I didn’t know what to feel. I wasn’t angry at what he did, I was disturbed. Chase seemed like a nice guy and still did. He was the only one who even bothered to talk to me, other than Ashley who I went up to first.

But the look on his face when hurting those guys was another person altogether. It wasn’t a person of good will protecting a friend. Whatever motivated him to do what he did was something more. He looked cold, not angry at least not a first but almost like he enjoyed it.

Or maybe he was high.

Whatever it was I couldn’t shake it from my head, even Ashley didn’t seem as affected by what he did. But in fairness, she didn’t see it. I did.

After Chase walked off I picked at my food some more but my appetite was as non-existent as my apparent friends. Ashley already wandered off to talk with some girls after Chase left before they eventually walked off together.

I shouldn’t judge too early though but I couldn’t shake this nagging feeling that something was off. Maybe it just me overanalyzing everything but there was something that he couldn’t place his finger on.

These past couple days were difficult as well, my back hurt, my arms hurt, I hurt. It wasn’t like this in Chess club, but then again my mom did say it will be a tad bit more difficult here. I came here for a change but all I was doing was reverting back into my lonely self. I looked back at my food considering whether I should eat the rest. I decided to just throw out the rest and start heading over to the prep room.

I didn’t want to throw up all over the guy beating me up again. Or maybe I could use it as a defense mechanism next time. I shook that thought out of my head. That’s weird, even for me.

Once again arms grabbed my arms forcing them behind my back and me onto my knees. Something felt different though, my masked torturer had gloves on. Thick ones. Instead of thinking further I struggled against the iron like grip.

In wrestling, there was always a way to get lose of a hold, either by pure strength, flexibility, or both. I flexed my forearms twisted and squirming all the while using my legs as leverage.

“Stop” the deep voice was neither angry nor happy. It was simply a command void of any emotion.

Faster than a viper striking its prey the pressure of the grip increased tenfold. The bones of my forearm and wrists didn’t just snap, they shattered underneath the pressure.

“Shit now you talk” I muttered as I bit my tongue not to let a whimper come out. It’s one thing to get the shit kicked out of you and one thing letting them now you got the shit kicked out of you.

As much as what he did was physical it was just as much psychological. I didn’t want to fight back anymore when your main method of defense is so easily torn down. There isn’t that will to push back.

As I tried to push my self back up into the standing position the pain in my arms throbbed with each heartbeat as I realized the attempts were fruitless. Then in a flash as every inch of my body exploded into searing fire. I fell back down, raising my arms in front of my two catch my descent on instinct.

Which was just one more layer of my cake that is my misery.

My heart beat erratically, thumping from multiple beats per second to none the next. Looking up I saw another figure, a thin man from what I could tell. His hands crackled with electricity as he sauntered towards me lazily as if he had something better to do later.

Which he probably did because electrocuting teenagers was such a bore. He started to come closer, I tried to push away but the gloved hands held me in place. At least now I knew what they were used for. The man finally came to a stop before me before kneeling down to my hight.

“Now I could just electrocute you for the next hour or so before you pass out,” He said slowly, and dryly as if contemplating whether to order a salad or a cheeseburger from the menu.

“But what I’ve found from…experience that there are much better ways to push people beyond what they can handle”

And just like anyone he already knows he’s going to pick the cheeseburger. I opened my mouth to try to say something, anything but all that came out was a slight squeak and some blood dripping from my cut tongue and lip.

“There is a certain part of the brain, the Amygdala that controls your flight or fight response. Now theoretically the body can handle so much before failing, now what if I could change the brain’s chemistry to an incomprehensible scale to where we really don’t know what happens” He stood up now only his hands down to a dim white glow, not as flashy but something about it was more intimidating.

“When the brain evolves to a superior makeup the body has nothing else but to adapt to it, becoming something even possible of biblical proportions or something…” The air tensed up around me as the smell of rubber melting.

I glanced up to the man standing above me, eyes pulsing white. “Unhinged”.

Fear crept up further and further up my thought as understanding came upon me. Or at least as much as I could understand before his right index finger touched my temple. The world warped in and out, I started to feel different emotions moving so fast over and over. I started to spasm, the muscles in my body flexing to a point where I was in a cage of my own body.

Then It stopped, or it just became so incomprehensible that It didn’t even register.

Whatever “It” was.

“I looked over the files, no one has ever gone through Phase ISO functional, much less being able to go into The Academy afterward,” I told Mr.Richards as we watched Chase through the monitor.

“He could be the one who does” He answered eyes never leaving the screen.

“Every single patient who has gone through this phase, this first step has either gone brain dead, died right out, or spent the rest of their life unable to re-enter society because of their mental state” I went on.

“I want results, every patient who’s gone under Ignition’s treatment have been given different intoxications of the drug. The government has been under pressure from different terrorist groups who have been trying to duplicate what we are doing here. What if they develop a different way to pump out Supers? They aren’t burdened by ethics or constrictions by the government.” He said.

“So you don’t even care about Chase. He’s a teenager with a life and friends-”

He cut me off “He made a choice about all of that when he entered. Chase has shown the best chance of going through this treatment alive and I’m going to have to insist to see it through”

“You can be a real hard-ass you know?

“Only in the name of science,” He said with a chuckle.

“And how long until the end of Phase ISO”

“Well we have three and a half weeks left, and since we haven’t ever gone past this Phase we don’t know what to expect. Anyways he’s doing great already” he answered as he pointed to the monitor.

“He is spasming, heart rate is over two hundred, and only God knows whats going up in his brain right now.”

“Yeah, but he isn’t dead,” Mr.Ricahrds said.

“Let’s hope so” I muttered to myself as I clasped my hands behind my back to not betray the worry that threatened to creep into my face.