eyed girl, a scowl plastered across her lips.

"That's Blake," Lewis said feebly, his hands visibly shaking above the table. Peter nodded and scrolled down. A girl with brown hair, brown eyes and pretty eyelashes was now projected.

"Eliza," he barely whispered. Peter's eyes were now glinting with excitement. He clicked down on his remote and now a hazel eyed, tanned skinned girl with dark brown hair took up the screen.

"Alena," Lewis said, refusing to look Peter in the eye. The man continued to click away and Lewis reeled off the names as they appeared on the screen. "Archie and Thomas."

"Brilliant. These are the candidates I wish to test. I have chosen you to accompany them on their tasks; your job starts right now. Keep them close. It is crucial that they do not let them touch this food. I have been told you have a group project to be set for tomorrow. Make sure you're together, do whatever it takes," Peter said, his eyes narrowed and voice firm, as though he was trying to decide whether the boy was trust-worthy. "You shall have to act as though you know nothing and will be as surprised as they are when they find out. You will have no knowledge of what you are about to go through and it won't be easy but if they stray off track from the compound, make sure they return to it, okay?"

Lewis nodded. "Of course, sir."

Peter regarded everyone in the room before a smile twisted onto his lips. "Meeting dismissed. Until Sunday then."