This is my message to you, on behalf of everyone.
I didn't know what I was then.
I'm not sure I know now.
But I remember the day it started.
[ＳＴＡＲＴ ＯＦ ＡＲＣ ０－ ＧＥＮＥＳＩＳ]
[The Eastern Continent, Ryomania, Piasu County, City of Havok, 3:00 AM, Monday, January 5th, 2010]
A newly built hospital had just opened a week before this night.
Rain battered the hospital windows as a heavy storm had set in.
Paramedics rushed a sick, pregnant woman into the hospital.
The woman coughed violently, each spasm leaving her weak and clammy. It was terrible timing that she was sick on this night.
Doctors rushed her into the newly opened 'GENESIS WARD' of the hospital, specifically built for births, abortions, and a large nursery.
She screamed.
Nurse #1: "Heart rate's dropping! Prepare for an emergency C-section—"
The lights flickered out, leaving the room in darkness, broken only by the monitor's fading beep...beep...beeeeeep.
When the lights turned back on, at 3:33 AM…
I was born.
Nurse #2: "Oh, he's beautiful! Congratulations, ma'am! His eyes are... Unusual to say the least. But he looks healthy."
My mother, Eleanor, snatched me from the nurse and cooed gently.
Eleanor Karawei: "Oh my dear baby boy... He's so beautiful! Honey, what should we name him? He's... perfect."
My father, Alexander, who quite literally fell from shock, peeked over the edge of the hospital bed at me in my mother's arms.
Alexander Karawei: "J-James... James Karawei!"
The head doctor then entered the room, smiled and took his stethoscope off.
Head Doctor: "Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Karawei! A healthy young boy... But his eyes are unusual, almost like two stars. It might be a mutation; we could run tests if you're interested. I see a bright future ahead for him! I'll be back in a second."
The doctor chuckled and stepped outside the room. Almost bumping into someone else.
Head Doctor: "Oh, Excuse me... Boss."
The doctor said as he brushed past a strange man, bowing politely and going down the hallway into a utility closet. The man said nothing in response to the doctor.
Only the stranger seemed to notice the doctor disappearing into the utility closet.
That man.
That strange man who always wore a crimson business suit, a crimson fedora and a sleek black surgical mask covering his mouth. It probably couldn't stop an infection. And a strange gold 'S' badge on his suit jacket, just above his heart. The golden 'S' had a red eye at its center.
The first thing that I laid eyes upon after being born wasn't the ceiling, the nurses, any object or even my parents.
I looked out the viewing window and locked eyes with him.
With time, I'd learn that people call him The Boss.
The Boss was intensely watching me from outside the operating room. Our eyes locked onto each other.
The Boss: "James Karawei. One to one. We'll have so much to talk about one day, my dear boy. One day indeed..." He said and turned away from the window.
Nobody else saw The Boss.
As a baby, I had no idea what was even happening... He just caught my eye, and I caught his.
The Boss turned to someone next to him.
A shorter, chubby man who was leaning against the wall outside of the room, to the left of him, enjoying a sandwich. The man wore a sleek black business suit with a matching black fedora, he too had the golden 'S' badge on his suit.
The Boss: "Come along, Obie, you're about to be a father soon too, don't you have business to attend to?"
'Obie', short for Obadiah, quickly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as the other man turned to him.
Obadiah: "Eh? Sorry, Boss, you're right… We have things to do. But hey, you know, I've been meaning to start that diet, but it's these genetics that I can't shake! My Uncle Pete was built like a keg too—"
The Boss sighed and crossed his arms, nodding, a casual yet annoyed gesture.
Obadiah: "Ah, right, the door, sorry, Boss... You know how chatty a good sandwich makes me! Haha... Hey, is the kid born by the way?" He replied, feeling the pressure of The Boss' stare and suddenly feeling self-conscious.
The Boss: "Yes. We will proceed with the plan as intended, and you, just like everyone else, will begin training. Everything is set up. I sympathize with what his mother said… Although, I'm not sure I agree fully. We haven't seen his true potential."
The Boss paused, a hint of a smile could be seen just above his mask, the corner of his mouth crinkling.
The Boss: "I heard some of The Angels call you Fat Man yesterday, apparently they did not appreciate losing against you. You're not as heavy as a nuclear bomb, are you Obie?"
The Boss started tapping his foot impatiently, arching an eyebrow as he looked upon Obadiah, awaiting his response.
The smile on his face seemed to disappear as Obadiah looked away. He turned to the side to look at two nurses talking next to a water cooler. The Boss followed his gaze.
They couldn't help but overhear their conversation.
Nurse #3: "Hey, this new hospital is state-of-the-art, but... I heard Melissa say it's tied to some strange experiments? I don't know though, why here? I think with all the rumors of the terrorist attacks, she's just trying to make us paranoid." The nurse on the left said, glancing over her shoulder towards the exit.
Nurse #4: "I don't know Jessie, what if it's real? I also overheard the head doctor mention something about an extraction? Like, from a patient... He didn't feel like himself! He looks different too... I swear his hair wasn't curly and gray yesterday. But his face looks the same… I must be losing it here, it's probably just the long lonely nights, right?"
Nurse #3: "I know, right?! And remember that case last Tuesday about some men in black suits being rushed in, something about a gunfight? They looked like mafia members! Ugh… I don't want to think about it. I think I'll transfer soon, this place isn't right for me."
The Boss turned again to look at Obadiah, while scratching his chin.
The Boss: "Ah… It's the newbie, The White Rose, of course he'd mess up. Five agents down from what was supposed to be a simple retrieval mission. Clearly they couldn't find it."
Obadiah put his arms in the pockets of his suit pants and pressed his back harder against the wall.
Obadiah: "Well, that's how new hires are... We should cut them some slack."
The Boss cleared his throat and moved closer this time tapping his left hand on the wall.
The Boss: "The door, Obie? We must really go, I still haven't found Reality yet. The host is nearby though, we have him or her pinned down to this city. We'll be monitoring it for a long time."
He turned and also put his hands in his pockets, both of them now looking forwards.
The Boss: "Everything has led up to this moment, all these years… It's hard to describe, really. This is our Genesis. His Genesis, Obie."
Obadiah: "Right… Sorry, Boss. Hey, you know, we should get out of headquarters more often! I really, uh, like our talks. Outside? You know... Watching the people go about their lives..."
The Boss narrowed his eyes, and Obadiah got the message.
Obadiah flipped his hand, the sandwich suddenly vanishing into his arm, right under his sleeve. A door on the wall formed right next to them, adjacent to the door into the operating room. It was made of pristine mahogany with golden markings on the edges.
The Boss then stepped back from the wall and turned to face Obadiah and the door
The Boss: "We will get out more. It'll help you lose that weight. Now come on."
Obadiah also stepped away from the wall to face the door.
Obadiah: "So... other than training, we're just improvising? Just... waiting around? To be honest, I'd rather just go back to Donlon. I mean, I have a family to raise, Boss. I'm about to have another child in a few months…"
The Boss adjusted his tie calmly.
The Boss: "No. We won't just wait. We plan, we proceed, we take control. This is only the beginning, Obie. We have to gather more information, come along."
Obadiah took a deep breath.
Obadiah: "Right as always Boss, right as always…"
They then opened the door, revealing an empty and dark concrete hallway on the other side and they both stepped into the door and vanished, so did the door.
As they both disappeared I quickly began looking around the room, snapping out of what appeared to be a trance.
I glanced between the faces of my parents as they held me, and something strange bloomed within my chest…
That's when I began to cry.