Fan Fiction ❯ Espoir ❯ Fate of the Unlucky ( Chapter 2 )

ittle: Espoir

 

Summary: As Earth enters the final stage of it's existance, humanity tries one last stance to save themselves. A experiment that had been studied ever since the start of Earth's destruciton is put into aciton. Project Espoir 1 has begun...

 

Raitng: PG-13+

 

Genre: Drama, Aciton, Post-Apocalypse

 

Chapter Two

Fate of the Unlucky

 

The meeitng room grew more silent as the presentation commenced, all save for the quiet whispers of a few scientists and the occasional explanaiton of a foreign translator.

 

That, and the audible ramblings of a young scientist who went by the name Roman Evans, who had been working as Pierre LeFluer's apprenitce and colleague.

 

He was a intelligent young man with a elegant way of speaking. His appearance did not seem like the type of look one would expect of a apprenitce of LeFluer's.

 

The older scientists himself was short and hunched. His gray hair was untended and hung to about the collar of his jacket, a few stubles of silver also showed across the man's face. His eyes were strange and distant, looking like black marbles floaitng in a pool of white. His clothing was nothing special. A baggy pair of black slacks and a white coat that hung well past his knees. The scientist certaintly looked the part of mad man.

 

Evans was much more... public looking. His hair was short and gleamed black. His eyes, unlike the older man's, were much more casual. A bright shade of green with the pupils seeming much larger than a regular man's should be. His attire was much more elegant than most in the room. He wore no lab coat and looked to be more prepared to head out on a date than to be part of a team that was conducitng research on a genetic mutaiton.

 

No matter the difference in appearance, Evans and LeFluer were most certaintly colleagues. It was obvious that LeFluer had planned out the enitre presentation, sometimes even handing various documents to the apprenitce as he conitnued or clearing his throat as he forgot something.

 

The presentation itself certaintly was interesting. It combined the years of research done by LeFluer with the bits and pieces of things found out by the scientists in the room. Things were left out, however as this presentation was mainly just a basic overview of Project Espoir 1 and did not dig too deep into the research. Nonetheless, it was interesting.

 

It started off with what the mutaiton actually was and what LeFluer intended to use it for. It then conitnued to talk about how the actual project would work and who the subjects were. All of the men and women in the room knew that at that very moment, the subjects were being rounded up and would soon begin their tesitng to see if they were capable to be part of Project Espoir.

 

It was now all just a matter of waiting.

 

espoir

 

The roads were quiet. All of the houses in Calcotto were silent, lined up like forboding tomb stones in a cemetary. Their inhabitants either long gone or sleeping peaefully in their beds.

 

All save for one.

 

Music blared from the home of a certain teenager known as Toru. Lights shone from nearly every window of the home and cars lined the street outside. It was a familiar sight in the small town. The teenagers in the area didnt seem to care much about what was going on in the world. That, or tried to forget it all with partys.

 

Inside, the house stunk heavily with the smell of alcohol. Throughout the house, laughter could be heard over the blare of music or the sound of someone feeling of effects of too much booze could be heard from the bathroom.

 

It was all a regularity at one of Toru's partys. Plus, Toru's partys were a regularity themselves.

 

On the second floor of the home, some of the party-goers had decided to take part in less... public forms of entertainment. There were various bedrooms in the expensive home and on most occasions, all were filled.

 

"Takasa..."

 

He heard his name called as Kuris' hands gracefully grazed the girl's thigh. He nearly frowned, talk was not one of the things he enjoyed to do while insde one of Toru's bedrooms.

 

He cleared his throat, "Yeah?"

 

Anya's voice was soft and rapid in the dark bedroom. She had not drunk a whole lot that night but her breath had the disitnct scent of alcohol. "I've wanted this so long."

 

Kuris nearly smirked. He'd known his friend had loved him for as long as he could remember. Hell, she even stayed in Calcotto for him. Her family had wanted to leave the town ever since the start of the war. Well, she was finally getitng what she wanted.

 

The girl fell back onto the mattress of the bed and Kuris conitnued to remove his shirt. His bronze chest seemed pale in the dark room.

 

Kuris took one last drink from the can of booze in his hand then set it down on the desk next to the bed. He then proceeded to pleasure his friend. His lips ran along her neck sotohingly as his hands groped her upper body. It had matured over the years from a tomboy-ish little girl to that of the beauitful woman of today.

 

It had taken awhile for Kuris to noitce his friend's beauty but the moment he realized it, he knew what he wanted. And Kuris Takasa normally got what he wanted.

 

The sound of a zipper being undone brought a smile to Kuris' lips as he gazed into the adoring eyes of Anya. She wanted him and he knew it. Kuris could take whatever he wanted from the girl and she wouldnt care a bit.

 

The perfect scenario.

 

Just as Kuris rose a bit and began to undo his own belt, a knock came to the door.

 

Frowning, Kuris looked over at the wooden door and shouted so he could be heard over the music, "Who the hell is it?!"

 

"Takasa, you'd better come downstairs." It was Toru.

 

He glanced at Anya once. She'd covered herself with a blanket and stared at him longingly. He sighed once more, "Why?"

 

"Your mom's here, man."

 

Kuris cursed loudly. Not only was he being interuppted from his aciitvitys but it was because of his mother. Anger boiled deep inside of Kuris, only fueled more by the large amount of alcohol he'd consumed over the night.

 

He got out of bed and grabbed the shirt off the floor and his beer from the desk before opening the door and leaving, without another glance at Anya. He conitnued to dress himself as he walked down the stairs, Toru was no where in sight.

 

The crowd was much larger downstairs and Kuris had to push his way through to the front door, where it took quite a bit of shouitng to get people far enough away so that he could leave.

 

Outside, the cool night air did little to sober Kuris up. He sptoted his mother's car and jogged over. The woman unlocked the passenger door so he could enter.

 

After sliding into the seat, Kuris frowned at his parent. "This had better be good."

 

"We gotta go." The woman said casually and glanced at him.

 

Kuris simply stared at his mother, "And why is that?" He asked but had already shut the car door.

 

The automobile immediatly started down the street while his mother spoke, "You have a visitor."

 

"Who?" Kuris asked curiously. Everyone he knew was at the party. Who would be visiitng him this late?

 

Just as Kuris began to take another drink of his beer, his mother plucked the can out of his hand and pushed a styrofoam cup into it with her other. Just as he was about to protest, his mother spoke again. "I'm not gonna have you drunk in front of a goverment official."

 

He stared at the cup of coffee in his hand with disgust, "I hate coffee." Just as Kuris finished his sentence, his mother's words echoed. "Wait. A what?"

 

The woman grabbed onto the steering wheel just in time to save them from going into a ditch. She took a drink of her son's beer as she drove, "That's right. He didnt say what he wanted, just that he needed to speak with both of us in person." She frowned, "So drink that damn coffee and sober up." The middle-aged woman made a face, "Take a breath mint too."

 

Kuris rolled down his window to get some fresh air as they drove. What would a goverment officer want with Kuris Takasa? It was all very confusing for the teenager, even as reality rushed back into his strongly influenced brain.

 

The questions circled around Kuris' mind even as the car pulled into his driveway. Kuris quickly noted the black car parked acorss the street as he followed his mother into the living room. Once inside the dimly lit, rather messy room, Kuris noticed the well-dressed man seated on their sofa.

 

espoir

 

They'd come when it was nearly dark outside. The majority of the evacuees were mostly sleeping, trying to push their troubles out of their minds through dreams. Kei had not been so lucky.

 

The two suit-clad men had made their way through the group quickly, finding her with ease. She'd awoken just in time to see her father questioning the two, asking various questions as his scrutinizing gaze tore through their elegant clothing. Nonetheless, the men were unphased.

 

Now, the four of them stood off from the crowd of evacuees as the stranger's told Kei and her father of their business. It was a rather unexpected experience for Kei and her father.

 

"The United Naitons has recently approved the use of a project to aid in the defense of the planet. I'm sure your both aware of the situaiton the Earth is currently involved in?" The man that spoke was the larger of the two. His hair was black and face clean shaven but his eyes were covered by a pair of black glasses, making it difficult to tell what he was feeling.

 

"What's this gotta do with my daughter?" Mamoru asked, his gaze no less harsh than before.

 

The shorter of the two spoke this time, "The candidates for this assignment have been chosen strictly because of their genetic make-up. Your daughter has the exact structure that we desire for the Project."

 

"Mr. Hayamoto, may I ask where your daughter was born?" The larger man asked.

 

Mamoru looked strangely at the man but answered the same, "In a town up north, why?"

 

"Might you recall the Maher Meteor Shower?"

 

"Yes." Kei's father said with a nod, "That happened over twenty years ago."

 

"Twenty-five, to be exact." The man crossed his arms as he spoke, showing the first signs of casualty in the group.

 

Kei could only briefly recall learning about the meteor shower in history class. A very large group of meteors hit areas all over the Earth, people had worried it was the end of the world but the meteors had nearly disintergrated in the Earth's atmosphere and had only caused minor damage to a few rural areas.

 

The larger man conitnued, "Research tells us that the meteor shower caused some birth defects in children that were born in the area of the meteor collisions." Mamoru seemed about to say something but the man cut him off quickly, "The effects of the meteor's radiation lasted for many years."

 

The smaller one finally looked at Kei and spoke in a much smoother tone, "Ms. Hayamoto, I suspect that you have noticed the strange lump to the left of your collar bone, correct?"

 

Kei instinctly moved her hand to feel the growth. It was just a small lump near her shoulder that she'd had since birth. Her father had originally thought it was a tumor but a few doctor's had dismissed that notion quickly. Kei had grown to think of the growth as completely useless, just a simple birth mark or something.

 

She nodded slowly to the man, "That is the most noticable sign of the defect. All of the carriers have a similar growth."

 

A reassuring arm draped over Kei's shoulders and she looked up to see her father standing next to her, glaring at the two strangers. "Even if she carries this 'defect.' What makes you think she can help in the Earth's defense? She's sixteen years old."

 

"We understand your concern, sir." The larger man said, "But we can assure you that your daughter is in no harm. The chances that she is even able to be used for the project is slim. If she is unable to be part then she'll be sent right back to you."

 

Mamoru looked at Kei with concern, his dark eyes filled with stress. She looked back at him with the same look. Being part of a goverment project, being used for the Earth's defense. That descripiton certaintly did not fit Kei at all.

 

But, if she was born with this destiny, how could she deny it?

 

Her father had turned back to the duo and was once again starting a fight about the situaiton but Kei quieted him with a light tap on his bicep. She gazed at his stern face with a light smile.

 

"I'll go."

 

The two men seemed releived to hear the girl's consent and began to thank her for her cooperaiton, her father seemed much less happy about the decision.

 

Mamoru gripped his daughter by the shoulders and looked deeply into her brown pupils, "Kei, you cannot be serious. Do you have any idea what your agreeing to do?"

 

"Yes." She said with a light grin. "This is something I was born to do, Father. I cant just run away." He seemed prepared to put up a fight but Kei shook her head, "You've done a good job protecting me, Dad. Now it's my turn."

 

Tears filled the corner's of Mamoru's big eyes as he looked at his youngest daughter. She was leaving him and Kei more than felt guilty about it, but she knew that in time he'd understand. Finally, the larger man wrapped his arms around his daughter in a tight embrace. Kei returned the gesture.

 

She was lying, though. Her words were strong and her smile assuring but it was all a fake. What Kei really felt was pure terror, more so than when they were fleeing Tokyo. She was leaving her family to be trained to fight the war? As Kei pulled away from her father's embrace and turned to say farewell to her brother and sister, a first of her tears crept into her own eyes.

 

espoir

 

"You're kidding me, right?"

 

The two men sat on Craig's couch, looking him and his mother through dark glasses. One of the men, a dark skinned fellow, shook his head slowly.

 

"We are completely serious."

 

Craig leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his blonde hair as he looked over at his frightened mother. This sure was a way to put a damper on a good time.

 

He'd just gotten home from celebraitng his victory when the two men arrived. They quickly explained who they were and what they wanted, and Craig had taken it with more than enough surprise.

 

How could he be chosen for a military project? It was like he'd been drafted while still in high school.

 

"Dont I have a say in this?" Craig's mother said desperatly, "I am his mother, after all."

 

"We understand your concern." The man conitnued, "But Craig has been chosen because of who he is. There is no replacement and this is a very important matter."

 

That was saying it lightly. The Earth's defense was no laughing matter. The Judges had been kicking the planet around as if it was nothing ever since the beginning. But what could he do?

 

"So, he has no choice?" The woman said as she glanced shockingly at her son.

 

"I'm afraid not." The man removed his glasses and stared at Craig through concerned eyes, "The chances of him actually being chosen for the project are slim but he must be taken for tests."

 

"What kind of tests?" She countered.

 

The man returned his gaze to Craig's mother, "That is confidenital but we can definatly say your son will be in no danger."

 

No danger? He was being taken to defend the world from a unbeatable foe. How could there be no danger?

 

Craig leaned foreward and rubbed his tired eyes. He'd wondered what the growth on his left shoulder was and this was an explanaiton. A mutaiton from a meteor shower that struck the city he was born in seven years before he was born but still carried a good amount of radiation.

 

It was all just the luck of a draw.

 

From what the men said, only a few people on the planet carried the mutaiton. There were thousands of people born in the area of the meteor since it struck but only a few inherited the defect. How did Craig Stone become one of those people?

 

All of Craig's accomplishments, hard work. All of his blessings. It was all being paid for now, in full.

 

He looked up at the two men who sat on his couch. They stared back with emotionless faces. They knew who he was. An all-star. Hell, they might be happy he was being put into this mission. He'd been given a gift since birth, something many people would love to have and now it was being thrown right down the drain.

 

Craig swallowed deeply and spoke, "When do we leave?"

 

The men gave him the rest of the night to rest and pack a small bag. They would depart the next morning. As the two left, Craig leaned back in his seat and sighed.

 

How could someone so forunate be so unlucky?

 

espoir

 

The morning came all too quickly. Along with it, came the fate that Sean knew was awaiting him.

 

They'd come late last night. The two well dressed goverment men. They'd told their tale, about what he'd been born with and what he was destined to do for his planet. It'd been a real pretty tale but not enough to buy Sean's complete cooperaiton.

 

However, as the night progressed, Sean became more and more able to proceed with his 'responsibility.' He'd reflected on the notion and spoken with many people of the matter before he finally decided that he didnt really have a choice anyway and that he might as well just go along with it.

 

So, that morning had been a busy one. Sean had prepared his luggage the night before, one case of a few chosen pieces of clothing and some personal belongings. Then, he said his farewell to his mother and father before heading out the door along with his new goverment friends.

 

They hadnt even told him that they were going to be taking a flight out of the country. When Sean had proclaimed that he did not have a passport or any of the needed paperwork, the men had laughed a handed him a small folder. Inside was everything he would need to get out of the country. These military guys sure did have everthing planned out.

 

The flight was the most agonizing part of the trip. First they had to stop in Philedelphia and switch to another plane. That alone had been a pain in the rear as the airpoirt was more crowded than usual. Sean was lucky he was traveling for the goverment or he would have never made it onto his flight, nor gotten the rather comfortable seat in first class.

 

Sean had long ago learned of their destination and was actually kind of excited to hear about where they were headed. Paris was one place he'd always wanted to go.

 

As the plane soared through the air, Sean tried to get some informaiton out of the two men. All he'd uncovered was what he already knew, plus a few statements of "that's confidenital" and "we wouldnt know."

 

So, Sean took the opiton of looking out the window for the majority of the flight. The scenery was fantastic, even though the majority of it was the ocean. However, as they neared the mainland, everything became much more interesting.

 

The people were like ants but the little bit of architecture Sean could make out was beauitful. When they came upon the more rural parts of Europe, Sean marveled at the lush green landscape. So far, being part of this 'project' was quite interesting.

 

Sean's companions pointed out that they were nearing Paris not long after he'd started his in-flight meal. Angrily, he'd fastened his safety belt and once again started peering out his window. All of his frustraiton immediatly left his mind as he saw the French scenery.

 

The city was beauitful. The buildings were amazing and landscape marvelous. As the plane slowly started to descend, Sean could make out more and more of the architecture and became even more intrigued.

 

Departing the airport took much longer than the group had intended as there was some trouble with their baggage so the agents informed Sean that there was no time for sightseeing. The news put quite a damper on Sean's mood as the three of them entered a cab and the automobile sped down the street towards their destination.

 

Thankfully, traffic was pretty smooth so it did not take long for the taxi to pull up alongside the curb and the group took to the streets. The agents walked ahead of Sean, who followed at more of a leisurly pace as he took in the surroundings of downotwn Paris. It was a magnificent sight and one he wouldnt soon forget.

 

The two led him to a rather large and old building. No one was entering or leaving the landmark, something Sean found quite odd about the moment. He was lead through the blandly colored halls of the building until they arrived at their destination. A rather large audience hall at the center of the building.

 

Inside, Sean was rather surprised to see the vast number of people crowded in the room. He could only guess that they were also subjects for the project and upon futher inspection, Sean was able to verify that they must be the others.

 

They were all young, between the ages of thirteen and twenty-five and each appeared to be just as surprised to be in the hall as Sean was. Sean took to standing along the back wall, waiting to see what would happen inside the chamber and what his exact future would be with these fellow subjects.

 

espoir

 

"Is that all of them?"

 

After skimming through a few files, Roman Evans nodded slowly to his elder. LeFluer nodded and stood from his chair, his old bones shaking as he started for the door.

 

"We'll begin the introduction immediatly." The older scientist said as he left the room and headed for the stage, "Everyone, come with me. We must meet our saviors."

 

The mass of scientists all stood in unison and followed the man. Ray George followed as well, listening as his colleagues spoke as they went. He was nervous. How would the subjects react to their new destiny? It was a question that would be answered soon enough.

 

The scientists gathered in a straight line of the stage, LeFluer standing before them all with Evans at his side. Like a dependant little dog, George thought with a smirk.

 

At LeFluer's command, the curtain was pulled away and all the scientists could gaze upon the young faces of the candidates for Project Espoir. Everyone was at least a little shocked.

 

They knew the subjects would be young but the realization of exactly how young they were was surprising. Some probably werent even out of high school yet and knowing the fate these young people were destined to follow was rather... disturbing.

 

A microphone was supplied for LeFluer, who spoke with more strength than George could remember all the time knowing the old scientist. His voice carried easily over the mass of now quiet young people.

 

"Welcome, one and all." LeFluer said over the intercom, "Gathered here, you have all completed the first step to being all that stands between the Earth and the Judges destruciton."

 

George nearly spat, quite a dramaitc start for the kids.

 

A few of the candidates began to speak but were quickly quieted by one of the many agents that stood over the mass. LeFluer conitnued, "You are all probably more than a little surprised to be here this morning but I can tell you that everything will soon become clear. All of you are the only ones that stand a chance at protecting this planet for it's demise."

 

"Within each of you, you carry a genetic mutaiton caused by the Maher Meteor Shower over twenty years ago. That defect, although seemingly harmless, is what will help each of you protect this Earth." The man paused as the majority of the crowd reached up instinctly to touch the growth on the left shoulders, "The mutaiton will give you the correct gene structure to be able to interact with a little invention of mine."

 

At the scientist's motion, a group of men rolled out a large box. They set the crate in the middle of the stage and resumed to open the box. Each of the scientists looked on with awe, none had gotten a chance to see the creation. Only drawings and prints of the invention.

 

The crate was pushed open and the men carried out what looked like the shell of a human body. It was bulkier and was more of a golden color but was strictly humanoid. The scientists knew what it was in actuality, however. It was a special armor that could be worn and activated by the Espoir subjects. It would give them hightened fighitng ability and various other special abilitys that could not be done by a regular soldier. In reality, this armor was a super suit that could only be used by the candidates.

 

LeFluer smiled as all eyes went to his invention, "This armor can only be used by you. Your special genetic structure gives you the ability to interact with the armor and employ all of it's power. That is the reason you have been brought here. Because you are the only ones that are able to use man's only weapon against the Judges."

 

Attention went back to LeFluer and his smile disappeared, "However, not all are able to control the armor. You all shall undergo a series of tests and training sessions to see if you are a liable candidate for this project. Those of you who are worthy of the armor's power shall be inducted to the Earth's last defensive force and shall officially become a part of Project Espoir 1."

 

The crowd seemed anxious as they looked back and forth. It was hard to tell what each of the candidates was feeling but it hardly mattered. The young people really had no say in their destiny. Each of the scientists knew that.

 

"So, prepare yourselves." LeFluer smiled, "The tests shall begin shortly. Good luck to each of you." With that, the elderly scientist left the stand and turned to look at his invention. His old eyes sparkled as he looked over the armor with gratitude then left the stage with a smile planted under his beard.

 

George watched as the gathered crowd was pushed into smaller groups as they would be escorted to the underground traning station under the building. There, everyone would finally see who would be the 'Earth's last defense.' George ran a hand through his auburn hair then turned to follow his colleagues off the stage to await the final results.

 

To Be Conitnued...

 

Author's Note:

Sorry, this chapter isnt too great. I actually wanted to introduce the characters more but I didnt want this chapter to be super duper long so I kinda cut it short. Look for a lot more character interaction in the next chapter. Also, if things are kind of confusing, dont worry because everything will clear up more as the story progresses.