collin

Fabricated

Time and distance is the true creator, churning and dumping life into the endless nebulas forever growing and consuming the darkness ahead. One of these tiny bits of life spun out through this endless generation is the Daughtrees Solar System. Uniqueness is a beautiful byproduct of creation and this system holds no exceptions. Quite the spectacle of science, it is not a heliocentric type, but rather all other stellar forms orbit around one planet, C.D-19. From the molten core to the crust this terrestrial body is packed to the brim with natural resources, marking itself an ideal breeding ground for all forms and walks of life. Holding similarities to the Milky Way Galaxy, in that it is inhabited by a dominant homosapien species on the only sustainable planet for their life, but teeming with exotic wildlife never seen on Earth. Just outside the atmosphere is an asteroid belt in the Daughtrees system a,kin to those seen in Earth’s solar system, but much more volatile and detrimental to life. Containing asteroids nearly 10 times the size found near Earth and just as much unpredictability, constantly spitting out chunks of space rock into the planet’s atmosphere. While the primary inhabitants of this planet are humans, amongst them are what is classified as the Krittano’s, a sub-species that possess an innate amount of strength, speed and agility. Believed to have been caused by an asteroid that lodged near the coastline of CD-19’s Capital Barboa nearly 22 years ago now. Still a wonder to the departments of science, the only conclusion they can draw is that it seems to affect a small set of individuals living near the anomaly and develop as they neared adolescence, never spontaneously appearing in adults. Unable to harness or trace the source of it from any samples collected that is as deep of an understanding they could possess.

Alexander’s childhood came from humble beginnings, a simple Oriental family living in the port city of New Lauderdale tucked into a sector south-east of the capital. His father worked countless hours in the Lithium factory, while his mother took care of the house and dealt with her online business to just barely survive from check to check. 

Always developing a bit quicker than the average kid, Alex felt like he was an infected thumb in a sea of cleanly hands all throughout his schooling, it wasn’t until he reached his final stage of learning before being pushed off to the workforce that he felt evened out with his peers but still noticeably different, in his speed, cognition and brute strength. This didn’t raise much suspicion until government officials tasked their lead scientists with surveying the populus and finding any abnormalities between them with simple physique tests. A shocking statistic was found in a miniscule number of teens specifically close to the crash site, all of them tested drastically above the general population so much so they broke some of the testing methods. Each individual found in this range were rounded up and shipped to a government facility, a small amount but noticeable to the parents at the least. An attempt to sweep these findings under the rug were made  but to no avail, word got out to the public that were; as they could best describe “superhumans” among us. Tested and tried, anyone gathered in this initial population sweep would unfortunately never step out of the glossy facility that is shrouded in secrecy, every square inch of it covered in glass panels only allowing vision from the inside to the outside. Fortunately for Alexander he skimmed just by at the top to be flagged but not yanked from his home at a moment’s notice. 

Alexander reached the ripe age of 18 just as the seasons were shifting fully into Summer and school would be let out indefinitely for him. Bogged down with the feeling like he hasn’t achieved much of a purpose or any successes but now at this turning stone in his life it could be time for that to change.

“Hmph.” Alex grunted as he rubbed the fog from his eyes, clamping on to the radiating pain coming from the back of his cranium. Unfamiliar with the source of his headache, he puts his body into motion swinging his legs out from underneath the thick plush comforter onto his chilled tiled bedroom floor to sit upright. Puffing in and out like a steam stack Alexander noticed something a bit different with his breathing, like the oxygen was richer or he was absorbing more than usual. A newfound rush through his bloodstream, like his body was pumping into overdrive sending an abundance of chemicals to every demanding area. Flexing each fiber in his muscles he could feel a rush through his body, similar to when he’d exert all of his force through his youth but nothing quite as sensational as this feeling now. Gazing down upon his hands popping with veins as if it was a foreign object, uninformed but curious. 

“W-w-what is this?” Alexander questioned as he shakily ran his hands through his wispy black hair, then it struck him. 

“This is Tom Trinidad and what we have here is the Otropolis X-I3 crash site! The birthplace of what are now being referred to as “Krittanos' ' a seeming mutation of those raised near the area and exclusively over the age of eighteen. AXIS United has volunteered and taken in all found to their facilities in an attempt to learn their anatomy at a molecular level. Now back to you Rach-”

“That must be it… That’s the only thing that makes sense, but what now..” is all that bounced around in Alexander’s head after replaying that news clip he had heard in the living room just two weeks prior, unable to process this newfound information the room began to spin.

Eyes fluttering open all Alexander could feel was as if he was placed inside a spinning top and all that could come through was muffled noises until everything came to clarity.

“Alex are you okay?!” His mother standing over his body, hands gripped on both shoulders swaying him back and forth. The cool tile was soon recognized in his mind and he realized he had just fainted momentarily. 

“Yeah mom, just got up too fast I guess,” Alexander attempted to laugh off with a shrug to deny any suspicion gnawing at his mother. A look of questioning surfaced her face a second but was soon shadowed over with her glowing smile 

“Do you feel any different being eighteen now? You’re like grown now!” she teased her son.

“Meh, it is just a number nothing too different except I don’t have to return to that brick prison.” Alexander bantered with his mother, but in the back of his head he knew this was quite far from the truth

“Well, I’ll let you be. I hope you have a good birthday son, I’m heading off to the hospital. They have me working another 18 so dinner is in the fridge!” His mother announced as she exited from his comic book filled room. As he heard the engine of his mother’s car turn over and begin backing out of his crack-ridden driveway, he stood upright from his loosely sheeted bed. Feeling like a thousand amps of electricity were energizing him inside every drop of blood pumped throughout. Starting to enjoy the feeling Alexander made his way out of his bedroom into the long "I” shaped hallway, to the left leading to where his mom just left and connecting to his right a wide living and kitchen area. Fixated outside Alexander slides the glass door to his backyard patio open and takes a deep exhale, just taking it all in. Within milliseconds of his nose entering the air outside he felt more in tune somehow, picking up scents from what he believed was his neighbors microwave four doors down. Every sense extremely heightened, he fell into a state of hyper-awareness picking up on all the details swarming around him. So much so, he began to feel overwhelmed and had to step inside momentarily. 

“I can control this.. I know I can” Alex thought to himself, fixing his posture to stand more upright. Inhaling and exhaling trying to lower his heart rate and get a grip, he entered back outside and instead of being overwhelmed in chaos, he let the beauty of it all engulf him. Letting it all in, he began to feel as if he could manage when a blaring siren began to invade his senses. Startled for a moment Alex looked around frantically as it set in, that could only be the Asteroid Alarm. As he was marvelling at all the scents and sounds around him he completely missed the streaking fire in the sky starting to barrel towards his home planet. Reality began to set in for Alexander as he realized the absolute mass of this rock picking up speed very fast, if nobody did anything about it fast his home, and many others may be jeopardized. Straining his legs Alex began to attempt jumping as high as he could making what would be considered unseen even in a professional basketball game vertical jumps, but nowhere near achieving what was needed. Determined to not take failure as an answer, he kept hammering at it using the increasing heat to motivate him as the comet made its way ever closer into the atmosphere. Astonished by the progress he was making without really thinking about it he began to gaze down below him during his jumps, and his very human upbringing overtook him and Alexander was slammed with a awful feeling of vertigo spiraling himself down to the ground similar to the comet now just 2 minutes from entering the atmosphere. Taking a rough landing, that would certainly crush the skeleton of any average human Alex picked himself up off the ground brushing dirt from his knees that left indentions in the crust beneath him. Digging his ankles deep into the ground and forming his arms into an arrow shape pointing directly at the blazing streak in the sky he took one deep inhalation while tensing every fiber of his body and with the first slip of air exiting his lungs, in an instant he pushed off feeling the air rush past his body at speeds unimaginable even to a 737 Jet. Determination on what was ahead of him, all rationale had left Alexander's mind and was only trained on saving his home from what was nearly guaranteed destruction. Continuously picking up speed Alexander began breaking through the beginning layers of C.D.-19’s atmosphere and was nearly only a mile away from busting through. Breaking through into an oxygen barren wasteland Alex soon realized he would be on borrowed time and would need to figure a plan out but fate would soon be colliding with him as he was only a mere few miles from facing off with this burning rock.

As Alex grappled into the rock he certainly felt all the force that was being sent towards his planet, but was able to repel enough into it so that he reached a standstill. Pausing for a moment Alexander realized he had arrived at somewhat of a crossroads, yes he had potentially saved his country and those he loved but he knew that if he returned he would only reach the fate of the other Krittano’s even with his well harnessed strengths. Knowing deep down what must be done Alexander positioned himself on the asteroid and began kicking his legs to create a thrust, and off he went into the forever churning space, giving himself back to creation.