The Genetic Experiment: Book 2 in The Generation Series

by E S Richards

  Cain was unable to listen to anything they said after that, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. He slid down the mountain a few feet, planting his feet on the sandy ground beneath him and then sank to the floor in darkness.

  Could Zahyra really be a Zero? Her Gen 1 mutation had been a simple one and one that couldn’t really be proved, but she’d had the branding on her right arm. It was almost impossible to be given a false branding and the consequences for it were dire.

  Cain thought back to her reaction when Asher had been declared a Zero. She had been devastated, yes. But was it a devastation caused from knowing what life was like as a Zero or just because it was her little brother. There was no easy way for Cain to know what was true, but if she was indeed a Zero why hadn’t she told him? He’d shared things about himself and his past that he’d never mentioned to anyone before. He had trusted her completely and unquestioningly. She couldn’t have been lying to him the whole time… could she?

  The question tore Cain apart inside as he remembered everything that had happened between them over the last two weeks. If she had lied about her generation number then what else had she lied about. He breathed heavily as he tried to give some reason to the situation, anything that would stop him from suddenly feeling so rotten.

  Pushing his questions about Zahyra to one side for a moment, Cain considered what else the two guards had said. Something about weaponizing… something. Whatever that was it didn’t sound good and whether Zahyra was a Zero or not Cain didn’t want her trapped inside the safe haven when they were preparing a weapon.

  And then the last thing the man had said: she’ll probably die. The words cut through Cain’s heart like a knife. There was no way he was going to let that happen. It would happen to Asher too surely, as he was definitely a Zero.

  Cain wondered for a moment whether the guards had gotten the two of them mixed up, whether they had meant to refer to Asher during their conversation rather than Zahyra. Then in an instant Cain realised it didn’t matter. Bad things were going to happen inside the safe haven and the two people he probably cared about most in the world were stuck inside. Zero’s or not he had to get them out – but how?

  Slowly an idea began to creep through Cain’s mind. It was formulated entirely on rumours he had heard in his youth but it was worth a chance. In fact it was his only chance. With a deep breath Cain pushed himself up from the mountain and continued his walk. His destination changed slightly as he set out in search of the more developed groups of mutants that littered the nearby forests.

  As Cain walked he couldn’t help but replay the conversation he’d overheard in his head. Very little of it made sense to him but what bothered him most was the truth about Zahyra. He just didn’t understand why she would have kept her true generation number a secret from him – if what the two guards had been saying was correct. He knew it didn’t really matter to him; it was just more of a disappointment that she hadn’t been able to fully trust him. If and when he saw her again he was certain things would become clear and if she was a Zero she would have a good reason for not telling him. There would be no ‘if’ about it Cain decided, he would see her again.

  His path soon changed from the mountainous region to a familiar forest. He hated that he had to go back there but knew it was his only option of returning to the safe haven. Before he had met Zahyra an older mutant, a Gen 4 just like him, had approached him. Apparently there was a trade deal that one mutant party had with the safe haven: providing them with resources they needed from the outside world in return for weapons, vehicles and whatever else the mutant parties needed.

  It had sounded ridiculous to Cain at the time, disbelieving that the safe haven would willingly trade with a party of advanced mutants but now he hoped the old mutant had been telling the truth. He had every reason to believe he had been. Cain had been approached in the first place because the old mutant thought he would be a worthy replacement for himself, his age stopping him from being as useful to the party as he would’ve liked.

  Cain had walked away from the mutant before hearing the explanation. The idea of working with a party of advanced mutants being the last thing he wanted to do. He had seen the terror and pain those parties caused the less developed mutants and although Cain was naturally a Gen 4, he had always sympathised with the lower ranked mutants. Knowing that no one got to choose what they became and understanding that there were many who were unhappy with what they turned out to be.

  His only problem now was finding the correct party: the one who had the trade deal with the safe haven. If he tried to infiltrate the wrong one that could end badly, leaving him caught up in a mutant group that had no way of benefitting him.

  There were three that had set up base in the forest Cain was aiming for. He figured it had to be one of them, to allow for close proximity with the safe haven. He walked through the forest towards them for as long as possible, until the shroud of darkness made it impossible for him to find a path. Exhausted, he climbed up a tree to save him from being on the forest floor all night and quickly gave out to unconsciousness.

  He slept terribly. His dreams tormented with images of Zahyra and Asher, imagining dreadful things that were happening to them inside the safe haven. When a gust of wind awoke him the next morning he was keen to continue his search for the mutants, knowing that the sooner he found them, the sooner he could rescue his companions. After a quick meal, he was back on his way.

  The first mutant party Cain came across was only an hour’s walk from where he’d spent the night. He heard them before he could see them, loud and angry shouts echoing through the trees towards him. Then he smelt the fire and the scent of cooking meat floated into his nostrils, making his mouth water. It didn’t take long to find the camp after that, following the sounds and the smells until he saw the smoke from the fire amongst the trees.

  He watched the camp for the rest of the day, trying to determine whether they were the ones responsible for trading with the safe haven. There were about twenty mutants in the area, mostly men but about four or five women as well. The boundaries of the camp weren’t really defined at all, and instead of buildings they simply had makeshift tents scattered around at random.

  Throughout the day nothing of note really happened. There were a couple of fights that broke out within the camp between the males. Over nothing of importance, but the more developed mutants sprung at any opportunity to fight one another, each boasting some dangerous genetic mutation.

  It quickly became apparent to Cain that this was little more than a camp. A place where more developed mutants lived together, but didn’t achieve anything of note. As the afternoon hours of sunlight finally began to give way Cain moved away from the gathering and deeper into the forest. He changed his trajectory from the day before and walked across the forest. He didn’t think the mutants would set up base much deeper in than he was, so it was only a matter of time before he reached the right group.

  He saw it just as darkness was beginning to fall and immediately Cain knew this was the mutant party the safe haven was trading with. Even in the dim lighting their base was advanced, with two SUVs parked to one side of it. There were also three buildings, all fairly ramshackle but buildings nonetheless. If any group of advanced mutants was clever enough to set up trade with the safe haven, Cain was certain this would be the one.

  He climbed a tree and spent the night in relative safety again, knowing that if he wanted to infiltrate the party moving in at nighttime wouldn’t be the most practical move.

  The next morning he watched them. There was definite order within the base: one mutant stood out as the leader and another was clearly his second in command. Cain paid the most attention to these two, seeing how they interacted with the other mutants, whether it was a dictatorship or if it functioned as more of a democracy. There were elements of both. The one in charge was definitely in charge, but in a way that he was respected by the other members of his party, his rules accepted and followed without argument.
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br />   As midday dusk came and went above him Cain caught some food and headed down into the base.

  His reception was less than welcoming. Two mutants grabbed him from behind as shouts erupted around the base and he was forced down onto his knees. His bag was taken from him and searched, as were the pockets of his cargo pants and leather jacket. Once he had been cleared the second in command – the mutant he would later learn went by the name of Mace – stepped forward and began questioning him.

  He was questioned in the middle of the base, in full view of everyone who resided there. By the second question Cain had located where the commander stood and kept him in his eye line throughout the remaining questions. He reasoned with them, explaining that he had been wandering around on his own for some time but now wanted to join a party. That he was strong, a Gen 4 who was willing to fight and follow orders. He spoke only to Mace and the commander with his answers, ignoring the jeers and shouts from the other mutants within the base.

  Eventually he was lifted to his feet and shown towards the office where he was questioned again by Mace and the commander.

  “You’re in luck,” the commander had said to him eventually. “We have a mission scheduled for tomorrow. Prove to me your worth and I’ll consider letting you join us. But be warned, even if you win me over, the rest of my party might not be so lenient.”

  That night Cain slept in the forest once again, erring on the side of caution with the other mutants in the camp due to the commander’s words. He held out all hope for the mission tomorrow, knowing it would be make or break for him. In the morning when he discovered they were going to ambush a safe haven trade Cain knew he had made the right decision.

  Chapter 18

  Living in the mutant base was more difficult than Cain had anticipated. He had never spent any length of time surrounded by advanced mutants like himself – although the truth was that they weren’t anything like him. The constant aggression that was thrown around the base like scraps of food scratched at his consciousness, forcing him to struggle with keeping his mutation from breaking free.

  He knew he had to engage the other mutants in conversation from the start. He had to try and make them see him as one of their equals and accept him into their home. From the minute he left his new bed he could already sense that most of them were uncomfortable with his arrival.

  He understood why: ultimately he had just turned up, joined in with their ambush and been accepted immediately by the commander. Cain didn’t know how anyone else had come to join the base, but from the way the mutants looked at him he suspected no one had had it quite as easy as him.

  The commander was a fleeting presence in the centre of life on the base. It was clear all the mutants respected him, maybe even feared him, for when he ventured from his office the mood changed into a more sombre state. Cain wondered what mutation the commander carried, and indeed what his generation ranking was – his branding hidden under the long sleeves of his jacket.

  Mace had a similar effect, but on a much more casual level. Cain didn’t think anyone was actually afraid of Mace, despite his body rippling with muscles and the permanent frown he wore on his face. Many of the mutants joked with him, some even squaring up to him when he barked the occasional order. There were two mutants that Cain noticed were slightly quieter than the rest of the bunch – the two who had stayed behind to watch the base during the ambush.

  After he had eaten Cain approached these two. Sitting down on a broken log a few feet away from them. At first he just sipped from his mug, watching them out of the side of his eye and attempting to listen to their conversation. He found it interesting that when the rest of the mutants had risen to exercise or fight one another after eating those two remained by themselves, slightly isolated from the rest of the base.

  “I’m Cain,” he eventually said gruffly as he moved over to the log where the two mutants sat. “I’m new.”

  They both looked up at Cain as he introduced himself, then back to one another. A moment of awkward silence passed where Cain thought he had made a mistake. Perhaps there was more of a reason why these two kept to themselves; perhaps they were more dangerous than the rest of the base put together.

  “Hunter,” the older of them said eventually without lifting his head to look at Cain. Cain waited, wondering if the second mutant would introduce himself. Silence met his internal question. A wave of uneasiness tore through his body as he struggled to decide whether to stay or leave. Knowing he had to make some allies within the camp, he persisted.

  “How long have you been at the base?”

  There was another pause before Hunter finally spoke up.

  “A year,” he said finally looking at Cain, “for the both of us.”

  Cain assessed the two mutants quietly. It was difficult to tell their ages from their appearance, both built like huge brick walls. Hunter was definitely older than the other though, by some considerable mile – maybe ten or fifteen years. In fact as Cain analysed him more closely he realised Hunter was one of the oldest mutants in the camp, while his companion was one of the youngest. He thought the pairing odd and questioned why they were sitting alone together, when the second mutant finally spoke up.

  “How did you get in so easily?”

  The question took Cain slightly by surprise. Seeing the mutant looking at him inquisitively Cain guessed he couldn’t be much older than he was. In fact he looked more similar in age to Zahyra, someone who should have only just left his family. A part of Cain hurt when he thought of Zahyra again, quickly putting her to the back of his mind.

  “I guess the commander saw something in me,” Cain replied slowly, choosing his words very carefully. “I’ve wanted to join a base like this for a while,” he lied, “this one is clearly the most superior out of those I’ve seen.”

  “It is,” the mutant boy replied quickly. “You’re lucky.”

  Another silence spanned out between the three of them after that statement. In some ways Cain supposed he was lucky. If he hadn’t been able to infiltrate the mutant base he would’ve been stuck without a way back into the safe haven. Even now he was here he realised it could be many weeks before the base made contact with the safe haven again, especially following the events of their ambush.

  “Why did you two join?” Cain asked eventually, refusing to give up on the forced conversation with the two mutants.

  The younger one looked to Hunter apprehensively, shaking his head slightly before returning his gaze to the ground. Hunter paused a moment longer before speaking, exchanging a glance with his young companion.

  “I was part of this base when I was younger.” Like Cain Hunter chose his words carefully. “I left for a period of time before returning with young Atom here.”

  Cain saw the boy’s face scrunch up at the mention of his name but then moved his focus back to Hunter, eager to hear his story.

  “This base is my home,” Hunter continued. “Now it is our home. Where else can advanced mutants like us find the structure to do as they please, but also be protected by a web of brothers? I’m not surprised you wanted to join us. The commander is a legend amongst our kind.”

  There was true admiration in Hunter’s voice as he spoke about the base and the commander. From the look on Atom’s face he didn’t completely agree with everything Hunter said, but kept quiet nonetheless. Cain found the pairing increasingly odd as conversation progressed between them. In any other environment he wouldn’t regard the two of being natural companions, so why were they in the base? Atom appeared to answer to Hunter in some way, perhaps only because of his age, perhaps there was a greater reason, Cain couldn’t be sure.

  As he continued to speak with Hunter however he did become certain that he had approached the right mutant. There was wisdom and pride in his voice and he held himself in a confident manner. When the two retired to bed Cain watched them leave; Atom walking slightly behind Hunter rather than beside him. He waited another ten minutes after the two mutants had left before following th
em inside, his body willing him to sleep in a proper bed for the first time in what felt like months.

  As Cain lay in his bed however, sleep danced cruelly just out of his reach. His thoughts were tormented with images of Zahyra and Asher as he wondered what was happening to them at that very moment. He hated that he didn’t know whether they were safe or not; or even worse whether they were being experimented on simply for what they were.

  The fact Cain was now uncertain about their generation numbers pained him. If Zahyra had just been honest with him from the start then he would have been able to protect her better, he knew it. Although ultimately it didn’t matter to him whether she was a Zero or a Gen 1, he knew it would matter greatly to the people inside the safe haven. And with Asher being a Zero too that would put both of them in immeasurable danger. As even without knowing why the safe haven wanted Zero’s so much something was telling Cain it wasn’t for a good reason. Advanced mutants sought to kill them so somewhere as developed as the safe haven had to have some kind of ulterior motive too. As sleep finally claimed his body Zahyra’s name was on his lips and her face was fully occupying his mind.

  The next morning Cain decided he had to find a way to push the commander into meeting with the safe haven again soon. Following the ambush he knew the safe haven would be wary about it, but if the commander was correct about their overpowering desire to find Zero’s he hoped they wouldn’t stay away for long.

  “What’s the plan for today?” Cain asked Mace as he saw him refilling his mug from the small stream that ran through the base.

  “There’s a couple of hunting parties going out in an hour,” the second in command replied, “you can come along if you want.”

  “What’re we hunting?” There was an eagerness in Cain’s voice as he asked the question. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to hear in reply. Hunting for food would be easier on him, but to attain his goal he knew the mutant party would have to go hunting for something else.