Anarchy | Book Two, The Genesis Series

Twelve

"Give. Me. The. Remote."

"Not a chance."

After what was intended to be a fun, harmless game of Search and Destroy had morphed into a hectic, magnificent slugfest, Amber had opted to take some well-deserved downtime in one of the many common rooms of Fort Sentry. After a harrowing past few days, a relaxing evening of lounging on the couch seemed to be just what she needed to alleviate her frazzled mind.

Well, it would've been just what she needed. Unfortunately, Troy and Leo were in the room.

"Bro, you've been watching this junk for hours." Troy griped. The flatscreen television splayed a plethora of colorful, dazzling hues across his face as he leaned over Leo from behind the navy-blue sofa. "What's this even called, anyways?"

"Oh, the title is 'Leo gets to watch whatever he wants because he got to the TV first', if I remember correctly." Leo replied, a twinge of snark revealing itself in his voice. His eyes glued themselves to whatever anime he was watching. "It's a good show. You should give it a chance."

Amber reclined backwards, sinking into the cushion like quicksand as she listened to the two boys go back and forth. Strands of her coconut-colored hair brushed up against the sleeve of Leo's gray shirt as he slipped his arm around her shoulder. Adam and Bianca sat around them in different seats, watching the TV and making the occasional comment.

She smiled inwardly at the sound of their banter. Back in the bustling corridors of Grayfield High, the two boys would've been on warring sides of the school. Seeing Leo and Troy being the best of friends now was like slipping into a parallel universe. The latter had even bought the former a brand new laptop that past Christmas.

"Man, fine, fine, keep the TV. Brandson put me on standby for a mission anyways." Troy grunted, bristling as he threw his hands up. He paced around the couch and flopped down at the end of it. "Damn. Can't have shit in Fort Sentry."

"Yessir. Leo wins." Leo lethargically chuckled, smirking triumphantly. He leaned forward to grab the remote from the ottoman. "Flawless victory."

Just as his fingers managed to graze the hard plastic, a faint aura of green energy surrounded the remote. Like a puppet on a string, it was yanked towards Adam, seamlessly slapping against the tawny skin of his open hand.

"Sorry, man." Adam taunted, a smug grin stretching across his face as he changed the channel. He ran a hand through his black, greasy hair, beaming brighter than one of the reflective, golden earrings he wore. "But mind beats matter every time."

"Oh yeah? Well, joke's on you. I don't even need the remote." Leo replied with a scowl. He rubbed his hands together like a magician who hadn't revealed all of their tricks. Cracking a smile, he extended an empty hand out in the direction of the television. "Watch this."

Leo's tense fingers wormed around individually as if they were conducting a harmonious orchestra. At the pace of molasses, a low, nigh-inaudible crackle emanated from the screen's interior, steadily ramping up in intensity. A subtle, localized electric shock charged the air, prompting the hairs on Amber's body to go stiff like wooden planks.

Amber's heart just about catapulted out of her mouth when the deafening noise of static assaulted her eardrums. She jolted abruptly, her cobalt eyes bolting themselves to the luminescent screen. Rather than depicting the contrived, scripted reality show it had before, it now displayed a news anchor outlining a recent incident.

Amber slowly turned around to face Leo. Her mind clogged with thoughts, she shot her boyfriend an incredulous look. "Where'd that come from?"

"No clue." Leo said with a shrug. "I didn't even know I could do it until a few days ago when I was working on one of the prototype thrusters for Callan's new line of tech. I started concentrating and getting in the zone, you know? Then, out of nowhere, the unfinished model across the room exploded. It wasn't even connected to a power source."