Evo

Chapter Five: No More Running

The first vehicle came through the trees without headlights.

Mika saw it before anyone else.

Black.

Heavy.

Moving slowly along the dirt road.

Then another appeared behind it.

Then another.

Mara raised her gun.

"Nobody moves."

Daniel looked at her.

"How many?"

"Six vehicles."

Noah stepped backward.

"That's not the government."

Mara looked at him.

"How do you know?"

"Because government vehicles have markings."

A door opened.

Men stepped out.

They wore dark clothes and helmets.

No uniforms.

No badges.

One of them lifted a rifle.

"Hand over the boy."

Mika looked at Mara.

"Who are they?"

She didn't answer.

The man shouted again.

"Give us Mika Vale."

Mika frowned.

"How does he know my name?"

Noah's face changed.

"They're Ascendants."

The men began spreading across the road.

Mara lowered her voice.

"Daniel, take Noah."

"What about Mika?"

"I'll handle him."

Mika shook his head.

"No."

Mara looked at him.

"What?"

"I'm tired of everyone handling me."

"This isn't a game."

"I know."

Mika stepped forward.

The nearest soldier aimed his rifle.

Mara grabbed his shoulder.

"Mika, don't."

He kept walking.

The soldier fired.

The bullet stopped.

Mika didn't even move.

The bullet floated in front of his chest.

The soldier froze.

Mika stared at it.

Then he looked at the man.

"You should stop shooting at me."

He flicked his fingers.

The bullet dropped into the dirt.

The other soldiers raised their weapons.

Mara shouted.

"Don't fire!"

Too late.

Gunfire filled the road.

Mika lifted both hands.

Every bullet stopped.

There were dozens.

They hung in the air around him.

For a moment, nobody moved.

Mika looked at them.

Then he pushed his hands forward.

The bullets flew sideways and buried themselves in the trees.

The soldiers stepped back.

One of them whispered,

"Jesus."

Mika heard him.

He looked at his hands.

The power felt easier now.

That scared him.

Before, he had fought the power.

Now it was listening.

A soldier charged.

Mika turned.

The man's body flew backward.

He crashed into a vehicle.

Another soldier attacked from behind.

Mika didn't see him.

But he felt him.

Mika turned.

The man stopped in midair.

Mika stared.

He hadn't touched him.

The man struggled.

"What are you doing?"

Mika lowered his hand.

The soldier dropped.

Daniel stared at him.

"You're getting better."

Mika didn't answer.

A loud clap came from the trees.

Everyone turned.

Cain walked onto the road.

He was smiling.

"You've improved."

Mika's face hardened.

"You."

Cain looked around at the soldiers.

"You people really thought you could take him?"

The leader of the soldiers stepped forward.

"Stay out of this."

Cain laughed.

"You still think you can order me around?"

The man's gun came up.

Cain moved.

The gun twisted in the man's hand.

Metal wrapped around his wrist.

He screamed.

The other soldiers opened fire.

Cain raised one hand.

The bullets changed direction.

They struck the ground.

Mika watched carefully.

Cain looked at him.

"See?"

Mika said nothing.

"You and I are not so different."

"You're killing people."

"So are they."

Cain pointed at the soldiers.

"They came here to take you apart and put you in a laboratory."

Mika looked at Mara.

She didn't deny it.

His stomach tightened.

Cain smiled.

"Ask her."

Mika turned to Mara.

"Would they?"

Mara lowered her weapon.

"If they believed you were too dangerous to control..."

She stopped.

Mika understood.

"You knew."

"We don't know what you are."

"That's why you were going to lock me up."

"To protect people."

"From me?"

"From what you might become."

Mika looked at Cain.

"And you?"

"I want you alive."

"Why?"

"Because you're the only one who can finish what your father started."

Mika's eyes narrowed.

"What did he start?"

Cain's expression changed.

"Ask your mother."

Mika stared at him.

"You know where she is."

Cain nodded.

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Somewhere you can't reach yet."

Mika stepped toward him.

Cain raised his hand.

"Don't."

The air between them became heavy.

Mika felt the pressure.

Cain was trying to push him back.

Mika pushed forward.

The road cracked.

Both powers collided.

Trees bent away from them.

Mara shouted for everyone to move.

Mika gritted his teeth.

Cain was stronger than before.

But Mika was learning.

He stopped trying to overpower Cain.

Instead, he reached for the ground.

He felt the dirt.

The stones.

The buried roots.

He pulled.

The earth rose between them.

Cain jumped back.

Mika moved.

He sent the wall of dirt forward.

Cain broke through it.

Mika was waiting.

He grabbed Cain with his power.

Cain stopped.

For a second, Mika had him.

Cain's feet lifted from the ground.

Mika squeezed.

Cain's face twisted.

"You really don't know what you're doing."

Mika pushed harder.

Cain's body began shaking.

Then Cain smiled.

"That's why you're dangerous."

He released a burst of energy.

Mika flew backward.

He hit the ground.

Cain disappeared into the smoke.

Mika got up.

"Where did he go?"

Daniel pointed.

"Forest."

Mika wanted to follow.

Mara stopped him.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because that's what he wants."

Mika looked at the trees.

She was right.

Cain wasn't trying to kill him.

He was testing him.

The thought made Mika uncomfortable.

The remaining Ascendants had already disappeared.

Noah walked over.

"That was stupid."

Mika looked at him.

"What?"

"You could have killed yourself."

"I'm still alive."

"For now."

Noah turned toward the road.

"We need to move."

Mara nodded.

They took one of the abandoned vehicles.

Daniel drove.

Mika sat in the back with Noah.

Nobody spoke for several minutes.

Then Mika asked,

"What did my father start?"

Noah looked at him.

"You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"Then you're going to hate the answer."

Mika waited.

Noah leaned closer.

"Your father discovered that Evos aren't random."

Mika frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"There was a pattern."

"What pattern?"

"Every Evo carries the same genetic marker."

Mika stared at him.

"And?"

"The marker doesn't come from human evolution."

Mika looked confused.

Noah continued.

"Your father believed someone created it."

Silence.

"Created?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"We don't know."

Mika looked through the window.

"So Evos were made?"

"Maybe."

"By who?"

"That's what your father spent years trying to find out."

Mika remembered the recording.

The first Evos weren't born.

A cold feeling moved through him.

"What did he discover?"

Noah looked down.

"Project Zero."

Mika waited.

Noah spoke quietly.

"The first experiment."

Mika felt his heartbeat change.

"And I was the experiment?"

"No."

Noah looked at him.

"You were the result."

The vehicle became silent.

Mika stared at his hands.

For the first time, he wondered if he had ever been a normal person.

Maybe he had never been meant to be one.

The car suddenly stopped.

Daniel slammed on the brakes.

Everyone was thrown forward.

Mara grabbed the seat.

"What happened?"

Daniel looked ahead.

A figure stood in the middle of the road.

A woman.

Long black hair.

White coat.

She was holding a small metal case.

Mika felt something strange from her.

Not fear.

Recognition.

The woman looked directly at him.

Then she smiled.

"Mika Vale."

Mara raised her weapon.

"Who are you?"

The woman ignored her.

She looked at Mika.

"Your father has been waiting for you."

Mika stepped out of the vehicle.

"Where is he?"

The woman lifted the metal case.

"Close."

Mika stared at her.

"Who are you?"

Her smile disappeared.

"My name is Dr. Elena Voss."

She opened the case.

Inside was a small device glowing blue.

Mika felt his power react immediately.

Elena watched his eyes glow.

"Interesting."

Mara stepped between them.

"Put the device down."

Elena looked at her.

"You still think you can protect him?"

Mara raised her gun.

Elena sighed.

"Then I suppose we'll have to do this the hard way."

The device activated.

Mika fell to his knees.

Pain exploded through his head.

He screamed.

Images filled his mind.

A laboratory.

Children inside glass chambers.

Scientists.

Blood.

Machines.

Then a room he recognized.

His home.

His mother holding him as a baby.

And beside her stood his father.

Adrian Vale.

Alive.

Young Mika was crying.

Adrian looked at him.

Then at the camera.

"They'll come for him."

The image changed.

Adrian was older.

Older than Mika had ever seen him.

His face was covered in scars.

He was standing in a dark room.

Someone was behind him.

A voice spoke.

"Give us the boy."

Adrian turned.

"No."

The image vanished.

Mika collapsed.

Elena closed the case.

Everyone was silent.

Mika slowly raised his head.

"You know where my father is."

Elena nodded.

"Yes."

"Take me to him."

Mara grabbed his arm.

"No."

Mika looked at her.

"Get off me."

"Mika, listen."

"I've listened enough."

He stood.

His eyes were glowing.

"I've been lied to my whole life."

He looked at Elena.

"Take me to my father."

Elena smiled.

"Gladly."

Then the trees behind them exploded.

Something massive landed on the road.

Mika turned.

A creature stood there.

It looked human.

Almost.

Its skin was covered in black veins.

Its eyes were red.

It looked at Mika.

And smiled.

"Subject Zero."

Mika felt the power inside him rise.

The creature cracked its neck.

"Let's see if you're really worth all this trouble."

Mika stepped forward.

For the first time, he wasn't running.

He was ready.