by M A Scrawl
"Math Superpowers?"
Katy shrugged. "I couldn't think of a good exclamation.” She thought for a moment. "Ooh! What about freakin! I should've said that" she cleared her throat. "I wanna have freakin superpowers!" She paused again. "Is freakin a word?"
Kadir laughed. "Let's get you some freaking math superpowers!"
-Chapter 18-
-Planning-
Kadir and Katy surprised Quentin when he finished the testing. Katy, in her rebellious spirit, tried to resist taking the test. Kirby voiced her protests, and Kadir finally got Katy to do the test. He didn’t want anybody to be against them right now.
Kadir showed Quentin his powers, and Quentin was astonished.
"I-I have something like that too." He said, putting his metal hand to his temple. "Its kinda hard to work out, but I've been learning."
"What do you mean?"
Quentin frowned. "It's difficult to explain. I see a screen suspended in my vision if I turn it on. It's kind like flexing your brain, or a switch flipping in your mind." He looked around the room. "Wherever I look, there's a screen there. I see my blood pressure, heart rate, and..other stuff.
"There are a few programs in my brain that I can click by focusing." He squinted at the air, then stopped, still staring at the wall. "There's the body monitor, a wifi monitor, and also," he blushed. "A calculator."
Kadir raised his eyebrows. "That's how you know Math." Quentin nodded.
Kadir leaned backward, putting his back against the wall. "Can you make new programs?" Quentin nodded hesitantly.
"It's a long process, and I need to figure out the coding language. It's REALLY complicated."
Kadir nodded. He thought for a moment. "When do you think you can make a new program?" Quentin shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "It's not self-explanatory, and it's difficult flexing my brain like this."
The door to the bathroom slammed open, and Katy ran in. She looked at Quentin and Kadir with an expectant look.
“What?” asked Kadir.
“So when do I get super math superpowers?”
Quentin's eyes widened. “How did you know?”
Katy smirked and skipped across the floor, leaning against the wall. She shrugged. “I listened at the door, with malice intent.”
“That's kind of rude,” Quentin added.
Katy shrugged again. “I gotta do, what I gotta do.”
“How does that even make sense?” Quentin argued.
“Why does anything have to make sense?” she retorted. “For instance, bananas never grow legs,” she spun and pointed straight at Quentin. “But they DO have wings.”
“What?” Quentin burst, arms gesturing helplessly.
Katy grinned wickedly. “Exactly!”
The tests were done for the day, and they spent most of the day in the Bathroom, explaining what they could do and trying to figure out if Katy had any powers. They were in the Bathroom only because they assumed that there were no cameras in there for Kirby or Withers to see what they were doing. If there were, however, then they had a serious problem with public privacy.
-----
Kirby cocked her head at the screen in front of her. She did not have any cameras in the bathroom, American law went against that sort of thing. There were speakers and microphones in there, but apparently they were whispering, as she couldn’t hear a thing. The three children had stayed in the bathroom for over fifteen minutes. What were they doing in there?
Kirby reasoned they were planning, talking maybe of how they could escape? Obviously the clones hated it their cell, especially Katy. But it was also possible that they were just talking or getting to know each other.
Whatever the reason, she wouldn’t figure out what they were doing anytime soon. She had a guard keep an eye on the screen as she walked off, rubbing her temple where a headache was starting to coalesce. Maybe she should go easier on herself.
Her mind wandered as she walked down the halls, and she got a rare moment to think. Mr. Withers, She thought. He took my promised position without a moment's notice. As soon as Sahara had no control and retired, I was supposed to get the job. I've been working towards this for years!
These thoughts had made her bitter toward Mr. Withers., a job she had wanted and worked hard for years he'd been given by the government. She ground her teeth as she walked, thinking still-bitter thoughts towards Withers. She could and would work with him, yes, but that didn't mean she really wanted to.
She finally made it to the Control Deck, stopping to pull out a pill and pop it in her mouth, a pain reliever for her head. Drinking a glass of water from a nearby sink, she approached Withers, sitting in the Overseers’ chair. She'd definitely noticed a difference when he had first come here. He didn't seem as bored of the stars than Sahara did, and he followed protocol more tightly.
She wondered how Sahara was doing. She hadn't heard from him in for a long time. Maybe he was on a sunny beach, enjoying his golden years. She smiled, thinking of how indignant he'd be at being taken care of by somebody else. Her smile faded as she thought of the last time she had seen him. He had given no indication that he was leaving, nor that she would be replaced. He left without even saying goodbye.
Kirby looked at Withers. Calm, never angry, showing no stress… exactly like Sahara, but with more energy. Kirby sighed. Sahara had been like a father to her for years, and now he was gone.
-Chapter 19-
-Escape?-
Kadir Katy and Quentin were still bored. They talked of escape and how their powers could maybe help them but they knew it was no use. Quentin was very quiet this day, not talking much. They still had the tests, but spent most of their time away from the cameras, at least they hoped they did.
Katy had yet to show any powers, and although she acted cheerful, Kadir knew she was disappointed. They still had no idea how they even got the powers, and there was still the part about not remembering anything, as well as the useless tests.
Katy continued to get more and more nervous as time went on, not wanting, for some reason, to sleep in the bunks, but sleep on the floor. Katy was obviously disappointed, but she acted cheerful in her own strange joking language. She continued to make up new words consistently.
Quentin sat quietly on the bathroom floor, staring at the ceiling, unblinking. He kept on staring like that, trying to figure out whatever screen was in his mind. Silence came over the two of them waiting for Katy to finish the test in the other room. They waited, and waited, and waited even more.
Katy always seemed to take a little longer taking the test then Quentin and Kadir. Maybe she was talking to Kirby for some reason? Whatever the reason, it sure was taking her a while. Kadir sighed audibly. "I do wish we knew more..."
Quentin raised his head, coming out of his daze. "What do you mean?" Quentin questioned.
Kadir raised his hands, gesturing to show Quentin where exactly they were.
"Oh." Quentin laid back down again.
"Do you get the feeling that we're being lied to for no apparent reason?" Kadir asked. Quentin nodded blankly.
"Something is going on here, something we don't understand." Kadir said, frustrated.
Quentin nodded slowly, going back into the staring, unblinking trance he was in earlier. Kadir groaned, staring up at the ceiling along with Quentin.
A few minutes passed.
“Uh, Kadir?” Quentin exclaimed.
Kadir perked up. "What is it?"
Quentin looked at him, an expression of amazement on his face. "I cracked the code. It all makes sense now." He smiled, excited. "I think I can get us out of here!"
-----
Kadir could barely contain his excitement as Katy finished her test and came back in to this room. He explained everything to Katy, about what he thought he could do.
“Okay,” Katy began, “What is it you’re so excited about?”
Quentin explained. “I found another program!”
“Found?” Katy questioned. “You found a program...in y
our brain?”
“When you say it like that it sounds really stupid, but it's more complicated than that.”
Quentin paused, searching for the correct word. He brightened, finding it. “A hacking program is what it is.” He grimaced, looking into space. "It's really complicated with a lot of code, but I think I can open some stuff. Their firewall seems to have a hole in it.”
“They have a fire-wall?” Katy gaped.
Quentin groaned, exasperated. “Not like that, something else that's supposed to prevent hacking. Their firewall seems to have a hole in it though, maybe something somebody else left for us.”
Quentin focused at the ceiling, squinting to see things that weren't there.
He turned his head sharply at the glass door, and it slowly slid open. Kadir and Katy turned as well, staring at the gaping hole where they could find freedom. "Let’s go?" Kadir asked, baffled at the simplicity of the escape.
"We go!" Katy yelped, running as fast as she could, leaping through the opening and bolting to the side. Her whooping could be heard down a hall.
Quentin and Kadir looked at eachother, shrugged, then followed her.
Kadir sped down the halls, noting the grey walls and lights. He saw Katy staring out a window with wide eyes ahead.
"Guys," she said, nervously, as well as amazed. Quentin and Kadir caught up and followed her gaze. Kadir stumbled back, startled at what he saw.
"Holy wombats in a cheese vat," she said, and Kadir nodded in agreement. "We're in space."
Stars glowed with clear brightness, and The Earth billowed below, huge hurricanes the size of his fingernail. Kadir felt like his heart was ripped away from him. Escaping the cell felt like he was finally free, but now it appeared as though he was in a larger prison cell. He had been under the illusion that they would escape indefinitely with the cell opening. He had to admit though, he wasn’t expecting this.
Kadir tore his eyes from the amazing view as he heard blaring behind him. Red light was going on and off as a voice came over some speakers. "Alert! Alert!" the voice said, and each of the children winced. "Escapees from Detainment Cell 1! Alert! Alert!"
All three looked at eachother and bolted down the hall, away from the cell they had been in. Quentin was fast, VERY fast, and he kept on going forward, then slowing down, waiting for them.
"Crud-muffins!" Katy said, and smirked. She actually seemed to be enjoying this! "We're horrible criminals, dangerous despite our short stature!" She whooped down the hall.
They passed a door where a man was coming out, wearing a suit. He yelled in surprise, but quickly jumped out, reaching for Katy.
She yelped, jumping backward out of his reach. Then, to the mans surprise, as well as to Kadirs and Quentins, she disappeared in a red flash, a red afterimage of light outlining where her body was.
What the-
Katy burst into existence, eyes wide in surprise, and she tripped right next to Kadir. She jumped up, leaving a surprised man behind her.
"That was AWESOME!!"
She shrieked and bolted down the hall, turning into a dark room. Kadir and Quentin followed her, and found themselves in a wide open room, the lights turning on as they entered. Katy was nowhere to be seen. "Where-"
He heard a giggling as Katy moved behind a pile of crates in the corner. Kadir smiled and ran over to her, where she was perfectly hidden behind it. She grinned, showing her teeth and pushed away her dark hair from her face.
"I do wish I had shorter hair," she stated, rather randomly. "It is so terribly inconvenient."
Kadir and Quentin found a place behind the pile of crates and hid. The lights, sensing no movement in the room, suddenly turned off. Quentin, next to Kadir whimpered for some reason, and Katy shuffled, uncomfortable behind a crate.
"You okay Quentin?" Kadir asked, and he nodded reluctantly in the darkness.
"I...I.." he answered, voice obviously shaky. Katy didn't seem too good either, Kadir could feel her muscles tense just right next to her. She wanted to run out and bolt. She seemed so sure when she chose this spot. Why was she reacting now?
The door to the beginning of the room suddenly burst open, and the lights clicked on. Quentin relaxed and sighed in relief, but Kadir tensed as men poured through the opening, guns raised and eyes behind target sights.
A soldier, wearing a uniform stood near the door. "They're somewhere in here," he yelled over the soldiers searching. "Just keep looking for them!"
A soldier noticed the pile of crates and Kadirs’ breath caught in his throat.
The man put a hand on the box, and Kadir leapt out, every eye in the room turning towards him. Before he even hit the ground, he focused the energy towards his fingers, and electricity arced from his hand onto the man's body. The Soldiers’ body shook and he collapsed, along the the man behind him, electricity arcing from his body to the next, targeting the metal on their bodies.
Kadir twisted, moving as he heard short puffs as the men fired their guns. Kadir ducked as they pulled the trigger, feeling the darts fly over him. He rolled to the side, throwing out more energy, electricity flashing over his body.
His siblings also jumped, Katy running to the exit. The Soldiers targeted her, and her arms and back suddenly peppered with darts. She collapsed before halfway to the door. Quentin was beside Kadir, punching his way through two tall soldiers twice his size before collapsing, his chest containing two darts with sedation.
Kadir shuddered, seeing for the first time the sharp points of the needles flying towards him. He was back in the cryo-pod, screaming, yelling, those horrible needles going through his flesh.
Kadir looked down, yelping as he felt three different punctures in his chest. He stepped back, pulling two of them out with one hand, fear overcoming his mind. He started leaning, his sight darkening slightly.
"Really...hate....being...sedated..." Kadir said lethargically, and he fell, darkness encompassing his vision.
-Chapter 20-
-Meeting-
When Kadir woke, he was sitting in a wheelchair, a blanket covering his knees, and an I.V. in his arm. He looked at it in horror, but he couldn't move his arms. He looked down, seeing for the first time that his arms were tied down to the wheelchair.
Kadir whimpered, unable to remove the needle from his skin, unable to even move. Kadir clenched his teeth and groaned with effort, desperately trying to move his arms. He stopped, breathing hard.
His chest was sore, and covered with bandages where the needles had hit him. Thankfully, they had taken those out.
He looked up, seeing a man enter, wearing body armor and carrying a gun, he looked warily at Kadir. Following him, was Mr. Withers. Kadir recognized him from the monitor in the cell.
Mr. Withers was shorter then Kadir had expected, about six feet. He probably only looked taller on a screen.
Mr. Withers approached Kadir and sat down on the lead seat of the long table in the middle of the conference room he was in. Kadir looked to the side to see that his siblings were on either side of him, unconscious.
Quentin could've escaped using his robotic arms, and Katy could've teleported out with her newfound powers. He was the one who could not escape. Kadir doubted these men were wearing metal after their encounter with his electricity.
Mr. Withers locked eyes with Kadir, and Kadir found himself growing annoyed. This Withers person had better give some answers.
"My name is Mr. Withers," he said, knitting his hands together. "Evidently." Kadir replied bitterly.
Withers narrowed his eyes. "You’re in a very precarious position Kadir, and I don't want to hurt you." Kadir smiled. "You hurt us when you locked us up in a cage," Kadir said, seething.
“How do you even know that this is bad to you? How do you even know that you were in a cage?”
Kadir hesitated, thinking. His mind was filled with images of everything. When someone said a word, he would file through photos and descriptions. Words would be linked to the images, describing the pictures. And every single time
Kadir ever thought of where he was, the same word always popped up.
Wrong.
“Am I not in a cage, Mr. Withers?”
Withers didn’t reply. He kept an unreadable expression, neither surprise or anger on his face.
"I do agree you should not be kept in the detainment cell," he replied, still wearing that unreadable expression. "I will allow you and your siblings to have a bunker next to the Facility Gym.”
"Will we be locked on the inside?" Kadir asked, not wanting to get trapped again.
"No," Withers said. "But you will be monitored, as well as everyone else in Facility C."
"Facility C?"
"That is the name of this place," Withers answered.
"And it's in space?" Kadir asked, eyebrows raised. Withers stiffened. "Yes," he said tensely, obviously wishing Kadir had not witnessed that. "You can be given a tour of this satellite and figure your way around." He narrowed his eyes. "But do NOT get in the way of anyone who works here."
Kadir nodded, absently thinking of what they would do further in this place. Withers would help them for now. Why? Kadir didn’t really know the answer to that. It felt almost too easy...they attempted to escape, and it seemed as though they were going to be rewarded for that. More tests and trials? Was the whole cell just another test, to see how long they could stay in there?
These thoughts ran through Kadirs’ mind as people wheeled him, his brother, and his drooling sister to their designated bunker room.
They were wheeled into a grey room by a few silent nurses, exactly like the detainment cell they had been in before, except the room was a little larger, with a couch, and larger wardrobe.
Quentin woke up first, shaking awake, and looking around groggily. He had been asleep the entire time that Kadir had been talking with withers, and probably thought that he was still in the detainment cell. But, after some explanation from Kadir, he was settled. Katy woke about 20 minutes later, after Kadir could walk a little.
