CHAPTER SPECIAL II: Midnight

Midnight looked down below as countless clouds of smoke and smog rose from the ashes of collapsed and upright buildings alike, some skyscrapers blasted to the bone.

Landmarks, monuments, and legacies, all trampled underfoot by the technology of war. Bombs did not care what was important and what was not, they destroyed as they were made to.

Midnight prepared to jump.

Covered in the murk of his jet-black spikes, his mind was put at peace by the thoughts in his head.

I must deal the finishing blow on the last of the politicians, and cement my victory in stone.

Then, and only then, would rest come on him and this nation.

They were in good hands with the TA afterwards.

Katlin.

He missed her so much.

He wanted to talk to her again.

His fondest memories with her had fueled his riot with powers beyond his mandatory obligation. They were not of their wedding, and not of their honeymoons. They were the hours spent on end as she stayed by his side to teach him her programming tricks. They were the moments spent together as they picked up Nora from swimming. They were the times they argued about which anime character would beat who. It was the second she looked at him with that curious unmasked smile after completing a massive group project in eleventh grade.

Veltos, are you happy for yourself? To what end does your sick insatiable lust for entertainment end? One thing's for sure. These memories will never be torn down and forgotten. He will do whatever it takes to keep these memories from him, even if they are like torture to keep hold of.

Terece scoured the store, eyes darting back and forth along the shelves as he stroked his short black beard and played with his ponytail. His objective: to find a cake for Nora's very special day! She was thirteen now. He knew exactly what she wanted. Her favorite color was baby blue. Combo that with some silky lavender frosting, and you've got your first box checked. He examined the frosting carefully. She liked the light whipped fluffy kind, not the thick, sugar-dense, crusty crap that most cakes were topped with nowadays. Finally, the cake had to be SOFT. This brand was always reliable when it came to quality. Sometimes, it was worth spending the extra dollar.

After he made his decision, he speed-walked to the car without any delay. Nora was almost home from school! He had set up everything with Katlin, The doorway, the table, the food, contacting all the parents of her friends. He wanted to make this just as memorable as when his mother and father surprised him on his birthdays. No, he was going to one-up them. He had already spent the past week arranging the activities in secret. Stepping into his house, he was greeted with the scent of delicious meat and pastry scents. Something of every flavor was whisking into the air by way of the ceiling fan as he made his way to the kitchen to pull out his pastries. As he reached for one, Katlin swatted his hand away.

"All of these are for the kids!" She exclaimed.

"But… but… I made these!" Terece teased. He reached again, only for his hand to touch the burning metal tray as he scooped one up. The pastry launched through the air, falling towards the floor. Terrace's other hand swiped for the treat, only to be intersected by his wife's lightning-fast reflexes. If it's about food, she goes the extra mile. Within a second, the miniature treat disappeared into Katlin's mouth, Terece keeling in shock. Weren't these for the kids? Terece grinned and Katlin smiled guiltily as she was captured in his tight embrace. He wouldn't let her go until he was satisfied. A knock on the door sent both of their faces into shock. The guests were here! One by one, her friends piled in over the course of the next few minutes. Some would inevitably arrive fashionably late to the party. Nora was on the swim team, so there would be a few coming in with her while not spoiling the surprise. This was the first surprise party they were throwing for her, after all. All the others were shared and planned by her until this point. The door burst open, and one of the friends sounded the alarm. They all quickly gathered around the front door, waiting second after second to unleash havoc on the poor unsuspecting birthday girl. The sound of a door creaking open broke through the silence of everyone holding their breaths. But the front door was still closed. Terece looked behind him, only to see his daughter standing behind them all. Those swim team brats, they let her do that on purpose. Regardless, he erupted in laughter as they all turned and shouted.

"H

A

P

P

Y

B

I

R

T

H

D

A

Y

!

!

!"

Nora's cheeks and ears glowed red as Terece hit the switch and the room went dark for a split second before a series of colors flashed around the room, a long string of colored lights lining the crease where the walls met the ceiling. Katlin did an excellent job programming these! Music vibrated the walls as Terece's huge stereo was put to good use. He had her friends choose the songs, as he had no idea what kids this young listened to at the moment. But all seemed to be working well, no one was cringing just yet. Nora was still flustered as she covered her nose and mouth with her hands, hiding her overload of excitement. Her parents went in with a big hug, the two fist-bumping behind Nora's back. They soon went off and let the kids enjoy themselves as they talked beside the party games.

"Thirteen. That's crazy."

"I know. Now we gotta save up for her first car…" Katlin growled, "I don't even have a decent car yet."

"Well then, it's solved! Let's get you a new one… and she takes that piece of-!"

"It's not that simple, Terry. Mine is so cute! I could never replace it."

"Oh, you're going to replace it. It's no longer an option now." Terece pouted.

"Yeah, sure it is. Oh, and, what card did you make Nora this time?"

Terrace smugged up, "Oh you'll see… It won't make a mess on the carpeting like last time!"

Katlin inhaled sharply, "Oh… Oh god. That makes me even more worried. And the present?"

Terece knew exactly how to respond to that. He replied with a Grinch's grin.

"Even worse!"

As the couple ranted, one of Nora's little friends walked up to them.

"Terry-man, do we have any ice cream?" The girl asked shamelessly.

"The fudge did you just call me?" Terece put on a serious face and crossed his arms jokingly.

"O-oh, uh… sorry. Mister Terry. Can we have some ice cream?"

"Nope!" he said proudly. Katlin shoved him forewords.

"Well, Mister Terry-man would be HAPPY to get you some. Right, Terry~man?" She emphasized on that last part. Terece couldn't help but laugh.

"Finnne. I'll be back in a fewww… wait till I get back to open the presents!"

Terece closed the door and sunk down into the seat of his little black car, resting his eyes for a bit before turning on the headlights. It was already turning dark, and he was thoroughly exhausted from all the decoration. Through the glass of the rear-view mirror, violet eyes watched from behind. The figure sat cross-legged with his hands on his knee, the air of powerful impatience just now catching Terece's attention. Too late. Or rather, there was no chance to begin with.

"Remain calm." Terece only heard two commanding words from the violet-eyed man, and the rest went into obscurity.

Terece woke up sore and confused. He was in a plain black room with a few small bright lights and a large tinted window covering half of one wall. He wasn't alone. Many others woke up as an unknown amount of time went by. They all had the same dark gray skin-tight suit with deep blue accents. Some were men, others were women, with a few children in the mix. Murmuring began to follow, as confusion festered. That voice, the one in the car, broke through the chatter on the speakers above.

"Hello and welcome, subjects. I will keep things short and sweet. You all have been numbered, 1-100. You will be going through courses and training here so that you all may develop a familiarity with a certain power you have all been given. Look at the back of your necks." The man behind the speaker waited as Terece and some others took the time to do as the man said. A uniform scar, on every single person.

"You have been modified with technology that… requires some testing. I will need your guys' help to test it! All of you were the top one hundred individuals that were most compatible with this procedure in particular. You have also been genetically modified, for reasons you will learn later on. Now, the good news is, everyone that passes all their testing will be freed! Isn't that great? Ehhhhh? What were you thinking just now? What about the bad news? Hmmm… Welllll. I guess I'll let you in on it. Only one of you will be able to graduate! So you better be the top of your class. So long for now!!!"

And the speakers cut off, just like that. Confusion turned into an outbreak of hysteria as panic swept through the glossy black room, plunging its people into their own isolated despairs. Terece watched as the people around him turned into shouting, feral creatures. Some were disassociating from the situation, frozen in their own little world. Some people yelled at the speaker. A hotheaded bastard told the speaker man to go fuck himself. Only to him, the violet-eyed man spoke.

"Subject 78, kill yourself.'' His command became law. The man knelt down, bashing his head on the polished stone floor. Everyone stepped back, afraid of the man's sudden possession. Nose crooked and blood pooling, the man did not relent. With every blow, uneasy grunts and howls escaped the man's lips, a song of the insane. The man collapsed and rolled over on his back, still lifting his head straining to bring it down on the floor just one more time. One turned into two, two to three, until the man moved and vocalized no more. Everyone would be quick to learn the weight behind the violet-eyed man's words, for words became commands, those commands became law, and law was to be followed, no matter the consequences. This violet-eyed man's words were not only heard, they were also projected directly into the mind. An unavoidable power, an inescapable fate. The man had them all wrapped around his finger with those watchful violet eyes. Terece's hope of seeing his family dimmed by the second.

Many faces, a pool of gritting teeth, wrinkled gasping frowns, and fearful, hateful eyes. Amongst the panic, one man's whistle sounded.

"Excuse me! Excuse me, everyone! Don't yell like that. It won't do us any good. We need to figure out our situation, and what we can do to get ourselves out of here. My name's Reuben. Now, taking turns, does anyone know where we are or how we got in here?"