The warm summer air felt thick in Paragon City, sticking to Alex as if it were another layer of his skin. As he walked home from school, sweat formed on his forehead. The sound of his old sneakers hitting the ground was a quiet background to the busy noises of the city. Unlike the bright and lively scenes around him — like a woman using her mind to lift a baby stroller or a teenager instantly moving across a street — Alex's life seemed dull and boring. He was a Null, someone without any special abilities in a world where people with powers, called Paragons, were common.
Looking at his reflection in a store window, he saw how down he felt. He was thin and ordinary, with dull blond hair hanging limply around his face. The only bright spot was a pair of mismatched dark brown socks showing under his torn jeans. A feeling of envy, which he was used to, made him feel uncomfortable. He watched some kids in a nearby park playing with their telekinesis, laughing happily in the open space.
All at once, the beeping of his phone broke through the commotion. It was a message from his dad, John. "Hey champ, how was school? Need anything from the store?"
A little smile appeared on Alex's face. His dad, John, was his only comfort. He was like a source of warmth in a world that often seemed harsh and uncaring. John, with his loud laughter and the ability to manipulate sound exactly as he wanted, was a well-regarded security guard at the Paragon Museum. But recently, that loud laughter had turned into a rough cough, and John's usual lively spirit had weakened.
"Just the usual, Dad," Alex typed back, as his smile started to fade. "Don't worry about anything, I'll see you soon."
He put his phone in his pocket and walked faster, passing under the tall Paragon Memorial, a shiny chrome statue that honored the city's founders, who were all heroes with amazing abilities. As he got closer to their apartment building, he heard a familiar clanging noise coming from their floor. It was the sound of the medical pod, a big machine that John used every day for his expensive gene therapy treatment that kept him alive.
When he opened the apartment door, he was hit by old air and the metallic smell of the therapy pod. John, looking thinner and paler than usual, was sitting in the pod. His face looked so unhealthy and sick. Empty bottles of the gene therapy were lying around on the counter next to their simple dinner – warmed-up soup and old bread.
"Hey, champ," John rasped, trying to smile.
Alex rushed to his side, feeling a knot in his throat. "Dad, you shouldn't have bothered with dinner."
John stretched out his hand, which felt weak and cold. "You need it more than I do. Tell me about school."
Alex started to describe his day in a more dramatic way, as he left out the usual teasing and laughter. John listened calmly, and even though his face showed signs of strain, his smile stayed strong. After Alex finished talking, John cleared his throat.
"There's something I need to tell you, Alex," he whispered softly.
Alex felt a chill go through him. His dad never hid things from him.
"Remember when I told you about Project Genesis?" John went on.
Alex vaguely remembered his dad mentioning a top-secret experiment while watching a late-night news report about a missing scientist. "Yeah, a little bit. What about it?"
John breathed nervously. "They're offering a lot of money to volunteers. They might have a way to... cure me."
At that moment, Alex felt hope, but then, right after, he said in a worried manner. "But it's dangerous, right? That's why they're keeping it secret."
"There are always risks," John admitted. "But it's our only chance, Alex. I wouldn't ask you to do anything I wouldn't do myself."
Alex looked at his dad. His heart could be heard beating wildly. Seeing his father struggle to breathe every day was tearing him apart. The thought of losing his father was too much to bear. Yet, the idea of him participating in a dangerous experiment made him very scared.
"Let me think about it, okay?" Alex finally said.
John nodded, but his smile started to turn into a painful expression as another wave of coughing shook him. Alex assisted him back into the therapy pod, and his mind was already racing with a million questions. Was Project Genesis a legitimate chance for hope, or a deadly gamble? Was there another way to save his dad?
The next morning, Alex woke up feeling sad. He looked at the ceiling, thinking about what had happened the day before. He grabbed his phone and typed "Project Genesis" into the search bar to look it up.
All that came up were a bunch of conspiracy theories and dead ends. Frustrated, Alex slammed his phone down. There had to be more information out there, somewhere. He knew his hacking skills wouldn't crack the secure servers of a top-secret project, but maybe there was another way.
School felt like a blur. The usual teasing from his classmates felt even more irritating today. At lunchtime, he found himself going to the school's library.
He walked through the stacks, finally settling on a section on the history of Paragons. Maybe, just maybe, there was a connection. He quickly read through pages that talked about legendary heroes and how Paragons came to be over the last few centuries. Then, he found a mention of a secret facility, said to be where the first artificial Paragon was created.
He was excited. Could this be it? The library was old, and its information hadn't been updated for years, but it was a beginning. He wrote down the address – an abandoned research facility on the outskirts of the city – and the name of the facility's lead scientist, Dr. Anya Sharma, a pioneer in genetic manipulation.
With a new purpose, Alex rushed home from school. John was asleep in the therapy pod, looking more fragile than ever. Alex gently moved a loose strand of hair away from his forehead and silently promised him. He wouldn't let him down.
The abandoned facility was a depressing scene. It was covered in a feeling of deterioration and decay. Graffiti defaced the falling apart concrete walls, and broken glass covered the ground. Alex's heart raced as he carefully stepped into the building. The air inside was heavy with dust and a faint chemical odor. He moved through the dark hallways, led by the weak light coming through the gaps in the boarded-up windows.
Suddenly, a loud banging noise came from far away. Alex froze, with his hand quickly reaching to the pocket knife he always carried. He moved quietly toward the noise. His senses were fully awake.
The sound brought him to a huge metal door, half-open and showing a soft blue light coming from inside. As he took a deep breath, Alex pushed the door wider open. The room inside was very different from the old and worn-out outside. It was clean and well-lit, with lots of complicated machines and big containers with liquids. In the middle of the room, there was a woman wearing a white lab coat, with her back facing him.
"Dr. Petrova?" Alex called out hesitantly.
The woman quickly turned. She seemed surprised. Her eyes were a shade of violet, which was a small clue to her Paragon power – psychokinesis.
"Who are you?" she sternly asked. "How did you find this place?"
Alex swallowed hard. "My name is Alex. I'm looking for information about Project Genesis."
Dr. Petrova looked at him closely. "Project Genesis is a closed project. There's no information to be shared."
"But my dad," Alex quickly said. "He's sick. He needs your help."
Dr. Petrova's expression softened slightly. "I see," she said. Her tone is now calmer. "But this research is very risky. Even for people like us."
Alex took a step closer. His desperation started to become more and more evident. "I understand. But what other choice do I have? There's nothing else for him."
Dr. Petrova paused for a moment, as if she was thinking. Finally, she let out a sigh.
"Alright, Alex. Come with me."
She led him deeper into the lab, stopping at a large, transparent containment unit filled with a spinning black liquid.
"This is the prototype," Dr. Petrova said, pointing at the containment unit. "An unstable symbiont we've been developing, capable of enhancing human abilities. Project Genesis aimed to create Paragons out of Nulls like you."
Alex looked back and forth between the liquid and Dr. Sharma's serious face. This was it. This could be the answer to his hopes, or his downfall.
"There was an accident," Dr. Petrova went on. "A containment breach. We thought the prototype was lost. But..." she trailed off, darting towards Alex.
A disturbing feeling filled Alex's stomach. "But what?" he pressed.
Dr. Petrova took a deep breath. "There's a chance it might still be alive."