Ironspawn

Prologue

Screams, gunshots, and the bloodcurdling sound of flesh being torn from bone were the last things I remembered before everything plunged into darkness. What just happened?

The last thing I recall is being home for fall break, sitting at the dinner table with Pop while waiting for Mama to finish making her delicious tortilla soup. The savory aroma of simmering broth and spices filled the air, our TVs and devices lying dormant so we could savor the family time. As Mama began bringing out bowls from the kitchen, I started my usual routine of pestering them about life.

Why can’t you guys tell me what you’re doing down there? I asked, pointing to the basement door on the other side of the kitchen. The white door bore the logo M & A, the initials of my parents' metal fabrication company. Their names are Maleina and Alric, hence the letters. They were unphased by the question, as I asked it often. Pop brushed back a lock of blond hair from his forehead.

Zane, the stuff we worked on was top-secret. You wouldn’t understand, Pop replied, his baritone voice stern but not aggressive.

A year ago, both of my parents quit their government jobs where they worked together as scientists. Their positions required top-secret security clearance, NDAs, and the works. They’ve been passionate metal fabricators for as long as I can remember but only started working for the government over the past decade. Despite my persistent questioning, they never told me anything.

Synthe-serum was developed during World War Three in 2055, six years ago. The conflict was sparked by overpopulation, resource scarcity, and global warming, prompting the U.S. to create a supersoldier program called Delta-9. Using existing knowledge of genetics and designer babies, they created the synthe-serum. One injection immediately alters your genetic code, which can damage your DNA and kill you. There is a small chance, though, for you to develop random superhuman abilities.

Eventually, the knowledge of synthe-serum leaked to the public. Society and the world became unstable as people attempted to produce homemade synthe-serum. Civilians gained powers they couldn’t handle, and many experiments went horribly wrong, leaving people altered beyond recognition.

My parents worked at a military base in our town, Lehi, Utah, but quit a year ago, vaguely explaining that it was too dangerous to continue. Now they own a metal fabricating company that mainly produces cybernetic enhancements. They haven’t let me into their lab, though, only heightening my curiosity about what they really do down there.

It’s not like it’s going to hurt me just knowing about it… and it’s also not like I would tell anyone, I said through a mouthful of food, covering it with my hand. Mama’s eyebrows furrowed as she sat down at the table, brushing a lock of brunette hair from her face. Usually, her face was young and blemish-free, but the wrinkles on her brow revealed the years of knowledge in her eyes.

I’m sorry, hun. I know it must suck to be out of the loop, but it’s just too dangerous. The wrong people can’t know about- Mama’s voice was cut off by the sudden scream of an emergency alert. The loud, repeating drone sent chills down my spine. Both of my parents immediately grabbed their phones, reading the alert. I was the last to read mine, my hand trembling as I picked it up.

Emergency Alert

ATTACK IMMINENT ACROSS THE U.S.

SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. LOCK ALL DOORS AND WINDOWS. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

I had to read the alert twice before it sank in. I looked up at my parents, catching their expressions of panic that quickly turned into resolve. Their steel eyes locked onto mine. No words were spoken. My gaze, frozen in shock, was still on them.

Attack?! What does that mean? From what? My voice shook as I spat out the words. Instead of replying, they snapped into an automatic, trained response. Mama headed for the basement door while Pop grabbed my left arm, making me drop my phone onto the table.

Let’s go, he said, his voice now deeper and more urgent. He pulled me out of my chair, practically dragging me toward the basement door.

Wha-? I began, but the sound of a window breaking at the far end of the house interrupted me. Mama flew down the stairs, and I nearly skinned my legs trying to keep up with Pop as he slammed the door behind us. We could hear more windows shattering, the wooden walls and floors groaning in pain. Was a tornado hitting us? As we descended the stairs, the heavy footsteps of something unnatural echoed through the house.

At the bottom of the steps, I saw my parents’ lab for the first time. The room stretched out with bright fluorescent lights and white, tiled floors. The stench of metal was thick in the air. On the right side were metal fabrication tools; on the left, traditional scientific instruments like Petri dishes, vials, and various machines.

Pop let go of my arm to help Mama retrieve a silver case from the left side of the lab. Meanwhile, heavy scratches and a bang came from the other side of the basement door. I spun around to see the wood bending and caving under the force of whatever was outside.

Um… m-mom? I turned back, and to my shock, Mama was right in front of me. The silver case lay open on the floor, and Pop stood beside her.

I wish we could’ve done more… She paused, looking into my tear-filled eyes. We love you, Zane. Her body shook as she hugged me, and I saw the same look in Pop’s eyes before he embraced me too. I couldn’t muster a response. Before any words formed, I felt a sharp prick on the right side of my neck where Pop pressed what looked like a syringe. I yelped and tried to jump away, but Mama held me with a stony strength. Pop only stopped when the syringe was empty.

As he pulled the syringe out, my mind grew foggy and my body heavy. The basement door caved in, wood splintering down the stairs. Mama screamed, Aulric!! and laid me on the floor. My head rolled to the side, away from the stairway, and I couldn’t move. Enormous creatures crashed down the stairs. I saw Pop with a plasma rifle, aiming at the intruders before he ran toward Mama, out of my view.

Gunshots. Screaming. Blood. Growling and snarling. Then, absolute silence.

One

There are two options in my head: either I’m dreaming or I’m dead. There’s no way I’m dead, though. I’m about to wake up in my bedroom, ready to enjoy my next day of fall break.

Zane… a distorted version of my name calls from far out in the abyss.

Mom? Dad? I reply, unable to discern the direction of the voice.

Zane…? Wake up, the voice calls again, this time clearer.

Where are you? I still can’t figure out where the voice is coming from.

A familiar, dingy white light slowly enters my vision as my eyes squint open. I see the blurred rectangles of ceiling panels above me and my best friend Lucy Summers’ freckled face. Her long, sunset hair trickles down, tickling me. A stainless steel helmet covers the top half of her face, with a square blue glass eye panel enhancing her vision. I let out a groan. Where the hell am I, and what just happened?

You’re awake! Lucy says in a soft, soprano voice. Her helmet whirrs as the glass panel retracts into the headpiece. She grabs my right hand and smiles, tears in her eyes as if she can’t believe them. It looks like we’re in her lab, with white fluorescents humming steadily above. I feel like I’m lying in a clinic bed, a pillow supporting my head, and a light blue wool blanket covering me up to the belly, my chest exposed. I just feel… weird.

Lucy? What’s going on? How did you get here? My voice and mouth are dry and creaky as I try to speak and move out of Lucy’s tickle cascade. I attempt to sit up on my cot but am promptly pushed back to the pillow by a firm hand. On Lucy’s right hand is another one of her gadgets: a smooth metallic glove with a plethora of tools in its fingers. The force of my head hitting the bed sends a jab of soreness through my neck.

Don’t get up, you’re still healing, Lucy says firmly. She moves out of my vision, sitting down on what sounds like a rolling chair next to my cot. Healing?

Where are my parents? And healing from what? I continue to rattle off questions, turning my head to face Lucy. She had set down a glass of water with a straw for me to drink from on a small bedside table beside the cot. Lucy attends the Utah College of Applied Technology, studying cybernetics with a focus on medicine. She retrofitted her basement into a lab to perform cyber operations on people. My parents’ metalworking company was one of Lucy’s suppliers, which is how I met her. At one point early on I thought we were close enough to be dating, but Lucy was not reciprocating. Now, she is my closest friend. My cot is in the far corner of her lab, while an operating table dotted with small puddles of blood stands in the center, the room smelling of copper and ammonia. A rolling cart next to it holds metal limbs and body parts. Three more cots line the wall, with a large elevator door on the opposite wall. Cases, counters, and shelves cover the remaining walls. When my eyes return to Lucy, I see a look of painful sympathy in her eyes.

I don’t even know how to say this… Lucy sighs, propping her elbows on the cot next to my arm, looking down to think. You know how I’ve been seeing a lot of synths coming through with genetic abnormalities? I raise an eyebrow, urging her to continue. I’m pretty sure that’s what caused this somehow—people turning into monsters.

What happened to my parents?! I grow impatient with Lucy’s story. I need to know where they are.

I-I don’t know! I got that alert on my phone and came here as soon as I could. There was a bunch of shit breaking in the house upstairs, and then, after the noise stopped, I went up, and the whole town… Lucy reaches up to grab my right hand again. The first thing I did was check on you, and your house was the same way… She looks up and makes eye contact with me. I found you in the basement, almost dead. You’ve been healing for four days.

My parents…? My eyebrows scrunch together in utter confusion.

All I saw was blood on the floor… I saw your dad’s gun, too.

What? Memories of the incident start flowing back. Gunshots. Screaming. Blood. No… they have to still be alive, my mind desperately rationalizes a way around the situation, spinning endlessly, unable to settle upon any reasonable conclusion.

They have to be. I’m so sorry, Zane... Lucy’s voice breaks, and tears fall from her face. She removes her helmet and sets it on the bedside table. My mouth forms silent words as I struggle with what to say. What happened to my parents?

I have a sudden urge to take action, go back to my house, and see if my parents left a trail. I snatch my hand away from Lucy’s grip, grab the end of the wool blanket, and rip it off my body. An involuntary gasp escapes me as I lay eyes upon the unbelievable. My body didn’t just feel weird—it was destroyed. Along with stitches and bandages covering who knows what gore, both of my legs have been replaced by smooth, dark silver metal replicas right above the knees. My left forearm matches my legs. At every connection, bronze skin blends uncannily into cold metal.

At this moment, I feel the weight of my life collapsing in on itself. I let out a wail of anguish and outrage, my back arching and aching under the tension. I’m disfigured, and I will never see my parents again. Lucy groans next to me, tears flowing harder.

It was the only thing I could do to save you... I’m so sorry, Zane, she sobs.

No! I scream, unable to accept reality. I try to sit up again, but Lucy holds onto my hand and wraps an arm around my chest to keep me firmly in place on the bed. In an embrace, tears flow from both of our eyes.

Please… they have to be alive… I plead with Lucy, my mind descending into desolation, if they aren’t, then you should have just left me. My words summon more sobs from her. I don’t want to live like this…

After what feels like days, I finally reach a point where I can step back from the emotion and enter a cold numbness. I was powerless during the situation that brought me here, and Lucy did her best to save me. She constantly attempted to comfort and console me every step of the way. Since the only family we have here are our parents and Lucy lost hers decades ago, she understands the pain I’m experiencing.

Thank you, Lucy… She sits close beside me in her rolling chair. You saved my life. Lucy’s grip on my hand tightens.

I could never leave you to die, Zane… Her words come out as a whisper. I can feel her looking at me while I train my eyes on the ceiling paneling. Part of my soul has evaporated in just a few hours. I squeeze her hand back.

Now that my thoughts are more together, how am I alive in the first place? I scrunch my eyebrows, trying to piece together the events before the monsters in my mind. Mama was telling me she loved me and that she was sorry, then the needle. What did they inject me with? And why would they do something like that?

Lucy, when the alerts went off on our phones, I don’t know why, but as soon as they saw it, Mama and Pop brought me to their lab and then… injected me with something. An image of their lab and its various equipment pops into my head. I think it might’ve been synthe-serum. Lucy sits up straight and looks at me, confused.

Really? I thought they were against all that. Where did they poke you? I gesture to the spot on my neck where I felt Pop jab me with the needle, trying to push back tears at the memory of his apologetic face. Lucy picks up her silver helmet and places