Boundless Ch. 01

Chapter 1: New Arrival

Tessa Vento looked out the rear window of the SUV and watched the unchanging landscape pass by her. For the last 20 minutes all she had seen was farmlands. She glanced at the reflection of her green eyes in the window and turned to look out the front of the vehicle. Ahead of the SUV, about half a mile, she could see structures behind a giant fence. As they drove closer, the fences became taller and the structures more defined.

"How big is this Complex that we are going to?" She asked the security officer in the front seat. The officer was a petite woman at about 5'6" with medium length brown hair and a bored expression on her flat face. She wasn't driving the vehicle, it was self-automated and there was nothing to keep the women entertained, so she also had been bored for the past little while. She turned to Tessa.

"It is 520 acres with a 9 foot fence covering the entire thing. When we get there, you will receive a tour of the complex before your meeting with the Principal." The officer said in an uninterested tone and then returned her gaze to the front of the vehicle. Tessa leaned her head against the headrest and returned her gaze to the passing farmland and relaxed.

They passed through the main gate and parked at the administration building, Tessa only knew that because it was posted on a placard at the front of the building. She got out of the SUV and the security officer went to the rear and retrieved Tessa's 2 suitcases. Tessa followed the women into the building.

They walked down a long hallway passing several doors along the way. At the end of the hallway was a set of double doors, which the officer went through and Tessa followed. Inside was a conference room with a long oak table in the middle and about 20 chairs around it. The room itself had fake wood paneling and florescent lights making the room seem...dull. At the end of the table descending from the ceiling was a screen that was blank. There were no windows but there was a door in the opposite wall from where they entered. The officer put the bags on the table and turned to Tessa.

"Your guide will be here in a moment. Your bags will be delivered to your room as well." The officer walked back to the double doors, opened them and then was gone. Tessa sat near her bags and waited. Ten minutes later the single door from the wall behind the screen opened and in walked a man. Rather a young man. He seemed to be 19 years old, tall, lean with perfect blonde hair and a bright white smile. He wore a white polo shirt tucked into a pair of khakis with a crease so sharp Tessa was sure she could cut fruit with it. He walked up to Tessa with a smile and his hand out.

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"What do you see?" Anthony asked Raz as they leaned against the East fence. From their vantage point, they could see most of the complex. The East fence sat on a hill that allowed them to see the entrance as well as the farmland outside of the fence. The Complex was a huge fenced in area that had living quarters, a gym, cafeteria, labs and huge open spaces for people to walk around in. Currently, there was about 30 of the 300 'students' milling around in various spots around the complex.

"Not much, same as usual," Raz said as he handed the binoculars over to Anthony and resumed leaning against the fence. Raz stood at 6'5" and was just a little taller than Anthony who was 5'11". They were both toned from years of rigorous physical training.

It was sunny outside without a cloud in the sky, but Raz and Anthony were oblivious to the weather. It was Tuesday, and like every Tuesday new people would come to the Complex. Since they were younger, Raz and Anthony would come to this portion of the fence and watch the new comers come in. They would place friendly bets on what abilities the newcomers had and how long they would survive until the first breakdown.

The breakdown, that is what Raz and Anthony call it, that moment when you first get to the Complex and you realize that there is nothing left for you outside of the fences. Even if there was, you have no way of getting back to it. It hits almost everyone eventually. Raz, Anthony and a half dozen others haven't experienced it yet for various reasons.

Rashad, which was Raz's real name, and Sean, Anthony's first name, had been friends since they were 7. Since the first day, they came to the complex. They had been forced to be roommates and decided they had better be friends because they had no one else since the Cataclysm.

The Cataclysm was an event that changed the face and power of the planet. On June 8th, 2021 a meteorite fell from space and crashed into the Limerick Generating Station in Pennsylvania causing a nuclear explosion that wiped out the state. If that wasn't bad enough, the meteorite was laced with an unknown mutagenic property; meaning that the fallout didn't kill victims immediately.

In fact, people were given a clean bill of health in the surrounding towns and cities of Pennsylvania. They called it a miracle and continued to test people for years afterward with no side effects. Then in 2026 the effects finally showed themselves.

It started in Erie New York. A mother gave birth to a little girl. The little girl, known as Rebecca, wasn't breathing when she came out of her mother. The doctors worked on her and finally were able to breathe life into her. At the same moment she took her first breath, her mother took her last. They thought it was a coincidence until it started happening more and more. Babies were being born not breathing and then finally taking their first breath and their mother taking their last.

Then there was the case of Raz and Anthony. They were born in Virginia, Raz in Norfolk and Anthony in Richmond. They were born on the exact same day, October 31, 2027. At exactly the moment they took their first breath, 2:28 am, both of their parents died simultaneously. They were the first recorded evolutions, as a scientist would later classify the new predicament.

The children whose mother died at their first breath started to develop powers at age 5 such as flight, strength, speed, telekinesis and a whole list of others. Scientist started calling them Second Steps. The Federal government decided to get in front of this new situation and started to organize the Complexes around the US to teach and "train" the children to use their new abilities. So on January 30, 2032, the complexes opened and children were brought there to learn.

Now in 2045 Anthony and Raz had just turned 18 and were about to be sent to The Division. The Division was the place where highly capable Second Steps went after training to protect the country. Anthony and Raz were unique. They were considered Orff Tempus, Time Twins, because of the nature of their birth and the end results of their parents. They were the first and only occurrence of this, as far as they knew, ever happening.

They were unique for another reason. Second Steps only had one power, Evolutions had 2. Anthony had started to grow hair at the age of 5. At 1st, scientist thought that he had a paracentric inversion mutation found in Hypertrichosis. After several tests, they ruled that out; especially when the growth stopped and it began to resemble fur. His senses also seemed to be higher than normal and he healed abnormally fast. He could get cut and the wound would be healed within minutes not even leaving a scar. The drawback was that he was in constant pain. So much so that breaking a limb or being electrocuted barely fazed him.

Rashad's abilities also started to manifest at age 5. He was running around with some kids at his school and time seemed to slow down. They were playing dodgeball and he would later report to a teacher that it seemed that the balls were slowing down in the air. He could easily see where they were going to hit and sidestep them. Then when he was the last member of his team, he devised a way to eliminate the remaining 3 players by drawing them close and then throwing 2 balls to hit 3 players.

Rashad's speed and strategic mind only increased as he got older, but if it wasn't for Anthony his humanity might have been gone a while ago. It seemed the more he thought out a problem and solved it, the less he cared about the people around him. As if his mind was slowly turning off his emotions so that he could process raw data without letting the "human" part of him be a distraction from the goals he set.

When they met at age 7 it was a moment that was meant to happen. Anthony was slowly getting used to being alone. People would unintentionally shy away from him because of his appearance and demeanor, not realizing the mental and physical pressure he was under from his mutation. Raz on the other hand just slowly seemed not to care about other people and their concerns. When they met, they just clicked for some reason and they had been inseparable ever since.

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"And as we come around this corner past the cafeteria is the main Scholastic Building." Philip said as he walked down the path to the side of the cafeteria toward a 5 story building that looked like it was made of glass. Philip Jameson had introduced himself when he had walked into the room. He had a soft voice that instantly put Tessa at ease.

They had walked around the campus taking in the different buildings, waving at children running from building to building and chatting. He was calm and easy to talk to with an accent that she couldn't quite place but it was enchanting. Now they were walking to the Scholastic Building for her meeting with the Principal.

"Don't worry, the Principal is a nice man, but he does have a few quirks." Philip told her as they entered the building and headed toward a bank of elevators.

"What kind of quirks?" Tessa asked as they elevator arrived and she, then Phillip, entered the car.

"You'll see." He said with a smile as he pushed the 5th floor button. The car began to rise.

The car reached the 5th floor and the doors opened into a room that took up the whole floor. Inside the room, set up as a lecture hall, stood a man where the teacher would be. He was tall with a pudgy looking stomach and bags under his eyes. The suit he wore looked like it was made for a person a couple of sizes larger than him, and he smelled of coffee and cigarettes. When he spoke, his voice was powerful and Tessa couldn't help but keep her full attention on him. 'Was this the quirk Philip was referring to?' She wondered to herself.

"Ah, Ms. Vento, I am so glad that you made it here safely. Welcome to Complex 223." As he spoke his look didn't change but something did, the little respect Tessa had for him on first sight was slowly changing to slight awe. He turned his gaze from her to Philip. "Please wait for Mrs. Vento downstairs. This will only take a few minutes."

"Yes sir" Phillip said and turned and called for the elevator. A moment later the doors shut and the Principals gaze returned to Tessa.

"Thank you sir" she responded.

"You are a transfer from Complex 215. You are older than any other transfer that we have had here. You just turned 18 2 weeks ago, but you are a special case. Aren't you?" He continued. "An Evolution, You have had training. Here you will meet 2 more Evolutions. I will let you find them, or vice versa. This Complex works like every other, but if you do have questions, you may contact the Administration office and they will direct you to the person that can assist you." He finished and then turned and began typing on a computer that was behind him.

Tessa stood there for a moment confused, was the meeting over? She waited for a moment longer and then turned hesitantly toward the elevator and called for the car. When it arrived, and the principal hadn't said anything to her, she pushed the button for the 1st floor and rode it down in stunned silence. When the doors opened, there stood Philip with his soft smile waiting for her.

"Are you ready for some lunch?" He asked as he walked with her out of the Scholastic Building and back towards the Cafeteria entrance.

"I could definitely eat." She said with a smile. Now that she wasn't in the presence of the principal, the awe that she had felt had worn off and she felt somewhat normal again.

As they rounded the corner of the cafeteria, something caught her eye. She looked at it and saw a tall caramel colored man standing next to a hairy guy. The tall one's eyes drew her in and when they made contact she felt an intense rush of, emotion, and then lost consciousness.

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"Except for the one SUV, there isn't much going on today. I'm getting hungry, lets head to the cafeteria. They're serving chicken wings and fries." Anthony said and started to head in the direction of the cafeteria. It sat at the top of the main hill of the complex. Rashad followed. They passed the Tier 1 dorms where they stayed at the bottom of the hill. Unlike the normal dorms, Tier 1 rooms only had 2 people per room. With 20 room on the top floor and 20 on the bottom, they were coveted rooms. Rashad and Anthony were there because they were the only Evolutions at this Complex.

As they climbed the hill they passed the male and female Tier 2 and 3 dorms. The Tier 3 dorms have two bedrooms that share a bathroom. Bathrooms in all of the suite-style halls have one shower and toilet that are shared by 4-5 students. There is a sink in each bedroom, The Tier 2 dorms are similar to the Tier 3 dorms except they have a sink located within the bathroom and they include a four-person study room within the suite.

The Tier 1 dorms have kitchens and living rooms that are shared by the residents of the apartment. Each apartment provides a different layout and degree of privacy. McCollum Hall features townhouse apartments with two bedrooms that are each shared by 2 residents and each apartment has 1 shared bathroom. In Reagans Hall, 4 residents each have their own bedroom and share 2 bathrooms. Traditions Hall apartments have 2 private bedrooms and 1 bathroom that are shared by its 2 residents. Anthony and Raz had an apartment in Traditions Hall.

As they were about to enter the cafeteria, Rashad stopped. He had caught the sight of a person walking around the corner from the direction of the Scholastic Building. It was a girl. She had long flowing red hair that went just past her shoulders. She was wearing the Complex's dress code of a button up white shirt and khaki's but to him; it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

She turned to look in his direction, made eye contact and Rashad saw a bright light, then the world went black.