Chapter 3: Program Genesis

I woke up to the sound of cheering coming from outside Jorm’s house, I got up and walked towards the door to leave the garage and enter into the house, but before I left I turned around and saw the bloody gauze and medical equipment used by Jorm to fix me up… I don’t know what some could have been used for but I trusted Jorm with my life, and so far I was still alive. As I walked around his two story home I found him upstairs by a window arms crossed watching the ecstatic crowd listening to Mayor Wilde, who had just been appointed 2 weeks ago after winning the votes over a month before.
“What’s he talking about now?” I asked I must have been quiet because Jorm tensed up and released quickly, as if it was a single motion.
“He is talking about how he is the second coming of Jesus.” Jorm replied sarcastically shaking his head.
“People believe in him, maybe that’s all we need to fix the mess mankind has made over the years.” I replied. Jorm shook his head.
“He won’t fix anything, he is just lighting the wick to an inevitable disaster.” Jorm turned to look at me; I saw the seriousness in his face. “You can’t honestly look me in the face and tell me he is in the right for taking criminals who have been sentenced to death, and putting them into chemical trials that could kill them is a good idea.”
“They are monsters Jorm. They’re in the wrong and they have already been sentenced to death. Might as well, apologize to us for their crimes by helping fix this global problem.”
“They are being tortured Michael!” Jorm yelled, I’ve never seen him this upset… but I don’t think he was, he looked more scared then anything.
“Let’s go to his speech.” I suggested, grudgingly Jorm agreed and we suited up, Jorm in his old suit and I in the decoy suit or Michael Mortar. Although Michael Mortar was still me, something felt off when I was in the suit. By the time we made our way as far in as we could to the crowd, Wilde started talking about his program for the tests.
“It is my intention that program Genesis, will successfully treat the chemical J4-C0-13Z, also known as Comoxide, so that we will be able to successfully take off our enhanced suits and bring an end to our confinement. We have been working on this program for just over a week now, as it was my first act as mayor. Questions?” Wilde asked coolly. The reporter hands went up. He pointed to a man wearing a black jacket with the words ‘Canix City Press’ in bright yellow letters.
“Yes Mayor Wilde, I am Vince from Canix City Press. Why treat the air? Wouldn’t it also be more efficient to create a chemical we may inject into ourselves so that we can breathe in the toxin and produce carbon dioxide, where at one point soon plant life will be able to live and fix our ozone?”
“If we were to do this, it would take years, we want the quickest way to clean our air, and this is the most effective and easier to test. What you’re asking us to do is a treatment form of photosynthesis, although the effects may be successful, we have waited 12 years for a day like this to come, we don’t need to wait any longer.” The crowd erupted with cheering yet again. Another reporter from a lesser known newspaper asked a question as well, Jorm was very pleased at the question.
“Mayor Wilde, these men have been sentenced to death, but what you are claiming to be doing is leaving a risk of torturing them, mentally and physically. How do you reply?” the woman was ready to take notes.
“These men are murders, rapists, and variations of the two; they have committed torture on one or more occasion. Do you think the common killer or rapist takes their victims thoughts or feelings into consideration?” the reporter said nothing, he made sense. Yet another reporter from the ‘Canix City Press’ raised their hand.
“Mayor Wilde, what team do you have assembled and working to understand the results of these tests?”
“We have the top 5 doctors and scientists of the country currently working on this program. They have been taking daily recordings on the progress of the criminals, and creating compounds for an antidote. So far we have had only seven deaths, two of which occurring during the first few minutes of the living environment. We are very proud of our progression. Also we have…” before Wilde could finish a maniacal laughter erupting over his voice. Wilde closed his eyes and muttered something; I don’t know what it was. But then he was flung into the crowd along with the stage, banisters, and some unidentified character’s in the background. Then there was smoke all around, this was a nice time to check how my suite was.
“Activation, Go.” I murmured as a button popped out in the palm of the metal glove, I pressed it then the crisp clear viewing screen went orange, straps of metal erupted from my back as it engulfed me turning my suite into a dark grey, I reach behind me to touch my back where the metal had been stashed, revealing a gun. Jorm ran away to his house to communicate with me via wireless two way communicational means. I started to run, remembering how much faster my running was since the tests at Jacob’s head quarters. I leapt about 13 feet and landed on the point of impact. There I heard the laughing again.
“Hey superhero. By the looks of your jumping I can not only tell who you are but that you’re still not used to the…how do you refer to them? Upgrades? He, ha.” The smoke cleared and I saw a firmly built suit of armor where the man’s face was reveled without any head gear on.
“Stinley!” I yelled
“Ohhh Mikey boy, how’ve you been? Sore from the injections? Like my suite? Have you met a new girl yet or are you still in the morning period of the whole my girlfriend died thing from yesterday. Ha, ha.” He laughed
“I’ll kill you like you killed her.” I said as I tightened my fist.
“Aww poor Mikey can’t use his own lines. Common kid, get me.” I ran at him at top speed, but he easily jumped 4 feet above me with a flick of his ankles. He then came down upon me and pinned me to the ground like a snowboard.
“Aww, do try a bit harder. I may look like an old man but I am stronger then you think.” He chuckled as he grabbed my helmet with one hand; I felt a magnetic attraction erupting from his hand. Then he bent down, after stepping off me, and did a full body throw, where I then flew miles through the air. Crashing into a wall and destroying the wall and rolling and flipping around the room after coming to a stop at the back wall. I got up, almost stumbling and set the targeting program to active. Then I heard Jorm’s voice.
“Michael, you’re taking too much damage, I don’t know if you can continue.”
“I have to, he won’t let me leave.”
“Well let me think.” I made my way to the hole in the wall where I had been thrown through, I looked to the right of me, seeing a mother holding her children in her arms, and their skin was torn and burnt. They looked dehydrated. I looked at Stinley slowly making his way towards me I bent down, ready to jump.
“Jorm! Any help would be nice.” I chanted from my end hoping for a response.
“Ok, ok. The abdomen of the suit looks the weakest, if you hit him with a blow from your energy blast it should leave him weak enough to kill him, or to bring down more of his defenses. “
“Okay thanks for the help bye.” I said as quickly as I could as I released and jumped. I flew through the air, Stinley saw me, I heard his laugh as he jumped ready to catch me in mid air. He jumped; I started to load up the beam. When in mid air Stinley grabbed hold of my shoulders.
“Gotcha kiddy. Next stop the lab, let’s see what else we can do to you. We started to plummet towards the earth. It was finished loading; I unleashed the energy which surged through my left arm. The power sent both me and Stinley flying through the air, me straight down, even faster, and Stinley flying towards the roof of the building. We both made collision at the same time, only difference was I got up first and ran to the building.
“Activate 0% gravity.” My boots gained an almost suction-like feature when each foot connected to the ground. I jumped landing on the side of the building running up it and jumped as Stinley got to the edge of the building. Once again I struck him in the abdomen of his suit, this time with my fist. He fell backwards, rolled over spat out blood, then got up and grabbed my neck.
“You just love flying don’t you?” He then ran towards the edge of the building and jumped in the direction of the Lake Shoron, the deepest lake in the world. I figured what he was going to do to me, I tried getting myself into a good position to move one arm to grab my gun, and a few shots in the face should bring him down. No good by this point we had traveled approximately eight miles, he was able to jump so much farther than me. We started to head towards the ground again, he moved me down to his feet, my chance. I grabbed my gun and shot him in the fact twice, he seemed to lose his grip as his head flew backwards and blood splattered the air. But his he gained his grip back and brought his head forward to look at me, it was healing already. The wounds where the bullets had taken impact where already healed and the bullets were in his skin… it was a part of him now. He landed and it felt like I had broken everything in my body. I couldn’t move. He grabbed the top of my helmet again and dragged me towards the lake. We had finally gotten to the lake when he dropped me from the bridge over the lake. I plummeted towards the water, not fully realizing why I felt like I was burning, I collided with the water and drifted down to the bottom, I looked at my torso, holes all in it. I felt the cold water going through my suit and over my body.
“Jor...m. Lake Shoron.” I wanted to too give more information but the water had already reached my mouth, I couldn’t see anything anymore. That’s when I blacked out… I don’t know if I died... again. All I know is that I passed out. I heard noises after that, nothing at first, then a splash and the sound of a motor getting closer and closer.
Jorm? I thought to myself. No. It was too fast. I felt the sun eventually while still hearing unnatural noises all around me. Then an engine… I was in a car? I started to gain feeling in my body again. Then I looked around, I could make things out again. I was picked up again, I looked at myself…this wasn’t my suite…what had happened? It feels like I passed out minutes ago. Suddenly I was thrown towards the ground and I was on my hands and knees I looked up at the head gear to someone, but the sun was in the way.
“We got a call he was the resource that Stinley knew where we were and got around our security sir.”
“Good. This makes him an accomplice to murder.” I saw who it was, Mayor Wilde! He knelt down and looked at my visor. “Welcome to Program Genesis,” then he put his speaker next to my input system, his voice changed into a voice I knew all too well. “Michael… I don’t know what’s funnier, that you thought you were safe or that you thought you killed me.” Jacobs wasn’t dead, but me on the other hand? I have no idea.