章節 6: The basement
I ran without looking back even though I had almost reached my goal, I dared not stop. After some more treading along the surprisingly vibrant green grass.
With tired steps, I was finally face to face with some bored-looking soldiers. They were blocking entry into the vibrant white building.
"Name and purpose." One of them said. Clearly they didn't care to know why I was running.
"Dan Owens, I came to take a gene test." I managed to say in between puffs.
The soldier who asked me the question simply looked at the one beside him who in response went into the building. Not even a minute passed before he came back in and motioned with his head for the other soldier to let me in.
I recovered my breath and made my way in. I stole a glance behind me and saw that the plump officer was nowhere to be seen. With a sense of relief, I calmly continued in.
I was currently inside of a wide lobby. There was a receptionist by a marble counter who I unhesitatingly approached.
"Take the elevator on the left to the basement floor." The pale lady said before I could initiate a conversation. Her eyes sunken and without joy. She was likely in desperate need of rest and couldn't be bothered to deal with me.
I followed her instructions and pressed the elevator button. With a familiar ding, the elevator doors opened. I walked in and warily scanned my surroundings. Nothing seemed particularly out of place.
I pressed a B1 button, the only of its kind. And the elevator started to move.
Unknowingly nervous, my heart beat faster as I saw the floor indicator get closer to the basement. For some reason, I felt as if I was making a mistake.
Ding.
The elevator's lights flickered making for a bad premonition. The doors started to open but I wasn't so willing to continue the operation anymore. Why would I, a person who has never succeeded at anything, think I could increase my authority? Isn't this the same as seeking death?
The doors didn't listen to my will, they opened revealing a panicked me pressing the up button. Before I had a chance to react, I was grabbed and muffled by what I presumed to be a soldier.
Damn it! I now know why there were no other appointments!
I struggled pointlessly, soon I felt a prickle on my left arm only to find a syringe injecting its contents. My movements became sluggish and my consciousness started to fade. My eyes became weary and started to involuntarily close. The last thing I saw was the boring grey basement ceiling.
In what seemed to be a dystopian society, I was far too careless.
By the time I woke up I was strapped to a bed. There were all sorts of medical devices and machines near me all of which sent my heart into a panic. It reminded me of scenes in alien movies.
F*ck! The history I read was full of bullsh*t! I thought it would be a simple injection, this looks like it will be painful as all hell!
Too careless! TOO careless! I knew it was full of lies and half-truths! Was I really so desperate to move up in society?
I tried to shake the restraints away but there was no way they would so easily fall apart. That would defeat the purpose of having them in the first place.
I reluctantly let go of my indignation and calmed down. If I made a decision, no matter how dumb, I should see it through to the end.
I can now understand why everybody in this place is always so dead. There are simply no prospects. If I had to take a guess this test has an uncertain result. Either your genes are exalted or you die.
If that was indeed the case, It was likely that the initially hopeful citizens of Termina noticed something was wrong, when their fathers, sons, daughters, friends, neighbors, never returned. Be a hero!?! If you can survive maybe! Save the surface!?! For who?!? Clearly not for them. They were mere tools for experiments.
I was reaffirmed that no matter the reality, humans were trash. In an apocalyptic setting, all the more. There was no guise of serenity. There was no fake sincerity. What you saw was what you got...
But that's alright.
That makes things easier. I was already tired of the fake. When my sister died I was far too young but my mother tried to sue the driver who ran over her. And although she was compensated, it was a pittance when compared to the value of budding human life.
When my brother went missing, no matter how hard I cried and begged for the police to do something nothing was ever done. Weeks and months of putting up posters and searching for answers online with no yield made me turn to the police again only to realize they had already given up on the case.
A world like this, where laws were dictated by the strong, was a far better match for me. I could either rot away or rise to power and truthfully, either of those options is fine.
I inadvertently revealed a daring smile, After all, what do I have to lose?
It was at this moment that a man wearing a lab coat entered the room. He seemed quite healthy and bright when compared to anybody else I've seen in this place. Two strong-looking men were sticking to him like glue,
"And what might you be smiling about?" Asked a chilling voice, it was the science looking guy with a smile of his own.
My mouth was naturally not bound so I was able to respond.
"Where exactly is this anyway?" I asked full of curiosity. I didn't actually care but I wanted to exude a confident aura. If I wanted to make it in this place I had to act the part regardless of the situation.
"Well…" The man put on some gloves from an operating table, "I'll tell you if you survive." He said mockingly.
It just seemed like a cheap attempt to scare me. Thus I shrugged helplessly. Let's see where this takes me.
創作者的想法 
Pwnzer
Pwnzer This chapter was written quickly and is therefore very unrefined. I need to write for my other novel so I had to rush it. I said I wouldn't upload a chapter but I couldn't help myself.
If anybody actually reads this far I would appreciate some thoughts and feedback on the direction this is taking as well as how the characters are portrayed and interact.
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