The cafeteria was silent after I sent Riker crashing into the other side of the room. He didn't move, so I instantly turned to Emily, who was struggling to get to her feet. After helping her up, Emily's eyes widened. 

"Duck!" 

I ducked to the ground, and one of the cafeteria chairs crashed against the wall. Turning to the source, Riker's hand was igniting a purple flame as his cheek dripped a line of blood. Trying to keep the nervousness at bay, I stepped before Emily, lowered into a defensive stance, and tried to sound confident. 

"It's pointless to fight over something so insignificant."

Riker's eyebrows furrowed. "Do you think I fucking care? We're on our own. There are no parents to tell us what to do. We settle this like men." 

"Like men?" I countered. "This is more like babies fighting over a toy."

His eyes widened in surprise before the flames grew in size. He reached in my direction, and I felt all the muscles in my body immensely tense. Riker, with clenched fingers, threw his palm to the ground. My body reacted in the same motion as his hand, landing chest-first with a thud to the floor. I grunted, trying to get up, but it felt like a giant invisible hand was squeezing my body. 

Emily rushed to my side. "Eli!"

Whispers could be heard around me. What was this power? 

Riker slowly stepped forward. My body was locked in place, refusing to move no matter how much I tried. He lifted my head by putting his heel on my forehead. My eyes drifted to his flexed hand, still controlling my body.

Leaning down, he spoke threateningly. "Let me tell you something. You will always be beneath me. If you ever mess with either of us again, I promise I'll make you regret it." 

He released his foot from my forehead and spat next to where I was lying. Riker's hand relaxed, and my body was released from his grasp.  As the twins started to walk away, Haley turned around and smiled victoriously at us before joining her brother. 

Everyone's eyes were on us while Emily helped me to my feet. Anger suddenly coursed through my body as I started to go after him, but Emily grabbed my arm. 

"Don't," she warned. I turned to her. Her eyes were locked onto mine, which instantly helped me calm down. "It's not worth it. I'm sure you'll have opportunities to get back at him, but you're better than him. Be the better person."

I huffed and joined Emily back at our table. After we sat down, I noticed after a couple of minutes that she was still holding her chest. "Are you okay? That was quite a shot." 

"I think I'll be fine," she responded while wincing. "I don't understand how it didn't hurt worse. I  was struck point-blank with lightning. Shouldn't I be much more in pain?" 

I furrowed my eyebrows in thought before shaking my head. "This is just a theory, but do you think our abilities may give us greater bodily strength? You're right though, a point-blank strike by lightning should be enough to at least severely injure someone. I'm thankful that you're okay." 

Emily's eyes thoughtfully drifted over to where the twins were sitting. Haley seemed to be talking Riker's ears off, much to his displeasure. It looked like he barely tolerated his sister. "What kind of power do you think he has?" 

"I have no idea," I answered. "You could guess that it's some form of gravity manipulation." 

She met my gaze. Her brown eyes reflected the light illuminating the room. They were beautiful. "That doesn't explain the purple flames, but I can't think of anything else." 

I rubbed my chest as if the invisible grip he had on me was still there. "Whatever it is, it has to be extremely powerful. He radiates power." 

We spent the next few minutes attempting to digest theories until we were interrupted by the sound of the intercom buzzing to life. 

"Ten minutes until lunch ends!" Hayward's voice bellowed. "Return to the training field no later than one fifteen where we will begin power training. I will see you there!" 

Silent grumbling was heard from the other students, but nobody dared to argue. I glanced at Emily, who had a nervous expression. "Try not to let fear distract you from making it to dinner. I'll do my best to watch your back. You know that, right?" 

She met my gaze before softening her countenance. "I know. I got your back, too." 

-----------------------------

I barely had enough time to catch my breath before we were ordered to return to the field grounds to commence power training. There was no telling what Hayward and Murray would put us through. I couldn't even guess what the training would consist of, either. 

Thinking back to when we were given schedules, I remembered that training lasted for about four hours. I grimaced at the thought of nonstop activity for that long, but there was a slim chance they'd give us some break between exercises. Knowing Hayward, I couldn't count on that happening. 

I threw away my styrofoam tray alongside Emily before turning toward the hallway that led to the field. A person I recognized got my attention, and his familiar long black hair and dark skin put me at ease. 

However, he looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack. Javier looked at me with fear-struck eyes. "What's going to happen to us?" 

"I don't know," I told him softly. "I think the best thing we can do is do our best to survive. I know it's much easier said than done, but there's no other choice."

"What if he makes us our slaves?" Javier frantically asked, his hair making a gap so I could barely see his frightened eyes. "What sort of torment is he going to put us through?" 

"With that attitude, you won't live to see tomorrow." 

An unfamiliar voice caused the three of us to turn toward the source. Behind us stood a girl well shorter than Emily, who was a whole head and shoulders shorter than me, with her hands firmly placed on her hips. At first glance, she didn't look like she lived anywhere near Riland or Hevastwa, but far Eastern descent. The girl wore short and straight black hair, brown eyes, and small, circular birthmarks scattered across her face. 

She crossed her arms. Emily tilted her head. "I haven't noticed you around here. What's your name?" 

"Amina," she answered, her expression softening slightly. "I don't talk unless I feel like it's necessary." 

After we briefly introduced ourselves, Amina's eyes drifted to a shaking Javier. Sighing, she pursed her lips and took a step closer to him. Her voice softened."Look, if we're going to get through this, we need to work together. We can only control what we can control. As long as we focus on that, we're doing our best, right?" 

Javier hesitantly nodded. "I-I know. I'm so scared that I'll never see my family again." 

"We all are," Amina affirmed. "That's another reason why we need to stick together. We'll do our best to have your back, alright?" 

It was evident the reassurance worked for Javier. I didn't expect it to cure all his fears and anxieties, but in the meantime, it worked. Hopefully, it would help him gain the courage to tackle his next obstacle. 

Javier never struck me as a brave person. I could see in him that he was a kind and gentle human placed in a circumstance that forced him to go well beyond his normal comfort zone. Of course, I knew nothing about him until we were thrown into this, but I've been told I have a natural ability to read people. In this case, Javier was easy to read.

An unnerving thought followed. How much was I willing to help him? I couldn't afford to lose focus on making sure Javier survives. Ultimately, it was up to him to take care of himself, but that didn't mean I couldn't help. I needed to find a balance.

Silently walking down the hallway, Riker and Haley could be seen ahead of us. Were they content to be Hayward's puppets for the foreseeable future? We all needed to help each other if all of us were going to make it out of here alive.

But how would we do that? 

------------------------------------

Emily and I let go of our hands as we walked through the doors that led to the field. Peering over everyone, I saw Murray, Hayward, the doctor, and someone else I didn't recognize who was wearing a lab coat waiting for us on the rounded corner we were walking towards. With crossed arms, Hayward grinned as we approached, sending a chill down my spine. What did he have planned for us? 

"Welcome to power training, my precious children! I can't wait to begin unlocking your potential!" 

Hearing him call us his "precious children" didn't sit right with me. Based on the subtle expressions of the others around me, I could tell they felt the same way. I didn't want to be called something so derogatory by him. We were not his children. I bit my tongue as he continued. 

"This is the most exciting part of the day. We will throw many different things at you, including different drills, activities, and training partners. We're going to push you beyond your limit as much as possible so that you can become the strongest soldiers the world has ever seen!" 

I wondered how far he'd actually push us. It was doubtful that he'd intend to kill us, or else he wouldn't have gone through this much effort to drag us here against our will and force us to become supersoldiers. It would just be a waste of time. 

Right? 

Hayward turned to Murray, who stepped forward. "We will divide you based on your type of power, which there's a lot to consider, like your overall offense, defense, speed, strength, and recovery. The reason behind this is to avoid too many unfair matchups." 

That was considerate, at least. It left me wondering what they considered to be unfair. I doubt they cared about gender. Maybe age? No, because we were all born around the same time. It must strictly be based on raw power. I briefly looked around and estimated that there were roughly twenty to twenty-five of us, and I had no idea what powers they embodied. 

Familiar faces registered in my mind. Taryn stood near the front of the pack. I remembered her striking me with fire, and I still had a bruise on my thigh as proof. 

Javier was just to my left. He had some sort of paralysis ability, which was briefly displayed in the scuffle yesterday with Taryn. I wondered if those two would ever get along. 

The twins were further toward the back of the group. Haley was listening intently, waiting for the next words to be said. She carried herself as if she were powerful, which her lightning demonstration earlier today proved true. I couldn't help but worry that she'd be a formidable opponent, but I tried not to let it get to my head.

Standing separated from the rest of us, Riker was the person I was most unsure of. He radiated confidence and power and undoubtedly wasn't afraid to show it whenever he wanted. I thought back to our fight in the cafeteria. It was like he could do whatever he wanted with my body, and that made me intensely distressed. With that kind of power, how was it possible to fight him? 

Emily pithily squeezed my hand. Whether or not it was intended, it helped put my mind a bit at ease. She possessed the ability to create zero gravity, but I didn't know the extent of her power. Was her power limitless? How many objects could she control at once? Was it only limited to inanimate objects? 

I supposed that was the reason we were here. There was no telling what kind of power everyone else wielded, and I wasn't too excited to find out. For all I knew, someone could snap their fingers and kill someone. However, I knew I couldn't dwell on it for too long, or I wouldn't be prepared for what was coming. 

A couple of minutes later, Hayward led us to a side of the track with a TV mounted on a cart. It was momentarily turned off, but I noticed General Murray holding a remote control. I frowned, not knowing what was going on. 

Hayward peered over the group before speaking. "Before we begin, there's something that I think is time we discuss. I'm sure the majority of you have realized that I don't acknowledge you by your name very often. Rather, by different names. By a raise of hand, who can give me an example?" 

Looking around, nobody offered to answer his question at first until a tall boy with straight blonde hair and freckles volunteered to do so. Hayward nodded in his direction. "Yes?" 

"You call me Gamma," he answered.

"That is correct, and allow me to explain," the man I didn't recognize began. "Firstly, you may call me Mr. Rehm. I'm the head scientist that developed all of your powers." 

A collective gasp followed as Emily gripped my hand. My eyes widened in complete shock as soon as he finished his sentence. This was the person who gave us our powers? How was this even possible? Why did he do this to us? 

The commotion stirred within the group. Emily looked at me with eyes full of shock and fear. I wanted to comfort her, but there was nothing I could do to mend the situation.

"You did this to us!?" Taryn shouted at the scientist with a mix of anger and shock. "Who gave you permission to do this!?"

"Silence!" 

Hayward's voice boomed as a sudden shock of electricity surged through my body, bringing me and the group to our hands and knees. I fought back tears trying to stifle the pain that lingered under my skin. 

"It hurts..." Emily mumbled. Seeing her in this much pain shattered my heart. Just before I started to speak, Hayward interrupted me. 

"To your feet! Do not speak out of turn!"

Not wanting to experience another electric surge, I forced myself to rise to my feet, helping Emily as I did so. I noticed Hayward clenching his fists in anger but turned his attention back to Mr. Rehm. "Please, continue."

"As I was saying, all of you were chosen to participate in an experiment titled Project Next Gen," the scientist explained. "This experiment is designed to turn the average human into next-generation supersoldiers. Whichever power that is given to you will naturally manifest throughout your bloodstream as you continue to grow not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. While all of you are unique in endless ways, we are here to teach you how to use your abilities to their peak potential." 

They made it sound like a blessing, but it felt like more of a curse to me. I never imagined myself becoming a soldier, especially in our current time when war was ravaging every corner of the world. A girl raised her hand from the front row.

Hayward pointed to her. "A question?" 

"What does that have to do with the foreign names you gave us?" 

"I'm glad you asked," he responded. "Murray, if you may?" 

The General suddenly switched on the TV. I had to hold back another gasp as I examined the screen. It displayed our picture along with our given foreign letters, names, and abilities in some sort of ranking. 

"This is a list of you and your colleagues ranked from strongest to weakest," Murray explained. "For example, Omega is Savannah Love with her botanical manipulation ability. She is ranked as the weakest, and so on."

I viewed the screen in shock. That was what they meant? To categorize us based on the strength of our abilities?

A realization came to mind. Hayward had called me Alpha multiple times up to this point. If that was the case...

My eyes wandered over the list. It looked something like this:

Alpha: Elijah Bell- Earth Manipulation

Beta: Riker Sorenson- Dark Energy

Gamma: Ethan Turner- Psychic Entropy

Delta: Taryn Arnet- Pyrokinesis

Epsilon: Haley Sorenson- Electrification

Zeta: Chandler Fields- Barrier

Eta: Javier Aguirre- Paralysis 

Theta: Natalie Cavanaugh- Cryoprotection/Cryogenic Synthesis

Iota: Emily Jackson- Zero Gravity

Kappa: Nick Myers- Muscle Augmentation 

Lambda: Chelsea Cabrerra- Property Manipulation 

Mu: Emiko Delre- Hydrokenises

The list continued in the second row parallel to the first.

Nu: Amina Hana- Brainwash/Hypnotism

Xi: Daiki Chiyo- Aerogenises

Omicron: Anthony Tollet- Shockwave

Pi: Jadon D'Ogostino- Electrostatic Charge

Rho: Cameron Fouts- Hardening

Sigma: Abigail Garcia- Tactile Empathy

Tau: Lindsey Savoy- Venom

Upsilon: Jett Seely- Olfactory Enhancement

Phi: Rider Seely- Poisonous Gas

Chi: Zachary Carter- Sonomancy

Psi: Ashly Alejandro- Photokinetic Healing

Omega: Savannah Love- Botanical Manipulation 

Just as it was listed, I was the first on the list, meaning I was the strongest. 

But how? It didn't make sense. How was earth manipulation stronger than dark energy? How was I stronger than Riker? I was easily beaten in the cafeteria fight. 

"But that's enough talk!" the Supreme Leader's voice quickly brought me back to reality, not allowing me to process what I just discovered. "Let's get this first day of power training started!"

Hayward may have sounded overly enthusiastic, but it left me with a profound sense of dread.

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