Waking up groggily from his sleep, a young man in his early twenties looked around to see that he was in some kind of dimly lit theater. He wasn’t much to look at with a shaven face and short brown hair. His build wasn’t anything great either as he looked like he could barely lift a hundred and twenty pounds, which was covered up by his white collared T-shirt and khaki shorts. He neither knew where he was nor who he was for that matter. His memories felt fuzzy. The only thing other than the theater was the five other people sitting in the theater as well. Looking down he noticed that his hands were cuffed to the armrests of the chairs. It wasn’t exactly something that made him feel at ease. In fact, it scared him to his very core. It seemed he wasn’t the only one though.

   “Where the hell am I? What’s going on?” One of the others sitting in the theater asked loudly with quite a bit of fear in their voice. 

The others that were in the theater woke up from the yelling only to act the same way as the first person did. Of the other five, there was the man who was yelling first which looked to be in his thirties, a woman in her late twenties, a man in his late teens, a young girl who looked to be about fourteen or fifteen, and a woman in her early forties. It definitely was a strange assortment of people as none of them seemed to have any connection whatsoever. After a few minutes of everyone trying to gauge their surroundings and alleviate their fears to no avail, a voice came over a loudspeaker.

   “Could I have everyone's attention, please? If you would please stay quiet and look at the theater screen we will explain where you are and why you are here.” the voice said like some kind of researcher recording a log for some project.

The room went quiet as the voice requested and in turn, the screen came to life. On the screen was a man wearing a lab coat. He looked to be in his late forties despite being bald and wearing a sweater vest under his lab coat. 

   “Welcome. Most of you are probably wondering where you are and why you are here?” the man in the lab coat said.

   “The answer is that you are all test subjects. Your governments believe that each of you is a potential ability user. Thus, you were sent here against your will to be subjected to analysis.” The lab coat-wearing man on the screen continued. Everyone in the theater began looking at each other with confused faces.

   “Now, you’re probably wondering what these abilities we speak of are? To put it simply, they are naturally occurring phenomena that have become more widespread in recent years. Each one is different and they are rather subtle. However, they are easy to spot with the trained eye upon reaching a certain phase. For example, one could have an ability that allows them to become more buoyant, or perhaps someone could become completely unnoticeable when in a group. These are all abilities. Some are useful and others aren’t. However, all are useful as test subjects.” The man on the screen explained.

Nobody knew what to think. Some were trying to understand what he was explaining while others just thought it was insane. Either way, it didn’t sound realistic.

   “As for where you are. You are currently on an island in the middle of the ocean that has been sanctioned by the U.N. to enact these tests without the prying eyes of other nations. Here you will be allowed to roam around freely and do as you please. Just use your abilities as much as you can. The only rule that we have is that you do not interfere with the laboratories or their staff. Even if you were to kill someone on the island it will not be punished unless it was a member of our staff. Fighting those with abilities is highly encouraged as it gives us very valuable data.” the man on the screen continued. Just as he said this the cuffs on our wrists unlocked themselves as if they were programmed to.

   “If you look under your seat there is a file containing all your personal information, including the known information about your abilities. We expect you all to serve as excellent test subjects. Welcome you to the Island!” The man finished with a happy tone before the screen went black and the lights got brighter.

Everyone in the theater reached under their seats and picked up their folder. The man in his early twenties had grabbed his own and opened it up. Inside was his picture and a series of documents. Though, something about the documents disturbed him. There wasn’t much information at all.

 

Name: ??

Birth Date: ??/??/00

Age: 20-21

Gender: Male

Language: English

Country: ??

Family: ??

Blood Type: A

Underlying Medical Issues: None

Ability: Last Resort

Ability Details: REDACTED

 

The rest of the documents included statements involving his capture and how he was brought to the Island but it all said REDACTED. Just as he was finishing reading the documents a few men wearing armor and carrying guns walked into the theater.

   “This way.” one of them said before holding open a door. 

Everyone seemed to do as they were told but it looked like some of them wanted to fight them. However, no one could see that going well. At least, that’s what they thought. 

   “Like hell!” one of the men from the theater exclaimed before throwing a punch at one of the armed men. Without any hesitation, they shot him until he stopped moving. 

   “Anyone else want to try anything?” the armed man at the door asked threateningly. Nobody moved a muscle.

   “Thought so.” the armed man said before going back to holding the door open. After all that they were led down a series of hallways before coming to a door.

   “Alright, each one of you gets a backpack filled with enough food and water for a week and some basic supplies.” one of the men said as he went about distributing the backpacks. 

As the packs were distributed the armed men had them each place their hands over a hand reader. Within a second of doing so, their information was brought up on a small screen in the wall. Again, the only thing that seemed to come up for the man in his early twenties that even resembled a name was his ability, Last Resort.

   “Last Resort, huh? I guess that’s your name now since there isn’t anything else.” the armed man said before calling to the next person. Once everyone was done with their scans the armed men brought them to the end of the hallway.

   “Everyone ready? Alright then, time for you all to see your new home.” the armed man said without even bothering to wait for an answer before pressing a series of buttons. A door opened up at the end of the hallway revealing another room with a door on the other side. Though they were hesitant to enter the room, the group was pushed into it by force. Once inside, the door shut and the door on the other side of the room opened up. 

   “Go on!” they heard over an intercom. 

Exiting the room they were standing on the edge of a small mountain on a tropical paradise. Below them was a jungle-like forest with a beach in the distance. The sun shone above them with very few clouds in the bright blue sky which mirrored the bright blue ocean below. 

   “By the way, if you loiter around here for too long then you will be shot without hesitation. Although, you are test subjects. You are only that. We can easily replace you so don’t think that we care whether you live or not.” the group heard over the intercom. Since they didn’t want to get shot they started down the mountain towards the beach. 

Upon entering the jungle they were assaulted by a series of sounds, smells, and colors that made this entire thing seem like a dream. Like some kind of island vacation rather than a prison or test site. However, like any dream, they had to wake up eventually. 

   “As part of your preliminary test, all of you will be hunted by our drones. Use your abilities as best you can to survive. Though, no one will blame you if you just run and hide. Good luck.” the voice over an intercom said.

As soon as the voice finished, three drones with a small gun attached to the bottom flew out of a small hole in the side of the mountain behind them. Each of them took off running in different directions in hopes that they wouldn’t be chased. That was only a fleeting hope though as within a few seconds gunshots were heard, followed by a shrill cry for help, another gunshot, and then silence. Hearing this, Last Resort kept running as fast as he could through the jungle-like trees. Behind him was one of the drones which were having trouble getting a clear shot. 

Just as He was passing a large stone, he was grabbed and pulled behind the rock. Last Resort looked up to see a man in his late teens wearing an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt, military pants, and what looked to be leather sandals. The man held his finger to his lips to signal that he needed to be quiet before chucking a stone into the distance, followed by several more. The drone flew off down past the large stone and into the trees and brush below. The man in the Hawaiian shirt then stood up from his hiding spot revealing a large flattish stick with a curve to it. 

Lifting it above his head, he looked as if he was aiming for something. Then from the trees, the drone flew upwards and began spinning around in search of its prey. As it did the Hawaiian shirt guy chucked the stick as hard as he could. With a somewhat graceful flight, the stick cut through the air and into the drone which crashed to the ground in the jungle below. As Last Resort watched this he turned back to the man in disbelief who wore a sinister smile of satisfaction.

   “Sorry about that. Would you mind helping me find the drone? I think that gun might come in handy.” the man asked with a smile.

   “Um…” Last Resort started to reply.

  “Oh, sorry. My name is Eli. I am part of the SERVE faction on the Island. What about you?” The Hawaiian shirt guy asked with a friendly smile before starting down the hill towards where the drone fell.

   “I don’t have a name. Though they just called me Last Resort.” Last Resort replied.

   “That’s an odd name. I bet that’s what your ability is called, huh? Well, it is far too long for a name so how about Last or Resort? It shouldn’t matter much to you right, Resort?” Eli said with a giddy, comfortable tone as I followed him.

   “Sure, I guess. Though, what is this place?” Last Resort asked as Eli found the Drone and began ripping it apart.

   “Didn’t you watch their intro video? They want to test people with abilities. Didn’t you use ability before they captured you? That should explain everything.” Eli said as he pulled the gun off of the drone. 

   “Not really, I don’t have any memories from before the theater and my document said that the specifics of my abilities were redacted.” Last Resort explained.

   “That’s odd. They usually don’t keep that stuff secret from the test subjects. However, it has happened before. Every time has been for a different reason though. As for your memories, it could be because of your ability.” Eli said as he looked over the gun. “Damnit! The firing mechanism is part of the drone. Guess I’ll have to get someone to make one. That’s gonna cost me” Eli said to himself as he stood up and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Um… so what do I do now?” Last Resort asked with a concerned look. Like some kind of lost child or perhaps someone who's never been to the DMV before.

Eli thought for a second before making a disgustingly wicked face. The face itself made Last Resort shudder a bit. All he could think was that this person was dangerous. Not just in general but to him personally.

   “Why don’t you come with me? My leader may take you in and allow you to join our group. Though, you will have to work. We mainly deal in fish and coconuts so I don’t think you’ll have a problem with it. What do you say?” Eli asked with a disturbingly friendly smile that seemed to hide something obviously wicked.

   “... Maybe. Why don’t you introduce me to your leader and then I’ll think about it, okay?” last Resort said with a worried tone. Eli let out a depressed sigh in return.

   “Fine. You’re no fun! Just don’t do anything stupid.” Eli said with an annoyed tone. It was such a sudden mood change that Last Resort couldn’t help but worry. 

Despite the initial worry that Last Resort had, he didn’t have much of a choice and followed Eli. He wasn’t sure he could survive on his own and someone just offered to take him in. It was ultimately a win for him, so long as Eli was as trustworthy as he said. Though, he did save his life so it wasn’t like this person wanted him dead. 

 

* * *

 

Sitting at a desk in a large control room filled with monitors, there was a woman in a lab coat with a nametag reading, Kobayashi Yue drinking from a coffee cup. She was Japanese looking to be in her late forties with short black hair and glasses. Though she wasn’t the only person in this room. Several people from various countries sat at desks all over the room looking over monitors or typing on their computers.

As she sat there enjoying her coffee her nose was assaulted by the scent of marijuana. Knowing the scent well and what it meant she set down her coffee and turned to see a short poorly shaven Russian man in his late twenties walking into the room wearing a black tank top and pajama pants. To top off his look he had a smoking blunt resting in his mouth and a dazed look. 

Almost everyone in the research institute knew exactly who this delinquent was. An ability user named Misha. Although most of them hated his habit of smoking blunts every waking hour of the day they didn’t bother to stop him. Not because he was strong or had a powerful position among them but because it kept him under control. Unlike the researchers, he was a test subject that proved more useful among them rather than outside on the island.

   “So, did my prediction come true?” Misha asked Kobayashi before taking in a breath of smoke.

   “It did. Both Last Resort and Compassion disappeared and avoided the drones. The others weren’t so lucky. Though their abilities weren’t very useful to our testing so it doesn’t matter.” Kobayashi said as she pulled up the recording. Looking over the recording for a minute, Misha shrugged before stepping away.

   “Alright then. If you need me you know where to find me.” Misha said before walking off. Leaving behind the smell of his blunt wafting through the room.

   “Who was that?” A black man in a suit and tie asked as he approached Kobayashi. He was cleanly shaven with short hair and wore the same lab coat as Kobayashi with a nametag reading, Collin J. Cash. Unlike the rest of the researchers, he carried himself like a soldier rather than a scientist, causing him to stand out a bit more than others.

   “Oh right, you’re new here. You could call him the greatest thing to come out of our experiments in my opinion. The higher-ups would disagree though as they think that human weapons like reaper and Vel are worth more. Basically, his ability is called Prophet. It allows him to see into the future with near-perfect accuracy. He can then come up with a solution to alter that future. For example, he foresaw that four out of the five that were released into the island would be killed but he provided us with the information needed so that only three would die.” Kobayashi explained.

   “That’s amazing. I didn’t know that we had evolved abilities to that extent here.” Collin said with an amazed tone.

   “Well, he is an exception. Unlike most of those on the island, he is one of our child subjects that was given rigorous testing.” 

   “Then why don’t we put all of our subjects through that same testing?” Collin asked with a confused look.

   “Because out of the two thousand subjects that were put through the testing, only a handful survived. That form of testing was ruled to be far too wasteful and ultimately inhumane. Thus, we are forbidden from ever trying that same form of experimentation again.” Kobayashi replied as she began sipping her coffee once more.

   “I see. Sorry, I asked.” Collin said before returning to his work.