1 Socket

I stared into the empty socket of my left eye. My false eye had been bothering me lately so I was debating on whether to just wear my eye patch or not. It had taken me months of odd jobs, and saving up to get the damn thing in the first place. I looked normal when I popped it into the empty socket. It was basic tech that was designed to follow the movements of my other eye.

Problem was the cleaning solution that came with it. You had to pull the eye out, and place it in the solution to keep it clean or risk infection. I being the poor orphan kid I was had used the same cleaning solution to store it in for the last week since I had run out, and I was supposed to change it daily.

"I'll just wear the damn patch," I opened the medicine cabinet behind my mirror, and pulled my patch out of it's little box at the bottom.

I placed it over my eye, and strapped it onto my head tight. Last thing I needed today was another jerk running around with my eye patch. I stepped back into the main room. It was a typical subsidized housing unit provided to orphans like me. Tiny fridge, desk that doubled as a table, and a single small kitchen unit. All setup less than ten feet from my bed.

One small window let bits of sunlight fall into the room through the clouds. I checked the clock quickly, and realized my internal debate on whether to wear the eye patch or not had taken too long. If I missed the bus I'd be late for school, and if I was late I wouldn't be able to check if I had become compatible with any abilities. There were new genetics mods out regularly, and it wasn't unheard of to become compatible when you got older. There was this one guy who became compatible with anti gravity abilities after his cancer had been cured, and he was in his thirties.

I was still only sixteen. If I did unlock an ability I would have a much better chance at making it in the military. Since my family was killed by an Archaic Elf mage. Most Archaic's were non humans. I skidded to a stop at the bus stop breathing heavily.

It was hard for me to run like that for very long. I could think while letting my body go on auto pilot though so even if I was deep in thought I could make it where I needed to go without much of a problem. I started to think about Archaic's again as I got onto the bus. Ability users had a limit of how much their body could handle of their ability. Which was why ability users outside of the military were completely legal.

Archaic's on the other hand. If a human mage stayed an Archaic for long enough their body changed to hold more power. Archaic's quite literally would hit their limit, and if they pushed it hard enough their limit would go up. Some of them died when their body evolved to handle more of their ability, but the practical applications of Archaic abilities were only limited by the users imagination. Just like magic in the old books.

Archaic abilities were illegal outside of the military, and even then they were heavily monitored. Most of the information on Archaic abilities was kept away from the general population. Obviously how to activate Archaic abilities was one of those highly restricted bits of information. How Archaic abilities worked on the other hand? There was one book that gave the general idea.

Basically as an Archaic you had to completely understand what you were trying to manipulate to successfully do so. I stepped off the bus. Rushing my way to the cafeteria. I couldn't turn down the free breakfast. Now just one last day of this bullshit, and tomorrow I was off to military academy.

Machines, and ability users did most the manual labor so a non ability user like me had one chance at a guaranteed career. That was military all the way, but without an ability I had pretty much zero chance of getting out of the bottom ranks. Fine by me. It would keep food in my belly so I didn't care to complain.

"What's up cyclops?" someone spoke from my blind side smacking me in the back of my head.

"Conrad," I smiled falsely, "To what do I owe the displeasure?"

"What a nerd?" Conrad clicked his sparker, and created a small ball of flame from the spark it produced.

I focused on the danger in front of me. Problem with being one eyed was now I couldn't see anything on my left side, and like usual Billy took advantage of that. He hooked my patch, and yanked it off my head. I covered my empty socket quickly as soon as I felt the air hit it.

"Come on guys," I held out my free hand, "You know that's my only patch."

"So what?" Conrad spread the flame out in front of me forcing me back into the wall, "I thought cyclops's were proud of their one big eye."

My temper flared. Cyclops. Why did those two always have to get on me about that? If I could afford one of those permanent biomechanical eyes I would already have one. It wasn't my fault I lost an eye.

It wasn't my fault that I couldn't get a better one. It had taken me so much time to get the lowest model of false eye. I dropped my hand. Temporarily giving up on covering my open socket. Conrad's flames went out.

Problem with abilities like pyrokinesis was they took all your concentration to do little tricks like the wall of fire Conrad had been blocking me with. My empty eye socket was very distracting. I punched Conrad as hard as I could. Billy had the ability to physically enhance himself. Conrad on the other hand was barely stronger then me without his fire to protect him.

My fist connected with his cheek bone, and caused him to stumble back a few steps. It wasn't some big impressive feat, but it made me feel better. After all I was definitely the impulsive angry type so it didn't matter what came next. I just loved that single moment of acting on my anger enough that I didn't care too much when Billy's fist connected with my ribs. I could tell two of my ribs were broken as I slammed into the ground.

It suddenly got much harder to breath than it had been a minute ago.

"God dammit you two," I could hear the nurse yell as I rolled onto my back.