Evo

Chapter 10: heartbeat

Mika could not hear them anymore.

Everything had gone quiet.

He was standing somewhere that was not the hospital.

There was no floor beneath his feet.

No walls.

No ceiling.

Only darkness.

"Mika."

He turned.

Nobody was there.

"Who's there?"

His own voice came back to him.

Then he heard another voice.

A child's voice.

"Are you scared?"

Mika looked around.

"Where are you?"

"Inside."

The darkness moved.

A small figure appeared.

A boy.

He looked about six years old.

Mika stared at him.

The boy had the same face.

The same eyes.

The same scar above the eyebrow.

Mika stepped back.

"Who are you?"

The boy smiled.

"You."

Mika shook his head.

"No."

The boy walked closer.

"You've been asleep for a long time."

"You're not real."

"I am."

"What are you?"

The boy touched his chest.

"Me."

Mika felt something pounding beneath his ribs.

The same pulse he had felt in the hospital.

"What do you want?"

The boy looked sad.

"I want to go outside."

Mika took another step back.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I don't know what you are."

The boy smiled again.

"You do."

Mika saw images.

A laboratory.

Scientists running.

His mother screaming.

His father standing behind a glass wall.

A machine connected to Mika's tiny body.

Then another image.

A black room.

Something huge moving behind a glass chamber.

A voice saying:

"Subject Zero is not compatible."

Another voice answered.

"Then why is it still alive?"

The image changed.

Mika saw himself as a baby.

His eyes opened.

White light filled the room.

Every machine exploded.

The scientists ran.

His father picked him up.

And whispered,

"He's awake."

Mika stared.

"That happened?"

The boy nodded.

"You were awake before you were born."

Mika felt sick.

"That's impossible."

"You're impossible."

The darkness began shaking.

The boy stepped closer.

"They are afraid of you."

"Who?"

"Everyone."

The boy touched Mika's chest.

"Even him."

"Who?"

A face appeared in the darkness.

Adrian.

His father.

Then Cain.

Then Elena.

Then Lyra.

All of them looked afraid.

Mika heard a voice.

"Wake up."

He opened his eyes.

The hospital corridor had changed.

The walls were cracked.

Glass covered the floor.

People were lying everywhere.

Mara was holding her head.

Daniel was bleeding from his forehead.

Noah was against the wall.

His mother was kneeling beside him.

Adrian stood several feet away.

Cain was smiling.

Mika slowly stood.

His mother looked at him.

"Mika?"

He looked at her.

"I'm okay."

His voice sounded different.

Calmer.

Cain's smile widened.

"There you are."

Mika looked at him.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing."

Cain spread his arms.

"You did it yourself."

Mika looked down.

The white light under his skin had disappeared.

But something felt different.

He could feel the entire building.

Every person.

Every wire.

Every pipe.

Every movement.

He could even feel Cain's power.

It was like a pressure pressing against his skin.

Mika raised his hand.

Cain stopped smiling.

"What are you doing?"

Mika closed his fingers.

Cain dropped to one knee.

The floor cracked beneath him.

He struggled to breathe.

Mika stared.

"I can feel you."

Cain looked up.

"Good."

Mika pushed harder.

Cain's face twisted.

His mother grabbed Mika's arm.

"Stop."

Mika looked at her.

"He killed people."

"I know."

"He came for you."

"I know."

"Then why should I stop?"

His mother looked into his eyes.

"Because I know what happens when you don't."

Mika froze.

The pressure around Cain disappeared.

Cain collapsed.

He coughed blood.

Adrian walked toward Mika.

"You're changing."

Mika turned on him.

"You knew this would happen."

"I suspected."

"You knew."

"I knew the core could awaken."

"And you let Cain trigger it."

"No."

Mika stared at him.

"You brought me here."

"Because I thought Helix was the safest place."

"It wasn't."

"No."

Adrian looked around.

"It wasn't."

Mika stepped closer.

"You keep saying you want to protect me. But every place you take me gets attacked."

Adrian looked at him.

"Because of you."

Mika's face hardened.

"Don't blame me."

"I'm not."

"Then what are you saying?"

Adrian took a breath.

"Your existence changes things."

Before Mika could answer, a loud crash came from above.

Daniel looked up.

"That sounded close."

Mara stood.

"We need to move."

Cain slowly got to his feet.

Mika turned toward him.

Cain wiped the blood from his mouth.

"You felt it, didn't you?"

"Felt what?"

"The other side."

Mika said nothing.

Cain smiled.

"That thing inside you."

Mika's eyes narrowed.

"What is it?"

Cain laughed.

"Ask your father."

Adrian's expression changed.

Mika noticed.

"What is he talking about?"

Adrian looked away.

Cain walked closer.

"Your father knows."

"Knows what?"

Cain pointed at Mika's chest.

"That's not a power."

Mika waited.

"It's a door."

Adrian grabbed Cain by the throat.

"Enough."

Cain smiled.

"Still scared of the truth?"

Adrian threw him against the wall.

Mika stared at his father.

"What door?"

Adrian didn't answer.

Mika stepped closer.

"What is inside me?"

"Something we don't understand."

Cain laughed from the floor.

"He's lying."

Adrian looked at him.

Cain continued.

"He understands perfectly."

Mika turned to his father.

"Tell me."

Adrian's silence was enough.

Mika felt betrayed again.

"Tell me!"

The building shook.

A deep sound rolled through the walls.

Everyone froze.

It came again.

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

Something was moving beneath them.

Mika closed his eyes.

He reached down with his senses.

There was something below.

Far below.

Something alive.

Something enormous.

His stomach dropped.

"What is that?"

Adrian looked terrified.

"The reason Project Zero was created."

Mika opened his eyes.

"You found something before the Evos."

Adrian nodded.

"We found a signal."

"From where?"

"Underground."

"What was sending it?"

Adrian looked at the floor.

"We never found out."

The building shook again.

A crack opened in the ground.

People screamed.

Mara grabbed Mika's mother.

"Move!"

The floor collapsed.

Mika reached out.

The falling people stopped in midair.

For a moment, everyone hung above the hole.

Mika gritted his teeth.

There were too many.

His body began shaking.

Adrian shouted,

"Don't try to hold all of them!"

"I can't let them fall!"

"Then change what you're doing!"

Mika didn't understand.

"What?"

"Don't hold them."

Adrian pointed downward.

"Move the air."

Mika closed his eyes.

He felt the space beneath everyone.

He pushed.

A huge burst of air rose from the hole.

The people lifted.

Mika guided them toward solid ground.

One by one, they landed.

Mika dropped to his knees.

His nose was bleeding.

His mother rushed toward him.

"Mika."

"I'm fine."

"You aren't."

He wiped the blood away.

"I can control it."

Adrian looked at him.

"No."

Mika looked up.

"I just saved them."

"Yes."

"Then what's wrong?"

Adrian pointed toward the hole.

"You didn't control your power."

Mika looked down.

The darkness below was moving.

"You controlled the environment."

Mika stared.

Adrian continued.

"That's different."

A hand suddenly came through the broken floor.

Everyone screamed.

The hand was enormous.

Black veins covered its fingers.

It grabbed the edge of the hole.

Mika stood.

Cain backed away.

For the first time, he looked afraid.

"What is that?"

Adrian answered quietly.

"The first."

The hand pulled.

Something began climbing out.

Mika's mother covered her mouth.

Adrian reached for his weapon.

"No."

Mika looked at him.

"What?"

"Don't fight it."

Mika stared.

"Why?"

"Because it isn't here for us."

The creature's head appeared.

Its face was pale.

Its eyes were white.

It looked at Mika.

Then it smiled.

Mika felt the thing inside his chest answer.

A pulse.

The creature spoke.

"Mika."

Mika couldn't breathe.

It knew his name.

The creature climbed higher.

"You took so long."

Mika's mother grabbed his arm.

"Run."

Mika didn't move.

The creature looked at her.

Then back at him.

"You are the key."

Mika swallowed.

"Key to what?"

The creature smiled.

"The door."

The lights went out.

And this time, Mika heard the voice from inside his own head.

Let me out. :::