The Genesis Saga

Metal grinding against metal deafened the hostages as the latch of the truck was unlocked. As the doors opened, a blast of hot, dry air filled the truck, transforming the interior from pretty warm to downright sweltering nearly instantly.

Adrian blinked back tears as light coming in from the outside flooded the truck. Temporarily blinded, he could hear someone yelling in the distance for them to get off the truck. As the spots in his vision faded, Adrian could make out three men waiting outside. A man dressed in a white lab coat stood flanked by two armed men holding semi-automatic assault rifles. He had thick-rimmed glasses and dark circles under his eyes, giving off the vibe of an overworked researcher. The men next to him were dressed in mottled brown camouflage and sported tan-coloured bullet-proof vests. They wore serious expressions that did nothing to put Adrian at ease.

“Ashford,” the researcher called out impatiently, “get them out of the truck.”

The guard to his left levelled his gun at the group and said “All of you step back. Go into the back of the truck or you will be shot. This is your only warning.” The other guard followed suit and raised his gun.

Adrian looked down and saw a small red dot trained on his chest. Eyes widening, he scurried backwards, pushing into others to get them out of the way. Adrian’s movement broke the spell holding the prisoners in place and a mad scramble broke out as the throng pressed as far back into the truck as possible. None of the occupants were bothered by the proximity of the other captives; they wanted to be as far away from the guns as possible.

Being one of the people closest to the doors of the truck, Adrian reluctantly found himself towards the front of the crowd. While he no longer had a marker aimed above his breast, Adrian was still nervous about being exposed. He didn’t have any bodies in front of him to take the shots if the soldiers outside starting firing.

With practiced ease, the soldier that had given them the warning jumped into the truck. He made short work of the ramp and returned to his spot next to the researcher. “Alright, everybody out of the truck. Stand out front and wait for further instructions. Do not speak. If you run, you die.”

Adrian hesitated, advancing only when a sharp nudge from behind pushed him forwards. Glaring over his shoulder, Adrian slowly shuffled his way forwards. The ramp was steep and difficult to walk down. The cuffs still around his legs made the descent awkward and dangerous. He managed to make it down the ramp without issue and moved towards the side to make room for the others.

He looked around properly for the first time. The sun bore down on him through a clear sky, not a single cloud in sight. The clear blue ran a stark contrast against the omnipresent shades of brown and tan that covered the ground. The arid environment had little in the way of plant life and was dominated by sand and rock, as far as the eye could see. Dust and sand swirled in the dry, gentle breeze, small twisters occasionally appearing.

He eyed a lone cactus in the distance. Shrubbery peppered the ground to his left, more brown than green. Thin, hardy plants that eked out what little water they could to survive. They were the only source of life that Adrian could see, his untrained eyes unable to spot the well-hidden critters that called this place their own.

The heat of the desert rippled and warped the scenery around him, indiscriminately scorching all that lay in its path. A sheen of sweat already coated his head despite his short time outside, which he discovered as he wiped his brow.

The most stunning thing, however, was the large mountain that was directly in front of Adrian. The mountain was a dull, reddish brown. Craning his head upwards, the peaks felt impossibly tall. Different shades could be seen in the layers that made up the mountain, a testament to its age.

Jutting out of the mountain slightly was large, two-story building made from bricks that matched the mountain behind it. From afar, this building would look like a part of the mountain. Even from up close, Adrian’s eyes slid off the building onto the mountain surrounding it. The line between building and mountain was blurred.

There were no roads leading to it, only sand and rock. Already, the tracks made by the truck were being reclaimed by Mother Nature, slowly but surely disappearing in the wind. Soon there would be nothing to show.

The rest of the building appeared to be carved directly into the side of the mountain. Adrian couldn’t tell how far in it might have gone; he assumed he would find out once they went inside.

There were no windows on the front of the building and a single, tan-coloured steel door could be seen. Adrian might have missed it altogether had it not been for the two armed guards that stood to either side. The door itself was slightly off-centre. Whatever this building was, someone had gone through great lengths to keep it hidden.

The rest of the captives shambled off of the truck and joined Adrian in the unbearable heat. The rustling and clinking of chains was the only sound they made as they moved into place.

The researcher coughed, clearing his throat, “Now that you’re all here, I’m going to explain what’s going to happen next.” The crowd visibly perked up at this. Finally, some answers, Adrian thought. It was about time somebody told him what was going on.

“From here, you’re going to form a line and enter the building, one at a time. Please do be faster at this than you were getting off the truck,” the researcher sniffed imperially. “My time is precious, and you’re all wasting it by being slow. Once you’ve entered the building, you will be placed in a waiting room. You will make small lines of no more than five and stay behaved while you are called into the next room one at a time. Come on now, let’s go,” he finished, snapping his fingers twice.

The group meandered about for several seconds before organizing themselves into a line. Adrian made sure to move more towards the middle, avoiding being first in line for whatever they had in store. Adrian noticed Lily and Stanley not far from him. John was more towards the other end of the line, not entirely last but close enough. Adrian would have liked to count how many people were in line, but he decided against it. He didn’t want to stick his neck out by doing something his captors might not like.

“You there,” the soldier named Ashford pointed, “get moving first. The rest of you, follow suit.” His finger was trained on the woman closest to the building’s entrance. With a bitter expression on her face, she reluctantly made her way towards the door. The people behind her, Adrian included, followed after her.

As she approached the door, one of the guards leveled their gun at the group, finger on the trigger, while the other opened the door. The guard that opened the door went inside first, the remaining guard supervising the group as he did so.

An incomprehensible shout came from inside. The remaining guard standing watch took that as a signal to let the captives through. “Go inside, one at a time. Make no sudden movements. Do not go anywhere other than directly towards my colleague,” the man said in a loud voice. “Go,” he said curtly, his gaze shifting briefly to the woman at the front of the line before returning to the group. Not once did he lower his gun.

The first thing that struck Adrian as he entered was the cool, refreshing air. Vents on the ground delivered relief as the cooling system worked overtime in this heat. The interior opened up into a large lobby. In front of him was a long wall with two elevators. The wall was made of polished black granite, white and gold streaks forming mesmerizing patterns across its length. At the top of the wall just under the ceiling was polished silver trim. In the center of the plating was a glowing, blue line. The soft, pulsing light followed a steady rhythm, fading in time to an unknown beat.

Directly to his right was a reception. A large, chest high counter made of white granite contrasted starkly with the walls. Shaped in a semi circle, it was peppered with grey, black and silver flecks. A young woman sat behind the counter surrounded by several computer monitors, typing fervently. She made no move to acknowledge Adrian’s existence, her eyes never leaving the screens they were glued to.

Halfway up the front of the desk was yet another silver trim with a blue light running the length of the desk. Adrian looked back and forth between the light coming from the desk and the light above the elevators, noticing that they both pulsed in time with one another.

Looking beyond the desk, he saw a small waiting room furnished with several uncomfortable looking white chairs. A huge statue made from white metal stood in front of the desk, proudly displaying its magnificence. A large crescent stood tall, a metal rod connecting both ends. In the center of the rod was a glowing blue orb that thrummed with a barely contained energy. It was surrounded by three concentric rings, each tilted on a different angle.

A blue line of light flowed along the outer edge of each ring and the face of the crescent. Gently, slowly, the pale light of the orb and rings faded in and out, in time with the walls and desk; the orb never fully dimming. The ghostly effect gave the room an ethereal feel. Somehow, Adrian could tell these were no simple neon lights.

The figures on his left quickly stole his attention as he reminded himself of where he was. He made his way towards the others, who were standing near the far wall in an area void of furniture. He quickly saw that there was one line of five and one line of two. The wall behind the guards was made of glass, giving Adrian a view of the corridor that lay beyond. Under the watchful gaze of the guard, Adrian want towards the smaller line, placing himself behind the two others.

Adrian watched on as the remaining people filed in. By the time everyone was present and accounted for, Adrian counted five full lines and a sixth line of three. Twenty-eight other souls had met the same fate as him. He wondered briefly how they all got caught, what their stories were. Perhaps he would get the chance to talk to them later.

The researcher and his guards came in last and made their way to the front. “Everybody’s here, good,” the researcher said pleasantly, checking his watch. “It only took you two minutes and forty-nine seconds. Congratulations, you were faster than the last group.” The man looked on upon the shackled group, finding that none of them were as pleased by this as he was. His brows furrowed slightly. “Right then, you’ll be brought one at a time into the next room before finally being brought to your rooms. That will be all for now. Once we need you, we’ll come get you and bring you there. From here on out, you’re no longer my responsibility. Ashford will be the one in charge,” he said.

Ashford nodded at this, his brown eyes casting a sweeping glance over the room. Adrian felt the hairs on his neck rise. This man looked at them with cold indifference. They meant nothing to him. Adrian knew that if it came down to it, this man wouldn’t hesitate to kill him. He’d probably sleep better at night if he did. He didn’t like that look.

Adrian immediately put Ashford on his shortlist of people not to mess with. The list was dubious, having almost every person he had encountered since his kidnapping on it, but he put that man right at the top. He made eye contact with Ashford as he looked around the room and held his gaze for a brief second before looking away.

The researcher turned towards the glass wall and hurriedly walked through the doors as they slid open. Adrian watched him scurry down the corridor before turning to the right once he got to the end.

The guards shared a look before one of them stepped forward towards the woman at the front of the first line. “Go to the second door on the right,” he said to her. Hesitantly, the woman stepped towards the glass doors. Flinching slightly as they opened, she walked through, the guard following behind her.

Adrian watched her walk down the hall and disappear into the room. This process repeated itself with every person in front of him, each one going into the same room. He didn’t know what they were doing in the room, but it wasn’t taking an exorbitant amount of time per person. Adrian grew nervous as his turn approached.

After over an hour, it was finally Adrian’s turn to be taken. He followed the guard through the glass doors, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He worried the guard could hear it. What were they going to do to him? Where had the others gone afterwards? He had so many questions, but knew he’d never find the answers.