The LONGER Story [Flashback: Training]

Chapter 1

This was the second day after the incident. An incident where young Dante's powers manifested in a blind rage and many were killed. On this day would begin his special treatment in The Order's academy. He woke up in a white room, much like the room where he had been strapped down to a chair. He could still remember the words of his father telling the other higher ups that he was a true weapon, not to be killed.

Dante stared up at the white ceiling lights. His hands rested behind his short, buzz cut brown hair. He was wearing a fitted white t-shirt and black combat pants with black boots. The typical attire of a trainee within The Order. He looked at the watch on his left wrist, seeing the time at eight in the morning. His body had been carefully trained to wake up at such time for years. He sighed as he would sit up on the small bed, his knees to his chest as he wrapped his arms around them. He stared blankly straight ahead at the bare white wall. His eyes were empty, emotionless just like his facial expression. However deep, deep inside, he began to feel something in his soul. Something The Order had trained them to suppress and disregard. A feeling of doubt and distrust.

There was a banging at the door, Dante got up quickly standing too his feet at the ready. Two men dressed in all black entered. They were higher ranking officials of The Order, experienced Assassins. Dante just looked at them as they approached. Watching their movements with careful eyes as he had been trained. The stopped a few feet in front of him, staring at him awkwardly. It was clear they thought some type of way about Dante. It was understandable after all. He did kill a lot of their own people, kids included. He would not be surprised if people hated him.

"It's time for your training. Meet outside with Dr. Tyson and your father. They will be taking you to a facility away from everyone else, where you can't kill any more of our people." one of them spat out venomously.

Dante would remain expressionless, following them out the door and meeting with the doctor and his father. His father had a serious look on his face, yet it was accompanied by a smirk in a few short seconds. "Good day son. It's time for you to harness your true strength and become the greatest assassin The Order has ever seen." he would say, putting a hand on Dante's shoulder as they began to walk off.

The building was not too far from the place they had him roomed in. It was actually the same facility he had always did his group trainings inside of. The only difference was when they entered, there was no one in sight, just them. A lot of the equipment had been cleared for more open space. Dante was directed to stand in the middle as his father and the doctor would move on and distance themselves.

"Okay Dante, what I need for you to do is to call forth that power of yours like before, same as yesterday like we discussed with Dr. Tyson." his father would say.

Dante simply nodded and would close his eyes for a moment. His body began to tingle all over, his chest felt heavy. He opened his eyes revealing the glowing red irises that sparked. There was a red energy that began to glow all over his body, sparking wildly at first then subsiding, leaving just his eyes glowing.

"Good, good Dante. Now I want you to try and concentrate the energy to your hands, gather it between them. Then when you feel you can, try shooting it at one of those boxes over there." his father would request, pointing off in the distance to his left where a pile of metal boxes sat.

Dante nodded, then looked at his hands which he would bring together. He focused the red energy between his hands causing a small red orb to form. There were several loud sparks similar to electricity escaping the orb. Dante felt the intensity of the energy and the resistance of the energy to escape the form. However he would do his best to keep up the concentration and form until he could no longer hold on to it. When he felt it was time and he could gather no more, he would fire the orb toward the box. The orb flew with swiftness and collided with the box where it exploded, sending a gust of wind everywhere. Dante was panting when he looked back at his father and the doctor, who were impressed and smiling. Dante however was not feeling very accomplished, he was still bothered by the thoughts of his father calling him a weapon. Though he was already a tool of The Order, it was not until now that he began to feel like one.

It would not end with just that moment of success however. No, his father wanted him to make it feel natural. His father would start drill after drill in order for Dante to be able to fire the orbs at a larger size and with faster succession. By the end of the day, Dante was capable of firing the energy in a beam form, which really impressed his father. Dante was exhausted and had been for awhile throughout the day, however his father was a determined man and would not allow him to stop. That's what inspired Dante to create the beam, because it was something his father was not requesting nor expecting, so by doing so he earned his break from training. The purpose of the doctor being there all day, Dante did not know. Every time Dante looked at the man, he was writing something in his notes. Dante felt less human at the end of the day, though he was.

Chapter 2

Five days have passed since the start of his special training. Dante had finally mastered the use of the energy blasts and beams. He had even learned to increase his own stamina and durability. It was as if the more often he accessed his powers and learned to focus them, his body became naturally more in tune with them and the energy was reinforcing his body. However with those improvements, his father was becoming more obsessed with turning Dante into a killing machine. Dr. Tyson was finally beginning to reveal more of his part in his trainings. He was there for psychological monitoring, to see what changes were occurring within Dante's mind. He noticed Dante was beginning to develop more of an attitude with his father's methods. However the doctor would attempt to coach Dante, better said brainwash him like they did many of the children of the academy, to simply obey. However Dante was a step ahead, using what The Order had taught him and hiding his emotions. Dante was pretending for the doctor and he was doing so flawlessly. Yet with each growing day, he was beginning to resent his father and his ways. He was beginning to dislike the looks he was receiving from The Order. Yet the worst thing of all, was that Dante was beginning to self-identify himself with power. He was starting to feel above everyone and he had reason to, but he would not show it. Not Yet.

On this day in particular, Dante was about to head out for some field training on a entry level mission. Normally they would not allow someone his age to begin missions of assassination. The Order liked to make sure their soldiers were well groomed without any doubts. Not only was Dante too young for their typical assassin, but he was now in possession of a power they were wary of. Yet his father had much influence and with the okay from Dr. Tyson, they would allow it. Surely he was not receiving any more favor with the other members of The Order with this special treatment. Dante was not sure of what this mission would call for, so he was outside the office waiting for his father and a couple of other high rank assassins to accompany him.

"Alright son, you ready to go. These guys here will be tagging along with us. Our target is this man here, John Coleman. He's the head of a small crime mob and we have finally been able to locate his base. We're going to kill this man and all his men. And by we, I mean you. You are to infiltrate this on your own and kill any and everyone you come across. Leave no one alive. If things go awry, which I doubt, we'll be in the shadows at the ready to assist you. However these guys and myself will not move in until I say so. So don't expect us because I have faith in your abilities son...all of them. So let's go make me proud." his father would explain, giving him a picture of the man he was to kill.

The ride over to the crime mob's base was long and awkard. Obviously this was not an entry level mission. Infilitrating a crime mob's base, no matter how small, was not entry level. Not only that but the entire plan of action was absurd for anyone let alone a entry level soldier who was not yet fitting the normal allowed assassins. This was special treatment to the extreme and a suicide mission. Dante however did not feel fear. He disregarded it completely since he was very young. He had been in all kinds of simulated situations since he was very young. Fear was one of the first emotions The Order trained to kill.

"Oh and son, as part of your continued training. I'm gonna need for you to focus on solidifying your energy. Dr. Tyson has a theory after seeing your control with the energy blasts, that you may be able to concentrate your energy into a tangible, physical form. He also believe much of your power is tied to your emotion and need of a situation. So that's why this mission will be one of high tension. You're being given no weapons to assist you." he would explain.

Dante was just looking blankly at the floor with his hands clasped together, fingers inter-locked. He could not believe his father was seriously gonna endanger his life like this. Dante simply nodded in understanding of his father's orders. The other men in the truck with them had looks of disbelief and wary on their faces. Dante's resentment was beginning to show as he unknowingly crinkled his brow.

The truck would stop moving after an hour or two of riding. It was show time. Dante exited the truck first, stepping out on the scene in his black boots, black pants, black shirt, and black hooded coat. He had received the typical assassin attire associated with The Order's assassins. Dante would then observe the setting and layout and begin his mission. He did not pay attention to what his father and the others were doing, he just knew they would not be too far to help. From what Dante could tell getting inside the building would be the toughest part. There were a couple of guards right in front of it and several more positioned around the perimeter. Lucky for him this base was positioned out in a jungle like area, there were many tropical trees and forestry around it for him to hide within.

Dante charge the red energy in one of his hands and like before, his eyes began to glow red with sparks. Dante would shoot a blast of energy toward one guard who was patrolling the upper level of the building. The blast's aim was slightly off and would hit the edge of the building near the guard instead, however the resulting blast would cause the edge to give away and the man to fall over. The resulting explosion would cause an uproar amongst the guards and several on this left side of the building began to flock to the scene. The guard was obviously dead, after have fallen such a height to his death on his kneck. Dante would emerge from the forestry seeing that the guards were distracted. His hands brought together charging the red energy between them as he approached behind the guards. One of them finally turned to notice him 10 meters away, however by that time it was too late. Dante would fire a beam of the energy that would hit one of the guards sending them into the building. Dante would quickly fire two consecutive blasts at two other guards, resulting in back-to-back explosions that would get the other guards nearby. There was now a hole in the side of the building.

However Dante would not be able to enter just yet. No, Dante had to deal with the guards coming from the other sides of the building. It was not like they could ignore all the commotion going on here. Not only that but a siren had begun to go off. So much for a stealth approach, but then what would be the point of stealth when everyone was to die. The incoming guards were clearly armed with guns and had begun firing at Dante. Dante took off running, using the available objects around the building as cover. He was swift and athletic when it came to moving. However with 5 guards all shooting at him, he could not run and hide forever. He was being chased away from the hole in the building he had created. This was annoying. He began to wonder when his father and the other men would finally step in and assist him. Dante would dive over a table, flipping it over as his foot passed over. He would put his back against this table as it held up against the incoming fire. Dante needed protection. He was not getting it. He needed a shield of some kind. Then he remember his father's words, to try and solidify his energy. Dante would focus, under the pressure of a tight situation he would be able construct a shield a meter around him. As he attempted to stand up to face the fire he quickly realized the gun fire was getting through it. He ducked back down behind the table. This was not working, but what would. Dante began to charge two orbs in his hands, he was gonna have to blast his way out of this. Dante would look over long enough to fire off the two orbs at the nearest guards then duck back down. There were still shots being fired however at the sound of empty clips, Dante would stand up and fire consecutive blasts at the remaining 3 guards. He was now in the clear and could move on inside the building.

Dante decided to play with his ability to solidify his his energy more. He concentrated the energy to form clones of himself. He could get out two without straining himself. At this point he needed to be more careful about conserving his energy. Accompanied by his two comrades, he would enter the building from the hole he had created and all three would separate in search of anyone. Dante was gonna stick to traditional combat skills that he had picked up from The Order as an assassin. Hand to Hand combat was going to definitely come into play. On one hall, one clone of Dante would encounter three guards. He would engage them head on, running at the closest one. The guard would draw his gun, the clone would roll forward and perform a sweeping kick. As the guard fell, the clone would stomp the guard once in the chest, firmly planting him in the ground, then once again in the throat killing him. The clone would pick up the guards gun, ducking into a room as the other two guards began fire. A stand down was in session. The clone would peak out into the hall, spotting a guard reloading, the clone fired two shots. One shot whizzed past the guard, but the other found it's way into the man's skull. The other guard would peak out from around a corner and the clone would shoot that one down as well.

On another hall, a clone had encounter a single guard. However a struggling fight had begun. This guard was exceptional at hand to hand combat. The guard delivered a round house kick to the face of the clone sending him spinning into a wall. The guard was about the punch the clone in the face, but the clone would duck and hit the guard hard at the side of his leg, specifically at the knee joint, snapping it. The guard would fall screaming in pain. The clone would force the guard to stand on his injured knee, throwing him into a wall. The clone would deliver a swift punch to the man's jugular, then promptly snapping the man's neck.

Dante himself had encountered his own troubles. Having effectively put down two guards in his hall and lifting their pistols. There were at least 3 more remaining in the hall. Dante would put one gun in his waistband so that he could charge his energy to his body. Dante would run out into the hall, firing off shots left and right at the guards he saw. He shot two down and was out of bullets at the last. However the guard was out of ammo himself and holding up hands to surrender. Dante fired the gun and the guard heard the empty click. The guard would run at Dante, but Dante expected such. Dante pulled the other gun from his waist and shot the guard in the head just as he got close. Dante would toss down the other gun and continue moving through the hall. The clones and Dante cleared out many of the guards in search for the main leader, John Coleman. However they came up short and could not find the man anywhere in the building.

Dante would head outside, dismissing the clone's from existence along the way. When he stepped outside he saw the man his father had told him about. The man was standing there with a shotgun pointed at Dante.

"You lose." the man would say as he raised the gun for fire. Dante was out of energy and was exhausted, unable to pull forth any more energy. He was expecting his father to come in at this moment. He raised his hands for surrender toward the man, while looking at him with cold, condemning eyes. However the next sound was not the sound of saving, no the next sound was that of the shot gun. Dante was sprayed by the shrapnel from a distance and instantly went down regardless. Fading to darkness.

Chapter 3

Dante opened his eyes to find himself in what looked like a hospital bed. However he knew better to think he was in a hospital. No, this was definitely one of The Order's prestige medical facilities. His chest was bandaged up and he lay in the bed having his blood taken for some reason. Dante had no idea what was going on at this point. He looked at the doctor taking his blood, who would happen to look up at him as well.

"Oh my god, it's awake," the doctor would say with a shocked expression. Then she began to hurriedly collect her blood sample and leave the room. Dante could hear her shouting outside the room "The Genesis is awake, get his father here now! He's finally out of the coma." Dante could not believe her words. It? The Genesis? Coma? He could not decide on what to focus on. One thing was for sure he did not like the way he was being referred to. Dante laid there in disbelief.

His father entered soon after several minutes. "Oh God, son you're awake. You've been in a coma for 2 months. We weren't sure if you'd survive." he would say quickly, taking a seat beside Dante's bed. Dante was in complete disbelief. 2 months? If he'd survive? Dante was feeling all kinds of emotions surface forth. Emotions he had been trained to kill. It was clear on his face.

"Well you did this to me! This is your fault! Sending me on that mission! You saw him with the gun, why didn't you do anything?! You could've saved me!" Dante would shout angrily. His father however did not seemed surprised. "It's not my fault you haven't trained harder to last longer. Do not put your faults on me. I've done what I can to make you the perfect assassin. It's not my fault you haven't been holding up to the expectation. Besides we had a plan covered for this situation." the man responded back coldly, emotionlessly. Dante just stared at him. A plan covered for this situation? His fault? Dante went numb, overwhelmed by his emotions he just wanted to turn them off. At least for now, so he would. "Good, silence is key. Now get out of this bed and be ready to leave. I'll be outside in the truck." his father would say.

Dante would wait a moment after his father would leave. Dante was not done yet. He would get to the bottom of this. As Dante got out of bed he had noticed the chart of the Doctor who had been taking his blood earlier. The doctor must have forgot it after rushing out. Dante began to read the chart. Subject Genesis: First ever mutant in The Order. Son of Victor. Daily blood samples collected for Dr. Tyson in Lab-X. Status: Comatose: 2 years. Dante dropped the chart after reading everything. The emotions attempted to creep back to the surface, but no, he shut them off. It was too much. Dante would get his belongings out of a locker in the room and leave. However he realized that they were not expecting him to wake up. So what was the plan he had to cover this?

For the next few days, no one seemed to acknowledge that Dante had returned. He was being treated as if he had never left. No one spoke of his coma ever. It was as if nothing had changed, or perhaps they were ordered to behave that way. Dante's training with his father continued routinely. He forced himself to kill his emotions each session. The sight of his father infuriated him. However he was becoming more interested in Dr. Tyson. The man was not present all the time during Dante's trainings like before, just occasionally.

One day after training, Dante would follow Dr. Tyson to see what he was hiding in Lab-X. Dante would use his skills of stealth movement to get inside the building. What he discovered however was something horrifying. They had been attempting to clone him these past years? Or perhaps it started before? Dr. Tyson would leave the building eventually, however Dante hid and stuck around to get a better look at things. He would enter a room that held capsule like machines where the clones were. He would walk up to a capsule, peering through the glass and what was supposed to represent him. He placed a hand against the glass lightly. However what resulted was quite unexpected for the capsule would open up, releasing some air and smoke. Dante would step back a few steps, wary of what he had done. The clone opened it's eyes in sparks of red and would fire a beam at Dante. Dante would be sent flying back into a table and other laboratory equipment. Dante stumbled up, his eyes glowing red with fury. The clone would fire another beam at Dante. Dante would raise his hands in defense of the beam instinctively creating a solid shield. He would then charge the clone grab his head in order to snap it's neck, however what happened instead was that he absorbed it's energy weakening it. He had never really trained that but the ability manifested itself when he needed it. Dante would fire a beam in return at the clone that would send the clone back into the capsule that would then explode.

Dante was both furious and proud. He was extremely angry that they would attempt to clone him. However he was proud at his own strength, proving that nothing that they could create would ever be stronger. Dante would send blasts at the other capsules and all around the laboratory, destroying it. He would then stealthily escape before anyone would notice his being there, however the members of The Order were intelligent individuals and would make the connection eventually, especially his father.

The next few years, Dante had became more and more adept with his power thanks to the increasingly intense field test by his father. He suspected that the harsher trainings were a result of his failed experiments, the blame being put on Dante. However Dante maintained composure utilizing the skills given to him by The Order's upbringing. Dante began to pride himself more with his success on the training missions. He was being sent out to find and fight other mutants with time, something many of the higher ranking assassins within The Order would do. He began to learn more and more about the organization he had been born into. Dante would develop the ability to search for similar energy given off by those with supernatural abilities. He was trained and groomed to become a mutant hunter in order to test and improve his own capabilities. His constant success developed into pride and ambition. He was beginning to enjoy being such an alpha being, The Genesis. He came to accept the code name. His father, though blatantly expressing his hate for his son as a son, could not help but be proud of him as a mutant weapon. Yet little did the man know, Dante was weaving his own little strings and plans within the organization. That would eventually become the downfall of The Order at his hands. What made him what he was would cease to exist, so that no other like himself could ever come out of it.

((Word Total: 4,439))

Energy Blasts/Beams (C-Level) - Trained
Energy Perception (C-Level) - Trained
Energy Construction (C-Level) - Trained
Energy Clones (C-Level) - Trained
Energy Siphon (C-Level) - Trained
Energy Reinforced Body (C-Level) - Trained