Parallel Vol. 4 [LEGACY EDITION]

Chapter 1: Fantasia

10 Years Earlier,

July 14th, 2014,

Undisclosed Location.

At a certain location non-existent in any known maps, a certain number of man-made structures disturbed what should have been a dense forest untainted by man's hand. Several buildings, some reaching seven stories high populated a compound large enough to be considered a town or village of its own.

The compound was sectioned off from the surrounding forests by perimeter walls which reached up to fifteen feet high, completely discouraging the local wildlife from attempting to scale it. Those few ones who managed to scale the wall would find themselves on a narrow road which split the outer perimeter wall from a much smaller one which only stood at about nine feet tall. This wall, unlike the first, employed a more aggressive defensive approach with electrified barbed wires and smart, A.I controlled guns atop it. The combination of the two was enough to eliminate any external threat from entering the compound.

Quite unlike the dense forests outside, the town within the walls was much more civilized. There were several paved networking roads, with sections of the compound dedicated to agriculture, recreation and factory production. At the center of the compound stood a towering dome-like structure with large block characters spelling out REBIRTH on its side. It was obvious this was a place whose inhabitants were not expected to leave in the short term, so a lot of thought had gone into ensuring it was not only self-sufficient but was comfortable enough to live in over a long period of time.

Most days, men and women could be seen walking into the dome early in the morning and not coming out till it way past late into the night. But today was different. Despite the blazing midday sun, a lot of these men and women stood at the heliport with excitement in their eyes as if awaiting a luxurious gift. Who could blame them? Everything they had been working on for the past five years could finally be put to the test! As much as scientists enjoyed delving into theoretical debates, nothing could ever beat seeing their theories pass the test and come to fruition.

Today, the key ingredients for their theories to become facts would be arriving. Who would not be excited!?

Dududududu...

The tell-tale sounds of a helicopter's rotors drew the scientists' attention to the skies where several dots began to appear on the horizon. Within a few dozen seconds, those dots revealed themselves to be five of the latest in VTOL choppers which even the mouths of major governments would water over.

The scientists shielded their eyes from fierce winds kicked up by the landing VTOLs as the magnificent metal beasts lightly made contact with the landing zone. Several men in military vests hopped out of their bellies before the propellers could come to a halt. Splitting into two, they formed makeshift walls on either side of the helicopter doorway, simultaneously forming a road for whoever was inside.

The scientists perked up as men in suits alighted from the crafts, followed closely by the true celebrities of the day. A middle-aged man could not hold back his excitement any longer and cheered loudly as the first child stepped down from the aircraft. Infected by his toxicity, some others joined his cheers as more children stepped down from the beast's belly.

The children, stunned by the reception, had looks of puzzlements and shock plastered over their faces. Some scratched their heads with embarrassment, obviously never expecting to receive such treatment after their 'abduction.' However, it was a pity. If only these children were not blinded by the relief they felt after imagining the worst, they might have noticed something quite odd about the scientists' twisted expressions.

Ah, no, wait. There was one child who noticed. Hidden from the bustling clamor made by the scientists who ran over to the children to talk and introduce themselves, a silver-haired child alighted from the rearmost VTOL then just stood at the mouth of the beast, paying close attention to the disgusting expressions on the scientists' faces. These bastards were cheering alright! Just not cheering for the children. In fact, they currently did not see these children as 'children'. But rather, valuable research materials that had finally been delivered after a long, torturous wait.