《Chaos》 Prologue A lone figure sits at the edge of a building. Fire surrounds the city and large plumes of smoke cascades over the damaged landscape, making a once vibrant metropolis completely unrecognizable. The man just sits over the wreckage, looking out at the city from atop the demolished buildings. Paramedics run around like ants below carrying away heaps of bodies, both alliesandenemies. He watches as they move from corpse to corpse, disregarding none but the one that lays at his feet. The one that he just ripped into two pieces with just a thought. The Majorgetup paces over to the edge of the building. Eyes never leaving the torn apart body. "I didn''t want this." He said in a deep low voice. His lips form a small sad smirk. "I always pictured us retiring on a beach somewhere, drinking those fruity looking drinks, our wives nagging at us to get off our lazy asses." The Major lets out a low chuckle, but it falls flat halfway through. He takes a moment and rubs his face slightly, letting out a soft but reflective sigh as his lips slowly lower from a small smirk to a deep and regretfully frown. "Why couldn''t you just get with the fucking program!!" He stands up in frustration, waiting for his dead friend to respond. "You knew there was no way we could''ve saved everyone.... but we at least could''ve saved ourselves... our fucking families." He slumps back down. "But you wanted to be the hero. You just had to try and ''save the race''". He scoffs in disgust, "As if those people were worth saving." Helicopter blades roar from overhead as a single chopper descends from the smoke. It stops and hovers over him. The bright beady red eye of a camera lens watching his every move. The Major pulls a cloth from the pouch on hisbelt,and wipeswayhis friends'' blood from his face. He looks up at the small black news drone, doubtlessly hovering over them from a safe distance throughout the entire fight. He plasters a smile on his chiseled dark face and gives a triumphant wave towards the drone, practically hearing the cheers from his adoring audience. Cheers for his victory in battle. Cheers for the brutal murder he just committed. Cheers for putting down the "monstrous evil man" that existed in all their nightmares for years. Tormenting them with the idea of equality. "These are the people you wanted to save?" He finishes his wave, takes one more look at the corpse of the only man he ever truly respected, and takes off into the sky, passing the hundreds of bodies that litter the ground below. ..... The Major has always liked flying. He used to say that there was nothing more peaceful then soaring through the sky at night. But today was different. Below he couldhe couldsee the countless people marching in the street with homemade signs saying, "Kill the Freaks" He could hear their angry chants andgun shotsthey fired off into the air to scare anyone that got in their way. Their bloodlust was thick and clear. Back in the day, his job would have been to put a stop to this raving collection of racist filth.Now a dayshe thought that if the people in power didn''t care about was happening on their streets, then why should he. But for a fleeting second, he wishes that things could go back to the way they were. But he knew that was impossible, the blood on his uniform was a clear reminder of that. He flew through the sky, passing over the largemob,when his radio crackled to life. "Sir *Static* ...come in... *static* can you hear me?"A voice cuts in and out on the radio. The Major stops and hovers above the ground. He presses a small button on the transmitter on his wrist. "Copy private. Go ahead." "Sir, we need you at the Kholer residence... There''s a problem with the wife." The Major''s brow creases forward and a furious look flashes on his face. "... I''m in route." .... The Major lands on the roof of the apartment building in minutes and began his long stride through the filthy apartment halls, looking for room 611. He turns right and sees four soldiers standing guard in front of the door, wearing black combat gear with EDP (EVO Detainment Patrol) in bold letters on their chest. When he approaches, they salute simultaneously and opens the door. Inside the Kholer house was like being in a crackdin. The walls were a pale cakey yellow, the carpet was hard with various stains everywhere and a faint smell of urine wafted throughout the space. The Major turns his lip up in disgust as he looks around the apartment. "So, this was your ''better life'', huh?" He covers his nose with a cloth and continues to explore the tiny room. There was only one bedroom, but the door was closed, and another two soldiers were guarding this one. Both saluted him as he walked up. "What''s the problem?... Where''s Nina?" He asks. Both soldiers are quiet till one works up the courage to speak. "Sir, we had to take the wife over to special care. When we arrived... she was violently attacking the TV. Her hands and wrists were badly damaged, blood was everywhere, and we didn''t know what to do." The Major eyes the small broken tv in the corner. A closer inspection showed It was covered in blood, broken glass and there were small bits of skin still stuck to the glass. "Is she okay?" The soldiers look at each other before answering. "The medics say she''ll live, but her mental state is another question." The Major nods, but a worrying look passes on his face. "What about the boy?" The soldier points to the door behind him. "We have him in here." The Major reaches over and opens the door, inside eight other men are standing in the room. All of them had their weapons trained at a small kid sitting on the bed.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. But the kid just sat there, staring down the men invading his home. "What the fuck are you doing? He''s just a kid!" As he raises his voice each soldier shifts slightly but none of their weapons move. One of the men tries to speak up for the pack. "Sir... We were given strict orders to assume all targets are EVOs, and to treat them as hostiles." The Major''s eyes take on an ice-cold gaze. "Clear the room!" He orders, as all the soldiers start shuffling out the tiny bedroom one after another and soon it''s just him and the kid. The kid sits on the bed, staring down the Major with a cold expression. The Major moves closer to sit down next him and sees that the kid is trembling. "What''s your name, son?" The kid waits a bit before he decides to answer. "Isaac." He mumbles softly. "Isaac... Do you know who I am?" Isaac nods and points over to the broken TV outside. "You killed my dad." He says. The Major expression hardens and his he eyes the kid guardedly. "Your Father was a very close friend and ally of mine, but he was also a violent terrorist and a traitor to his country." His voice gets louder with each declaration of innocence. "I couldn''t just let him do whatever he wanted." A long silence passes, and the Major lets out a soft sigh. He leans closer to Isaac and puts his hand on his shoulder. "Look, Son... I don''t expect you to forgive me, but I''m gonna give you some advice that might just save your life." He leans even closer to the kid. "Let. It. Go. There''s nothing you can do to bring your dad back, so holding grudges against me or anyone else is pointless and only going to get you and your mom killed." Isaac stares in the major eyes as he speaks, his left hand slightly fidgeting with his sleeve. "If just do what we say, I promise you might have a chance to go back to some semblance of a normal life... okay?" The major watches Isaac, hoping he''ll be smart and take his advice. "So... what do youthi-" Isaac lunges at the Major, a small swiss army knife in his left hand. He latches on to his neck and sinks the small blade deeply into his left eye. Isaac tries to pull the knife back in order to get in another strike when he is thrown across the room by a powerful invisible force. "You little fucking bastard!!" The Major screams as blood start rushing down his face. He grabs the hilt of the small blade and pulls it from his eye, as soldiers start pouring into the room and immediately aim their weapons at Isaac. The Major tries to stop the blood gushing from his eye but has no luck. "Where''s the fucking Medic?" One of the soldiers separate from the others and runs over to The Major. He presses a cold cloth to his eye and starts rifling through his bag. "Sir, we have to get you back to base." He says, but The Major just shakes his head and waves him off. "Just stop the bleeding and patch me up." The medic did as he was told and soon the Major is back on his feet, a white bandage over his eye. He touches the bandage and looks over at Isaac, who is handcuffed and lying on the floor. "You just assaulted the only person willing to help you, son." Isaac turns his head and looks the Major directly in the eye. "I''m not your fucking son, Murderer." The Major stares into his eyes and sees that the kid is beyond saving. He shakes his head in frustration. He turns his back on him and addresses one of the soldiers. "Bag him. We''re giving him to Valentin." ..... Remi''s Truckstop & Casino - New Orleans 14 Hours Later The small bell above the door rings as a man dressed in all black walks in. He glances around the emptytuckstop and eyes the small old man sitting at the counter. The old man lowers his magazine and glances at the stranger as he walks past and begins to grab various snacks and a couple of water bottles. He brings his items over to the counter and the old man starts ringing him up. "You new to Nawlins,boy? Never seen you around." The old man asks. The old man spoke in a heavy Cajun accent as the stranger pulls money out his wallet and hands it to him, before giving a reserved nod. "Just passing through." The stranger said in a high Nasally voice. He grabs his bags and heads to a big dark silver semi-truck parked out front. As the man approaches, another large hairy heavyset man in the same black clothing places the gas pump back in the stand and hops in the passenger seat. "Please tell me you got them?" The large man asks. Valentin opens the driver side door and hands the bags over to nick, who begins to rifle through them, drawing out a large yellow bag of peanut m&m''s. He rips opens the bag as Valentines turns and slides the back panel to the truck and peeks inside. Five people with thick black bags over their heads were passed out in the back. They each were connected to a large chain that was bolted to the truck floor. "They make any noise?" Valentin asks while gesturing to the back of the trailer. Nick swallows a handful of m&m''s and shakes his head. "Nah, they''ve been good." Valentin nods, checks on the prisoners on last time then puts the truck in gear and pulls off onto the road. ..... Evo Rehabilitation Facility- Examination Level Isaac awoke in complete darkness. The room he''s in had no windows or any visible doors. He felt around to try to get his bearings, but the room was empty. No bed, toilet or any other regular necessity. He slumped against the wall and waited for whatever was going to happen. After a few hours, a panel on one of the walls opens, filling the room with a muted fluorescent light. A tall lanky figure stood in the new doorway and holds up a clipboard. "Prisoner 4698: Isaac Kholer. You know I think you''re the youngest one they''ve given me." The tall figure announced. He put the clipboard down and motions for Isaac to step out of the room. At first, Isaac didn''t move. He had no idea where this person was taking him and would have bet that it would''ve been to the exit. After a couple of minutes, he staggered to his feet and reluctantly walked passed the man out into the open door. The bright light hurt his eyes but after they adjusted, he saw he was in the hallway with dark metallic walls, the ceiling looked to be made of rough purple rock. The man moved in front of him and peered down his nose at the boy, looking him up and down. He was very tall with graying blonde hair with deep crystal blue eyes and was a white lab coat with dark clothing underneath. He looked like a ken dolls dad came to life. He stared at Isaac with cold calculating eyes. "Hmm..." Isaac didn''t know what to do. He looked around for somewhere he could run away through but saw two burly guards at the end of each hallway. Finallyafter a while, the man began to speak again. "Your body is very hard to read." He leans back up and claps his hands together like an excited child. "But that just means you need more testing." Isaac backed away, he didn''t like the look on the man''s face when he said those words. He had no idea what kind of tests he meant but had a feeling they weren''t pleasant. "Who are you?" Isaac questioned. "And, where am I?" The man smiled a vicious smile and gave the boy a short bow. "Forgive me for not introducing myself, I am Dr. Sebastian Valentin. I''ll be the one directing this new version of hell you find yourself in, but I do hope we can be good friends in the coming years. A fearful look came to Isaac''s face. He tried to pushpassthe man but was suddenly faced down on the floor with a loafered foot on his head and both arms held behind him. Valentine spoke from atop of him. "Please don''t try that again. Just makes my job harder." He lifted Isaac to his feet and motioned for him to begin walking. As they made their way down the hallway, Isaac passed a few similar doorways to his own and wondered if more people like him were behind them. "Where am I?" He asked again. Valentine didn''t answer, instead, he just pushes the boy forward till they come to a large door bolted to the wall, it looked more like a slab of metal than a door. Valentin places his hands on the scanner next to the door and it slides open for them. The room was huge and filled with millions worth of medical supplies and technology. Sharp tools hung from racks on the walls and a large examination table filled the center. Valentine slammed the door behind them and lifted the kid onto the table. Isaac struggled but his efforts were useless as he was strapped down by his arms, legs, and head. Valentin brought out a surgical needle and stuck the tip of it into Isaac''s neck. At first, nothing happened. After a few more minutes Isaac suddenly starts wailing in pain. The veins in his neck wither and a faint light blue glow reverberates from his veins. The light spread from his neck to his entire body, burning his insides as it moved. "What-aragh! What are you doing to me!!" Valentine just watched in amusement while taking a few notes here and there. This goes on for sometime,until the blue glow finally dims, and Isaac''s pain filled screams die out. Valentine moves closer to the examination table, picks up a glowing tablet from the side of it and begins reading. "Fascinating..." He said as he flips the tablet over and considers Isaac more closely. "Your body has an abundant amount of irregularities, but they can''t seem to find out their purposes..." Isaac thrashed on the table, pulling against his restraints. "What are you talking about?!" He screams. Valentin just ignored the child and pulled over a tray flashing with polished medical saws and blades. He looked the kid in the face and a sadistic smile spread across his face. "Never you mind your little head. This just means we''ll be spending a lot more quality time together." Chapter 1: 11 Years Later Secretary of defense office - Washington D.C Tick. Tock. The large clock on the wall was all that was audible in the office as The Major stepped passed the door''s threshold and presented himself in front of the desk. He stood there silently and watched as the Colonel read over the report on the boy. After a few minutes, the Colonel coughs into his hand and looks up from the thick file. "I swear Valentin lives to make my job more complicated." The Colonel said in a deep gruff voice. He was a short portly man, with pale blotchy skin, balding gray hair and battle-hardened brown eyes. The Colonel pushes the files away and gets up from the thick oak desk and walks over to the drink rack and pulls out a glass. "What''s your thoughts on the Kholer boy?" He asks while filling his glass with a clear brown liquid. The Major twitches slightly at the mention of the boy''s name and a deep scowl forms on his face. "May I ask, why the sudden interest in the boy?" The Major responds. The Colonel lumbers back to his desk with his drink takes a seat and considers how to answer the Major''s question. "Have you been keeping up with Valentin''s reports on him?" He asks "No, I gave up on the kid when he took my eye." The Major instinctively rubs at the thick black eyepatch over his left eye. "Did something happen?" "No, and that''s the problem. Valentin says he has run all the usual test, plus some new... ''creative'' ones he came up with, but the boy isn''t showing any signs of having an ability." The Colonel takes another long sip from his glass. "On top of that, the United Nations rep has been on my ass about funding and conditions of the facility. If they find out, we threw a normal child in there for years...we''re done." He downs the rest of the glass and slams it on the desk. "So... what do we do? We can''t just release him. That would just cause more problems." The Major states. "I know, releasing him is out of the question. But I am recommending him to be transferred from Valentin''s level to general population. That way, the boy will at least have a trace of comfort." The colonel draws in a deep breath and a small fiery burp escapes his lips. "Lord knows what years of only being cooped up with that man have done to the kid''s mind." ..... Evo Rehabilitation Facility ¨C Level 36 "257...258...259..." A bead of sweat rolls down and settles in a small puddle forming on the stone tiles of the dark, musky cell. Isaac tightens his grip on the rough metal pipe at the top of the ceiling and, with effort, pulls himself up one more time before letting go and dropping to the floor. His breath is ragged, a shine of sweat coated his muscled frame, and his thick curly black hair clings to his face. With another quick motion, he moved to the ground and started a round of pushups. "1...2...3..." He goes on like this for another hour before standing up, grabbing the black prison uniform shirt off the thin dirty mattress and walking over to the bathroom, which was basically just a toilet and a sink in the far corner of the room. He turned on the facet and ran his face and hair under the light brown water. As the cold water hit his face, Isaac thought hard about the last 11 years he''s been trapped in this cell. He knew he probably wasn''t getting out, he learned a long time ago that no one was coming to save him. The rest of the world thought of him as the son of the devil and as Valentine always says, ''No one wants to save a monster''. He dried off using the uniform shirt and moved to walk away but caught his reflection in the small grimy mirror above the sink. Isaac stared into the mirror and found the person staring back to be unrecognizable. His once smooth dark skin is now covered in small deep jagged scars up and down his body, the aftermath from Valentine''s ''testing'', and the shadow of a beard line his face. Nothing remains of the scared little boy who arrived here, nothing expects his cold russet eyes brimming with rage.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. A siren bellows throughout the room and the small red light above the door begins to flash. Isaac peels his eyes from the mirror, pulls on the uniform shirt and positions himself in front of the doorway. After a minute the entryway slides open and a tall burly man with short brown hair lumbers into the room. He has to bend his neck in order to not scrap his head against the ceiling and in his hands, he holds a clear pair of bracelets and a collar. His pale green eyes roam around the small cell until they land on Isaac. "Morning kid." His voice is deep and coarse like he smoked six packs a day. "Nick." Isaac holds his wrists out toward the man as he wraps the bracers around them and the clasps the collar around his neck. Once they are attached, they let out a mechanical whistle and start to glow an ashen blue. Isaac looks down at the new jewelry and back up at Nick. "Is all this necessary? We''re just going to the lab... right?" Nick moves to the side and motions for him to start walking out to the hall. "Nope, change of plans today." Out in the hall, four prison guards stood dressed in the usual white and gray combat armor with prison''s symbol, a small black heart with a spiral running through it, embroidered on the chest. They surrounded each end of the hall blocking all exits from his cell. Isaac eyes them then turns his head back to Nick as he touches the sensor to close the door of his cell. "What''s changed?" He asks as Nick signal for the guards to start marching down the hallway. "Valentine wants to be the one to tell you." Isaac kept his face impassive but his heart started to beat faster in his chest. In his time here at the facility, he knew from experience that Valentine''s ''surprises'' were never anything good... for him at least. Nick folded his burly arms behind his head as he walked. "Don''t worry so much kid.. life is brief, and you should enjoy every second of it." They arrived in front Valentine''s office door and Nick raised he fist to knock twice before pulling open the door and pushing Isaac through it. Catching himself, he glared back at Nick then turned his head to survey the large room. The office had a medieval Victorian style to it, bookshelves lined the walls with ancient looking weapons propped above them. Isaac eyes roamed the room but stopped when they landed on the figure sitting at the desk. He was browsing something on the computer, a cup of coffee in his left hand and his long gray hair tied into a small ponytail. Valentine just kept staring at the computer screen, not even bothering to acknowledge the new arrivals in his office. After a moment Nick meekly cleared his throat and Valentine''s eyes shifted over to them. He stared down at Isaac''s scowling face and a faint smile came to his lips. "Mr. Kholer, my favorite patient." He put his coffee down and rose from the desk, walking over to the line of file cabinets behind him and pulled a large file from one. "It saddens me to say this...but today will be your last day with us." Isaac kept his face cold, not showing his surprise to Valentine''s words. He knew this was a trick, it had to be. Valentine wouldn''t just release him, he''s way too sadistic for that. "You''re being moved to the general population on the upper levels. Seems the brass thinks you''re being ''treated unfairly'' and made this choice without even consulting your doctor." Isaac just stood in shocked silence, waiting for the other shoe to drop as Valentine neatly placed the folder on his desk and pulled out a black metallic collar, similar to the restraint collar he was currently wearing. "But while I don''t agree with the transfer, there''s not much I can really say." He opened the file and started tinkering with the collar. Isaac opened his mouth to speak but decided against it, he knew that with Valentine it was more beneficial to listen to his ramblings then speak. "Now, I know how disappointed we both are that you''re leaving... so I made you a little gift." He strode from around the desk towards Isaac and removed the clear collar from his neck and replaced it with the black one. "This is a power restraint collar, all the other prisoners on the upper levels wear them at all times. But since your so... ''special'', I installed an additional function in yours." He clasped the two ends of the collar around Isaac''s neck and pressed a small button on the back. Suddenly Isaac''s skin starts to burn as the thick collar sinks deeper into his neck. His legs buckle underneath the pain, but he doesn''t let it show. That''s what Valentine wants. Isaac looks up defiantly at the old man as if asking for more. Valentine stares into the boy''s eyes for a long moment before letting a sickly callous smile slow spread to his lips. "That collar won''t come off." He reaches out his hand and taps the thick band twice. "The men up top seems to think you''ve had enough, that just because we don''t know what you can do makes you harmless." He straightens up and fixes his tie. "Idiots." Valentine motions for Nick to get me on feet and pulls out a long cylindrical tube with a button at the end. He reaches forward and presses one end to my forearm. Black ink stretches from the tube in an intricate pattern of numbers. He pulls the tube back into his coat pocket and slaps me lightly on the cheeks like a grandfather saying goodbye. "You''re officially released from level 87." Valentine nods to Nick and a huge rough hand engulfs my shoulder, pulling me towards the door. "Oh, and try not to die too quickly up there. I''d hate to lose the research." Nick shuts the door behind us and leads me to a large black elevator. Valentine was obviously unhappy with this new arrangement and was trying to scare Isaac while he could. But in the back of his head, Isaac was excited about the readjustment. This was his first time leaving this level and his first real chance at escape. They step into the lift and a subtly smile come to his lips as the door shuts on what has been his cage for eleven long years. Time to greet the other monsters Chapter 2: Level 47 Nick led Isaac and the guards from the elevator into a long hallway, where an old woman sat at a large rounded desk with a thick metal gate separating her from everyone else. Nick griped Isaac¡¯s shoulder and positions him on a large yellow painted square in front of the woman. It takes a minute before she notices the pair and peeks up from over the desk. She looked to be in her eighties with pale wrinkly skin, thin red-stained lips, and a cheap red wig that didn¡¯t match her age. ¡°Got a new one, do we?¡± Her voice was old and craggy like something is stuck in her throat. She adjusts her glasses, pulls out a small thin tablet from under the desk, and looks Isaac up and down with a disgusted look. ¡°Name?¡± She asked. Isaac fixed his eyes on the woman and gave her a sharp predatory smile. ¡°Isaac Kholer.¡± At the sound of his last name, the old woman¡¯s look of disgust immediately turned to shock... and then fear. She glanced over to Nick and points a boney finger at Isaac accusingly. ¡°Is he¡­is he Chaos¡¯s son?¡± Nick looks over at me then back at the woman and gives a small nod. The old woman eyes Isaac again, this time noting everything about the boy. ¡°What¡­what¡¯s your power?¡± Isaac glances over at Nick who was trying to hold back a laugh at the woman¡¯s question. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have one.¡± ¡­.. After leaving the old woman, Isaac was now holding a small compact plastic crate that supposedly held everything he would need to survive on level 47. They moved through a side hallway before stopping at a huge heavy iron-platted gate. ¡°Welp, this is where we part ways kid.¡± Nick reaches over to a small panel to the right of the gate and the huge hunk of metal begins to rise. ¡°A little advice.. the lowlifes on 47 aren¡¯t as nice as me and Dr. Valentin. So, keep your head down, your knees bent, and you might survive the first week.¡± Nick chuckles at his words as he leans down and removes the clear metal bands from Isaac¡¯s wrists. As the gate rose fully up, another herd of guards flooded out from the opening and surrounded Isaac. They moved into potion but begged to part as a stout chubby man strides from the middle of the pack. He comes up close to Isaac¡¯s face, cigarette lit between his lips, and just stares at him for a long moment. The man looked to be in his middle ages with light hazel skin creased with age, a thick black beard, and a slick bald head.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Isaac just stared back at the man blankly, wondering if he was trying to intimidate him or not. Something about Isaac¡¯s cold stare bothered the man though, as his nostrils flare and he took a small step backward. . ¡°Another vaulter, huh?¡± The man takes the cigarette from his lips, blows smoke straight into Isaac¡¯s face, and shacks the ash off onto his boots. Isaac clenches his jaw and holds himself back from doing something stupid. This man seems important and making a bad impression on my first day would only cause me more problems down the line. ¡°Why do they feed me shit and tell me to smile. I swear if they keep handing me off the scumbags, we¡¯ll have to do another ¡®cleansing¡¯ soon.¡± He pulled his gaze from Isaac to Nick, who stood off to the side behind him. ¡°What kind of freak is he?¡± The man asks, gesturing to Isaac. Nick just hands him the thin tablet the old woman gave him, and everyone stands there silently while he read over the screen. His eyes widen as he finishes and looked up at Isaac again, reassessing him. ¡°I¡¯ll be damned, so your Chaos¡¯s kid.¡± He flashes a shit-eating smile and looks around at the other guards. ¡°And he¡¯s a dreg.¡± At his words, all his men let out a bellow of malicious laughter. The old man turns back to Isaac with a smug look on his face. ¡°Guess the apple fell way off the tree, huh?¡± Isaac just stares at the man, a cold blank expression plastered on his face. But from the expression in his eyes, his rage was evident. ¡°I¡¯m Sergeant Mayors. I¡¯ll be your keeper for¡­well I guess the rest of your, short life.¡± He flicks the bud of the cigarette to the ground and pulls Isaac close by the collar of his shirt. ¡°We got two rules on this level.¡± He holds two thick fingers in his face. ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with Mayors and earn your keep. We clear?¡± He narrows his eyes and waits for Isaac to respond. After a short pause, Isaac¡¯s blank expression slowly spreads into a savage grin. ¡°Understood.¡± Mayors stare at him for another moment before he lets go of his shirt, straightens out his collar, and slaps him twice softly on the check. He then stands aside and gestures for Isaac to walk through the doorway. ¡°Well then¡­we won''t have a problem.¡± ¡­.. Mayors and the guards escort Isaac down a long stone tunnel, guided only by two rows of small fluorescent lights lining each side of the wall. Their small groves itched into the walls for the guards to take cover and pick off anyone trying to come out. ¡°Keep up, dreg.¡± One of the guards hit Isaac in the back with the butt of his gun, making him topple over his chains and fall to the ground. His attacker snorted ¡°Look, dreg¡¯s so scared he can''t he walk.¡± A bout of laughter echoed through the barren tunnel as Isaac tried to get back on his feet. A boot kicked his arms out from in front of him and his face met the floor again. ¡°Did I say get up yet?¡± The boot came down on Isaac¡¯s head and pinned him to the floor. More laughter sounded as he was forced to stay in that position till Mayors spoke up. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get this little shit to his pod. Let the other degenerates get a chance to welcome him home.¡± The guards let him up and they continued their trudge further down the tunnel. ¡­¡­ After what felt like hours marching through the tunnel they finally reach another large huge heavy iron-platted gate, but this one had a large 47 plastered on it in dark red paint. Mayors stepped out from the group and placed his hand on a small panel beside the gate. ¡°Open¡¯er up.¡± He barked. The gate sparked to life as it slowly rose from the ground, revealing a looming fortress wall with guards stationed all along the top and in tall towers that stretched up to the vast ceiling above. Mayors walked us through the gate and turned to face Isaac. He what was probably supposed to be a comforting smile on his face but Isaac could practically see the bloodlust in the man¡¯s eyes. ¡°Welcome to level 47.¡± Chapter 3: A New Home Evo Rehabilitation Facility ¨C Level 85 (Dr. Valentine POV) They took him!! Right when my work was about to be completed. Dr. Valentine held up a vile of glowing dark purple liquid up to his scowling face. That idiotic Colonel couldn¡¯t begin to grasp how valuable that boy was!! He threw the vile against the wall sending glass and the dark purple liquid scattering everywhere. ¡°Eleven years of work! Undone by a neanderthal with a board seat!¡± Dr. Valentine continued to throw a fit in his lab, sending various trays and tools to the ground. I have to get that boy back down here! They think he¡¯s a useless dreg but they- Suddenly the doctor¡¯s body went rigid, his muscles straining to their limit. His thoughts grew dull as a layer of dark purple blood began spewing from his mouth, eyes, and ears. The blood started crawling further downing his body, clinging to every inch of him. After the blood covered the doctor entirely it began to harden, leaving behind a human-shaped cocoon in the middle of the lab. ¡­. Evo Rehabilitation Facility ¨C Level 47 Isaac started over at the large bustling corridor was level 47. Hundreds of guard towers were lined along on the inside of the huge open space. Giving a full view of whatever was happening below. Parts of the space were sectioned into different compartments that made up what looked like a small town¡­ if it was also a prison. ¡°Level 47 is a minimum-security zone.¡± Mayors explain as he led us one of the sectioned parted that seemed to be where the other prisoners slept. ¡°Compared to the lower levels this place is a small paradise. That is, as long as you listen to your betters.¡± Mayors gestured to himself and the guards. All eyes followed us as we made our way past other rooms. But none of them dared to make a move with Mayors here.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Keep that in mind and you won¡¯t have any problems with me or my boys. As far as what you and the other dumbasses down here get up to, I don¡¯t care.¡± After a while, our small convoy stopped at one of the small rooms and one of his guards kicks me in the back, making me fall face-first into the room. Laughter could be heard behind me as the guard moved back to Mayors side. I looked up and saw it was the same guard that held me down in the tunnel. He flashed that same ugly smile as the rest of the squad left. I reached down to pick up the box they had given me and started to examine my surroundings. Well¡­this is better than my previous room. The small room was bare except for a bunk bed and a desk bolted into the metal of the opposite wall. Two small stools could be seen under the desk. I moved towards the beds and, seeing the top bunk already had some stuff on it, lowered myself onto the bottom bunk. I sighed and looked down at the small metal box I was given. Might as well. I pushed the small button on the top of the box and the metal folded in on itself revealing a slightly brown white pillow and a tattered wool blanket that smelled like it has never seen a wash. Shit. I should¡¯ve tried to bring my old ones. ¡°Damn, what you do to piss of Nancy?¡± A voice called from the opening of the small room. I looked up and saw a short¡­man? Standing in the doorway was a five-foot bug with human arms and legs. Its skin was an inky dark black that looked like it was swallowing the light around it. Small crystal red compound eyes lined his face but no nose or mouth could be seen. It was wearing the same red and black prison jumpsuit as me and a small silver collar clasped around its neck. I and the bug thing stared at each other for a couple of seconds before I lifted my arm and gave it a small wave. ¡°Sup.¡± The Bug just cocked its head at me and continued its unblinking stare. A small thin line opened on its face revealing tiny sharp white teeth. ¡°You¡¯re not scared?¡± Its voice was like a thousand small insects speaking at once. I guess a normal person would probably be freaking out. ¡°Are you here to eat me,¡± I questioned back in the same uninterested tone. It cocked its head to the other side as if it was thinking. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then we good. I¡¯m guessing you''re my new roommate?¡± The bug looked at me for a couple more seconds then stretched out his thin arm presenting its hand to me. ¡°Reginald Thompson. But people here call me Riggs.¡± I looked at his hand, cautious of the long thin claws lining each finger. Fuck it. I grasped his hand and shook. ¡°Isaac Kohler.¡¯ Riggs''s hand froze mid-shake and his compound eyes widen when he hears my last name. ¡°Your not-¡° I raise my hand to cut him off. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m that Kohler. No, I won''t talk to you about that shit.¡± Riggs looked at me for a few moments then shook his head. ¡°Nah, I get it. We all got our shit, I won¡¯t pry into yours.¡± I looked at Riggs again seeing if he was trying to play me or not. This is a prison after all. Finding decent people here shouldn¡¯t be this easy. Concealing my thoughts, I smiled at Riggs and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Looks like I got lucky with the rooms. Can you show me around so I can get a lay of the land?¡± Riggs opened in what I want to assume is a smile and made his way towards the doorway. ¡°Sure. But you might want to prepare yourself, while this place isn¡¯t as bad as the lower levels it¡¯s still a prison.¡± I just continued to smile as I placed the dirty pillow and blanket on my bunk and followed after Riggs as we made our way out of the dorm.