Chapter 3

The locker room acted as well as a waiting room for our "Power Apptitude Tests".

The activation of the "power gene" via the serum was notorious for killing some participants. Which is why alot of training has to happen in the Pre-Tertiary school time period.

It is also why I wasn't surprised when the trainer the school hired, Mr. Agiyo appeared in the doorway.

Next to him, a woman I had never seen before with slightly wrinkled cheeks, black hair and fair skin called my name and I stood up saying "here" before walking out of the locker room and into the school's hallway.

The marbel floor whistled as whirring PlaSma teacher-bots and human administrators ran and walked up and down the way. In front of me, Mr. Agiyo and the female administrator were talking, but my hands were shaking. My heart even seemed to be clawing its way through my chest cavity and out of my body.

"Um, ma'am?" I asked timidly. She was taller than me, about 5'11-ish, so I had to talk up at her. "How will the serum affect my physiology? I've only ever had blood work done, but I've never been troublesome with needles,".

That was a lie. I couldn't stand needles.

"I never asked that. Weird thing to bring up, kid. But if you're trainer has done his job, the nanobots will simply morph your body to whatever it needs to be to sustain them," she responded, as she glanced back at me.

"No need to worry, Darla," Mr. Agiyo bellowed and laughed as he smacked his protruding gut and stroked his 8 'o clock shadow stubble.

"I-it's, Dexter," I murmured quietly.

"I've trained with the best of the best. Have I told you the story of how I met the one and only Milas Baxter? Too bad the old family died in that shipwreck though and he remarried," he said.

"Yes, you have mentioned it four times already," I be moaned before the woman responded with her own thoughts.

I had never seen the school hallway so busy before. It must be because of testing today. The woman proceeded to let me into a small room with no windows and a long-tiled floor. The shaking shiver in my hands returned as I stared at the cold metal gurdy in the room's center. Only being lit up by dank flourescent lights that gave the gray concrete room reluctantly adopt an eerie orange glow. My heart had gone from it's own slow and tired trudge to a frantic panic.

The woman gestured toward the center if the room while Mr. Agiyo put his hand on my shoulder and turned me toward him. "Im sure you'll do great. You'll live," he said before going to exit the room. "Probably!" He laughed as the door closed behind him.

My body may change forever, but at least the people I'm meant to trust will always betray and walk out on me.

She led me to a long metal seat in the center of the room that I was supposed to lay down on and was next to a small table with a metal tray on it.

Like most pieces of tech, the chair had engrained in it "powered by PlaSma Tech". The voice, once again, was silent. As I layed down I eyed the metal tray. There was a small vial there marked with my name and was filled with a yellowish liquid and a needle was right next to it. I stroked the scar on my chin that almost reached the corner of my mouth. A final moment from my father before being shoved on a plane to New Midland.

If she was right, then my body would change and this scar would be gone. I would miss it.

From under the table the administrator gave a me a cup of clear liquid and said "Drink this," as she readied the needle by filling it with the liquid from the vial.

It may have looked like water but it was anything but. I could feel it moving even while I was sitting perfectly still in the cup. "Drink it. It is a water based substance filled with several nano machines that will make sure the substance doesn't kill you when I inject it".

"Oh-oh," I said, before downing it. And she wasn't kidding. The stuff tasted like a glass of warm sweat. Salty too.. I put the cup down and soon after, the administrator inserted the needle into my arm and I could feel every bit of the liquid rush through my bloodstream.

And it fucking hurt!

I could feel it stretching and eating at my tendons, ligaments, bones, muscles, and brain. I didn't know awakening my dormant abilities would really hurt so much. I was hot and sweating. The liquid was melting my veins and and squeezing my lungs.

It twisted my stomach and shook my spine. I could even hear it restricting my jawline.

And just as suddenly as it started, it ended. I was perfectly fine. Sure I was tired, could barely move, and had a headache. But other than that? Mazel Tov. The woman administrator handed me actual water and a roll of bread, and I wolfed it down. After sitting up for a while I felt alot better. But once I was on my feet the administrator rushed me out. It didn't help that my body felt like my brain had detached from my body.

I walked down the hallway and eventually it was my turn to display my combat abilities.

"Please stand in the center of the Demonstration Arena," a voice in a loud speaker said.

On the opposite end of the arena where I had entered, I could see a mother and father ushering their obviously discouraged kid out. Even though he was so far and in the shadows, I could see his mangled fingers and skinny frame. Whether he passed or not, I wasn't sure.

The arena itself had a floor made out of polished marble and spread for at the least a hundred or so meters in length and width. Several cameras and monitors surrounded the arena and the open sky above the arena allowed the sun to shine down into the arena. About three levels above me sat the five judges in the audience looking over some papers on a tablenin front of them. However, I could not see their faces.

"Hello Dexter Xin. It appears you got a... less than desirable written test score. A flimsy 145 out of 300," the man in the center said. "If you want to get into the Tertiary Voyager Program, you will need to completely ace this combat evaluation. We wish you luck,".

"Yeah luck. 'Cuz that's going to totally help," I mumbled to myself sarcastically. Then from a trap door in the far side of the arena, a drenug with a light blue arm arose and came charging at me.

I barely had time to react before it landed a right hook onto my head that was so strong and hard my head almost touched the ground and I stumbled back. But by the time I looked up again, my nose was broken by an elbow that plunged into my face.

My heartrate shot up and I fell on my butt. I needed to get my bearings, but I couldnt even get up as now its foot was pressed on my jugular. I thrust my hands on its heels trying to keep it from totally crushing my neck.

I started yelling at the drenug. Yelling away my anger, yelling with passion and disgust, and completely yelling away my pain from my nose and bleeding mouth.

And suddenly, its foot was off my neck and I could get up. I barely remember what happened, but appearantly I sent out a shockwave of some sort?

QUICK QUICK! LET ME TAKE OVER! I CAN HELP YOU! WE WILL DIE IF YOU KEEP THIS UP!

The voice in my head was suddenly alot louder. As if he was actually around me and yelling in my ear.

"Go ahead man. I already know I can't do this," I whispered. "Do it when I say so though," I said as I charged the drenug.

It's body was barely being held together, but it still somehow had the tenacity to charge me. I jumped into the air right before we met in the middle and screamed: "NOW!"

And suddenly everything went dark and I could sort of feel myself falling asleep.