"It's true about what people say about trusting the government huh?" Ken said as he continued running until he arrived back in his town. He went into their house and sat down at the tree outside, looking at the building without saying anything.
"Something is just not adding up, if this has been happening, how did we not know about this? Even if they try to cover up the evidence, the internet always finds a way so then why is there nothing on this at all?" He stood up and walked back into the house which was cooler now. "if my guess is right then..." He walked into his parents room, holding his nose but to his surprise, there was no smell.
He looked at their bed, no bodies. "I fucking knew it, there is only one explanation...well, maybe many but I am sure this is the one, memory manipulation, this place is a test site. Then, me walking back home with my laptop was the start point... this is pissing me off." The house suddenly began disappearing and a huge dome came into view, it was only then that he realised, "I am so fucked."
The massive dome stretched overhead like an artificial sky, its surface shimmering with the telltale signs of advanced holographic technology. His hands clenched into fists as the reality of his situation sank in. The entire town, his memories of the heat wave, perhaps even his powers – all of it could be part of their experiment.
"So what was real?" he muttered, watching as more of the fabricated scenery flickered and faded away. "My parents... are they actually..." The thought made his chest tighten. If this was all a simulation, were his parents still alive somewhere? Or was their death the one true thing in this elaborate lie?
The tingling in his chest intensified, but it felt different now – more focused, more controlled. The air around him began to shimmer with heat waves. "If this is a test site, then there must be observers somewhere." He turned slowly, examining the dome's surface. "And they're probably not happy I figured it out."
As if on cue, alarms began blaring throughout the facility. Red lights pulsed along the dome's framework, and metallic voices echoed: "Containment breach in Sector 7. All personnel evacuate immediately. Security teams to positions."
He laughed bitterly. "Containment breach? I haven't even started yet." The heat emanating from his body increased, making the air ripple around him. The ground beneath his feet began to soften and bubble.
Heavy blast doors slid open around the perimeter of the dome, and armored figures poured in, carrying what looked like advanced cooling equipment. Among them, he recognized Lieutenant Davis, no longer maintaining his friendly facade.
"Stand down!" Davis's voice boomed through an amplifier. "This doesn't have to get messy!"
"Doesn't have to get messy?" Ken's voice cracked with emotion. "You made me think my parents were dead! You played with my memories, made me experience that trauma just to... what? Test my potential?"
"It was necessary," he replied, his tone clinical. "The strongest abilities manifest in moments of extreme distress. We needed to push you to your limits."
The heat around Ken intensified, melting the asphalt beneath him into a bubbling pool. "Push me to my limits? Fine. Let's see what those limits really are."
Security teams raised their weapons, but Davis held up his hand. "Wait! His power levels are still rising. If we push him now..."
Ken didn't let him finish. With a roar of rage, he unleashed the full force of his ability. The air itself seemed to ignite, creating a thermal shockwave that sent the security teams scrambling for cover. The dome's surface began to warp and buckle from the intense heat.
"My God," Davis whispered, watching as his supposedly indestructible facility began to melt. "What have we created?"
Through the chaos, Ken spotted movement in an observation window high above – figures in suits, frantically gathering materials and rushing to evacuate. The real puppet masters, finally showing themselves.
"You wanted to see what I could do, right?" His voice was eerily calm as he focused his power upward. "Let me give you a demonstration."
The observation window exploded inward as the metal frame around it liquefied. Screams echoed from above, followed by the sounds of emergency protocols engaging. The entire facility was going into lockdown.
But it was too late. The dome's structural integrity was failing, massive sections of reinforced material sloughing away like wax under a flame and at the center of it all, Ken stood in a growing pool of molten metal and concrete, his power still building.
"Here's the thing about playing with fire," he said, watching as Davis and his teams retreated in panic. "Sometimes you get burned."
The facility's AI warning system blared: "Critical failure imminent. Containment protocols breached. Emergency evacuation required."
Ken smiled grimly. "Now, let's talk about what is going on shall we?"
But before he could approach Davis, a new group entered and the air around them was dangerous, he could just sense it, if he fought them, he would die. 'Shit, who the hell are these bastards, they look strong as hell.'
The new group moved with an unnatural grace that made his instincts scream danger. Their bodies seemed to ripple with barely contained power – one woman's skin crackled with electricity, while another man's form kept shifting like smoke.
"Target acquired," the woman said, her voice carrying an electric charge that made the air buzz. "Remember, we need him alive."
Ken didn't wait to see what they could do. He turned and ran, using his power to melt through the facility's walls, creating his own escape route. But these people were different from Davis and his security teams – they weren't just following, they were hunting.
A bolt of lightning struck the ground inches from his feet, the heat from it nothing compared to his own power but the force knocked him sideways. He rolled and kept running, his lungs burning from exertion.
"You're only making this harder on yourself," the smoke-like man's voice seemed to come from everywhere at once. The air around Ken began to thicken, making it difficult to breathe.
He lashed out with his power, superheating the air in a desperate attempt to clear it. The smoke man hissed in pain, his form temporarily disrupted, but the others were closing in.
A third attacker appeared in front of him, moving so fast Ken barely had time to react. The punch caught him in the ribs, and he felt something crack. The pain was explosive, but the adrenaline kept him moving.
"Careful!" the lightning woman shouted. "We need his powers intact!"
Ken stumbled through the remains of the facility, leaving trails of molten metal in his wake. His vision was starting to blur – whether from pain, exhaustion, or loss of oxygen, he couldn't tell. But then he saw it – a familiar shimmer in the air, like reality being torn apart.
'A tear,' he thought. 'Like the ones they claimed started all this.' Whether it was real or another part of their simulation didn't matter anymore. It was his only chance.
The smoke man's tendrils wrapped around his ankle, sending him crashing to the ground. The impact sent waves of agony through his broken ribs. The lightning woman approached, her hands crackling with power.
"It's over," she said. "Your ability is remarkable, but you're untrained. Sloppy. We've been doing this for years."
Ken looked up at the tear, now fully in sight. Real or not, it was better than whatever these people had planned for him.
He gathered every bit of power he had left, turning the ground beneath him into a pool of liquid metal. The sudden change caught the smoke man off guard, his gaseous form disrupted by the intense heat. Ken pulled free, ignoring the searing pain in his ankle and dashed.
"Stop him!" woman's attack came too late. Ken was already moving, his body screaming in protest as he pushed himself toward the tear.
The speedster appeared again, but Ken was ready this time. He released his power in a massive wave, not caring about control or conservation anymore. The blast of heat was so intense it warped the very air, sending his pursuers stumbling backward.
With his last bit of strength, he threw himself into the tear. The sensation was indescribable – like being pulled apart and compressed at the same time. Behind him, he heard the woman scream in frustration.
"Follow him! Don't let him—"
Her voice cut off as the tear snapped closed, leaving him falling through what felt like an endless void. His consciousness started to fade, his body finally giving in to the trauma it had endured.
"Fuck, he is gone, what a waste, that was our best catch yet."