Unnatural (The Unnatural Saga Book 1)

by Jakob Farrar

  “I’m flattered!”

  “You said your people were very ambitious, and the only people able to create Unnatural exist in the Secret Service laboratories. You have to have control over both the military and the Secret Service in order to be able to do those things.”

  “Go on!” The man said, almost jumping up and down with excitement, “You’re so close!”

  “There’s only one person in the world that could have so much power,” Byron said, nearly falling over from the shock of the realization, “You’re President Xandar.”

  “It is truly a pleasure to meet you, Byron!” Xandar said.

  “But you’re-”

  “A Leonic? That’s not entirely true, but that’s a story for another time.”

  “Then what are you?”

  “I am an Unnatural,” the man said, grinning, “In fact, I am the very first Unnatural. Again, though, that’s a story for another time.”

  “You’re an Unnatural?”

  “That is what I said, is it not?”

  It all made sense to Byron now. How this man, who claimed to be President Xandar, was so seemingly powerful.

  “But, if you’re the President,” Byron said slowly, “Why do you want us to leave? I thought you wanted us to stay so that we would defend you from the Leonics?”

  “I have my reasons for wanting you to leave,” Xandar said.

  “That’s exactly what you said last time.”

  “And it’s exactly what I said this time.”

  “How long have you been here?” Byron said.

  “I’ve been here for a long while,” said Xandar, “A long while, indeed.”

  “And yet you didn’t help us when we needed you?”

  “I will admit, I am quite a sucker for a good show.”

  “You were watching when Stephen died? When the building came down?” Grace was yelling, “And you didn’t help us?”

  “I did not, you are correct.”

  “You, who are so powerful?” Byron said, feeling anger build inside him.

  “I will say that that cup of chocolate was good. Really added to the effect of the conflict,” Xandar taunted them as he turned away from Byron to face Grace.

  Byron yelled in rage and leapt at Xandar. Xandar simply sidestepped away from Byron as if he had seen him coming, even with his back turned.

  “I wouldn’t try that, Byron,” Xandar said, “I am the most powerful person in this country. I can do several things you can only dream of.” He looked down at Byron menacingly.

  Byron called out in his mind Mark!

  He could feel Mark’s attention swaying to Byron. Byron saw Mark throw a ball of fire at Xandar. The fire came closer and closer, but, as soon as it reached Xandar, dissolved into nothing as if doused with water. Xandar held eye contact with Byron the whole time.

  “I’m not entirely devoted to not helping you, though,” Xandar said, “So I’ll give you an assist.” Byron suddenly fell to the ground.

  “In a few moments,” Xandar said, “You will be under attack again. I might help you, but I could choose to not do so.”

  “What do you-”

  Byron was interrupted by a crash. Metal groaned, and a huge pillar of fire exploded from the building, incinerating a large hole in it. The fire went out as soon as it had begun, and, out of the ashes, rose a large figure that seemed only half familiar.

  It was Project Zero, but she had changed. All three of her eyes glowed bright blue so that they were blinding to look into. Her hair had been replaced by a bonfire that whipped and cracked over her head. She was encased in a skintight layer of metal. In her hand she held something that seemed like an oddly shaped rock.

  Then she spoke. Her voice was lower than before. It resonated and echoed across Sector Five’s center, a deafening yet dull roar.

  “Surprised?”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The First Unnatural

  "Looks like it's time for Act Two," Xandar said, "Perhaps I'll help you this time. I am, after all, much more powerful than this beast."

  "That's debatable," Byron said, knowing first-hand what Zero was capable of.

  "No, it's not," Xandar said, a mad assurance in his voice, as if what he was saying were a fact and nothing could change that. "I authorized Zero's creation; I know what she can do."

  "Then what is she doing now?" Byron said in panic.

  "This is her emergency mode, of sorts. If Zero takes enough damage, the DNA we gave her reacts in a certain way that it changes her molecular makeup."

  Byron stared in shock at Xandar. Never before had he considered that this man- thing -could speak intelligibly

  "If Zero survived, that means that Gabe could have as well!" Oscar, the man who could control plants, said next to Byron, who almost jumped. He had nearly forgotten the Terrakinetic was standing next to him.

  "Oh, he did survive," Zero growled, "But not for long."

  Zero raised her hand and brought it down, throwing the misshapen rock to the ground. Byron saw Gabriel's head before it hit the ground and shattered. Oscar did, as well.

  Oscar screamed, and a large vine sprouted from the earth. It rocketed up, entwining itself around Zero's leg. The vine yanked itself down, dragging Zero to earth. The vine anchored itself, not allowing Zero to move. Oscar ran at her, a large thorn materializing in his hand. Suddenly, the vine caught on fire and crumbled from Zero's leg. She ducked under Oscar's blow and came back up behind him, kicking him to the ground. She raised her fist, which burned bright and hot, preparing to crush Oscar with immense force.

  "Wait!" called a voice. Byron looked next to him, and saw Xandar. However, something was different about him, also. His face wasn't covered in a sick, mad grin. His voice wasn't high like it always seemed to be. Instead, his mouth was straight, his voice level, like a normal person's. "Would you face one weaker than you," Xandar said, "Or would you have a fair fight?"

  Zero turned from Oscar and faced Xandar. The President didn't waver under the intense glow of her eyes.

  "Fool," hummed Zero's voice, "I am the most powerful person on earth. You bring no challenge to me."

  "Oh, I would beg to differ."

  "It's your funeral."

  Suddenly, Zero was standing where Xandar was, except he wasn't there. "What?" said Zero in confusion.

  "You see, dearest," the voice of Xandar said, "I may not be physically strong," Xandar appeared a little ways away, "I might not have any amazing powers like these other Unnatural," Zero teleported to him, but he was gone before she could reach him, "On the outside, I may be nothing but a weakling," He was somewhere else now, "I may be a failure," He dodged Zero again, "But I am good at one thing."

  "Obviously it's running," Zero said.

  "No, my dear," said Xandar, "It's planning."

  "Planning? For what?"

  "I have one goal and one goal only, which I am unwilling to share at the moment. However, know this: my power, my Unnatural ability, is that whatever needs to happen to satisfy that plan," Xandar suddenly appeared behind Zero with a long, metal bar, "It will happen." He brought the bar down on Zero's head, and she crumpled in unconsciousness. Xandar dropped the bar, a surprised look on his face.

  "What just happened?" Kaytlen said. The Unnatural began to gather around Byron.

  "Nothing," Xandar said, turning to face them, "Now, as I said, you must leave the country. You can run out of Sector Five, but head east. To the west is-" Suddenly, something behind Xandar exploded, sending him flying.

  "You are a fool, Xandar," Zero's voice hummed, "One cannot kill me so easily."

  In response, Xandar simply muttered, "That hurt," and fell asleep.

  Zero stood to full height, only to be knocked back down again by a bolt of electricity that sent her body convulsing. The tremors passed soon, though, and Zero stood back up. She knew who had fired the bolt; Nellie Reed, one of the Unnatural whose abilities Zero did not possess.

  Zero teleported behind the Unnatural and watched them scatter from
her presence. She wouldn't have to worry about any annoying teleporters anymore. She had taken care of that one. Or, at least, he had taken care of himself. It had been a stupid move, trying to blow Zero up when she was less than two feet away from him. He had stalled her, she guessed, but it was no use; his friends hadn't managed to escape quickly enough. Now most of them would die, and the survivors would go back to the Secret Service with her.

  "You killed him!" she heard someone screaming to her left. She felt Grace's fist connect with her cheek, but just barely. "No," Zero said, turning. "He killed himself." She hit her in the stomach. Grace flew backwards.

  Zero ran at Mark, who threw fireballs at her. She easily disintegrated them. Once Zero reached Mark, she threw her fist into his gut, knocking the wind out of him. She hit the back of his head when he keeled over, throwing his face into her knee. He cried out in pain, standing straight up. Zero jumped around a punch so that she stood behind him. She kicked his back, sending him onto the ground. She kicked again, but, this time, there was an audible crack as something broke in Mark's back. Zero lifted her foot to kick again and kill him, but stopped. Something prevented her from doing it, but she didn't know what; her vision faded, and, suddenly, she was at a house. No, she was behind the house, kneeling in the grass. This place seemed familiar. She felt much younger, maybe twelve years old. She was playing with two other girls that looked a few years younger than her. They looked like they were twins. She looked up and saw Mark sitting on the porch of the house, watching them. Zero didn't know how she heard a car door slam; she couldn't hear anything. The gate in the fence opened, and in stepped Peyton Burton. She saw Mark jump up and run next to Peyton. Peyton ignored Mark and pointed at Zero. Two men came through the gate and made Zero stand up. She resisted, not knowing what was happening. She heard Mark yelling. Zero looked back and saw another man in a soldier's uniform stick a needle into Mark's arm. He crumpled, and the men carried Zero into a car. The door slammed shut, and Zero opened her eyes.

  And then, Zero remembered.

  She remembered her whole life up until this point. She saw Mark throwing fireballs at her. She tried to stop them, but found that she couldn't. Her Pyrokinesis wouldn't work. A fireball hit her, sending her flying. She got back up, unharmed. Her vision from her third eye blurred; she couldn't see straight.

  "Wait!" she pleaded, but none of them would. She saw something block the sky. It was too late when she realized that it was a giant tidal wave, made by Kaytlen Williams. It crashed down on Zero, who couldn't control it because, for whatever reason, somehow, she had lost her Hydrokinesis. However, Zero still couldn't die. She tossed and turned in the wave, enough for somebody to be crushed several times over. She lived on, though, and, soon, the wave evaporated, leaving Zero coughing for air. She couldn't see out of her third eye, now; she was blind there.

  Grace stood up. Zero had been beating the Unnatural, but for some reason she had stopped. Maybe they had found some weakness; made Zero vulnerable. Grace looked on the ground next to her. She saw a knife. She picked it up, gripping the blade tightly. If Zero was vulnerable, Grace would be the one to end her. She began to run towards Zero, but a hand on her arm stopped her. She turned around, looking at the young, red haired boy that could see the future. "Don't do this," he said, "Trust me."

  "Why not?"

  "Zero will kill you if you try. Believe me."

  "Why does it matter? It's not like I have anything to live for anyways."

  "Is that what Stephen would have wanted?" Grace was silent.

  "Give me the knife, Grace," Kyle said, holding his hand out. Grace looked at him for a moment. Was this kid going to try to kill the monster that was Project Zero? She sighed, dropping the knife in his hand. Kyle took it and began running towards Zero, leaving Grace standing in the middle of the battlefield. Kyle knew that he was no match for Project Zero. In fact, he had seen clear as day what would happen if he attacked her. It had been the most vivid premonition he had had thus far, and yet he still ran towards her. He gripped the knife tighter as another vision flashed in his mind, as if a memory had been planted then suddenly snatched away. Something about Ashley. The strange girl he had barely spoken to. Somehow Project Zero and Ashley would be connected, he realized. Something important would happen. He pushed that thought out of his head quickly as he focused on his one and only goal.

  Kyle had seen it crystal clear. He would be the one to kill Project Zero.

  "Stop!" Zero cried out, but they didn't listen. She heard someone running behind her, and Zero instinctively kicked backwards, tripping her assailant. She stood up, looking into the barrel of a pistol. The next moment, she felt a bus hit her head, and she fell backwards, the bullet falling out of her head as she refused to die. Zero kicked low again, using the momentum to jump up. She was standing above Phoebe. "I'm not going to hurt you," Zero said, stepping away from Phoebe. Her voice had returned to normal.

  "You're too late for that," Phoebe said, and, suddenly, Zero felt something pierce the back of her neck. She gasped in pain, instinctively reaching behind her to grab the person who hung off her back. She brought the person up and over her shoulder, bringing him down onto the ground. She saw the figure of Kyle Hunter come down, his spine cracking as he hit the ground. Phoebe screamed, Kyle's body twisting next to her. Zero realized that she couldn't breathe. She fell down, a knife going through her throat. She was glad that she couldn't reach back and rip it out; she didn't want to kill anyone else. Zero collapsed, blood soaking her neck. Her remaining two eyes began to see less and less. She saw Phoebe stand up.

  She remembered Mark. And that was good. She actually remembered something besides slavery by the Secret Service.

  She remembered, and she was happy.

  "Byron!" Byron turned around when he heard his name. He gasped when he saw who had said it. He ran and knelt beside the dying body of Kyle.

  "Byron," he said, "You need to know something."

  "Save it for later, Kyle," Byron said, sliding his arms under the boy's body. Kyle groaned it pain when he did so. Byron stopped.

  "You need-" he said slowly, face contorted in pain, as if every words sent a jolt of excruciating pain through his body. "You need to keep Ashley safe."

  "What?"

  "Promise me, Byron!"

  "Ok, but why? What's so special about Ashley?" Byron had the feeling that he already knew the answer.

  "If she dies, you might not all be able to get through this. I don't know, she's just important. That's all I saw Byron."

  "What? Why? What's going to happen, Kyle?"

  "Terrible things, Byron, far worse than what happened today. I can't tell you now, just promise me you'll keep her safe. For me."

  Byron nodded, blinking the tears out of his eyes. "I'll do it, Kyle," he said as the boy closed his eyes.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Sacrifice

  The team in the Secret Service Headquarters sat, tense, watching Peyton, looking for signs of disappointment or an upcoming outburst, in which case, they would evacuate the room with all possible speed. Instead, though, he just stood, leaning against a desk, staring at the computer screen that was displayed across the wall. After several minutes, Peyton finally said something.

  "This is perfect," he said calmly.

  "You're correct, it is," came a high-pitched voice from behind him. Peyton turned, seeing the figure of President Xandar standing behind him. He looked around and saw all of the other scientists still working, none of them being surprised by the figure that had just appeared inside the room. It was if they weren't aware of him at all.

  "You were there," Peyton said, not bothering to dwell on Xandar's supernatural acts. "Why were you there?"

  "The Unnatural need a bit of encouragement. Don't worry, I would have never foiled your little plan."

  "Speaking of plans," Peyton said, "What was all that about your plan?"

  "It was a lie, Burton," Xandar said, turning around, "I may be Unnatural but that is not my power. L
ike I said, they needed some encouragement."

  "You do have a plan though, don't you?"

  "You are the perceptive one, Peyton."

  "What is it?"

  "It is a story for another day," he said. "It's much more complex and encompasses a much larger scale than you know. One that I cannot currently explain."

  "Does it have to do with the Leonics coming back?"

  "I cannot tell you that either. I cannot tell you much, but I can tell you something. You're doing well, Peyton. Keep up the good work and you might just manage to fool the Unnatural into fighting for you instead of against you. That's not the way I would handle this situation, but I'm not in charge of this operation. If you keep on doing what you are doing now, it might just work. But beware. There are other factors at play here. Ones that you do not even know to look for. So be careful."

  "Of course, sir." And, just like that, Xandar had disappeared as if he were never there.

  "Mark!" Phoebe cried. She knelt down next to him. His face contorted with pain. Zero had beaten him up pretty badly.

  "He'll be fine," said Byron, "We have to get out of here, though."

  "What about Kyle?" Ashley said, who looked on the verge of tears.

  "He's gone," Byron said sadly, shaking his head.

  "Before Zero attacked him," Caleb said, "I tried to tell him something. Each of us was in Sector One, but we were broken out by somebody. They took us to their base, and we decided to help them. We can go back to them, they won't try to hurt us."

  "Peyton will be looking for us," Byron said, "That sounds like our best option. Which way do we go?"

  "Out of Sector Five and a few miles straight west," Caleb said.

  "West? Isn't that where Xandar told us not to go?" said Kaytlen, "Where is Xandar, anyways?" She was right; the President was nowhere to be seen.

  "It's our best option," Byron repeated, "I'll get Mark."