Project Genesis

CHAPTER NINE.

The soft grass tickled the bottoms of her bare feet as she swung back and forth, her feet dangling freely beneath the wooden swing. Her hands clenched around the rope as she used her legs to propel herself, back and forth. An elated giggle ripped itself from her lips as she leaned back, her hair cascading over her shoulders and being blown around by the warm summer breeze.

"Darling! It's time to come in for lunch!" She turned to see the warm face of her mother on the porch, holding a tray of carefully prepared sandwiches in her hands; a pitcher of lemonade sat on the table behind her. With a smile, she jumped from the swing, momentarily suspended in the air. Her feet hit the cool grass softly, and she began to run towards the covered porch where her mother stood. Her ears pricked as she heard the roar of tires squealing in the street. She froze, turning her head to see the large black military vehicle blazing down the center of the street. Her eyes widened as troops dressed in all black began to pour from the truck, spilling into the street and knocking on the doors of houses. She could vaguely hear her mother shouting out her name but was distracted by the black-clad men flooding into her neighbourhood, reminiscent of a black rash. She watched in a trance as they pushed past white picket fences and trampled through meticulous gardens. Once proud tulips were stomped into the ground; the daisies and buttercups stained by the black tread of men 's boots. The most concerning of all was the large black guns strung across their chests. Suddenly, she felt a hand grasp her arm, and a scream made its way out of her throat.

"Mom?" she yelled out in confusion as the man began to pull her away. She struggled against his grip and whimpered as he landed a slap across her face. The last thing she remembered clearly was seeing her mom running towards her, screaming as tears ran down her face; the tray of sandwiches dropped and forgotten behind her. She felt the prick of a needle in her neck, her panicked speech began to slur, and then came the unmistakable sound of a gunshot. She blurrily watched as her mother's crumpled frame sank to the ground in front of her, a sea of red began to pool around her head. She tried to scream out, but the words were foggy, trapped inside of her.

And then it went black.

"What the hell was that?" Orion hissed, staring the woman in the eyes.

"A memory I assume. What did you see?" she asked. Her eyes almost seemed to soften as she saw the distress Orion was in.

"My mother. They- somebody killed her?" She felt a heaviness in her chest as she recalled the memory, barely noticing the hot salty tears that had begun to overflow onto her cheeks.

"Can you remember anything else clearly?" the woman asked eagerly. They felt foggy, but Orion was able to recall a few vague shreds of memories from the recesses of her mind.

"Number 7!" a loud voice boomed throughout the room. She timidly stepped forward into line with the others, remaining silent as she did so. The loud sound of the Commander's boot's echoed throughout the room, her stomach began to fill with dread. She felt him approach her, his large shadow casting over her like the shade from a mountain.

"Now, 7, are we going to have any more issues today in training?" His glare felt as though it could bore holes into her skull.

"No," she replied, her voice meek.

The sound of a slap rung throughout the room, Orion felt the immediate flushing of heat to her face; the stinging of her cheek caused tears to prick in her eyes.

"No what?" His eyes narrowed.

"No sir," she replied, her voice barely audible. He turned and walked away from her, his boots clicking on the cement floor as he left the room. As soon as he had left, the boy in front of her turned around.

"Hey, are you okay?" His eyes were full of concern as he assessed the angry red mark on her cheek.

"I'm fine." She rubbed at her eyes, feeling the warm tears begin to flow.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. It's going to be okay." He wrapped his arm around her, her head burying itself into his shoulder.

"Thanks, Corvus," she said through her tears, managing to summon a slight smile.

"I don't know if I would be able to make it without you."

The memory of Corvus caught her by surprise.

"What did you remember?" The woman's face was filled with intrigue.

"Can you just give me a minute," Orion snapped, shocked by the amount of venom in her tone.

"I'm sorry, I know you must be going through a lot right now." Orion's eyes narrowed in suspicion at the woman's gentle tone.

"So, you kidnapped me, drugged me, mutilated my arm, and now you are sympathetic?" The sarcasm was evident in Orion's voice.

"Once you learn more you will understand," she said, quickly dismissing Orion's suspicion.

"I at least want to know your name," Orion responded.

"Euphrenia. You can call me Ren. Now, what did you remember? We don't have much time." The urgency was evident in her voice causing Orion to hesitate slightly before continuing.

"I remembered some sort of training facility. And a man..." she trailed off, remembering the harsh slap of his hand against her face; the feeling of Corvus comforting her.

Corvus.

"Can you take me to Corvus?" The desperation was evident in her voice.

"Yes, of course. We just need to get a bandage on that arm of yours-" she was abruptly cut off by the blaring of a siren.

"Shit, is it 5 already?" Ren frantically checked her watch and then began quickly undoing the restraints holding back Orion's limbs.

"What's going on?" Orion rubbed at her wrists where the restraints had once been before hearing Ren utter the words that sent chills down her spine.

"They're coming."