The light hurts my eyes.
It’s so bright.
My name is Michael Turner, Michael Turner. Never forget. I’ve been here so long.
“Captain please escort SMCH-852 back to her cell thank you.”
I am sitting on a smooth marble surface. There are floodlights underneath. I am locked in. Its cold. Wait…What’s that noise? It sounds like…oh. Her door’s being opened. A cold rough metal sound. Remember, how long? Eighteen years, or was it nineteen years?
“Captain please unlock SMCH-013 from his cell thank you.”
013…013…013. I hate that number. Every time they call my, its 013 never Michael. Never “Oh how’s your day Michael?” Its always 013. 013. I can never get rid of that number. It haunts me. That loud speaker system. 013. I must never forget my name. Michael Turner, Michael……Turner. Turner.
I was unlucky enough to be a SMCH. A “Special Mutation Card Holder”. Who the bloody hell cares. I’m a human. I’m a man. I’m twenty eight years old. I’m Michael Turner. One in a hundred thousand people are born with a “Mutation Card”, and ability to manipulate a part of nature. 852 can bend metal. I seen it happen, that’s why her cell is completely metal free, and ropes are used to constrain her. Guns won’t work; she’ll dissolve the bullets. Shadows are my specialty. I discovered that when I was about ten or nine. Nearly killed one of the bullies trying to hurt my friend. He wasn’t very happy. I can disappear into shadows, use it as whips, anything.
My room has no shadows.
None.
They think we’re so dangerous.
We’re not.
I’m wearing a transparent vest, all light shines through me. When then unlock my cell, all lights are on, all materials activate reflection panels, and everybody puts on transparent suits. Guns point at me. Seventeen in all.
They’re opening the door.
One…two…three…four…five…
“Captain please ask all available staff of your division to follow procedures thank you.”
Sixteen…seventeen. Seventeen guns in all. Pointed at me. Full of powerful sedatives, a shot could render a normal human useless for months, but I’m SMCH. I can stand four or five, then I slip into a coma. They’re ready to fire. I’m Michael Turner. If I do anything wrong. I’m Michael Turner. I’m a man.
The light hurts my eyes. It hurts. It hurts. They never switch off. I just put a thick blanket over my head and sleep.
I look at my hands.
“Move it you freak!”
That gruff voice. It belonged to the large man. He wasn’t muscular, he was fat. Sounded American, and no manners at all. Was all Americans like this? He pushed me outside, my arms locked behind me.
There was no shadows.
I can see the captain saluting to a picture of “The Boss”. “The Boss” did this to us. Were just humans with abilities! Why don’t they let me go!
013.
Michael Turner.
The Captain turns and smiles at me.
Smiled.
That has never happened before. What was going on? Were they going to kill me? I heard from the guards the Captain smiles at his victims! No! Nonononononono!
Silence.
Then the lights go out.
It’s my turn to smile.
“Captain please turn on the lights!!!”
What?
“Captain!”
Never mind. It’s my world now. The shadows are an extension of my body. I’ll slaughter everyone. Maybe spare the Captain. No. He should have done this years ago. I’ll make him suffer, just like everyone else.
I’ll make them scream.
“AHHHHH”
My name is…
“He’s free!!!”
“Call the tech-guard!”
Michael…
“Help!!!”
…
Turner.
No one is screaming now. They’re all gone.
Except for the Captain.
I walked through a shadow; it’s been too long since I’ve done that. I walked in front of the Captain. He’s still smiling.
“Are you done?”
“Yes.”
The Captain nodded.
“Jacob Malarkey. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you sooner. They wouldn’t let me near the light switches.”
“What’s stopping me from impaling you on my shadows?”
“I know the way out.”
I’m such an idiot. The keycards. They used specialized keycards for each captain. So unless there was another way...
“Okay. Fine.”
Jacob…Jacob smiled again, this time it was a real smile. A warm smile.
This man, who helped conduct tests on me, tried to save my life.
And now, after eighteen…nineteen years, I finally feel happy. So I smiled, and I followed him. He walks fast, I also walk fast. However, he made no attempt to save all of the other SMCHs, but their cells were empty, so I guess someone let them go. Jacob kept walking, down hallways, narrow walkways. The signs say different things, we walked past a medical center, now we walked past a science facility. Quickly, quickly. Portal center. Universe travels, Time and space travels, SMCH research center.
He made no attempt to slow down.
“Oi Michael.”
Michael. My name.
My smile grew even wider, finally someone said my name.
“Michael!”
I snapped out of my trance.
Michael Turner.
“Yes?”
“Good, you’re with me. You and Sally are the last SMCHs. “The Boss” killed everyone else.”
Sally?
Did he mean 852…853? 852. It’s definitely 852.
So everyone is dead.
“Really? Me and Sally are the only ones dead?”
He nods slowly. And I looked at him, was he tricking me? If he…
That noise!!!
What…what?
“I activated a portal. This place is too dangerous for you and Sally. I’ll come with you, I sent my guys to help Sally through after us.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean why?”
“Well. Why would you help us? You’ve been taught to hate the SCMH, you hate me, why save my life when you can end it right now? Its not like the place I’m going will be any better.”
Jacob swiped his card and entered a room labeled “Dimensional Travel” and I followed him through.
Bad idea.
Good idea.
Bad.
Good.
Michael Turner.
“I was taught to hate you. But after seeing the tests, toxins and machines. Testing the durability of your skins, the sound of flesh ripping and the knife cutting through skin. I…want to help.”
When he said that last sentence he looked at me with sadness in his eyes.
They don’t all hate me.
They don’t all hate us.
Happy.
“Now lets get going.”
He pressed buttons and turned knobs. I really did not understand what was going on. Being stuck in a cell for years.
The light.
The wall glowed with a purple aura.
It was beautiful.
“Quickly before it closes, Sally will come through later, lets go!”
He grabbed onto my arm, pulling me towards the portal.
The light doesn’t hurt my eyes anymore.
In fact…
I don’t think there was any light at all…
It’s just…
Me…
