Alpha Project: Genesis

Chapter 14

Chapter 14
Private Freedman of the Unity Corps had rarely experienced any medical problems in his life.
In fact, after killing three couples whose children now "worked" for his employer, Judas Silver, he was admitted into the Unity Corps with a clean bill of health.
Prior to the injections, Freedman had felt great. After the injections, he felt amazing. Then his employers gave him a suit of armor and next-generation weaponry, and he felt like he was unstoppable.
But now, he appeared to have a condition.
Private Freedman's helmet felt like it was being ripped from his skull. Sweat and heat dissolved and left his face, and his helmet's air containers nearly burst. He felt as if he was inside a black hole that was taking the matter out of his body.
Through spotty eyes, Private Freedman could only see two colors. The first was an opaque crimson color. It was not his blood; it was more of a maroon shade. The second was white blonde, silver from the view of Freedman's blurred vision.
The hand of Kazuhiro Akiyama lay outstretched towards Freedman, sucking the oxygen out of his lungs. The boy's gaze was unwavering, like that of a predator looking down over his injured prey. Even as the footsteps came from behind, his stare continued to haunt Freedman's distorted vision.
With his right hand occupied with the soldier in front of him, Tempest thrust his left arm back. A blast of wind shot across the room and into the two Unity Troopers behind him, throwing them towards the kitchen. One soldier's limp body smashed through the sink and counter, breaking nearby cabinets and spilling water across the floor. The second soldier landed squarely in between the stove and the utensils, making a hole in the tiled wall.
Tempest let Freedman's unconscious body go limp and leaped towards the men. He threw off the first soldier's helmet and struck him with his gun. Repeating the same method with the second soldier, Tempest then looked down and noticed the utensils.
The Napalm Squad's feet thundered as they raced down the hallway. One of the troops' helmet sensors flashed, and he observed aloud, "Metahuman is in the kitchen!"
As the troops turned a corner and entered the kitchen, the squad leader barked, "Proceed with cautio-"
He was interrupted as a barrage of knives shot through the air in front of him, catching his outstretched rifle and pinning it against the kitchen wall.

"Erik, do you read me?" Roland desperately asked.
"A little hard to hear you, but yeah, I read you." Erik responded.
"Good. We've got a situation."
"I can tell." came Erik's sarcastic reply.
"Syke and Jasper aren't responding. Something must have happened to them."
"Oh no....they must have been in the middle of the building when it collapsed! I've gotta get down there."
"What do you mean? Where are you now?"
"Sorry, say that again? The connection is a bit weird up here...."
"Up where?"
Erik held onto the knife he had plunged halfway through the aircraft hull and braced himself.
The Unity Corps ship accelerated as it flew at a low altitude over the snowy streets. Powerful lasers erupted from its cannons, blowing a myriad of snow and concrete chunks into the air. As it continued to fire, the ship lifted sharply upwards. The silver bolt then thundered into the gray and white skies, heading for the skyscrapers.

"Shoot them."
Aaron's finger hardly dared to stroke the rifle's trigger.
Cade's eyes frantically darted between Aaron, his gun, Roland, and the jeep heading for the offices.
Roland's stare was unwavering, "Aaron. You need to listen to me. That jeep is about to stop. You have enough time to shoot the driver and cause a distraction. Then I'll take care of the rest."
Panicking inside, Aaron questioned, "What if I can't make the shot?"
Angered, Roland replied, "I know you're stalling. Even though you're afraid, your hands aren't trembling as you hold the gun. So obviously, you won't have any problem taking the shot. Take it."
No sound came from Aaron's gun.
"If they come in here, they will capture both of us."
"Can't we fight them off?" Aaron asked.
"Your powers are still too weak, and I can't take on all of them at once. And you didn't let me finish. If they come in here, they'll kill Cade."
Aaron dropped his gun onto the floor in shock. Cade's eyes grew wide, and he stared at Roland with a panicked look on his face.
Roland continued, "You thought he would be spared? You honestly thought that just because he's a kid, they would let him live? Don't be an idiot. Aaron, these same men killed Erik's parents, Tempest's parents, and the list goes on. So please, before they come up here and kill us, listen to me. Pick up your gun and take the shot."
Aaron stood there for a moment, ignoring the sound of tires rolling up closer and closer to the office.
Then he replied, "Does this mean that my parents are already dead, Roland?"
Struggling for an answer, Roland irritably responded, "I...I don't know. But Aaron, I need you to take the shot!"
"What happened to your parents, Roland? You never mention what happened to them." Aaron said angrily.
Roland replied, "That's not important right n-"
But Aaron interrupted, saying, "Oh, I think it is! Cade was right- there's a reason you're keeping me in here and convincing me that I should stay. It's the same reason why I've never seen you use your powers..."
Cade glanced out the window, then stated, "They're almost here!"
Aaron continued, "The Unity Troops didn't kill your parents. YOU DID."
Silent shot through the room like a knife, cutting through the secrets and revealing them to all present.
Pure rage filled Roland, and, trembling, he roared, "I NEVER MEANT TO-"
Aaron interrupted again, shouting back, "Of course you didn't mean to! But somehow, you killed them because of your powers! And now you've been guilt-ridden for three years."
Aaron then gripped Cade's hand, saying, "But I'm not going to let anything happen to my family. And I'm not killing anyone."
Outside, the Unity jeep screeched to a halt in front of the office complex.
Roland blocked the door, saying, "And I'm NOT letting you out there!"
Cade stepped back.
Aaron's eyes flashed white.