The Ten

CHAPTER 1: X (Ten)

I was six when I was made to pass through the scanners. By that point the infection had already begun to spread. We were some of the last made to get tested.

'Chemical Warfare' was what the news called it. Time told us otherwise as the virus went global. The infection had begun to halt humanity as the war halted to pause for a cure. Governments came together for the first time since the thirteen years of war began. Their solution was to segregate us: infected and uninfected.

The infected would remain living as they had before in the cities and towns. Forced to get treatments that the insurances no longer covered, they were charged full price. Most couldn't afford it and were forced to succumb to the disease. Scientists said the virus was H5N1 and mutated before a cure could be found. As no cure came, the bodies piled up.

The rest of us uninfected were taken to live in underground bunkers. Pried away from our families, we became studied as we endured testing to figure out why we were different. Why we were immune. They hoped we would be the key to the cure.

As the infected began to face certain death, rioting began, fires burnt. The underground bunkers were sealed for our protection. War began once more, weapons that weren't secure deployed. Those who hadn't died from the virus fell by the hand of their own violence.

The communications stopped. First the TV, cell phones, satellites. The world went dark. The uninfected stayed underground afraid of what the world had become.

But for those of us that were thought to be immune, we learned that not all of us were. Some of us were only carriers and the virus made us stronger. It gave us gifts. We would be the ones to go to the surface and begin humanity once again.

Or so they said. Until then we were to train.

I watched Nines foot collide with the training robot for the third time. Once more the robot didn't move and once more the familiar string of curses flew from Nines mouth.

"That was a good attempt." The generic robotic voice replied to his profanities. "Let's try again."

Nines anger mounted. His arms and hands now sparking, his eyes white. I knew what was coming next. He drew his hands together, the full charge of his power now a ball of light sending it at the android. A bolt of lightning hit it. The machine sat sparking and smoking through garbled electrical noises.

"Was that good enough?" Nine called to the smoldering heap of electronics. "How was that try?" He noticed I was watching. "I hate all these damn robots! And now we have one of these damn things on our team!" Nine distressed.

Two, who stood next to him, stopped, giant metal sword hand extended in front of his metal body. "I am sorry sir. How can I serve you better?"

"Ridiculous!" Nine just stared at Two and shook his head.

"Soldiers!" The general called as he made his way to the front of the room. We scrambled to get into formation.

The general looked at the training robot "Who's responsible for this?"

No one spoke.

"I wasn't aware this was going to be a weekly problem for you, but it seems that it is. All of you, 500 push-ups! Seems the 100 you did last week taught you nothing since there is another destroyed RP21 in front of me. Ten, Nine report to the Colonel. The rest of you, back to training. When they return, you all owe me 500 push-ups! Now go!"

I watched as everyone returned to fighting their electronic counterparts. Everyone's gifts were better than mine. Six had her fire. Three his brain. Seven his strength. No one knew what Eight had, but she fought better than anyone. Then there was Nine standing beside me, still fuming. I had yet to see anymore from him but rage and complaints.

"So, way to kill another RP21." I tried to joke with Nine.

He glared at me, lighting a smoke, his sleeve falling back enough to expose his scarred-up wrist. Quickly he moved his arm down and out of my view. I had never seen him without a long sleeve shirt on and had never noticed the scar before. He seemed more annoyed that I noticed. "Stop staring and get moving." He took a long drag off his smoke and continued past me and down the hall. I followed.

"May I ask about it?" I knew better than to ask, but still hoped somewhere beyond the anger there was a human.

He stopped, not turning. "Five years you could have asked me anything and haven't. I don't know why you would bother to start now."

I didn't know how to reply. I knew he was right. We continued down the hall in silence.

Two guards stood outside of the Colonel office. I never understood why. If they were to try and fight one of us gifted, they would lose. Perhaps they were only posted in case of rogue scientists. The Colonel hated the scientists.

The guards stepped aside as the door behind them slid open. Inside the Colonel sat at an uncluttered desk with the bare walls around him. Only a lone American flag decorated the office in anyway. The Colonel however was heavily decorated. No other soldier here came close to the amount of patches on his uniform. Nor came close to his age. He had long since greyed and in the old world would have retired ten years prior to our arrival at his office.

We stood before his desk hand raised in salute for an agonizing amount of time as he finished reading what I only assumed was a report of some kind. He placed the papers back in their folder and tucked it away in a draw before he addressed us.

"At ease."

"Nine and Ten reporting, Sir." Nine said still stiff and soldier like in front of him.

"I may be old, but my eyes work just fine. You can relax Nine, for once you are not here to be disciplined."

"Why are we here?" I asked probably a bit too relaxed for being in the presence of a colonel.

"It has been 100 years now." The Colonel didn't seem to mind my being so slack. "That is the time the scientists said we needed. The time for the Earth to fix itself. Tomorrow I am sending you two outside. You will collect samples and bring them back."

Nine and I looked at each other, disbelief on both our faces.

"Why just us?" I asked "Why not send all of us up?"

"Science may be wrong. You two are expendable."

"Expendable? We're just Expendable??" Nine's temper started once again, prompting his fists to glow. "I'll show you Expendable!" I quickly grabbed his balled up fists and stood in front of him. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Enough!" The Colonel stood at his desk shouting. The two useless guards had entered the room, useless guns pointed at us. "Nine, you have been a problem since we woke you from Cryogenics. Ten, we have no real use for your powers. That makes you both expendable. You will leave in the morning. Now report back to the General!" The ineffective guards took our arms and lead us out of the room, electric door swishing closed behind us.

Tomorrow we would see the surface once more. Tomorrow we could die.