Chapter 1. One Breed

Arriz knew full well where he was and who he was talking to – but he wasn't afraid. He had long since learned that the Organization needed him more than he needed them. The leaders of One Breed were watching him with cold curiosity. They were hiding their faces under dark hoods and never revealed their true names. He came to the meeting wearing his Academy uniform which had his surname on it.

He was facing the chairs where the leaders sat, and on his right there were rows of seats for simple viewers. They were also part of One Breed, but of lower level, the ones who executed the decisions, not made them. His mother was watching him from those rows.

"Congratulations, Arriz Fox," said the man sitting in the center. He sounded pleased. "You've done more than we expected of you."

He simply nodded in return. Two years ago the mission they gave him seemed impossible! Not only did he have to enter the Academy, but he also had to become the best in his class – with minimal training. When his mother first told him that, he spent the night crying in despair. He knew that if he failed, they'd kill him and what was left of his family without regret. He didn't want to die, so he got down to business.

He didn't have any questions about why they needed it, he understood. Hybrids, the Second Breed of Humans, had a supreme security system. They were very careful and slow to trust anyone. So the Organization needed to infiltrate their agent into the world of curators: people who were working directly with hybrids.

Becoming a curator was also a challenge. Nobody could simply walk in and get the job. They were educated since childhood, passed numerous tests and faced different levels of exams. Thus "One Breed" chose to sacrifice some years in waiting for a guaranteed result. They sent ten boys to the Academy entrance exams. Nine of them failed, but Arriz was accepted.

"You are a true son of your father," the leader commented. "Derek Songo was a hero – and you will become one someday."

Arriz believed him, because in the years that passed since his father's death he learned to believe. He had to force himself into that faith ever since he saw the hospital massacre. But now Dad was a hero in his mind again who could do no wrong.

After entering the Organization himself Arriz found out that his father was quite an important figure in One Breed, he was a legend in a way. Derek Songo planned and executed a lot of attacks on the Second Breed. He was among the leaders, whose lives were valued greatly. But somehow hybrids found out that he was a terrorist, they knew his name. They started searching for him.

That explained why Arriz got his mother's surname and why he wasn't allowed to appear in public places with his father. Nobody knew they were the family of the Derek Songo, so they didn't have to deal with the police when the search began.

But Derek Songo understood he wasn't going to keep hiding forever. He was now a threat to the Organization: hybrids could use him to track other leaders. That was why he planned his final attack: seizing a children's hospital. He knew that to save the young hostages the Second Breed would send either a lot of hybrids or the strongest ones. Derek wanted to kill as many enemies as he could before facing his own death.

But the attack failed for the Organization. In its course, only one hybrid was killed, together with seventy-five normal people. There were only twenty-nine grown-ups there, and the rest were just kids…

After that Arriz asked his mother to explain him why she and the rest of the Organization hated hybrids so much. She did. He made himself believe, though at that moment his doubts reached their peak.

But if his father died for it and his mother believed it blindly, he should be on their side. It was his destiny since he was born in such a family! And now he had his own mission to serve One Breed.

"Do you know the results of your tests?" the leader asked him.

"Yes, they were announced a week ago."

When he was accepted to the Academy, the Organization made it clear that he had to become the best. Arriz knew about the rumors that claimed that such an achievement would be marked with a very special reward. But so far, nobody managed to pass the exams well enough to get it.

He succeeded.

"Did they confirm their promise?"

"They did," Arriz answered. "I've passed the exams for the first year and the second year at once, and for the third year too. They know there's no sense in me being in the class for the next year. So they offered me to spend this year on Ceres instead, as an intern."

An excited whisper flew across the audience. Arriz could sense their fear and admiration, and among that, his mother's pride shone especially bright.

"Quiet!" the leader ordered them. "Arriz is working to reach his goal like his father did. Why does that surprise you?"

Arriz doubted they were actually thinking about him at that moment. They were mesmerized by the word "Ceres" and the great meaning that stood behind it.

A little crystal planet, lost in the belt of asteroids somewhere between Mars and Jupiter, was known as the school for hybrids. Though it wasn't really a school, more like a training camp. They were going through their transformation from humans into hybrids there. Ceres was perfect for that since it was well-isolated. If the transformation process went wrong, they could deal with the outcast themselves, without giving them a chance to get to Earth. Besides, the distance was keeping Ceres safe from the Organization's attacks.

There was very little trustworthy information about the base built on that planet, just like about hybrids themselves. Sending an agent there would be a huge break-through for the Organization. Arriz was proud to be that agent.

"When did they schedule your departure?"

"This Thursday," he reported. "I'll be living alongside second level hybrids until their graduation exams."

The members of One Breed knew more about hybrids than civilians, so they understood him perfectly.

The Second Breed never trained multiple generations simultaneously, it was too complicated and too dangerous. They usually gathered one big class and led it through the transformation till the new hybrids were ready. That limited the number of hybrids and brought fresh blood into the system every five or six years only.

Young hybrids were spending those years on Ceres. No-one on Earth ever saw them, since they were too easy to murder. Through watching them, Arriz hoped to find more weaknesses of the Second Breed.

"Congratulations, Arriz Fox, the son of the great Derek Songo. I now ask everyone to leave so I can have a private talk with our young hero."

His words meant that the meeting was over. Nobody dared to argue, including Arriz's mother, and the audience rushed to the doors. Elizabeth Fox didn't dare to ask for any privileges; One Breed was the only god she worshiped.

Arriz wasn't surprised by the course of events. He knew it was his last visit to the Organization before the trip, and he was to expect his final instructions.

When the doors closed, the leader spoke again.

"How is your gift developing, Arriz?"

Now that was a secret not meant even for the members of the Organization, though telepathy wasn't such a unique phenomenon in this world. It was rare, true, but not unique. Arriz discovered that gift shortly after his father's death, before entering the Academy. He was prohibited to announce it, so he didn't get any teacher and had to deal with his new powers on his own.

He reached some progress, but it was less significant than for those who studied on special courses. However, it was good enough to help him with his Academy results.

"It's under control," he stated. "I can tell truth from lies, feel emotions, sense the presence of other people beside me, even if I can't see them."

"Reading thoughts?"

"Not yet. And I can't transmit my thoughts either. But I think I'll get it soon."

It wasn't completely true: reading thoughts was a complicated technique that demanded a lot of knowledge and experience. But Arriz was the only telepath around, so no-one could actually reveal that to the leader.

"No need to rush and overstrain yourself," the leader assured him. "Your current gift is enough for what you are facing now."

"You mean, my mission will involve my telepathic abilities?" Arriz was surprised.

"Indeed. You're not the only agent we have working undercover among our enemies. As you may know, two years ago hybrids were gathering a new generation among human kids. One of our agents was accepted there."

Arriz couldn't believe his ears. They allowed someone from the Organization to become a hybrid? It had to be a child… And he had to become a hybrid, no way around it if he was chosen. How could they do this? To the Organization, hybrids were the symbol of evil, disgrace and a crime against humanity. That was the main reason why "One Breed" started hunting them down.

His shock was so great that it became obvious to the leader.

"I understand that it's not easy for you to accept this. The sacrifice our agent is making is vital – it's more than your father had done and more than you can do. This young man accepted the evil into his body to have a chance to destroy those creatures. It's an act of wisdom and the triumph of human spirit. When we sent him there, we were all praying that the Organization's training would help him in keeping his soul clean from the Second Breed poison. Unfortunately, we haven't heard from him ever since, the young hybrids on Ceres live in complete isolation. That's another part of your mission. You must find him and make sure he's still loyal to us."

If that agent managed to get the hybrid powers without turning into one of those freaks completely… it would be such a step forward for the Organization! They would finally learn the main secret of the Second Breed: how humans were turned into hybrids. Arriz truly wanted to know that, since at the moment he didn't have any theories.

His mission on Ceres suddenly became even more important.

"How can I find that agent?" he asked. "I need to know his name or at least see his photo…"

"That won't be necessary. If his mind is intact, he'll find you himself. But if hybrids managed to alter his personality, it would be better for you two not to know each other. Your meeting should be on his initiative, he'd been trained for this."

"But then nothing would depend on me, there will be many students around me!"

"Everything will be fine," the leader reassured him. "That's why you'll need to keep working on your gift. If our agent finds you, remember everything he tells you. In a year they'll let you go back to Earth, but not him. So you'll be our means of communication. Apart from that, you'll bring something to him. You won't understand the meaning of this package, but you shouldn't. That's his mission, not yours."

He didn't like the fact he was being used, but Arriz didn't dare to deny. Even though he felt confident talking to the leader, he knew disobedience was punished severely.

If he accepted this mission, he had to carry it till the very end. He'd be able to see Ceres, the core of the Second Breed's secrets, see humans turn into monsters. In the light of those great possibilities, his doubts about whether he was doing the right thing seemed unimportant. His father gave his life for this Organization, it can't be wrong!

While walking away from this meeting, Arriz suddenly thought that he was probably a terrorist himself from now on. But this thought annoyed him, so he ignored it.