Genesis #27

*End of chapter 11 and beginning of chapter 12*

“They have arrived.”

“Are they all unharmed?”

“For the most part. The sarsh carried the humans most of the way here, he is completely exhausted and quite bruised; they all suffer from mild frostbite, but they are all in one piece. I was correct in my theory about the sarsh, he led them and protected them. He will be the one.”

“Very good. The Project will begin soon.”

“Congratulations, sir.”

“Dismissed.”

_______

A stout figure stood behind reflective glass, his muscled arms clasped behind his back and his striking eyes gazed into the room beyond the glass.

It was a nondescript room, entirely painted army-green and with fourteen beds, divided into seven on either side of the room. Three of the beds were occupied, the pale humans’ faces were the only part of them visible through a pile of blankets.

The muscular figure turned, facing another room behind him.

There, lying in the middle of the room, swarmed by people in white clothes, lay the massive beast who had faithfully carried his friends through the frigid mountain to safety; he was worse for the wear, bruised and battered, with strained ligaments in his ankle, but he would live, regain his strength, and the Project would finally begin after so many years of preparing; it was finally time, and they had come in less than two weeks. Promising. Very promising.

_____

Clint gasped awake, his body wracked with tremors induced by a nightmare which seemed to have lasted forever; his sudden awakening left him frightened and disoriented.

His eyes roamed the room, wondering why he was no longer cold, where the red and white sky was, and why the blowing, biting wind no longer tormented him.

Where am I now? He wondered dimly.

After further searching, he sighed in relief as he saw his father and Keila lying next to him, sleeping peacefully. Clint sat up and surveyed the room. It was a plain, square room with many other unoccupied beds, lining the opposite wall; on one wall was a large mirror. Something is missing, Clint thought, Wait.. not something; someone... Rune!

He started from his bed, jumping as a door slid open and admitted a single male dressed in soft white clothing and carrying a clipboard; he smiled at Clint as he approached and knelt down as if the young man was a child.

“Can you tell me your name?” He inquired, his voice was soft, with unmistakable authority and a hint of mischief.

“Clint Chaser,” The young man replied in a rather dazed tone.

“Ok, Clint. How old are you?”

“Do you know where my friend, Rune, is? Is he okay?”

“How old are you?” The man asked again, dark eyes locked with Clint’s.

Clint sighed. “Sixteen, seventeen in five months.”

“Ok, and are you feeling alright? I understand you had quite the adventure.”

“I’ll be fine as soon as I know Rune is safe.”

The man smiled. “You’re very loyal to your friend, I like that. Don’t worry, he is safe and well.”

“Why isn’t he with us? Where are we? Who are you?”

The man laughed, scribbling on his clipboard. “So many questions! The sarsh was still in the beast's form he used to carry you, and could not fit in this room. You are in Vale, the birthplace of Project Ignite, which we will inform you of later. I am Elric, your assigned caregiver, I am available for anything you need. I am also your bodyguard. Each of you here will have an assigned caregiver. Now, if you have asked all you need to ask, I will go.”

Clint said nothing more, and Elric stood, giving the young man a nod before he left. Before long, Clint had fallen asleep again and Keila woke; she had a similar experience: confusion, relief, then confusion again as a woman walked into the room carrying a clipboard, and began asking questions; she had regular appearances and wore soft clothing, but to make up for her plainness, her brown eyes sparked with intense liveliness and her smile was infectious. Keila had the same concern for Rune, but once the woman reassured her, Keila relaxed a little.

“My name is Aurian,” The woman informed. “I’m your Caregiver, assigned to protect you. I suggest you get some more rest now,” Aurian glanced around. “It seems the boys are still being lazy, including your friend, Rune.” She said with a wink and left.

Keila sat back and processed her thoughts, falling into slumber again.

As if planned, the process repeated for Jethro, who’s Caregiver was an older man named Gareth, with a tousled shock of brown and grey hair, and a roaring laugh which filled the room; his brown eyes twinkled with the wisdom that comes with old age. Soon, he had left as well and everyone in the room was asleep once more. The only one who had yet to meet their Caregiver was Rune.

______

The sarsh opened his eyes for a second and, realizing he still held the form of the anarii, he morphed back to himself; his eyes were blurry and heavy, his mind felt melted; he was barely even aware of the people surrounding him, whom he had surprised by his sudden change.

Their voices drifting in and out as from the end of a long tunnel, they were asking something, but the sarsh couldn’t make out their words, only a muffled mass of whispers that eerily bounced around Rune’s head.

There was one, louder male voice rising above all the others; it had an unmistakable air of authority, and he was telling the people around Rune to move back.

Feeling himself slipping back into oblivion, the sarsh trembled, teeth chattering; he curled into a fetal position on the hard floor, every part of his body thundering with pain and phantom cold. Rune started as a hand touched his shoulder and a face came into his line of view.

“You’re alright, mate,” The blurry face said in a strange accent. “I’ll have these fellows take you somewhere a bit more comfortable, alright?” The voice didn’t wait for confirmation from Rune, and four shadows fell over his prostrate body and eight gentle hands placed him on a soft surface, voices murmured again and the gentle rocking of the cot the men carried lulled the sarsh into sleep again.

_____

Clint woke again, slowly, and with less confusion; he shifted his head as soft voices reached his ears. There, entering the room, there were two large men carrying a cot between them; lying on the cot, was Rune. Clint’s eyebrows furrowed as he saw his friend was still asleep, bruises riddled his face and bare arms, his closed eyes bore rings of purple, but Clint could see the sarsh’s chest rising and falling in an even pattern beneath his soft green shirt.

The men set Rune down, the larger of the two noticed Clint watching them and he grinned widely. “Don’t worry about this bloke,” He gestured to the slumbering sarsh. “He’s tired and a little worse for the wear, but we’ll take good care of him. Okay, mate?” The man’s heavily accented voice brought a tired smile to Clint’s face.

“M’kay,” The young man mumbled, dropping his head back into his pillow where his eyes slipped shut again. The two men left, the big man casting a glance at the sarsh again before closing the door.

__

“I still don’t understand how he expects those kids to undergo this whole thing, I’m startin’ to think he’s bonkers.” The large man mused aloud to his companion; the other man nodded.

“Considering the shape they were in when they arrived, I don’t really understand it either. I feel like he’s expecting too much of them.”

“Well... we don’t have to understand it, I suppose; only do our jobs.”

“Your job anyway. I’m just an EG.”

“Emergency guards are just as important as Caregivers, mate. I’m beginning to think you’re jealous.”

“Naw.”

Laughter shook the frame of the big-boned man and he dropped a muscular arm over his smaller friend’s shoulders; they continued on down a flight of stairs and out into the night air in companionable silence.

___

When Keila woke again, Clint was sitting up and rubbing his eyes like an infant. To her friend’s right, lay Rune. The young woman sighed in relief to see the sarsh slept peacefully, though he had received a battering from their trek.

“Are you okay, Kel?” Clint asked in a husky voice. She smiled faintly and nodded, not quite awake yet.

“Where are we?”

“I don’t know, all I know is Elric called it Vale.”

“Who’s Elric?” Keila croaked, glancing about desperately for water. “Is He anything like Aurian?”

Clint glanced at her. “He said he’s my Caregiver, whatever that means.”

“Then he is like Aurian,” Keila said, clambering to her feet and padding over to a door with a large black F emblazoned on it. She pushed it open and sighed in relief, entered, and closed the door behind her. Clint grinned and rolled his eyes.

While Keila was in the restroom quenching her thirst, Jethro woke; he and his son spoke in lowered, anxious tones.

The uncertainty of where their journey had taken them was unbearable, but Clint trusted Elric to live up to his word and explain.

Once they all realized it was still nighttime, they had no trouble falling back asleep, but their sleep was haunted by dreams of fear and worry. The same question loomed large in their heads: What happens now?

Chapter 12

“Are they all awake?”

“Yeah, but my mate, the sarsh, has not fully recovered yet. I thought-”

“No, we’d better not wait until he’s recovered; he extremely powerful already. It’s time to introduce myself.”

“Right then, I’ll be going, if that’s okay?”

“Dismissed.”

_____

The thick doors of the room swung open soundlessly to admit four figures: Elric, Aurian, and Garret, as well as an unfamiliar figure, one only Clint recognized.

The humans’ faces were expectant and curious; frustration contorted the sarsh’s face as he watched the largest man near him; Rune woke only an hour ago, after sleeping all night and a few hours more.

Addressing Rune, the big man asked: “How do you do, mate?” The man’s white grin was too close for the sarsh’s satisfaction, he screwed his face more, deep contours showing in his dark skin and didn’t answer. “Aw, come on, you can tell me! I am assigned to be your Caregiver, which entails protecting you and tending to your every need, you can tell me anything!”

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Rune growled. He sat up, visibly trying not to wince. It was a vain attempt, everyone saw his discomfort and silence lapsed for a few seconds, before the red-haired, large man broke it with his deep, jolly voice.

“Well, my name is Lochan Fletcher,” The man said. “But you can call me Loc.”

Still no answer from the sarsh, who swung his legs over the edge of his bed and stood up, favoring his left foot; at his full height, he was even taller than Loc, who was probably six and a half feet; Rune was seven feet. Loc turned his head upward, his green eyes wide. “And I thought I was a giant,” He exclaimed; Rune rewarded him with a stern glare.

“Care to explain where we are?” The sarsh asked evenly, obviously trying to contain his frustration.

“I don’t, but someone else does. Follow me.”

The sarsh snarled, his face twisting with anger. Obviously, he didn’t do well with confusing situations and meeting head-on with someone as stubborn as himself. “Why is this guy bossing us around?” Rune demanded, exposed fangs gleaming in the overhead lights. Keila walked over to her friend, placing her small hand on his cold metal forearm.

“Rune,” She said calmly. “You need to calm down. I can understand how confusing this is, but anger is not the way to handle everything. Loc said someone was going to explain, so let’s go find out where we are.”

The frustration on the sarsh’s face retreated, but was still present. He crossed his arms and huffed.

“Fine, but if someone makes things tough on me, they won’t like the results.”

From across the room, everyone heard Loc remark to himself: “Man, this guy is off his rocker.”

Rune snarled again, and Keila frowned at him. “I kind of agree, Rune. You’re acting extra angry. What’s the matter?”

“What’s the matter?! I just traveled for a week and a half hoping to find the way home, but when I arrive, we get cryptic babysitters and no way home! And I’m guessing, whoever is in charge here is going to want something from us before we can leave!”

By the time the sarsh stopped to breathe, everyone in the room froze and stared straight at him. He was uncowed, glaring at them all. “I thought we were going somewhere?” He asked sarcastically. Loc whispered under his breath, but Rune heard it.

“He and I are going to have heaps of fun in the next few months.”

The sarsh felt like screaming, but he held his temper back, temporarily. His cybernetic arm tightened until it hummed with tension.

It took all his strength not to burst from the tension and anxiety building inside him, he limped after the group following Loc out of the room. Through the door, across a corridor, a glass wall that displayed an empty room and Rune frowned, wondering what the purpose of it was. His temper flared again as he saw what he had thought to be a mirror in the sleeping quarters was actually a one-way window. That’s only in prisons, he thought, why do they need it here?