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The Order of Phosphoros
Thor saw the sunrise through his window. He couldn’t sleep the entire night, How many days since I slept? he thought getting up from the bed and tip-toeing across the room to the window. Sif slept peacefully, her face was the only thing that reminded him of who he was– a man who could control lightning. he thought, Thor- the god of thunder. he missed being out, fighting crimes and monsters and other enhanced who had gone mad, Times have changed. The criminals are getting stronger they need stronger enhanced.
“Good Morning,” Sif said stretching and walking across the room. She kissed him on the cheeks and went to prepare herself a cup of coffee that she had grown. She can still use her powers. Thor thought, My powers are not useful in a peaceful world. he made a claw with his fingers and electricity crackled.
“Did you sleep?” Sif asked before offering him coffee.
“Yes.” he lied.
“Billie,” Sif said to the AI that controlled their house, “Any new e-mails?”
“Good Morning Sif,” Billie said in a distant voice, “Thor has a new mail. Do you want me to read it for you?”
“Yes,” Thor said sipping on the coffee her wife had brewed.
“Dear Mr. Teddy. I hope that you’ve been enjoying your retirement from being a superhero. Congratulations, it gives us immense pleasure to have you on board as Senior Strategist. You’ll be working at the Facility and will report to your Manager Athena. We hope to see you soon.”
“Congratulations Thor,” Sif said wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders and kissing him.
Finally something exciting. Thor thought as he slowly peeled Sif’s clothes off and pushed her on the bed.
“Good Morning Thor.” Athena said with a broad smile on her face, “I hope you’ve completed all the necessary documentation and signed the NDA.”
“Yes,” he said smiling in return.
“Let’s go then.” Athena said leading him out of the conference room, “We’ve got to work on.”
“What will I be working on?” Thor said following Athena at her heels through the well-lit corridor with lofty ceilings.
Athena led him from one corridor to the other. The Facility was colossal with people bustling in and out of the conference room and one could see that the Facility had amassed a fortune manufacturing enhanced humans like him. People who could control fire, water, electricity, and other infinitely many possibilities. Athena opened an electronic door and welcomed him inside, “You will be working on a couple of different projects.”
“I’m excited.”
“Good,” Athena said pacing the small room, “You’ve good experience fighting so I want you to teach our children battlefield decision making.”
“Umm,” Thor raised a finger, “Children?”
“Oh right, a few years ago the Facility Data Scientists figured it would be cheaper and more feasible to make the specimen take the test at the age of 10. When we, heroes of our generation, took the test we were 21.”
“We are making children into superheroes?”
“Oh no,” Athena laughed, “No, we just make them take the test at an earlier age. That way, we are not spending time training specimens who aren’t going to be enhanced. You know 5 in 100 specimens complete their test.”
“Yes.” Thor said, “This all makes sense.”
“I know you’ll be a great teacher,” Athena said placing her hands on his chest, “For your ferocious powers, you have a gentle heart.”
“Are you sure?” Sif confirmed.
“Yes, Sif.” Thor said with teary eyes, he was… shocked, appalled with what he had seen, “We…” words choked, “We are monsters.”
“No Thor,” Sif said embracing him. He felt her warmth but it wasn’t enough to soothe him. The terrifying sight he had seen in the basement was something that had chilled him to his bones, “Millions and millions of Specimen, bunch of 10-year-olds, were penned, kept in the darkness waiting to be slaughtered…
“Do you remember all the meatballs that we ate after we had completed the tests…” Thor shuddered as a chill ran up his spine, “They say the meat of the Specimen contains an enzyme that boosts the metabolism of the enhanced and intensifies our powers.”
“What are you going to do?” Sif said running her long fingers through his thick, matted blond hair.
“There’s nothing that I can do, Sif,” Thor said almost breaking into a sob.
“You can talk to people outside,” Sif said softly, “Tell them about the horrors of the Facility about the manufacturing process. You can expose the Facility and the crimes they commit against humanity.”
“No Sif.” Thor said getting up from his chair, “In a world that has accepted manufactured humans, ethics have already been thrown down a toilet. The world is so used to enhanced that if we try to speak against the culture of manufacturing humans we’ll be ostracized and thrown like a stowaway.
“The Facility has amassed an unimaginable fortune the control… Well, everything.” Thor said walking to the window, “They know how to manufacture enhanced and they know how to destroy an enhanced, if we rebel we’ll be killed.” he snapped his fingers, “Like that.”
“But there has to be a way.”
Thor thought for a long moment. The sea outside crashed against the sandy beach and the gulls crooned, “We need to make changes from the inside– No Sif– it is not possible.”
“Let us give it a shot,” Sif said holding his hands and resting her head on his shoulders, “Let us try to leave this world better than we found it.”
“We’ll need to found a secret organization.” Thor said, “We need to bring together people who see the evil that the Facility is.”
“Phosphoros,” Sif said.
“What?”
“The name of the Secret Organization,” Sif said, “The Order of Phosphoros.”
“Sounds… Chemical”
“Phosphoros means light-bringer in an ancient language, long forgotten.”