Chapter 5. The things hybrids can do

Catching a telepath off guard is nearly impossible: Arriz woke up the second the door to his room opened. He wasn't woken up by a sound, because it happened noiselessly. He just felt an unfamiliar presence by his side, and at a time like this it meant problems.

"Light!" he commanded.

The computer obeyed immediately, filling the bedroom with warm yellow light, while the artificial window still showed darkness outside.

Arriz didn't think about the time right now, his attention was concentrated solely on the uninvited guest standing in front of him. It was the tall hybrid that attacked him a day earlier! He came to Arriz's room, broke the lock and, in spite of being detected, was in no hurry to leave. On the contrary, he closed the door behind him. He was still wearing the black part of his uniform, but took off the red jacket – his main identification sign.

"You're quick," he commented. His dark eyes were free of any emotions. "My compliments."

Arriz jumped off the bed, trying to figure what he could do. So far he was just glad that he was sleeping in sports pants and a lose t-shirt, which allowed him to run out of the room any moment he wanted. But would the hybrid permit that? Those twins could be waiting in the hallway!

The hybrid noticed his concern and smiled.

"Relax, no need to fear me. I'm your only friend here."

He put his palms together, then moved his hands apart and pressed a fist to an open palm. His actions would seem strange to most people, but Arriz recognized what he was doing instantly. It was a secret greeting of the Organization created for agents on missions! And now the telepath was facing the spy he'd been warned about back on Earth…

"It's… you?!"

"Yes," the hybrid nodded. "Iutah Kerengree – at your service."

"I wouldn't call it much of a service," Arriz looked at the bruises covering his arms.

"I'm sorry about that. I wasn't happy about it, but I have a certain reputation I have to maintain."

He was very different from the hybrid that attacked Arriz. There was no aggression or spite in him, he was calm and collected, like any member of the Organization should be.

"And the twins?" Arriz couldn't help asking that.

"They have nothing to do with us. And naturally, they have no idea who I really am. Nobody knows – and no-one should know, as well as about our connection. But I recognized you the moment I saw you, by the great stamina you possess. They say you're the son of Derek Songo. It's an honor to meet you."

"Right," Arriz sat back onto his bed, studying the hybrid carefully. "I like this talk better than our previous meeting."

"I told you, I was acting upon the circumstances. On that day, just like on any other, everything was supposed to go according to my script."

"You've got a script for this?"

"Of course I do. I was really impressed by how you reacted to this attack."

"You beat me and left me hanging there!"

"Yes, but you didn't go to the headmistress after that, you didn't complain. That was noted by them. Tomorrow you'll get a chance to win their appreciation: you'll defeat me in a duel."

"I? Defeat you?"

"That's what I said," Iutah nodded. "You'll run across me at the gym. I'll start mocking you and then challenge you. You'll point out that our powers are too different. I'll promise that I'll only use human level of power. After that you'll defeat me, which will earn you the respect of other hybrids."

He was all professional about it, nothing personal. Arriz felt embarrassed: while he was drowning in anger and trying to adapt, Iutah analyzed the situation and found the best solution. His only excuse was that Iutah had already grown accustomed to the life on Ceres.

"I just need to get used to this," Arriz sighed.

"True. But so far you've been doing great. Despite you curator training, you haven't been given even half of the information you need to survive here. But don't worry about it, in the months you are to spend here you'll catch up and gather a lot of data for the Organization."

There was a question that kept returning to the telepath's mind, but he just couldn't gather the courage to voice it. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

"And you… Did you?.."

"I am a second level hybrid now, everything went according to plan."

He said it in an even voice, identifying his perfect self-control. An average human wouldn't be able to guess his emotions. But Arriz was a telepath, so he sensed a wave of disgust and self-loathing that came from his companion.

Even though Iutah became a hybrid, he continued hating them, just like he was supposed to. In his case, the Organization had no reasons to worry. For him, joining the project was the sacrifice he made for the sake of humanity. He wasn't going to view his classmates any different from the rest of hybrids.

And before the arrival of Arriz it was him against the world here.

"Don't you want to stop it?" Arriz asked.

"No. There's no need for pity. I agreed to this, I have no regrets, because I remember about my mission. I've already learned a lot. I hope I'll get a chance to destroy this generation."

His attitude was courageous and completely correct from the Organization's perspective. But Arriz still couldn't get it. Fighting your enemies is one thing… But pretending to be their friend just so you can kill them later is totally different! It was strange…

Iutah was most likely right. Their mission justified everything. But Arriz still felt awkward about it.

"Start talking," he said.

"About what?"

"The things you've learned. You've been hanging around hybrids for nearly two years!"

"And you really think I'm just going to tell you that?" the hybrid laughed.

"Why not? Or do you want me to earn your trust?"

"It's not about trust. First of all, I've already been staying in your room for too long. I fixed the cameras in the hallway so that they wouldn't catch me, but I don't have more than ten minutes left. Plus, you've already learned a lot today. Your memory won't handle the complete results of my two-years' observations. The knowledge should come in small portions, you have enough time for it – not like you're leaving tomorrow! You must find other sources of information, you and me shouldn't be seen together all that often. That's why you need to become friends with other students."

His logic was impeccable once again. They were of about the same age, but Iutah was on a totally different level when it came to his training. That was predictable: his mission was more important than the one Arriz was entrusted with.

"Understood. I hope your plan works and they'll accept me."

"My plans always work. And right now you should give me the things you were supposed to deliver."

Arriz completely forgot about that! Like any member of the project, Iutah wasn't allowed to bring any luggage on Ceres, so the Organization passed a special package to him. The telepath didn't try to figure its meaning: it was just a casual set of things. Shampoos, soap, a music player, an adventure novel and stuff like that. Though knowing how One Breed operated, Arriz suspected that those objects were not so harmless after all.

He didn't dare to ask about their purpose. If the Organization didn't inform him about it, he wasn't permitted to know.

"Perfect," Iutah said, looking pleased with his new possessions. "Everything I needed… As you can see, the Organization makes no mistakes!"

"Happy to hear that."

"You'll be very useful to it. I need to go, my time is running out. So far, the most important thing you need to know is our schedule. All hybrids in the generation are divided into teams. The teams mostly have separate classes, though to some lectures we go together."

"The teams are identified by different colors, right?" Arriz guessed.

"Precisely. As you could've noticed, we can talk to whomever we want, but the rules are very strict when it comes to classes. The schedule is displayed next to the cafeteria entrance, by the library or besides Laura's office."

"What's the principle behind dividing you into those teams?"

"By personal features and talents. For instance, I'm part of the Red Team, in the future we are to take the functions of the police. We are taught to fight and guard. There are also future rescuers, military, special forces… You'll figure that out soon. The number of students in teams is different, but I'm not sure why it happened so."

"What about the level? Can you say that hybrids from one team are stronger than the ones from another?"

"No, it's not that simple," Iutah explained. "I still don't have enough facts for comparison to build some clear hierarchy, we'll find them together. But I can already tell that each team has its strong warriors. We can't ignore them."

"I know. But now you have to go, don't you? You're the one worried we'll be spotted together!"

During their talk Arriz kept looking at his watch on the table. He didn't want any more trouble in the first days after his arrival!

Iutah didn't hesitate, he took the objects passed to him by the Organization and headed for the exit, but by the door he stopped.

"I'm glad you got here, Arriz. Together we'll destroy this nest of evil!"

He went away in good mood, satisfied by their meeting. And Arriz couldn't fall asleep till the morning.

He came to the cafeteria for breakfast on the same time the students were eating there. They weren't bullying him anymore, but his table was demonstratively empty. Arriz didn't let their tricks get to him, he acted calmly and emotionlessly. He was even glad he didn't have to deal with them so far!

The telepath had enough time to notice that they weren't sitting by the teams, they could move freely around the cafeteria. One table could be surrounded by jackets of all possible colors. However, some students took their food with them to the bedroom. One of them was a small and rather skinny boy that was wrapped in white bandages from head to toe, which made him look like an Egyptian mummy. He was wearing a black jacket, just like the twins, but he wasn't planning to join anyone. That could be explained by the fact he'd have to take off his bandages to eat, and he probably had something to hide under them.

Arriz didn't dare to approach anyone yet, he decided to follow Iutah's recommendations. First he needed to create a certain reputation and learn something about those students. Wrong company could become an obstacle in his way.

After the breakfast he studied the schedule carefully. The teams had various classes at the same time, with different teachers, while some of them had free time now. Arriz decided to join one of the lessons, because he didn't want to get into a fight with anyone before he challenged Iutah.

The seduction to join the Red Team to be around his companion was great, but the telepath denied it. He was an agent on a mission, he had no right to choose the easiest way. So he went to the classroom together with the Gray Team.

This group was large by local standards, it had ten hybrids in it. They were looking at the newcomer with curiosity rather than hostility, though they knew who he was. None of them came near him, they wanted to keep their distance.

Soon the teacher joined them. It was a tall and corpulent man in his forties, his head shaved bald and his skin the color of the sky at night. His brown eyes were shining on his face like burning coals, their expression slightly amused and wise. His broad smile was charming enough to make his impressive body size seem harmless.

"May I attend your class today?" Arriz asked.

"You're always welcome here. No beating here, I assure you!"

Arriz wasn't impressed by that joke, but smiled politely in return.

He walked into the classroom together with the hybrids and took a seat in a distant corner. There were more tables than students here, which brought no practical need for sitting together. They could do it out of friendship though, but nothing like that was to be observed in the Gray Team. They sat straight, their hands held in front of them on the desks, their eyes locked on the teacher. Well, at least there were no problems with discipline here!

"All here?" the teacher, Rokko Samuilantis, asked. "My favorite team again… You're the only ones who know how to listen properly! Today we're going to discuss this… Do you know what it is?"

He showed them a little rectangular device made of black metal. A girl sitting at the front desk raised her hand immediately. From his spot Arriz couldn't see her face, but he got a good look at her gorgeous hair – long and wavy, the color of coffee with milk.

"Yes, Rita," the teacher nodded at her.

"It's a civilian transmitter, commonly used in big cities," she reported. "It includes sound, visual and 3D connection, if the signal is strong."

"That's good. But is it used for communication only? Ayjekt, that's a question for you."

"No, the transmitter can also be used for storing data, analyzing voice authenticity, and as an element of…"

Arriz didn't listen anymore, he knew all of that from his own classes at the Academy. It looked like Rokko was teaching them the basics of technology. They'd need that back on Earth, when they return to the world of humans. In that discipline, their lessons were no different from what the curators were studying.

To entertain himself, he began looking around the classroom he was at. That place was actually quite interesting. It had soft orange walls covered in pictures which showed all the professions hybrids usually took – because they were better at it than humans.

Naturally, there were cops and the military on those pictures. Couldn't be any other way. Hybrids were physically stronger than humans, things they could do with bare hands normal humans wouldn't be able to perform even with weapons. Wounds healed on them in hours, and on the highest level hybrids – in minutes. Some people in One Breed believed in immortal hybrids, but there was no scientific proof of their existence yet.

There were also pictures of hybrids in special space suits. The Second Breed had done a lot for the study of the galaxy. Their bodies could survive in the conditions which would kill a human instantly. And even that faded in comparison to the fact that level eight hybrids could walk out into open space without any protection at all! Besides, they were all blessed with longevity, so they were able to participate in space missions that lasted for decades – and still return to Earth.

Hybrids were the first to land on Mars, they build the first base on the Moon, they even reached Pluto. Rumor had it that they had a secret station on Jupiter, but so far it was impossible to check.

They made great fire fighters because they were not afraid of flame, pain and death. They saved people after natural disasters, walked into damaged nuclear reactors, tested new medications and equipment on themselves. In other words, they kept trying to prove to the world how good they actually were.

When Arriz first learned about this, the doubt that appeared in his soul after his father's death grew. Maybe they weren't that horrible after all? They had done so much for humans! But his mother and other members of the Organization explained that it was just a disguise, an illusion for the crowd.

First of all, most of their "great achievements" weren't free of charge. Hybrids were paid by humans – and paid generously. Second, no living creature had the right to possess such monstrous strength. They use it for good today – but what will they do tomorrow? A hybrid turned criminal could cause great destruction, world history had already known such cases, even though they were rare.

It was impossible to tell who would choose the right road and who would start killing, so it was better not to take any chances and not grant this power to anyone. Hybrids should be destroyed for the sake of humanity! That's what One Breed believed and that's what Arriz forced himself to believe.

As the proof of their guilt, the Organization brought the fact that their origin was kept secret. Everyone knew that hybrids were made out of human children. But the process of that transformation was a mystery lost in the ices of Ceres. Those who have something to hide are always suspicious!

Arriz was now closer to this mystery than his father or anyone from the Organization. He was surrounded by kids who used to be humans and tried to figure the source of change in them. What kills human spirit and creates monsters? Iutah was still the same, loyal to his principles. Could the changes in personality be smaller than the Organization tried to show?

"Wrong thoughts again," Arriz told himself.

He'd reached so much by coming to Ceres… His participation in this project could destroy hybrids, and he had no right to doubt anymore!

"Wonderful as always," Rokko's voice brought him back to reality. "Proud of you, Gray Team! Do you remember about practical training and competitions? You'll be earning your points there. I'll be cheering for you!"

The telepath didn't know anything about the points system, but he didn't care so far. He'd figure that later, Arriz had more important things to do. The end of the lesson signaled the beginning of another fight for him.