CHAPTER 3: A Radiant Smile

"Doctor Meliger?" Califer called across the room.

"Yes?" The old man replied.

"I know our schedule is tight, but I feel as though we should explain our situation to our guest… He's in a pretty confusing and terrifying situation. We should clear this mess up as soon as possible..." Califer suggested, looking at a security screen into Alex's cell. The old man gave a little grin.

"Don't worry, I've sent Peter to brief him." Califer looked back at the screen. Sure enough, within five seconds the doors slid open and the force field activated. Peter Rogers walked through the barrier and into the room, his dirty-blond hair and smile radiating through the camera. He then proceeded to signal the camera. Califer pushed a button on the desk below the security screens. Suddenly, In two parts of the cell, the floor began to rise to form chair-shaped pillars of pure white. Alex was startled and in a defensive position, trying to keep his distance from the man.

"Hey, Alex. Relax. I'm not gonna hurt you… I've come to explain some things to you. I know you're confused and don't want to be here, but let me assure you that we are only doing this because we have no other choice" Peter tried to keep a reassuring voice, but Alex wasn't buying it.

"Here… have a seat… by the way, my name's Peter" Peter fell into one of the chairs, attempting to be as casual as possible. Alex hesitantly sat on the chair across, shifting his weight around to get comfortable on the hard surface.

"This might sound crazy, or fictional, but there are individual people who now directly pose a threat to this world's safety..." Peter paused, trying to explain what was on his mind. "These people defy what it means to be human. They possess strength unequal to anything we've ever seen before. They evade our government's military... and push their weight around while hurting or killing anything that opposes them, all while maintaining secrecy. These superhumans are created by an organization we know as The Foundation. They made two different prototype creations and are planning on creating more types of enhanced humans, or 'X's' the foundation calls them. Their first X creation, X-1, or project 'Midnight', rampaged through the Americas before somehow ending up being spotted In Ethiopia while doing hit and run tactics on major military and government establishments… He killed on average 60% of each base's residents, as well as completely destroying two of them..." Peter paused to let the information sink in. Alex absorbed the information, and based on the man's body language, he knew Peter wasn't making this up, regardless of how ridiculous or insane this entire situation was. The first real question he wanted to ask was where he fit into this, but they lured him in already, so first, he wanted to hear more. Gathering as much information as possible should be his top priority, he thought. He was also just oddly curious about these "X's" and how they work. There has been no news or information on such things, so he needed concrete proof that these things actually existed.

"You said they are people with inhuman ability, right? How so? You also said they were 'creations', what did you mean by that?" Alex asked, his tension waning yet still not completely diminished.

"The foundation captures people and then genetically enhances them before fusing them with something called an 'X enigma', or a piece of experimental technology or a special item that further gives them an advantage in combat or other things… to put in very over-simplified terms… Does that answer your question?" Peter replied. Alex was in disbelief that the world was advancing faster than he had thought. These practices were illegal, however, and he didn't know if the government knew about any of these practices, neither did he want to ask, as being too nosy could be dangerous. He then remembered something.

"Hey, Peter...where exactly are we?" Alex asked, concern rising suddenly in his gut.

"Hmm. I'm not sure I can tell you that, just for our safety, but I can say that we are not in Florida..." Alex's heart jumped. Not in Florida? His attention circled back to why he was here, and what they were going to do with him.

"Peter, why did they kidnap me?... Why are they locking me up in a cell for who knows how long now… Will I even be able to leave this place?" Alex asked, his breathing becoming uneasy. He couldn't stand the thought of being taken from his family and life so suddenly, and thought of the possibility that he might die here, in who knows where, without a single person that he knew around him or even knowing what happened. This made Alex start to panic. He wasn't even an adult, and yet he was not going to see the light of day again. Alex's eyes darted around as he held back tears. Peter leaned forward and put on a serious face.

"I'll get straight to the point. We need someone or something to stop X-1, or Midnight as we call him, from wreaking havoc. The Government tried everything to stop this man. Soldiers, planes, tanks, even bombs. He seems to have destroyed or evaded all of it. Ethiopia reached out to other nations for help, but negotiations are still underway. They're even thinking about sending a nuclear warhead, but he constantly retreats back into populated areas, before they can even try to use anything of that magnitude...It's extremely tenacious. We need someone who can keep up with him and either eliminate him or subdue him to the point where he can be trapped and eliminated."

"What do you mean? Are you saying... I'm going to become one of those… things…?" Alex was scared. What type of process would he have to endure in order to become something like what Peter had just described? He couldn't wrap his head around it. It was just too terrifying.

"Yes, Alex… I'm afraid so. Genetic enhancement is the easiest part. However, there is an 80% survival rate. It comes in the form of viral Injection. It does come with a lot of benefits, though. It will make your memory photographic, and aside from general physical and sensory enhancements, It will also make your body muscles unable to lose strength and endurance over dormant periods like it usually does, and it even allows your muscles to become more dense and compact over your resting periods. To top it off, This will also make you biologically immortal, meaning you don't age and aren't at risk of bacteria-based diseases or cancer. There are some other things you will gain during the treatment, that are a little unpredictable." Peter stared into Alex's eyes, seeing that there were still many unanswered questions written on his perplexed face.

"You're probably wondering how this is possible. There's another price to pay. Your metabolism will skyrocket, and you'll need to keep eating and drinking constantly or you will die within a pretty short amount of time. You should be able to survive without water for about two days and without food for about four days. But don't put absolute faith in those numbers. Your calorie loss depends on your activity." Alex was surprised to hear the survival rate being so high. Still, a one in five chance of death is relevant. The initial panic attack had subsided, but the uneasiness persisted. Alex stared off into blank space until coming to again and reengaging with Peter

"So, you said this was the easiest part, but what else is there? Didn't you say something about an X enigma?" Alex said quietly.

"Yes, that's exactly where you come into the picture… The X's each have their own unique type of power sourced from these objects, and so will you. We don't have or even know what the foundation used on Midnight to make him be so powerful. Four months prior to the time Midnight became a threat to countries, someone had found a crater in the ground inside a forest and explored it to find a small, white crystal with orange accents. A future employee of ours saw it and was entranced by it, so he decided to buy it off of the man. Only after our association's formation and the growing threat of midnight was this crystal discovered to be something that can work as an X enigma. We picked up energy unlike anything that we have seen before. It behaved in such a way that seemed living, almost..." Alex was at the limits of his comprehension.

"So, like, magic?" Alex asked, his previous emotions washed over by a feeling of curiosity, awe, and mystery.

"Not so much magic, as it is an unexplained science." Peter corrected him.

"And here's the strangest thing yet. It's a perfect example of what an X enigma would be. Its energy seems to gravitate towards living beings… It's as if it were trying to connect itself. So we tried touching it, but nothing really happened. After a lot of experimentation, we learned something critical: That it reacted in an unusual way when exposed to a combination of thermal energy and various wavelengths of electromagnetic energy. We called that combination of resonating energy the Exhibitor wave, or the EX wave for short. When someone touched it, the crystal merged into their flesh, but not completely, and it detached after seconds without harming the individual. We then decided to apply it in various other places of the body using the same technique. Every place was inadequate until we tried it on the back touching the spine. Apparently, it needs to connect to your central nervous system before synchronizing with you. Upon synching, the crystal emits an energy spike, the energy blankets the host. However, the person whom it bonded with died after too much exposure to the crystal's energy after the course of a week. After that, we decided not to let another person touch it until we figured out a way to safely harness that energy. We experimented more with the crystal itself and learned that the energy it gave off was attracted to certain people more than others. We also learned that different wavelengths of electromagnetic energy and decreasing the thermal energy together will also inhibit the crystals' energy spikes and surges, which we dubbed as Inhibitor waves, or IN waves. We then designed a procedure that has combined what we learned. We tried it out again, this time using a person the crystal's energy was strongly attracted to and using both EX and IN waves to bond the crystal to the person. It worked much more efficiently. So basically, heating and cooling it while combining certain wavelengths of light at the right times will cause a successful bond. We kept him exposed to IN waves after that and slowly weaned him off of it when we noticed that the person was starting to adapt to the crystal. After about two months he seemed completely fine, so we had stopped his exposure to IN waves… and then the two-week mark hit after he stopped getting the wave therapy, and he died, just like that. We guessed it was some sort of spontaneous rejection. The crystal's host wasn't as suitable as we'd thought." Alex was frightened by what he was hearing. Was there ever going to be a success with this experiment? This was absolutely crazy.

"So what makes me different from the rest? How do you know I won't just die, too?" Alex said in a slightly aggravated voice.

"We flew a plane around the cities of the world flying relatively low to the ground. We had the crystal and sensors connected to it to read where the energy was the strongest. We found a huge spike in energy around your area that we hadn't seen in any other area. We did some specific location tracking using a van, and sure enough, you were the cause of the spike. You walked right past it one time and it surged in your direction. You are one in billions of people that we had searched. If that doesn't show compatibility, I don't know what does." Peter explained in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. Alex was left dumbfounded. How lucky (or unlucky) do you have to be in order to qualify for that? Alex started laughing, almost maniacally. He put his face down into his palms and just sat there, trying to make sense of all this information.

"Honestly...what the hell." is all that Alex could muster.

"This needs to be done. After Midnight takes control of Ethiopia, he'll probably try to knock down any other nearby governments that seem weak enough. He doesn't care about the casualties, either. He's killed two hundred thousand in just these last couple months, including some civilians that were caught in the crossfire, and is estimated to have a casualty rate that grows exponentially as time goes on. He is presumably fighting and growing stronger as we speak."

"How come nobody has heard or seen any of this in public?" Alex asked, wondering how that was even possible.

" He is good at not drawing attention to himself. He might be wanting to keep a low profile until the right moment. The governments are aware of him, but even they don't know much about him. The government is keeping this under wraps to avoid panic. After all, our only decisions are to either nuke the cities he hides in and suffer the civilian casualties, or to find a weapon capable of precisely detaining him. You will be that weapon. Now do you see?" Peter scoffs at Alex.

"And what about an actual weapon alternative?" Alex proposed.

"There are good prototypes that can defeat Midnight as he is now. However, a weapon is only as good as the one who wields it. Even trained professionals can't keep up with the surreal movements that Midnight is capable of. Also, it's not like we can make multiple of them and then corner him. We simply lack the funding to do something like that. Those prototypes cost more than it costs to make an X"

"Yet you are able to sacrifice the lives of people in order to get the power you need?" Alex pointed out.

"Hey, we're backed into a corner here. How many soldiers have died in combat facing Midnight? Far too many. And it's not like having our government's soldiers try out the crystal will do any better. They'll just die because they all aren't that compatible. Trust me, they were the first to be tested for compatibility. We also can't just have ones that seem loosely compatible accepting this task. If we don't keep an iron grasp on the information of this experiment, The Foundation will find out what we are planning, and they will most likely attack us, which is something that we're not ready for. I should add that The Foundation kidnaps the victims of their experiments, and they don't care if people die during the process. Our number of failed attempts is minuscule compared to theirs. I just thought I should clear that up." Peter responded, his voice as passionate as it was attentive. It was clear that Peter believed in this mission, and that he would stand by it to the death.

"What is the foundation even trying to do, and what about Midnight? What are his goals?" Alex said. He wondered why the foundation existed in the first place, and what was it hoping to gain from this. Alex leaned forward in his chair. The anticipation was gnawing at his gut. His body both desperately desired action and was frozen in place from fear. His thoughts raced in his head, unable to reach a certain conclusion.

"That is something that we've tried to discover for ages now. The details aren't clear, but we know this much. The head of the foundation wants to create an army of diverse and specialized soldiers. We don't know what he plans on doing after that. As for Midnight, he was given a general task, but can do all he wants aside from that. He was told to take down one country that he chose, I guess that means they are testing out his strength and efficiency. What makes matters worse is that the damage he did in the Americas was just him doing personal stuff. Even though he's very intelligent, he's still pretty reckless..." Peter paused. He had finished the basic summary of what was happening. Alex stood up straight and stretched. There were still some things on his mind, though.

"I'm going to need concrete evidence that what you're telling me is true..." Alex said.

"Sure thing, you can see the crystal soon. You can also see the pictures taken of the destroyed bases and government facilities. If that's not enough, then think of something more. However, I personally think that the crystal is good enough evidence on its own. You'll know what I'm saying when you see it." Peter explained. Alex looked away and thought about anything he may have missed. And then it occurred to him.

"Hey, Peter. Will I be able to visit my family anytime soon?" Alex asked. He had a younger brother and his parents to worry about back at home. Derek was always troublesome and didn't get along with him as well as Alex would've liked, but he was all Alex had. Derek had a skill set of his own, impressing Alex from time to time. He could handle himself if need be. His parents would be okay, but how would they react to Alex's absence?

"... And how are you guys going to solve the issue of my disappearance?" Alex said. He wondered if they would do something intricate.

"We are going to let you see your parents one more time. In fact, that ties into our 'disappearance' plan. You're seventeen now, you can convince them you're going to join the military. After all, you almost are, in a way. We have some connections with trusted military officials that are keeping our association hidden, and have plans on officializing your role as a combatant, when or if we decide to reveal ourselves to the rest of the government." Peter explained. His smile was one of experience as well as casual friendliness. It shone through Alex, rubbing off some of that confidence.

"Just so you know..." Alex exclaimed "I don't fully trust you guys yet. Hell, I don't even know anything about any of you all personally. This all sounds crazy, but you're being completely serious. I could just make a run for it while talking to my parents, even if you do bring an escort. That's what I should do, but multiple reasons are telling me not to. I feel that you are telling the truth about this 'Midnight' character, and I can't just sit around, doing nothing as hundreds of thousands of people die as their government sits in the filth of their own agony and hopelessness towards the situation. That being said, I'm not the cliche hero. I am greedy, selfish, childish, and afraid. There's no helping that. We are weak, pitiful creatures… but allowing me to transcend many of humanity's basic physical weaknesses sounds appealing to me. Eternal youth? Who wouldn't want that? Photographic memory? I can finally study everything I've ever wanted without the pain of forgetting. Ever-increasing strength? Yes, please! So anyway, I'm going to decide to cooperate with you for the time being. Even if there is a high risk of death, the possibilities of this would allow me to achieve dreams I've only… well… dreamed of." Alex had always imagined a time where humans could be physically enhanced in order to make them more efficient, he had just never thought he would see the day. This opportunity was worth risking everything, in his opinion. He was a fool, but a pioneering one at that. Up until now, he had not taken true initiative in his life. Sure, he prepared for his future, earned great grades in school, and has maintained a somewhat good character around others. But he wanted to be more than just a person who lives just to live and dies nameless. He will be a forerunner, banishing his fears of death, decay, and loss of progress, living up to the potential that he himself chooses. Right now he may have a shy, peace-loving, and slightly anxious personality, but now he has time on his side. He could refine any skill he chooses to absolute mastery, and keep that mastery while constantly adding to his list of skills. But work comes first. He will have to get through Midnight and possibly the other X Peter mentioned in order to earn that opportunity. And it's not like The Foundation were done making their creations, either.

"So, when will we get started?" Alex asked, anticipation bursting from him.

"We will start the 'military recruitment' plan tomorrow. Don't worry, we've planned for this moment. We'll brief you with more details in the morning" Peter said, his voice getting a little more fatigued. "Oh, and Alex?..." Peter added. "Thank you for choosing this black chalice. Just make sure that you don't get carried away with the power you are going to receive... It takes mental prowess and wisdom to put great power to use. We're also trusting you not to expose us. Our intentions are noble, I can assure you. After all, we both seem to be benefiting from this situation, am I right? Explaining this to anyone would be a waste of your time anyway. Right now, you don't even have sufficient evidence." And with that, Peter walked closer to the door, which opened automatically as he walked past and eventually through the barrier.

So much for escape... Alex thought.

The next morning came all too suddenly. Alex hadn't slept very well. After all, who in their right mind would? He guessed it was the anxiety about his situation, but he felt as if it were more than just that. Quite simply, he was still overwhelmed by the extremity of the events laid before him. None of it felt real. He looked down at his hand, gazing at his palm, and then to the back of his hand. It was a true out-of-body experience. Everything had a haze around it, similar to the effects of disbelief that losing someone close to you would trigger. He felt like a part of him was missing, the part that kept him at ease. He was no longer Alex. He had to become someone else altogether in order to adapt to this situation. Alex was too weak. He needed to be someone cunning, witty, and unflinching. Someone like Peter, no, far beyond that. It felt as if the entire world was against him and that he, a lone man, would fight through future pain, suffering, and anguish to achieve greatness. He knew not what he was up against, he only knew that he must conquer it. An unnamed person entered the room. Time for briefing. Alex listened to the man as he talked, and got the gist of it, but continued daydreaming in his own mind. Apparently, he was to say that he had applied to be in training and then leave to go across seas, to a place far from his home. He also was supposedly taking the type of job that requires one to move around frequently, which in itself probably the most truthful. After the talk, Alex stood up and mentally prepared to go and see his family for the last time in what could be forever. Two guard escorts lead Alex towards the barrier. He was then finally given authorization. Out of curiosity, he jumped for the barrier. No resistance. It was now like air. A sudden "whoa" escaped his mouth. What a marvelous invention. If only technology like this was brought to the public. Who knows what inventions they had stashed in this facility, and they kept it all to themselves. Alex walked down the hallway with the guards close behind. When they got to a certain point in the facility, they asked him to change into his normal outfit, which they gave back to him, along with a blindfold that they told him to put on. It was a security measure, they said. Alex tied the blindfold on tight, and the guards led him further through the mysterious stronghold. Alex walked for a short time before he noticed that their footsteps became more echoed. The room seemed to be much larger and the ground felt hard, like concrete. This area had to be a garage of sorts. He was assisted up a small row of stairs and moved into a seat. He moved his arms around to gain a sense of his surroundings. They had boarded him onto a small plane. He buckled in and waited for takeoff. In a few minutes, he felt an acceleration he had never experienced before. Just how fast is this plane? He wondered. He knew that they were flying at abnormal speeds, but there was no severe turbulence. Yet another invention they were hiding. Alex felt the soft tilts of the plane as he relaxed his body. He needed not to worry about the tensions and conflicts that would plague him later. He could relax here, floating on an endless ocean of air. His peace was interrupted by a man tapping him on the shoulder, giving him the signal that they were ready to get off. His blindfold was removed, and he got a look at the inside of the plane for the first time. He turned his head to look out of the small, circular window to realize that the outside was close to his suburb. There was a small road with tiny rural houses that he recognized from traveling with his family. This was the road they usually drove on to go to beaches and parks. Seeing this gave him a sick feeling swelling up from his stomach. All of this was real. It made him wonder how long he had been in the facility, and just how much he wanted to go home. But he couldn't. The Association wouldn't let such a prized asset go, according to what they said. Just as Alex was on the verge of true despair, a man in military uniform patted Alex on the shoulder.

"Son…?" he said. "Just leave most of the talking to me. You're going to have to play along, but just remember, we have to make this look convincing. I'm a recruitment officer the association trusted for this job. I'll be able to get us through this."

They started the drive to Alex's home. His palms started to sweat, and he felt a little shaky. He didn't have much time to prepare for this, but the officer briefed him on the details of what to say and how to follow along. He heard them carefully, but the anxiety was reaching its peak as they drove closer and closer to his house. He saw the old trains and railroads, the park that he and his brother would always go to. They even passed his friend's house. The more he saw, the more the void in his heart kept clawing at his insides, attempting to consume his entire existence. When they finally made it to his house, Alex just stared, unwilling to go any further. His eyes widened like a cat in the face of immediate danger. The tension was shaking his mind in a way he had never felt in his life. Thus marked the beginning of his death march. With all the willpower he could muster, he got out of the car and took slow, small steps that turned into fast, anxious strides. They were at the final push, the door stood within arms reach. The officer by his side, he dealt the first blow. A single knock on the door, followed by a pause and then two more consecutive knocks. He waited, each second an eternity, until the door opened to reveal a familiar face. His brother stood there awkwardly, questioning why his brother, who had been absent the night before, was now standing with a military officer.

"Mom, Alex's back!" Derek shouted into the halls of the house. Alex heard footsteps grow closer as a figure walked in from the hallway. His mom stood there and the officer began to talk. They moved to the living room and discussed Alex's future. He said that Alex was recruited to perform a high-profile, high-profit job in the military because he had a shockingly high ASVAB score and school grades, as well as a recorded personal interest in the military(all of which were true, but greatly exaggerated). The officer said that Alex had accepted the job and planned to start training two days from now. This was all set up months ago, and Alex supposedly didn't want to talk about it, as his mom wasn't into the idea of him going into the military and wanted him to focus on college to be a doctor without worrying about him getting entangled in war. How ironic. The officer reassured her that he would not be directly involved in combat because of the type of occupation he had. A downright lie. Alex explained that his absence yesterday was him finalizing everything and planning the trip to the training camp. After discussing the payment and job details, Alex's mom was no longer disagreeing as harshly. She thought this whole thing was too unexpected, and wished that Alex would have said something beforehand. But there was no beforehand. Alex didn't know what they would make him do, or what lies ahead of him, but the confusion of all the past events was getting to him. He was frustrated that he could not fully trust anyone right now. Amidst his inner conflict, he remembered the payoff. Right now, he would just have to fight for himself, one step at a time, for a power that would make all of this worthwhile. Alex took a deep breath, and reset his thoughts. He needed to take the initiative, whether he liked it or not. Alex eased into the conversation while making his voice more convincing and confident. In this battle of wills, confidence was everything, and indecisiveness was death. Alex struck one blow after the other, weakening his mom's defenses. Finally, she gave in. Alex had not only won the war with his mom, but a major battle in his own mind. One step done, three to go.