Barcode: Legend of Apollo (9 page)

The stylishly exquisite girl glides smoothly next to Kode and his brother. The two boys seem to shape up when she enters the room. It’s funny to see that she’s the boss, and they’re her subordinates.

Hannah punches me swiftly in the ribs and teases, “You’re staring!”

“So? She’s my cousin.”

“Yes, but didn’t you say your uncle wants you both to recreate Helios after you defeat him?”

“Dennis isn’t having that. He’s made it clear that he doesn’t want me fighting Helios anytime soon, and he definitely doesn’t want me have a baby to potentially kill my cousin.” Dennis may not want me to fight Helios, but he can’t avoid it for much longer.

Professor Gardezi proclaims, “I’m proud to be the first to announce that today we’re going to welcome our own princess of Colt Arena, Angie Colt.”

Princess? I’m well aware of what he’s implying, but that’s a bit of an exaggeration. Angie’s being praised because her birth symbolized a treaty between the West and South Coasts of America.

Three centuries ago, after World War T left the planet in shambles, various leaders in our country argued over who should rule our land. Barcodes were just introduced to Earth, which created peace in nearly every country. With most of the East Coast demolished, our once powerful nation turned against itself and started a very long-term war—the Great American War.

At the end, a treaty was signed that divided the country, but created a sense of harmony. Instead of fighting over who ruled America, politicians were given their own borders to govern, which reduced the death toll by the thousands.

Angie is the product of my uncle and her Louisianan mother, the first woman to host the power of a god and not a goddess, Poseidon. Like Zeus, Poseidon does not match well with humans.

The South’s most prized woman was bedridden nearly all of her life. Many doctors said her womb was an ocean of strength that could possibly birth the most powerful child in history. Because of this, many men competed to mate with her. But in a free-for-all war, my uncle reined as the sole survivor.

Angie’s birth reunited the West and South Coast. Because of her, the country is only divided into two halves. Once my predestined fight with Helios occurs, America will be united under the tyrant or Colt family.

Professor Gardezi finishes his elaborate speech and introduces the rest of the students. I listen to learn the name of Kode’s brother—Monte Payne. Kode’s insanity finally makes sense, he’s from the Payne family.

Angie purposely passes my seat before finding her own. With a faint Southern accent, she calmly says, “Hey Spencer.”

“Hey,” I reply with a beaming smile.

Hannah shoots me a stink eye that makes me wonder if she’s actually jealous. Assuming she’s just teasing, I turn on my desktop tablet and prepare to take notes on the coming lecture.

Nine

At lunch, I notice a large group of Apes crowding Monte’s table. Again, they’re bombarding a god with questions about his history and why his brother doesn’t talk. I listen to him explain the power and restrictions of Tartarus as Kyle, Wesley, and I approach the table.

Monte says, “He can’t hear or see. Supposedly, his sight and sound are removed to increase his ability to sense what’s around him. I once shot an arrow from fifty yards away and he caught it.”

One of Monte’s fans says, “Whoa,” with his eyebrows raised and eyes nearly popping from his head. He’s a short guy that looks weak, even for an Ape. “Can he write and tell you what it’s like?”

“Yeah. He’s the most honest guy in the world. But if you ask him about Tartarus, he never types a word. When we were kids, I bugged him about it until he finally said he hated the mask. Then, I left him alone.”

Kode rests his head against his cheek. He doesn’t seem to care for Monte’s entourage.

I take a seat in front of Monte while finishing off my apple, one of the only real fruit trees that survived the GAW—though mine was imported from China. Hannah says it’s my way to display my wealth. She may be right, but it still tastes pretty good.

“Tartarus, that’s the name of the mask right? That’s an interesting choice to place on a child. Did it shape to his face once he was born, or did he have to grow into it?” I am well aware that I’m interrupting the Apes’ conversation.

I always wonder why Apes burden gods with questions. My only conclusion is that they want to be more like us. The more they can understand, the quicker they can get there.

The man-made barcodes they receive from liminal beings resemble the print I find on my box of cereal in the morning. That doesn’t signify strength. My tattoo spans widely across my back and Apes are branded with a stamp no larger than my hand. Give me a break. What will questions really do to help?

“It did shape to his face,” Monte answers after watching me take a few bites of the apple. His language doesn’t match his demeanor. Monte seems as though he participated in a few wars himself, but he manages to maintain a calm tone and graceful mannerisms.

Pointing the apple towards him, I tease, “You want the rest?”

Monte shrugs his shoulders while looking at Kode, “I guess you cherish apples here, but we’ve lived in Spain, Japan, and Brazil. There are plenty of fruit trees there.”

Well aware that he’s provoking us, Kyle jumps in, “So why are you here if your life’s so great?”

“I’ve been to many countries and fought in several wars,” Monte says casually. “I don’t think there’s a place on this world where life is great. Your Hollywood area is really nice though.”

Wesley leans forward and says, “Teenagers aren’t allowed to fight in wars.”

His own ignorance causes us to lose a few points. I try to interject, but Monte speaks first, “On this part of the country, that’s true. But the South is always at war. We’re near the desolate land of the East and South Coast where liminal beings from Mississippi to Florida, all the way up to South Carolina, come down to attack our land. Then, of course, there’s Helios.”

“So why are you in school?” I ask to try and reestablish some balance.

The Apes feel the storm brewing at the table and they slowly trickle away until none are left.

“To become politicians, of course. Our family plans to return to the West Coast now that 
our own
 arena is established in Louisiana. Still, the program here allows us to graduate high school and college at once while providing us with a path to become politicians. That’s a deal my father couldn’t pass up.”

I don’t blame him for placing emphasis on 
their 
arena. The Payne family worked hard to run from California teams that were out to destroy them. It took decades for them to rebuild their name and power in Louisiana.

The tragedy surrounding how the Payne family was outlawed from California is an urban legend at many campuses. Most believe they were attempting to become the next group of tyrants like Helios. I even heard that half of their students shared similar fighting styles with the dictator, which caused several Senators to turn against the family and attempt to destroy them before they rose to power.

Over the past decade, Blake and Eve Payne have reestablished their legacy. Eve is specifically known for her power and sword. I’ve seen pictures of her victims’ limbs. They say she continues cutting her opponents even after their death. Blake isn’t as malicious, but not many warriors last long in the ring against him. I believe the record is forty-seven seconds.

I had no clue the duo had children. Judging from what I’ve heard about Eve, everything I know about Kode makes sense.

But it is Monte that carries the weight of the history and future of his family on his shoulders. He seems to work hard at representing his family name with pride.

“So what’s up with you and my cousin? It seems like you two shaped up nicely when she came in the room.” Monte makes a faint choking sound. Then, he looks away in embarrassment. That’s when I notice Angie approaching from behind. I decide to provoke him a bit more. “Is she your master, or are you her boy toys?”

Kode tilts his head towards me, and I imagine him smiling behind the mask.

I notice how neat his hair and gear are kept. He doesn’t seem to have one strand or thread out of place. He even sits upright in a strong, but non-aggressive manner.

I haven’t moved him a bit. He’s maintaining his composure, and possibly laughing the more I attempt to provoke Monte.

“I could try and get my uncle to loosen her leash, for a price.”

Monte hardly slaps the table with any force, but it bounces an inch from the ground. He prepares to make a witty and aggressive reply that Angie would hear clearly, but Kode grabs his arm and points behind them with his thumb.

Once Monte notices my cousin, he attempts to disperse some of the anger. Though I couldn’t aggravate him as much as I’d like to, the table incident was enough for Angie to take notice.

“Monte, that type of behavior is unacceptable.” Monte manages to watch both Angie and me at the same time. His eyes focus on her, but he definitely notices my smirk. “And why didn’t Kode stop you?”

“He did. I’m sure you saw him grab my arm, so get off his case.”

“You know better than to sass your superior,” she says in a low, but firm voice. I noticed the country accent a bit more that time. I doubt Kyle and Wesley heard anything. Both boys can hardly pry their eyes from her body. “Four extra hours of training tonight, and two for Kode.”

I poured the gasoline, and Angie lit the match right over Monte’s face. Kode’s swag hasn’t changed a bit. In fact, he holds up four fingers.

Did he just request more punishment?

Angie sighs, “Fine. Four hours.”

When she leaves, Monte glares at me with more rage than Hannah after Angie walked in the room. Monte’s the first to leave the table, and his brother trails along.

Ten

The second a baby crowns, liminal beings can tell parents the god contained in their barcodes. Once out of the womb, the creatures can measure the baby’s power and potential.

Liminal beings were created when the gods decided to introduce barcodes to our world. Centuries of war passed before Zeus was approached by the Titans. They discovered a power for humans after working with Hindu gods to develop a powerful trishula. In honor of the original wielder of the blade, they named it Shiva.

They experimented with the remaining melted material by spilling it onto a few humans sailing through the Pacific. The humans gained such strength that even Zeus thought they were gods. The substance on their skin gave them the power to protect their families from invading armies in the war.

With the world’s population steadily approaching extinction, Zeus ordered Hades and Poseidon to choose humans worthy enough to harness the power and end the war. Those men not only created peace, but rebuilt their countries.

One century later, some humans were born with Poseidon’s material already on their skin. They were much stronger than those that the sea god initially experimented on. The markings resembled tattoos but had physical data that could be measured, scanned, and analyzed.

Though Zeus heard the complaints of his fellow Olympians, it wasn’t until a child was born with his power that he realized how the tattoos drained their energy. The new breed of mortals were drawing their powers from the gods, almost rivaling their strength. Zeus ransacked the planet, destroying everything in his path and overthrowing the kingdoms of Earth. He was searching for the source of this “evil” in hopes to destroy it.

Because of Zeus’ rage, several countries were reduced to rubble. America’s East Coast was almost entirely destroyed. Now, all that remain of it are desolate lands where various creatures roam and two islands, New York and Vermont.

With his strength greatly reduced, he was forced to cut his destruction short.

On Mount Olympus, Zeus shouted for hours, causing earthquakes to erupt on Earth. While screaming at Poseidon and demanding answers for the abomination, words began creeping from every crevice on Mount Olympus: 
The Writer rules this world.
 This scripture would appear in Zeus’ dreams and even on his skin until he tore his flesh. That’s when humans began praising an unknown god more powerful and mysterious than Zeus, The Writer.

While the group of “gods” were being raised, other humans experimented with Poseidon’s materials, making it more manageable and easily distributable. They stabilized the allocation of power by combining the material with ink and tattooing volunteers with barcodes. As the technology advanced, scientists used the power in very ungodly ways. With stamps containing the substance, they coded animals’ genitals. This led to crossbreeding. Very wise and mystical creatures were born: liminal beings.

My mentor and friend, a liminal being known as Talib, predicted my birth. Against the will of the universe, he taught me its spiritual mysteries. He truly believed that I was destined to fight with Shiva, and change how people fear Helios.

After spending much time telling me the story about his ancestors, Talib exclaimed, “Be nothing like Zeus, afraid of any power greater than his. If you read it, believe.”

Those words mean more today than they ever have in my life.

While closing my desk tablet in my Friday fifth period class, instead of the words 
Shutting Down,
 I saw, 
Stay Here
.

Hannah, Yukio, and Leo all asked if I’d come with them, but I found an excuse to remain in my chair. No one seemed pleased with my explanation, but they left after deciding to tour Professor Gonzales’ classroom before she imports her creatures from home.

Many students participate in this yearly ritual. Though there’s no specific purpose, we all find it fun to sneak in and desecrate her classroom. In the past, we’ve broken locks to her cages and glued chairs to the floor. Once, we even turned everything upside down in the room. She’s such a demonic teacher; it’s nearly an impossible opportunity to pass.

I end up waiting over an hour in the classroom. Luckily, the new phone Casey gave me has a better battery life. I use the projector to play games on the wall as I wait for whatever The Writer wants from me.