Genesis

  To say I was surprised by what just happened would have been the understatement of the decade. This had to be the most insane thing in the world! Some secret lab, hidden under the Stratos City Junkyard? It was like something out of a superhero movie. The screens flickered with various views of the city, the largest screen showing a map with a bunch of dots all over the place. Some were red, some were blue, and some were other assorted colors. The screen had some sort of legend, but it was hard to follow. It was reporting something called "PT Activity". What was this PT thing? Was it dangerous? What could be so dangerous that it would warrant a city wide monitoring for activity of it. Was it a virus or something? The thought alone made my skin crawl.      "Man," Daniel spoke up, putting his hands on the desk. "This is really crazy, isn't it? It feels like we're in some kind of comic book or something," He casually started pushing buttons, but Nico...

October 14th, 2042 The school day passed without any incident. Boring, to be honest, and looking at the clock every five minutes definitely didn’t help it go by any faster. I couldn’t help myself though. I was getting impatient. I’d heard from an acquaintance that there were some good parts to be found at the junkyard today, and I wanted to drag the guys down there as soon as humanly possible. So once the final bell for the day rang, I practically jumped out of my seat to get my stuff from my locker so I could meet Daniel and Jack in the courtyard. “Well well, so you two actually decided to show up,” I didn’t think they would actually ditch me, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t poke a little fun at them. “Well duh,” Jack shot back as he cracked open the can of coffee in his hands. “I wasn’t about to risk you texting me tonight and getting on my case about it.” “You know me so well,” I shot a teasing smirk his way before glancing over at Daniel. Geez, he looked like hell. I couldn’t help ...

I ran through the back alleys of Stratos City, the cold concrete buildings being my only company as I ducked through the quiet streets. I knew she had to be out there somewhere. Everyone was so sure she was dead, but I had proof. I pulled the piece of paper out of my jacket pocket. The only thing that still sparked hope in me that my sister was still alive. It was just a scrap of paper, torn off of a receipt from a cafe with the letter M written on it. It was clearly her handwriting. I remembered it, I could never forget it, especially not now. The receipt was for a place called Java the Hut. I’d never heard of it, and the name sounded stupid. Was it a reference to something? I couldn’t say for sure. But I asked some of the people in my class, and some of them seemed to know it. Apparently it was one of those up and coming mom and pop shops that was getting popular with kids my age. Maria was only two years younger than me, so it made sense that she would have gone there, but the real ...

“I’ll catch you guys tomorrow!” I called out to Nico and Jack, waving to them as I took off. Once they were out of sight, I started to slow down, letting out a heavy sigh. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, watching the screen brighten as I put in my passcode. One missed call from mom. Probably letting me know she’ll be home late again. A text message from Elise, asking me to pick up more snacks for the house. She was like a furnace with how she burned through all her energy. Elise hated when it was just the two of us eating, and I knew that. I wondered to myself if Cyrus and Emma were busy. I flipped over to my contacts and dialed Cyrus’s number. If I was right, then they should be closing up right about now. “Hello?” The deeper voice of my older brother came over the line after a few rings. He never let it ring for too long, which was a good thing for me. “What’s up Daniel?” “Hey, uh, mom’s gonna be late getting home tonight, and I’m in charge of making dinner,” I knew he had ...

I was out the door and in the courtyard practically the second after the last bell for the day rang. The drink machine whirred to life as I hit the button, a styrofoam cup falling from the slot before the hot cocoa dispensed into it, filling up about three quarters of the way full before slowing, stopping just before filling to the brim. That was weird, last week it was dispensing less. My handiwork in action yet again. Beaming with pride, I returned to my compatriots, hearing the two boys complain about something or other once again. They sure liked complaining, didn’t they? “I’m telling you dude,” Jack’s voice was the first I heard. “The Jets are gonna take this season, I just know it.” His fluffy brown hair swayed slightly in the autumn wind, and I noticed him brushing it out of his hazel eyes so he could get a better view of Daniel. “The Jets?” Daniel sounded surprised and almost offended. I didn’t know much about sports, but it was fun to listen to them get heated about it from ti...

October 13th, 2042 Fall was definitely ramping up. The temperature had dropped, and I could practically smell the pumpkin pie already, despite the fact that Thanksgiving was still about a month away. Dry leaves crunched under my feet as I made the same, long and boring trek to school. At least this time of year, people were starting to put up Halloween decorations, so I had something else to look at instead of just the same boring yards. A yawn escaped me as I tried to keep myself from falling asleep standing up. School started way too damn early. I almost contemplated going back home until I spotted my target. Black hair, all tied up in a messy bun and those damn welding goggles around her neck. I'd recognize Nico anywhere. I felt the smirk creeping onto my face as I approached her, casually grabbing her shoulders and watching her jump out of her skin. Well, that was my entertainment for the day. “You jackass!” She yelled out, turning on a heel to hit me with her bookbag as I laug...