CHAPTER 1 "THE PROCEDURE ARC"

“Boys, can you come help me with this?” Jace's mom called out. 

He rushed quickly to the kitchen to help carry the plates to the dining table and found her sat across from his dad.

He and Michael helped set the table and took their seats by the sides. 

 “Are you excited for the Procedure?” his dad asked. 

“Yes, we are, Mr. Jamerson,” answered Michael calmly. 

“Good. The procedure will determine your future."

To understand the procedure, you first have to know what happened to the world. 

Back in 2020, a virus tore through humanity. A deadly one, that resulted in a lot of destruction and loss of lives across the planet. Economies plummeted and soon countries were forced to fight for the strained resources.

This became known as the Fourth World War.

Years passed and many countries fell, completely destroyed by nuclear weaponry. However, the radiation from these attacks mutated the virus further making it impossible to breath the oxygen in the atmosphere.

And so, humanity did as they always did. They survived. 

But promised to one day return to the surface.

Many more years passed until that promise became reality. A group of scientists developed the Teratogen Mist, a breakthrough serum that could make life on the surface possible again. You see in all that time when the virus was mutating, so was mother nature. Anything from plant life to animals got a complete makeover.

It was this makeover that made the serum possible. In theory by combining the DNA of mutated animals with their own, it would be possible to live on the surface.

It was a risky procedure. Those earlier attempts were made either through the veins or breathed in through the nose and they all failed. Eventually it was suggested that injecting the serum via the spinal column would be far effective. The spinal cord acts the body's main data highway connecting the brain to the entire body.

And it worked through varying degrees. One procedure targetted the gray matter in the spinal cord, resulting in "clean mutations" while the other that targetted the white matter, altered it causing physical mutations, such as hairy skins, animal-like features.

Humanity was back on top.

But they would discover they were no longer the top of the food chains That honor went to the DEVIANTS. These were the mutated animals they harvested the DNA from. It was an ironical comeuppance, that saw the DEVIANTS devour humans primarily as food.

It was 2030, when humanity had enough and fought back. Taking inspiration from the bunkers, they decided to construct the Dome—a transparent bunker that would keep the Deviants at bay, but also ensuring they could stay in the surface.

It took five continous years to finish the contruction. The dome was a technoligcal marvel, built to withstand over 100 nuclear missiles attack. By the end, the dome covered about 60% of what was left of the world, while the rest of the world was left to the Deviants and dubbed, Outside. However, it soon became clear that the increasing population could not be sustained within the Dome. So, a list was made.

Comprising of all important personels, your doctors, engineers, teachers and other professions of note. About 20 members from each and their families. With one exception of Wallace Obrien (Wally), one of the Original designers of the bunkers and the Dome. He, his family and the less important people  were sent Outside. They would find ways to survive and coexist with the Deviants, but that is for another time.

Inside, food was grown both artificially and naturally. The mutation of the planet had left the land very fertile, and crops grew quickly. As for meat, teams would be sent on missions Outside to hunt, although it was often dangerous.

Life was smooth sailing in the Dome until the Mutants would arise.

It happened that generations of children after the initial procedure started developing abilities. This was a result of the mutations of their DNA, hence the name. They were classified into 3 categories: 

First Class - those with one ability recurring in their family; 

Second Class - they had entirely new abilities (Usually two) that were not in their family.

Unsanctioned – those with multiple abilities, ranging from three to hundreds.

Due to their nature, the unsanctioned were rightfully deemed to be dangerous after one of them nearly broke through the Dome's outer shell after losing control, resulting in deaths of 25 people.

The Procedure was soon introduced to determine one’s category and help in managing their abilities when necessary.

Ten years passed since the procedure started and unsanctioned mutants have become almost extinct.

Now, it's the year 2230. 

After turning 17 years old, individuals would take the procedure. This is because the mutant gene manifested itself in the body from that time. Those with the mutant gene would gain entry to the Glades House, where they would learn to control their abilities. Those exceptionally talented would join Taskforce X, being sent on missions Outside.

Back at the table, the twins, Imogen and Orion were immersed in their books. Though younger, they shared an unbreakable bond with their older brother, Jace. In fact, their mom called them her little triplets, which made no sense, since Jace was four years older.

"I trust you're fully prepared," Jace's father said cutting the steak on his plate.

Jace nodded staring at the bracelet glinting on his father's right arm. 

His father was once a Second Class mutant but had his abilities suppressed using the very same bracelet, he wore. Which is why Jace couldn't understand why his dad was so obsessed with the Procedure. If he had rejected his ability, why was he keen on Jace having one.

You see they lived in the Regens House. The house where non-mutants lived. There were four houses in total: Regens, Glades, Elite and Founders house. Each run by one of the Four Families.

After dinner, Michael and Jace retreated upstairs to play the Deviant Neutralizer game. This game was a favourite, because it simulated battles against the creatures Outside.

 “Ha I got you this time,” Michael yelled.

"You got lucky,” Jace recanted. 

Michael and Jace have been friends for as long as they'd been alive. It was almost fated for them to be, since their fathers were also best friends. Even after their fathers stopped being close, it only brought them closer.

Hours passed as they played some more, exchanging banter and blows until.

"Didn't I tell you boys to sleep?!" she scolded them. "You have a long day tomorrow."

That's right. Tomorrow was the day when their life would change. And as they slept, Jace couldn't help but think about what that entailed and more importantly, what choice he would make.

If he were a mutant, would he give up his powers like his father or leave his family for one of the other houses?