Genesis | Book One, The Genesis Series

SIXTEEN

"They wouldn't." Director Callan replied, standing up. "But I'll figure out the rest of that. I have to admit, even though you disobeyed orders, you did prevent unauthorized equipment from falling into enemy hands. You also fared well against Elias' agents. I'm very grateful for your assistance."

"Wait, so are you saying what I think you're saying?" Dylo asked, a smile slowly engulfing his face.

The director sighed reluctantly as he smirked at the freckled teen. "Ugh. Yes, Dylo. With the appropriate amount of training, the seven of you will be able to assist Genesis on the battlefield."

"Yes!" Dylo exclaimed as the director exited The Cortex, smirking.

Chuckles and smiles blared around the room. Even Troy smirked, and he could've sworn that he saw Bianca do the same. Kai stood up, a stern expression plastered onto his face as he jammed his hands into his pockets.

"Come on. If we want to beat Ajax and the rest of Primus, we're gonna need to get up to their level." He commanded, turning on his heel as he began to exit The Cortex, but Agent Owens walked in, grabbing his arm.

"What are you doing?" Kai asked, arching an eyebrow at the highly trained Genesis agent.

"You said you want to become just as strong as Ajax." Owens said, sternly gazing at the young superhuman. "I think I have something that can help with that."

#

A few minutes later, Kai and the others found themselves walking through a dimly lit hallway. The walls were glowing white, like everywhere else in the facility. Adam wondered where the man was taking them.

Owens strolled ahead of the team, ceasing motion only a few inches away from a large set of double doors. Putting his hand on the scanner on the wall, he felt the buzzing vibrations as the database registered his ID.

"What's this supposed to be?" asked Kai as Owens opened the door, revealing a spacious, metallic interior. Firearms, explosives, and melee weapons littered the red, carpeted walls, like bees on a beehive.

"We call it the War Room, just a fancy name for a weapons vault." Owens answered, walking into the War Room. "I was thinking that having some type of weapon on you would increase your chances of victory, and make you more confident on the battlefield. Plus, you could definitely use a few upgrades to your arsenal."

Kai had to admit, confidence is what he needed most at the moment, so he was all for it. He slowly scanned the walls, searching for a weapon that would suit him. He already knew that it wasn't going to be a firearm, because after seeing all of those bullet holes during the mission, he just wasn't feeling them.

Besides, he'd never been a fan of ranged combat. He preferred to attack his enemies head on.

He needed something that would put fear into Ajax and his agents, in the same way they had once put fear into him. Something that would remind them who they were really dealing with.

There, in the corner of the metallic, reflective room, lay a silver, glistening sword. The hilt was black, with a dark red pattern of lines streaming down it, positioned right under the black guard.

After staring at it for what felt like centuries, he walked over to it, studying it. It was presumably comprised of Chromanium, as Kai was so used to seeing it at that point, that he could identify it almost anywhere.

The young superhuman firmly grasped the hilt of the weapon, waving the ferocious blade around to see how it felt, even though he'd already made up his mind at that point. It felt like an ideal weapon for a hero, a guardian.

It was well-balanced, and lightweight. And that was saying something, since nearly everything was light to him now.

"Perfect." Kai declared to himself as he smirked at his reflection in the sword, not knowing that everyone else was staring at him in agreement. Even Troy had to agree.

Adam didn't know if he believed in God or any sort of higher power, but the way Kai held that sword just looked so perfect, almost as if he were meant to be holding it. Like it was destiny.

"It fits you." Amber admired, giving Kai a warm smile while doing so. "It really fits you."

"Thanks." the boy replied, grinning back as he grabbed the sheath off the wall to go along with his weapon of choice. He felt many times more confident merely holding the glistening blade. It just felt so right. It wasn't just a weapon to him, it was now an extension of his arm.

He didn't think fear or confidence would be an issue anymore. Now that his own mental barriers had been shattered, he could now devote 100% of his attention to defeating Primus.

Unlike her battle-ready leader, Bianca hadn't known what weapon she preferred beforehand. A sword wouldn't really help, as she didn't have the patience to learn how to use it. A firearm wouldn't be of much use to her either.

However, a shield would serve her well in close combat, as it meshed well with her power set. She was all about defense, and wasn't very fond of being on the attack. But if she had to, she always had her energy orbs.

"Owens, you got anything in the defense category?" She inquired, not a fan of fighting on the offensive side of things.

"Actually, you're in luck. We do." The man answered, walking over to the wall and grabbing a black wristband-like device off one of the hangers.

"Here you go." Owens handed it to her as he smirked, knowing she'd surely be puzzled.

The man was right.

"So...what is this thing supposed to do?" The girl asked, a confused expression slowly overtaking her face.

"Well, I like to call it a bio-shield." Owens began, "Clench your fist and see what happens."

As she closed her fist, a circular construct appeared before her, swiftly sprouting up from the miniature, glowing light in the little of the wristband. She carefully examined the blue, glowing disc, rotating her arm as she smiled to herself.

"I could get behind this." She said to herself, smirking.

"And, if you're not a fan of that color, flick your wrist." Owens instructed, noticing that Bianca was dissatisfied about the blue color of the shield not matching the seams of her suit, which were purple.

The girl flicked her wrist in rapid succession until she landed on the color she wanted. She already approved of this weapon.

One thing she'd noticed about it was that it was essentially weightless, meaning that she could rely on her own speed in combat, instead of having some heavy shield slowing her down.

The girl loosened her fist as she watched the protective disc vanish before her eyes, wondering how she'd fare in combat with her new gear.

"Now I suggest that all of you get some sleep." Agent Owens began. "Training starts at 5 in the morning."