The Eon Chronicles: A New Order Emerges

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The bright light slowly pierced through the opening eyes and the sting of the cold metal table became apparent. It took a few moments to come back to reality, as if coming out of a dream.
“OK Toria, one more time.” The voice said over the intercom as the whirring of the CT scan kicked into place.
“Well doctor we’ve been testing all day, has your curiosity been piqued?”
“Mr. And Mrs. Kayden, I’ve never seen anything quite like this, her cells, muscles, bone structure…”
“What does all this mean doctor, why was Toria pulled from school to a top research laboratory like this?”
“Folks, I know you’re concerned with your daughter’s well being. I can assure you that it’s nothing bad, in fact I’d say she’s quite remarkable. After this last scan I’d like to talk to all three of you together about these findings.”
The room was small, but comfortable as Toria and her parents waited for Dr. Marks to enlighten them. Just when they were getting comfortable, the door opened and in walked Dr. Marks with a file in his hand.
“Toria Kayden, you were asked to come here to undergo testing because your teachers have noticed, to say the least, above average physical and mental attributes. However, I never expected anything like this.”
Dr. Marks sat at the table and opened the folder.
“The cell walls in all your tissues are very thick and durable, neither do they breakdown when introduced to dangerous chemical substances. They seem to also be operating at an advanced state compared to normal cellular function, breakdown and repair. This phenomenon is all the cells in your body. You were given memory stimulation, hand-eye coordination tests, strength tests, agility tests as well as a variety of others.”
“Doctor what does all this mean for our daughter?”
“Mr. Kayden, I had the computer recite pi out to 1,000 places and your daughter recited it back perfectly without missing a single number. On the resistance platform I asked her to keep lifting up on the handles until she couldn’t lift them up anymore, she failed at 850lbs. The contraction and tensile strength in her muscle fibers are incredible. The elasticity of the tendons is 234% higher than normal for her age. She was able to go over backwards and with her hands walk through her legs.”
Dr. Marks stopped reading and took off his glasses.
“The list goes on and simply put Toria has the strength of a power lifter, the flexibility of a gymnast, the balance of an acrobat, the eyesight of a hawk, sense of smell like a bloodhound, can dunk a basketball with ease and catch a fly out of the air just by hearing it; as well as having the intellectual capacity of a genius. There is also something else amazing about this girl. Because of the thick cellular walls especially in her skin, it’s very resistant to pressure. We had to take blood from her femoral vein with a large gauge needle because when we tried to puncture her arm, the needles snapped off on several tries. Catheter sites had to be replaced on multiple occasions because the puncture wounds to her body were closing up and pinching off the catheters. Her cellular regeneration is 678% faster than ours. What would take us a week to recover from, takes her a single day.”
“So what you’re telling us is that she’s some sort of freak.”
“On the contrary Mr. Kayden, Toria is the next step in evolution—she’s just seemed to skip quite a few steps. There is nothing abnormal or supernatural about her, her body simply runs better and more efficient. She’s eons ahead of her time or mankind for that matter.”
There was a pause and a silence in the room for a while; Dr. Marks letting the gravity of Toria’s abilities sink in.
“Mr. And Mrs. Kayden and especially you Toria need to keep this all confidential. Information like this could be dangerous with certain people.”
Dr. Marks, right as he was, couldn’t have known about the ears that were listening on the other side of the door. As a man in a white lab coat quickly and quietly makes his way from the door and down the hall. The man makes his way to the parking garage and gets in his car. He makes the drive across town to the infamous “Tower of Power” as the locals of Harborside City call it. Armed guards let the vehicle pass as well as let the man enter the hallway that leads down to Mr. Power’s secretary, who presses the intercom.
“Mr. Powers, Mr. Sitchell is here.”
Meanwhile a meeting is being held with Mr. Powers at the head of the table. A commanding presence with his large frame wrapped in a pristine black suit. He places down his cigar and presses back the intercom.
“Please send him in. If you’ll excuse me gentlemen, I have a very important visitor.”
The men all file out of the office all dressed in back suits as Mr. Sitchell enters in his contrasted white lab coat.
“Were you followed over here?”
“No, Mr. Powers.”
“Good, I hope you have some useful information, that was a very important meeting. Any reports on the Kayden girl?”
“More than you could possibly imagine sir.”

3 months ago:
Toria Kayden was a normal senior at Harborside High, decent grades and active in sports. It’s a winter day outside, the school year well under way, third period history class, test day.
“What is the first sentence in the Declaration of Independence? God, I don’t have a clue! Hold on, I just looked at it last night.”
Toria closed her eyes to think back and from her pencil came forth a torrent of writing. She used another piece of paper as she ran out of room. Ignoring the rest of the questions on the test, she kept writing just to see how far she could go. At the end of the period, she’d written word for word the entire Declaration of Independence.
Later that day, intramural indoor field hockey in the gym:
“I’ve gotten a lot better at this stick handling, these defenders are useless. There’s an opening, the very top right corner just over the shoulder.”
Toria shot with such accuracy and precision, the goalie never saw the ball go over her shoulder. A loud sound as the ball hit the wall behind the net, as the ball left a gaping hole in the goalie net. Toria stood in disbelief with just the top half of her stick in her hands. The other half was snapped off 20ft down the field.

Now:
Toria shook her head snapping out of the fog, she was back in the little room in the genetics lab with Dr. Marks. Her parents were speaking with Dr. Marks across the room. However, she could hear them as if they were whispering in her ear.
“Doctor, why all of a sudden are we now seeing these changes in Toria?”
“As you know, the human body takes time to mature. This July Toria will turn 18 and the cells in her body, like her, will be matured. I believe they were always there, you just never saw the potential till now. This is only 2 months away; by that time her physical and mental capabilities will be at their peek level. I suggest we keep this under our hats, let her finish out her schooling next month and then do some more thorough testing to make sure she’s not a danger to herself.”

Back at Mr. Power’s office, Mr. Sitchell has just finished describing the tests that Toria underwent.
“For now Mr. Sitchell continue to monitor her progress. We’ll let her finish her schooling and let the genetics lab continue their tests. They can do the work for me, but as it approaches her birthday of July 18th; then I will act.”

The days passed and the Kayden’s carried on with every day normal life. Toria graduated with honors and with the coming of July, so did Dr. Marks. Testing continued and progress was being made until the morning of July 13th.
“Hi Mr. and Mrs. Kayden, my name is John and I’m with the Department of Defense. I’d like to have a few words with your daughter.”
“She’s with Dr. Marks right now John, but if you want to have a seat out here with us and wait that’s fine. Why does the Department of Defense want to speak with my daughter?”
“I’m afraid that’s a matter of national security Mr. Kayden, I’ll come back another time perhaps when she’s not busy. Good day.”
Around the back of the building, John pulls out a radio.
“Alright, she’s in with Marks right now, the parents are in the lobby; initiate the pick up.”
Mr. Sitchell receiving the message on his radio goes to a rear entrance of the facility. After entering the security code, 5 armed men walk in and proceed down the hallway. Meanwhile, on the second level Dr. Marks is conducting a balance test with Toria. She’s progressed to standing on a steel strip no thicker than a thread. Dr. Marks looks up to see the armed men coming this way through a security camera.
“Toria, this session is over right now; we need to get out of here.”
“What do you mean; I just got into a groove?”
“No, I mean it, there’s men coming for you and they’re with Mr. Sitchell. I had him followed; he’s working for Mr. Powers. I had a hunch, but the board is still investigating it.”
“Mr. Powers the crime lord?”
“Yes, now come on out the emergency exit I showed you.”
Dr. Marks and Toria make their way down a long corridor to a door with a control panel. He starts to type in a code when a shot rings out and he falls to the ground with a loud cry.
“Toria, the last 2 digits are 7 and 4.”
Toria in a panic pushes the last buttons and the door opens, running as fast as she can to the door that leads outside the lab. Meanwhile in the lobby, Toria’s parents hear gunfire ring out.
“What the hell was that, I bet it has something to do with that guy that came in here.”
They burst through the doors that lead to the labs with laboratory workers behind them. They are met with security officers around a corner.
“Sir, madam, you need to come with us there were shots fired on the second floor.”
“That’s where our daughter is, now let us through!”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that sir.”
By this time laboratory personnel are running in a panic to the nearest exits. Alarms are sounding throughout the entire lab. The armed men chasing Toria reach the door where Dr. Marks lays dead.
“Come on, she’s a fast one; we can’t let her get away.”
He gets on a radio and calls to a team waiting outside, to keep their eyes open for her. Toria reaches the stairwell door, but more men are coming up the stairs. She turns and runs further down the corridor now in unfamiliar territory. She kicks out a window, climbs out and drops to the next window ledge below, bruising her shin and cutting her arm in the process. She makes the easy 10ft jump down to ground level, and then takes off around to the front of the building to where the lobby is. As she rounds the corner, shots ring out from the team that was radioed. Security guards go down and there is mass panic as laboratory workers run to their cars. Toria’s mother and father see her rounding the corner.
“Toria, get back they’re after you!”
Her father picks up one of the guns on a fallen guard and starts firing back at them. Toria runs into the streets and down an alleyway, but it’s a dead end. Just then a steel door slides open on the side of one of the buildings.
“Hey kid, get in here quick before they catch up.”
Without much of a choice, Toria takes the stranger up on his offer as he slams shut the steel door and locks it with a chain and padlock.
“The name’s Jax and if you want to live, come with me now!”
Almost immediately there was a pounding on the steel door. Without warning an explosion erupted from the door, and then all went black…

Toria woke up on an old musty cot in a damp, dark place. There were dozens of candles lit to give just enough light. It looked like a basement to an abandoned building. By her side was the mysterious man named Jax.
“That was a hell of a hit you took, thought it killed you.”
“What happened?”
“Those men were after you and blew the door off the track with explosives. You were caught in the blast radius, should have killed you. Damn, now I’ve gotta fix the front door. I’ve made a few hidden trap doors around here. I grabbed you and hid in one of them before the dust and smoke settled. Don’t worry, they won’t find you here.”
“You don’t understand we have to go back and see how my parents are.”
As Toria sat up, she felt woozy and the room started to spin. Holding her head, she fell back on the cot.
“You’re in no shape to go anywhere, just thank your lucky stars you made it out alive. Not too many people escape Mr. Powers.”
“Well, since I’m bed ridden right now, how about telling me who you are, what this place is and why you live here.”
“That’s fair enough; I told you my name was Jax. Long ago, probably before you were born, I was an architectural strategist for a hired mercenary group that worked for the Soviets before the collapse in ’91. The satellite countries were getting unruly, it was our job to suppress any uprisings and take out their leaders. It was my job to infiltrate structures and know where best to put the explosives. I became pretty good at maneuvering around old buildings and staying hidden. I guess that’s why I feel comfortable here. After ’91, I came to the States. Things were pretty ugly back home. I’m not a legal citizen and would probably be wanted by the U.S. Government if they knew I was here. Nobody knows I’m here, nobody asks questions and I get left alone.”
“I know where you live now, aren’t you worried I’ll tell someone?”
“You’re wanted more than I am, why would you say anything? We’re in the same boat, eh? Here, you want some fruit?”
“Thanks, I haven’t eaten today or really slept well for that matter. I’m still curious how you knew I was in the alley, have you been following me, like them?”
“I heard commotion outside my building, I saw you through a periscope I have set up that scans the whole alley. I was simply lending a helping hand.”
“You don’t have much of an accent.”
“I’ve lived here for many years, it fades in time. Now what about you, what’s your story and why does Mr. Powers want you?”
“Well Jax, lets just say I’m a little. …advanced.”

Toria fills Jax in on what Dr. Marks tested her on and her school stories. She even demonstrates some of her abilities.
“That’s amazing, if only we had you during the Soviet era. Now I understand why Mr. Powers wants you and he won’t stop till he finds you.”
“Jax, I can’t live in hiding my whole life, you have to help me fight back.”
“Oh I do and why do I have to do that? You have all the tools, but you lack any fighting knowledge.”
“That’s why I need you, you know all about that. I’m not looking for a fight; I just want to defend myself.”
“Sigh, I should have left you out there, easier on my part. All right I’ll help you, but we have to limit you going topside. I’m sorry, but you can’t even go back home; these guys mean business. Unfortunately, there’s no going back now.”
“Thanks Jax, you really saved me; those guys would have killed me.”
“No Toria, it would have been much worse than that.”

In the Tower of Power, Mr. Sitchell finds himself in a binding situation. Both hands and feet bound with mouth gagged in a chair sitting in front of the pacing Mr. Powers surrounded by his men.
“Mr. Sitchell, you had a simple task to deliver the girl to me. I’m a man not accustomed to failure.”
While Mr. Powers speaks to the terrified Mr. Sitchell he is slowly taking off his suit jacket and dress shirt to reveal an enormously muscled physique in a tank top. With a chest as thick as a barrel and arms the same circumference as his head, he’s the most imposing sight Mr. Sitchell has ever seen.
“You see Mr. Sitchell with failure there also comes consequence and that consequence can be very sever. I hope this teaches you a valuable lesson.”
With the speed of lightning and the power of thunder, Mr. Powers throws a right cross punch at Mr. Sitchell’s face. Mr. Sitchell and the chair he’s tied to fly back and skid across the floor 15ft. Mr. Sitchell’s head twisted in an unnatural way, revealing an obvious broken neck. His face a horrible caved in disfigurement with missing teeth, a broken jaw, obliterated nose and crushed cheekbones.
“Find a way to cover up the true intent of this botch up in the media. Clean up this mess as well and find me that girl, or I’ll hit somebody else.”

As for the media, the death count was being tallied from the day’s horrific events. Among them were the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Kayden.

“Wow Jax, I can’t believe I slept that well, I must have been exhausted.”
“I figured you would be, I’ve made some breakfast for us.”
“How did you do that in a place like this?”
“The same way I do everything that resembles domestic life, I have a small generator. I even have a place to shower with hot water if you’d like. There’s a small alcove over there, we can hang a curtain over those pipes and that can be your room with a little privacy.”
“Ok Jax, I’ll take it. You know in 4 days is my 18th birthday, I never thought I’d be spending it like this; living in a dungeon, learning to fight from an old Soviet mercenary. I really wish I could go back to the house; my folks are probably worried sick. Hey, how did you get a newspaper down here?”
“Now and then, I’ll get one off the stands early in the morning to see what’s going on in the city. I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet, is there anything in there about the genetics lab break in?”
Toria picked up the paper and started to flip through it; she let out a shriek and dropped it to the floor. She sat back and began to cry. Jax ran over to see what the matter was, and then he picked up the paper to see for himself. Those that died were listed in the article. The press was labeling it the laboratory massacre.
“Oh Toria, I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine what you must be feeling, but know that they stood and fought so that you could live. Their deaths were not in vain, you’re here and you’re safe.”
Jax was only met with a blank expression, silent tears and glazed eyes.
“I’m gonna leave you alone now Toria, but if you need me just to talk or a shoulder to cry on, I’ll be right over there.”
Jax began to walk away, but was stopped as Toria spoke up.
“Dr. Marks said that it could get dangerous if word got out about me, but nothing can justify what happened that day in the lab. I don’t know who this Powers is and I don’t care what he controls or what influence he has. He can’t go around taking whatever he wants. Jax, remember when I said I wanted you to train me to fight for self-defense? Well, I changed my mind, you’re gonna train me for revenge. Somebody needs to take this Powers down and it’s gonna be me!”