Chapter 5: The Gigalist

The Gigalist is created.

I was met in the lobby of the hospital by a man in a long white coat. He held his hands in his pockets, and looked me over intently.

“What do you want?” I asked with a suspicious tone. The man simply smiled at me.

“I have a proposition for you, Corporal.” He smiled at me smugly.

I became a test for robotic limbs; a metal arm, and a metal leg. The designs were conspicuous enough, and allowed the same range of motion as the real deal. I flexed my fingers and wrist, speaking with the engineer.

“All of this is free?” I asked him incredulously. He nodded.

“Consider it payment for the trial.”

“What is this ‘trial’ for?”

The engineer shrugged. “To see what you can do. These prosthetics were designed for military use.”

I shot a glance at him. “Military?”

He smirked and nodded. “I thought you’d be interested. They give you enhanced strength, as well as several utility functions. The arm has a laser cutter, compartments on the inside for storing tactical gear, as well as the ability switch to detach and reattach as needed. The leg has a spring pad on the sole, as well as an air jet on the back of the ankle, allowing you to jump farther, land easier, and reposition in the air.”

I swung my arm down and the compartment opened, splitting at the elbow to reveal two tubular sections. In each of these, was a small cylindrical object. I pulled one of them out. There was a metal rectangle in the side of it, and the rest was bound in leather, save for a button on the side. I pushed the button and the metal part swung out, flipping out of itself and clipping into place. It was a sword in my hand now. I looked at it in amazement. It was weighted perfectly. I spun it in my hand, flicking it to the side. The scientist flinched instinctively, but didn’t move. I drew the other sword and held one in each hand. I smiled.

“How did you know?” I asked the scientist. I had trained in swordsmanship since I was 8. I had always loved the idea of it, and I had even won several national tournaments since then. If I could have used swords in the war, I would have, but they weren’t fit for the large-scale firefights I usually found my squad in. But now… I had an idea.

The scientist simply smiled. “We did our research, Tom.”

I nodded appreciatively. “Thank you… so much. I have something I need to do now though.”

The scientist nodded in acknowledgement and extended his hand. I saw a tattoo on it, which seemed out of place for him. It was a dove feather.

I shook his hand firmly. “Are you from the south?” I asked him questioningly.

He raised his finger up to his mouth and winked in response.

Confused, I left the building. I knew that feather symbol from somewhere, but couldn’t remember where… Nevertheless, I knew how I was going to get back into the action; but I had to go home first.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I sat in front of my house. I could smell the blood. I could sense the memories. I could hear the silence. Tears welled up in my eyes. I couldn't believe they were gone. I inside inside of the empty, depressing house, tripping over the charred doorway.

I saw the pictures.

I saw the empty halls.

I got up the stairs with difficulty; they cracked under my feet. I couldn't take this. I had to stop them.

I wanted revenge. Not just for my family, but for everyone who fell victim to the Equinox’s tyranny. I knew I couldn't do it on my own. I gathered all the friends I had left; Izzy, Alex, and Will. I decided that I would start my own resistance. We would work in the dark, where the resistance didn’t dare tread.

The more I thought about, the angrier I got. Looking at the resistance now from the outside, I hated them too. They preached salvation, and always acted so righteous. They would recruit anyone and send them to die. They wanted to give to everyone; not have everyone work together. The were too extremely the opposite of the Equinox. That day, I decided that they too were my enemy. So I started a group that allied with neither of the parties. A group named the Gigalist.

Author's Note

We are currently editing the first part of Gigalist so if there are grammatical mistakes just know that they will all be fixed very soon! Thanks for bearing with us!