Kayden's eyes slowly creaked open, his eyelids heavy with an unfamiliar weight. He blinked once, twice, as his gaze gradually focused on the unfamiliar surroundings.
Sand.
He realised was lying on sand. As he lifted his head, a faint haze of pain clouded his vision. He winced, letting his head fall back onto the sand.
Beach.
He was on a beach.
The sound of the waves grew louder, more distinct, as Kayden's senses slowly began to return. He groaned in pain as he began pulling himself out of the water. His body felt heavy, uncoordinated, as if his limbs were weighed down by anchors.
He gritted his teeth, summoning what little strength he had to drag himself up onto the sand. Finally, he collapsed onto the beach, weakly managing to sit up. He rested his elbows on his knees, cradling his head in his hands as he struggled to catch his breath.
As he looked around, Kayden's gaze fell upon the wreckage of the plane washing up on the shore. Pieces of metal, luggage, and debris were scattered everywhere, a grim reminder of the disaster that had brought him here.
A shard of metal, twisted and torn, lay nearby, half-buried in the sand. A suitcase, battered and bruised, bobbed gently in the waves, as if trying to reach the shore. Kayden's eyes widened as he took in the extent of the destruction .
" What the fuck happened one minute we where on a flight to the Bahamas and then that lightning storm came out of nowhere" he muttered trying to stand up.
Kayden managed to weakly stand up, his legs trembling beneath him. As he looked down at himself, his gaze fell upon a diamond-shaped object on his wrist. It was sleek, metallic, and seemed to be embedded in his skin.
"What the fuck?" Kayden muttered, stunned. "When did I get this?"He began prodding at the object, trying to figure out what it was and how it had gotten there. As he touched it, the object began to glow with a soft, blue light. Suddenly, a voice echoed in Kayden's mind.
"Welcome, Subject 236-HJ, to your new temporary home of La Torga."Kayden's eyes widened in shock. "What the...? Who are you? What is this place?" He asked looking down unto the shining light.
The voice in Kayden's mind continued to explain, "You, Subject 236-HJ, were specifically selected for the La Torga Experiment due to your unique genetic profile and skill set" it said. " I see and the others?" He asked.
" Unfortunately however, the other individuals who arrived on the island with you were not selected participants. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time."Kayden's eyes widened in shock.
"What do you mean? They're just innocent bystanders in this fucked up experiment? What ever it is?" He asked. The voice replied, "Affirmative. They will be part of the experiment nonetheless, but their roles and abilities will be different from yours. You, on the other hand, have been prepared for this experiment your entire life".
"Kayden's mind reeled with questions and outrage. "Prepared? What do you mean? And what's the point of this experiment?"
The NeuroCore device on Kayden's wrist fell silent, leaving him with more questions than answers. He muttered to himself, "I guess that's all I'm getting."
As Kayden to ponder the implications of what he had just learned. He looked around, wondering where the other survivors were, and what their fates would.
But he knew he couldn't stand around pondering forever so he began limping along the beach hoping to find either someone or something useful, his eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of the other survivors.
As he walked, he took in his surroundings. The island was tropical, with swaying palm trees, dense foliage, and vibrant flowers. The air was warm and humid, filled with the sweet scent of blooming plants.
But as he looked up into the sky, he noticed something strange. The sky looked...different. The blue was deeper, richer, and seemed to pulse with a subtle energy. The clouds were unlike any he had ever seen before - they were shaped like wispy tendrils.
" What is this place?" He asked staring up into the sky. As he looked down that's when he noticed a figure washed up on the beach as he walked closer he saw that it was Kelly their companies secretary. She was pale, with a gash on her forehead, and her clothes were torn and disheveled.
Kayden's instincts kicked in, and he quickly checked her pulse, relieved to find that she was alive."Kelly, can you hear me?" Kayden asked, shaking her gently. "Kelly, wake up."But she didn't respond.
Kayden's eyes scanned the surrounding area, searching for any signs of other survivors or potential dangers. The beach was quiet, except for the sound of the waves and the distant calls of tropical birds.
They've always been cordial to one another so he knew he couldnt just leave her here to drown especially since the tide was beginning to come in. Having no other options since he wasnt in any condition to carry her he knew he had to find somehow to wake her up.
He gently tilted her head back, pinched her nose shut, and began to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. At first, there was no response. But then, suddenly, Kelly's eyes flickered open. She coughed, and Kayden quickly rolled her onto her side, helping her expel the water from her lungs.
As she caught her breath, Kelly's gaze locked onto Kayden's, and her expression transformed from confusion to outrage. "What the...?!" she spluttered, pushing Kayden away. "What do you think you're doing?!" Kayden rolled his eyes not even trying to plocate "That's one hell of a way to thank someone for saving your life" he comments sarcastically.
She glared at him more " Does it look like I'm stupid you where kissing me while touching my chest you perv!" She accused and this caused him to scoff.
" I was just trying to revive you, you idiot ! You weren't breathing and in case you don't know I wasn't kissing you I was giving your CPR" he said.
Her face once flushed with anger, but as she looked at his sincere expression, her expression slowly softened. She took a deep breath, wincing in pain as she clutched at her side. "Oh...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...What happened?" She asked.
" I don't know everything's kind of blurry after the storm I was walking along the beach to see if anything useful had washed up and then I found you" he said. Kelly nods and then weakly got to feet stumbling a little bit.
" Let's go see if the others made it" she said. Kayden nods and got up to follow her but since gasped as a searing pain lanced through his dislocated shoulder. Kelly seeing this immediately became concerned. " Hey are you ok?" she asked rushing to his side.
" No I'm not it feels like I've dislocated my shoulder which is the worst thing that can happen on an island without any medical care" he groaned clutching his shoulder in pain. But soon something began happening the nuron link on his uninjured hand began glowing a subtle blue light and as quickly as it started it faded.
" What the hell was that!?" Kelly asked taking a step back. Kayden still shocked took his hand off his now healed shoulder and looked down at the nuron link imprinted in his wrist. " Kayden what's happening?" She asked and he looked at her his mouth still wide.
" I don't know".