Journal entry – April 10th 2035
"It's been three months, two weeks, and seven days since the incident at the lab, and I still haven't seen what the outside world looks like. I've been stuck in this godforsaken hospital for a damn near three months, can't even leave this stupid room. I'm under surveillance 24/7 and I'm sick of it. I can see their bald heads through the wall and hear all the crap they're talking about—tests, experiments, but they still don't get it. I can do so much more than just grow back my limbs, these dumb scientists. All I've got left is this book. Three months of writing. Damn! If someone told me I'd be writing the story of my life at 22, I'd have punched them in the gut. But here I am, haha, Jamal the author… nah, scratch that. Jamal the novelist… nah, forget it. I'll just keep writing."
Three months since the metropolitan lab blew to pieces. I've been separated from my friends, my parents, everything I cared about. My limbs are somehow regenerating—don't ask me how, 'cause even these so-called geniuses don't know. I can do things. Unbelievable things. I can hear thoughts, see through walls, mess with electricity, and I don't even know the half of it yet.
"Three months in this damn hospital. Three months of being treated like some guinea pig. Three months of being poked and prodded, three months of being stuck in this cage with no way out. And still no cure. And they still don't get it." I muttered to myself until a voice blasted through the speakers on the wall.
"We can hear you, Jamal."
"Damn right you can," I shot back. "I ain't no lab rat, I'm not some clown for your amusement. Get me outta this shit hole. I ain't no experiment, y'all better cut these chains off, or I swear I'll polish those bald heads of yours, cowards!"
(Bell rings)
"Sector B407, specimen 98D, Jamal Oluwatobi Williams. Please proceed to the cafeteria on sector E9."
The hospital AI cracked through the air with its sharp tone. The electric doors opened, and I dragged myself to the cafeteria. The chains clinking against the floor with every step, I hated how the all-white garment felt on me. Humiliating. Like they were trying to break me. Strip me of my humanity. Turn me into nothing more than a number on their charts.
I sat down in the cafeteria, alone, like always. Anger simmered inside me like a volcano about to blow. I tried to think of a way out, a way to use my powers to break free, but all I could focus on was the pain and suffering.
Right when I was about to scream, I heard a voice.
"Hello, Jamal. How are you feeling today? How are the tests going?"
I whipped around to see a woman in a lab coat standing a few feet away. I recognized her from the experiments. She was a doctor.
"How's the tests going, huh? You gonna torture me some more today?" I spat, my voice venomous, my anger boiling over.
The doctor frowned, concern etched on her face, but I didn't care. "Jamal, please understand. We're only trying to help. Your condition… it's unlike anything we've seen before. We're trying to understand it so we can help you."
"Help me?" I shouted. "You've been treating me like a damn animal. A lab rat! I don't need your help. I don't need anything from you."
The doctor sighed, her voice tinged with sympathy. But sympathy wasn't what I needed. "We want to understand you, Jamal."
"Bullshit!" I snapped. "Understand me, my ass. You're trying to exploit what's left of me. You're using me for your own gain. I bet there're government officials waiting on the other side of that door, ready to bid on me."
"Yes, we want to understand your abilities," she admitted. "But that's not the only reason we're keeping you here. Your abilities… they're unstable. We're afraid of what might happen if we let you out."
"I can control them!" I roared. "You don't know what I'm capable of. You don't know anything!"
The lights flickered, and I felt the air around me twist with my rage. The light bulbs burst one by one. The whole cafeteria went silent. All eyes on me. I realized with a shock that the other patients, my fellow inmates—no, my fellow lab rats—were watching, too. It broke my heart.
"Jamal, we can help them. All of them. But you need to calm down first. We're not your enemies. We only want to help."
I shook the chains rattling against my arms and legs.
"Did you just say help?!" I spat, narrowing my eyes as I took a step toward her, feeling the power surging through my veins.
But then, my eyes fell on the other patients, and I hesitated. I wasn't gonna lose control—not here. Not now.
"If you wanna help, then tell me everything. I wanna know the truth—about this facility, about everything. Tell me… where are my friends?"
My voice was colder now, harder, the anger still there but mixed with desperation.
The tension in the cafeteria was palpable as the other patients stared at me, unsure of what to make of my words.
"They've been lying to us," I said, turning to face the crowd. "They've been treating us like lab rats, experimenting on us without our consent. And… and—"
My voice dropped as I noticed the confusion in their eyes. I wasn't getting the response I expected. Instead of shouting or joining in, there was nothing but silence. Cold silence.
Then, the doors burst open, and a man in a black tuxedo, followed by more doctors and military men, stormed in.
"Jamal, I think it's time you return to your room," he said, his voice ringing in my head like a bell.
I looked from him to the soldiers, their weapons aimed at me. I wasn't giving up yet, but I knew when to hold back. For now, I had to comply.
The chains on my arms and legs were reinforced, and I was escorted back to my room, the clinking of the chains echoing through the corridors.
As we walked, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd seen that tuxedo guy before.
"I've seen this dude somewhere," I muttered to myself. "But where? Holy crap… those men… they were the ones who brought me to this hellhole in the first place… wait—wait I…"
Before I could finish my thought, I was thrown into the room, the robots tossing me around like a sack of potatoes. I tried to bolt back to the entrance, but the doors slammed shut right in front of me.
"Damn, you dumb f—" I swallowed my curse.
The door slammed, cutting me off from the world outside. I stood there, seething, feeling trapped, isolated, and more frustrated than ever.
Then, the speakers crackled to life again. And I could already guess who it was.
"Son of a…"
The voice from the speakers rang out, sharp and condescending.
"Jamal Oluwatobi Williams, for the love of God, sit your ass down in that chair and be civil for once."
I glared at the speakers, my anger rising again.
Through the tinted glass, I saw the guy in the tuxedo sitting behind a microphone. He stared at me through the glass, and I felt my blood boil.
"Jamal… Jamal… Jamal," he chuckled darkly. "You still don't get it, do you? The world thinks the explosion was just some accident, but we know what you did. What you and your little friends did. Your unauthorized experiments, your illegal use of government equipment, all those innocent lives you affected with your crazy experiment. We're here to fix the mess you made."
"What do you mean, 'the world'?" I asked, my voice cracking. A chill ran down my spine.
His laugh echoed in the room, making my skin crawl.
"Oh, you thought you were hiding, huh? The whole world knows about you now, Jamal. You and your little crew, you're famous. Not in a good way, of course. Hahaha… but hey, don't worry, you're not famous enough yet. But if you don't cooperate with us, your story will be front-page news. And trust me, it won't be the way you want it."
I could feel the weight of his words pressing on my chest. Fear. But I wasn't about to give in.
"You think you can blackmail me with fame?" I scoffed. "I'm not some pawn in your sick game. You might have me trapped here, but I'm not gonna let you use me like a weapon."
His smirk turned into a sneer.
"A weapon?!" He chuckled.
"You're not a weapon, Jamal. You're a tool. And tools are made to be used."
I clenched my fists. "I am NOT a tool! You can't just use me and toss me aside like trash."
His eyes narrowed. "You're not a person anymore. You're something more than that now. You're a freak. An outcast. The only place you'll ever fit in is here. With us."
His words stung, but I refused to let him see it. "You know what? Maybe you're right, I am a freak. But tell me something, Dr. Leonardo Jaimè Connors—"
I caught sight of his name tag. "How much of a freak do you think I am?"
I wanted to tear that glass apart, but something else caught my attention. Something was about to go wrong. And I wasn't talking about what I had planned for them. No, something worse was coming.
Then, the whole facility shook. An explosion erupted from one of the cells, knocking me off my feet. The security systems went haywire. Lights flickered, alarms blared, and the walls trembled as if the entire facility was on the verge of collapsing. I scrambled to my feet, my mind racing.
"What the hell?!" I yelled, barely able to keep my balance as the ground beneath me cracked. The voice from the speakers, which had been so smug moments ago, now crackled with panic.
"Alert! Breach in Sector A3! All personnel to their designated posts. Secure the perimeter immediately!" the AI blared, its tone frantic. But I didn't care about their damn protocols. I was too busy trying to figure out what was happening.
Then, a loud, bone-shaking boom came from the opposite side of the facility, followed by a series of deep, thunderous cracks. I could feel it in my chest, that gut-wrenching sense that something big was about to happen. Something I wasn't ready for.
I ran to the window, pressing my hands against the cool glass. Outside, I saw the chaos unfolding. Guards in tactical gear sprinted past, weapons drawn. Medical teams rushed in and out of various rooms. And in the midst of it all, a figure—one I recognized—was cutting through the chaos like a hot knife through butter.
It was one of the people I had hoped to never see again; my old friend, Malik.
I felt a wave of disbelief wash over me. What was he doing here? How did he get in? The last time I saw him, we were on the run from the authorities back in high school when I still did neon drugs. I thought I would never see him again. But there he was, tearing through the facility like he owned the place.
My heart pounded in my chest as I watched him move swiftly, taking out guards with military precision. He wasn't alone, though. Behind him were two others—figures cloaked in black, faces hidden beneath hoods. They moved in perfect sync, like a well-oiled machine. My instincts screamed that something was wrong, but at the same time, I couldn't help but feel a surge of hope.
Could they be here to rescue me?
I braced myself against the tremors of the facility as it shook again. I rushed back to the window, but he was gone. I had to get out somehow. I braced myself before charging toward the doors like a bull in the Coliseum. I halted in my steps as the doors slid open, as if the heavens were on my side.
I dashed through the corridors, hoping I'd get out of the building before it all went to shit. In my frenzy, I couldn't help but notice the other inmates still trying to get to their feet, struggling to move.
"What are you all doing?! Get on with it!" I screamed in concern.
"God, you guys are so slow," I muttered to myself, stopping halfway through the corridor. I went back to help.
"Alright, one foot after the other. You can do it. Let's go."
I tried assisting those I could when I felt something off.
"There's someone still inside, Jal. Down to your left."
"Alright, thanks… wait, huh, who said that?"
A voice in my head somehow just spoke independently. I thought it must be the chaos messing with my mind, but then an unrealistically high-pitched scream pierced the air.
"Someone's still inside," I whispered to myself when the voice rang again.
"I told you someone was inside."
I ignored it this time, daring to believe it was just the stress.
I rushed toward the source of the scream.
My heart sank as I saw her—her cute little eyes now wide with horror. I stretched my hands toward her, trying to get her over the din.
"God, she's just a child," I said to myself as I reached out.
"From the looks of it, this girl can't be more than eight. Why on earth is she here?"
"Are you okay?"
"Good Lord, Jamal, of course, she's not okay! What do you think made her scream? An ice cream truck?"
"Shut up!"
I tried silencing the voice in my head, slowly starting to doubt whether it was just the regular inner monologue.
"It's gonna be alright, okay? I'm not gonna hurt you…"
Before I could touch her, my ears bled from another scream, and I was thrown across the corridor, hitting my ribs hard on the floor in a flash.
"Arrgh… What was that?"
I tried to comprehend how a scream could lift a 6-foot man off the ground and send him crashing into the wall.
"Sonic scream, got it!"
That voice again.
"Sonic what?"
"Sonic scream. What, you thought you were the only one with powers? Good grief, Jamal, for someone famed for his intelligence, you're pretty dumb."
This voice was definitely freaking me out this time.
"How are you even—"
"That's not important now, Jamal. If we live another day after what's about to happen here, I'll tell you everything. Now go back in there and let's get this kid and the others out of here."
…
"Psht, hello, Mr. Williams. Kid, door."
"Yeah, right, right. Let's get out of here."
I said, finally snapping out of the millisecond trance this voice had put me in.
This time, I went in slower, stretching my hands once again, steadily closing my eyes as I drew closer to her, hoping it would reduce the impact of another scream.
I opened them to the warmth of her skin pressed tightly against mine as she hugged me in fear.
Every tension I was feeling disappeared in an instant. I picked her up, holding her firmly in my arms, continuing my frantic rush.
We were all trying to escape when a wave of soldiers burst through the doors, trying to stop everyone from getting to the exit. They were rough, even with the kids, and no matter how much I tried to fight them back, they kept coming in waves.
I stopped fighting and rammed through them like a bull to the colors of red.
"Haha, suckers! Two minutes to salvation, Jamal. We can do this!"
"We? I don't even know who or what you are."
"I told you already, knucklehead. If we make it out of this chaos alive, I'll tell you everything. So shut up and keep running."
I gritted my teeth, trying to block out the voice, but it was hard to ignore when it felt like I was being dragged toward some unknown end. The sound of my pounding footsteps echoed down the corridor, mingling with the distant cries and the clamor of boots on concrete.
I couldn't even fathom what was happening. Guards were swarming, medical teams still rushing around, and here I was, running for my life with a voice in my head and a scared child in my arms. What had I gotten myself into?
But the voice didn't stop. "You're doing great, Jamal. Just a little further. You got this."
I had no choice but to trust it.
The door ahead was getting closer, and I could almost taste the fresh air that waited beyond. Just a little more.
Before we reached the doors, my ultra vision kicked in. I saw Malik, tearing through the hallway beyond the doors.
"Heads up, Jamal," the voice interrupted, pulling me from my focus.
"Heads up for what now? Can you shut it?" I snapped, frustration rising as Malik disappeared from my sight.
"Sigh... Alright, if you say so, but first—heads up!"
"Heads up for what?" I grumbled, my patience wearing thin.
"Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm..."
"Say something useful, you dumb—"
But before I could finish, the ground beneath me cracked open. The floor shattered like glass, sending me and my little sonic-screaming companion tumbling two stories down.
As if that wasn't bad enough, huge chunks of falling brick, as big as a coach, came barreling toward me. My body felt numb, still trying to recover from the brutal fall. I couldn't pull off any crazy stunts—because I was still holding the kid. I tried to push her away from the incoming debris, but she was too terrified, curled up in my arms, frozen in fear.
Seconds before impact, I wrapped myself around her, bracing for the collision, squeezing my eyes shut to withstand the impact.
Then, in a split second, the rocks disintegrated into tiny bits, raining down on us like sand.
I told you the heavens were on my side... but was it, or was it something else? Slowly, I opened my eyes, realizing I had been saved once again from my impending demise. But who should I thank for this miraculous rescue? As I lifted my head, I saw a figure emerging from the dust. At first, I couldn't quite make it out, but as the smoke cleared, it became clearer—it was a woman.
And damn, she was walking toward me with such elegance. Her steps were graceful, and, well… those curves…
Wait. Wait, hold up...
My breath hitched, then I let it out, breathless.
"Eliana!!!"