Dark Times

Chapter Two

I am walking on a plain grassland. Trees are scattered along the area. It's my first time seeing them. I've only seen pictures before. Everything is bright and full of life. I see Sylvie standing in the distance and start running towards her.

The clouds suddenly turn dark and plants begin to die. I strong gust of wind blows across the vast land, ripping a few scrawny trees off the ground. A bright light shines over me from above and I look up. Their mothership is hovering above me, pointing a beam of light at me. I run faster, tripping occasionally until I grab Sylvie's outstretched arm. She pulls me as we try to run farther away from it.

We see a clear area up ahead and run to it but as we get closer, the ground opens beneath us and we fall into darkness.

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I wake up with a jolt and yelp, feeling pain run up my side. I groan and slowly lay back down looking around and taking in my surroundings. I'm in the medical wing of the main building. It consists of a hospital, science lab and a training sight for medical practitioners. The hospital is on the first four floors, The fifth and sixth floors belong to the science department and the underground area is for training.

My pulse spikes as I recall the events of the attack. Doctors come rushing into the room. My dad walks into the room after them and stops at my side with a sad look.

"Hey, Jasper." He draws out.

"Hi, dad. What's wrong?" I ask him, seeing the crease between his brows increase before he turns away.

"Doctor Jude, how are his vitals?" He totally ignores me question.

"Thankfully, they're stabilized. He'll be ready for discharge in ten." The doctor lets a smile crawl onto his face but it soon fades away and looks similar to the one on dad's face.

"Thanks a lot, doc." Dad thanks him and I frown at him.

"The bio-sphere is working properly now and I think he'll quickly get the hang of it, but it will be best if he checks in every week. The pain should fade in a few minutes." Doctor jude pats my shoulder as he speaks,which means he is talking about me

"Bio-sphere?" I don't understand anything that is coming out of their mouths. It suddenly clicks and I understand it all. The Biosphere is the life force of a new mech prototype that the engineers are working on. Why are they linking it to my health? "What are you talking about?" I try to get up but fail due to a new force that holds the back of my head.

"Oh, sorry. Stay still so I can unplug the regulator. It's quite stiff....... Ah! It's out."

I sit up and rub the back of my head, feeling a metal plating at the base of my skull. I push against it and feel it give way, pressing into my head.

A screen pops into view and startles me. I hesitantly reach out my hand to tap it but my hand goes through instead.

"You should be seeing your personal AI screen." Doctor Jude says while skimming through a file. "Try and stand." He adds before nodding to himself. I get up on my feet but fall back onto the bed. My feet feel so numb that I can swear that they're not there. I see the little screen change into a picture. I t is a picture of feet with a little thumbs up in the lower right corner. I try again and manage to stand on my two feet, despite the stinging in my torso.

"Progress....." Dr. Jude trails off, tapping his pen against his chin. "Try walking to that wall." He says and looks at me expectantly. I sigh and try to move my feet then the feet in that little picture change to a walking motion. My movements are a bit stiff and I wonder how long I was out.

"How long was I out?" I ask when I get back to the bed.

"Thirteen days." A nurse tells me. Dad has been quite this whole time.

"I think you're all set to go. Just don't stress yourself. We still don't know your new limits. And don't forget to come for your weekly check-ups too." The doctor says before turning to dad, patting his shoulder with a comforting smile and then leaving.

The nurses bring over a bag of clothes for me to change into as soon as the doctor leaves.

"Dad? I ask as we leave the hospital grounds.

"I'm so sorry, Jasper!" Dad pulls me into a tight hug and shakes. I can tell that he is crying from the way he keeps on shaking.

"What's wrong?"

"I-I failed your mother! I failed to keep you safe!" He sobs.

"It's alright! It's alright! I'm still here! I'm alright!" I pull back from the hug, holding his towering figure at arms length.

"No... You don't understand. You're not... Human anymore." His gaze shifts from me to the ground, making his tears fall to the ground.

"What to do you mean?"

"The biosphere... Your heart..."

"You're not making sense anymore! Speak properly!" I yell shaking his shoulders.

"Your heart failed a-and I didn't hav-ve any ch-choice. We used the biosphere..." He trails off.

I let my hands fall from his shoulders and dangle at my sides. I thought it was just an enhancement.

"So what am I?" I whisper, suddenly finding my palms very interesting.

"Half human, half alien tech."

"So, I'm technically a human weapon." I let out a dry laugh to conceal my sadness.

"No, you're my son." He says through a light sniffle.

"Sure, you're right. It isn't even your fault. I wonder what I can do now!" I rush out, trying to lighten the mood.

"Dad cracks a small smile at that. "You never fail to be the optimist." I laugh, then turn my attention to the minimized screen at the bottom right corner of my eye. I pinch it then enlarge it, scrolling through the variety of actions so I can familiarize myself with them. Walking, running, jumping, squatting, flying? Attack? Rampage?! I really am a monster, aren't I?

I pick flying, somewhat curious to know what I can do in that area, and feel a weight settle on my back. I peek behind me and see dad staring at my back motionless, along with other passerbys stuck to the spot. I think about being able to see behind me and a small round object pops out from my shoulder.

I let out a very manly shriek and trip on air, falling to the ground. The drone flies lower, directly behind me and my screen turns disappears and is replaced by a video. I look properly and I am able to see my rear view. There is a jet-pack like contraption attached to my back.

I jump to my feet, somewhat disoriented from the pain which has miraculously re-appeared and is throbbing along my torso. I reach around me to give the jetpacks a proper feel. They're quite small, compared to what I've seen in cartoons and films. I would have wanted wings though, maybe like steel wings, firm but strong.

Its form immediately changes and I scream again at the unexpected action. Wings now hang heavily on my back. They feel soft, yet hard. Like steel, if not stronger.

Our little show has drawn some attention as people are now gathering around us, whispering and pointing. Dad tries to chase them off, but I stop him.

"Let's give them a show." I whisper into his ear. He smiles and steps aside. I bow, letting my wings spread behind me. They cheer and I stand up straight again.

A help menu opens in front of me and I read the instructions. Lame, right? Like I guessed, I can control it with my mind. That must me the use of that pad in my head.

I give my wings a few test flaps before putting in some real effort and lifting off the ground, hovering above it for a few seconds. I apply more force and go shooting up, but not too high, just about the height of the hospital.

I spin around, taking in the air and, liking the way it cards through my gold locks.

I gasp when I stop. What I see makes me wish I didn't discover this new ability.

There's a new alien base a few thousand meters from our encampment....

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