Warsaw, September 1st 1939

Willa held her mother's hand tightly, as they walked through the streets of Warsaw. The day was warm, but the sky was grey and pale. They were heading to the market to pick up some food.

Her mother was going to make one of her favourite dishes, Gołąbki. Willa thought of the delicious cabbage rolls steaming on her plate, filling her nose with the warm and comforting fumes. Until the clicking of her mother's shoes went silent, pulling Willa out her lovely thoughts. She looked up at her mother, who was standing still in shock, gazing into the grey sky. "Mommy?" she asked gently, tugging on her mother's coat sleeve. Willa followed her mother's gaze, as planes flew over them dropping strange objects across the city.

Once they hit the ground, an explosion of orange filled their eyes. It sent a wave of heat, dust and wind, destroying everything in its path. The people's screams echoed through the streets, as people ran for their lives. Willa's mother picked her up and ran as fast as she could, holding her daughter's face into her coat.

But the wind's power knocked her mother off her feet sending Willa flying as the ray of heat passed through her body. She landed on the ground hard. Black suddenly crept into her vision, and her eyes slowly closed.

The screams of people were no longer heard, as her eyes blinked open to a world of ash. The bottom of her mother's heels came into focus. "Mommy?" Willa whispered, as she crawled toward her. "Mommy?"

She caught a glimpse of her mother's face, and her eyes filled with tears. Her mother stared ahead emotionless, her face black with ash. Willa couldn't control her tears. She closed her mother's eyes gently and hugged her, burying her face into her mother's shoulder.

Willa slept soundly, as a few soldiers walked up to them. "Alive?"

The one soldier knelt down, and placed his fingers around the mother's neck. "Dead."

The other soldier placed his fingers on Willa's neck, and gasped. "What?"

"She's alive." The soldier replied.

"How did she survive?"

"Not sure."

Willa's eyes blinked open slightly. But they were quickly closed again as the soldier placed a fabric bag on her head.

Helsinki, Finland December 22nd 1942

The two doctors examined the lined photograph of a brain. "The brain should have fried from that 3 years ago!" The doctor exclaimed. "The Parahippocampal Gyrus couldn't have taken that much radiation."

"Indeed," agreed the fellow doctor. "But you do see that—right there that's a-" The doctor stopped, as the General entered the room.

"Are we ready?"

"Yes, sir." The doctor guided the way to a metal walled room, with no windows. There, sat Willa at a metal desk with her hands pinned to it, and her head covered with wires.

She noticed the General, and her jaw clenched.

"Find him." The General directed.

The doctors left the room and entered another, where they watched her.

Willa shut her eyes reluctantly. Her mind's eye ran through the streets, then stopped at a prison cell, where Heinz Harro Schulze-Boysen sat inside.

Tears streamed down Willa's cheeks, as the General, the table, and objects around her began to float. "She's doing it again!" Cried the General. "Do it!" He yelled.

Willa stared at Boysen breathing heavily, the General's voice an irritating echo in her head.

Boysen's eyes widened with shock, as he grabbed his neck. He struggled to breathe, and his very last breath only a slight choke. Finally, he collapsed to the ground.

Willa tried to catch her breath, and everything went black. The objects of the room fell back to the ground. Now, she could only hear the echoing and taunting laughs of the General.

"Bring her back." He said, glancing at his watch. "19:05."

Willa opened her eyes to the evil smile of the General. "I knew you could do it!" He laughed.

"You deserve a treat." He said, as he pulled a pin from his pocket, and pinned it to her dress. Willa looked down at the pin angrily.

"It is an honour to be given the opportunity to wear a Nazi pin." He tried to hold her face, but Willa moved her head out of his hands. "Wear it with pride."

Planet Actaeon: Universe 314

"Yeah," Schaffel said. "Look at the blue!"

"Nah." His friend scoffed, as he turned his back, and Schaffel followed. "What do you mean? It's beautiful!"

"It's sooo underwhelming." Nassel responded, and grinned smugly.

The two walked towards what seemed to be a rock, but as his friend tapped the tip of it, a doorway opened underground, and they were lowered by a platform.

They made their way through the silver street as hundreds of other citizens of Actaeon passed by. "Mornin'." Waved Schaffel's friend, to the local emailer. This was his home, and he loved it here. Isolated, comfortable, and above all, safe. No one approached Actaeon since there was no sign of life, and the city was never found, so everyone assumed it was a dead planet.

Schaffel entered his house with Nassel as they sprinted into his bedroom, to play Planet Simulation—Schaffel's favourite game.

"What planet?" Nassel asked.

"Earth!"

"Come on! You always pick Earth, let's do Phoebes, the fire planet!"

They walked around the planet, as Phoenixes attacked Nassel. "AAHH!" he laughed. Schaffel giggled, as the Phoenixes surrounded him, and purred under his fingertips.

"How's this fair?!" He teased.

Schaffel graced their backs, the feathers adjusted and wiggled.

"Dinner!" Schaffel's mother called.

As Nassel shoved food in his face, Schaffel couldn't help but giggle at his friend.

"What?" His friend said muffled.

Schaffel, his sister, mother and father gave each other looks to which everyone burst out laughing.

After the meal, while Schaffel walked down the hallway to his bedroom, he stopped before his younger sister's room, where he overheard his grandmother telling a story.

"The beautiful purple traced the eyes of all who lived there, their powers more powerful than anyone else's. They were our great protectors and leaders!" She went on. "They led every planet in this universe and protected us from harm."

His grandmother held up the tapestry, knitted by Schaffel's great-grandmother. It showed the Imods fighting the Cadmusians, bravely slashing each other with an intense fire in the background.

"The Imods wanted the power though, so they invaded Cadmus. Though the Cadmusians put up a good fight, the Imods killed everyone, and that's how the Cadmusians disappeared forever." She whispered.

"Oh no! What about the Imods?" His sister asked eagerly.

"No one knows. The green, slimy, and snakey Imods left as well, never to be seen again."

The next day

Schaffel and Nassel chased each other in the streets, laughing and giggling. As they walked down the street, other kids approached.

"Wassup weirdos!"

"Go away, Ray!" Nassel said.

"Pff whatever, what's weirdo boys like you gonna do?" He mocked.

"I'll show you what I'll do!" Nassel walked toward him, and Schaffel grabbed his shirt to stop him.

Schaffel was indeed strange, and he knew that. He stood out from everyone else. Like when a Cada, a purple mule bird hybrid, started talking to him in class and he somehow understood it, people teased him about that ever since.

As they continued, the ground above began to shake. "What the?!-" cried Schaffel's friend.

Schaffel looked up at the simulated sky, as it glitched and disappeared, leaving only the sand. Everyone went silent, listening and watching. Until the piercing sound of gunfire emerged. People ran, screaming and searching for any way to escape.

The screams made Schaffel's ears throb. "Nassel!"

No one replied nor could anyone hear him.

Panicked, Schaffel looked around him, as white suited men pointed guns at the citizens, and fired metal beads into them.

Schaffel ran to the nearest wrecked building and hid. Tears streamed down his face as he listened to his people being shot, killed, and slaughtered. Until a man approached him. Holding his gun readily. Schaffel held his breath as he stared into the reflective blackness where the face would be. "Nothing here!" He shouted, as he walked back to the others.

Why can't he see me? Schaffel thought.

He stayed there, until everything went silent.

He stood up, and stepped outside from the building. As he proceeded past the piles of bodies which lay on the ground, Schaffel avoided even a glance at the faces.

He ran to his house, as it sat in pieces.

Schaffel collapsed to his knees and began to sob uncontrollably. He glanced to his left, and recognized one of the faces. Nassel. Schaffel crawled over to him, as tears poured down his cheeks.

Nassel's eyes remained open staring into the sandy ceiling that had once kept them all safe. Schaffel hugged Nassel, resting his head on his shoulder. He looked down to the ground and noticed a torn sewn symbol. Schaffel sat up, and picked it up slowly, gazing at the red and white which bordered what almost looked like a black spider in the centre.

Then, something hard hit the back of his head.

Schaffel's eyes blinked open slightly to the bright white lights above him, and masked faces surrounding him. "Experiment BB18 is detained." Said one of the masked people.

Another one glanced at a screen which sat beside Schaffel. Their eyes shifted from focused to surprised. "Oh my lord!" They shouted. "You seeing this?"

They dragged the other masked person over to the screen. "This extraterrestrial life-form has special abilities!"

"Impossible." The other said bluntly.

"No? How did he survive the attack then?"

"Coincidence I guess."

"Nothing is ever a coincidence." the one whispered.

"He must have accessed something here," the masked person pointed. "You see no normal human brain has this!"

"Well, it's not human anyway." Replied the other one.

"Exactly!" The masked person cried, "this is revolutionary!"

Everything then became muffled, as Schaffel's eyes grew heavy and everything blurred around him into darkness. 

Hope you enjoyed Chapter 1! ❤️