Chapter 33: Core Issues
Elias rubbed the back of his neck, his thoughts spiraling. They're studying us. Watching our habits. Maybe they're waiting to see if we change how we act over time. He glanced around at the vast, high-tech space of Cell Block A. And this place was built before any of this even started... strange.
"I really hope this doesn't all go south eventually," he muttered to himself. He exhaled deeply, trying to push away the growing unease in his chest. "Though I'm sure—"
His train of thought shattered when the familiar voice of the knife-throwing man cut through the room.
"Hey, you want a beer or something? You've been standing there staring at us."
Elias blinked, glancing toward the lounging group. The man from earlier sat casually on a reinforced couch, lazily tossing his knife into the air again. A faint scrape echoed as the tip nicked the ceiling before he caught it with ease.
Beside him, a younger man with white hair blew a bubble with his gum, letting it pop before leaning back lazily. "Oh yeah, you're the new guy, right? Elias, was it? Name's Colby Tunsil." He jabbed a thumb toward himself. "And this here's Spock," he added, gesturing toward the small white Ikona perched on his shoulder.
The creature blinked slowly before settling comfortably.
Colby shrugged and turned back to his game console, his attention drifting from Elias just as quickly as it had arrived.
Elias shook his head with a faint smile. "No, thanks. Just getting a feel for everything. Kind of surprised to see so much... stuff in here."
"Well, they probably just want to keep us happy while they run their tests," the knife-thrower chimed in, spinning his blade in his palm. "Deciding if we're worth keeping alive or not, I guess. Not that I'm too worried about it. We're too valuable for them to do anything drastic. And hey, I'm betting they'll use us to track down the other Ikona. But me?" He shrugged, throwing the knife into the air again. "I'm just hoping to get this over with and head back home."
Elias nodded, folding his arms. "I suppose that makes sense. It's probably the most logical move when people with powers start popping up. But wouldn't it make sense to keep up with training? A solid workout regimen? Something?"
The knife-thrower smirked, catching his blade mid-air. "Not all of us are military brats looking to endlessly 'improve.' If there's no gain, I'm not interested. I'll just chill."