Behind The Alpha Book 8 ADAM

ADAM

I watch Genesis turn to face me from her high horse. She remained still and the projection light followed her movements.

“What is this?” My eyes question her as I try and figure out what it means.

“A way to fix a mistake.” She replies in her echoed computer voice.

“What mistake?”

She lowers her head and closes her eyes. I watch as the projection light dies down and her body becomes solid.

She raises her eyes to me and I’m filled with confusion.

“You’re real.” I say with quiet shock.

The people dissolve around me and the room is empty. It darkens except for the minor glow coming from her. She lifts her dress and her bare foot steps off the pedestal.

She stands tall in front of me. “Yes. I am.”

“What are you?” I ask as I inspect her from head to toe.

She folds her arms. “The creator.”

“Excuse me?”

She walks around the room then turns to me. “The creator. All this? I made everything. Even you.”

“Make sense or it’s going to get nasty.” I growl as my nails grow.

She chuckles. “You don’t scare me, Adam. How could you? You were my greatest accomplishment. The being that was to cleanse the world of the filth.”

“I will ask only one more time. What are you?” I clench as I get my back up.

She walks over to me. “You don’t recognize a Cosmic Being when you see one? I’m insulted."

“Cosmic being. You’ve been manipulating us? What the hell is this?! MY FRIENDS DIED!” I pointed to an empty bed. “You tortured the fuck out of us….for what?! FOR WHAT?!!” I yell in her face.

“I needed you to stop Lefu. Send him to hell so he couldn’t spread his disease. Only you can do that. I apologize for my methods, but it was the only way I could do it.” She says smugly.

“What do you mean only I can do it?”

The way she said it sounded almost like I was her only option.

“I mean just that. You’re special, Adam. You and Lefu are equally matched. The only one of my creations that could face him.” She explains.

“Then why drag my friends in? Why risk their lives?” I scowl at her. “If I’m the only one, why add them to the fight.”

“I’m sorry. You wouldn’t have joined if you didn’t think you were saving them. I waited for the precise moment in time when you were left with no choice. Your friends were unfortunately collateral damage.” She says.

“Collateral damage?! THE FUCK!” I swing a fist at her head and she disappears. She reappears on the other side of the room.

I point to her and get in her space. “I’m not playing your fucking game anymore. You release me from this shit and deal with Lefu yourself.” I grind.

“I can’t do that. You have a skill I need. A connection. I needed someone who could go up against his power.” She lifts her chin and eyes me.

“You’re a fucking cosmic being. Apparently a creator. You can’t kill a demon?” I question.

“There are…rules.” She says. “I can’t destroy what I create, but that doesn’t mean I can’t create something to destroy it for me.”

“Why create him in the first place? What the fuck is wrong with you?” I glare at her.

“He was to right the wrongs made by the others. The degenerate times of this planet are sickening. My once golden creation is now tarnished beyond belief. I needed to do something.” She turns and walks to her pedestal then turns back.

“Wait. You wanted Lefu to destroy us? Are you fucking insane? He’s a goddamn demon!!” I yell.

“Yes. I know. But conventional methods just weren’t working. It seems I can drown you in floods, rain meteors down on you and rip the earth apart, but you never change. You still kill, maim and violate each other. I only blame myself because I allowed the others to be involved. I should have been the only one in charge, but I’m righting that as we speak. I only need more time.” She laces her fingers at her thighs.

I lock her eyes and walk up to her. “You…Are you God?”

She laughs and looks around the room. Her eyes meet mine. “No. You silly fool. I can’t be God. I don’t even know if there is one. There is something higher than me, but I’ve never seen them. I only take orders. No. I’m the creator of life, Adam. I gave you everything you have. Your body, mind and soul. Aside from the first people, you are my best, most treasured achievement. You will save the planet, Adam. From Lefu and from themselves.”

I hold up my hand and shake my head because it’s really starting to hurt. “You created me to be one of your destruction tools? Is that what you’re saying?”

“In not so many words, yes. You were supposed to correct my mistake, but now, I’m afraid I may have to go back to the drawing board.” She sighs.

“Why? I mean, I won’t do what you say, but…”

“Precisely. Because you know what you’re for, you won’t do what will need to be done. I’m sure you wouldn’t look your father in the eye and rip out his heart, will you?” She tilts her head to me.

“There’s no way in hell…”

She nods. “You ruined it, Adam. You ruined…everything.”

“I can still kill Lefu.” I grit.

She shakes her head. “Unless, you’re willing to take his place, there’s no point. No. I’ll come up with another plan.” She turns.

I rush her and grab her arm. She spins and grabs my throat. Her eyes turn dark and she squeezes.

I grab her arm and try to pull it off as she chokes me.

“Don’t fight me.” She snarls. “You’re a failure. It seems you love to ruin everything you touch. If I wasn’t worried about your mind, I wouldn’t have used the method of transfer I did. Now, you’re too clean. You developed empathy as you were born. A sensitivity to these awful creatures that roam the planet. I can’t have that. Each birth cleansed your soul too much and it’s such a pity. You would have been so great.”

“What…are you…” I choke.

She studies my eyes. “You think your father was your father by accident?”

My eyes widen and my mouth goes small.

She smiles. “Yes. He planted the seed in you, Adam. A seed I thought could survive the pure act of new life.”

‘Eyes turn green, blue…and black…’

“No. It’s not true.” I whisper.

“It’s true. You are your fathers son. The man gave you the hybrid body, but the demon…” She smirks.

I growl loud and rip her hand off. “IT'S NOT TRUE!” I bellow at her.

She laughs. “You think a mortal creature could go up against Death and win? No, Adam. This needs a more darker touch for it to work.”

I search my mind as I try to process what she just told me. There’s only one thing I can decide.

I roll my eye up to her. “I’m tearing you apart.” I grit as my hands turn to lycan claws.

She stands emotionless as I tear out my clothes and my lycan grows.

I run at her and she slams her hand on my muzzle.

She glares at me. “Not this time.” She clenches.

Light glows from her hand and my body turns to fire. My atoms vibrate uncontrollably and I feel them explode as I scream.

I jolt up in bed in a panic.

“Adam!”

Astrid runs to me and throws her arms around my neck. I find Miranda and stare at her.

“You know.” She approaches me and stops.

I nod. “Yeah. What the hell?”

“We have a lot to talk about, but first…ask Peter to dock the boat on the other side of the island, if you please.” She smiles.

Astrid pulls away and we both look at her as she bounces a brow.

****

“Hello, Peter. Lana, you’re looking beautiful. Is that a new swimsuit?” Miranda smiles at the end of the dock as we walk from the boat.

“Yeah, it is. You like it?” Lana giggles.

“Baby. Don’t be nice to the evil lady.” Peter whispers to her.

He steps in front of us and looks Miranda over. “What is this? Why do you look so young all of a sudden?”

“I’ll answer any questions you have, Peter. To the best of my ability of course.” She turns. “Follow me.”

She leads us to a conference room and invites us to sit down.

As we do, she stands and looks us over. “What I’m about to tell you, is the closest guarded secret I have.”

“Go on.” I say suspiciously.

She sits. “It’s with great regret that I have to admit that myself, and the Foundation, have been tricked and manipulated by a Cosmic Being known as Genesis.”

“Say what now?” Peter leans on the table.

“You didn’t know.” I say cautiously.

She shakes her head. “No. Not for many years. We truly thought all our achievements were our own. When I found out who Genesis was, I went to work. I used her to develop my own time manipulation method and now, I’ve used it to call her out.” Her eyes turn to me.

“Ok. So, how the fuck did this happen?” I ask.

“Quite stealthily. We had no idea we were infiltrated.” She sits back. “When I put you under hypnosis as a child, you inadvertently projected the images into my mind. You spoke of the apocalypse and it truly scared me. What you showed me hadn’t happened yet, but I knew there was something that had to be done. I started learning. Researching. I got the brilliant idea that if I could go back in time to stop it, the world as you know it, would never happen. So, I experimented. The beauty of the 2600s is, they had everything they needed to create the feat, but they just never had my mind.” She smirks.

“Wait.” Peter puts his hand up. “You invented time travel?” He looks at her with confusion as he leans on the table.

“Rudimentary travel, but yes. With the resources I acquired from an organization connected to the government at the time, I managed to create a one way trip.” She motions her hands out.

She stands and walks around the room to a screen. She pushes a button on a pad on the table. A pictures of group of scientists with Miranda came into view.

“I landed in 1954. The height of the Alliance and its problems. With the connections I was given by the organization in the future, I contacted a group of people who seemed to know something I didn’t.”

“What was that?” I ask.

She turns to me. “How it all starts.”