Genesis | Book One, The Genesis Series

EIGHT

Dylo wasn't exactly sure what he'd woken up to.

The white, shimmering lights above momentarily blinded him as his line of vision staggered into focus. A legion of faint, muffled voices surfaced from all sides, but Dylo couldn't manage to pinpoint their locations. A vibrant layer of sweat cascaded from his ruffled, dirty mop of blond hair and down onto his freckled face. Impatiently, he waited for the consciousness to lethargically weave itself back into his body.

Slowly but surely, the numbness retreated from his limp muscles as his nerves began to wake up. His muddled mind followed in their footsteps, the harrowing memories cementing themselves into his fragmented psyche. The rate of his breaths quickened as he began to remember everything.

The Genodium explosion. The soldiers. Lance Porter.

Ajax.

His rapidly-beating heart now felt as if it would soon burst through his chest and onto his stomach. As he attempted to rub his sore temple, he was greatly displeased to find that his range of motion was inhibited. His bolstering blue eyes very nearly popped out of their sockets as they anchored themselves onto the thick, black leather straps restraining his limbs. They coiled around his arms and legs, preventing him from getting off of the hospital bed he was currently laying on.

At light speed, he cut his eyes over to the bearded man sporting a white lab coat.

"Where am I?" the boy asked rapidly, his words emerging from his lips so fast that it would be a miracle if the man could understand him. "Who the hell are you people?"

"This one's pretty jumpy. We might need to sedate him again." said a woman clutching a needle in one hand and a thin, small rectangular object in the other as she inches towards him. As she swiped a finger across the silver object, it expanded into a holographic, semi-transparent clipboard, emitting a low, mesmerizing hum. It looked like something out of a sci-fi movie.

"Sedate?!" Dylo shrieked as his eyes got even wider as he shook his head in protest. "Yeah, no. I don't know what that word means, but I don't like it."

The man closest to the hospital bed swiftly turned to him, putting his hands up non-threateningly. A scraggly, gray beard clung to his bony jawline as his silver, faded irises met those of the blond. "Dylo, just calm down. You're safe now-"

"Really? Because I don't feel safe. What hospital is this? Am I still in Colorado?" Dylo nervously spat out, narrowing his eyes at the man. The beeping heart rate monitor to the right of his bed only seemed to add on to his stress.

"Yes, Dylo, you're still in Colorado." the man chuckled, scratching his gruff beard. "I'm Elliott, by the way. Elliott Matthews. You can call me Dr. Matthews, Doc, or whatever you prefer to call me, really. Furthermore, this isn't a hospital, it's The Hall. Genesis Industries' central headquarters."

"Genesis?" Dylo snorted. "What, like the museum?"

"Well, not exactly." Matthews replied. "Think of the whole biotechnology thing as an outer layer. The tip of the iceberg, if you will. Underneath that iceberg is a global peacekeeping organization partnered with the United States government. We specialize in exterminating global threats that normal branches of the military can't handle, like the band of mercenaries responsible for abducting you and your friends."

Billions of thoughts plagued Dylo's overactive brain. The gears shifted inside his muddled mind as he struggled to make sense of it all. Before he could solve the puzzle fueling his train of thought, the gray door to the room was flung open. A stoic-looking man clad in a navy-blue business suit sauntered through the doorway, adjusting his charcoal-black tie as he made his way over to Dylo's bed. A cluster of neatened, dark stubble clung to his face.