《Project Genesis》 Prologue - Birth
The first thing I remember feeling was warm. It was all-encompassing, surrounding and pressing in on me. I was completely weightless, floating around in some infinite black void. Nothing existed but myself and the warmth, gently cradling me, lulling me to sleep. I let it take hold, and sank into the emptiness.
¡ª
I opened my eyes for the first time, and discovered that the universe was Green. Like the warmth, it was all around me, clinging to my skin, suspending me in itself. There were shadows, flickering about somewhere deeper in, moving back and forth, tempting me. I wanted to go to them, but movement eluded me, and all I could do was reach out, uselessly grasping at the Green. It was then, with my arm stretched out in front of me, that I saw myself for the first time.
My bones were small, and my skin was translucent.
That didn¡¯t seem right.
Something inside of me started thumping quickly. I heard my very first sound; a shrill, high-pitched beep, piercing through the Green in time with the thumping. The shadows began moving quickly. Something was wrong. Something was wrong! I needed to escape! Get out! Get out get out get out get out getoutgetoutgetoutgetout get out get¡­ out¡­
Calmness washed over me. My eyelids grew heavy. I closed them, shutting out the Green and returning to the dark.
¡ª
COLD.
The Green was gone, replaced by blinding White. The warmth was a distant memory, torn apart by an all-encompassing cold biting my skin, now opaque as it always should¡¯ve been. My whole body shivered and a terrible pain lit up inside of me, my limbs flailing limply against the hard surface I was pressed up against. I convulsed, and Green spilled out of my mouth, making way in my lungs for my very first breath.
Air rushed in through my throat and filled my chest. It still wasn¡¯t quite enough, though. Another few coughs and it seemed like most of the Green had been expelled, leaving me panting and gasping for more precious oxygen, now that room had been made. It made me feel Awake. It made me feel Alive. It gave me the strength to lift myself to a seated position, curiously interacting with the way this new Universe worked outside of the Green. I was no longer suspended; I had to use my body to move, and to do that, I needed to learn how things worked. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
The blurriness in my eyes cleared, and I discovered that the Universe was not entirely White, either. Yes, the White was abundant, but there were exceptions to it, like the things standing around me, observing. They had bodies of a similar shape to mine, with two legs and two arms and a torso and a head, but where my skin was bare and visible, most of theirs was obscured by more White, soft-looking wrappings and covers. They held things in their hands, and were making noises with their mouths, but none of it meant anything to me, so I moved on.
Something unexpectedly touched my shoulder and I spun, sweeping my arm out in alarm. There was a flash of Black and a splattering of Red and suddenly all of the things around me were screaming. I scrambled backwards as best I could, pushing and kicking my limbs off of the slippery floor to move myself away. The things moved away from me as well. That was good. I decided I didn¡¯t like them.
My back hit a wall and I curled up, ready to lash out at any more of the White things with the Black that came out of my arm. It was still there, staining my usually tan skin from my hand to my elbow, with a tendril hanging from my wrist. I focused, and the tendril disappeared into smoke along with the remaining Black. Curious.
Enraptured as I was by my own strange ability to cover my hands in Black, I failed to notice the new figure approaching until they were right in front of me. My first instinct was to fight, to get the strange thing away from me, but when I looked upon them my body was filled with a strange sense of calm. I didn¡¯t know how I knew it, but I knew that above all else, the thing in front of me was safe.
Their pale body was hidden by a blocky, navy blue covering, and their face was covered in wrinkles and divots. They reached out, cradling my cheek with a warm, calloused hand. I leaned into it, filled with an overwhelming feeling of safety. This was where the warmth I was missing was, ever since I left the Green.
The thing was making noises at me. I couldn¡¯t understand them, but they didn¡¯t seem to mind. They put a hand to their chest and repeated a specific noise, over and over. They sounded it slowly, making exaggerated movements with their mouth. Their teeth on their bottom lip; an open exclamation; their tongue between their teeth; and another, slightly less open exclamation. Compelled by my curiosity, I attempted to repeat it.
¡°Fffff¡­¡± I tried. ¡°Fah¡­¡± My voice was raspy and weak in its first use. My tongue was thick and unresponsive. The movements of the thing were difficult to replicate, but they were patient as I practised, getting the hang of it. ¡°Fah¡­ther. Father. Father!¡±
The thing smiled, and it was the greatest sight of my short existence. At that point I knew that I would do absolutely anything if it meant getting to see that smile directed at me again. Jordyn鈥檚 Training, part 1: The First Mistake
3 MONTHS AFTER WAKING
The obstacle course stretched out before me, vast and daunting. It wasn¡¯t anything I hadn¡¯t done before, but the fast-spinning metal poles and swinging wrecking balls never failed to make me anxious before I threw myself in for another go. I¡¯d been hit by them more than enough to know how much they hurt. Still, this sort of training was necessary for my rehabilitation, so I steeled myself and prepared to do another run-through, aiming to beat my personal best under Father¡¯s watchful eye.
It had been three months since I woke up in that room, cold and confused, lashing out at anything that moved. If not for Father, I would probably still be in that helpless, animalistic state. He took me in when no one else would, taught me how to speak, and read and write; how to be a functional human being again. I was in an accident, apparently, injured badly enough that when I woke my mind was completely blank, bare of even the most basic muscle memory. Father¡¯s treatment may have fixed my body, but my mind still needed hands-on work; work that he tirelessly took upon himself. He spent countless late nights with me, speaking to me, reading to me, letting me get a feel for English again. He allowed me to lean on him while I was relearning how to walk. He spoon-fed me when I lacked the coordination to feed myself. There was still a lot that I didn¡¯t know, and I got confused often, especially when he used bigger words, but he said that was okay. I didn¡¯t need to know everything. So long as I did good, and he gave me that warm, tingly smile, nothing else really mattered.
Apparently, I used to be something called a ¡®superhero¡¯ before my accident. I would use this strange power I had to take down criminals and bring them to justice. If I ever wanted to be able to do that again, I needed to train. My body may have been passably functional, but it needed to be exceptional, or so Father said. He always smiled when he talked about me being a superhero again, so I knew that was where I needed to focus my efforts.
¡°Jordyn? What are you waiting for?¡± Father asked, his voice gravelly and stern.
I snapped out of my thoughts. ¡°Sorry, Father. I was just preparing myself.¡±
He shook his head and something inside of me shrivelled up. ¡°Not good enough, Jordyn. Do you think the criminals will wait for you to be ready? You need to do what I ask when I ask, not when you think you are ready.¡±
I clenched my fists, tears stinging the backs of my eyes. ¡°S-sorry, Father.¡±
¡°It¡¯s alright, Jordyn. Now, go.¡±
I wasted no more time, charging forward as Father started the timer. I needed to do good on this to make up for my blunder before. Father had spent so much of his time and energy on me; I couldn¡¯t let it all be for nothing.
The beat of my feet against the floor fell into a rhythm as I jumped, dodged, and dashed my way through the course. I¡¯d been running it for over a month now, and it was quickly becoming second-nature. I knew exactly when to duck my head to avoid the spinning beams, how to deftly move between the wooden knives shot from the walls, and just which way I should step to avoid the pitfalls in the floor. The burn in my lungs and legs was distracting, but I didn¡¯t let it slow me down. Just like Father always said: ¡®Pain isn¡¯t real.¡¯
Something looked a little different about the second set of spinning poles, but I ignored it. The course was always the same every time I ran it; I was probably just thrown off because of Father¡¯s reprimand. They always stung in a way I didn¡¯t know how to deal with.
I leapt into the fray of rapidly spinning wooden beams, ducking the ones at head-height and hopping over the ones aiming for my legs. It took a little bit more focus to ensure I wasn¡¯t hit this time; it seemed as though the poles were spinning faster than usual. Still, with all of my practice, I was making good time. My personal best wouldn¡¯t know what hit it.
Crack!
Something slammed into my shin and my leg buckled from under me. That was fine, this wasn¡¯t the first time I¡¯d been knocked down. I made sure to roll out of the way of any on-coming beams so I had a safe spot to catch my breath in before continuing.
Then the pain hit, so hard and so strong that I immediately gagged from the shock, agony shooting up my leg like bolts of electricity. It was hard to breathe. Hot tears spilled from my eyes as overwhelmed sobs tore from my throat. I looked down at my leg to see what was hurting me so bad and almost threw up. My shin had already turned an ugly purple, and the rest of the limb below that point was twisted unnaturally. My heart lurched.
¡°F-FATHER! HELP!¡± I shrieked. The pain was too much; my entire body was locking up, too afraid to move in case I made it worse.
¡°What are you doing, Jordyn? Get up. Keep going.¡±
Disobeying his orders hurt almost more than my snapped leg, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to move. ¡°I- I can¡¯t! It hurts! Father, please!¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
¡°That¡¯s not good enough! Use your shadows, steel yourself! The course is not over until you complete it! Get up, girl! Your pain is not real!¡±
The thought of going on made me want to curl into a ball, but I did as I was told. Father¡¯s orders came before all else, especially my own comfort. I owed him my life; a little pain meant nothing in the face of that. I reached out to the shadows around me, wrapping them around my injured leg like a splint. My skin turned black, sucking in all of the light around it, but the pain did lessen somewhat. A whimper escaped my lips as I forced myself up. Shards of agony stabbed my flesh every time I put weight on my leg, but it was manageable. I could move, albeit slowly. So much for beating my personal best.
It took an embarrassingly long time, but eventually I was able to limp my way to the end of the course, receiving more than a few extra bruises from the traps I was unable to dodge due to my injury. I collapsed at Father¡¯s feet, dropping to my knees with my head hanging low as sweat dripped from my brow.
¡°That was disgraceful, Jordyn. Even your first attempt was better than that.¡±
I bit back a sob. ¡°I¡¯m s-sorry, Father. M-my leg, it-¡±
He grabbed a fistful of my short hair and tugged my head up, slapping me across the face. ¡°I don¡¯t care for your excuses. If you allow something as trivial as a broken leg to slow you down, the criminals out there will tear you to shreds. You should have learned by now how to use your power to protect yourself against this sort of thing without my instruction. I¡¯ve already spent so much time healing you; I will be very disappointed if it turns out to all be a waste. Are you a waste of my time, Jordyn?¡±
¡°N-no Father! I¡¯m not a waste!¡±
He let go of my hair, allowing me to sag back down to the floor. ¡°Hm. I expect not. Remove your shirt.¡±
I blinked up at him. ¡°F-Father?¡±
He struck me again, hard enough to whip my head to the side. ¡°If you cannot even follow a simple order without talking back, how can I expect you to perform well in the field?¡±
I didn¡¯t make the same mistake twice, pulling off the black, skin-tight garment as quickly as I could.
He nodded his head to the side, indicating a metal pole in the corner of the room, with two handles sticking out of it on either side. I¡¯d yet to learn what purpose it served, but I had a feeling I was about to find out.
¡°Grab the handles of that pole and remain on your knees.¡±
I shuffled over with my head down, each drag of my injured leg across the floor causing tears to spring up in my eyes. The metal of the handles was cold under my palms, numbing my fingers. The rough floor dug into my knees uncomfortably. Father was moving around behind me, and every time it sounded like he was approaching, I inadvertently flinched and shied away. Anxious curiosity burned in the pit of my belly. What was this all about? I risked a question.
¡°Father, wh-what¡¯s happening?¡±
¡°You need to learn how to ignore pain, Jordyn. The only way for you to do that is to experience it. It isn¡¯t real; just chemical reactions in your brain. You must internalise that.¡±
¡°I- I don¡¯t know what that means, Father.¡±
He ignored me. ¡°While this is because you failed today, it doesn¡¯t have to be a punishment, Jordyn. Consider it a lesson; a lesson on conquering pain. If you use your shadows to protect yourself from this, or let go of the handles at any point, I¡¯ll have your other leg broken and forbid the medics from repairing it. Remember: pain isn¡¯t real.¡±
¡°Father, I-¡±
SNAP
All of the air rushed out of me and a line of fire lit up across my back. It was so sudden that I couldn¡¯t stop myself from crying out. Surely that wasn¡¯t what he meant to-
SNAP
My stomach rolled uncomfortably as the strike shook my entire body. I couldn¡¯t help but scream as the pain echoed through me.
¡°FATHER! FATHER, P-PLEASE STOP!¡±
¡°Be silent, girl! Who told you you could speak?!¡±
SNAP
His command overrode even my most basic need to express the utter agony I was in, and the following scream got caught in my throat. Shadows flickered and writhed underneath me, licking up my legs out of protective instinct before I forced them back down again, Father¡¯s warning ringing in my mind.
SNAP
SNAP
SNAP
It felt like it would never end. My vision darkened at the edges. My abs clenched and a surge of bile spilled from my mouth. Warm blood dripped down the burning, torn skin of my back, my anguish heightening with each consecutive blow.
Pain isn¡¯t real Pain isn¡¯t real Pain isn¡¯t real Pain isn¡¯t real Pain isn¡¯t real
SNAP
SNAP
SNAP
SNAP
SNAP
Seconds passed, and no new wave of pain came. I gasped, sucking in as much air as I could to refill my lungs before it was all inevitably expelled again by another strike. My ears were ringing so loud I could barely hear anything and my entire body felt numb aside from the battlefield that was my back, which was still sending lancing aftershocks deep into my muscles even as time continued to press forward with no hint of the next lash.
¡°You may release the handles, Jordyn.¡±
I let go and my whole body went limp as I dropped to the floor into a puddle of my own blood and vomit. The movement sent arcing memories of fire through my torn-up skin, and a sob slipped from between my clenched teeth.
¡°Clean yourself up and report to the medbay when you are ready. After that, head straight to your room. Do not expect dinner.¡±
All I wanted was a warm meal and for the pain to stop. ¡°Wh-whyyy?¡± I moaned.
¡°I will not reward mediocrity, Jordyn. You did poorly today, and as such, you will not be receiving dinner privileges until you beat your personal best again. Be better.¡±
His footsteps echoed as he walked out of the training room, leaving me alone to cry. This was my own fault. If only I¡¯d been good like he wanted, he wouldn¡¯t have had to hurt me like that. I never wanted to disappoint him like that again.
¡°I¡¯m s-sorry, Father¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jordyn鈥檚 Training, part 2: Questions 6 MONTHS AFTER WAKING
My eye twitched as the needle sunk into the skin of my cheek again, but I avoided wincing at it. The pain I was feeling wasn¡¯t real, and I was strong enough by now to understand that. Thanks to what Father did to my back, I was forced to endure that irritating sensation for weeks and weeks on end, until eventually I learned to ignore it, just as he wanted. I pulled the suture through and out on the other side of the mostly-stitched slash wound across my face, separating it from the needle and tying it off. There, done.
I examined my face in the mirror, taking pride in my work. It was a lot shoddier than what the medics could do, but it was my first time suturing a wound, so that was to be expected. Father had banned me from the medbay so that I could learn to treat my own injuries as the difficulty of the obstacle course ramped up. This particular one was made by a knife launched from the wall that I had been too slow to block with my shadows. It was my mistake, and as such, it only made sense that I would be the one to fix it. After all, ¡®what self-respecting 26 year old woman doesn¡¯t know how to stitch their own wounds?¡¯ or so Father said. Apparently, I was 26. That was good to know. I had been wondering how old I was recently.
The cut stretched all the way from my cheekbone to the bridge of my nose. If it had been even an inch higher, it probably would¡¯ve taken out my right eye. As it was, though, it was just a flesh wound, and it would heal in time. Meanwhile, the constant itch would be a good reminder of what happened when I made a mistake in the obstacle course. I was getting good at blocking and deflecting the knives with my shadows, but evidently, I needed more practice
The door to my room opened and Father stepped in, walking over to me near the desk. He leaned down, peering at my stitched-up face. For a moment I thought he might have been about to reach out and touch me, and excitement flooded my chest, but instead he just stood there, hands behind his back as he examined my work. I tried not to let the disappointment show in my expression.
¡°Hm, a little messy,¡± he said. ¡°But I suppose that¡¯s to be expected for your first attempt. Good work, Jordyn.¡± He smiled, and my whole body lit up with giddiness.
¡°Thank you, Father.¡±
He checked his watch. ¡°It¡¯s just about time for lunch. Would you accompany me?¡±
I nodded and we left my room, heading through the winding hallways of the facility towards one of my favourite places: the mess hall. Nothing was more satisfying than a warm meal after a hard training session, and ever since I regained my dinner privileges, I¡¯d been able to visit it that much more often. Not to mention, it was the place where I was most likely to run into the other people at the facility outside of Father and the medics. We would have conversations and I¡¯d learn about all sorts of things that Father hadn¡¯t deemed necessary to teach me. I didn¡¯t resent him for it; I understood that he needed to prioritise my physical training, but it was fun learning new things. Speaking of which¡­
¡°Father, permission to ask a question?¡±
He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Granted.¡±
¡°If you¡¯re my father, why don¡¯t we look the same? And, where¡¯s my mother?¡±
He stopped walking, his brows furrowing into a frown. ¡°Where did you hear about this?¡±
¡°Mr. Sadler, from R&D. He was telling me about his family and he mentioned a few things I didn¡¯t understand, so I asked some questions. He told me what parents were. But, if I came from you, how come we look so different?¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
I thought it was a reasonable question. My skin was tan, and my hair and eyes were dark, while Father was pasty and pale from top to bottom. His nose was thin where mine was wide, he was tall where I was short, and even when I looked at his face next to mine in the mirror, I couldn¡¯t see a single similarity. Based on what Mr. Sadler said, that didn¡¯t make sense to me.
Father hesitated. ¡°Well¡­ I suppose you take after your mother. In fact, you¡¯re the spitting image of her. Unfortunately, she¡­ passed away a few years ago.¡±
¡°Oh¡­ How?¡±
Father began walking again, sudden enough that I had to jog to catch up to him. ¡°No more questions, Jordyn. You just need to focus on your training. Don¡¯t worry about anything else, alright?¡±
Oh well, I could just ask again some other time. I sucked in a breath and puffed out my chest. ¡°Yes, Father.¡±
He smiled again, and my whole body tingled. ¡°Good girl. Keep up the good work and you¡¯ll be able to start combat training soon. Oh, and make sure you cut your hair before you go to bed tonight.¡±
I frowned, running a hand through my hair and taking a black lock between my fingers. When I first woke up after my accident, I had no hair. My head was completely smooth. It always upset me for some reason when I saw myself in the mirror. Ever since then, it¡¯d been growing at a steady rate, and the longer it got, the happier I was with it. Nowadays, my fringe was long enough to reach my eyes if I didn¡¯t brush it away. I liked it, and I liked the way it made me look. The thought of cutting it when it had finally reached a point I liked was like a punch in the gut.
¡°But¡­ But I like my hair like this.¡±
Father raised an eyebrow. ¡°Cut it, Jordyn. That¡¯s an order.¡±
I wilted, trying to hold back the tears burning behind my eyes. ¡°Y-yes, Father. How short?¡±
He peered at me, and it felt as though his gaze pierced through my body, layer by layer, through my skin and fat into the muscle beneath, and further still until it reached my soul. No matter how hard I tried to hide it, he knew exactly where to look to find the small glimmer of hope I was burying; the hope that he would only make me cut a little bit off. His head cocked to the side like a predator eyeing its helpless prey.
¡°On second thought, buzz it all off. If your helmet comes off in battle, your hair will be a liability. You don¡¯t want any criminals to be able to grab it, do you?¡±
I couldn¡¯t help it. I started crying, even while trying to nod and confirm the command. ¡°Y-yes, F-Father.¡±
¡°Really, Jordyn? Waterworks again, over a little haircut? You¡¯re a grown woman, you need to start acting like it. No one will take you seriously if you become hysterical whenever you don¡¯t get your way.¡±
¡°S-sorry, Father,¡± I said, trying to hold in my hiccups as best I could. He was right, of course. He was always right. Father knew best. I shouldn¡¯t get so upset over such a simple ask; cutting my hair was the least I could do after everything Father had done for me. So what if looking in the mirror upset me again? I just wouldn¡¯t look. It was fine. I could do it.
We continued on in silence to the mess hall, where we both grabbed trays and filled them up from the bain-marie before finding a table to sit at. Since it was midday, most of the tables were already taken, but when Father and I approached one, everyone sitting there immediately got up and left, taking their food with them. Apparently, Father just had that sort of influence on the people here. They¡¯d never done that to me while I was on my own before. It disappointed me, to be honest. I¡¯d been looking forward to talking with them.
I could still feel the tears in the back of my throat threatening to spill out as I sat down across from Father, but with the promise of a nice meal of chilli and rice in the very near future, I could ignore them a little easier. I grabbed my fork and was about to dig in when Father stopped me.
¡°I didn¡¯t give you permission to eat, Jordyn.¡±
I froze, staring at him. He cocked his head meaningfully and I put my fork down before I could upset him any more.
¡°Good.¡±
Father started eating. He didn¡¯t speak to me once during his meal. All I could do was sit there and watch as he polished off his tray. My face began to itch around my stitches, and when I moved to scratch them he glanced at me pointedly. I dropped my hand and remained still.
Eventually, he finished, promptly standing up and leaving his tray on the table. We made eye contact, and finally, finally, he said;
¡°You can eat now.¡±
Father left the room, and I was left alone to finish my meal in silence, wondering what I¡¯d done so wrong. Jordyn鈥檚 Training, part 3: Final Exam
9 MONTHS AFTER WAKING
I paced back and forth in my room, going over anatomical structures and the body¡¯s weak points in my head. Today was the day; my final combat exam until Father approved my deployment and I was allowed to work as a superhero on the streets again. I was so excited to finally go outside after so long cooped up in the facility! I wanted to learn what the sun felt like on my skin, and breathe in fresh air that hadn¡¯t been filtered through the building¡¯s air-conditioning system. My training had become particularly brutal ever since I started combat training, and Father had become twice as strict, but soon, all of that effort would be worth it.
I flicked my wrist, pulling a whip of shadow from the ground and lashing it forward at the empty air, imagining my target collapsing in a heap from my attack. Combat training usually involved practising with instructors or taking out a set number of dummies as quickly as possible, but today I would be fighting actual criminals. Hardened, violent bad guys, dead-set on cracking my skull open and spilling my brains across the floor, or so father said. The thought made my stomach swirl, but I¡¯d been practising hard for three months, working myself to collapse day after day, building my muscles, studying cqc techniques, researching the structure of the human body to better understand how to take it down efficiently, taking hit after hit to further engrain Father¡¯s mantra into my soul.
It was difficult. Regardless of whether or not pain was real, those injuries still affected me, still slowed me down, even if the sensation they were causing was fake. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn¡¯t completely internalise the concept of pain not being real. Even after countless late nights spent digging knives into my skin to practise ignoring the sensation, I could just never block it out completely, and then the tears would inevitably come as well. I¡¯d gotten better at holding back my emotions when things were upsetting me, just like Father wanted, but I still had some work to do. Even my other emotions were beginning to be marked ¡®off-limits,¡¯ like surprise and excitement. Father said that I needed to start suppressing them. Expressing emotion was a distraction, and I needed to keep them to myself. It was what everyone else did, apparently. I guessed I just still had a lot to learn about how to function as a person again.
The door opened and I immediately spun around, straightening my back and clasping my hands behind myself, standing at the ready. Father stood in the doorway, looking me over appraisingly.
¡°Are you prepared for the final exam, Jordyn?¡±
I nodded. ¡°Yes, Father.¡±
He nodded in turn. ¡°Follow me. I have something for you.¡±
I held back my curiosity as he left the room, falling into place a half-step behind him and to his right, as he¡¯d been training me to do. We made our way through the hallways of the facility with purpose, scientists and other personnel ducking out of our path lest they be caught up in Father¡¯s intimidating aura. I found it funny that they were all so afraid of him; the edge of my lip quirking up despite my attempt to hold back my grin. He was only scary when you made him angry or disappointed him in some way. As long as you were good, he would treat you with the respect you deserved. Granted, he had been smiling at me a lot less over the past few months, and he had barely touched me outside of painful reprimands ever since my early rehabilitation had finished, but that was simply because I didn¡¯t need those things to motivate me anymore. Following Father¡¯s commands was its own reward.
We reached a door and Father unlocked it with the keypad on the wall before entering. It was dark inside, but as the door slid closed behind us, a light turned on, illuminating the room, and the surprise that laid within.
A suit of hi-tech jet-black armour stood at the far end of the room, so dark that it seemed to absorb the light around it. I stepped closer, overtaken by awe, before glancing back at Father as if to confirm what I was thinking.
¡°It¡¯s yours, Jordyn. It took a long time to finish. I trust you¡¯ll take good care of it?¡±
¡°Y-yes, yes, of course. Th-thank you, Father,¡± I stammered out, tentatively reaching forward to touch the armour. The metal was cool under my fingers ¨C strong and sturdy. The thought of donning it alleviated some of the apprehension I was feeling towards the exam. Even if I took a few hits, this could protect me. ¡°Can¡­ Can I put it on?¡±
¡°Go ahead. There are latches under the armpits.¡±
Sure enough, I found them right where he said, and when I pulled them, the armour opened up like a blooming flower; the front of the chestplate coming away in my hands as the arms and legs split apart at the front to make way for my limbs. The inside seemed to be padded with some soft material.
¡°Lightweight, sweat absorbent, self-cooling, and strong enough to stop a bullet from a sniper rifle,¡± Father said. ¡°Designed to generate shadows between the joints regardless of light level to allow you to fight with your powers no matter the situation. Each piece can be removed separately, or it can all stand together as it is now. It¡¯s a work of art, tailor-made to your exact measurements and requirements. You should be very grateful, Jordyn. This suit cost a lot of money to make.¡±
Grateful didn¡¯t even begin to cover it. My entire body shook with excitement. ¡°I- I don¡¯t know what to say¡­¡±
¡°Put it on, Jordyn,¡± Father said, sounding a little impatient now. ¡°Your exam begins soon. There will be consequences if you are late.¡±
That got me to move. I turned around and backed into the armour, pulling the chestplate into place until the latches clicked. It was a tight fit, but not uncomfortably so, pushing my breasts securely against my chest while still leaving enough room that it wasn¡¯t suffocating or restricting. With that connected, I moved my arms and legs into their respective limbs of the armour and it closed around me, the seams sealing shut. Now fully closed in, I stepped forward. It was surprisingly easy to move in. I jumped up and down a couple of times just to test it, and it didn¡¯t feel any different than if I¡¯d been wearing my regular clothes. There was a mirror in the corner of the room. I approached it, anxious to see how I looked.
Usually, I made a point of avoiding mirrors. Between my unwillingly shaven head and the scar on my face that had become jagged and bumpy after getting infected thanks to my poor stitching job, they generally brought more pain than benefit. Today, however, it was easy to overlook all of that. The armour fit me like a second skin, following the contours of my body with only a little added bulk, aside from the neckline, which stretched almost all the way to my chin with protective plating. The darkness of it only seemed to deepen the blacks of my eyes and hair. I looked¡­ intimidating. I supposed that was a good thing.
Father stepped behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders. My heart jumped in excitement at the extremely rare touch, only to fall again when I realised I couldn¡¯t feel it at all through the dark metal.
¡°Does it feel good?¡± he asked.
I nodded, tapping my fingers against my chest and noting how I couldn¡¯t even feel them when I used force. It was a little disconcerting. While the armour certainly made me feel powerful and protected, I also felt¡­ locked away from the outside world, in a way. Even more than I already was, stuck in the facility.
Father walked away, returning after a few seconds with something black in his hands. The helmet; the final piece of the armour. On the surface it looked like a simple chunk of smooth, mostly rounded metal, with no visible eyeholes, but I knew better than to believe that. The front-facing part had a ridge along where the eyes should be, and another travelling downward through the middle, giving the whole thing the affect of a menacing frown. I didn¡¯t think I wanted to put it on with the way the rest of the armour was making me feel, but with Father¡¯s clear insistence, I knew I had no choice.
I pulled the helmet over my head and the woman in my reflection disappeared; replaced by a faceless, dark soldier. Just as I¡¯d thought; I could still see somehow. A number appeared in the corner of my vision, and I recognised it as my heart rate; 82 beats per minute. Apparently, the suit was monitoring my vitals somehow as well. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
¡°From now on, you will wear this armour at all times, except for when you are in your room. Do you understand, Jordyn?¡±
Something inside of me sunk. I supposed I should have expected this. Of course I would need to wear my armour all the time to be an effective superhero. I just¡­ didn¡¯t like how I couldn¡¯t see my face at all anymore. I didn¡¯t like that I couldn¡¯t feel the breeze of the air-conditioning, or the touch of my own skin when I hugged myself. Was this what it meant to be a hero? If so, I wasn¡¯t so sure I wanted to be one anymore. Still, I owed it to Father for saving me, and it was what he wanted.
¡°How will I eat?¡± I asked, my voice coming out deep and electronic-sounding. It made my gut wrench.
¡°The mouthpiece of the helmet can be removed. Now, answer the question, Jordyn. Do you understand?¡±
¡°I understand, Father.¡±
He smiled, and while it did make me feel all tingly like usual, it couldn¡¯t hold back the shadow of regret hanging at the back of my mind like a noxious cloud. This was just my life now, I supposed. Free to move around the facility mostly at will; yet still locked behind a screen, unable to actually reach out and touch anything with my own fingers. It brought back memories I¡¯d almost forgotten; of being surrounded by nothing but green, warm and protective, but keeping me secured away from the world beyond. Apparently, this was a recurring thing for me. I was better off just getting used to it.
¡ª
I stood in the centre of the room, fists clenched, heartrate rising, waiting in horrible anticipation for the exam to begin. My rapid breathing was making the inside of the helmet humid and muggy, but there was no way I could take it off, considering the threat I was about to face. All of the doors were locked, and there weren¡¯t any windows, but I knew Father was watching somehow. Sooner or later, one of those doors was going to open, and criminals would come pouring out, ready to slit my throat. I needed to be ready.
Sure enough, a buzzer went off, and a door in the far wall opened. Three people in orange jumpsuits stepped out - two men and a woman - peering around the room before focusing on me. They each carried a weapon; a tire iron, a knife, a baseball bat. Adrenaline rushed through my body and I dropped into a fighting stance, prepared to take them on.
None of them approached. They watched me, sizing me up and circling around cautiously, but no one moved in for an attack. I didn''t understand. Weren''t they supposed to basically be bloodthirsty animals? These people just looked¡­ scared.
I remembered what Father had told me; about how I had to be aggressive when it came to criminals, and how they would hide their intentions behind a sob story and a sad expression. Just because these people looked scared didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t about to jump at me. I had to take the initiative. One of the men was the closest; a bald man with a beard. He was my first target.
I charged towards him, gathering shadows from the seams in my armour and balling them around my fist. He stumbled backwards in surprise at my rush, but I didn¡¯t give him the opportunity to get away, sending a spike of darkness at his legs. It sunk into his knee with a horrible crunch and he screamed, dropping to the floor.
The attack got the other two moving, shocked out of their attempt to lull me into a false sense of security. The woman with the knife lunged, but I grabbed her wrist and twisted it around behind her, tugging and pulling her shoulder out of its socket before kicking her back to the ground.
Another door in front of me opened and three more orange-suited criminals came out. I was about to move towards them when something smashed me in the back of the head. I stumbled forward in a daze and turned to find the last man from the first batch, bat primed for another swing. My armour had defended me from the brunt of the hit, but the concussive force still had me stumbling, and the shock made my adrenaline spike even further. The bat came at me again, but this time I was ready, ducking under it and sending my fist into the man¡¯s gut. He doubled over and I swept his legs out from under him, grabbing the bat on the way down and breaking his arm for good measure.
A hit to the back of my knee had my leg buckling, but I managed not to trip, turning and sending a wave of shadow out to make some space between myself and the next batch of enemies, launching them back a few feet. There were two in front of me, and-
The third appeared from outside of my vision and swung a crowbar into my ribs, knocking the wind out of me. My fist shot out and slammed into his face in response, crushing his nose and probably a few teeth as well. Shadows lashed as he stumbled back, whipping about and cutting his arm almost all the way through. He screamed and dropped the crowbar. The sound made me feel sick.
Another door opened. More criminals rushed out. The other two were still coming at me. I pulled my shadows back and launched them at one man, sending him flying across the room. The other took the opportunity to jam a knife into the space between my shoulder and chest plates.
My muscles seized, pain rocketing through my arm. I cried out and my shadows flared, slashing through the air in front of me. There was another scream, and a spurt of blood obscured my vision. I stumbled back, frantically trying to wipe it off. I heard another door open. Something hit me over the head and I fell. I tried to roll away, tried to make some space, but my back hit a wall. My chest hurt. I wasn¡¯t getting enough air. Something banged against the armour over my abdomen, then again, and again.
The lights went out.
I screamed, my shadows rampaging in the sudden darkness, tearing through flesh and breaking bone with reckless abandon. Black tendrils wrapped around my body, cutting into my skin and drawing blood. I cradled my head, curling in on myself and trying to regain any semblance of control over my powers. My helmet came off and I sucked in as much air as I could. I needed to get the armour off. It was suffocating me. My heart was going to explode. I scrambled at the latches under my arms, trying to find purchase on them with shaking, slippery fingers.
Just as quickly as they had turned off, the lights came back on again.
Everything was red.
Every person in the room aside from me was dead, lying scattered in pieces all over the place, blood and viscera painted across the floors and walls and my armour. I¡­ I wasn¡¯t supposed to kill them. I was only supposed to incapacitate them. This¡­ It wasn¡¯t supposed to happen like this. I was going to fail. Father was going to be disappointed. The thought made the shadows in the room flicker angrily and I flinched away from them.
The door to the observation room opened and I yelped, sending lances of shadow flying towards the danger. The door quickly shut again, and a hissing sound filled the room. The scent of gore was quickly replaced with something sweet, and my eyelids grew heavy. I tried to stand up, but my legs weren¡¯t responding. Darkness was closing in again. It¡­ It was almost comforting now. I stopped fighting it and fell back against the blood-slicked floor, letting my eyes fall shut and succumbing to the encroaching sleep.
¡ª
I woke up in my room, staring up at the ceiling. Pain radiated from my shoulder, and a headache was pounding against the inside of my skull, but overall, I seemed to be alright. That horrible choking panic was gone, and my skin felt fine where I¡¯d thought my shadows were cutting me. Carefully, I lifted my head, looking down at myself. I was in my underwear with bandages wrapped around my injured shoulder, that black armour nowhere to be seen. It would be a lie if I said I was upset about that.
Father sat at my bedside, watching me with a sharp expression. My breath hitched, heart rate spiking. I¡¯d failed the exam. I¡¯d failed him.
¡°I¡¯m disappointed, Jordyn. Such a strong start, only for you to lose your composure halfway through, and in such an explosive manner, too. You¡¯re lucky that all of those prisoners were convicted death row inmates, or we would be in a lot of trouble right now.¡± He shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s clear. I¡¯ve been too soft on you. I¡¯ve allowed you too many freedoms. I¡¯ve allowed this weakness to fester inside of you, and now I must cut it out.¡±
¡°B-but Father-¡±
My voice cut off as an incredible pain shot through my system, seizing up my muscles and arching my back. A strangled scream squeezed its way out of my throat. Arcs of burning agony travelled down my limbs through my nervous system, coalescing in one tiny, white-hot point in the back of my neck. I couldn¡¯t breathe, my lungs unresponsive to any request for air. My tendons strained under the pressure being forced upon them. Muscle fibres tore and ripped. Joints creaked and groaned under the weight of my own body pulling itself apart. I was going to die.
Just as quickly as it began, the pain stopped. I slumped back onto the bed, panting and writhing, heart thundering in my ears.
¡°You will not speak to me out of turn, Jordyn. You will not act out of turn. If I do not order you to do something, you will not do it. You will not speak unless I order it. You will not eat unless I order it. You will not even go to the bathroom unless I order it. Do you understand?¡±
I shakily nodded, too scared to open my mouth lest the pain started again.
¡°If I order you to do something, you will do it immediately and without question. You will stay by my side at all times unless I tell you otherwise. You are not a person, Jordyn. You are a weapon. I created you to be the sword of my conquest, and I can just as easily discard you, just as I have discarded those who came before you. You are lucky that I have even given you a name. You are nothing more than the Seventh Attempt. There can just as easily be an Eighth.¡±
I didn¡¯t understand what he was saying. None of it made any sense. ¡®Created?¡¯ ¡®Seventh Attempt?¡¯ I didn¡¯t know what that meant. He was my Father; obviously he created me, right? I nodded along just to be safe, despite my lack of understanding.
Father sighed. ¡°The next exam is in three months. Do not disappoint me again, seven.¡± He stood up. ¡°You will remain in your room until I come and get you tomorrow. I suggest you spend your time thinking about exactly why you failed today.¡±
With that, he walked out. I watched the door shut behind him, the interior keypad¡¯s screen turning red to signify the exterior lock. My ears rang. My chest hurt. My insides felt hollow. I looked back up at the ceiling and did my very best to keep my tears from falling out. Good soldiers didn¡¯t cry, after all.
I couldn¡¯t afford to fail him again. Jordyn鈥檚 training, part 4: Deployment
1 YEAR AFTER WAKING
An arm broke under my fist, the elbow joint bending backwards with an awful crack. I let go of the screaming criminal, spinning around with a kick to the head of the one sneaking up behind me. He stumbled backwards and I kept up my momentum, spinning again and gathering shadows behind my leg. The added force of the darkness when my armoured boot made contact knocked him straight to the floor, where he stayed, unmoving.
I was almost finished. There were only two criminals left, standing at the far end of the room with their weapons raised. They seemed hesitant to approach. I didn¡¯t blame them. The room was already filled with the limp, groaning forms of their fellows, and they surely knew by now that their fates would be no different. Still, I needed to take them down to complete the exam, and I wasn¡¯t going to fail again. If they wouldn¡¯t come to me, I would go to them.
I sent out a whip of shadow, wrapping it around one of the men¡¯s ankles. The shadow flexed and shrank to my will, allowing me the leverage to pull him off of his feet and fling him around the room, using his body as an improvised wrecking ball against his friend. I released my hold at just the right moment to send the man crashing into the other criminal, smashing both of them against the far wall, knocking them out and completing my final combat exam.
After a few seconds of stillness, the door to the observation room opened. I took a deep breath, blowing out the leftover nerves and letting the adrenaline run its course. A pervasive nausea sat heavily in my gut as I left the exam room, as it so often did after a live combat training session. I hated the feeling of bones breaking under my strength; my victim¡¯s screams ringing through my ears for days afterward. My combat instructor told me that many people feel ¡®alive¡¯ in the midst of a fight; filled with endorphins and running on instinct. I usually just felt overwhelmed and sick. Part of me was honestly a little surprised that I¡¯d aced the exam this time around. I even kept my cool when the lights turned off, forcing my shadows to remain close and defend me until they came back on. I guessed all the extra training just paid off.
¡°Well done, Seven. You passed,¡± Father said, walking up to me. He¡¯d been calling me Seven ever since my last attempt at the exam, though I didn¡¯t fully understand why. He still called me Jordyn when we were alone in my room, but whenever we were out and about in the facility, I was only Seven. When I asked about it, he said that it was practice for when I¡¯m deployed. I wouldn¡¯t be going by Jordyn as a hero, either. He also said that I should start calling him Captain de Vygon or sir when in public, too. I was still getting the hang of it, though.
¡°Thank you, Fa-¡± I paused, clearing my throat. ¡°Sir.¡±
He nodded. ¡°Return to your quarters. Your dinner will be delivered; you may eat it at your own discretion. Make sure you rest well. Tomorrow, we will finalise your deployment.¡±
I lowered my head, insides buzzing with anticipation. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±
With that, I turned and left, following Father¡¯s command and heading straight to my room. Once there, I removed my armour, stretching out my sore limbs and sighing at the sensation of fresh air hitting my skin for the first time in hours. After that, I showered, spending an indulgent amount of time under the soothing spray of hot water, checking over my body for new bruises or cuts from the fight. I usually had a couple lingering around from training (or, in one case, banging my shin against my bed frame) and today was no exception. Thankfully, there was nothing serious. Nothing had pierced my armour this time around. That knife wound from my previous attempt had slowed me down in training for at least a month, and left a nasty scar in its wake. At least it matched the one on my face, not that anyone but Father or myself would be seeing it from now on.
The shower washed off the remaining adrenaline, but I was still restless; excitement at the prospect of finally leaving the facility overtaking all else. I tried reading a book to pass the time, but like always I just ended up doodling in the margins, drawing little pictures to chronicle my day. It was something I¡¯d picked up in the past few months, when my training started getting harder and more painful, and Father became much stricter. There was a lot that upset me nowadays, and since I wasn¡¯t allowed to express that out loud, I had to find other ways to get it out of me. The more I let it build up, the worse I felt, and that tended to affect my performance, which Father was always quick to pick up on. Drawing was the only effective way I¡¯d found so far of releasing that pain; pouring it out through the pencil and onto the paper.
Dinner came and was eaten, the clock ticked onwards, and eventually I found myself growing tired. Even in bed, however, the sleep never came. Every time I thought about tomorrow, anticipation would shoot through me. I¡¯d spent a whole year of my life in this facility, recovering from my accident, learning how to be a hero again, and tomorrow, I¡¯d finally be allowed to leave.
I couldn¡¯t wait.
¡ª
Elevators were something of an enigma to me. I could count on one hand how many times I¡¯d ridden in one. That very first day - the day I¡¯d woken from the green - I remembered being carted into a small box in a wheelchair along with Father, and when the doors opened again, we were somewhere else. It only succeeded in worsening the state of abject confusion I was in. By now, theoretically, I knew they were just taking me to different levels of the facility beyond the access of the stairs in my section, but the novelty had as of yet failed to wear off. Being able to get from one place to another without moving was always mystifying to me.
Today, however, I had to contain my excitement at getting to ride in one. I was at Father¡¯s side, travelling upwards out of the facility for the very first time. He had told me not to expect much action for my first day; he wanted to get me used to the city and my role before sending me on any solo patrols. Should anything exciting happen, it would be the police tracking down a suspect and sending me to apprehend them. As much as I disliked combat, the prospect of any sort of change to my schedule was enticing.
The elevator finally stopped moving, and the doors in front of me opened to a wide, dimly lit concrete room. I followed Father out, stepping around the large, metal, wheeled things lined up in rows all over the place. The urge to ask what they were was strong, but I knew better than to speak without permission. If it was important, Father would tell me in time.
Eventually, we stopped at one of the metal things. It was all black, quite boxy in shape. Father stepped around one side of it, and when I went to follow him, he paused, looking at me with a confused expression.
¡°Oh, of course,¡± he said, a wry grin forming on his lips. ¡°You¡¯ve never seen a car before, have you?¡±
¡°This is a car?¡± I asked. I¡¯d read about them in my books, but due to the nature of the facility, I¡¯d never actually seen one in person before.
¡°Yes. Get in on the other side.¡±
He showed me how to work the door, so I went around the car and followed his command, taking my seat next to him. He strapped himself in, then leaned over to do the same for me, instructing me on how to do it for myself. The day had barely even started and I was already learning so much.
As embarrassing as it was to admit, I did yelp a little when the car started moving, despite knowing to expect it from reading about them. My embarrassment was quickly replaced with awe, however, as we drove out onto the streets of the city.
I¡¯d never seen anything like it before. There were cars everywhere, the roads stretching on as far as I could see, bordered by buildings so tall it was like they were piercing the sky itself. And speaking of the sky! I couldn¡¯t believe just how blue it was! I¡¯d spent my entire life surrounded by greys and whites and blacks. Seeing such a bright, beautiful colour stretching out above me was breathtaking. My heart was pounding in my chest from the sheer amazement alone.
¡°Impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Father asked, no doubt noticing how enamoured I was as I craned my neck to see out the windows. ¡°Welcome to Tombguard, the city of heroes.¡±
I turned and looked at him. ¡°Permission to speak?¡±
¡°Granted.¡±
¡°Why is it called that?¡± I asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that name a little¡­ morbid? Aren¡¯t tombs where people get buried after they die?¡±
¡°I¡¯m glad you asked. It has to do with the city¡¯s conception. A long, long time ago, there was¡­ an entity, shall we say. A being of great power that roamed the earth, causing chaos and destruction, subjugating populations to Its will. They called It the Godling, as Its strength was second only to that of what we recognised as a God. It had the powers of creation and decimation, and almost anything that It wished would come to pass with a mere thought. The only thing It couldn¡¯t control was the human spirit. It is said that the ancestors of the de Vygon family forged a blade capable of taking down this monstrosity. After a fierce battle, the beast was impaled with the blade, sealing away Its power. The family imprisoned It, deep below the earth, and this city was built around It to maintain Its cage. It is believed that the blood of the Godling still runs to this day, seeping into the ground and spreading through the earth, and that it¡¯s what gives people like you their powers. That is why there are so many heroes here; proximity to the Godling¡¯s prison increases the likelihood of a child being born with power, but there are also more monster attacks here than anywhere else on earth. The demand necessitates supply. Hence; Tombguard, the city of heroes.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
For some reason, the thought of whatever ¡®monster attacks¡¯ were sent a shiver down my spine and had my hair standing on end, but I brushed it off. ¡°The de Vygon family? You mean your ancestors were the ones who fought that thing?¡±
Father nodded. ¡°Indeed. Though we no longer have access to the Godling¡¯s prison. That honour passed to a different branch of the family, one that no longer bears the name.¡±
He sounded almost bitter about it. I knew better than to ask what that was about though, so I turned back to the window, taking in the beauty of the outside world.
¡ª
Father took me on a tour around the city, showing me all of the sights, taking me down as many side-streets as he could so that I could start to learn the layout. I wasn¡¯t sure how I was going to manage, though. The whole thing was like a maze! There were so many twists and turns, and after a while, a lot of it started to look the same. I supposed it would probably be easier once I got on top of the buildings, as heroes apparently often did. I¡¯d just have to wait and see.
We were pulled up at a stop light when it happened. A shout from the side of the road caught my attention.
¡°Hey, stop! Thief!¡±
My whole body lit up with adrenaline. This was it! My chance to take down a real criminal! I looked to Father for approval.
¡°Go ahead, Seven. But be gentle. You want to make a good first impression, after all.¡±
I nodded, removing my seatbelt and all-but launching myself out the door. The commotion was happening outside of something Father had told me was called a ¡®general store.¡¯ There was a man at the door, angrily shouting, pointing down the street at another person who was sprinting away, something cradled in their arms. I wasted no more time, using my shadows to fortify my legs and propel myself forward.
Father had specified to be gentle, so I didn¡¯t bother using my shadows for anything else, just crashing into the criminal and tackling them down to the ground, pinning their arms behind their back. Two loaves of bread and a carton of milk scattered across the ground in front of us.
¡°Ah! What the hell?!¡± the thief said, craning their head around to look up at me. It was a young man, probably not much older than me. ¡°Please, it¡¯s just a little food! I¡¯m just trying to feed my family!¡±
I knew how it felt to go hungry, but that didn¡¯t mean I could go easy on this guy. He was a criminal, after all, and they would always try to spin a tale to convince me to let them go. I tightened my grip as he futilely struggled against it.
¡°Argh! What kind of superhero are you?! This isn¡¯t your job!¡±
I wasn¡¯t certain I had permission to speak, so I kept my mouth shut. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve argued against that. This was what I had been training for my whole life ¨C as far back as I could remember, at least. What else could my job possibly be?
¡°Backup is on the way to take him to the station,¡± Father said, approaching us. ¡°Good work, Seven.¡±
¡°Thank you, sir.¡±
By then, a crowd had started to form, watching the scene unfold.
¡°Is that a new hero?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve never seen them before.¡±
¡°That black armour is scary¡­¡±
¡°Are they working with the police?¡±
Father stepped around me, facing the amassing group of people.
¡°The show¡¯s over, folks! Nothing to see here, just Tombguard¡¯s newest hero doing her job. The police will be here soon, so I¡¯d advise you all to clear out.¡±
The crowd took Father¡¯s advice and dispersed, leaving us alone with the owner of the store, who came over and picked up his discarded stock.
¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a hero working with the cops before, but boy am I glad for it now, Mr¡­?¡±
Father smiled, holding out his hand to shake. ¡°Andreas de Vygon, Captain of the 23rd precinct, and the handler of our newest superhero; Seven.¡±
¡°Well, thank you, Captain. Thank you both. I¡¯ll be sure to let everyone know that the 23rd has the backs of us business owners, unlike the rest of the Heroes¡¯ Union, those freeloading bastards.¡±
Father laughed. I had to take a second to process it. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever heard him laugh before.
¡°Oh, I assure you, Seven is not part of the Heroes¡¯ Union. She actually helps the city.¡±
¡°Ha! You said it! Well, I¡¯ll see you around. Feel free to stop by anytime for a discount!¡±
The man left, and the police arrived not long after, rolling up in one of those black and white cars I had seen after departing from the facility elevator. Two more men stepped out; one in a blue uniform, and the other dressed a little more casually in a button-up and trenchcoat. Both of them peered at me curiously before approaching.
I let the one in blue take over in handling the criminal, finally climbing to my feet and returning to Father¡¯s side, where the other man was. His light brown, grey-streaked hair was messily slicked back, and the lower half of his face was covered with stubble. He looked me over with an unparsable expression.
¡°So,¡± he said. ¡°This is Project Genesis, huh? Shorter than I thought they¡¯d be.¡± His voice was husky and deep.
¡°This is Seven, Detective Matthews,¡± Father corrected. ¡°The product of Project Genesis.¡±
Detective Matthews grunted. ¡°How¡¯d you convince a hero to work with us, anyway?¡±
¡°That¡¯s confidential, detective. Now, don¡¯t you have a shoplifter to process?¡±
He sighed. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±
A loud crash from down the street caught everyone¡¯s attention. My heart felt like it stopped in my chest at the sight of what caused it.
It was like a section of the ground itself had come alive. A huge, pinkish mass of tentacles and eyeballs rose out from a destroyed section of road, coated and shielded by the concrete and asphalt sticking to its blotchy skin. It thrashed at everything around it; ripping out lampposts, throwing cars, smashing buildings, enraged at the sheer concept of life itself, not able to comprehend why it had been forced to be.
Why has it been forced to be? It thinks this is a question one should ask itself, little shadow.
¡­What? Whose voice was that? The words echoed through my skull like a concussion; their source utterly unknown but their sound viscerally painful; a thousand nails driving their tips into my brain with every syllable. As quickly as it had begun, however, the words and their suffering disappeared, and I was left to wonder if either had even existed in the first place.
¡°Are you afraid, Seven?¡± came Father¡¯s voice from my right; deep and solid and beautifully real, tearing me back into the physical world.
¡°N-no,¡± I lied, the word cracking as it came out. In truth, the sight before me was almost petrifying. My entire body screamed at me to run, flee, hide from the impossible thing wreaking havoc down the road.
¡°Do not lie to me,¡± Father replied.
I sucked in a breath. Perhaps honesty was better than feigned confidence in a situation such as this. ¡°Yes.¡±
¡°I expected you might be. It was one of those¡­ things that injured you in the first place. I¡¯m not surprised that an instinctive fear has persisted, in spite of your¡­ memory loss. Don¡¯t worry, your job is here. The Union will deal with it.¡±
As if summoned by his words, it was then that I saw two figures in the distance leap off of a nearby rooftop towards the creature. A huge shard of ice materialised from nowhere, skewering the monstrosity straight through. It swung a tentacle at the heroes, but they suddenly disappeared, reappearing on the ground a little ways away. The fight continued on like that - ice spear, dodge, ice spear, dodge - until the thing was nothing more than a limp chunk of flesh, leaking water from its death wounds. They made it look easy.
All of a sudden, the two appeared right in front of us. One of them flinched away from the other.
¡°Fuck! I told you not to do that, Viv!¡±
I was starstruck.
Standing before me was the most beautiful woman I¡¯d ever seen. I didn¡¯t know why, but it felt like my insides were tearing themselves apart with need just at the sight of her alone. Her outfit was mostly white, made of a seemingly thin material that didn¡¯t really leave much to the imagination, with a mask covering the top half of her face. Her blonde hair was shaved at the sides, but longer on top and at the back, messy and streaked with darker brown. Her downturned lips were a pale shade of pink; soft and enticing. I couldn¡¯t explain it. I couldn¡¯t justify it. There was just something in my very being that wanted to be near her in any way possible.
The other one - Viv, I presumed - put her hands up in apologetic surrender. She wasn¡¯t wearing a mask at all ¨C in fact, both of them were showing a lot more skin than I thought heroes were allowed to, based on what Father had told me. Her red hair was shorter, tousled and hanging loose from a small ponytail, no doubt messed up from the fight. She was quite pretty, too, but she didn¡¯t have the strange allure that the other woman had, for whatever reason. She turned back to us.
¡°Hey, Uncle Steve!¡±
Detective Matthews cleared his throat. ¡°Good morning, Vivienne. Nice work out there. You too, Madeline.¡±
Madeline. The name rang through my head like a bell. I felt like I was forgetting something.
¡°Thanks!¡± Vivienne turned to me. ¡°So, a new hero, huh? What¡¯s your name?¡±
¡°We¡¯re done here, Seven,¡± Father said, putting a hand on my shoulder and guiding me back to the car. I tried to crane my head around to get another look at the two heroes, but a spark of sharp pain at the back of my neck reminded me of what happened when I disobeyed, so I quickly gave that up.
It was only when we were back in the car, buckled up and moving away from the scene, that Father spoke again.
¡°You should watch out for those other heroes, Seven. They¡¯re freeloading scum whose only contribution is showing up once a month when those monsters attack and taking all the glory for killing them. They¡¯ll try to corrupt you with promises of wealth and camaraderie, but they can offer you nothing I cannot already provide for you. Especially stay away from that blonde one; Madeline. That¡¯s an order.¡±
Of course. That was just my luck. ¡°Yes, Father.¡±
¡°Oh, and while I¡¯m at it, I might as well mention it before I forget. Kill the black-winged one on sight should you see it.¡±
With those cryptic orders, he fell silent and I was left to ponder what that could possibly mean, staring out the window, longing to feel the breeze on my skin. Till Death Did Us Part
The sound of her phone buzzing on her nightstand forced Madeline out of a sleep she desperately didn¡¯t want to wake from. She didn¡¯t want to greet the day that awaited her; perfectly content to just lay there, hiding under her covers until the calendar ticked over to the next date along. She didn¡¯t want to face the realities that today would force upon her. If she just closed her eyes and drowned everything out, she could pretend none of the past five years ever happened; that Rosie was just in the bathroom, and would come back to bed at any moment.
Her phone rang again, and Madeline grumbled, reaching over to answer it.
¡°Leave me alone, Viv,¡± she muttered hoarsely into the receiver.
¡°Damn, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today, huh?¡± Vivienne replied.
Anger flared in Madeline¡¯s gut. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking poke me today, Vivienne. Not today.¡±
There was a silence over the phone. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯re absolutely right. That was mean. I was just¡­ trying to lighten the mood, I guess. Sorry.¡±
Madeline sighed. ¡°What do you want?¡±
¡°I was just checking up. I know today¡¯s difficult for you. Want me to come over? I can make breakfast.¡±
Breakfast meant getting out of bed. It meant waking up and coming face to face with the truth of the day. It also meant scrambled eggs with bits of ham and cherry tomatoes. A difficult choice, to be sure.
At the continued silence of Madeline¡¯s internal debate, Viv dug deeper. ¡°Come on, you know Rosie wouldn¡¯t want you to rot in bed all day.¡±
All the assumption did was stoke the fire inside of her. ¡°Don¡¯t presume to know what she would want.¡±
¡°You know I¡¯m right, though. Come on, you won¡¯t even have to do anything. I¡¯ll even do the dishes after. Please?¡±
The thing that sucked was that she was right. The last thing Rosie would want would be for Madeline to waste her life mourning her. She groaned loudly, making sure that Vivienne could hear her dissatisfaction.
¡°Fine.¡±
Immediately, Vivienne appeared at the side of Madeline¡¯s bed. She was used to the sudden teleportation by now, but it still annoyed her how quickly she showed up. She wanted at least a little more time to pretend she didn¡¯t exist before being forced to interact with anyone.
¡°Come on, snowball. Up you get.¡±
Madeline groaned again, burying her face in the pillow. ¡°Get out of my room.¡±
¡°Say please.¡±
Madeline grabbed a spare pillow and hucked it at Vivienne, who teleported to the other side of the room and pulled the covers off of the bed in retaliation.
¡°Oh my god, you¡¯re naked!¡±
¡°Karma,¡± Madeline muttered, a smile tugging at her lips. She would never admit it, but Viv¡¯s antics were a little amusing.
¡°Fine, I¡¯ll give you a few minutes!¡± Viv called, now on the other side of the bedroom door. ¡°Don¡¯t take too long, though. Breakfast will be ready soon!¡±
Madeline sighed, sinking back into the pillow to enjoy her last few moments of restful bliss.
¡ª
¡°So, what are your plans for today?¡±
Madeline shrugged, running a hand through her dirty-blonde mullet and pulling the tangles out of it. It had been an impulse choice of haircut made in a half-drunken, half-miserable stupor, but she would be lying if she said she hated it. It added to her butchy vibe. ¡°I dunno. Visit Rosie¡¯s grave, I suppose. Cry a lot. Drink myself to sleep again.¡±
Vivienne frowned. ¡°Come on, Maddie. you agreed to stop doing that.¡±
¡°What are you, my mom?¡±
¡°No, I actually care about your wellbeing.¡±
Madeline snorted. ¡°You¡¯ve got me there.¡±
They were sitting at the kitchen counter, finishing the scrambled eggs Viv had made. By now, Madeline was well and truly awake, and that really sucked. But, time waited for no woman, and today would have happened, whether she got out of bed or not. Today was the five-year anniversary of Rosalyn Garcia-Holmes¡¯ death, and sleeping in wouldn¡¯t change that. It would just protect Madeline¡¯s consciousness from having to recognise that she¡¯d been a widow for five years for just a few hours longer. Kicked out of home at 14, married to her childhood best friend at 18, widowed by a monster attack at 21, semi-recovering alcoholic and washed up superhero at 26. What a shit-crock of a life.
Okay, maybe ¡®washed up¡¯ was being a little harsh on herself. As far as superheroes went, she was respected for her work. Though she was currently on indefinite hiatus for mental health reasons, she was technically the co-leader of the Heroes Union, and the other heroes did value her opinions, whenever she was present to give them. The problem was that she wasn¡¯t really doing anything else with her life. Vigilantism was generally looked down upon, and would get heroes arrested if they tried to do it with any degree of frequency, given their solid lack of secret identities. They were allowed to step in in the case of violent crime, but they had no real power to arrest, just protect. Most hero work was just fighting off monster attacks and helping rescue civilians in the aftermath of any disasters, which left them with a lot of free time. Of course, there were the occasional villains that showed up, using their powers for their own gain and too dangerous for the police to go near, but in a city like Tombguard, with all of its heroes, most would-be villains had the good sense to try their luck elsewhere.
All that was to say; Madeline didn¡¯t have a job. ¡®Freeloader¡¯ was a common pejorative used for superheroes by people who didn¡¯t like that their taxes supported the Union, but in her case, they were right. She spent all of her time moping around, occasionally doing some work when the Godling decided to make another lamppost sentient or whatever - and then spent all of her leftover Union paycheck (after rent and food and other basic necessities) on alcohol and weed. In an ideal world, she would actually be contributing something to society; working a job, and then popping out to kick some flesh-and-stone creature¡¯s butt when the city needed her, but she just¡­ Wasn¡¯t Doing That. At the very least, she could take a more active role in her hero work; go on patrols, monitor the city, help little old ladies cross the street. Do some actual volunteer work if she couldn¡¯t find a paying job. Life was just a mess at the moment, and though she felt like she was slowly getting better, she still really just missed her wife, and it was exceedingly hard to move past that grief. Especially on days like today.
Viv put a hand on her shoulder, snapping her out of her thoughts. ¡°You know what we should do? Go on patrol.¡±
Madeline raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why?¡±
¡°Because I¡¯m pretty sure you haven¡¯t left the house in a week. Come on, it¡¯ll be fun! We¡¯ll get some sunlight, do some parkour, feel the wind rushing through our hair!¡± Her voice lowered from its jubilance, becoming quieter; more sympathetic. ¡°Once we¡¯ve had enough we can stop by to see Rosie, alright?¡±
Madeline looked her in the eye, trying to see through her milk-chocolate irises to the intention underneath. ¡°Why do you care so much about me? Why go out of your way for me like this? I don¡¯t get it.¡±
The question gave Vivienne pause. She sighed, reaching up and putting her hand on the top of Madeline¡¯s head.
¡°Because you¡¯re my friend, you numbskull.¡± She ruffled Madeline¡¯s hair. ¡°I¡¯m not just gonna drop you because you¡¯re having a hard time. I care about you, and I¡¯m not gonna stop caring when it becomes difficult. You were always there for me when I joined the Union, even through my worst days. Now, it¡¯s my turn to do the same for you. Everyone needs a little helping hand sometimes.¡±
Madeline looked down at her empty plate, tears threatening to form in her eyes. ¡°I¡­ Thanks, Viv. I¡¯m really glad to have you as a friend, even if¡­ I don¡¯t always act like it.¡±
¡°Likewise,¡± Viv replied, playfully punching her shoulder. ¡°Now, suit up! Let¡¯s go!¡±
Madeline raised an arm and sniff-checked her armpit. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not happening until I shower.¡±
¡ª
Alright, Madeline could admit when she¡¯d been wrong. Being out in the sun was pretty damn nice. It was a beautiful day, and putting her costume on for the first time in weeks felt great, even if it didn¡¯t fit quite as well as it used to on account of the muscle she¡¯d lost lazing around. The wind tousled her hair as she ran and leaped from building to building, her arms and legs singing with exertion and endorphins, heart racing in her chest. She felt alive. A laugh bubbled up from deep within her as she summoned a platform of ice beneath her feet, using it to launch herself up to a higher ledge and vault over, landing in a roll on the next roof.
¡°Woohoo!¡± Viv called as she did a backflip off the next ledge, only to miss the landing and fall in between the buildings. She reappeared back on the roof and laughed. ¡°Oops, messed that one up.¡±
Madeline shook her head fondly. ¡°Teleportation has made you far too reckless.¡±
Viv wiggled her hips, poking out her butt. ¡°Hey, if you got it, you gotta flaunt it.¡±
Madeline raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ve ¡®got it¡¯? Because the only thing I see is a flat washboard.¡±
Viv blew a raspberry, flipping her off. ¡°My ass is great and you know it.¡±
Madeline chuckled. ¡°Sure. I-¡±
¡°Hey, stop! Thief!¡±
The shout caught both of their attention. They shared a look and walked to the edge of the roof, peering over the street, where a man was running in their direction, groceries clutched in his arms.
¡°Shoplifter,¡± Madeline observed. ¡°None of our business.¡± It would be hypocritical of her to go after him, anyway; she¡¯d had no qualms stealing food to feed herself in the past. She understood the plight.
¡°Man¡¯s gotta eat,¡± Vivienne said.
Madeline had seen all she needed to see. They were about to turn away when another commotion set off near the intersection. A figure in black leapt from the passenger door of a car and sped down the sidewalk towards the man, moving faster than a regular human had any right to. Their black armour glinted in the sunlight as they crashed into him, tackling him to the ground and pinning his arms behind his back.
¡°Who the hell is that?¡± Viv asked.
Madeline shrugged. ¡°I dunno. Their armour looks pretty expensive, though.¡±
An older man walked up, hands behind his back. Viv groaned. ¡°Ew, I hate that jerk.¡±
Andreas de Vygon was a loud and proud anti-unionist and a staunch hater of superheroes of all types. Also, a police captain with a history of unsavoury allegations, all covered up by his rich friends. ¡®Jerk¡¯ was putting it kindly, in Madeline¡¯s experience. Though, from the way he was acting around this new person, perhaps ¡®hypocrite¡¯ would be a better adjective.
¡°Backup is on the way to take him to the station. Good work, Seven.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
¡°Thank you, sir.¡±
Something about their voice - even muddied by an obvious voice changer as it was - stuck in Madeline¡¯s brain. She couldn¡¯t tell what it was, but something about the way they spoke was familiar. It wasn¡¯t the accent ¨C that was as nondescript as an accent could be, as far as she could tell. It was just¡­ something.
¡°Well, shit. A superhero working with the police. That¡¯s a new one,¡± Viv said.
¡°Mhm.¡±
¡°Wanna go down there and meet them? See what they¡¯re about?¡±
Madeline thought about it. This new person was intriguing, but not enough to risk having to deal with de Vygon¡¯s bullshit. They were probably just a cop sympathiser who got lucky enough to be born with powers, anyway. Going by their armour, they were clearly sponsored, too. Not worth the trouble.
¡°Nah. Andreas de Bigot would probably just aggressively misgender me again.¡±
Viv snorted. ¡°Yeah, true.¡±
Madeline was referencing a press release the man had done, addressing the public a few days after Rosie¡¯s death. He¡¯d referred to Madeline multiple times as Rosie¡¯s ¡®husband,¡¯ despite the fact that she was very publicly a woman, including on her ID, and had already been years deep into her transition when she made her debut on the city stage. She couldn¡¯t imagine his views had changed much in the intervening years.
¡°Come on, let¡¯s get out of here.¡±
They took a more casual pace as they continued, hopping between buildings where possible and teleporting where it wasn¡¯t. The sight of the scene below them had sobered Madeline up some. She couldn¡¯t count how many nights she¡¯d spent in a holding cell during her teen years after getting caught pocketing things from corner stores. Sometimes she would get lucky and just get beaten to a pulp by the owner in the alley outside, but most of the time the cops would be called, and her ice powers weren¡¯t nearly refined enough back then to help her get away. She¡¯d be more likely to slip and skin her knee. It was a dark time for her before Rosie¡¯s family took her in. She felt for the poor guy who just got caught.
They¡¯d been making their way along for a good few minutes when a loud crash sounded behind them. Madeline didn¡¯t even have to turn to know that the Godling was up to Its bullshit again.
¡°Sorry, Snowball. Looks like you¡¯ll actually have to do your job today.¡±
¡°Lay off it, Viv,¡± she sighed. Sure enough, when she turned, a giant glob of pinkish flesh had risen from the road, and was very angry at the world. That was definitely going to mess up traffic for the next few days. Oh well, it didn¡¯t look that tough. Time to actually do her job, and just maybe get a little catharsis out of it. For Rosie.
Vivienne grabbed her hand and they jumped into the fray.
¡ª
¡°Well, that was easy.¡±
¡°Yup.¡±
Madeline stared at the mess she¡¯d just made of the monster; riddled with holes from the giant ice spears she¡¯d thrown at it. Generating that much ice from the air always took a lot of effort, so she¡¯d worked up a decent sweat, but the melting point was also a lot lower, so it¡¯d clear itself out quickly. Her job as a Union frontliner was done; now it was the cleanup crew¡¯s turn.
¡°Thanks for the assist,¡± she said, turning to Vivienne. ¡°That would have been a lot harder if I had to focus on dodging too.¡±
¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m here for!¡± Viv beamed.
¡°So, what now?¡±
Vivienne looked back towards the scene with the cop-hero. Madeline followed her gaze. They were still there, looking in this direction.
¡°Oh, there¡¯s my uncle!¡±
¡°The detective?¡±
¡°Yeah. I know you don¡¯t like cops, and, okay, you have good reason not to, but trust me, he¡¯s a decent guy. Mostly a desk jockey these days.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t really care,¡± Madeline muttered, truly apathetic about the whole thing. She¡¯d met the guy a handful of times on patrols, and there was no reason to doubt Viv¡¯s take on him. From what she could tell, he was just a guy stuck in his job because he¡¯d already wasted too much of his life doing it, now only doing the bare minimum to get by so he wouldn¡¯t lose his only source of income. Honestly, he just seemed kinda sad most of the time. In the lonely, alcoholic sort of way. Hm, on second thought, maybe they¡¯d get along.
¡°Wanna go say hi?¡±
¡°Not really-¡±
She didn¡¯t even have time to get the words out before Viv was reaching for her.
¡°-DON¡¯T fucking teleport me.¡± She flinched away.
Viv got that fucking look on her face that she always got whenever there was a line she knew she could push without getting in too much trouble. A sinking feeling spread through Madeline¡¯s gut and she internally resigned herself to her fate of having to speak to a cop.
Sure enough, the little shit disappeared and Madeline felt a hand on her back. A split second later her ears popped and she found herself only a few feet away from the group of pigs and their little superhero helper. Just great.
¡°Fuck! I told you not to do that, Viv!¡±
She put her hands up in surrender ¨C but notably did not apologise. Madeline was going to remember that, and she was going to hold it against her so hard.
¡°Hey, Uncle Steve!¡±
The unkempt man cleared his throat. ¡°Good morning, Vivienne. Nice work out there. You too, Madeline.¡±
Madeline grunted in acknowledgement. She could feel eyes on her from under that rent-a-cop¡¯s faceless black visor. Studying her. Intensely. It was uncomfortable.
They were surprisingly short up close. Granted, Madeline was decently tall, coming in at 6 feet, so a lot of people were surprisingly short to her. Especially those with the aura that this over-armoured supersoldier had. They looked wound up like a coiled spring, ready to jump out and strike the moment the order came through. Still¡­ there was something there, gnawing at the back of her mind. The armour was pretty form fitting, and something about their shape just¡­ Well, to be honest, it reminded her of Rosie. Not that Rosie had a monopoly on her particular body shape. She was just on Madeline¡¯s mind a lot, on account of what day it was. It wasn¡¯t important, she concluded. Just her mind grasping at its usual straws.
¡°Thanks!¡± Viv replied. She turned to the Rosie shapematch. ¡°So, a new hero, huh? What¡¯s your name?¡±
Andreas stepped in before they had a chance to respond, putting a possessive hand on their shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re done here, Seven.¡±
Just like that, they were led away back to the car they came from; now sitting lonely near the intersection. All other traffic had cleared off in the wake of the monster attack.
¡°Well,¡± Madeline said. ¡°That was really fuckin¡¯ strange.¡±
¡°That¡¯s an understatement,¡± Steve said. ¡°We were only informed about this yesterday. They¡¯re calling it Project Genesis, whatever that means. Super confidential stuff, apparently. I never thought a hero would actually be allowed to work within our ranks.¡±
¡°Who are they?¡± Viv asked.
Steve shrugged. ¡°De Vygon only ever referred to them as ¡®Seven¡¯. I don¡¯t think I caught a gender or anything. Though¡­ when that monster popped up, they seemed afraid of it. Could be something. I think I also heard the captain mention memory loss to them, too. Maybe they''re amnesiac?¡±
¡°That sounds wildly unethical,¡± Madeline muttered under her breath. An amnesiac superhero, hiding their face, with a number for a name, who¡¯s afraid of monsters, working under an almost-definitely corrupt police captain. Everything about this was screaming ¡®red flag.¡¯
¡°Should we ask them to join the Union?¡± Viv pondered. ¡°All of the heroes in Tombguard have to be part of it, don¡¯t they?¡±
Madeline sighed, pulling out the tome of job-knowledge in her head. ¡°Legally, they don¡¯t have to join if they don¡¯t want to, so long as they¡¯re independently licensed. From the looks of things, I¡¯d say they probably are. Extend an invitation if you really want, I don¡¯t care either way.¡±
Things would probably be safer if the supercop was under the same regulations as the rest of the Union, but she didn¡¯t say that out loud. Honestly, they gave her the creeps. She¡¯d rather stay away where possible.
Steve stretched, cracking his back. ¡°Well, I¡¯d better get going. Gotta get this guy processed. You two take care.¡±
Madeline didn¡¯t acknowledge him as he got in the car and drove off. That whole interaction had put her in a bit of an odd mood. She didn¡¯t really feel like patrolling anymore.
Viv picked up on it. ¡°You had enough?¡±
She nodded. ¡°Yeah. Take me home.¡±
¡ª
Madeline clutched the bouquet of flowers as she made her way through the rows of graves, her chest aching. Vivienne hadn¡¯t accompanied her into the cemetery proper, just dropping her off at the gates and letting her go on her own. She appreciated it. As much as she cared for the girl, she wanted to spend some alone time with Rosie today. Though, it seemed as though her wish wouldn¡¯t be granted; at least, not yet.
Standing at Rosie¡¯s grave were two people; a man and a woman, holding each other as they looked at the headstone. Manny and Eleanor Garcia. Rosie¡¯s parents. Madeline sucked in a breath and approached.
Manny was the first one to notice her presence. He turned to her, a sad smile adorning his face. ¡°Madeline. It¡¯s good to see you.¡±
¡°Hey,¡± she replied, voice rough. ¡°Likewise.¡±
¡°We¡¯ve missed you this past year,¡± Eleanor said.
Madeline hummed. It was the truth; she¡¯d been neglecting paying them a visit lately. They were better parents to her than her bio-parents had ever been, and she loved them dearly. Honestly, she owed them her life. It was just¡­ difficult being in that house without Rosie around. Living was difficult without Rosie around, to be fair, but she was trying to work past that. With the recent dip in her mental health, it was just easier to avoid anything that reminded her too strongly of her late wife, in-laws'' house included.
Upon realising that she clearly wasn¡¯t going to get a response, Eleanor changed the subject. ¡°I like what you¡¯ve done with your hair.¡±
Madeline managed a smile, running a hand through her mullet. ¡°Thanks. It was¡­ mostly an accident, but I like it, too.¡±
Awkward silence stretched between them. The wind rustled through the trees, birds chirping and singing like this wasn¡¯t the anniversary of the worst day in the world. Madeline looked at her in-laws, analysing their features and searching for any sign of Rosie. There were hints of her, here and there; in Eleanor¡¯s thick, wavy hair, and the shape of her eyes; in Manny¡¯s wide nose and tan skin. She had her dad¡¯s laugh lines and her mom¡¯s fierce personality. It was a small comfort; being able to see parts of her, still alive and moving, not buried six feet beneath the dirt.
Manny sighed and put an arm out towards her. ¡°Enough of this, Maddie. We¡¯re not strangers. Come here.¡±
Madeline wasn¡¯t strong enough to resist the pull. She stepped into his hold, sinking against his side as his arm wrapped around her shoulders. Tears prickled at her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I haven¡¯t been there recently. I miss you guys.¡±
¡°You know you¡¯re always welcome to stay with us,¡± Eleanor said. ¡°You¡¯re family. Just as much our daughter as Rosalyn was.¡±
Madeline bit her lip, trying not to cry too hard. ¡°Th-thank you. Things¡­ Things have been really difficult lately. Just getting out of bed is hard most days. I don¡¯t really have the energy to spare for anything but surviving. That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been vacant.¡±
Manny kissed her head. ¡°We¡¯ll always look after you, cari?o. If you need help, we¡¯ll be there.¡±
Madeline smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. Thank you both.¡±
The silence that came over them was far more amicable this time around. Madeline stared at Rosie¡¯s gravestone, thinking about how her wife was just underneath her, only six feet away. She was so close, yet Madeline would never truly get to see her face again, cursed to forever catch fleeting, teasing glimpses of her in picture frames and lookalikes. Her body yearned for Rosie¡¯s, whole and real and alive; not just a frozen, flat image of a painted expression. What she wouldn¡¯t give for just one more night with her¡­
¡°Hard to believe it¡¯s already been five years,¡± she muttered, bottom lip quivering a little.
Hold it back, Madeline. At least until Rosie¡¯s parents leave. Don¡¯t let them see how broken you still are.
Manny hummed. ¡°Some mornings I still expect to hear her running downstairs into the kitchen.¡±
¡°I still think she¡¯s gonna be next to me when I wake up,¡± she admitted.
¡°Sometimes I hear noises at night, and my first instinct is still that it¡¯s you two staying up late again,¡± Eleanor said, voice breaking a little.
For some reason, that was what broke her. Her fragile hold snapped and a sob tore from her throat, and from there it was hopeless. Manny¡¯s arms cradled her and she buried her face in his coat, shoulders bouncing as she bawled. Another pair of arms encircled her, comforting in their warmth. It didn¡¯t quell the hurt, though. It didn¡¯t fill the hole left in her heart.
Why was this still so painful? Wasn¡¯t time supposed to make it better? It had been five damn years, and Madeline was sick of feeling so miserable, but every time she seemed to be healing, something would remind her and she would tumble all the way back down again. After the first year, she¡¯d been doing good; working, participating in the Union, just keeping busy to distract herself. Yes, she had some unsavoury coping mechanisms at the time, but she was functioning, and she was functioning for a while. About a year and a few months ago, though, her mental health took a dive and she¡¯d been an absolute wreck ever since. It was like the first few months after Rosie¡¯s death all over again, only it just never ended. It wasn¡¯t fair. She¡¯d been coping. She¡¯d been getting on with her life. Moving on, like Rosie would want her to. Now, she was just back in a pit, and every time she tried to climb out, the walls would crumble under her fingers and she¡¯d fall back down. It just¡­ felt so hopeless. Some days, she just wanted to lie in that pit and let the dirt bury her for good, so she could be with Rosie again. The thought was far more tempting than it should¡¯ve been.
She pulled back from Manny, wiping her eyes. ¡°Thanks¡­¡±
He ruffled her hair affectionately. ¡°Anytime, mija. We¡¯ll give you some space with her. After that, would you like to come over for dinner?¡±
She nodded, unable to form the words to properly reply. The two of them smiled softly, before turning and leaving her alone at the grave.
Madeline turned back towards the sun-warmed stone, reading the words engraved on it.
Rosalyn Garcia-Holmes
Beloved daughter and wife. Activist and Hero. Firestarter.
Gave her life for the people of Tombguard.
¡°Screw Billy Joel, I started it.¡±
Madeline smiled sadly at the quote, remembering the day Rosie said it. She kneeled on the grass, placing the bouquet down next to the headstone.
¡°Hey, Rosie. I¡¯ve been missing you a lot, lately. I, um¡­ I hope you¡¯re sleeping well.¡±
Madeline didn¡¯t really know what to say. She had so many thoughts in her head regarding Rosie, but now that she wanted to say them out loud, nothing came to her. Maybe it was for the best. Rosie would understand, either way. Madeline didn¡¯t want to disturb her rest with pointless ramblings. She took a deep breath, trying to reorganise her thoughts, and spoke again, reaching out to touch the headstone.
¡°I¡­ I love you. So, so much. I still miss you every single day. I hope you¡¯re well, wherever you are. I hope¡­ I hope I¡¯ll get to see you there someday, too. I¡­ Fuck, Rosie. I can¡¯t even put it into words. I just¡­ I just wish you were here right now. I wish I could hold you again. I wish I could hear your voice from something other than recordings. I wish you¡­ I wish you could give me some goddamn advice on how to get the hell out of this¡­ this fucking slump! I feel so fucking pathetic. I¡­ I need help and I don¡¯t know what to do¡­ I just¡­ don¡¯t know what to do anymore¡­¡±
Her tears started pouring again, right as her words dried up. She put her forehead against the warm stone and closed her eyes, reminiscing about times long past, imagining her lover¡¯s hands stroking through her hair, just like she used to. Behind The Curtains
Police Captain Andreas de Vygon fastened and unfastened his cuffs over and over again; a nervous habit he¡¯d never been able to shake. Despite his long and illustrious career, full of accomplishments and accolades, public speaking was still just as daunting as it had been in high school. Today, he was going to reveal the project he¡¯d been working on for the past 12 years to the rest of the Tombguard police. It had been a long, difficult road, full of trials and setbacks, but he had finally made it to the final phase of the plan. The hard part was over; now, he just had to keep his creation on track, and everything would turn out as it should.
7 years spent developing the technology; the likes of which the world had never seen. 4 years of suffering through the trial and error of the process after finding a Source, losing subject after subject to mistake and miscalculation. Finally, one year spent training the successful subject to fighting form. G-7 had passed her final combat exam just a few short hours ago. It was finally time to reveal her to the world.
An assistant walked up to him. ¡°They¡¯re ready for you, sir.¡±
He nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±
Andreas took a deep breath and slicked his hair back, stepping out onto the stage. Before him was an assorted crowd of Tombguard¡¯s higher ranking police from each precinct across the city. Fellow captains, sergeants, lieutenants, and a few detectives chatted among themselves, some looking up at him expectantly. Even the deputy chief and the commissioner were here. He cleared his throat, taking his place at the podium.
¡°Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for taking the time to be here today. Now, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve all heard whispers through the grapevine by now; the murmurings of a secret project known only as Project Genesis. Well, today, the veil will be lifted as to what it is that we¡¯ve been working on. As some of you may be aware, over the past few years, the 23rd precinct has been looking into methods to capitalise on the use of powers in police work. Up until recently, this has been difficult thanks to certain legislation, and the presence of the Union drawing away potential candidates from our program. However, thanks to the new revisions in the Powers in Policing Act of 20XX, new breakthroughs have been made in regards to our project.
¡°Recently, we were approached by a young woman with powers, interested in joining our department not as an officer, but as a superhero who works in tandem with the police, following our commands and regulations, but also able to unleash her powers as an extended arm of the law. For the past year, she¡¯s been training hard in one of our facilities, and today she passed the final exam, and is now eligible for deployment by the standards set in the new Powers in Policing Act. Starting tomorrow she will begin patrolling our streets under my command, joining in on police operations and hopefully improving our rate of success tenfold. That is what Project Genesis is; a revitalisation of the police, quite literally the genesis of a new world of crime-stopping.
¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all curious as to who this woman is. Unfortunately, for her safety in the face of recent anti-police movements, she is choosing to remain anonymous. Publicly, she will be going by ¡®Seven,¡¯ and I can share no more details about her identity other than that. What I can share is a demonstration of her prowess as proof of concept towards the efficacy of her ability. Please, observe.¡±
The projector at the top of the room came to life and displayed an image on the blank wall behind him. It was a recording of one of G-7¡¯s recent runs at the advanced obstacle course, where she made an absolute joke of her previous personal best. As her handler, Andreas had to admit; he was quite proud of it. Once that was done, the image switched to one of her better performances during combat training. The actual exam was too violent to be shared, and certainly toed the line a bit too hard in regards to the ethical treatment of prisoners for public viewing. That would just have to remain confidential, lest human rights organisations get all up-in-arms over the treatment of their poor serial murderers and rapists.
Andreas watched as the faces of the crowd grew more and more impressed by the second. Satisfaction and pride filled his chest as they ate it all up. His hard work was finally paying off.
He stepped back up to the podium as the video ended. ¡°Now, I want you all to think about how many police lives have been lost to criminal activity in the past few years. With Seven¡¯s assistance, we could reduce that number to almost nothing! After all, why should our noble boys in blue have to put their lives on the line, when we have a literal superhuman to lead our charge? Of course, she is just one woman, but hopefully, in time, her presence in Tombguard will inspire more young, brave, powered people to join our program and bolster our city¡¯s police force! Instead of joining the Union and sitting around all day, soaking up our tax dollars until a monster attacks, they would be out there, fighting for the safety and liberty of our citizens. Think about that!¡±
He breathed out, letting that statement stew on the audience for a second. ¡°I believe that is everything. Thank you all for coming. If you happen to see a superhero in black armour patrolling our streets in the coming days, please, come say hi. She¡¯s on our side.¡±
With one last ¡®thank you¡¯ to the audience, he stepped down, walking off-stage into the wings as the cameras started flashing and the crowd broke into rapid conversation. A smile reached his face.
Everything was going according to plan.
¡ª
The buzz of pride only grew through the next day as Andreas took G-7 around the city and showed her off to the public for the first time. The presence of the Union heroes was unexpected, but ultimately it didn¡¯t amount to anything, and gave him a good opportunity to warn his weapon to stay away from them. It was clear from the way she obviously stared that something inside of her was drawn to the Widow. Now that he¡¯d planted the order in her head, though, she would be unable to disobey. Madeline Garcia-Holmes¡¯ presence would not be an issue.
They returned to the facility underneath precinct 23 late in the afternoon, and Andreas sent G-7 back to her quarters after letting her stop by the mess hall for food. He had a meeting with the commissioner planned, so he didn¡¯t stick around, heading out after a quick shower and freshening up in his quarters.
They ended up meeting over dinner. It turned out that the commissioner had caught wind of what he was really doing down in the facility, and of G-7¡¯s true nature. That wasn¡¯t very surprising, though. After all, it was his money that was funding a large portion of the project. Their discussion was long and quite fruitful. The commissioner ended up approving of his admittedly underhanded tactics for the furtherance of Project Genesis¡¯ heroes in policing initiative. The use of manufactured human weapons to fill out the police force, while expensive in development, would ultimately save money for them in the long run. You didn¡¯t need to pay wages to your own property, after all. Of course, he didn¡¯t know what Andreas¡¯ actual plan for Project Genesis was, but it was better that he remained ignorant. What he didn¡¯t know couldn¡¯t hurt him. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
And so he returned once again to the facility later that night, bottle of champagne in hand, heading down to R&D to celebrate G-7¡¯s successful deployment. The boys down there hadn¡¯t had much to do lately, on account of G-7¡¯s relative lack of developmental problems, so it felt prudent to give them a pat on the back, and push them in a new direction now that the main work was done.
The initial room was dim when he entered, illuminated mostly by the surveillance screens covering one wall. George Sadler sat at the chair in front of them, looking at his phone and not paying them any mind. Andreas could hardly fault him for his distraction; he could tell with one glance at the bedroom camera that G-7 was asleep, and none of the other cameras were observing anything important right now. Other than him, the room was empty.
Sadler noticed his arrival and shot up to his feet, saluting. ¡°S-sir! Didn¡¯t know you were coming down here!¡±
¡°At ease, Sadler,¡± he said. The man visibly relaxed. ¡°Where is everybody else?¡±
¡°They¡¯ve all gone home already, sir. I pulled the short straw and got assigned nightwatch duty.¡±
Oh. That was a shame. Andreas shrugged, holding up the bottle. ¡°I suppose they won¡¯t get to enjoy this champagne with us, then.¡±
Sadler¡¯s eyes lit up. He rushed to get some glasses from the adjacent break room. They weren¡¯t proper champagne flutes, but there was no need for extravagance here. It would taste the same regardless. Andreas popped the cork with his multitool as he waited for his employee to return.
¡°What¡¯s the occasion, sir?¡± Sadler asked as he set the glasses down.
¡°Celebrating G-7¡¯s successful deployment, of course. Everything went off without a hitch.¡± He filled both glasses with a generous helping of champagne before setting the bottle down in a safe spot, taking a seat.
¡°Yeah? How¡¯d she do?¡±
¡°Good. Today was mostly getting her used to the outside world, but she did manage to catch a shoplifter, too.¡±
Sadler nodded, taking a drink. ¡°That¡¯s good. None of the other subjects have made it outside before - well, aside from Five and Six, but they don¡¯t really count, since we can¡¯t monitor them. Did she take it alright? Not too overwhelmed? Seven¡¯s always been a bit of a soft one, despite her successes. ¡­Y¡¯know, it¡¯s fascinating how differently their personalities have developed, considering their nature. I was expecting them to all be identical. Maybe the formation of their different powers has an effect on their psyche? Something to look into, I suppose.¡±
Andreas frowned at the reminder of the two subjects who escaped before G-7¡¯s Birth, ignoring the rest of Sadler¡¯s tangent. That had been a particularly dark day for the project. Thankfully, nothing had come of it yet, and he¡¯d already planted an idea in G-7¡¯s mind that should nip it in the bud if it ever became a problem.
¡°She was certainly fascinated, but overwhelmed? No, not at all.¡±
Sadler nodded, but his mind still seemed elsewhere. He sighed. ¡°I have to admit, I still feel bad about what happened to Four. What did we name her again? Gwen? She was doing really well, and-¡±
Andreas cut him off. ¡°It was a training accident, Sadler. No one¡¯s to blame. Besides, don¡¯t waste your breath mourning for a being who had no right to exist in the first place. We¡¯re spitting in the eye of God here; we can¡¯t be surprised when Divine Intervention strikes down one of our subjects. Their very existence is heretical.¡±
Sadler shrugged. ¡°Yeah, I suppose. It was just more disappointing than anything. Her death set the project back over two years. Felt like a waste. She was our first promising subject, then it all went down the drain.¡±
¡°She provided valuable data that helped the project along, even if her demise slowed us down. This was never going to be easy; you knew that when you signed on.¡±
He chuckled, taking another drink. ¡°Yeah, but for that pay and those benefits? How could I say no?¡±
Andreas had to concede that one. He raised his glass towards the door in the far wall. ¡°What¡¯s the status of the rest of the backup subjects?¡±
¡°Oh, come see!¡±
They left their drinks behind and walked into the next room. A row of metal cylinders lined the walls on either side, each with their own display showcasing the vitals of the subject within. Sadler walked up and pressed a button on three of the displays, lifting the metal curtains and revealing the vats of green liquid underneath. Inside each vat was a woman, floating lifelessly, totally bald and completely nude.
¡°Subjects G-8 through G-10 are completely matured and ready for Birth,¡± Sadler explained, moving further along and opening up more vats. The women in these ones grew progressively younger down the line until G-16, who was still just a foetus. ¡°G-11 through G-16 still need some more time in the oven, and formation hasn¡¯t begun yet on G-17 or any past that. G-11 should be ready for Birth within the next month or so, though.¡±
Andreas observed G-9, who had opened her eyes slightly and was staring through him listlessly. A vestige of consciousness in a world of non-existence. ¡°Begin mental and physical habilitation for the matured subjects. I want them to be ready quickly after Birth if we need them.¡±
Sadler blinked, surprised. ¡°S-sir? Are you sure? That¡¯s never been done before pre-Birth, I don¡¯t know if it would work.¡±
¡°With G-7¡¯s successful deployment, we¡¯ve given ourselves some wiggle room to experiment.¡± He glanced over to the younger subjects. ¡°Speaking of which, why don¡¯t you get creative with the ones still in development? Start tweaking things here and there, see what happens. I¡¯ve been wanting a subject with titanium bones ever since G-7 broke her shin in the obstacle course, and there¡¯s no reason to stop researching just because we¡¯ve reached a milestone.¡±
¡°Sir, with all due respect, tweaking things is what caused Five and Six to come out so wrong. I understand where you¡¯re coming from, but it could be risky if we mess with the wrong thing and the programming doesn¡¯t set in right. While the subjects¡¯ personalities are distinct, the Source¡¯s natural curiosity and self-righteousness has definitely lingered between them. We need the programming to steer it in the right direction, or we¡¯ll just have another repeat of that incident.¡±
He waved a hand. ¡°If you¡¯re so concerned, just insert them all with kill-switches. If anything goes wrong, you can just pull the plug. Besides, who knows if any of them will actually reach Birth? G-7 is doing well, and we have no reason to think she¡¯ll falter. This is just a precaution.¡±
Sadler made a sceptical face, but he conceded, closing the vats one by one. ¡°If you say so.¡±
They returned to the surveillance room. Andreas reached for his glass, but movement from G-7¡¯s bedroom camera caught his eye. ¡°Hm.¡±
¡°What is it?¡± Sadler asked.
¡°Has she ever done that before?¡±
He looked at the screen. ¡°Oh! N-no, not that I¡¯m aware of, at least. I¡­ I mean, she was going to figure it out sooner or later, right? She¡¯s an adult. Well, technically, anyway. What¡¯s the problem?¡±
Andreas frowned. ¡°It could just be a coincidence. It could just be the highs of her first day out, I suppose. But, she did have a brief encounter with the Widow today. I don¡¯t want to rule anything out.¡±
¡°Oh¡­ Oh!¡± Sadler¡¯s eyes brightened, as they always did when he got a new idea about the science of what they were doing. ¡°Do you think meeting her could have triggered some sort of imprinted residual memory from the Source?¡±
¡°She did seem quite enamoured with her upon first glance. It¡¯s very possible.¡±
¡°How fascinating¡­ Maybe it goes with those imprinted personality traits I mentioned earlier; something so crucial and formative to the core of her being that it transcends between physical bodies.¡±
¡°Or¡­¡± Andreas said, adopting a deadpan tone. ¡°Jordyn has just inherited the Source¡¯s rampant lesbianism, and was overcome with desire upon seeing the first woman of her life that was within her age range.¡±
Sadler snorted. ¡°Yeah¡­ So, uh¡­ what should we do about this?¡±
Andreas thought on it for a moment. He shrugged. ¡°Turn the camera off for thirty minutes. We don¡¯t need to see this, and I can hardly see how this would undermine our plans at all.¡±
¡°You got it, boss,¡± Sadler replied. The screen went black, affording G-7 a rare little slice of privacy.
Andreas sat back down, taking a sip of his champagne. He smiled.
¡°Now, how about a game of cards?¡± Mindfuck
Wind whipped through my hair as I looked out at the sunset over the bay. Salt stung my nose and the breeze made goosebumps spread over my bare arms, but between the relaxing sound of the waves, the breathtaking sparkle of sunlight across the water, and the warmth of the woman standing next to me, there was no place I¡¯d rather be. Anxiety churned in my gut as I thought about what I was about to do. The odds of her saying no were miniscule, but still. It was nerve-wracking nonetheless.
¡°Maddie?¡± I asked in a voice similar to mine, but not quite the same.
¡°Hm?¡± The woman next to me looked over with a questioning glance. It was the one Father told me to stay away from. She looked younger, though. Her hair was longer, tied into a ponytail over her shoulder. Madeline.
I took a deep breath and turned to her, reaching into my pocket. Madeline¡¯s eyes widened as I got down on one knee and pulled out the box, opening it to reveal the ring inside. This was it. The moment of truth.
¡°Madeline Holmes, will you marry me?¡±
For a long moment, everything was silent. Madeline stared down at me, eyes wide as dinner plates and mouth hanging open. Then, she started laughing. Dread seeped through my body.
¡°Oh, man. What are the odds, huh?¡± She reached into her pocket and pulled out a box of her own. Inside was another ring; inset with a sparkling red jewel. ¡°I was just about to ask you the same thing.¡±
The dread crumbled to dust and pure elation took its place. I leapt up and wrapped my arms around Madeline¡¯s neck, laughter bubbling up from within me. Madeline picked me up and spun me around, holding me close. I couldn¡¯t believe my luck. It was actually happening!
We stopped spinning and I settled back on the ground, still holding on to Madeline¡¯s neck. She smiled, bending down until our foreheads were touching.
¡°How could I ever say no to you?¡±
She leaned in and pressed her mouth to mine, and I knew everything would turn out alright.
¡ª
Her tongue streaked across my neck and I shivered, a moan escaping from my throat. Light from the full moon streamed in from the window, illuminating the scene of our bodies tangled together in the bedsheets. I could do nothing but hold on for dear life as Madeline¡¯s fingers traced down my belly, through my pubic hair, and slipped between the folds of my outer labia. The sensation was instant and intense, especially when combined with the softness of her mouth on my throat.
Her touch travelled down to my vaginal opening, rubbing teasingly over the outside of the hole before moving back up, sliding two fingers on either side of my clitoris and squeezing, very gently. I jerked, letting out a gasp. Madeline smiled against my skin.
¡°So sensitive¡­¡±
¡°Sh- shut up¡­ Like you weren¡¯t a wh-whiny mess when I fingered you.¡±
Madeline paused and leaned up on an elbow. The moonlight framing her face made her look ethereal. She grinned.
¡°Well, if you¡¯re gonna be like that I guess I¡¯ll-¡±
She began pulling her hand away. Immediately, I squeezed my legs shut and grabbed her wrist, trapping it there.
¡°If you stop now I swear to god I¡¯ll set your hair on fire.¡±
Madeline laughed. Her gaze held so much love that it was hard to breathe. ¡°If you say so.¡±
She leaned back down and her lips touched mine again, her tongue sneaking into my mouth. I groaned, shifting my hips up as her fingers started moving again.
Things became a blur after that point. Between the intoxicating feeling of Madeline¡¯s body on top of mine and the unimaginable pleasure she was conjuring between my legs, the finer details started to seem unimportant. Something was building at the base of my spine, and it seemed like Madeline could sense it. The movements of her fingers became focused; pumping in and out at a steadier rhythm, pressing and sliding in all the right places to make me squirm and keen.
Madeline¡¯s teeth sunk into the skin of my neck, and a jolt of pleasurable pain shot through my system. That was what did it. That incredible thing that was building finally reached its peak and spilled over, sending waves of electricity through my body. Heat flushed under my skin and I cried out as all of my muscles tensed up from the sheer ecstasy coursing inside of me. It was amazing. It was the best thing I¡¯d ever felt. It-
¡ª
I opened my eyes, doused in cold sweat and breathing heavily. The room was dark, illuminated only by the dim light above the mirror. I must have forgotten to turn it off before going to sleep. The hum of the ventilation system rang loud in my ears. My head was throbbing, and my entire body tingled with the remnants of the dream, coalescing in the same spot that dream-Madeline had been touching, right between my legs. What the hell just happened?
Overcome with curiosity, I reached down, slipping my hand under the waistband of my pants. Something cold, wet, and slimy had coated the inside of my thighs and drenched my underwear. I frowned, probing further.
¡°Oh!¡±
Wow, I was sensitive right now. But¡­ just like the dream, it felt good. Obviously, I¡¯d touched my own genitals before, but it never felt like this. My entire vulva had become slick with fluid, and my clitoris had become erect; a hard, sensitive nub peeking out from under the hood, throbbing in time with my heart beat. Maybe¡­ Maybe I could replicate the feeling from the dream? I swallowed, nerves filling my throat, and put two fingers to it just like Madeline did.
Too much! That was way too much pressure. I was on the right track, but I needed to be more careful. I tried again, much softer this time.
That was it. My muscles relaxed and I let out a sigh as I gently circled my fingers around my clitoris. Everything around me melted away until all that remained was the pleasure between my legs and the memories of that dream in my head; the images fueling my movements. It was all too easy to imagine that I was back in the dream, and that Madeline was the one touching me instead of my own hand. I didn¡¯t even know the woman, but something about it just felt right; like things were settling in where they were meant to be.
The woman in my mind sank her fingers lower and I followed, tracing around the edge of my vaginal opening. In the dream, Madeline¡¯s fingers had slipped in with ease, but I was nervous. I¡¯d never done this before, which meant I needed to be careful. I didn¡¯t want it to turn out like the first time I tried to eat solid food; choking because I was too eager and didn¡¯t chew enough.
Slowly, I slid one finger past the entrance, biting my lip at the feeling of my inner walls parting for it. Once I got it about as deep as I felt comfortable with, I experimented with thrusting it in and out.
¡°Ngh!¡±
Wow, that was good. My body craved more; heat spreading under my skin and making me sweat. I swallowed my fear and gently added another finger in. The stretch of my hole burned slightly, but for some reason that made it even better. I shifted over onto my side, curling my body and finally pulling my pants off to allow myself more leeway with my movements, and really got into it.
¡°O-oh, g-g-god¡­¡±
It was incredible. The palm of my hand sat directly on top of my clitoris, providing delicious pressure and friction as I pumped my fingers in and out. I could barely stifle the noises escaping from my throat as every thrust sent a jolt of electricity through me. Drool dripped from my open mouth onto my pillow, but I couldn¡¯t find it within myself to care.
It was building again, just like in the dream, only so much more intense. I squeezed my eyes shut and focused, straining my wrist to move harder and faster to reach that amazing peak again. The rise felt like it would never end, but every time my muscles began to tire, another spike of pleasure would shoot through me and motivate me to keep pushing. Compared to my usual training, this was practically a cakewalk. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Finally, it came. I bit the pillow to stifle my cry as my entire body seized and spasmed, my walls clenching around my still-pumping fingers and my thighs tensing up to an almost painful degree. Warm liquid gushed against my hand, spilling down onto my sheets. It was at least twenty seconds of pure bliss as my vision flickered black and shadows writhed up and down the walls.
I laid there for a good minute afterwards, not moving, just catching my breath and reflecting on what had just happened. I seriously needed to remember how to do that, because wow. I was almost disappointed I hadn¡¯t figured it out earlier. I gently pulled my fingers out, wincing at the slight overstimulation. Unsurprisingly, they were covered in a transparent, viscous fluid that stringed together when I pulled my fingers apart. It smelled tangy.
Curiosity overcame my common sense, and I tentatively gave my fingers a lick. The taste wasn¡¯t as bad as I was expecting. In fact, it was kind of good. Sweet but a little tart. Maybe if I¡¯d been more lost in the heat of the moment, I would have just finished what I¡¯d just started, but now that it was all said and done, I would rather just wash my hands off in the sink.
As I put my pants back on and got up, my mind started to wander. Where did that dream come from? Most of the time, my dreams were nonsensical mish-mashes of things I¡¯d seen throughout the day, disappearing from my mind not long after waking up. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for me to see people I know, especially Father, but something about what I just saw felt¡­ different.
For one, it actually made internal sense. It wasn¡¯t just a slideshow of random events and images; it was a consistent storyline that followed a linear narrative. First, I was at the bay with Madeline, and I asked her to marry me. (Could two girls even get married? I¡¯d heard about it between a man and a woman from people in the facility as well as Father, but no one had mentioned two people of the same gender getting married before. I couldn¡¯t see why it wouldn¡¯t be possible, though. I supposed I would just have to ask Father about it at some point.) Then, it was later at night, and I was with Madeline in bed, and all of that happened.
Another weird thing was how different Madeline looked from how I remembered her appearing during the day. In the dream, her hair was long instead of shaved and shaggy, and her face had a certain roundness to it that it currently lacked, making her appear younger. Usually, in my dreams, people just showed up how I remembered them looking in real life. It just didn¡¯t make sense.
It was when I was washing my hands in the sink that the thought occurred to me. What if it wasn¡¯t just a dream? What if¡­ What if I¡¯d finally remembered something?
For as far back as I could remember; from the moment I woke up and coughed the green out of my lungs, my past had been a blank slate. Father said I lost my memories when I was hurt, and beyond that I never really questioned it. I never wondered who I used to be before waking up in the facility, because it never really felt like it mattered. I was right where I was meant to be, so who cared what I¡¯d done with my life before that? Only now, it seemed like something had finally come back; a lingering vestige of an interaction I had at some point with Madeline. But¡­ What did that mean?
Father always wanted what was best for me, right? He knew what was best for me, and he was always guiding me towards that target, even if it hurt sometimes. But, if that was the case, then how did Madeline fit in? He ordered me to stay away from her. Especially her, over all of the other Union heroes. According to the dream/memory/whatever, though, I¡¯d been close with her at some point. Close enough to ask her to marry me, even. Did something happen between us that Father was trying to protect me from? It was all so damn confusing!
I looked up at the girl in the mirror. I saw her shaved head, the sallow tan of her skin, the dark holes of her black irises and the bags beneath her eyes. I saw the scar cutting across her cheek and onto her nose. That scar was from a training accident. That, and most of the rest of them. There wasn¡¯t a single scar on my body that I couldn¡¯t remember getting. Where were the remnants of the injury that supposedly changed my life forever? What about injuries before that? Was whatever Father used to heal me so strong that it literally erased all of my scars? If that was the case, why had I been forced to bear the remnants of my pain all this time when Father could just heal them away?
I gripped the cold porcelain of the sink, staring hard into the mirror. What was real? Was what I saw really a memory, or was it just some hyper-realistic dream? Why was my body so damn inconsistent? Why couldn¡¯t I remember anything from my past? Why was Father keeping me away from people who might know me? Who¡­
¡°Who am I?¡± I muttered to the girl in the reflection, anxiety clawing at my throat. ¡°Who are you? Are we¡­ Jordyn? Seven? Someone else? I¡­ I- I don¡¯t know¡­¡±
Pain shot through my head like someone driving a knife into my temple. Cold fingers of sensation rippled across my brain. Something warm dripped from my nose, and some primal thing inside of me shrank away in fear. I got the horrible feeling that I was being watched. I could feel the eyes all around me, looking in. My entire being screamed in alarm at the threat of a predator; the ancient prey instinct inside of me thrashing uselessly against its bonds. A petrifying self-awareness settled over me, and I knew ¨C I could feel that some powerful, terrifying presence was observing not just me, but the very thoughts inside my head.
I felt those cold fingers pry into my mind, digging through my memories and throwing images of my life up before my eyes. The pain was immense; overwhelming. My knees buckled out from under me. My ears popped, and more warm liquid dribbled from them. I could feel my skull cracking as my brain expanded, pushing against the boundaries of its container. The pressure at the back of my eyes was building. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that my head was going to explode.
Then, all of a sudden, everything stopped. The pain and the screaming and the vivid memories all ceased to exist in an instant, replaced by the cold tile floor and the hum of the ventilation system. I blinked, trying to process what had just happened as I slowly climbed back to my feet.
There was a girl in the mirror.
She looked like me. Almost identical, even. She had the same eyes, the same nose, the same mouth. Only, her skin was a little darker, unmarked by my training accident scar, and her hair was long; tied back in a ponytail. She was dressed in a costume not too dissimilar to the ones I¡¯d seen Madeline and Vivienne wearing; a skin-tight black patterned material, with red highlights. There was a hole in her chest.
She looked panicked, confused. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for a threat, until she found me. We stared at each other for a long moment. Her mouth moved, but no sound came out. I grabbed the sink, leaning forward. She reached out to me, but her hand stopped when it reached the mirror.
¡°Are¡­ Are you me?¡± I asked.
¡ª
I opened my eyes.
The girl had disappeared, along with the mirror and the rest of my room. I recognised the ceiling above me as the one in the medbay. There was an oxygen mask over my mouth, and a heart monitor beeped along rhythmically in the corner. My head was throbbing again, and my throat stung like I¡¯d swallowed a handful of nails. Everything ached.
Father sat at my bedside, leaning over with his eyes closed, mouth hidden behind his steepled hands. A bead of sweat ran down the side of his face. Mr. Sadler stood at the far wall behind him, facing a computer screen.
¡°Fa¡­ Father¡­¡± I coughed.
His eyes shot open and he stood up, bending over me. He looked genuinely worried, which was an expression I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever seen on his face before.
¡°Jordyn! Are you alright? I thought we might have lost you.¡±
I groaned, realising just how sore I was as more of my body came back online. It felt like I¡¯d been in a fight, and lost badly. ¡°What¡­ What happened?¡±
He frowned, sitting back down. ¡°You had a seizure. We¡¯re¡­ not entirely sure, but it seems like the Godling might have psychically attacked you. What do you remember?¡±
I thought back, trying to recall. Everything had become a little hazy. ¡°I¡­ I got out of bed to wash my hands, and then¡­ looked in the mirror, I think? I don¡¯t know¡­¡±
Father sighed, rubbing his face. He mumbled something under his breath, but all I could make out was ¡°turn the camera off for ten goddamn minutes¡­¡±
¡°What does¡­ psychically attacked mean?¡± I asked, my voice croaking weakly.
¡°You remember what I told you about the Godling? That Its presence is what causes monsters to form so frequently here? Well, it¡¯s not too uncommon for It to deliberately target Its influence at some of the city¡¯s inhabitants, as well. It entertains Itself by peering at their memories and showing them visions of things they desire, often causing great damage to whoever was unlucky enough to be Its target. You¡¯re lucky that we keep an eye on your vitals, or we might not have noticed anything was wrong until it was too late.¡±
¡°Speaking of which,¡± Mr. Sadler chimed in, ¡°Your readings are looking normal now that you¡¯ve stabilised, so there shouldn¡¯t be any permanent damage to worry about. You should still take it easy for a day or two, though.¡±
Father frowned again. He turned to Mr. Sadler. ¡°It won¡¯t be good for our numbers if she disappears so soon after her deployment. What limits are we talking about here?¡±
Mr. Sadler looked uneasy. ¡°I¡­ I guess it would be fine if she went out, but she¡¯ll probably be a little unsteady. It might affect her performance if anything big happens.¡±
Father thought about it. He nodded. ¡°That¡¯s acceptable.¡±
I zoned out as Father and Mr. Sadler continued their discussion, staring at the ceiling. The memories of what I¡¯d seen standing in front of the mirror were already fading, but the question that had sprung up in my mind still sat right where I¡¯d left it, eating at my thoughts like a parasite.
¡°Who am I?¡± I muttered to no one in particular.
Father and Mr. Sadler shared a look. Father leaned closer to me.
¡°You are Jordyn de Vygon. You are my daughter, and a superhero. That is all you need to worry about.¡±
The assurance was like a soothing balm on my soul. I was Father¡¯s daughter, and a superhero, and I didn¡¯t need to worry or think about anything else. I closed my eyes and relaxed, a smile spreading across my face.
The question was still there, of course. It hadn¡¯t gone away; I still didn¡¯t know a thing about my past, and my curiosity hadn¡¯t been entirely silenced. But¡­ It was just so easy to forget about all of that when Father reminded me of what was important. Maybe it was just a weird dream after all? If the Godling had been taking an interest in me, then perhaps that was all it was. Why look deeper when an answer sat right in front of me?
Because it¡¯s not the truth. The Cost Of Negligence
The sound of my heartbeat echoed through my head. According to my visor, my BPM was sitting at around 110. Anticipation ate at my gut and sweat prickled along my skin. I could see my nerves reflected in the men around me; their hunched backs, twitchy fingers, and heavy breathing. In comparison, I must have looked totally stone-cold calm. I wasn¡¯t, of course, but I knew better than to let my anxiety show. I was their rock; the one these men would be relying on above all else. To show any form of weakness would be tantamount to sabotaging the mission.
¡°Are you ready, Seven?¡± the team commander¡¯s voice pierced in my ear, sharp and electronic over the comms.
¡°Yes, sir,¡± I replied. The men around me all tensed in response. It was time.
The command to breach sounded like a bomb going off in my head, and everything started moving at once. The man with the battering ram smashed the door open while another threw a flash grenade in through the doorway, giving the criminals inside no time to react before they were blinded.
They were scum. The worst of the worst; manufacturers of the sorts of drugs that have ruined countless lives on the streets of Tombguard. I¡¯ve seen the result of their greed time and time again over my past month of patrolling; in the crumpled bodies on the sides of the road; in the people twitching, scratching themselves, making scenes over nothing but the narcotic-induced hallucinations and hurting themselves in the process. The source of all that pain could be traced straight back to this building, where a tip-off confirmed that a manufacturing plant of one of the city¡¯s largest drug trafficking rings was located. They would get no mercy from me.
I charged forward into the fray, shadows lashing from my body as I took the lead in disabling the criminals. Most of them were completely stunned by the flashbang, so it was a cinch to run up and crack each of them with a well placed hit to the skull, sending them crumpling to the ground and leaving them for the SWAT officers to apprehend.
The door in front of me slammed open and a man ran out, pistol in hand. He zeroed in on me as the biggest threat and took aim. For a split second, I froze as adrenaline shot through me, but then my training kicked in and I threw my arm up, turning the darkness inside the barrel of the gun solid. He pulled the trigger and the whole thing exploded, mangling his hand.
I ran up as he screamed, slamming the palm of my hand into his nose and jabbing at his throat in quick succession before cracking my elbow against his temple. His knees buckled and he collapsed like a sheet of broken glass.
The clamour in the main room had become significantly quieter. I turned and surveyed the situation, pleased to find almost all of the criminals in handcuffs already, the officers sweeping the last few rooms of the house that held the source of all this pain.
¡°Is that all of them?¡± I asked.
One of the SWAT officers - Eyre, I thought his name was - did a head count of the apprehended criminals. ¡°According to the tip we got, there should be one-¡±
The door next to him opened - the last door we had yet to check - and all I saw was the barrel of a shotgun before my legs were powering forward and I was shoving Eyre down.
The gunshot went off and the force of the impact against my armour sent me rolling across the room, the wind rushing from my lungs. Several more gunshots echoed through the small space as the other officers drew their weapons and returned fire, putting down the culprit like the dog he was.
¡°Anyone hit?¡± one of the officers called.
¡°N-no, no, I¡¯m okay,¡± Eyre said, picking himself up off the floor. I did the same, wincing at the pain in my back. My armour was more than enough to prevent any real injury from such small bullets, but the shock of the bullets¡¯ collision with the metal still transferred to my body, right into the scars that Father had left with his whip. Just my luck. It was definitely going to bruise, and those things gave me enough grief already.
¡°Seven? Are you good?¡±
I nodded, grateful for my visor to hide my grimace. ¡°Yes.¡±
The officer turned away, seemingly satisfied. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get these suspects rounded up so the evidence team can clear this place out.¡±
Relief flooded my system at the notion that we were finished. No more fighting for today; I could just go back to the facility and relax. Or, more likely, shadow Father after giving my report until he dismissed me. Still, that would be leagues better than the nauseating heat of battle. At least with Father there was a certain guarantee that I wouldn¡¯t be suddenly inflicted with a head wound. I couldn¡¯t say the same about joining SWAT raids, that was for sure.
The earpiece in my helmet crackled to life with the commander¡¯s voice. ¡°Lookout team C isn¡¯t responding. Seven, could you go check it out?¡±
¡°Roger,¡± I replied, rushing out the door. The brightness of the midday sun glared in my visor as I ran, heading for the tall building across the street that housed Lookout Team C. There were several sniper teams set up around the area, keeping an eye on things in case any suspects made a run for it. They hadn¡¯t been needed, thankfully, but it was still worrying that this team wasn¡¯t responding. Hopefully, it was just a radio malfunction, but something in my gut was telling me otherwise.
The shadows in my armour wrapped themselves around my legs like springs, fortifying them and giving me the strength to fling myself and clear several storeys in one jump. I flew up through the air until I reached the apex of my flight, sending out a whip of darkness from my wrist which wrapped itself around the railing of the fire escape, keeping me suspended. The whip shrank, and I was pulled up along with it, slingshotting myself over the edge of the building and onto the roof, where I landed in a safety roll before turning to where the lookout team was supposed to be posted.
Two people in SWAT uniforms laid sprawled against the lip of the roof, blood pooling beneath them. Their sniper rifle was nowhere to be seen. My heart lurched.
¡°Team C is down!¡± I shouted into the comms, rushing over. Maybe they could still be saved.
¡°What happened?! What¡¯s their status?¡± The commander asked.
I reached the bodies, turning one over onto his back. His entire front was stained red, and his throat hung open and bloody like a gaping maw of flesh. I dropped him and stumbled back, looking around in case the one who¡¯d done this was still nearby. All was still and silent.
¡°Th-they¡¯re dead,¡± I replied. ¡°Their throats are cut, a-and their gun is missing.¡±
¡°Shit!¡±
What followed was a scramble of orders too fast for me to process. I was too busy staring at the bodies of the two men who had been assigned to look out for us. When did this happen? How long have they been lying there, growing cold? From the looks of things, they didn¡¯t even get a chance to react to whatever attacked them. One moment they were alive, diligently doing their duty for the raid, and the next, they were bleeding out on the concrete. I just¡­ couldn¡¯t understand. This sort of thing wasn¡¯t supposed to happen to the good guys.
The comms crackled and Father¡¯s voice suddenly appeared in my ears.
¡°Pick up that feather, Seven.¡±
His words kicked my mind back into gear. Sure enough, there were several black feathers scattered around the scene. I hadn¡¯t noticed them before, and honestly, why would I? There were plenty of birds in the city, and plenty of birds meant plenty of feathers. They weren¡¯t usually something to bat an eye at. That being said, if Father wanted a better look at the feather, he must have had a good reason for it. Following his order, I picked one up, examining it. It shimmered in the sunlight, long and full. I didn¡¯t know much about birds, but this feather seemed healthy to me.
¡°Bring it back to the facility with you. I will be awaiting your report in your quarters. That is all.¡±
The comms crackled again, and Father¡¯s voice disappeared, replaced once again with the Commander¡¯s frantic yelling, trying to coordinate a search for the suspect who did this to his men. I looked back at the feather, considering it again. I remembered the words Father said to me on the day I was deployed, just after meeting Madeline for the first time. If the puzzle pieces connected the way I thought they did, the search wasn¡¯t going to be successful, especially if they only looked on the ground.
¡°Kill the black-winged one on sight should you see it.¡±
I turned my gaze up towards the sky. That magnificent blue stretched onwards to infinity, dotted with clouds of varying shapes and sizes. There was no ¡®black-winged one¡¯; no crazed, knife-wielding killers darting through the air, silhouetted in the light. Just an endless expanse of blue. There was nothing. Nothing but a feather clutched between my fingers, two dead men, and a missing sniper rifle.
Why, then, did I still feel like I was being watched?
¡ª
I sighed, sitting down on the end of my bed having finally stripped my armour off at the end of the day. I¡¯d already given Father my report of the raid, and handed over the feather he¡¯d been so interested in. He was silent the entire time, just listening, not even saying a word when he left my quarters. It worried me a little. Today was far from usual in terms of my activities, and adding in the huge loss of two SWAT officers, I could imagine that Father wasn¡¯t very happy. I¡¯d been doing good for him lately, but I knew well how easily his displeasure could turn around onto me. My bruised back throbbed in memory of the whipping I got all those months ago for failing at the obstacle course. I¡¯d have to be on my guard.
Sure enough, the door opened again and I jumped back to my feet, standing at the ready. Father glowered as he walked over, the door shutting automatically behind him. Usually, he would''ve given me the command to be at ease by now. Something was very wrong. I didn''t have my armour on anymore; totally stripped down to my underwear. The knowledge of how defenceless I was in the face of his anger was terrifying.
He stopped inches away from my face, towering over me. I averted my gaze nervously. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
¡°Could you tell me, Seven¡­¡± he began, voice low and rumbling like thunder. ¡°Why exactly two men under your protection were killed, and you have nothing to show for it?¡±
¡°I- I don¡¯t know, sir. I was busy with the raid; I don¡¯t know what happened to the lookout team. I¡­ I didn¡¯t think they would be in any danger.¡±
He struck me across the face with the back of his hand, and my head rang like a bell. My entire body tensed up so that I wouldn¡¯t move from my position and anger him further.
¡°Two men are dead because of your negligence, do you understand that? Two good men, with families that we will need to notify. What am I supposed to tell John Benovich¡¯s wife when she asks why her husband isn¡¯t coming home? That we don¡¯t know why? That the only reason her husband is dead is because you weren¡¯t doing your job? Can you even comprehend the gravity of your failure today?¡±
As a matter of fact, I didn¡¯t understand it. How could what happened have been my fault? Was there really anything I could have done differently to prevent it? I knew Father was right of course, but the thought of the blame falling on me when I couldn¡¯t make sense of it rankled, and I felt the uncharacteristic urge to defend myself bubble up inside me. Deep down I knew I would regret it; I knew Father would punish me for my insubordination - and rightfully so - but some part of me just couldn¡¯t concede until I really understood what he was trying to tell me. I looked up and met Father¡¯s piercing glare.
¡°Sir, I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t see how it was my failure. I had no way of knowing what would happen, and the lookout teams were far outside of the range in which I could reasonably protect them. I¡­ I just don¡¯t understand how it¡¯s my fault. I- I¡¯m sorry.¡±
The silence in the room boiled and I felt the regret wash over me like a humid wave; sweat beading across my body. Father¡¯s face contorted, his pale skin growing splotchy and red. I saw the hit coming from a mile away as the world seemed to move in slow-motion, but my body refused to move out of the way; painfully aware of how much I deserved this punishment for what I just did.
His fist collided with my nose and I felt the cartilage crack under his knuckles. My head snapped backwards and I stumbled, the pain and shock filling my eyes with tears. My back hit the sink and my knees buckled, dropping me to the floor and leaving me half supporting myself against the cold porcelain as warm, coppery liquid dripped over my lips and into my open mouth.
Father shook his hand out, his face a mask of rage. He stalked over and grabbed one of the straps of my sports bra, forcefully pulling me back to my feet. Icy terror stabbed through my chest. I really shouldn¡¯t have done that.
¡°W-wait! I¡¯m sor-¡±
He struck me again with his free hand, still holding me in place. My head spun, and my mouth tasted like blood from where I¡¯d accidentally bitten the inside of my cheek.
¡°How dare you talk back to me, you mangy little attack dog?! How many times am I going to have to beat this lesson into you? I own you. You are mine. If I say that you failed, you have failed, and the first thing you should be doing is getting on your knees and begging me for forgiveness, not giving me backtalk! You know nothing about how the world works. You are nothing. Without me, you wouldn¡¯t be here; you wouldn¡¯t get this freedom that I¡¯m allowing you. You would be buried six feet in the dirt where you belong! And you¡¯re telling me you don¡¯t understand? Of course you don¡¯t; you¡¯re barely one degree above an animal. You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m even gracing you with my presence. Do you at least understand that?¡±
Through the hot tears on my face and the paralysing fear in my gut, I could tell he was looking for an answer. I nodded frantically.
¡°Say it!¡± he screamed, aggressively shaking me.
¡°I- I understand, s-sir!¡±
He leaned in close until our noses were almost touching. I tried to shy away, but my back was against the wall. There was nowhere to go.
¡°What do you understand?¡± he asked, his voice low and dangerous.
¡°I- I understand that I¡¯m lucky to h-have you, F-Father.¡±
His eyes narrowed. ¡°...And?¡±
I swallowed, trying to remember his exact words. ¡°A-and¡­ that I¡¯m b-barely one degree above an animal¡­¡±
He tapped my cheek with his thumb. It was gentle, but it still made me flinch.
¡°That¡¯s right, Jordyn. You¡¯re barely even a person, and the only reason you get to be that much is because of me. You only matter if you¡¯re useful to me. Remember that.¡±
He finally leaned away and I had to resist letting out a sigh of relief at getting my personal space back. My heart was still pounding in my ears and my nose throbbed painfully along with every beat.
¡°Now,¡± he said. ¡°Would you like me to help you understand your failure today, as well?¡±
I froze. I wasn¡¯t sure how I should answer that. With no words coming to mind, my mouth supplied the default before I could stop it.
¡°Yes, please.¡±
Father cracked his knuckles. ¡°Good.¡±
He was coming at me again before I knew what was happening. His fist sunk into my solar plexus and I gagged, slamming back against the wall as the air rushed out of me. Father didn¡¯t slow down, following up with an elbow cracking across my cheekbone. One left jab split my bottom lip, and a right hook blackened my eye. His fingers tightened around my head as he grabbed my face and drove my skull against the wall behind me. I felt the skin split and warm blood drip down my neck, but there was no time to focus on that as Father pulled me down into a knee that crushed my already broken nose.
The pain was too much, and for a split second, everything turned white. I felt my body go limp and the world seemed to slip out of focus as Father began kicking me in the gut over and over, not allowing me a second to suck in the breath that had been lost when this beating began. A sharp, stabbing pain that was definitely a broken rib shot through my chest, and black swarmed my vision. It all became too much, and my eyelids started to fall shut, unconsciousness taking hold.
Just as quickly as it had started, Father backed off, storming out of the room and leaving me in a heap on the floor, slowly coming back to myself. My chest finally untightened and I sucked in as much air as I could, panting and coughing and sobbing at how much breathing hurt. I still didn¡¯t understand. What was the point of all that? All¡­ All he did was hurt me, and I still didn¡¯t know what he meant when he said that I failed. Was it even possible for me to understand? Maybe¡­ Maybe I was just too stupid. That was why Father was always there to tell me what to do. Without him, maybe I would just be too dumb to understand anything. Maybe I really was just a dumb, stupid, barely-a-person animal, just like he said.
I clenched my teeth, trying to stop crying. Every sob was like another kick in the chest, and it was excruciating. I really should¡¯ve tried to get up and treat my wounds, but the thought of moving right now made panic claw up my throat. At least there was the reassurance that I had nothing else to do today, so I had all the time in the world to just lie here and feel sorry for myself. There was no need to force myself up just yet.
I heard the door slide back open; heard Father¡¯s footsteps across the tile floor, and cold dread washed over me like ice water.
My vision was still blurry, so I couldn¡¯t quite make out his face as he approached, but I could see what he was holding. In one hand: a knife. In the other: a bucket, sloshing with liquid.
¡°Oh good,¡± he said, voice lilting with menace. ¡°You¡¯re still conscious.¡±
¡°Wh¡­ Wha¡­?¡± I tried to speak through my busted mouth, but it wasn¡¯t quite following my instructions. Everything felt too thick and heavy.
¡°Your lesson isn¡¯t over yet, Jordyn. We don¡¯t stop until you understand.¡±
Panic shot through me like a bullet, and I started hyperventilating. ¡°P-please¡­ N-no more¡­¡±
Father shook his head. ¡°You need to know the cost of your negligence. You need to know what you put those two men through by failing them today.¡±
He put the bucket down and grabbed the back of my neck, dragging me painfully to my feet. I could barely keep my balance, but Father¡¯s hand remained in place and held me steady as the world spun around me.
Something cold and sharp poked my belly a split second before a line of fire parted my skin; Father¡¯s knife cutting a shallow slice into my abdomen. I screamed as the agony struck through my nerves like lightning, thrashing and trying to escape. Father¡¯s hand maintained its iron grip.
¡°Because you couldn¡¯t maintain protective vigilance over all members of the raid team today, both of those men had to suffer through the excruciating experience of having their throats slit.¡±
The knife came again in time with his last word, cutting perpendicularly through the previous wound. I dry-heaved. My hands remained at my sides, refusing to move and defend me no matter how badly I needed it. Father wanted to teach me a lesson, and I¡¯d already failed once today. I could not disobey him again.
He let go of my neck and I dropped to my knees, clutching at the wound with blood-slicked hands. The knife clattered to the ground and Father dragged the bucket over until it was right in front of me. He got to his knees at my side and his hand returned to its place at my nape.
I had no strength left, and as such Father had no issues shoving my face down into the cold water filling the bucket. The shock made me suck in a breath, sending water shooting up my sinuses and into my lungs. I instinctively coughed and tried to get any air at all, but that only made it worse. Forcing back against Father¡¯s hand did nothing. My hands still refused to do anything to help me, as if something was holding them back, keeping them from acting against Father¡¯s will. It wasn¡¯t a conscious choice anymore; I needed to get out of this water, but they just wouldn¡¯t listen. Shadows wouldn¡¯t amass and do my bidding. I couldn¡¯t go against him. I couldn¡¯t fight back. I was helpless, and it was going to kill me.
Finally, Father pulled my head out of the bucket. I coughed and sputtered, wheezing any air I could through my water-logged throat. Please, god, let it be over.
¡°Because their throats were slit, they died in agony, drowning slowly in their own blood,¡± Father said. ¡°It¡¯s not a good experience, is it?¡±
I shook my head as best I could with his hand holding me in place.
¡°Do you understand yet, Jordyn? Do you know how you failed, and what your failure put those men through?¡±
¡°Y-yes, yes, I u-understand, sir.¡± It was the truth. I understood.
He pursed his lips. ¡°See, I don¡¯t think you do. Until you¡¯ve experienced both of their pain, I really don¡¯t think you can understand. You¡¯ve already been cut twice, sure, but the drowning? I just don¡¯t think you get it yet.¡±
My eyes went wide. Father dunked me under the water again.
It was too much. I just couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Every single part of my body was in pain. My face throbbed relentlessly. My lungs burned from the lack of oxygen and my abs burned from the effort of trying to fight back. Every movement still sent a spike of anguish shooting through my chest. My back ached from bending over. The cuts on my belly stung endlessly. I just wanted it to end.
Father¡¯s hand wasn¡¯t moving. This was it; I was going to die. After everything I¡¯d survived, I was going to die while getting taught a lesson because I was too stupid to understand a simple concept. Maybe I just wasn¡¯t cut out for this life. Blackness swarmed around my vision, closing in. I accepted it.
Once again, right as I was teased with some sort of release from this agonising consciousness, Father ripped it away at the last moment. My head was pulled out of the water and Father finally released his grip. My body went slack without his support and I collapsed to the floor, knocking the bucket over as oxygen and feeling slowly returned to my tingling, dying body.
¡°Now, you understand,¡± Father said.
I didn¡¯t reply. I couldn¡¯t. I was too busy trying to figure out how to breathe again.
¡°What do you say, Jordyn?¡±
Despite my overall lethargy, my brain kicked into overdrive trying to parse that question. Getting it wrong would mean this lesson wouldn¡¯t be over yet. Father would still have to teach me more. He would have to take more time out of his day to discipline me for my stupidity. I needed to get this right; I needed to prove that I could be good for him in all the ways he deserved. I was lucky to get to even be in his presence.
¡°Th¡­ thank you¡­¡± I rasped. ¡°F-for¡­ For helping me¡­ u-understand¡­¡±
¡°Good girl.¡±
In the distance, I heard the door slide open. Mr. Sadler¡¯s voice echoed around my head.
¡°Sir, we''ve finished- Oh. Sorry, am I interrupting something?¡±
Father stood up. ¡°Just dolling out some discipline. Don''t worry, we just finished. What were you saying?¡±
¡°We''ve finished analysing that feather from the scene. You were right, it came from G-5¡¯s wings.¡±
¡°Thought so. Seems that girl is dedicated to being a thorn in my side. No matter, we''ll find out where she''s hiding eventually. Then, Seven will take care of her. Won''t you, Jordyn?¡±
I was too stupid to know what they were talking about, but it seemed prudent to reply with an affirmative. Unfortunately, I seemed to finally have lost control of my body, and all I could manage was a moan that sounded vaguely like a yes.
¡°Very good,¡± Father replied. ¡°Now, patch yourself up and take a shower. You stink.¡± With that, Father and Mr. Sadler left my room, and I finally, finally, passed out. Cracks In The Fa?ade
Detective Steve Matthews sighed, grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling it away from his chest to allow some airflow. It was a blisteringly hot day, and he¡¯d rather be anywhere other than where he was right at that moment; standing in the sun outside of a convenience store that just got held up. The perp didn¡¯t get very far, thankfully. Seven had been patrolling nearby and took the man down before he could make it across the street. Now Steve was just here to take statements and collect evidence in the summer heat. Or, more like he was there to supervise the beat cops as they did all of those things under the direction of another detective while he just stood around sweating. As if Captain de Vygon would actually let him lead his own investigation.
At least he didn¡¯t have it as bad as Seven did, though. It couldn¡¯t have been cool in that intimidating black armour, and he knew that the captain was breathing down her neck just as hard as his ¨C probably even harder. Ever since those SWAT officers were killed a week ago, Seven had been moving differently; almost gingerly, as though she was hurt, or so Steve had noticed in their few encounters. It rose warning flags in the back of his mind. Something just wasn¡¯t right about that whole situation. Steve didn¡¯t trust de Vygon¡¯s integrity at the best of times; he wouldn¡¯t put it past him to beat his volunteer superhero for a mistake, especially one so extreme. The real question was, why would Seven put up with it? It just didn¡¯t sit right.
Well, what was he going to do about it, anyway? He wasn¡¯t a hero. He was barely a cop. Seven was an adult woman and a borderline supersoldier. He¡¯d seen her flip a grown man over her tiny 5¡¯3¡± frame and break his arm with ease. If she had a problem with how things were going behind the scenes, she could get herself out of it. The Union would take her in no questions asked if she wanted. It was probably just in his head.
Right now, the woman was standing some distance away, seemingly spacing out while staring through the window at the mannequins on display in a woman¡¯s clothing boutique. She seemed to have relaxed some now that she wasn¡¯t on active duty, antsily twiddling her fingers together as she examined the clothes. Steve walked over to her. He had nothing better to do, after all.
¡°Thinking about buying something?¡± he asked.
Seven jumped a little before turning to him. ¡°S-sorry?¡±
¡°Are you thinking about buying something from here? You seem pretty fascinated by what they got on display.¡±
Seven looked at him, and then back to the mannequins, wringing her hands nervously. ¡°Um, I don¡¯t have any money. I was just¡­ looking.¡±
No money? That was odd. Though, perhaps she just meant she didn¡¯t have any on her. It didn¡¯t look like her armour had pockets, to be fair.
Steve shrugged. ¡°Still, you work hard. You should treat yourself. Why not come back after your shift is done?¡±
Seven stared at him, and though he couldn¡¯t see her face, he could sense the confusion in her body language. She looked back and forth between him and the boutique a few times. ¡°Uh¡­ O-okay¡­¡±
The more Steve interacted with her outside of combat scenarios or de Vygon¡¯s presence, the more he felt like there was something seriously weird going on. Her apparent personality just didn¡¯t match the front she put up whenever she was working. If he had to guess, he¡¯d say she almost felt like¡­ like a sheltered kid or something. Where the hell did de Vygon find this girl?
A memory flashed through his head, but he shook it off. He¡¯d heard it enough from the precinct counsellor; it was just a hallucination induced by stress and a lack of sleep, nothing more.
The awkward silence stretched on. Steve sighed. ¡°Well, whatever. Do what you want. I¡¯m gonna head back to the scene; I think the boys are almost done with the evidence.¡±
He turned and started walking away, hearing Seven¡¯s footsteps following along behind him. He approached her because she¡¯d looked a little lonely, standing there staring at the store like a puppy with a toy it couldn¡¯t have, but now he felt bad about interrupting her privacy and ruining her quiet moment.
They got back to the scene. Steve busied himself catching up on the evidence that had been logged, while Seven milled around, as she was wont to do at crime scenes. A few days after her first appearance, a couple of fleeing perps returned to a scene that she¡¯d already left and ruined some evidence before the police could stop them. Ever since then, she¡¯d made a habit of sticking around to ensure everything went smoothly, unless there was another pressing issue that required her attention.
It was a few minutes later that things went awry. A loud crack echoed across the street and Seven flew backwards. All of the officers dove for cover and Steve was no exception; throwing his car door open and hiding behind it. There was a shooter, and if they had managed to knock Seven off her feet, they had to be packing some serious heat.
Steve glanced around. Seven was on the floor, but she was still moving. According to de Vygon, that armour of hers was bullet-proof. He hoped for her sake that was correct. She lifted her head, trying to get up, but another shot ripped through the air and sparks flew from Seven¡¯s helmet as she was forced straight back to the ground.
Steve drew his pistol, taking a deep breath. He peeked through the window of the open car door, looking up at the roof of the opposite building. The sky was blindingly bright, but he could just about make out a figure perched on the edge. Light glinted from the scope of the sniper rifle in their hands.
One of the other officers returned fire and the figure startled, backing up and taking their rifle with them. A huge pair of dark wings unfurled from their back and flapped, lifting them from the roof with improbable speed. Steve took aim and fired a few shots, but none of them met their mark. The figure was too fast, ducking and weaving through the air until they were gone from sight.
¡°Seven, are you alright?!¡± Steve asked, jumping out of his hiding spot to check on her.
Seven groaned, lifting her head again. The glass on the front of her visor was cracked, but it didn¡¯t look like the bullet had gone through. Most likely, it ricocheted off the edge. He couldn¡¯t tell where the first shot had impacted, but the woman didn¡¯t seem that much worse for wear, if a little winded. ¡°Y-yeah¡­ I¡¯m okay.¡±
¡°Come on, we might still be able to see them from the roof!¡±
Steve turned to the other officers. ¡°Put out an APB! We¡¯re looking for someone with huge black wings and a sniper rifle! They won¡¯t be able to hide!¡±
The authority in his voice surprised even him, but it spurred the officers into action, scrambling to communicate with dispatch to organise a manhunt. With that out of the way, he turned back to the building the shooter was perched on, running towards it. Seven was back on her feet by now, right behind him.
She cleared the building in a single jump, disappearing over the edge of the roof. Steve wasn¡¯t so blessed with augmented abilities, and as such had to painstakingly climb his way up the fire escape, activating muscles he probably hadn¡¯t used in years. He was definitely going to be sore by tomorrow morning.
Finally, panting and gasping from exertion, he reached the roof, but it was too late. The winged person was nowhere to be seen. It was just their luck that their suspect would be able to fly. Still, they¡¯d find them in time. There was no way someone with such an obvious power could hide themselves for long.
Seven was looking at the floor, where the shooter had been perched. Scattered around the area were a dozen long black feathers, no doubt left by their wings. Once again, Steve was hit by a memory he¡¯d been trying to forget, of a night roughly eighteen months ago, where he¡¯d seen an impossible sight that subsequently nose-dived his career.
~~~
It was a little past one in the morning on a cold winter¡¯s night, and Steve Matthews was returning to precinct 23 to pick up some case files he needed to look over. It had been a long week, and exhaustion was clawing at him like a feral cat, trying to drag him to bed, but there was still work to be done. He promised himself that once he got back to his apartment, he would sleep and go over the files in the morning, and that assurance gave him the strength needed to keep going for these last few hours.
It was when he was just about to enter the precinct that it happened. The glass door flew open and Steve froze as he came face to face with the two girls running out. They froze in turn, staring him down. In the dim light from the street lamp, Steve could just about make out their appearances, and what he saw shook him to his core.
One girl was older; clearly an adult, and the other was probably in her early teens, if Steve had to guess. They were both dressed in identical black thermals and had shaved heads. The older one had a large pair of wings sprouting from her back, the feathers puffing up in anticipation. Both girls had the exact same face; one that should¡¯ve belonged to a dead woman. The younger one¡¯s eyes held a cocktail of fear, sorrow, and pain. In her older sister, there was only rage.
A small twitch of her feathers was all the warning he got before the older one was wrapping her arms around the teen, beating her wings against the cold air and disappearing into the dark sky, leaving Steve alone to contemplate the impossible thing he¡¯d just witnessed.
~~~
Steve remembered how hard Captain de Vygon had tried to convince him what he¡¯d seen wasn¡¯t real. He remembered all of the counselling sessions he¡¯d been forced to go to, all the cases he¡¯d been forced to drop because of his supposed ¡®unstable mental state.¡¯ According to de Vygon, of course it had been a hallucination! Why else would both girls have had the face of a dead superhero? Rosalyn Garcia-Holmes was one of the most famous superheroes Tombguard had ever seen, and Steve had even met her a handful of times before her death thanks to his niece. It made sense that his brain would pick out her face to put on the actors in its mysterious play. It was all just in his head. Steve had even started to believe it himself. Now, however¡­
Steve looked over at Seven. She came from precinct 23, just like those two mystery girls. What face hid underneath that visor of hers? Why was everything about her so weird? Just what exactly was de Vygon doing underneath the precinct?
Seven was still staring at those feathers. A thought occurred to him; a pit opening in his stomach. If those girls had all come from the same place, there was every possibility that they knew each other. And now, one of them had just shot Seven with clear intent to kill. Regardless of what else was going on behind the scenes, that had to sting.
¡°Did¡­ Did you know who that was?¡± he asked carefully.
Seven hesitated, but ultimately shook her head. ¡°N-no. Captain de Vygon has spoken of a girl with wings before, but I don¡¯t know who she is.¡±
Her voice was slurring a little. Steve frowned. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡±
¡°I-¡±
¡ª
¡°Did you hear that?¡± Brianna asked, craning her head around despite the fact that she wouldn¡¯t be able to see anything, anyway.
¡°Hear what?¡± Viv replied. They were sitting together on a rooftop, enjoying a lunch break from their patrol. Not that there was really much to be patrolling for, especially not for a support hero and rescue hero, but it was a good excuse for both of them to get out of studying for a while, and enjoy the warm summer¡¯s day. That reminded Vivienne that Maddie was probably about due to be dragged out of the house again, as well. Rosie would kill her if she let her wife rot inside all summer, and they hadn¡¯t really done anything since Rosie¡¯s death anniversary aside from hang out and play video games together. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Brea frowned. ¡°Sounded like gunshots. Over in that direction.¡± She nodded her head down the street, her shoulder-length braids swishing back and forth with the movement.
¡°Should we go check it out?¡±
Brea shrugged. ¡°If you wanna. I¡¯m not too keen to get caught up in a fight or something, though.¡±
¡°We¡¯ll just have a look from a distance,¡± Viv said. ¡°If it¡¯s something we can help with, maybe we can step in, but we¡¯ll see.¡±
¡°Alrighty then, sounds good.¡±
The two of them stood up and Viv took Brianna¡¯s hand. In an instant, the scenery changed and they were about two kilometres down the street. Brea shuddered - she still wasn¡¯t very used to teleportation - as Viv looked around. There were a few police cars parked a ways away, and she could just about make out two people on a rooftop nearby.
¡°So?¡± Brea asked. ¡°Anything interesting?¡±
Vivienne squinted. ¡°A couple of cop cars, and¡­ I think that¡¯s my uncle? And that new hero that works with the police, too. They¡¯re on a roof. Doesn¡¯t look like anything dangerous is going on anymore.¡±
¡°Y¡¯know, I¡¯ve been wondering what that new hero¡¯s deal is. I¡¯ve heard a lot of weird rumours on the radio. What¡¯s her name again? Seven?¡±
¡°Yeah. Maddie and I met her a couple weeks ago. We didn¡¯t really get to chat though, because de Vygon showed up and swooped her away. Wanna see if we can say hi?¡±
¡°Might as well. Not like we¡¯ve got much better to do. Just¡­ warn me before we teleport next time, please? I know I can¡¯t actually see that we¡¯ve moved, but something about the way the air pressure pops just throws me off.¡±
¡°Sure, sorry about that.¡± She took Brianna¡¯s hand again. ¡°You ready?¡±
Brea took a deep breath and nodded. Vivienne focused on the empty space a few feet away from her uncle. She did a countdown for Brea¡¯s benefit and as soon as she reached zero, Viv flipped the switch in her brain and the space that she was focusing on appeared under her feet. She turned her good cheer up to eleven and announced herself to the two police officers.
¡°Hey guys! What¡¯s-¡±
Seven whipped around and a wave of darkness spilled from the seams in her armour, barrelling towards the two of them. Viv stumbled backwards, waving her hands.
¡°Wait, wait! Friendly!¡±
The wall of shadow stopped inches from her face, dissipating into the air. Seven didn¡¯t drop her combat stance though, watching them through her visor like a hawk. Speaking of which, her visor looked seriously messed up. The opaque glass was spiderwebbed with cracks, coalescing at a point near her temple. Also, it sort of looked like there was a hole in her armour, right above her heart. What the heck happened here?
¡°I-it¡¯s just me! You know, Vivienne? We met one time? Oh yeah, and this is Brianna, she¡¯s my friend. Hi, uncle Steve!¡±
¡°Yo,¡± Brea said.
Steve sighed. ¡°Hello Vivienne. This is a crime scene, you can¡¯t be here.¡±
They must have startled Seven something fierce. Her whole body was shaking. Viv frowned, ignoring her uncle.
¡°Are you okay? You don¡¯t look well.¡±
The woman finally dropped the combat stance, putting a hand on her chest. ¡°D-detective¡­ I¡­ I think the first shot pierced my armour¡­¡±
Steve whirled around. ¡°What?! You said you were okay!¡±
¡°I- I thought¡­ The shock must¡¯ve¡­ It¡­ It hurts.¡± Her voice cracked into something almost like a sob at the end. Vivienne¡¯s gut wrenched.
¡°Uncle! There¡¯s a first-aid kit in your car, right?¡±
Steve blinked, taken aback. ¡°Y-yes, but-¡±
¡°Brea, get her to lay down. I¡¯ll be back soon!¡±
¡°You got it,¡± Brea replied.
Viv turned to Seven. ¡°You can trust us, alright? I know first-aid; I¡¯m studying to be a nurse right now. It¡¯s going to be okay. We¡¯re gonna fix you right up. There¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡±
Seven nodded shakily. ¡°O-okay¡­¡±
Vivienne jumped into action, grabbing her uncle¡¯s wrist and teleporting him down to where the police cars were milling. He barked some orders at the other officers as they made their way to his car, relaying the situation and telling them to inform Captain de Vygon while Viv opened the trunk and grabbed the first-aid kit. She wasted no time teleporting them back to the roof-top, pleased to find Seven already lying on her back. Brea was holding her hand, speaking softly to her.
¡°Do you want to take your helmet off?¡± she asked. ¡°You might be able to breathe a little easier without it.¡±
Seven shook her head. ¡°Not allowed to let anyone see my face¡­¡±
¡°Well, I¡¯m blind, so I won¡¯t be able to see it anyway. If you¡¯re more comfortable with it on, that¡¯s fine.¡±
Seven reached a hand up, and for a moment Viv thought that she would get to see the face under the mask, but all she removed was her mouthpiece. Her lips were chapped and dry, and the surrounding skin was discoloured with fading bruises. Her bottom lip looked like it had been split recently. She and Steve shared a look. Clearly, he was thinking similar thoughts.
If Seven never took her helmet off when she was out, where had she taken those hits?
Viv tried to ignore it. That wasn¡¯t important right now. She knelt down at Seven¡¯s side, examining her abdomen.
¡°We¡¯re gonna have to remove your chestplate to get a good look, Seven,¡± she explained. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, help is on the way. We¡¯re just gonna make sure you¡¯re as well as you can be until they get here.¡±
¡°Latches ¡®re under the armpits,¡± Seven replied, slurring slightly. Without the electronics in the mask obscuring it, her voice was soft. It had a rough sort of cadence that reminded Viv a little bit of Rosie, only without the hispanic accent.
Viv followed her instructions, finding the latches and pulling the chestplate off. If the state of what little she could see of Seven¡¯s face had shocked her, then she definitely wasn¡¯t prepared for the state of her bare torso. She sucked in a breath, and heard her uncle curse quietly.
Below her armour, Seven was wearing nothing but a sports bra, leaving very little to the imagination and filling Vivienne with some very conflicted emotions. On one hand, Seven was fucking sculpted. She looked like a goddamn greek statue, and the sight of those sweaty planes of muscled, tanned skin were leaving Viv a little breathless. On the other hand, it looked like someone had used her abdomen as a punching bag, leaving a tapestry of colourful bruising across every inch of aforementioned skin. What was even more concerning than that, however, were the two sloppily stitched-up cuts intersecting each other on the upper-left side of her belly. They were too clean to be anything other than intentionally made, and clearly the patch-up was far from a professional job. Vivienne didn¡¯t know what to think about any of this, but it was giving her a distinctly bad feeling.
She pushed all of those thoughts down. Now wasn¡¯t the time. Seven was her patient, and right now all that mattered was finding and assessing the damage from the bullet she was presumably shot with. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t hard to find at all. A large patch of blood had saturated the cotton of her bra right above her sternum, surrounding a very obvious hole.
The fact that she was still conscious and alive meant that the bullet had most likely been slowed down enough by her armour to be stopped by her sternum, but Viv doubted that the bone remained entirely intact in the process. It was a marvel that she was still able to move about in the way she had. Either Seven was very used to pain, or she was still bursting at the seams with adrenaline. Based on the state of her body, it was probably a mix of both. The only certainty was that she needed a hospital. Until professionals arrived, Viv and Brea would just have to do their best for her.
Step one was to find the bullet. If it was deeply embedded in the bone, there wouldn¡¯t be anything they could do for her now aside from slowing the bleeding, but they might be able to remove it themselves if it just impacted the surface. There weren¡¯t any major blood vessels in that area, so they could probably do most of the patch-up work on site.
¡°Brea, can you check how deep the bullet is?¡± Viv asked.
Brianna nodded, moving her hand closer to Seven¡¯s chest. Two of her fingers disappeared, turning into thin wisps of smoke that then drifted daintily down onto Seven¡¯s body. The smoke wafted around searchingly until it found the hole, sinking into it and examining the interior painlessly.
¡°It seems like it¡¯s just below the surface of her skin. Doesn¡¯t feel like it¡¯s fragmented or anything. We shouldn¡¯t have any problems removing it here.¡±
¡°Cool,¡± Viv replied, pulling on some gloves from the first-aid kit and searching for a pair of tweezers.
¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Seven muttered. ¡°I¡¯ve got it.¡±
Vivienne was about to protest when blackness began to seep across Seven¡¯s skin from the shadowed edges of her armour. It travelled like a liquid, remaining flush with her body as it slipped under her bra and amassed in the bullet hole. Seven tensed up, balling her fists and clenching her teeth, clearly trying to power through the pain of whatever she was doing. Viv was a little too distracted by the mouth-watering sight of her tensed abs to question it. After a few seconds, Seven relaxed, her body deflating with a sigh as a flattened, gore-covered bullet rose from the hole, lifted by a pillar of shadow, before being discarded and rolling away down the side of her chest, leaving a trail of red on the cotton in its wake.
Viv blinked. ¡°Where the hell did you learn how to do that?¡±
¡°¡®s not the first time I¡¯ve had to pull shrapnel out of myself,¡± Seven replied.
Well then. Just another thing to file away under the ¡®weird and concerning things about this new superhero¡¯ tab in her brain.
Vivienne took a second to get her brain back in order. This next part was important.
¡°Alright, well¡­ Are you okay with me lifting your bra so we can patch up the wound?¡±
Seven waved a hand that flopped limply back to the ground. That wasn¡¯t a great sign. ¡°Go right ahead.¡±
Viv took a breath and ripped the metaphorical band-aid off, lifting the garment and looking only at the bloody wound on her chest, refusing to let her eyes drift anywhere else. Time to do her thing.
¡°I know I said we¡¯d do our best for you here, but you should really go to a hospital just to be safe. The risk of infection here is pretty high,¡± Vivienne explained as she gently rubbed the wound down with an iodine wipe. Brea kept hold of Seven¡¯s hand, whispering comforting nothings to her to distract her focus away from the pain Viv was no-doubt causing.
Seven shook her head. ¡°N¡­ No hospital. Not allowed.¡±
Oh boy. It just got worse and worse with this one, didn¡¯t it?
¡°Do you at least have some sort of medical facility you can go to?¡±
Seven nodded, so at least that was one less thing for Vivienne to lose sleep about. She pulled out a bandage and placed it over the wound, deciding it was safer not to stitch it up here in case she missed anything that the actual doctors would need access to treat. With that done, she pulled Seven¡¯s bra back down into its place.
¡°Well, that¡¯s about all I can do for that right now. Is there anything else I can help you with?¡± Viv asked.
Seven let out what was probably supposed to be a considering hum, but it ended up sounding more like a groan. ¡°Mm, I dunno¡­ Thanks for your help, though. You guys¡¯re nice. And you¡¯re really pretty, too.¡±
Brianna barked out a laugh as Viv¡¯s insides got caught in a vice. ¡°O-oh. Um, thank you.¡± She could feel her face burning with an obvious blush. Stupid redhead genes.
¡°What about me?¡± Brea asked, smirking.
¡°Yah, I meant you, too,¡± Seven clarified. Her voice was slurring a lot now. ¡°I really like your¡­ your face. ¡®s nice.¡±
Brea was trying to act cool, but Viv could still see her dark complexion deepening from the blush on her cheeks, too.
Steve - who had walked away once Viv removed Seven¡¯s bra for the sake of her modesty - made his way back over to them. ¡°Seven, do you have a concussion? You¡¯ve been acting a little strange.¡±
¡°Oh, uh¡­ Yeah. Yeah, I do.¡±
Viv groaned. ¡°Of course you do. How do you even know?¡±
¡°My visor can check for it¡­ That bullet hit me in the head pretty hard, so the first thing I did was get it to check.¡±
¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything?!¡± Steve asked.
¡°A lil¡¯ bump¡®s no reason to stop working.¡±
¡°We should take your helmet off to check. It might be pretty serious,¡± Viv said.
Seven shook her head again. ¡°Not allowed.¡±
¡°Seven, I¡¯m not kidding! You could be in real danger and we¡¯ve had no idea this whole time!¡±
Steve sighed. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Vivienne. You¡¯ve done good. Her medical team will take care of the rest. Speaking of which¡­¡± he trailed off, glancing over the edge of the building. ¡°Looks like the cavalry¡¯s here.¡±
Everything moved quickly from thereon. A group of people ascended up the fire escape with a stretcher and carefully laid Seven out on top of it. They were about to make the painstaking journey down when Viv just offered to teleport them. It would be dangerous taking her down the fire escape, and the quicker Seven got some proper medical attention for her head, the better. It wasn¡¯t long before she was bundled into the armoured van and driven away to wherever her supposed ¡®medical centre¡¯ was, leaving Vivienne, Brianna, and Steve alone on the roof.
¡°Yeesh,¡± Brianna said, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. ¡°That girl has issues.¡±
Steve shook his head. ¡°Everything about her is just¡­ giving me a bad feeling.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll say,¡± Viv replied. ¡°Did you see the state of her torso? Those bruises were awful! Not to mention the cuts¡­¡±
¡°I¡¯d suspected something like that. The way she¡¯s been moving recently, it was obvious that she was in pain. And I¡¯d bet good money that Andreas de Vygon had something to do with it. He practically has her on a leash.¡±
The name made Vivienne¡¯s blood boil. That man was truly scum. He¡¯d tormented the Union for years, harassing and slandering her and her friends. Why any superhero would choose to join him was beyond her. That being said, the more she learned about the mysterious woman, the more it seemed like it might not have been a choice after all.
¡°There¡¯s gotta be something we can do, right?¡± Brea asked, voicing Viv¡¯s thoughts. ¡°If de Vygon¡¯s mistreating her, surely there¡¯s someone we can tell about it to get her out of his hands?¡±
¡°He would just cover it up,¡± Steve said. He let out a breath, rubbing his face with weary exhaustion. ¡°Look, the only thing I know for sure is that that woman is strong enough to take down the entire precinct if she wanted. If she had a problem with how she was being treated, she could get herself out of it. De Vygon might have influence, but he¡¯s just a normal man when it comes to power. Seven could easily kill him if he angered her. We¡¯re probably just looking too much into it. Those injuries could easily just be from combat training or something.¡±
Vivienne sighed, looking out over the city in the direction Seven¡¯s medical team had left in. ¡°I hope you¡¯re right, uncle. I really, really do.¡± Invested In Your Success
¡°P-please, Father¡­ No more¡­ I- I¡¯ll be good.¡±
My voice croaked out weakly, wavering and cracking with every word. Exhaustion and pain gripped every single fibre of my being in a stranglehold. I just wanted it all to end. I knew that I¡¯d made mistakes, disobeyed Father¡¯s orders, and that was why I deserved this, but I just couldn¡¯t take it anymore. It was too much.
Thwack!
I yelped at the sharp sting of the cane across my back, taking its place among dozens of other hot, stinging welts. I supposed I should just be grateful that Father had chosen to wait for me to recover from my concussion and broken sternum before continuing my insubordination punishments. Those few weeks of rest were the most peace I¡¯d felt in¡­ I couldn¡¯t even remember. Maybe my whole life. It was all undercut by the dread of what was awaiting me once I was better, though.
It started with the discipline training days. A few days after my beating for failing to protect the SWAT officers, Father dragged me into a room of the facility I¡¯d never been in before. Metal fastenings lined the walls and buckled ropes hung from the ceiling. He set me down on my knees and fastened my hands behind me with some cuffs, hooking them onto a rope so that my arms were wrenched upwards painfully. My ankles were subsequently cuffed to the fastenings on the walls, so I had no choice but to kneel, sitting up off my calves to try and alleviate the pain in my shoulders. Then, Father just left, closing the door and leaving me in the dark.
For eight long hours, I suffered there in unknowable agony, amplified by my lack of sight. By the time he came and released me, the strain in my muscles was so great that I couldn¡¯t move for a good forty minutes afterwards. Then he told me that, until I learned to respect him and his authority, and to never talk back again, this was going to be a weekly thing. I couldn¡¯t stop myself from crying.
Getting shot was almost a good thing, in that regard. It was nice getting to talk to Vivienne and Brianna, and my injuries meant that Father couldn¡¯t justify doling out my punishments for a while, lest he make them worse and ruin my performance as a hero. All that was over with now, though.
Thwack!
¡°Agh! F-Father! Dad, please! I¡¯m sorry!¡±
I¡¯d already been in this position for hours, though I¡¯d lost my exact count once the pain got too bad. My arms were restrained over my head, pulling me up onto the tips of my toes. Do I support myself and use up my dwindling muscle strength, or do I just let myself hang, ruining my shoulders with steadily worsening dislocation? That was the question I was left with, though it quickly became pointless to wonder as my calves steadily lost strength and more weight was put on my arms regardless. Now, instead of letting me go, Father was caning me.
¡°Stop talking, Jordyn,¡± Father said, calmly. ¡°You know you were forbidden from informing those superheroes of your circumstances, yet you did so anyway. Now be quiet and accept your punishment.¡±
It was the truth. In my never-ending stupidity and my concussion-induced haze, I¡¯d said a lot of stuff to Vivienne and Brianna that I hadn¡¯t intended to. Father watched the whole thing unfold through my visor camera, sealing my fate. He was right, I deserved this. But, deserved or not, it didn¡¯t change how weak I was. It didn¡¯t change how much I just wanted it to be over. I stifled a sob as the next hit came, vowing to at least follow Father¡¯s orders and not speak, if I couldn¡¯t stop myself from vocalising at all.
A few more strikes, and the punishment finally ended. Father unlocked the cuffs on my wrists and I collapsed with a cry, my dislocated shoulders sending a lance of pain through my body.
¡°That will be all for now, Jordyn. You have one more discipline session next week, and then we¡¯ll see if the training holds or not. You have two hours to get yourself fixed and rest. Then, you and I have an engagement to attend. I will meet you in your quarters then. Do not be late.¡±
An engagement? That was the first I¡¯d heard of this. And apparently, that was all I would hear of this, as Father left the room before I could sum up the energy to ask any questions. Oh well. That wasn¡¯t super important right now, anyway. What was important was getting my shoulders back into their sockets. This was really gonna suck.
I grimaced, gingerly rolling onto my back and trying not to hiss at the feeling of my welts against the cold floor. I needed to calm down. This wouldn¡¯t work if I wasn¡¯t relaxed.
I closed my eyes, spending several minutes just breathing, and thinking about calming things. Sitting on rooftops on quiet evenings. Relaxing in my room with a book. Drawing. My shower. Talking with Vivienne and Brianna. I wasn¡¯t expecting those two to pop up in my mind''s eye, but it made sense. Their calm demeanour while Vivienne was treating me was part of the reason I didn¡¯t freak out nearly as much as I could have, considering the situation. Brianna was especially good at keeping my mind off of it, her low voice hitting my ear at a comforting frequency as she told me how brave I was being. The thought of that memory made my stomach flutter a bit.
Now that I was calm, I slowly shifted my right arm up until it was over my head, and then carefully reached for my other shoulder. Sure enough, the joint popped back in with one last terrible shot of pain before everything subsided ¨C on that side, at least. Now to do it all over again.
I cursed, spitting one of the words I¡¯d heard the other officers use up at the ceiling. Did everyone¡¯s life involve this much pain?
¡ª
The designated time had come and I stood at the ready in my room, donned in my armour, trying to fight back against the shakiness in my exhausted muscles. Father should be here any minute.
Sure enough, the door slid open and Father walked in, looking me over. He nodded.
¡°Good, you¡¯re ready. You can leave your helmet here. You won¡¯t need it.¡±
I frowned, pulling it off and leaving it on the bed. That was highly unusual. Half the reason I was being punished was simply for removing my mouthpiece in front of Vivienne and Brianna. I didn¡¯t even want to consider what Father would do if I¡¯d taken my whole helmet off.
He raised an eyebrow. ¡°You haven¡¯t shaved your head yet.¡±
A spike of adrenaline shot through me as I reached up to touch my head. He was right, I¡¯d totally forgotten. I hadn¡¯t needed to during my month of recovery, and to be honest, I¡¯d been putting it off, savouring what little hair growth I could get. Right now it was sitting at around half an inch. Surely that wasn¡¯t so bad, right? Still, I couldn¡¯t afford another mistake.
¡°I- I¡¯m sorry, sir. It slipped my mind.¡±
He sighed, turning to leave the room and motioning for me to follow. ¡°I suppose it can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s too late now, and in all fairness, you are recovering from a brain injury. Forgetfulness is to be expected.¡±
Relief flooded my body. He was letting me off the hook. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±
¡°I expect it to be done before you leave for patrol tomorrow.¡±
¡°Yes, sir.¡± I tried to hide my disappointment, already mourning the little bit of soft fluff I¡¯d managed to grow.
The silence dragged on as I followed him down the hallway and into the elevator, and with it, my curiosity about the night only grew. ¡°Permission to speak?¡± I asked.
¡°Granted.¡±
¡°What is this event we¡¯re going to?¡±
¡°A party among my friends, to celebrate your relative success.¡±
¡°What¡¯s a party?¡±
He looked at me, a hint of amusement at the edges of his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡±
Once we reached the garage, we got into Father¡¯s car and he drove me through the city. It was nice to be able to see everything without my helmet on for once, and when we arrived at our destination, I finally got to enjoy the sensation of something I¡¯d been waiting for since the day I woke up; feeling the wind in my hair. It almost made up for the terrible day I¡¯d had. Sadly, it was only for the short walk from the car to the building, though.
Once inside, we took an elevator all the way up to the penthouse floor. When the doors opened in front of me, I was greeted by the sight of dozens of older, suited people milling around a large space. Music was playing, and the air was thick with the scent of perfumes and colognes. They all turned to see who the new arrivals were, and all of their eyes quickly locked on to me. I tried to school my expression of discomfort, remembering that I couldn¡¯t hide behind my helmet. The urge to turtle behind the neckpiece of my armour was strong.
¡°Andy, it¡¯s good to see you!¡± A man approached us as we stepped into the room; sharply dressed, with his dark brown hair slicked back. A quick glance around at the faces and body language of everyone present confirmed my hunch: this man was the most important person here. He was younger than most of his companions, probably around 40, with angular features; high cheekbones and a sharp jaw.
¡°Mr. Beaumond,¡± Father greeted, shaking the man¡¯s hand. ¡°A pleasure, as always.¡±
Mr. Beaumond turned to me, his dark eyes travelling up and down my form appraisingly. They settled on my face, staring into my soul. A shiver crawled up my spine and I nervously averted my eyes, looking down at his shoes.
¡°Wow, Andy. I mean, seriously, wow. You¡¯ve outdone yourself. The resemblance is actually uncanny!¡±
¡°I should hope so,¡± Father replied. ¡°If her appearance wasn¡¯t exact, it would mean something went wrong.¡±
I had no idea what they were talking about, but I was used to that by this point. I¡¯d already accepted the fact that I was an idiot. No reason to agonise over not understanding the conversations of my betters.
¡°So, how much to rent her out for a night, huh?¡± Mr. Beaumond grinned and waggled his eyebrows, lightly elbowing Father. Then he burst into laughter, like it was all a joke. Something in his eyes told me it wasn¡¯t. Despite not really understanding, a deeply uncomfortable feeling settled into my gut.
Father¡¯s expression changed slightly, though he maintained the cordial smile. ¡°Jordyn is not for sale, I¡¯m afraid. I prefer to keep her activities tightly monitored in order to maximise her effectiveness. Perhaps we can discuss this in the context of some of the subjects still in development, but given the risks to the program that would involve, I would need quite the hefty funding bonus in order to consider it.¡±
Mr. Beaumond patted Father on the shoulder. ¡°Ah, lighten up, Andy. It was just a joke! That being said, I¡¯ll hold you to that.¡± He winked. I was shocked. No one had ever treated Father so casually before, and the way this man was acting was clearly putting Father in a bad mood. If it had been me, Father would have had me nursing multiple broken bones already. And yet, Father was still maintaining that calm, diplomatic smile. An icy sensation crept through my body.
This man held power over him. I could barely wrap my head around the concept. It just didn¡¯t fit with my idea of how the world worked. Father was always at the top of the food chain. The employees at the facility and the police were below him, and I was below them, sitting with the rank and file officers, if not below them, too. Simply put; I was the prey, and Father was the predator. He hunted. He controlled. No one stood against him. The idea that there was anyone that Father was beholden to was terrifying. That the man could cause me so much pain and not be the most powerful was incomprehensible. It made me wonder how much worse Father¡¯s predator would be, when their ire was faced upon me.
¡°Enough about business, it¡¯s a party!¡± Mr. Beaumond jovially announced, snapping me out of my paranoid spiralling. ¡°Come, you two! It¡¯s an open bar, so get anything you like.¡±
He corralled us towards the tall bench that many of the party-goers were milling around. The wall beyond the bench was covered by floor-to-ceiling shelves, all filled with bottles of varying shapes and sizes. A man in a waistcoat stood behind the bench, rushing between people and filling glasses with the liquids inside the various bottles. His speed and efficiency in his work was fascinating to watch.
¡°Jordyn doesn¡¯t drink,¡± Father said, to which I was tempted to argue that I do indeed drink, I have water all the time, when he continued, ¡°She¡¯ll just have a coke.¡±
The man behind the bar nodded and started filling up a glass with some sort of bubbly, dark brown liquid. Mr. Beaumond laughed that laugh of his.
¡°What is she, fourteen? Come on, Andy, don¡¯t be a stick in the mud. She¡¯s an adult; she can have a drink if she wants to.¡± He turned to me, and I had to resist the urge to back up. ¡°Well, Jordie? What do you say? Care to have a drink with the grown-ups?¡±
I found myself at a loss for words, gaping like a fish as I kept trying to speak, only to come up empty. To say yes would be to go directly against Father¡¯s wishes. To say no would be to go against Mr. Beaumond¡¯s wishes. I didn¡¯t know which was worse. Even outside of that, I had no idea how to respond. Wasn¡¯t I getting a drink anyway? Maybe I was misunderstanding some terminology that the two men took for granted. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time.
¡°As her handler, I would prefer that Jordyn doesn¡¯t drink anything alcoholic tonight.¡± Father said pointedly. ¡°She¡¯s going out on patrol tomorrow for the first time since her injury. I would rather not have a hangover muddy her performance any more than inactivity no doubt already has. We wouldn¡¯t want your investments to go to waste, after all.¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Mr. Beaumond put his hands up in mock surrender. ¡°You¡¯re her boss.¡±
Father handed me the glass of brown liquid as he ordered a drink of his own. I took a sniff and immediately recoiled as the sweet smell seemed to fizzle up my nose. Father laughed at my reaction as I tentatively took a sip. Again, the sweetness was almost overpowering, and it felt like the liquid was gently stabbing the inside of my mouth, tingling as it travelled down my throat. Surprisingly, that wasn¡¯t actually a bad thing. It was just¡­ weird. And new. I¡¯d only ever had water before, so this whole thing was a very novel experience. I actually kind of liked it.
¡°Well, you two have fun now,¡± Mr. Beaumond said. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go mingle. We¡¯ll talk business soon, yeah Andy?¡± He turned to me, giving me a wink. ¡°Catch you later, sweetcheeks.¡±
With that, he sauntered off into the crowd. Father and I watched him go.
¡°Who is he?¡± I asked quietly.
¡°Sebastian Beaumond,¡± Father answered. ¡°He¡¯s a senator, and one of the key investors in your rehabilitation program. Treat him with the same respect you would treat me.¡±
I could have sworn he said the last part through gritted teeth.
¡ª
If there was one thing I¡¯d learned about parties throughout the night, it was that they were incredibly overwhelming. As soon as Mr. Beaumond left us alone, it seemed like everyone wanted a piece of me, and Father was little help, often engaging in completely unrelated conversations while I was left to fend for myself among all of the strangers who had a weird fixation with my face, for some reason. I lost count of how many times some old person pinched my cheek or poked me. It didn¡¯t help that I was still in quite a lot of pain from the day¡¯s punishments; my calves quivering and my shoulders steadily pulsing with sharp muscle stabs, the welts on my back still stinging with every movement. At least the drink Father gave me was nice¡­
Finally, after enduring the unwanted affections and confusing compliments from dozens of people, I was able to find the space to duck away and hide in a corner, catching my breath away from the crowd. Most people had gotten caught in conversations with each other, leaving me free to slip into the shadows, subtly pulling them around me to further obscure myself from view. I¡¯d had enough interaction for one night, and not having my helmet on, despite how I usually disliked its oppressive cage around my head, was making me feel exposed and vulnerable.
A felt a presence coming closer, and a shiver travelled down my spine. Mr. Beaumond approached, two drinks in hand. I watched him warily as he came near, crowding me into the corner of safety I¡¯d hidden in.
¡°It¡¯s pretty dark around here,¡± he said, looking around. ¡°That your doing? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re trying to hide away, Jordie? You¡¯re practically the life of the party!¡±
I blinked up at him, trying to avoid staring too hard into the black pits of his eyes. Something about them was unsettling. ¡°I¡­ I, uh¡­¡±
He let out a small laugh. ¡°Not much of a talker, are you? Here, drink this. It should help with that.¡± He held out one of the glasses. Inside was a brown liquid; lighter than the drink I¡¯d had earlier, and without the bubbles. Its scent made my nose burn.
¡°I¡­ I shouldn¡¯t. Father said I wasn¡¯t allowed.¡±
¡°Father did, hm? That¡¯s what you call him? Ah, that¡¯s cute. Well, he¡¯s not around right now, is he? Besides, this party is to celebrate you! You deserve to cut loose a little. Go on, drink it.¡±
Mr. Beaumond leaned in closer. I didn¡¯t want to say no to him, but the knowledge of what would await me if I disobeyed Father was too strong a warning to ignore. I hesitantly shook my head.
¡°Father would find out. I don¡¯t want to be punished. I- I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Beaumond.¡±
His face dropped all expression, becoming totally blank. The darkness of his pupils seemed to draw me in. There was nothing behind them; no light, no goodness, only a strange flickering at the edges of my vision that filled me with awful, primordial anxiety. It was the exact same sensation I felt right before my seizure a few months ago; a predator was watching me, and I was completely helpless against it. I was staring into the abyss, and it stared straight back into me.
¡°A word of advice, Jordyn, since I know you¡¯re new to the whole ¡®being alive¡¯ thing. When someone offers you something, it¡¯s polite to take it, regardless of what you really want. Maybe you should worry less about how Andreas will react, and worry more about me. Who knows, I might feel slighted by your snubbing of my offer. Andreas owes me a lot of money; I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t mind if I paid you a visit in the facility some day to teach you a lesson in respect. And I would be very thorough, Jordyn. You think you know pain? You think you understand humiliation? I can break you in ways you can barely comprehend, ways Andreas wouldn¡¯t even dare think of. Andreas may own you, but I own him. I own this city. There is nowhere you can go to be safe from me.¡±
He leaned back a little as I stood there, completely frozen. My heart raced like it was trying to escape from my chest. That same old easy smile overtook his face, replacing the cold, empty blankness. The smile was honestly worse.
¡°All that is to say¡­ C¡¯mon. Don¡¯t be boring, Jordie. Take a drink with me.¡±
I took the drink from him, too petrified to do anything but obey. The liquid inside sloshed against the glass from the way my hands were shaking. He noticed it, and the edges of his eyes crinkled in delight.
¡°Aww, did I scare you? I¡¯m sorry, babe. Drink up, it¡¯ll make you feel better.¡±
¡°Mr. Beaumond, what are you doing?¡±
I¡¯d never been so relieved to see Father in my life. He strode up to us, a stern look on his face that, for once, wasn¡¯t directed at me. Mr. Beaumond didn¡¯t look at him, keeping his horribly empty gaze locked on to me.
¡°Just giving the little lady a drink, nothing to lose your head over.¡±
¡°I thought I told you that wasn¡¯t happening.¡±
Mr. Beaumond rounded on him, seeming to tower over Father despite being slightly shorter.
¡°Tell me, Andy. What makes you think you have a say? If I recall correctly, I own almost seventy percent of the shares for your little project. Doesn¡¯t that mean I have a say in how things are run? A bigger say than yours, even?¡±
Father took a deep breath. I could almost feel his anger rising. ¡°Even so, as I said earlier, I believe it would be foolish to get her drunk the night before her redeployment. Her public image could be at stake.¡±
Mr. Beaumond tilted his head. ¡°It¡¯s funny that you think I don¡¯t know what your real goal is. ¡®Revitalising the police?¡¯ Please, don¡¯t make me laugh. I know what you¡¯re really planning with this little project of yours, and I just want you to know, I am invested in your success. Believe it or not, I want you to succeed. This world needs changing, and I do think you¡¯re the one to do it. That being said, I could just as easily change my mind. It would be a cinch to cut your funding down to nothing. You¡¯d have to downsize quite a bit. Maybe even let go of poor little Jordyn here. I would take good care of her, of course, but you¡¯d be left without your soldier. You could start again with another subject, but how would that look in the eyes of the public? Your pet superhero just up and disappears, but it¡¯s okay, because now you¡¯ve got a new one, with no news of where the first one went? That wouldn¡¯t go down well, especially with the rumours that are already floating around about Jordyn. Tell me, Andy. What¡¯s worse? A hero in a program people are already suspicious of disappearing? Or, said superhero going back to work with a hangover? Hell, it might actually convince people you don¡¯t hold the leash as tight as you do. It would be good for you. Just think about it.¡±
Father grit his teeth and finally submitted, looking down at the floor. ¡°Do as he says, Jordyn. Drink.¡±
I didn¡¯t even know what the drink was, but after how insistent Mr. Beaumond had been, I felt hesitant out of pure principle. ¡°But-¡±
Father looked at me sharply and I had to resist the instinct to recoil. ¡°You still have one week left on your insubordination punishment. Don¡¯t make me extend that further.¡±
He was right. I couldn¡¯t afford to be forced into that horrible room for even a second longer than I already had to. Whatever this drink was, it couldn¡¯t be worse than that. I took a deep breath and brought the glass up to my lips, taking as big of a gulp as I could manage in order to finish it quicker.
That was a mistake.
The bitter liquid burned the inside of my mouth and all the way down my throat. I had to resist the urge to retch, forcing myself to swallow. A sudden nausea snapped through me for a split second before fading.
¡°That was awful,¡± I muttered, pulling a face.
Mr. Beaumond laughed. ¡°Keep going, you¡¯ve still got half a glass left!¡±
I tried not to shudder, steeling myself for the unpleasant experience before taking another large sip. Better to just get it over and done with.
By the time I was done, I was actively resisting the need to throw up. I put the glass down on a nearby table and stumbled back to the wall, leaning heavily against it. My head felt like it was spinning slightly, and the sensation was awful. I felt like I was slowly losing control of my own body, and in a place as dangerous and unsafe as this, I needed as much control as I could get.
¡°There¡¯s a good girl,¡± Mr. Beaumond said. He held out the other glass. ¡°Not done yet, though. Come on, you can do it.¡±
I let out a whine as my stomach dropped, looking to Father for help. He just nodded. I was completely on my own.
¡ª
I stared at the floor, trying not to puke as the world spun horribly around me. My entire face felt numb, and my thoughts felt slow. If I thought the sensation of lacking control was bad after one glass, I had no idea what was coming once I¡¯d finished the second one. Thankfully, Mr. Beaumond left me alone after that, patting me on the back and congratulating me for a job well done before sauntering off to bother someone else. Father told me to keep my head down and not talk to anyone for the rest of the night, so that¡¯s what I was doing, lounging in a chair, hiding behind my shadows, and just trying to stay alive. At least the numbness made my injuries hurt a little less. It was a very minor comfort, in the face of everything else.
Time lost all meaning as I sat there, swaying back and forth. It felt like I¡¯d been at this party for hours and hours, but that couldn¡¯t be right; the clock on the wall hadn¡¯t changed enough for that.
¡°Jordyn.¡±
I looked up at the sound of my name. Father stood over me, a carefully even expression on his face. I knew him well enough by now to notice the hint of worry underneath it, though. Behind him, the room had almost emptied out.
¡°Yeh¡­yeah, dad?¡±
His lip curled downwards a little at that. ¡°We¡¯re moving to a boardroom to discuss business. Given your¡­ state, I believe it best that you do not attend. You can go home.¡±
I blinked. ¡°R-really?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± he nodded. ¡°Use your shadows to obscure your face. If you allow anyone to see it, I will know, and there will be dire consequences. Am I understood?¡±
I nodded rapidly and immediately regretted it, as a wave of nausea travelled up my throat. ¡°Yea- urp.¡± I quickly covered my mouth in case anything came out.
Father sighed. He waved a hand at me, as if shooing me off. ¡°Get going. And if you need to throw up, do it somewhere no one will see.¡±
I nodded much more carefully as he walked away. Standing up was difficult, but I managed it with a bit of effort, stumbling over to the elevator and failing multiple times at pressing the button for the ground floor. This trip was going to be a pain, that was for sure.
¡ª
I was lost.
No matter how hard I looked, no matter how many street signs I stared at, no matter how much I surveyed the area from atop a building, I just couldn¡¯t find my way back to the precinct. My sense of direction was completely shot from the spinning in my head, and I¡¯d already had to stop to throw up once. This night couldn¡¯t possibly get any worse.
Father was going to be so mad at me.
The thought made a sob rip from my chest. I stumbled back against a wall and sank to the floor, unable to hold it back anymore. Once he found me, he was gonna hurt me again, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
¡°Seven? Is that you?¡±
I blinked away my tears, looking up and ensuring that a cloud of shadows remained around my face. Vivienne stood not too far away, dressed in street clothes with a satchel around her shoulder. Her outfit was simple but cute; a yellow long-sleeve underneath a dark green cardigan, and a pair of skinny denim jeans. It made envy and longing burn deep down in my gut. What I wouldn¡¯t give to get to wear cute stuff like that.
I sniffled. ¡°Vivienne?¡±
¡°Hey,¡± she said. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen you around in a while. Are you alright? What¡¯s, uh¡­ what¡¯s going on with your helmet? It looks like a cloud.¡±
¡°I left it at home. Usin¡¯ shadows to hide m¡¯ face.¡±
Vivienne frowned. ¡°Are you drunk?¡±
The question brought the memory of Mr. Beaumond forcing me to drink straight back to the forefront of my mind and I crumpled into another fit of sobbing.
¡°Woah, I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to upset you!¡± Vivienne said. ¡°Here, c¡¯mon. Let¡¯s get you up off the floor, okay?¡±
She reached down and I took her hand, using it to help myself up. My balance was off though, and I stumbled against her, my head falling down onto her shoulder. She smelled nice.
¡°Are you¡­ okay, Seven?¡±
No. I wasn¡¯t okay. I didn¡¯t want to feel like this anymore; so helpless and out of control. I didn¡¯t want to be lost. I didn¡¯t want Father to hurt me anymore. I didn¡¯t want to be a superhero. I choked on another sob and shook my head against her shoulder.
¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She wrapped her arms around me, burying one in the short hair on the back of my head, and I practically melted into her. No one had ever held me like this before. No one had touched me so gently, not since the early days of my rehabilitation. I never wanted it to end.
¡°He¡­ H-he made me drink¡­ I di¡¯n¡¯t wanna, but he made me¡­ sss¡­said he¡¯d hurt me. I feel so bad ¡®n I¡¯m lost ¡®n dad¡¯s g¡¯nna punish me again ¡®f I don¡¯ get back.¡±
Vivienne stiffened in my arms. ¡°Who made you drink, Seven? Who said they¡¯d hurt you?¡±
¡°Please don¡¯ call me that,¡± I muttered. ¡°Nn¡­ N-name¡¯s Jordyn. M¡¯ not a number. I¡¯m a person ¡®n I¡¯m not a number¡­ I just¡­ I wanna be a person¡­¡± My eyes pricked with hot tears.
¡°Okay. Okay, Jordyn,¡± Vivienne said, rubbing the back of my head. ¡°That¡¯s a nice name. Much better than Seven. Now, who did you say threatened you?¡±
¡°Mr. B- Beaumond.¡±
¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know who that is. I wish I could help you more.¡±
I groaned, shaking my head and burying my face in the cotton of Vivienne¡¯s cardigan. ¡°S¡¯ okay¡­ You¡­ you smell nice¡­¡±
Vivienne laughed. It sounded like music. The thought brought a small smile to my face. ¡°Thanks. It¡¯s probably my perfume.¡±
I hummed, closing my eyes. If I wasn¡¯t standing, I could easily fall asleep like this, cuddled up to Vivienne. Her shoulder was at just the right height for me to rest my head on. Hell, I was almost about to doze off just like that when I remembered what I was supposed to be doing.
¡°Can you¡­ help me get home, please?¡± I asked.
¡°Okay, sure. Where do you live?¡±
¡°Precinct 23.¡±
¡°You¡­ You live at the precinct?¡± I could practically hear the frown in Vivienne¡¯s voice.
¡°There¡¯s a big facility un¡¯er it. I¡¯ve lived there forever.¡±
¡°You¡¯ve been under the precinct your entire life?¡±
¡°As far back ¡®s I rem¡¯ber, anyway. I dunno what I did before then. ¡®S been a year since I woke up. Dad says I¡¯ve always been a hero, but I don¡¯ remember it. I¡­ I don¡¯t really like it. I don¡¯ like the fighting.¡±
¡°I¡­ I see¡­¡± Vivienne muttered. I was probably saying too much, but I couldn¡¯t find it in me to care, and without my helmet on, Father wouldn¡¯t see, anyway. For once, I was completely free of his surveillance. The moment would be over far too soon, though.
¡°Alright, well¡­ I can take you to the precinct, but you¡¯ll have to get inside yourself. Is that okay?¡±
I nodded against her shoulder. ¡°Mhm.¡±
¡°Hold on to your guts. I¡¯m about to teleport.¡±
The air popped in my ears as the scenery changed to the front entrance of the precinct. What a handy power to have.
¡°This is you,¡± Vivienne said, finally pulling back from the hug. I quickly amassed my shadows again to hide my face as we parted. ¡°Do you need anything else?¡±
¡°Mm, no,¡± I replied. ¡°Thanks for¡­ Thanks for talking to me.¡±
Vivienne smiled, tilting her head slightly. The streetlights sparkled in her eyes. My stomach filled with butterflies at the sight.
¡°No problem. See you around, Jordyn.¡±
With a slight pop, she teleported away.
God, what an amazing woman.
I looked at the precinct. Now I just had to find my way back to my room. Easy, right?
¡ª
I awoke to the feeling of someone nudging me in the side. My head was pounding. There was so much noise, and the light that was creeping through my eyelids was like needles being driven directly into my brain.
¡°Jordyn?¡± someone asked. I thought I recognised the voice as Mr. Sadler¡¯s.
¡°Wh¡­ what?¡±
¡°Why are you sleeping in the corridor?¡±
The memories of last night came rushing back. Stumbling into the elevator and heading down. Wandering through the halls, trying door after door to no avail. Finally, giving up and flopping down on the floor, sleeping right there in the hallway. I groaned, burying myself under a dark sheet of shadow to hide away.
¡°Leave me alone¡­¡±
Mr. Sadler laughed. ¡°Long night, huh? Sounds like you¡¯re gonna have fun at work today.¡±
The reminder felt worse than a broken sternum. I would legitimately rather die. A Day In The Life Of Vivienne Matthews
The irritating chirp of an alarm was the first thing Vivienne heard as she woke up that morning. It pierced her ears and ripped her out of the pleasant dream she¡¯d been having, leaving her stuck in the waking world for the foreseeable future. Just because this was how she woke up every weekday didn¡¯t make it any less annoying. She groaned, burying a face in her pillow as she reached out to turn it off. Time to start her day, whether she wanted to or not.
Viv forced herself to sit up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and trying to remember what she¡¯d been dreaming about. Regardless of the contents, it had certainly been a good one, she could say that much. Good enough to leave a wet spot on her sleep shorts and a lingering tingle in her thighs, apparently.
She couldn¡¯t help but laugh at herself. It had been a long time since she¡¯d had a dream like that, so it was probably due. Maybe it was time to hit up Brea for another late-night meeting? Between school, work, and Union patrols, she hadn¡¯t really had much time to think about that sort of thing, but clearly, her body was sending her a message that she was a little pent up.
She pushed the thought into the back of her mind as she got up to shower and go about her morning routine. None of her roommates were awake yet, so she was careful not to make too much noise as she gathered her clothes and teleported into the bathroom.
Viv dumped her fresh clothes on the floor and hopped into the shower, letting the cold spray wake her up properly before it heated into something pleasant. She went through the motions, scrubbing herself down before getting out and getting dressed for the day. A touch of makeup here, some cute earrings there, and she was ready to go. She smiled at her reflection, pulling a little pose to show herself off.
From there, she teleported into the kitchen and started on breakfast, putting together a quick meal of fried eggs on toast and scarfing it down as quickly as she could. She didn¡¯t have a lot of time before her lecture started; intentionally setting her alarm as late as possible thanks to the convenience of her powers. No need to worry about travel time when you could get to your location instantaneously, after all.
Sam, her roommate, was just coming out of their room when Vivienne was grabbing her bag and making the final preparations to go.
¡°Morning,¡± they mumbled, shuffling into the kitchen to make an instant coffee.
¡°Hi,¡± she greeted, securing her bag over her shoulder. ¡°If you¡¯re planning on cooking anything for breakfast, there¡¯s already a pan there you can use. Don¡¯t need to make any unnecessary dishes.¡±
Sam waved her off. ¡°Breakfast is for chumps. I don¡¯t eat until noon at the earliest.¡±
Viv paused. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ unhealthy. You should eat more.¡±
¡°Your mom¡¯s unhealthy.¡±
Viv plastered a smile on her face. ¡°Pleasant as always. I¡¯ll see you later.¡±
¡°Later.¡±
With that, Viv focused her mind on an image of her usual seat in the lecture hall and, with a slight pop, she teleported. Several people around her recoiled in shock. She grinned, greeting them as they calmed back down.
¡°Vivienne, I thought I told you not to teleport into the lecture hall!¡± the lecturer yelled. ¡°You could hurt somebody!¡±
Viv winced, ducking her head as her face heated up. ¡°Sorry, I forgot.¡±
The lecturer sighed. ¡°Just don¡¯t let it happen again, please.¡±
¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±
¡ª
Vivienne trudged through the lecture, trying to intake as much information as she could, taking notes where possible, and generally just doing her best not to doze off. Despite her attempts to always come across as bright and bubbly, the truth was that Vivienne was tired. All the time. Between studying for her nursing degree, doing whatever work she could as a superhero, looking after Madeline, cooking, cleaning, doing what little self-care she could fit in, and most recently, worrying about Jordyn, she had almost no time to herself to just relax. It was good that she actually enjoyed working as a hero and spending time with Madeline, but a girl still needed time to herself to just decompress. Everyone in the union relied on her for her powers, so she constantly had to be vigilant to any monster attacks or disasters so that she could help dispatch people to the scene, and frankly, it was fucking stressful. Part of her was regretting taking on such a demanding degree, but at the same time, it was what she wanted. She couldn¡¯t spend her whole life living off of the Union, and helping people always made her happiest. It was hard work, but it was good work. It was worth it.
Probably.
Her day continued in the usual fashion; more lectures, more notes, more expensive iced coffee from the university cafeteria, followed by two hours of frantic studying to teach herself all of the things the lecturers missed. Thankfully, all of her lectures were in the first half of the day, so while her mornings were usually an impossible flurry of activity, it left most of her afternoons free so that she could focus on whatever she deemed most important at the time. Ideally, that would¡¯ve been a nap, but there was something else that had been sitting in the back of her mind ever since that chance encounter a few nights ago, and she had to address it before anything else.
She sighed, rubbing her eyes. It was just her luck that she would stumble upon another lost bird to take in, but now that she knew, she couldn¡¯t just ignore it. Those bruises and cuts weren¡¯t just training injuries. Jordyn needed help. Vivienne needed a plan.
Her ears popped as she teleported, and she worked her jaw to alleviate the discomfort as she adjusted her eyes to the dim conference room of the Union HQ. It was the biggest room in the building, with a large table right in the centre and a massive screen covering the entirety of one wall, displaying analytics of the city. Without that citizen¡¯s report detection system, Vivienne¡¯s job would¡¯ve been much harder.
She shivered, hugging her arms to herself. After coming straight out of the afternoon sun, the room was almost aggressively cold. In fact, it was weird just how cold it was. Or, at least, it would have been weird, had Maddie not been sitting at one end of the table with her legs kicked up, forming small icicles to throw at a dart board set up on the far wall. She wasn¡¯t alone. The smell of marijuana lingered in the air, wafting from a joint hanging between Ashley¡¯s fingers as he focused on something on the table. It was pretty rare to see both Union leaders working together these days, what with Maddie¡¯s mental health issues. Though, to be fair, it didn¡¯t seem like Maddie was doing much work. Still, her presence alone was progress that Vivienne couldn¡¯t help but be proud of.
¡°Hey guys,¡± she greeted, approaching them. ¡°I can¡¯t remember the last time I saw you both here together.¡±
¡°Hi Viv,¡± Ashley greeted, scratching at his dark stubble and not looking away from the papers spread out in front of him. He was a fair bit older than her and Maddie, in his mid thirties. He was one of the few people in the Union who didn¡¯t actually have a power; having inherited his leadership of the Union and everything that comes with it from his elderly mother once she became too old to manage things, unlike Maddie, who was voted into the position. A new leadership election would be held in about a year, once Maddie¡¯s term was up, and the new co-leader would take her place beside Ashley. As much as she had on her plate, Vivienne certainly wouldn¡¯t mind holding the position herself, if it came to that.
¡°Hey,¡± Maddie said, grabbing the joint from him and taking a puff. ¡°I just figured I¡¯d come here so that I was actually doing something instead of waiting for you at my apartment. I figured you¡¯d show up eventually, so it seemed efficient. We¡¯re sorting out budget issues at the moment. Or, at least, Ash is. This stuff goes over my head a little.¡±
Ashley smiled. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t sell yourself short. You¡¯re way better at the people side of things than I am.¡± He looked up at Viv. ¡°So, you two are hanging out tonight?¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± Vivienne replied. ¡°Having dinner at Maddie¡¯s.¡±
He raised his eyebrows and nodded, glancing over at Madeline with a suggestive sort of smile. ¡°I see. Is this just a friend thing, or¡­?¡±
Maddie practically flinched, and the ice dart she was aiming went way off course, thudding into the wall. ¡°C¡¯mon man. It¡¯s not like that.¡±
He put his hands up. ¡°I know, I know. I just think you should consider it. Well, maybe not with Vivienne, obviously, but just in general. Putting yourself out there again could be good for you.¡±
Maddie pulled her feet off the table and got up, walking away with her shoulders raised. She stopped in front of the dart board and started pulling the icicles out. ¡°Stop, Ashley. I¡¯m not ready for that.¡±
Ashley sighed. ¡°Sorry, Madds. Just trying to help.¡±
¡°Well, I didn¡¯t ask you to.¡±
Ashley didn¡¯t reply, and the room fell silent. Vivienne clenched her fists, feeling immensely uncomfortable in the suddenly frigid atmosphere of the space. She had to fix this somehow.
¡°Uh, I- I actually have something I wanted to speak with you about,¡± she said. ¡°Both of you.¡±
Madeline turned around. There was still a tenseness to her shoulders, but her face had softened a bit. Viv must have sounded more upset than she realised.
¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked.
Vivienne sighed, rubbing her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s that police hero. Seven.¡±
Maddie stood up straighter. ¡°Has she done something to you?!¡±
Viv frantically shook her head. ¡°No, no, nothing like that. Actually, we¡¯ve been getting along pretty well, the few times we¡¯ve met. It¡¯s more¡­ Well, I¡¯m worried about her.¡±
Ashley frowned. ¡°What is it?¡±
Viv bit her lip as the memories flashed through her head. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think she¡¯s a hero by choice. I think de Vygon has forced her into it somehow. And¡­ he¡¯s not treating her well.¡±
¡°How do you know?¡± Maddie asked.
¡°You remember when someone tried to assassinate her a few weeks back? Well, Brea and I were there, helping provide first aid. We took Seven¡¯s chest plate off, and her body was covered in bruises and cuts. At first, I just hoped it was from training or something, but I ran into her the other night, and she was practically beside herself, crying her eyes out. Someone had forced her to get drunk, apparently, and she admitted a whole lot of stuff to me. She said she has no memory of her past beyond about a year ago, and all she can ever remember was being groomed to be a hero by her dad, who I can only assume is de Vygon, though it remains to be seen if he¡¯s actually her dad, because that man is white as hell, and Jordyn¡¯s skin was pretty tan from what I saw. It¡¯s just sketchy all around.¡± She was starting to ramble a little, but with all of the emotions that talking about this sent through her, that wasn¡¯t surprising.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
¡°Jordyn?¡± Ash asked.
¡°Oh, um, that¡¯s her name. She told me when she was saying everything else. Anyway, she also mentioned that her dad would punish her if she didn¡¯t get home in time, which, by the way, is a fucking facility underneath precinct 23. By the sounds of it, she doesn¡¯t even like being a hero, especially not in the way de Vygon makes her, with all the faux-police work. It- it¡¯s just¡­ Ugh! I don¡¯t know! I want to help her but I don¡¯t know how. I figured if anyone could, it would be the Union. There¡¯s gotta be something we can do to get her out, right?¡±
Ashley frowned. ¡°If what you say is true, then we absolutely have an obligation to help her. The only problem is, there¡¯s no proof. Coming out and announcing something; that de Vygon¡­ what, kidnapped an amnesiac and trained her to be a hero against her will? That would be shot down as an unbelievable rumour in an instant. And from the sounds of it, if we tried to offer her an olive branch and allowed her to stay with us, de Vygon would accuse us of kidnapping, which is the last thing we need right now. I¡¯ve actually done a bit of research on this ¡®Project Genesis¡¯ thing of his, and it¡¯s being funded by some of the most rich and powerful people in the country. You remember Sebastian Beaumond, the senator who ran for office a few years ago? Yeah, he owns a controlling share in the project. Honestly, even if we did have proof, unless it was absolutely incontrovertible, they would cover it up without a second thought. This isn¡¯t a beehive we want to poke without a good plan.¡±
Viv snapped her fingers. ¡°Beaumond! That was his name! He was the one that forced Jordyn to drink the other night.¡±
Madeline sighed, running a hand through her hair. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is an issue of coming up with a plan. No matter how we do it, if we lay even a single hand on de Vygon¡¯s little pet, he¡¯s gonna come crashing down on us with the strength of the entire police force. The Union would be finished, and no matter how bad things are for Jordyn, we can¡¯t afford that. There are too many people relying on us to survive. She¡¯s on her own. Besides, I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on her activities, and let me tell you, that woman can fight. She can get herself out if she has such a problem.¡±
Vivienne¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Maddie, what the fuck? You of all people should know that abuse doesn¡¯t work like that!¡±
Maddie clenched her fists. The room grew several degrees colder. ¡°I¡¯m saying we don¡¯t have a choice. She can get herself out, because that¡¯s the only way she¡¯s getting out. Abuse, domestic violence, people don¡¯t fucking care about that shit! If we raise a stink and start throwing accusations, even with proof, absolutely nothing will come of it. You¡¯d need a much bigger controversy to even make a dent in de Vygon¡¯s friends¡¯ armour. It¡­ It sucks, okay? I get it. You see someone hurting, and you wanna do everything in your power to help, because you¡¯re just good like that, but you need to understand that there is nothing in your power that you can do.
¡°Besides, like you said, abuse doesn¡¯t work like that. If she¡¯s really been groomed by that bastard for as long as she can remember, she¡¯s not gonna want to turn away from him just because we tell her that the way he¡¯s treating her is wrong. The only way that anything could possibly happen would be if Jordyn was allowed to join the Union. Maybe then we could slowly work de Vygon¡¯s collar from her neck, but that¡¯s never going to happen, because de Vygon hates us. He would never let her anywhere near us.¡±
¡°I¡¯m¡­ not so sure about that,¡± Ashley said, butting in. Vivienne was grateful. She wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d be able to formulate a reply to Madeline¡¯s argument without bursting into tears. This type of conflict just didn¡¯t agree with her, emotionally speaking.
Maddie turned to him. ¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°Think about it. What could possibly be the goal here? He pours all this money into making what basically amounts to a super cop? That just seems like a waste of cash. No, there¡¯s something he wants; something that only Jordyn can help him get. I can make a pretty good guess as to what that something is.¡± He pointedly glanced down at the floor before looking back up at them.
It took a second to click, but when it did, Vivienne¡¯s stomach dropped. ¡°You don¡¯t think¡­?¡±
¡°I do. He¡¯s been bitter about not being part of the main family ever since he learned about it. Doubly so now that we don¡¯t share the de Vygon name anymore. That¡¯s half the reason he hates the Union so much, like it¡¯s our fault his grandfather was born later than my great-grandfather. I can only imagine how angry he was when my mom married my dad and took his last name. Now Min is the main family name, and de Vygon is the branch name. That¡¯s gotta sting for a man as egotistical as him.¡±
¡°So you think Jordyn is just a ploy to get a soldier into the Union to usurp control of the Godling¡¯s prison from you?¡± Madeline asked.
¡°Why else would a man who hates superheroes raise a superhero? He¡¯s certainly biding his time, but I don¡¯t doubt that the moment Jordyn expresses interest in the Union, he¡¯ll let her come here and stake the place out.¡±
¡°So what do we do?¡± Vivienne asked. ¡°I mean, we¡¯ve still got to let her in, right? She needs help.¡±
¡°Of course. That way we kill two birds with one stone. We already know de Vygon¡¯s plan ¨C or at least, our best assumption of it ¨C so we can take steps to ensure Jordyn doesn¡¯t get too far with it, while also doing our best to help her recover and break free from him.¡±
Viv pursed her lips. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s our only real option. Still, it just¡­ I wish we could do more.¡±
¡°I know. The situation is just awkward. Still, we¡¯ve got a plan now. Vivienne, how close are you with her?¡±
¡°Uhh, not very? We¡¯ve just run into each other a couple of times. She seems to like me well enough, if the hug she gave me when she was drunk was anything to go by.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve met her once, but she seemed weirdly enamoured by me,¡± Maddie said. ¡°Kept staring at me.¡±
¡°Well, the next time one of you run into her, make sure you let her know that the Union is an option.¡± Ashley replied. ¡°The sooner the better.¡±
¡°Got it.¡±
¡°Also, don¡¯t discuss any of this with anyone else. If Jordyn does join the Union, it needs to feel as natural for her as possible. That¡¯s not gonna work if everyone¡¯s watching her like a hawk.¡±
¡°That makes sense,¡± Vivienne said.
Ashley nodded. ¡°Good. Now, I believe you two had plans? I wouldn¡¯t want to keep you.¡±
¡°I can still work for a bit longer,¡± Madeline said.
Ash shook his head. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s alright. I¡¯m pretty much finished anyway, and I need to go do more research into de Vygon¡¯s whole deal. You two can head off.¡±
Maddie shrugged. ¡°Okay, then.¡± She walked over to Viv, putting a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Shall we?¡±
Vivienne¡¯s relief that the previous tension between herself and Maddie had faded away was palpable. She smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±
¡ª
Cooking was always something that Vivienne looked forward to. The act of taking all of the separate ingredients, refining them, and then bringing them together into something that was more than the sum of its parts just relaxed her. For a small moment of time, all she needed to focus on were the even cuts of the knife through an onion, and ensuring that the cacciatore in the pan didn¡¯t burn. There was no room to worry about nursing degrees, or her friend¡¯s tenuous mental health, or the fact that an acquaintance was almost certainly being abused, or even her own never-ending fatigue. It was just her, the ingredients, and the sizzle of the pan.
That wasn¡¯t all she liked about cooking, though. No, her favourite part was definitely what came after the cooking. Sharing a meal that she poured her heart and soul into with a dear friend; that was what made cooking truly great. The feeling of watching Madeline take her first bite of pasta and seeing her face melt with enjoyment was a sensation that would never get old.
¡°So? How is it?¡± Viv asked, perhaps stroking her ego a little bit, but who could say?
¡°Fuckin¡¯ amazing, as usual,¡± Maddie said. ¡°Seriously, we¡¯ve gotta do this more often.¡±
Viv beamed. ¡°What, just so you can enjoy my cooking more?¡±
¡°Exactly. Why else would I hang out with you?¡±
¡°Damn, all this time I thought it was for my charming wit and stunning good looks.¡±
Maddie let out one of her rare laughs. ¡°Sure, that¡¯s totally it.¡±
They fell into a comfortable silence as both of them enjoyed their meals. They were sitting out on Maddie¡¯s apartment balcony, basking in the warmth of the setting sun and the cool breeze wafting through the streets. The city was calm; the sound of traffic floating up to them and providing a nice white noise that sat comfortingly in the background. Despite all that, though, Viv just couldn¡¯t get her mind to rest. She couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Jordyn. Apparently, Madeline was on a similar wavelength.
¡°So,¡± she said through a mouthful of penne and sauce. She paused and swallowed it down before continuing. ¡°How do you think de Vygon found Jordyn, anyway?¡±
Viv frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°Well, you said she says she doesn¡¯t remember anything other than her training, right? So, what, de Vygon just kidnapped someone out of the amnesia ward of the hospital or something?¡±
Vivienne gave it some thought. ¡°I don¡¯t know. That seems really risky for how secretive he¡¯s being about the whole thing, and besides, what are the odds he kidnapped someone with a power anyway?¡±
¡°Okay, what about¡­ he trafficked her in from another country to hide from the missing person¡¯s report, and used hypnosis or some shit to wipe her memory?¡±
¡°No, she doesn¡¯t have an accent. Also, I feel like that wouldn¡¯t really work with how publicised Jordyn is. The moment anyone hears about her power to control shadows, they would immediately know who she was if they knew her before she was kidnapped, even in another country. Only one person can have a power at one time, after all.¡±
Maddie threw her hands up. ¡°Well fuck, I don¡¯t know. Genetically engineered test-tube baby? Some sort of clone? Y¡¯know, speaking of which, do you reckon if someone cloned me, the clone would have the same power as me? Cuz they would technically still be me, right? I¡¯ve always wondered about that.¡±
Viv snorted at how quickly she drifted off-topic. ¡°I mean, they¡¯d probably still have a power, since you¡¯ve got the mutation for it, but they probably wouldn¡¯t have yours. It would be like having a twin, right? Just because you¡¯re genetically the same, you¡¯re still different people. Thanks to how powers work, no one else can have the same power as you, so I¡¯d imagine your clone would manifest something different.¡±
¡°So what you¡¯re saying is, we wouldn¡¯t be able to find out who she was cloned from by looking at power records?¡±
¡°Why do you think she¡¯s a clone?¡± Viv asked with an incredulous grin. ¡°They¡¯ve barely even done research on cloning sheep, haven¡¯t they? We¡¯re years out from any reliable human cloning program, let alone one that lets you make a fully grown adult.¡±
Maddie tapped her temple with a finger. ¡°That¡¯s what they want you to think.¡±
Vivienne squinted, finally noticing the redness in Maddie¡¯s eyes. ¡°Oh my god, how high are you?¡±
Maddie grinned. ¡°Hey, someone had to finish that joint Ash and I were having while you were cooking. That was good weed! I didn¡¯t want to just waste it.¡±
Vivienne laughed, shaking her head. ¡°I should¡¯ve known.¡±
¡°Honestly, I¡¯m just surprised you didn¡¯t smell it.¡±
¡°Well, have you got any more? I¡¯m starting to feel left out.¡±
Her grin widened. ¡°Now you¡¯re speaking my language.¡±
¡ª
Vivienne really should¡¯ve gone home and studied that night. It would¡¯ve been the best use of her time, and she hadn¡¯t promised Maddie anything more than dinner. Instead, what she did was get very high and watched movies on Maddie¡¯s couch late into the night. She¡¯d been having too good of a time to just up and leave, and if she was being honest with herself, the little break from everything on her plate was nice. Needed, even. There was only so much bandwidth she could spare before she fizzled out, so it was important to find the time to blow off steam like this. Usually, she would find herself in Brianna¡¯s bed for that purpose, but hanging out like this, just relaxing like two friends should, it hit the spot just the same. She and Maddie didn¡¯t get to do that enough these days (again, usually Brianna was filling that role lately), and Viv wasn¡¯t going to waste this no-doubt fleeting moment of high spirits for her.
As the night wound down, Maddie retreated off to bed, and Viv stayed on the couch, not wanting to go back to her apartment where her roommates would no doubt be loudly gaming until the early hours of the morning. She stared up at the dark ceiling, thinking about everything they¡¯d discussed today. As was the usual lately, her mind drifted to Jordyn. She remembered that drunken hug they¡¯d shared the other night; the feeling of the cold, uncomfortable metal of her armour pressed up against her body, juxtaposed with the warmth of her tears soaking into Viv¡¯s shoulder. Despite all of the evidence to the contrary, Vivienne couldn¡¯t help but hope that none of what they¡¯d theorised about Jordyn was true. It hurt to think about the fact that she might be hurting at this very moment, and Vivienne couldn¡¯t do a thing about it. The pain and fear in Jordyn¡¯s voice that night still rang through Viv¡¯s ears, and it was the perfect fuel for her mind to keep supplying her with horrible samples of what Jordyn¡¯s screams might sound like as de Vygon punished her for some perceived mistake. She tried to shut it out, but as per usual, her brain just wouldn¡¯t stop working.
Vivienne didn¡¯t get much sleep that night. But hey, what was new there? Birds Of A Feather
The woman sighed, looking out over the city as the wind whipped through her hair. She brought the cigarette up to her lips and took a long drag, admiring the pink and orange sky coloured by the slowly setting sun. Say what you would about Tombguard; it was truly a beautiful place, if you knew where to look. Granted, the woman had never actually been outside of the city, so she didn¡¯t have much frame of reference. Still, after spending the first nine months of her existence locked in an underground prison, the sight of any space big enough to spread her wings in was enough to bring a tear to her eye.
Things weren¡¯t perfect, though. She was never completely safe from Andreas¡¯ pursuit, and that wasn¡¯t helped by the fact that she was actively antagonising him. Still, he¡¯d be hunting her even if she didn¡¯t fuck him over at every possible opportunity, so it was justified. That dickhead deserved everything she threw at him.
A dark figure flickered across the rooftop of the building opposite. The woman sighed again, taking one last puff to finish her cigarette and shaking her wings out. She didn¡¯t want to have to do this, but it was the only way to keep herself and Hex safe. There was no doubt in her mind that Andreas had already told Jordyn to kill her on sight, even before she made a mess of the first assassination attempt. In an ideal world, they could leave each other alone and Jordyn could go on her merry, na?ve way being ordered around by her ¡®father,¡¯ but that just wasn¡¯t reality. It was kill or be killed, and the woman refused to let Andreas continue to have a hold on her life. Jordyn had to die for the two of them to live.
She cracked her neck and double-checked that her pistols were fully loaded before re-holstering them on her hips. She made sure her knives were secured against her thighs. The target was in sight. She pulled the mask over her face and stomped her cigarette out on the floor.
¡°Sorry, little sister. I¡¯m not gonna miss this time.¡±
With that, she flapped her wings and took flight.
¡ª
Something was wrong.
The afternoon was calm, and up until a few minutes ago, I¡¯d been enjoying my time relaxing on the rooftops as the end to my patrol grew closer. As per usual, I¡¯d been lounging on the edge of a building, watching all the people and traffic go by, but when I got up to make my way back to the facility, I was immediately hit with the sensation that something wasn¡¯t right. The hairs on the back of my neck rose, and I had to resist the urge to look over my shoulder as I ran from building to building.
I knew that feeling all too well. I was being watched.
I slowed down, landing on a rooftop and surveying my surroundings. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and as far as I could see, there wasn¡¯t anyone around that was paying any attention to me. That didn¡¯t mean I was safe, though. For all I knew, this was another one of the Godling¡¯s attempts to get in my head. The pain that would usually accompany that hadn¡¯t hit yet, but still. I needed to be on my guard, just in case.
A memory flashed through my mind; one of discarded feathers, and a suspect flying away after shooting me down.
I looked up.
All I could make out was a beak-shaped mask before my instincts kicked in and I flung myself backwards, out of the way of the hammer kick coming straight for my head. It cracked the concrete as it made contact with the floor.
I fell into a roll before hopping back to my feet, dropping into a fighting stance as I analysed my opponent. Based on their figure, they were most likely a woman, dressed in a tank top and some baggy combat pants, along with a heavy-looking pair of boots. Her arms were thick with corded muscle, her tan skin nicked with countless tiny scars. A large pair of black wings flared out behind her back, spread to show off their intimidatingly huge wingspan. Behind her bird-like mask, dark, thick hair cascaded down over her shoulders. She was about the same height as me, with a similar build, and based on the way that she dropped into an identical stance to my own, she knew how to use it. This would be no easy fight.
Kill the black-winged one on sight should you see it.
Father¡¯s months-old command pierced through my mind like an arrow. Whoever this woman was, he wanted her dead, and I had a duty to see that order through. After all, she shot me. It was completely justified. She had to die.
A large part of my mind protested against the thought, but I pushed it down. I knew Father was watching. I couldn¡¯t fail him again. I wouldn¡¯t fail him again. Better to get it done quickly.
I whipped my hand forward, and a spike of shadow extended from the seams of my armour, heading straight for the gap between the woman¡¯s fourth and fifth rib. It would be over for her in an instant. Painless, for the most part. It was better this way. My gut clenched as time seemed to move in slow motion, waiting for the countdown towards the woman¡¯s demise to hit zero.
All of a sudden, she was moving, quicker than I could possibly have anticipated. She deftly stepped to the side, dodging the spike by millimetres, and flapped her wings, using the upward force to lift herself into a frontflip over my head. I spun as she landed and ducked my head to dodge another kick. The woman pirouetted as she backed up, pulling combat knives from the straps around her thighs. There was a single moment of tense stillness before she came at me again, stabbing and spinning back and forth with those knives aimed right for the unprotected spots of my armour like she knew exactly where they all were.
She had me on the ropes, backing up as I dodged this way and that, deflecting knives with my shadows when they came too close. I was far too focused on staying out of the way of her attacks to even think about focusing the darkness in my armour into any sort of attack. Maybe if it was nighttime, and I had shadows all around me to call on, I could put her down. As it was, I¡¯d just have to do without the full use of my power.
I grabbed her wrist as she came in for another attack and twisted, pulling her over my shoulder and aiming to slam her onto the ground. She was surprisingly heavy at first, but that quickly changed as a rush of wind hit my ears and the woman¡¯s weight shifted behind my back. She moved with my throw, twisting in the air as she came back into view and wrapping her legs around my neck. Her movement stopped as she hit the ground with her other hand, and suddenly I felt myself lift off the ground as the woman pulled a reversal, throwing me over herself and slamming me onto the concrete with enough force to rattle my bones even through all of my armour.
In my daze, I could just about make out the woman flipping back onto her feet and rounding on me once again. Something glinted in the light of the setting sun, and my instincts kicked back in just in time to roll out of the way of the knife coming straight for my face.
It snapped as it hit the ground where my head had just been, and the woman¡¯s fist followed through hard enough to leave another cracked dent in the concrete. Just what was this woman made of?!
I threw myself back onto my feet and conjured a whip of shadow before she could get close enough to stop me. She lifted herself, discarding the now-useless hilt as she settled back into her stance. Her head cocked to the side, and my stomach dropped as my own voice came out from behind her mask.
¡°Well shit, Jordyn. I thought you¡¯d be a pushover, but you¡¯re not half bad. Still not as good as me, though.¡±
My shadows flared in alarm. ¡°How do you know my name?¡±
The woman didn¡¯t reply. Instead, her arm disappeared, moving faster than I could process, and reappeared with a pistol. She pulled the trigger once, twice, three times, and I stumbled back as each shot hit me in the chestplate and knocked more and more air out of my lungs. My shadow whip turned to dust as my concentration dropped from the sudden attack.
The woman didn¡¯t waste her opportunity, flapping her wings to kick herself off and charging at me. She spun, and the last reserves of oxygen were expelled from my body as her steel-toed boot hit my side with the force of a train.
The hit sent me flying, flipping head over heels in the air as I flew over the edge of the building we were on and onto the roof of another. I landed in a sprawling roll, desperately trying to regain control of my body and my lungs while fighting through the pain of a few definitely broken ribs. Eventually, I managed to jab a spike of shadow in the ground to stop my momentum and centre myself. I tensed my abs, sucking in as much breath as I could as I got back to my feet. There was no time to process, though. She was coming at me again.
All I caught as I looked up was a flash of wings before something hit me in the face and I was sent flying again; this time, with a brand new scrape in the viewscreen of my visor. I refused to let the hit stun me again, forcing my body into a flip that landed me back on my feet. She wasn¡¯t the only one with a good core.
I quickly glanced around, trying to ascertain where she went. She wasn¡¯t hard to find now that I knew where to look; swooping through the sky, gliding her way around for another hit. She lined herself up and began her dive, speeding towards me faster and faster; one knife in hand. She wasn¡¯t going to get the drop on me again, though.
I stanced up, amassing my shadows beneath my armour, fortifying my body as she came closer and closer. This might be the only chance I had left to get out of this. I had to time it right.
There.
I dropped and spun right at the moment of impact, sending my boot launching up into her gut like a piston, powered artificially by my shadows and strengthened by her own speed. Darkness shot out of my armour as I made contact, following the hit through with dozens of tiny blades that cut into her stomach and pierced through her skin.
The woman let out a gagging cry as she flew away, crashing into the side of a building with a burst of feathers and falling into the alley between. Relief washed over me. It had worked; for now, I was safe.
I knew better than to think it was over just like that. The woman was far too strong and clearly far too hell-bent on my death to be turned off just from one attack. I got lucky with that one; there was no way I¡¯d be able to land a hit like that two times in a row, and it was becoming obvious that, as things were, I was outmatched. What I needed was a plan.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
I turned to the west, looking at the setting sun. Its light was the only reason I wasn¡¯t able to unleash the full strength of my power. Even if I ducked into an alley, the woman would probably have no trouble corralling me back onto a street, directly in the sunlight. What I needed was the complete darkness of night. I needed time. I turned to the east and I ran.
Adrenaline still coursed through my bloodstream, providing me with the strength needed to ignore my pain as I jumped from rooftop to rooftop, pulling myself along with shadowy tendrils where necessary. Only a few more minutes until sunset. I could make it.
Sure enough, I heard the beating of the woman¡¯s wings against the air behind me, steadily growing closer. I knew my counterattack wouldn¡¯t hold her back for long, but I was hoping to get a full minute out of it, at least. Oh well, there was nothing for it. I¡¯d just have to evade her until the sun went down. Easier said than done, but I would manage. I had to.
More gunshots cracked off behind me. The impact against my back threatened to throw me off balance, but I stabilised, spinning mid-sprint and flinging spears of shadow at her to hopefully keep her at bay. I could hear her swooping back and forth and I zig-zagged in turn, trying to keep my movements unpredictable.
The hair at the back of my neck rose and I instinctively dove to the ground - just in time for the woman to blur through the space I¡¯d just been in, crashing onto the rooftop just in front of me. We both jumped to our feet, but I was just a millisecond behind her, and she used that time to launch a powerful roundhouse kick right into my cheekbone.
My head whipped to the side, and everything around me suddenly clicked into high focus. The scratch in my vision was gone. I could feel the cool air on my face and in my sweat-soaked hair. The sounds of the city became loud and sharp; no longer muted by my helmet¡¯s audio processors.
Oh, that was it. My helmet just came off.
Time seemed to move in slow motion as I watched it spiral through the air, flying over the edge of the building and falling into the alleyway, disappearing from sight. Father was going to be so mad with me.
Time sped back up and suddenly I was moving; flying across the rooftop as the hit knocked me off my feet. I landed in a sprawling heap, tumbling over myself before managing to roll onto my back, staring up at the sky. My vision spun as pain throbbed through my skull, and my neck angrily protested any attempt to turn my head and spit out the bloody taste of whatever had come loose in my mouth. By the feel of it, it was probably a tooth.
The woman appeared in my line of sight before I could recover, planting one boot on my chest and aiming her pistol straight at my face. My heart leapt into my throat.
She wheezed, clutching at her bloody abdomen with her other hand. ¡°That¡­ was a nice fuckin¡¯ hit you got earlier. You¡¯re pretty good, Jordyn.¡± She straightened out, putting her finger on the trigger. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it¡¯s come to this, little sis.¡±
¡°W-wait!¡± I pleaded. All I needed were a few more moments. This wasn¡¯t the end. ¡°Wait, please¡­ Who¡­ who are you?¡±
The woman hesitated. A few tense seconds passed, and she shrugged. ¡°Yeah, why not. That¡¯s the big question, isn¡¯t it? Who am I? I asked myself that a lot when I was in your shoes. All you need to know is that I¡¯m someone that daddy dearest doesn¡¯t like very much. Though, I¡¯m sure you already knew that.¡±
¡°B-but¡­¡±
¡°Who are you, Jordyn? Can you answer that? If you can, maybe your story won¡¯t have to end here.¡±
That¡­ that was a trick, right? She clearly already knew my name. If I gave her the obvious answer of ¡®Jordyn de Vygon,¡¯ I was gonna get shot. No, she was looking for something else. I racked my brains, searching for some sort of clue.
¡°I¡¯m sorry it¡¯s come to this, little sis.¡±
¡°-daddy dearest-¡±
¡°Madeline Holmes, will you marry me?¡±
¡°Are¡­ Are you me?¡±
I swallowed, praying to god my hunch was right. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m y-your sister. A superhero. I-I¡¯m M-Madeline Holmes¡¯... wife¡­?¡±
Silence reigned over the rooftop. The woman cocked her head to the side. ¡°Huh. What gave you that idea?¡±
Not immediately dead. That was a good sign. ¡°You¡­ you called me ¡®little sis,¡¯ and¡­ I had a dream, wh-where I was proposing to her.¡±
¡°Hmm. You¡¯re not totally hopeless, I guess. Still, you¡¯re a little confused. I¡¯ll give you a hint: you¡¯re not Madeline Holmes¡¯ wife. I¡¯ve had that dream, too.¡±
I frowned, trying to ignore the twinge of disappointment in my gut. ¡°Then¡­ I was right about the sister thing?¡±
¡°Smart cookie. Say hello to your big sister. You can call me Maggie.¡±
This was all way too much to take in. Was this woman serious?! ¡°B-but, if you¡¯re my sister, why are you trying to kill me?!¡±
Maggie sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to, honestly. But I gotta prioritise number one, and Andreas would have sent you after me sooner or later, regardless of what I did. So long as you were just a mindless soldier following his every command, it was safer to just put you down. Now that we¡¯ve had the chance to chat, though¡­ I can see that you¡¯re not totally under his thumb. You¡¯re asking questions, you¡¯re thinking for yourself a bit, instead of following blindly along with whatever he tells you. I might still have to kill you - we¡¯ll see - but it¡¯s a promising start.¡±
My head felt like it was about to explode. ¡°S-so¡­ You know who I am? Who I really am ¨C the person I was before my injury?¡±
Maggie slumped. ¡°See, and then you go and say shit like that, and you have me worrying again.¡±
¡°Wh-what do you mean?¡±
¡°I wish I could tell you the truth, Jordie. I really, really do. You don¡¯t deserve to live in ignorance, stuck under that bastard¡¯s grip. But, if I tell you now, things are gonna go tits up faster than I can flap my wings, and I sure as shit don¡¯t have the resources to help you when it does. You gotta figure it out for yourself. I¡¯m sorry.¡±
¡­What? So, after everything, she just wasn¡¯t going to tell me anything? I was this close to finally having some answers about myself, and she was just gonna keep them to herself?! Frustrated tears prickled in my eyes. ¡°B-but, but why?! I don¡¯t understand! Why can¡¯t you tell me?!¡±
¡°I just told you why, dumbass. I get that you¡¯re desperate for some answers, but that¡¯s the best I can do for now. You want my advice? Don¡¯t stop asking questions. Don¡¯t take anything at face value. Andreas is gonna try every trick in the book to make you feel like you¡¯re too stupid to understand anything, so why even bother wondering? Don¡¯t let him. You¡¯re smart, Jordyn. You¡¯ve shown me that in this conversation, and during our fight. I know you can figure this out, just like I did.¡±
Maggie finally lowered her pistol, holstering it as she looked out over the city. The sound of police sirens echoed through the air, steadily getting louder. ¡°I¡¯ve stayed out too long,¡± she said. She looked back to me. ¡°I¡¯ll let you go this time, Jordyn. But if you come after me again, I won¡¯t hesitate to blow a hole in your head, sister or not. Good luck.¡±
Her wings flexed, extending out to their full length. I realised she was about to fly away.
¡°Wait! What am I going to tell Father? He¡¯s ordered me to kill you, I can¡¯t just ignore that! He¡¯ll¡­ he¡¯ll punish me.¡±
¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a tough one. For today, the best you can tell him is the truth. I kicked your ass, and got away. If he¡¯s in a generous mood, he¡¯ll let you off. I can¡¯t promise that, though. As for if he orders you after me again? Maybe that would be a good time to question why he wants you to kill your own sister so badly. Don¡¯t actually ask him that, though. God, he¡¯d whip you bloody for that. Just¡­ think about it. See you later, Jordyn.¡±
With a gust of wind and a quick, painful burst of pressure from the boot on my chest, she was gone, disappearing into the night sky.
Oh. I¡¯d totally forgotten. I was meant to be buying time until sunset so I could muster up the shadows for a surprise attack. Oops. In the wake of everything Maggie was saying, it just slipped my mind. I couldn¡¯t say I was particularly upset about that, though. I had a feeling that that conversation had been more valuable than I could currently comprehend.
The sirens grew louder and I continued to lay there, contemplating what I¡¯d learned as the pain from my injuries steadily intensified in the comedown from the adrenaline of the fight. I¡­ had a sister. Why hadn¡¯t Father told me about her? What else wasn¡¯t Father telling me about? Why were things so clearly fraught between my two only family members? And why did Maggie¡¯s voice sound exactly like mine?
The swelling from my throbbing cheek was starting to spread up to my eye, forcing it shut. Worried, I reached up and gently poked it. It felt about as good as could be expected, from a kick that knocked out a tooth and took my helmet right off my head; in that doing that really, really hurt. Ow.
I gingerly sat up, trying not to move my neck too much. Speaking of my helmet, I needed to find it, and quickly. The police would no doubt be here soon, come to investigate the gunshots, and I couldn¡¯t let any of them catch sight of my face.
It was slow, painstaking work getting myself down from the rooftop into the alleyway, but I managed. Thankfully, my helmet stood out pretty obviously against all of the trash and junk, and I was able to retrieve it with relative ease. As soon as I put it on, Father¡¯s voice rang through my ears. Hearing from him filled me with relief, but Maggie¡¯s words still sat heavily in the back of my mind.
¡°Seven, what¡¯s your status? Did you complete your mission?¡±
I swallowed thickly, trying to sum up the courage to lie. ¡°I-I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Father. I failed. She got away.¡±
Silence stretched on for a long, tense moment. Finally, Father spoke again. ¡°Return to the facility at once. We will discuss this more once your injuries have been seen to.¡±
I nervously bit my lip. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±
I could already tell. Father was not in a generous mood.
¡ª
¡°Three cracked ribs, a fractured cheekbone, a missing tooth, and a nasty case of whiplash,¡± the medic said, reading off my diagnosis. ¡°It was good that you kept the tooth in your mouth. We can probably find someone to stick it back in, but as for the rest of your injuries, the best I can suggest is taking it easy.¡±
Taking it easy sounded nice, but I seriously doubted Father was going to let me take another break so soon after my last one. Sure enough, his frown immediately deepened.
¡°You¡¯re dismissed,¡± he said to the medic. They nodded their head and left without another word. Father turned to me.
¡°You¡¯ve disappointed me today, Seven. All you needed to do was follow one simple order, but clearly I expected too much from you. It¡¯s obvious that you¡¯ve been neglecting your combat training. From now on you will be doing double training shifts every day, as well as double patrols for the next two weeks. Oh, and forget about getting your tooth back. Maybe I will reconsider once you¡¯ve done something to earn it.¡±
With that, he turned and followed the medic out. I sighed, looking up at the ceiling, running my tongue along my teeth and feeling the gap in between my upper molars. Having to work double patrols through my injuries definitely sucked, but it wasn¡¯t as bad as it could have been. I could survive that.
I tried to turn my head as I got up from the examination table, but a lance of pain shot through my neck and down my back. I gasped, returning to my previous position as gently as I could.
Okay, maybe this was a problem.
Double combat training every day with my neck like this?!
¡­Fuck. Maybe it would have been better if Maggie had just pulled the trigger.
¡ª
Maggie landed heavily on the fire escape outside of her apartment, clutching her abdomen. Adrenaline had made it a bit easier to ignore during the conversation, but now that things had calmed down, the real damage that Jordyn¡¯s kick had inflicted upon her was becoming clear. Every breath felt like needles stabbing into her ribs.
She lifted her shirt to check the damage. Aside from the absolutely gnarly bruise, the kick had somehow also left her with multiple bleeding lacerations. The little soldier was crafty with her shadows, that was for sure. One thing was clear, though: she needed stitches. Ugh, her favourite.
She shook out her wings, trying to work off the spare anxiety, and opened the window, slipping inside.
Diego was sitting on the couch when she entered. He turned to her, a conflicted but relieved expression on his face as he looked her up and down.
¡°So¡­ Did you do it?¡±
Maggie shook her head. ¡°Nah. I almost did, but¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°Seeing her scared face looking up at me like that, it¡­ reminded me too much of Hex, on that day back in the facility. I decided to give her a chance.¡±
Diego¡¯s face relaxed into a smile. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you. You did the right thing.¡± He stood up, walking over and planting a soft kiss on her lips, one that she happily returned.
She pulled out of the kiss, resting her forehead on his shoulder instead, enjoying the warmth of his arms wrapped around her. ¡°I wish I could believe that. I suppose we¡¯ll just have to wait and see how it pans out. Where¡¯s Hex?¡±
¡°In her room, playing Minecraft on my laptop. She¡¯s been waiting for you to come back.¡±
Maggie closed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll go say hi later. Right now, I should probably focus on patching myself up.¡±
¡°You want my help?¡±
¡°After what happened last time, I think I¡¯ll just do it myself.¡±
¡°Fair.¡± Secrets Below The Precinct
¡°I- I just¡­ I know we have a plan and everything, but we have no idea how long it¡¯ll take, and the longer it takes, the worse things will get! There¡¯s got to be something you could do to¡­ I don¡¯t know, speed things up a bit? Get some proper evidence that de Vygon is mistreating her?¡±
The desperate look on Vivienne¡¯s face tugged at Steve¡¯s heartstrings, but if he was being honest, he was a little lost about this whole thing.
He rubbed his eyes. ¡°Hold on. Can you just¡­ say that all again from the beginning? A little slower this time?¡±
She squinted at him from across the dining table in his tiny apartment. ¡°Are¡­ Are you hungover?!¡±
Given how much the hum from the refrigerator was irritating him, and considering how much he drank last night, that was likely. Still, he didn¡¯t like being called out on it. ¡°Maybe. But that¡¯s not important right now. Do you want my help or not?¡±
¡°Yes!¡±
¡°Then repeat what you said, slowly, in a comprehensible speech pattern, please.¡±
Vivienne sighed, running a hand through her hair. ¡°You know how we theorised that de Vygon was hurting Seven back when she got shot?¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°Well, now I have confirmation that he is. She literally admitted it to me! She- She was crying and drunk because one of his friends forced her to drink, and she said that he would hurt her if she didn¡¯t get back to the fucking facility underneath the precinct where she lives!!¡±
Steve blinked at her.
¡°And¡­ she just told you all of this? Despite the fact that that sounds like something de Vygon would definitely have told her not to talk about?¡±
¡°Like I said, she was drunk. Super drunk. Sobbing into my shoulder drunk. Why don¡¯t you believe me?!¡±
He sighed, standing up to go get a glass of water. ¡°I do believe you. The problem is that I wish I didn¡¯t.¡±
Despite the fact that his back was turned, he could practically hear the confusion on Vivienne¡¯s face. ¡°Huh?¡±
He filled a glass from the sink and took a long gulp, draining it. He placed it on the counter and turned back. ¡°Do you remember what happened last year? My so-called ¡®psychotic break?¡¯¡±
Vivienne frowned. ¡°Uh, yeah?¡±
¡°Well, with all of this Seven stuff coming up, I¡¯m starting to think I wasn¡¯t just hallucinating that night. I saw something that shouldn¡¯t have existed, but it did, and de Vygon ruined my life for it. And you know where that ¡®something¡¯ came from? Underneath the fucking precinct. Whatever he¡¯s doing down there, he doesn¡¯t want it getting out. If you go poking the beehive, you¡¯re gonna get stung. You could lose everything. Your degree, your apartment, your reputation. He almost left me on the fucking streets, Viv, and that was after convincing me what I saw wasn¡¯t real. Don¡¯t underestimate him.¡±
His niece looked at him like he was crazy. It was a sight he was used to. ¡°What are you talking about? What did you see?¡±
Steve looked away, staring into the middle distance as that night came back to him once again. ¡°Two girls, running out of the precinct. One was about your age, the other was¡­ early teens, maybe. Both of them had shaved heads, dressed in this weird black get-up. The older one had these huge wings. The weirdest part, though¡­ Both of them looked like¡­¡±
He hesitated. Maybe¡­ maybe Vivienne didn¡¯t need to know every little detail. Telling her they both looked like her dead friend would just hurt her; make her even more hellbent on finding the truth. What were the odds that he even saw what he thought he saw? Some things were just better left unsaid.
¡°They both had the exact same face,¡± he decided, ¡°like they were twins. Only, that wouldn¡¯t make sense, because of the age difference.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I dunno. I haven¡¯t been able to make sense of it. Take it with a grain of salt, I guess. I might still be crazy.¡±
¡°Wings¡­¡± Vivienne muttered. ¡°Like¡­ like the one that shot Jordyn?¡±
He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Jordyn?¡±
¡°Oh, um¡­ that¡¯s Seven¡¯s real name. She told me when she was drunk.¡±
¡°Well, I can only assume the bird lady was the person who shot her. Assuming I even saw anything.¡±
¡°B-but, so, you agree, right? Something weird is going on down there?¡±
¡°I guess. But, like I said, you are not going to look into this. De Vygon¡¯s not the kind of man you mess with, especially not with your whole life ahead of you.¡±
¡°But we have to do something! You saw a literal child escaping from there! Who knows what kind of stuff he does to Jordyn behind closed doors? Who knows how much we don¡¯t even know yet?!¡±
¡°I said no, Vivienne. I won¡¯t help you ruin your life. If you really want to do something, go ask the Union.¡±
¡°I already told you, their plan will take too long! If we wait until we get a chance to invite her to the Union, it might already be too late! I can¡¯t stand the thought of her suffering any more than she already clearly has!¡± She clenched her fists, tears building in the corners of her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s the point of¡­ of even being a hero in the first place if I can¡¯t help someone when they need me?¡±
Steve looked at his niece. He saw the pain in her brown eyes; the righteous anger burning behind them and contorting her freckled face. There was a fire raging inside of her. Where on earth did she get it from? It certainly wasn¡¯t from his brother.
One thing was clear: Vivienne wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer. If he said he wouldn¡¯t help, she would just ask the next person, and the next, and the next, until finally getting fed up and no doubt trying to go through with it herself. He couldn¡¯t let that happen. She had too much to lose.
All Steve had left to lose was his niece.
He let out a sigh that shook the dust off of the very foundations of his being. ¡°I¡¯ll think about looking into it, okay? Just- please. Don¡¯t do anything stupid in the meantime.¡±
Her face lit up like the sunrise after a cold, lonely winter¡¯s night. ¡°You mean it?!¡±
¡°I said I¡¯ll think about it.¡±
Vivienne grinned, suddenly teleporting over to the other side of the table so that she could hug him. ¡°Thank you so much! Let me know when you make up your mind, okay? We¡¯ll go in together.¡±
Steve stared up at the ceiling, still wrapped up in his niece¡¯s arms. It was a nice thought; doing it together. The hero and the detective, working together to help put a stop to a corrupt police captain and his evil machinations, or whatever. Her powers would probably give them a fighting chance if push came to shove down there. They could do some real good, together.
He would think about it.
¡ª
It didn¡¯t take much thought.
He made up his mind laying in bed that night, staring out the window and thinking about everything. There was no way he could bring Vivienne with him. If this was happening, he needed to do it alone. He wasn¡¯t wrong about it being the chance to finally do something good with his life, but he wasn¡¯t going to drag his niece down with him when it inevitably went wrong. She had far too much to lose.
It occurred to him that this decision may very well mark the end of his life. De Vygon could easily have him killed for poking his nose where it didn¡¯t belong, all because his niece didn¡¯t know when to give up. But, in the reality of the situation, where it was a clear-cut choice between sacrificing himself for this, or letting Vivienne get herself killed, it was an easy decision to make. His life was pretty much over, anyway. Vivienne was the only member of his family he still spoke to. He had no spouse, no kids, no friends, a tiny apartment, and a dead-end job. Really, there just wasn¡¯t that much to live for. Why not go out in a blaze of glory, sticking it to the man who ruined his life and maybe saving an abuse victim in the process? It was as good a way to go as any.
With that decision made, now all he needed was a plan.
¡ª
George Sadler yawned, leaning against a support rail in the elevator, heading back up to the precinct. For once, he¡¯d been lucky enough to not get a night shift, but with the way his schedule had messed him up, he was still pretty tired. All he wanted was to get home, say hi to his cat, and go to bed.
His phone chimed with an alert as the elevator came to a stop, and he went to check it as he stepped out. Of course, it was just his luck that someone happened to be standing right in his path as he did so.
George crashed into them, tripping over and collapsing to the ground in a heap.
¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry, are you okay?¡±
The person grabbed him, pulling him up to his feet, probably a little rougher than was strictly necessary. He readjusted his glasses as he straightened out and came face-to-face with one of the detectives.
¡°Y-yes, I¡¯m sorry, I wasn¡¯t looking where I was going. Thank you for your help, Mr¡­?¡±
The man glanced to the side briefly before looking back. ¡°S-Smith. Robert Smith.¡±
George nodded. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Smith. I should get going, but you have a good evening, alright?¡± He turned, making his way to the front entrance.
¡°You too!¡± Robert Smith called. What a nice man.
George left the building and got into his car, turning on the ignition. The radio started up, filling the space with electric guitar and whiny vocals, just the way he liked it. The Cure was always the best way to end a shift.
¡­
Wait.
Robert Smith?!
¡ª
Steve smirked, looking at the clearance badge he¡¯d just swiped off of that dorky guy. That was much easier than he¡¯d been expecting.
¡°Thank you, George Sadler. You¡¯ve made my night that much easier,¡± he muttered, reading the name off of the badge.
Now for the hard part.
Steve got on the elevator and swiped the card through the reader next to the buttons. The bottom two, which usually remained dark and inactive, lit up. Bingo.
They were unmarked, so Steve just pressed the top one and hoped for the best. The elevator started moving, quietly descending into the earth and sealing his fate. He didn¡¯t doubt for a second that there was a camera watching him right at that moment. There was no getting out of it anymore.
His heartbeat echoed in his ears, his stomach swirling so bad he felt like he might throw up. He needed to get himself in check. The only way he was going to actually get what he needed would be if no one tried to stop him, and for that, he needed some damn confidence. Fake it till you make it, as they say.
The elevator arrived at its destination, and Steve¡¯s heart leapt into his throat in time with it. He forced it down as the doors opened, keeping his back straight and his stride bold as he picked a direction at random and started walking. The place didn¡¯t look that different from the precinct upstairs; just a whole lot of corridors lined with fluorescent lights and linoleum floors. The only real difference was how clean and orderly everything was.
Sure enough, his feigned authority masked the fact that he clearly wasn¡¯t supposed to be there, and aside from a few stray glances, no one that he passed stopped him. Just like most of the people he¡¯d seen come out of the elevator, including old Georgie-boy, a lot of them were dressed in lab coats. If he wanted to blend in better, it might be a good idea to find a spare one somewhere. First things first, though; he should find a map.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Thankfully, there was one nearby, plastered on a wall. Steve examined it, trying to get a picture in his head of where he was.
Most of it seemed pretty innocuous; things like ¡®mess hall, boardrooms, offices, labs, supply closet,¡¯ but then there were rooms like ¡®training halls, medbay, examination room, subject housing, tech development,¡¯ and, most worryingly, ¡®penalization room.¡¯ Steve wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to know what went down in there. He took a picture of the map on his phone just to be safe, and started heading towards the training halls.
He passed by the supply closet on the way and checked inside. Sure enough, there were spare lab coats in there. He grabbed one and shrugged it on over his dress shirt. Hopefully that should give him a little bit more of a plausible excuse should anyone stop him.
Following the map, he made his way over to the training halls. Most of them seemed devoid of life as he passed, glancing in through the observation windows, though some of them were filled with various set-ups clearly designed for¡­ well, training. Obstacle courses, punching bags, weapon racks lining the walls; the works. One room, however, seemed to have attracted a small crowd of scientist-looking people, all peering in through the window.
His curiosity piqued, Steve crept up behind them to see what they were looking at.
¡°Augh!¡±
A choked cry came from beyond the window as Seven, clad in her black armour, was launched across the room by a single punch from a simply-dressed man. Well, simply-dressed aside from the massive gauntlets covering his fists, clearly the source of whatever just sent Seven flying.
¡°On your feet!¡±
De Vygon was there too, directly observing Seven from within the training room, with his hands clasped behind his back and a judgemental, unhappy look on his face. Clearly, his ward wasn¡¯t performing to his expectations. Steve subtly pulled out his phone and started filming the scene.
Seven shakily lifted herself up, grunting and audibly wincing all the while. ¡°I- I don¡¯t understand why I¡¯m doing this. No one I fight on the street is going to be equipped with this sort of-¡±
All of a sudden, her body seized up and she screamed, collapsing to the ground in a writhing heap while clutching the back of her neck. Shadows flickered out of her armour, licking across the floor impotently, trying to do anything to stop the agony she was so clearly in.
¡°What have I told you about backtalk?!¡± de Vygon yelled. ¡°Are you really so stupid that you haven¡¯t learned your lesson yet?¡±
¡°I- I- I¡¯m s- s- SORRYYYYIIIIEEEEE!!¡± Seven screeched, her voice changer morphing the cry into a garbled, electronic wail as her back arched from the pain.
Steve caught it this time. He noticed the subtle unclenching of de Vygon¡¯s fist as Seven¡¯s body went limp and the screaming stopped. Whatever he did to her just now, it looked like he had total control over it with a simple gesture. Vivienne was right. This whole situation was messed up.
¡°On your feet,¡± de Vygon repeated. ¡°Do not make me ask again, or you¡¯ll be missing out on dinner tomorrow as well as tonight!¡±
The sound of electronic sobbing filled the room as Seven struggled to stand. Steve considered himself a pretty jaded guy in general, but even he couldn¡¯t stand to watch this without his stomach crawling. The fact that all of these scientists were just passively observing this horrific abuse made him sick.
He¡¯d seen enough, and that recording should be as good evidence as any that something wasn¡¯t right here. He needed to move on before de Vygon turned around and saw him.
Steve made his way back towards the elevators. If it was up to him, he would have quit while he was ahead and bailed right then and there. Vivienne probably wouldn¡¯t be happy with just the recording though, and if they were gonna stand a chance against de Vygon¡¯s army of lawyers and rich friends, they needed more. He wasn¡¯t sure he could find any better evidence than what he¡¯d just witnessed on this floor, but the next floor down was still a mystery. At least he knew for certain that de Vygon wasn¡¯t there right now. It was worth a shot.
Thankfully, the elevators were still free, and he was able to get in and press the button without any issues.
At least, no issues up until that very moment.
Right as the doors were about to close, a hand slipped in between them, forcing them back open. Steve¡¯s heart leapt into his throat as a woman entered the elevator and settled in next to him without pressing any buttons.
The doors closed. The elevator began moving down. Steve remained silent, praying he wasn¡¯t sweating too noticeably.
¡°Haven¡¯t seen you around before,¡± the woman said.
Steve cleared his throat, stalling for long enough to formulate a response.
¡°Uh, y-yeah. I¡¯m new here.¡±
¡°Oh? I didn¡¯t know Andreas was still hiring new staff. The name¡¯s Cheryl.¡± She held out her hand.
¡°A- Arthur,¡± Steve replied as he shook her hand, remembering how lucky he got with the ¡®Robert Smith¡¯ slip-up earlier. No more naming himself after celebrities; that was a sure-fire way to get caught.
¡°You seem a little nervous. Complete all your training, dear?¡±
Steve nodded, hoping that an affirmative would get this woman to leave him alone. ¡°You know how it is. First day jitters and all.¡±
¡°Oh, I get it. Well, don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re pretty laid-back here. I mean, most of the work¡¯s already done, y¡¯know? Now it¡¯s just on us to keep things running smoothly, and have a back-up ready in case something happens to G-7. I¡¯m actually heading down to R&D to check up on the subjects in stasis right now. If you want, you can come with me? Get comfortable with how things are run? If not, I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s manning the surveillance desk right now.¡±
While the offer was tempting - Steve very much wanted to know what a ¡®subject in stasis¡¯ was - it was probably safer to turn her down. Besides, how was he supposed to collect evidence with this chatty woman watching his every move? He would just have to make do at the surveillance desk.
¡­Wait, the surveillance desk!
Ever since he first stepped onto the elevator, Steve had resigned himself to the fact that he probably wouldn¡¯t live past the next week or so. Not an easy thing to accept by any means, but it was made easier by the fact that if he hadn¡¯t, Vivienne would be taking his place. Even if no one noticed right away, the camera footage of his incursion would no doubt spell his demise sooner or later.
With access to the surveillance desk though, he could delete any evidence of his presence, and so long as no one recognised him before he got out, he could get away scot free!
It was dangerous to get his hopes up, but Steve couldn¡¯t help it. If he made it out, he was gonna turn his life around, starting with finding a new job. Fuck working under de Vygon any longer than he had to.
¡°Uh, I¡¯ll just take the surveillance desk, thanks.¡±
Cheryl shrugged. ¡°Suit yourself.¡±
The elevator opened to a dim room illuminated by a large array of monitors. The surveillance desk, presumably. Cheryl made a beeline for a door across the way, labelled ¡®subject development,¡¯ and disappeared through it. Hopefully, that would keep her busy long enough for Steve to get what he needed.
Steve sat down at the desk, looking up at all of the monitors. Most of them displayed CCTV footage of different parts of the facility, but the one directly in front of him was just showing a screensaver. He wasn¡¯t an expert with computer stuff, but he knew a decent bit, and if he had to guess, that computer was probably the one that controlled all of the cameras and managed their recordings.
He moved the mouse a bit, and the computer woke up, asking for a password. Steve cursed under his breath, looking around the desk for anything that might be a clue. Thankfully, he found a notepad in the top drawer that had exactly what he needed.
So you don¡¯t forget: password for the computer is ¡®ProjectGenesis¡¯
¡°Probably could have guessed that¡­¡± Steve muttered, inputting the password.
The desktop was pretty sparse, but one thing did catch his eye: a text document titled ¡®PG_subject_notes_MASTER_FILE_DO_NOT_EDIT.txt.¡¯ He made a mental note to check it once he was done deleting the backed up camera footage.
To that end, Steve un-minimised the camera control program that was already open in the taskbar, did a little digging until he could find where the recordings were being saved, and deleted the last hour of them from every feed just to be safe. Then, he made sure to turn off the camera in the elevator to cover for his escape. It wasn¡¯t a perfect plan by any means, but it was better than nothing.
Now, to check out that file. He double-clicked on the shortcut, and the document opened.
¡ª
PROJECT GENESIS SUBJECT NOTES
Subject G-1
  • Formation was promising, but subject was found to be brain-dead upon release from formation tank. Subject disposed of. (note: in the future, remember to periodically wake the subjects up during formation! It helps with brain development, especially past the foetus/newborn stage. - John)
Subject G-2
  • Initial results promising! Subject came out of formation tank awake and aware, though notably disorientated. Moving on to physical habilitation.
  • Two weeks in, and the subject seems to be distressed. She doesn¡¯t believe the story Andreas has told her about why she¡¯s in such poor condition. Demanding to see her wife.
  • Subject is deceased. It appears the presence of the Source¡¯s memories caused her to panic. She broke the mirror in her accommodations and slit her throat with it. Body disposed of. In future, subject should be a blank slate for more receptive programming.
(won¡¯t that slow down the project? Then we would have to worry about mental habilitation as well as physical. - Hana)
(It¡¯s a necessary adjustment. The project will never go anywhere if we can¡¯t even control our own subjects. Memories leave too much of the Source¡¯s personality intact to be reliable, even if it saves time. - Andreas)
(Also, just a suggestion, but it might be a good idea to give the subjects actual names, instead of numbers. It could help provide a sense of normalcy that will endear them to us. I¡¯m sure Two didn¡¯t appreciate being called ¡®Two¡¯ all the time. - George)
Subject G-3
  • Subject deceased. Mistake in protein levels during development resulted in stunted growth. Subject couldn¡¯t support itself outside of formation tank. Body disposed of.
(Whoever¡¯s fault this is, rest assured I will find out, and you will be sternly reprimanded! This mistake just cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars! - Andreas)
Subject G-4
  • Initial results promising. Birth went off without a hitch, subject development falling under all expected parameters. Subject named ¡®Gwen.¡¯ Moving onto mental and physical habilitation.
  • Two months in. Habilitation is progressing well. Subject can walk, talk, read and write, and do basic arithmetic. Power is expressing itself as some sort of superspeed, though the subject is struggling to control it. Locomotive training starting soon.
  • Training is progressing well, though subject still struggles to control her power. Obstacle course times are slower than Andreas would prefer, slowed down further by injuries from subsequent punishments.
  • Subject deceased. Twisted her ankle on the course and broke her neck in the fall. Body to be disposed of.
(I can¡¯t believe it. She was doing so well! What happened out there? - George)
(I may have pushed her too hard too soon. We will take this into consideration for future subjects. - Andreas)
(Still, it would be a shame for her to go to waste. She was our first promising subject, after all! We should build off of it! Why don¡¯t we
[CONTENT REDACTED]
  • Upon further examination, subject¡¯s DNA was found to be slightly corrupted. May be the potential cause for programming and development issues found in subjects G-5 and G-6.
(I¡¯m putting a stop to second-generation testing effective now, and disposing of any remaining subjects/samples from the program. It¡¯s too risky, and has no discernible benefits. From now on, it¡¯s back to basics. With all we¡¯ve learned, I¡¯m sure the next subject will be our winner. Let¡¯s give it our all, team. - Andreas)
Subject G-7
  • Subject off to a promising start. Development and Birth stats falling within expected parameters. Given the name ¡®Jordyn.¡¯ Her power to control shadows seems to have a lot of potential, but has proven to be dangerous if it gets out of control. (Get well soon Ben!)
  • Physical and Mental habilitation successful. Subject is receptive to orders and seems to enjoy carrying them out. Programming successful. Subject has a notably softer personality than previous subjects. Sensitive and prone to fits of crying. A gentler, positive-affirmation approach may be beneficial to future training.
(I will not coddle her for subpar results. Delete that note. - Andreas)
  • Locomotive training through the obstacle course has proven effective, though not without hiccups. Heavy punishments slowed down training, though have been successful in ¡°toughening her up,¡± as Andreas put it. Less prone to outbursts and tantrums, though they remain an infrequent issue. Subject seems eager to please Andreas, despite diminishing rewards when she does so. A good sign for her conditioning. Combat training beginning soon.
  • Subject excelling at combat training, despite an apparent dislike for the activity. Easily appeased by the promise of a larger portion at dinner for good performance, however. Crying fits not an issue anymore, though subject occasionally speaks out of turn when she doesn¡¯t understand something or has conflicting thoughts on a situation to what Andreas has provided. Will continue to monitor.
  • Subject failed her first combat exam. Upon sustaining an injury, the subject panicked, causing her shadows to rampage when the lights went out as part of the test. Every prisoner used for the test was killed. Andreas resorted to use of the ¡®correction chip¡¯ as a reprimand. Long-term effects of chip use haven¡¯t yet been studied, but subject is showing no adverse side effects so far. Still, it¡¯s recommended to keep use of the chip to a minimum.
  • Subject passed second combat exam. Subsequently deployed in Tombguard. Subject displayed fascination with the outside world, but maintained composure. Had a minor encounter with a monster, where subject displayed a fear response. Potential holdover from the Source? Need to study more.
  • The night after her first day out of the facility, the subject exhibited some as of yet unseen behaviours. Subject engaged in masturbation after waking up in the middle of the night, and was subsequently targeted by the Godling. Exact specifics surrounding the incident are unknown due to a camera malfunction, though subject suffered no major injuries.
(Edited the note. Can we please try to be professional about this? ¡®Straight up jorkin it¡¯ is not appropriate note-taking etiquette. - Hana)
  • The subject has taken well to deployment, and has proven effective in her police work. Continuing to monitor.
  • Subject still exhibiting minor rebellious behaviours despite frequent reprimand, such as talking back to Andreas and failing to carry out orders. Punishments remain effective as a temporary preventative measure, though they can hinder performance.
¡ª
Steve blinked, coming back to himself as he stared at the bottom of the page. It was strange that Seven¡¯s notes ended there, with no mention of the shooting or anything past that. Either the research team just decided to stop taking notes there, or this document wasn¡¯t the most recent version. That, or de Vygon was trying to keep something hush-hush. With the way that the entries for G-5 and G-6 were expunged, he wouldn¡¯t be surprised.
Still, this was a lot to take in, and not a lot of it made much sense to him. What were the subjects? What was this ¡®Source¡¯ that kept being mentioned? What did they mean by ¡®development?¡¯ As far as he could gather, Project Genesis seemed to be some sort of genetic modification program, taking people and wiping them clean for whatever purpose Andreas had. That didn¡¯t explain what ¡®foetus/newborn stage¡¯ meant, though. Unless the program was literally modifying these people from birth. But surely that would take decades, right? There was no way the program had been running for that long.
One thing was certain, though. The notes for these experiments clearly documented the unethical treatment and deaths of multiple people, all before Seven even came along. A jury would eat this stuff right up, if they could just get it to court. Of course, the notes themselves wouldn¡¯t be enough by a long shot, but it was a start. A single spark to light the roaring fire of justice, as it were.
Steve smirked to himself. Rosalyn Garcia-Holmes would be proud.
He pulled the USB he¡¯d brought just in-case out of his pocket, and plugged it into the computer, copying the document over. Once it was transferred, he pocketed it again and made for the elevator. No need to stick around for any longer than he had to.
Thankfully, no one intruded on him this time, and he was able to ride all the way back to the surface without any issue.
Now, he just had to wait and see if anything would come back to bite him. Subject G-5: Magpie
Maggie sighed, sinking further against the cushions as Diego¡¯s hand massaged preen oil through the feathers on her back and wings, straightening them out and cleaning any debris out of them. After having to suffer through trying to do it herself with her limited human flexibility for the first nine months of her life, having someone else to help her with preening was something she would truly never take for granted. It wasn¡¯t just her wings she had to worry about; the feathers trailed all the way down her spine, coalescing in a small, useless tail at her coccyx. Basically, it was a whole lot of work. At least she was blessed with a preen gland, producing her own preen oil and saving her the struggle of having to find another way to maintain her feathers¡¯ quality, despite the fact that other people tended to find it¡­offputting.
Well, Andreas was an asshole anyway, so what did she care about his opinion? Diego didn¡¯t mind, and Hex never knew anything different. They were the only ones that mattered.
Maggie heard the door to Hex¡¯s room open, and she plodded over to them, taking a seat on the couch near Maggie¡¯s feet.
¡°Hey Diego?¡± she asked. ¡°Can we get McDonalds for dinner?¡±
¡°That depends,¡± he hummed. The sound instinctively made Maggie relax. ¡°Have you finished your studies for this week yet?¡±
Despite the fact that she was out of Maggie¡¯s line of sight, she could almost feel Hex¡¯s pout. ¡°Maggie didn¡¯t finish hers last week, but you still bought her chinese food when she asked!¡±
¡°Hey, I¡¯ve been busy working at the construction site, making money so we can eat! I don¡¯t always have time to read books,¡± Maggie complained. ¡°Also, Diego loves me.¡±
¡°Actually, last week you skipped out on studying to try and go after Jordyn again, and she kicked your butt so bad she broke three of your ribs.¡±
¡°¡®Scuse you! I kicked her butt! You weren¡¯t there, you didn¡¯t see!¡±
¡°I¡¯ve gotta give that one to Hex, babe,¡± Diego said. ¡°I did tell you not to go.¡±
¡°Whatever. Either way, I sorted it. She won¡¯t be coming after us.¡±
¡°Anyway, that¡¯s besides the point,¡± Hex said. ¡°The point being: is McDonalds on the table tonight?¡±
¡°...Actually, I could go for some McDonalds right now, too,¡± Maggie muttered.
Diego laughed. ¡°Fine. But that¡¯s the last time I¡¯m ordering takeout for the rest of the month!¡±
Hex protested, and Maggie smiled as the conversation between her sister and her boyfriend continued on above her. A comforting warmth settled in her belly; pride and happiness in herself for succeeding in giving her little sister at least some semblance of a normal childhood. It wasn¡¯t perfect by any means ¨C it couldn¡¯t be, what with the memories of the things they suffered in the facility still plaguing them every day ¨C but like this, Hex at least got a chance. She got to bicker with her sister without getting beaten for it, got to skip out on her studies to play video games like a normal kid. Granted, Maggie herself was still learning just what ¡®normal¡¯ was. Despite the difference between their physical ages, she was only four months older than Hex, technically speaking. Having Diego around was certainly helpful, though. Without his help, the two of them would probably still be the naive, bumbling idiots they¡¯d been the day they broke out of the facility.
Maggie closed her eyes, relaxing into the couch and reminiscing on how she got to where she was today.
¡ª
5 MONTHS AFTER WAKING
Magpie sat on the end of her bed, shivering. She didn¡¯t know why. She wasn¡¯t cold, not with her wings wrapped around herself protectively like they were. There was nothing to be scared of in the immediate vicinity. And yet, this horrible, pervasive anxiety just wouldn¡¯t leave her alone.
It had been there since this afternoon, when Father screamed at and hit her for flying over the obstacle course instead of running through it. She didn¡¯t understand why it mattered if she could run well when she had a perfectly good pair of wings on her back to help her fly. It was stupid. Father was stupid. She wasn¡¯t sure how she knew, but something just wasn¡¯t right about this whole situation.
As far back as she could remember, Father had been there, helping her recover after waking up from her supposed ¡®accident.¡¯ He was trying to help her become a superhero again, or so he said. Magpie just wasn¡¯t sure that she believed it. If he was trying to help her, why would he turn around and hurt her in the same breath? Why did he want so much control over her, to the point where he refused to let her leave the facility, no matter how much she begged? It just didn¡¯t sit right.
Really though, what was she supposed to do? Her memories were completely gone. She had no knowledge of who she used to be, or how the world worked. She had no choice but to just stick with Father until she learned more. Then, she would make a decision on whether or not to trust him.
She occupied herself by running her fingers through the feathers of her wings, straightening them out. Their softness was reassuring, but it did little to settle the quiver of unease that had sunken all the way down into her bones.
The door opened, and Father walked in. Magpie instinctively hopped off of her bed, ready to defend herself.
He studied her, eyeing her up and down, before sighing. ¡°Come in, Hex.¡±
Someone entered the room behind him. Magpie gasped.
The girl was a lot younger than her, shyly hiding behind Father¡¯s leg. Her short-cropped hair was black, just like Magpie¡¯s, and she shared her tan skin. In fact, the girl was practically identical to her aside from her age and the lack of wings on her back. Who the hell was she?!
Father turned to the young girl. ¡°This is the older sister I was telling you about. Her name is Magpie. You¡¯re going to be staying with her from now on, okay?¡±
¡°What is this? What¡¯s going on?¡± Magpie asked.
Father sighed again. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry, I should have told you this earlier. Hex here is your younger sister. She was injured in the same accident as you, and only woke up a month ago. Since then, she¡¯s been going through the same rehabilitation program that you did, and is finally well enough to join you properly.¡±
Magpie had absolutely no memory of a younger sister, but¡­ what else could this girl possibly be? She looked exactly like her. It wasn¡¯t like she had memories of anything else either, to be fair, and from the look on her face, Hex was thinking a similar line of thought.
Father placed a hand on Hex¡¯s back and pushed her further into the room. A spark of protectiveness instinctively rose in Magpie¡¯s chest.
¡°Get to know each other. Another bed will be brought in shortly.¡±
With that, Father left. Magpie and Hex stared at each other.
¡°I didn¡¯t know I had a big sister,¡± Hex said. Her eyes kept flickering to Magpie¡¯s wings. Magpie smirked.
¡°Well, I didn¡¯t know I had a little sister, either.¡± She sat back down on the bed, motioning for Hex to join her. ¡°You don¡¯t remember anything either, huh?¡±
Hex shook her head, tentatively climbing up next to Magpie.
¡°Even if I have no memories of you, it¡¯s nice to finally not be alone. No one else¡­ gets how hard it is, not knowing anything. Y¡¯know?¡±
Hex hummed in agreement, but she seemed a bit distracted. ¡°Can I¡­ Um¡­ Can I touch your wings?¡±
Magpie chuckled. ¡°Sure. But be gentle.¡±
Hex reached out, carefully running her fingers along the feathers. Magpie tried not to shiver. The touch was gentler than anything she¡¯d ever felt from another person before, and honestly, it was starting to get her a little choked up, especially with the cute little smile on Hex¡¯s face as she did it.
There was something on the back of her neck. Magpie frowned.
¡°Hey, let me see the back of your neck?¡±
¡°Hm? Okay.¡±
Hex shifted a little to allow access. Sure enough, there it was. Starting just below her hairline, there were a bunch of lines making up a weird rectangle, and below that, there was writing.
G-6: ¡®HEX¡¯
PROPERTY OF PRECINCT 23
That same old dread settled into Magpie¡¯s gut. Something just wasn¡¯t right. Hex seemed oblivious to it, but somehow Magpie knew. Was she even really her little sister? Or was this just another lie from their ¡®Father¡¯?
There was one thing she was certain of, though. Little sister or not, Magpie had to protect her. They were in this situation together, and she wouldn¡¯t let that old man hurt her like he had hurt Magpie. She swore it.
¡ª
9 MONTHS AFTER WAKING
Magpie rolled her shoulders as she walked down the corridor, having finished her combat training for the day. Anxiety broiled in her gut for her upcoming exam tomorrow. It wasn¡¯t that she was scared she would fail ¨C there wasn¡¯t even a chance of that. It was more a general excitement at the prospect of finally being allowed to go outside.
The past few months had been difficult, full of harsh training and harsher punishments, but as soon as Father gave her free access to the outside world, Magpie was gonna grab Hex and make a run for it. Their freedom from this underground hellhole was so close, she could almost taste it.
The thought of Hex made her sigh. The girl was struggling under Father¡¯s ¡®tutelage.¡¯ She didn¡¯t have the same distrust of him that Magpie did. She hung on his every word, followed every order to the letter, and the slightest hint of a smile from him was enough to have her practically melting. And yet, her young body just couldn¡¯t live up to the demands being placed on her. He was being a lot gentler with her than he had been with Magpie, but she didn¡¯t doubt it wouldn¡¯t be long until his limited patience ran out.
Honestly, what was he expecting? Magpie was a full-grown woman of 25, but Hex was barely even a teenager! Of course she couldn¡¯t complete all of these crazy, dangerous obstacle courses. If not for her telekinesis power allowing her to block the knives and poles being swung at her, she¡¯d probably already be dead! Magpie herself had had way too many close calls on that course for comfort, and she could literally fly over it if she wanted.
The thought angered her, but she buried it down. Just one more day. One more day, and they could get out of here for good.
Speaking of Hex¡¯s training, Magpie was pretty sure it was still going on for today. She figured she might as well go and see how her little sister was going before heading back to their room.
A shrill scream and a loud crack echoed through the hallways. Magpie¡¯s heart leapt into her throat. She started running.
He wouldn¡¯t. Surely he wouldn¡¯t. He¡¯d threatened Magpie with it a few times, and only backed down on account of not wanting to damage her wings. Hex didn¡¯t have that protection. But, still. He wouldn¡¯t do that to her, right?
The cracking and shrieking continued, and it became clearer and clearer that, apparently, he would. Magpie was going to kill him.
The sight she saw through the window when she got to Hex¡¯s training course didn¡¯t betray her expectations.
Hex, shirtless and on her knees. Father standing behind her, whip in hand. A dozen red, bleeding lines criss-crossing Hex¡¯s back as her entire body quaked.
A rage the likes of which she¡¯d never felt before burned in Magpie¡¯s gut. She rushed over to the door, dismayed to find that it was locked.
Fine. It wouldn¡¯t stop her.
She threw her fist against the metal, denting it. A grim satisfaction settled inside of her. Nothing could protect Father from her wrath now.
She punched the edge of the door over and over again, until there was enough space for her to get her fingers in between it and the frame. Ensuring that her grip was sound, she heaved, contracting every fibre of muscle in her arms and literally ripping the sliding metal door out of the wall. Inside, Hex was curled up on the floor, and Father was staring at Magpie like she was the consequences of his actions made manifest. He was scared.
Good.
With a flap of her wings, Magpie was flying towards him, ready to rip him apart.
Her fist sunk into his side with the force of a wrecking ball, and she felt his ribs crack under her knuckles. The hit sent him flying, slamming into the far wall like a sack of bricks.
Magpie landed on her feet, planting herself between Father and Hex. He wouldn¡¯t hurt them anymore.
Father coughed and gasped, spitting up blood as he tried and failed to get to his feet. ¡°Wh¡­ what¡­ Wh-what¡¯s the meaning of this?! How dare you raise a hand against me!¡±
¡°You stay away from us!¡± Magpie yelled. ¡°Come near Hex again, and I¡¯ll kill you!¡±
Father finally managed to drag himself up, clutching his side. He scowled. ¡°You¡¯ve always been a precocious one, Five. I see I¡¯ve been far too gentle with you. It¡¯s fine, you¡¯ll learn obedience in time. Here¡¯s your first lesson!¡±
He threw his hand up and Magpie screamed, suddenly overcome with an impossible pain coursing throughout her entire body, pinpointed in the back of her neck. She collapsed as her knees gave out, writhing on the ground in unknowable agony. Darkness flashed across her vision. She heaved, her body curling in on itself and forcing her lunch back out of her mouth. This was it. She was going to die. Her body couldn¡¯t take it. Hex was going to be all alone with that monster, and there was nothing she could do.
With that one last thought, everything went black and Magpie died.
¡ª
TWO DAYS LATER
If only she¡¯d actually died back then. It would have been a mercy. If she¡¯d died, she wouldn¡¯t be stuck on her knees, with her arms wrenched and twisted behind her back, chained to the wall tight enough that she couldn¡¯t move at all without searing pain. If she¡¯d died, she wouldn¡¯t have been stuck in this exact position for an unknowable amount of time, muscles burning constantly, stomach aching with hunger, thirst quenched by only the most meagre amount of water that would keep her alive, soiling herself over and over with no way to stop it. Passing out was her only consolation, but even then, she never stayed asleep for long. It was stupid of her to think she¡¯d had it bad before. This was true hell.
Magpie closed her eyes, trying not to cry. She couldn¡¯t afford to waste hydration like that. Her only hope was that Hex had been spared. She would put up with this forever if it meant that her little sister was safe.
The door opened, bright light spilling out from the hallway and blinding Magpie after so many hours in the dark. It was probably Father, come to torment her again. She braced herself for another verbal lashing or boot to the jaw.
¡°Maggie?¡±
If Magpie had the energy to, she would have gasped.
¡°H¡­ H-Hex¡­? Is¡­ Is that¡­ you?¡± she rasped out.
The figure haloed in light stepped closer. Sure enough, it was Hex, her little sister, looking down at her in horror.
¡°Oh god, Maggie. Did¡­ Did Father do this to you?¡±
¡°What are you doing here?¡± Magpie croaked, ignoring the question. ¡°If Father finds you, he¡¯ll hurt you again.¡±
¡°He¡¯s not here right now. He and a bunch of the scientists left. I¡¯m gonna save you, okay?¡±
The thought made a lump rise in Magpie¡¯s throat. Her bottom lip quivered. ¡°H- Hex¡­¡±
The young girl wasted no more time, rushing to the shackles binding Magpie¡¯s arms and legs. They came undone all at once and she collapsed to the floor, relief flooding her tattered muscles. Magpie couldn¡¯t help it; she started sobbing.
¡°It¡¯s okay now, Maggie,¡± Hex said, kneeling at her side and gently massaging the base of her wings. ¡°It¡¯s all gonna be okay. We¡¯re gonna get out of here tonight, just like you talked about.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I c-couldn¡¯t protect you¡­ I¡¯m so sorry, Hex.¡±
Hex¡¯s voice cracked. ¡°It- it¡¯s alright. It¡¯s not your fault, Maggie.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
Magpie let out a sigh, her body deflating. ¡°I like it when you call me that. B-better than Magpie.¡±
¡°Then that¡¯s what I¡¯ll call you from now on, okay?¡±
Maggie nodded. She sniffled, summing up the energy to speak. ¡°How much time do we have?¡±
¡°A little. The hallways are pretty empty right now, so I should be able to get us back to our room without any trouble. We¡¯ll have a bit of time to prepare, but then we have to move. Do¡­ Do you think you¡¯ll be okay? Will you be able to fight?¡±
¡°I will be,¡± Maggie said. ¡°No matter what, I will be. I¡¯ll always fight for you, Hex.¡±
¡°Not alone, you won¡¯t. I¡¯ll fight, too. Like you said, we¡¯re in this together. To the end.¡±
¡°To the end.¡±
¡ª
Maggie laid in bed, enjoying her last few moments of rest before everything went down. Hex ended up carrying her down the hallway with telekinesis, and thankfully they didn¡¯t run into anyone on the way. She¡¯d had a shower ¨C or, more accurately, Hex had showered her ¨C gotten a change of clothes, and was now ready to fight for their freedom.
Okay, maybe ¡®fight¡¯ was a bit of an exaggeration for her current state. Shakily hobble toward their freedom, more like.
As much as she didn¡¯t want to move at all for the next month, the promise of the outside world was invigorating, and it gave her the strength to sit up.
¡°Feeling okay to go?¡± Hex asked.
Maggie sucked in a breath to steel herself and nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can walk too fast on my own, but together, we should be able to make it.¡±
Hex nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±
Maggie dragged herself off of the bed and pretty much flopped over Hex, who wrapped an arm around her waist, supporting her as they walked out of their room and into the halls. The pain in her shaking limbs was almost overwhelming, but with Hex¡¯s support, she could manage. She had to.
Maybe it was the fact that it was the middle of the night, or maybe it was because of what Hex said earlier, but the corridors were practically deserted, and they met no resistance as they slowly hobbled their way to the ¡®elevator¡¯ that Father was always leaving from. Now, Maggie didn¡¯t really know what an elevator was, but she was sure gonna try and figure it out.
¡°Um¡­ what do we do now?¡± Hex asked once they¡¯d stepped inside the small room.
Maggie stared at the row of buttons on the wall.
¡°Uh, I dunno.¡±
Hex shrugged and pressed the bottom one, seemingly at random. Well, it was as good a plan as they could possibly have, given the circumstances.
The doors closed, and both of them yelped as the floor started moving. Okay. This was fine. Father travelled on this every day, so Maggie wasn¡¯t gonna let it get the best of her.
After a few seconds, the doors opened again, and the world outside had changed. Instead of bright corridors, the room on the other side was dim, lit up only by dozens of¡­ windows? That wasn''t exactly what they looked like, but it was the closest approximation Maggie could guess, considering that she could see different parts of the facility through them. There was a chair in front of the windows, with someone sitting in it. Thankfully, it looked like they were asleep.
Was this the right way? It was worth a look around, at least.
Focusing all of their stealth training, Magpie and Hex tiptoed out of the elevator, sneaking towards the door on the opposite wall. Thankfully, whoever was posted up in the chair was out cold, so they were able to reach the door and get through without the person noticing anything awry.
The room on the other side was¡­ weird. It was just as dimly lit as the previous room, only this time the light source was the large green cylinder next to the door. The walls were lined with other cylinders, but these ones were all made of metal, whereas the glowing green one seemed to be made of glass. Inside the cylinder was a small¡­ something. Honestly, Maggie couldn''t really tell what it was. It was tiny, and vaguely person shaped, but that was where her deductions ended.
A forgotten memory suddenly flashed through her mind. She remembered this green stuff. She remembered being submerged in it, floating in the warmth.
The realisation washed over her like ice water. This was it, wasn''t it? This was where she came from. There was no ¡®before¡¯ the facility. This room was where she and Hex were¡­ created.
Her heart lurched in her chest. They¡­ they were never actually born, just¡­ grown in a tube. No wonder Hex looked exactly like her. Screw ¡®sister,¡¯ they were probably the same damn person. And from the looks of things, the tiny speck floating in the green was probably the next little sister to come. What the hell did Father want with them that he would go as far as to create people?!
¡°There was never an accident, was there?¡± Hex asked. ¡°This was where we came from.¡±
Maggie sighed, trying not to let the idea overwhelm her. ¡°Looks like it.¡±
¡°B-but¡­ what does that mean for us?¡±
She scowled. ¡°It means nothing. It doesn''t matter where we came from, because we''re here now. We exist, we''re people, and we''re not gonna let Father push us around anymore just because he created us.¡±
Hex took a shallow breath and nodded. It looked like she was about to cry, but she held it back. ¡°Right.¡±
Maggie wanted to hug her, but she wasn¡¯t sure she had the strength. Instead, she looked at the little rectangle next to the cylinder. There was writing on it.
SUBJECT G-7: ¡®JORDYN¡¯
STATUS: NORMAL
She sighed. ¡°Good luck, Jordyn. You''re gonna need it.¡±
¡°I think we went the wrong way,¡± Hex said. ¡°We shouldn''t stay here.¡±
¡°Agreed. Let''s go.¡±
They turned and exited back the way they came, into the room with all the windows and the sleeping person. They were going to just cross through back into the elevator when something on one of the windows caught Maggie''s eye. She stopped walking.
¡°What is it?¡± Hex whispered.
¡°That window has writing on it. It says our numbers.¡±
¡°So?¡±
¡°Any information could be helpful, Hex. We know literally nothing about the outside world, or honestly, ourselves. It''s worth it.¡±
¡°What if the guy wakes up?¡±
¡°I''ll take him out.¡±
Hex bit her lip, hesitating, but ultimately, she nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±
The two of them silently crept over to the wall of windows, focusing on the one at the bottom. The person in the chair ¨C who they could see now was a man ¨C didn¡¯t react. Sure enough, the window displayed both of the numbers Maggie and Hex had on the back of their necks. They started to read.
Subject G-5
  • Power already manifesting in early development stage. Subject has a pair of wings growing from her back. Whether or not they will actually allow for flight remains to be seen. Named ¡®Magpie.¡¯
(I will not allow a subject with a purely cosmetic power to waste my time. Is there any way to ensure that her wings will work? - Andreas)
(With a little bit of genetic engineering, we can give her super-dense muscles for some added strength. It¡¯s not a guarantee, but it should help! - George)
(Do it. - Andreas)
Maggie rubbed her bicep absent-mindedly. She thought she was this strong from her own merit, but it was just Father ¨C or ¡®Andreas,¡¯ if she had to guess which one was him ¨C tampering with her even more. The idea made her feel sick. She kept reading.
  • Post-birth, everything is falling into expected parameters. Habilitation to continue.
  • Subject has a particularly rebellious personality, and is not very receptive to orders or Andreas¡¯ explanation of why she is missing her memories. Programming may have failed to set in properly for whatever reason. Continuing to study.
  • Subject appears to have become quite attached to G-6 post introduction, and vice versa. Whether or not this is a good or bad thing for the program remains to be seen.
  • Subject excelling at locomotive and combat training. Subject¡¯s aggressive personality, while difficult to control at times, is proving very effective in battle. Expected to pass exam with ease.
  • Subject interrupted one of G-6¡¯s punishments, assaulting Andreas and threatening him. Her protectiveness of G-6 has proven to be a liability. No solution to this has been found as of yet. Correction chip was effective in subduing subject. Punishment to be carried out.
¡®Correction chip?¡¯ That was what knocked her out back then? Maggie shuddered. Just how much had Andreas tinkered with her and Hex¡¯s bodies?
That was where her entry ended, and Hex¡¯s entry began. She continued on.
Subject G-6
  • Subject was pulled out of formation tank early due to unexpected complications that would have otherwise resulted in her death. As a result, her body and brain were not fully formed, leaving her in a child-like state. Estimated physical age to be around 12 years old. Termination was considered, but subject displayed a strong telekinetic power that could effectively make up for her underdeveloped body. Named ¡®Hex.¡¯ Proceeding with habilitation.
(Well, this throws a wrench into things. How are we going to explain this to G-5? - George)
(Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll handle it. - Andreas)
  • Upon introduction, subject bonded with G-5. Cohabitation seems as though it will be successful. Continuing habilitation and beginning locomotive training soon.
  • Subject is struggling with locomotive training due to development issues, but seems determined to continue. Programming seems to have settled in well.
  • Locomotive performance has plateaued at an unsatisfying result. Punishments to ensue if the subject shows no more progress.
That was the end of Hex¡¯s notes. The last one made Maggie want to punch the window, but she held herself back. What kind of a monster would resort to¡­ to doing what Maggie had witnessed, just because a child wasn¡¯t doing good enough?!
¡°Maggie, your wings!¡± Hex whisper-yelled.
¡°Ngh?¡±
It was too late. In Maggie¡¯s anger, she¡¯d failed to notice that her wings had puffed up, getting ready to extend so she could fly. In doing so, they¡¯d bumped into the guy in the chair and woke him up. The two stared at each other.
He started scrambling. ¡°H-Hey! What-¡±
Hex¡¯s eyes widened, and the man was suddenly flung across the room, slamming into the far wall hard enough for Maggie to hear an audible crack. For a second, she thought he might have died, but he was still squirming around. She could use this.
Maggie let go of Hex and limped over to the man, gingerly kneeling down and grabbing him by the lapels.
¡°Wh-what¡­? M¡­ Magpie?¡±
¡°How do we get out of here?¡± she demanded. ¡°Tell me, or I¡¯m gonna start breaking things.¡±
¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ what?¡±
From the look of it, he probably had a pretty bad concussion. Maggie sighed and tried again, speaking slower.
¡°How. Do. We. Get. Out. Of. Here?¡±
It finally seemed to click for the guy. About a hundred different emotions flickered across his face; most of them some variation of fear.
¡°Y-you¡­ You can¡¯t.¡±
Maggie snarled. ¡°Why not?!¡±
¡°Th-they¡¯ll find you. No matter where you go. They¡¯ll track your chips and bring you back.¡±
¡°Chips? Like the correction chip?¡±
His eyes widened. ¡°How do you¡­¡±
Maggie remembered when Andreas used it on her. She remembered exactly where the pain came from; where it was the most intense. ¡°They¡¯re in the backs of our necks, aren¡¯t they?¡±
The man glanced from side to side, like he was trying to come up with a lie. ¡°I¡­¡±
Whatever. That was good enough. They could figure out the elevator on their own. Maggie finished the guy off with the strongest jab to the face she could muster in her weakened state.
¡°What do we do now?¡± Hex asked as Maggie limped back over.
¡°We¡¯ve got to get these chips out. They¡¯re in the backs of our necks. If we don¡¯t get rid of them, Andreas will be able to find us no matter how far we run.¡±
Hex grimaced. ¡°This is gonna hurt, isn¡¯t it?¡±
¡°Yep. But that¡¯s what we¡¯ve trained for.¡±
¡ª
With the help of a first aid kit and a shard of glass from a broken cup, Maggie and Hex cut the back of each other¡¯s necks open, and managed to fish out the horrible chip. There was a lot of whimpering, crying, and shouting involved, but they got through it in the end, stitching each other up just as they were trained for. Maggie felt sick having to hurt Hex like that, but it was the only way for them to truly be safe from Andreas once they got out. There was nothing she wouldn¡¯t do to ensure that man never got his hands on them ever again.
Maggie wiped her eyes and sighed, trying to ignore the stinging pain in the back of her neck. ¡°Are you ready to go?¡±
Hex nodded, her bottom lip still quivering. ¡°Yeah.¡±
They stumbled over to the elevator, holding onto each other for support. Maggie eyed the buttons on the wall wearily. Nothing to it but luck, she supposed. She pressed the one at the top and the elevator started moving again.
¡°We¡¯ve got this,¡± she whispered in Hex¡¯s ear. ¡°We¡¯re gonna be okay. No one¡¯s gonna lay a finger on us anymore.¡±
Hex¡¯s nose crinkled, but a smile played at her lips. ¡°Your breath smells bad.¡±
Maggie snorted out a laugh. ¡°Gimme a break. I haven¡¯t brushed my teeth in two days. You¡¯re just lucky we had time for me to shower, or I¡¯d probably still reek of urine.¡±
Hex chuckled. ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t wanna say anything when I found you, but wow, you didn¡¯t smell good.¡±
¡°Aren¡¯t I lucky to have such a caring little sister.¡± Maggie grinned.
The elevator reached its destination and the doors opened, revealing a room neither of them had ever seen before. It was wide and open, with a carpeted floor and several chairs sitting against the walls. Maggie couldn¡¯t ascertain what its purpose was. On the far end of the room from the elevator, the wall was made entirely of glass, and a dim, cool light was drifting in from the other side. There was a door in the glass. It called to her; an odd tug in her gut urging her towards it. Somehow she knew; this was the way to the outside world. They were free.
She charged forward, filled with renewed strength, and slammed the door open. Cold air slammed into them right back.
There was a man in her way. His eyes widened at the sight of her face, then he looked to Hex and they widened even further. He wasn¡¯t one of the familiar faces from the facility. This guy was just¡­ a regular person. Huh.
Maggie wrapped her arms around Hex, flapped her wings, and finally took proper flight for the first time in her life. Cold wind rushed in her hair and through her feathers. Hex shrieked in delight from the thrill. The world stretched out below her and the sky opened up above her, little pinpricks of light twinkling in her eyes as freedom filled her lungs. She wouldn¡¯t trade it for the world.
¡ª
ONE WEEK LATER
If there was one thing Maggie had learned about the outside world in the brief week since they¡¯d escaped, it was that the outside world was nothing like what she and Hex were used to. There were no more steadily provided meals, no convenient clothing that was always cleaned when they needed it, no directions or schedule or order. It was just her and her little sister against the world.
Hex¡¯s stomach rumbled loud enough for Maggie to hear it. Maggie clenched her fists against the guilt that washed over her. She was supposed to be taking care of her, but she was failing miserably. She could barely even take care of herself. Hex was being so good about it, not complaining, always staying strong, but they couldn¡¯t keep going like this. They were losing weight. Every night they almost froze to death, huddled up together wherever they could find even a modicum of shelter. What little food they could find was few and far between; pitiful scraps scavenged from bins or off the floor. Maggie had broken into a building to get them some new clothes the night they escaped, but it wasn¡¯t going to last. She just had no idea how the outside world worked, frankly. Not for the first time, she wondered if escaping was a bad idea after all.
Not everything was hopeless, though. Maggie had an idea that might help them get a little bit more to eat. She¡¯d been doing her best to study up on what life was like out here; watching people from the shadows, reading whatever ¡®newspapers¡¯ she could get her hands on, and she reckoned she might have stumbled onto something promising.
A little ways away from their little hideout, there was a big plot of empty land, and every day, a bunch of guys would show up and start putting something together. A new building, if she had to guess. The way Maggie figured, if she could help the guys out a little bit, they might be inclined to help her out, too. A proper meal, some new clothes, maybe even a comfortable place to rest their heads. It was worth a shot, at least.
So, one day, Maggie and Hex donned their sunglasses ¨C the best way they could figure to hide their identities, lest Andreas hear something and come looking ¨C and made their way over to the yard.
The men were hard at work when they got there, each buried in their own task. Maggie walked up and, summing all of her courage, called out to them.
¡°Uh, e- excuse me!¡±
A few of the men stopped what they were doing and looked their way, before glancing to one man in particular. He stood up from where he was crouched near a steadily growing brick wall and raised a hand to the others. They got back to work, and the man walked over to the two of them.
¡°Hi, can I help you?¡± he asked, taking off his own sunglasses and wiping the sweat from under the weird hat he and the rest of them were wearing. His tan skin was speckled with pockmarks, and a dark, full stubble had taken up most of his jaw. He was quite handsome, actually. Maggie¡¯s stomach fluttered a little as he looked her up and down, glancing at her wings, though that also could have been from hunger.
¡°Yes, u-um, actually, I was wondering if I could help you.¡± Maggie clenched her fists, letting out an awkward laugh. This felt weird. ¡°I, uh, I¡¯m pretty strong. I could lift some things, i-if you need. Hex here has telekinesis, too, so¡­ Um, she could also help.¡±
The man frowned. ¡°You want¡­ a job?¡±
Maggie didn¡¯t know what that word meant, but she nodded. ¡°If that¡¯s what it takes to get some food, then yes.¡±
There was a pause as the man analysed her. ¡°You guys are in some trouble, aren¡¯t you?¡±
¡°Please,¡± Hex suddenly blurted out. ¡°We¡¯re¡­ we¡¯re just hungry. If there¡¯s anything we can do to earn some food, please. Let us help.¡±
The man bit his lip, glancing to the side. After a few seconds, he looked back at Maggie. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell you what. I can¡¯t let you guys work on the site for¡­ well, for obvious reasons, but if you come with me, I can get you two something to eat, and we can sit down and talk this through. The company I work for is owned by the Heroes¡¯ Union, so we should be able to work something out and get you guys some help. Sound good?¡±
Half of that meant literally nothing to Maggie, but at this point, she would take anything. She nodded.
¡°Alright,¡± the man said, holding out his hand. ¡°The name¡¯s Diego, by the way. Nice to meet you.¡±
¡ª
Back in the present, Maggie smiled at the memory of her and Diego¡¯s first meeting as she pulled her shirt back on and struggled to get her wings through the holes. It had been almost two years since then, and Maggie felt lucky for that chance encounter every single day.
Diego had taken them back to this very apartment, gave them their first warm meal in over a week, let them shower, gave them a change of clothes and heard them out; every last detail of their fucked-up story. At the time, Maggie hadn¡¯t known how much to omit, so she just told him everything. If he¡¯d been anyone else, that could have ended terribly for them, but thankfully, they¡¯d run into one of the few genuinely good people in this city. He was the only one that knew the whole truth; that Maggie and Hex were nothing more than unwilling body doubles for a woman that died five years ago; that Andreas de Vygon was playing God below the precinct, creating life and forcing it to do his bidding; that Seven wasn¡¯t just a superhero working for the police, but the next body double down the line. As far as any of his bosses knew, Diego had just taken in some powered people in need of help, and provided him the resources to do so. If not for his generosity, Maggie was sure she and Hex would have died on the streets, clueless and alone.
Not wanting to be a burden, Maggie once again begged Diego to let her work at the construction site, and finally, he acquiesced, promising to teach her how things worked. These days, it was what she spent most of her time doing, saving the company money by using her wings to do the high-up work that anyone else would need safety equipment for. It was hard work for sure, but it was rewarding, knowing that she was helping earn to support herself and her sister.
It was about a year after they started living together that this¡­ thing that had been dancing between them finally caught alight. Maggie¡¯d had time to learn about the world, about people, about relationships and how things worked. She¡¯d seen them on TV, read about them in books, figured out how to determine the good from the bad by scouring the internet, and finally, made her move on Diego. They¡¯d been sharing a few drinks after Hex went to bed, watching a movie together on the couch, and Maggie just went for it, grabbing his face and kissing him then and there when the moment presented itself.
Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe she was just pent up from literally never receiving sexual touch from another person in her life, but things progressed very quickly from there and they took it straight to the bedroom. Safe to say, it was a night she would never forget.
They had a proper conversation about it the morning after, where Diego admitted that he¡¯d felt the same way for a while, but wasn¡¯t comfortable making a move considering that, for a lot of their relationship up to that point, Maggie was entirely dependent on him, and considering how little she knew about¡­ anything, the dynamic would have been a little weird. But now that she¡¯d started working, now that she had her own money and a half-decent understanding of the world, and now that he knew she was actually super interested in him, too, he figured they could give this thing a shot. And the rest was history.
Jordyn¡¯s appearance on the streets had scared her. She knew it was only a matter of time before she came after their fragile peace, smashing through their glass walls and leaving Maggie and Hex nothing more than a bad memory in Andreas¡¯ mind, splattered across Diego¡¯s floor. That tiny speck that once floated in the green had grown into a monster, and Maggie had no choice but to get ahead of it.
To that end, and much to Diego¡¯s protest, Maggie had gone hunting. What she needed was equipment. Weaponry that could stand up to a killer of Maggie¡¯s own calibre. Sure, Maggie¡¯d had more time to build her muscles, and she was undoubtedly one of the strongest people alive already, thanks to Andreas¡¯ tinkering, but Jordyn had the backing of the entire police force behind her. Maggie needed to be smart.
So, she slaughtered two SWAT officers and stole their guns. Then she used that sniper rifle to shoot Jordyn down. Only, she underestimated the strength of her armour, and only succeeded in pissing Andreas off. For a month, she laid low, hiding out in the apartment and waiting for things to cool off. And once they did, she tried again.
Jordyn was no pushover, though, and gave her a real run for her money. Maggie got her down though. Got her down, and was seconds away from pulling the trigger and ending it, when that pathetic, terrified look on her face made Maggie freeze.
Did she make the right choice in letting her little sister live? Who could say. The only thing to do was move forward, and take every day as it came. Maggie and Hex were alive, and they were free, and that was the only thing that truly mattered.
¡°Maggie?¡±
¡°Hm?¡± She blinked, returning to her body. Hex had been calling to her. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±
¡°We were trying to ask what you wanted from McDonalds. Get lost in your head again?¡±
Maggie smiled. ¡°Yeah. Thinkin¡¯ about stuff.¡±
¡°Well, you¡¯d better hurry up and order, birdie, or I¡¯ll get you a 20 pack of chicken nuggets again,¡± Diego joked.
Maggie let out a mock gasp. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare! Making me eat my own kin; shame on you!¡±
Diego laughed, and Maggie basked in the sound. It was times like these that it felt like everything would turn out alright after all. Consequences
Andreas stepped out of the elevator into the surveillance room hoping to find someone to mark down G-7¡¯s training results for the day, but was displeased to find it entirely unmanned. What was even worse was the fact that the elevator camera seemed to be switched off. Someone around here was getting a warning, that was for sure.
The door to the subject development room opened and Cheryl stepped out. She smiled at him once she noticed his presence.
¡°Oh, Andreas! Good to see you!¡± she greeted.
¡°Who was on shift to man the surveillance desk?¡± he asked, putting a stern lilt into his voice.
Cheryl glanced at the chair and seemed to only just now notice that it was empty. ¡°Oh. Arthur said he would look after things. Where did he go?¡±
Andreas frowned. ¡°Who the hell is Arthur?¡±
Cheryl blinked at him. ¡°Uh, the new guy¡­? I ran into him on the elevator down here.¡±
Cold dread settled into Andreas¡¯ gut. He powered towards the surveillance desk, sitting down and waking up the computer. ¡°What did he look like?¡±
¡°Um, white, mid to late forties, brown hair sort of medium length, I guess? Kinda shaggy, in any case. He had a bit of stubble and a moustache, and some freckles on his nose. Why, what¡¯s wrong?¡±
¡°I haven¡¯t hired anyone new in almost a year. He was a spy.¡±
Andreas navigated to the saved surveillance footage as Cheryl freaked out behind him, finding exactly what he feared: everything from the last hour or so had been deleted. The little snake wasn¡¯t totally incompetent, at any rate. It was just unfortunate for him that Andreas already had a good clue as to his identity.
Steven Matthews would regret ever showing his face in Andreas¡¯ precinct.
¡ª
Andreas entered G-7¡¯s quarters without knocking and came across the exact scene he¡¯d been expecting, based on what he¡¯d seen through the cameras. The girl was sprawled out over her bed, half-dressed and completely knocked out. It wasn¡¯t surprising that she was especially fatigued, considering all of the extra training and patrolling she¡¯d been doing to make up for her failure with G-5, and since she¡¯d been forbidden from having dinner tonight, he didn¡¯t doubt that she found sleep a much more enticing option than staying up and enduring her hunger. She looked almost peaceful, in a dishevelled, snoring, drooling-on-the-pillow sort of way, and a small part of Andreas almost felt bad about having to wake her up. Almost.
He kicked the leg of the bed frame, rattling the whole thing. ¡°Wake up, Seven!¡±
G-7 jerked awake with a yelp, scrambling to her feet and standing at the ready. ¡°Y-yes, sir!¡±
¡°Put your armour on. I have a job for you.¡±
¡ª
Steve rolled his neck and shoulders, trying to work his anxiety out on the elevator ride up to his apartment. He was almost certain no one had been following him back; by all accounts, he should be safe. Still, he just couldn¡¯t get the nagging feeling of oncoming dread out of the pit of his gut.
He sighed and tried to ignore it. The fact of the matter was that there was nothing he could do either way. Whether he was about to release the information he found and save Jordyn from Andreas¡¯ clutches, or wake up in an unmarked grave and slowly asphyxiate tomorrow morning, it was now out of his hands.
Steve exited the elevator and trudged down the hall, fishing his keys out of his pocket. His hand touched the USB as he did so, and he pulled it out along with the keyring. Inside that tiny piece of plastic and circuitry was enough evidence to launch an official investigation on de Vygon and all of his cronies, and rip all of this evil out at the root. Or maybe that was just him being optimistic. Still, it was certainly a good start.
He unlocked his door and stepped into the dark apartment, flicking on the lightswitch.
Nothing happened.
Steve frowned, flipping the switch on and off over and over. Nothing was changing. The lights in the outside hallway were still on, so it wasn¡¯t like there was a blackout. Had the power been cut to his apartment in particular?
The door slammed shut behind him and he whirled around, only to find no one there. His heart leapt into his throat.
Oh. This was how it was going to go, huh? At least he got to enjoy one last drive before it was all over.
Darkness swept over his vision, completely blinding him right as something sunk into his solar plexus hard enough to lift his feet off the floor. Air rushed out of his chest so fast he almost puked. His knees buckled when he hit the ground again, and his attacker was quick to help him down, striking him across the cheekbone and sending him collapsing into a heap.
They didn¡¯t let up, kicking and stomping on him over and over, refusing to stop even when he got his breath back enough to start crying out in pain. Ribs cracked and splintered. His nose was crushed, his lip split. He tried to predict where the boot would come next and protect himself, and only got snapped fingers for the trouble. A particularly bad hit to the head knocked out his hearing, leaving only ringing in its place.
The attacker changed target, focusing on his legs. By that point, the hits were starting to blur together, only coming into sharp focus when something broke. His left knee was the first to go, followed by whatever his calf bone was called. He was certain that he knew, but the name just wasn¡¯t coming to him. The femur? No, that was the thigh bone. The humerus was an arm bone, that definitely wasn¡¯t it. It started with an F, he was sure. Vivienne would definitely be able to tell him, if she were there. She was smart like that.
Speaking of his femur, that broke too, and Steve screamed so hard he thought he would choke. It would have been a mercy.
Finally, the beating stopped. The ringing quieted down enough for him to hear his surroundings again, and he could just about make out the sound of distressed panting, almost to the point of sobs. Was that him? No, his breaths were coming in raspy and slow.
¡°I¡¯m¡­ s-so sorry,¡± said a broken, electronic voice.
Huh. That was weird. Steve passed out.
¡ª
Steve Matthews¡¯ twitching, rasping body laid at my feet. His chest continued to rise and fall, and an occasional spasm rocked through his limbs. He wasn¡¯t dead just yet. Thank god.
I still didn¡¯t understand why I had to just¡­ do that. Steve was one of the good guys, right? He was a police officer, working to catch criminals, and yet¡­ Father wanted him ¡®dealt with,¡¯ as he put it. He wanted him beaten within an inch of his life. He wanted his legs broken so bad he would never walk straight again. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to go all the way on that one. The screaming from one leg was bad enough. God, I wanted to throw up. But my job wasn¡¯t done.
I clenched my fists, trying to get my breathing under control. I still needed to search him and seize any of the things he had on him when he arrived back. Just¡­ get it done. If I did a good job, maybe Father would feel inclined to reward me, or at the very least, cut back on my extra training and patrol hours. What I wouldn¡¯t do to be allowed another few hours of rest a day. My ribs still ached with every breath, and all I wanted was for it to just stop.
As carefully as possible, I patted him down, removing his phone, wallet, and keys from his person. In his hand was a small plastic¡­ something. I grabbed that, too, just to be safe. Time to make my exit.
Limbs shaking, breath still coming in quick gasps, I made my way towards the window and slipped out the same way I entered, making sure I closed it behind me. Sirens echoed through the distance, no doubt on their way to my location. Steve¡¯s neighbours surely must have heard all the screaming. I just hoped they got to him in time to save him.
Somehow, it only occurred to me then, in the cool light of the moon on the long run back to the facility, exactly what I¡¯d just done. I just tortured an innocent man. I attacked him in his own home, overpowering him and beating him until he was begging me to stop, and even then I continued. That¡­ that sounded like something a criminal would do. Hell, I¡¯d taken down criminals for similar crimes before. How could Father order me to do something like that?
He was Vivienne¡¯s uncle. How was I supposed to face her again after what I¡¯d just done? She was one of the only people who¡¯d ever made me feel safe in her presence, and I just broke her uncle. Why did he make me do it?
I tripped over my own feet right at the edge of a rooftop, tumbling into the alley below and hitting the rail of every fire escape on my way down, crashing into a pile of garbage bags. The fall barely even registered through the ringing in my ears and the pain in my chest. I felt like I could barely breathe, every gasp for air choked off and denied by the stifling prison of my helmet. I clawed at it, finally tripping the latch at the back of my head and tearing it off. Humid night air hit me like a train, and for a second it felt like I could breathe again, but the ache didn¡¯t cease, and the world continued to spin wildly around me. All I could do was lay there, staring up at the sky and contemplating what I¡¯d just done while trying to remember how to push oxygen in and out of my body.
I supposed this was just another one of those things I was too stupid to understand. I wasn¡¯t smart like Father and the scientists. I barely knew how to shovel food into my face without making a mess, let alone comprehend the complexities of crime. If Father ordered me to do it, Steve must have done something truly horrible. He must have. That was the only explanation. I just¡­ needed to stop thinking about it. I would never truly understand it anyway.
Don¡¯t stop asking questions. Don¡¯t take anything at face value. Andreas is gonna try every trick in the book to make you feel like you¡¯re too stupid to understand anything, so why even bother wondering? Don¡¯t let him. You¡¯re smart, Jordyn.
Maggie¡¯s words echoed through my head. Back when I heard them, part of me was tempted to disregard them; just because she was my sister didn¡¯t mean that she really knew me. She didn¡¯t know how stupid I really was. Now, though¡­ I just couldn¡¯t let my actions sit on my conscience. I refused to accept the answer of ¡®Father knows best.¡¯ I needed an explanation for what I just did.
But¡­ How the hell was I supposed to get one? Father would break me just as bad as I just broke Steve if I kept talking back like the idiot I am. Was I just supposed to ignore it and pretend everything was okay? How was I supposed to keep going on like this?The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
It just¡­ felt so hopeless.
There was a bit of time before Father was expecting me back. Not long enough to let everything out, but it would have to do.
I squeezed my eyes shut and started to cry.
¡ª
The walk back to the facility felt like it took ages, and yet at the same time, it was over in the blink of an eye. Before I knew it I was slipping through those doors, scanning my palm against the card reader, and heading down the elevator back home. I couldn¡¯t decide whether or not I wanted to see Father and demand some answers, or never look at him again. Either way, I had to go report to him, so what I wanted didn¡¯t really matter.
I dragged my feet all the way down the halls, finding out from a scientist that Father was waiting for me in my quarters. At least I didn¡¯t have to make any detours before I could strip this armour off and go into a coma for however long I would be allowed to sleep. Better to just get it over with.
Sure enough, when I opened the door and stepped inside, Father was sitting on my bed, looking at me.
¡°How did it go?¡± he asked, like he didn¡¯t already know. Like he hadn¡¯t been watching through the camera of my visor the whole time.
¡°I¡­¡± I tried to speak, but the words didn¡¯t come. Just the thought of the pain I¡¯d caused formed a lump in my throat, and nothing could get past it.
Despite not receiving an answer, Father nodded. ¡°Take off your armour, Jordyn.¡±
I didn¡¯t need more encouragement than that. Piece by piece, I stripped off the black metal and dropped it on the floor like I was shedding the weight of my crimes. Somehow, things started to feel just a little bit better.
¡°Come here,¡± Father beckoned once it was all off. I slowly made my way over and sat down on the bed next to him.
¡°I saw what you did, Jordyn.¡±
¡°You were watching?¡± I asked.
¡°Of course. I¡¯m always watching while you work. You did good. You did what I told you.¡±
I sniffed and nodded, not replying.
¡°It was hard, wasn¡¯t it? Hurting him like that?¡±
Despite how hard I tried to hold it back, I couldn¡¯t stop my face from scrunching up. The question slipped out before I could stop it.
¡°Why? Why did I have to do that?¡±
I tensed up, expecting to be struck. Instead, Father gently put his hand on my knee. I remained frozen, just in case.
¡°I know it¡¯s difficult for you to understand, Jordyn. I¡¯m not sure I can explain it in a way you will understand. Just know that Mr. Matthews did a very, very bad thing, and he needed to pay the price for it. You don¡¯t need to worry about it beyond that, okay? You leave that to your betters, and just do what you¡¯re told. You¡¯re very good at it.¡±
The compliment sent shivers of pleasure down my spine, as did the gentle touch of Father¡¯s hand as it moved around my shoulders instead. I did a good job for him. That was the important part, right?
¡°It didn¡¯t feel good,¡± I muttered, a few errant tears escaping and falling down my face.
¡°I know, Jordyn. I know. You¡¯re a gentle soul, aren¡¯t you? But you did a good job, and now you won¡¯t need to worry about it again. Tell you what, we¡¯ll forget about your mistakes in training today, alright? I¡¯ll have some fresh dinner made and brought to you shortly.¡±
The thought lit off a spark of excitement in my belly, though it was dampened a bit by confusion. ¡°Wh¡­ Why are you being so nice to me?¡±
Father tilted his head. ¡°You¡¯re my daughter, Jordyn. I know I¡¯m hard on you sometimes, but that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t love you. And when you do good for me, I want to reward you.¡± His smile remained, but his eyes turned a little colder. ¡°Just don¡¯t expect this treatment all the time. You performed a very difficult and important job today, and I recognise that. That¡¯s all. Now, what do you say?¡±
I nodded. ¡°R-right. Thank you, Father.¡±
He gently ruffled what little hair I had and stood up. ¡°There¡¯s a good girl. Have a good night, Jordyn.¡±
With that, he left me alone in my quarters. He was¡­ actually happy with me. I couldn¡¯t remember the last time I¡¯d seen him so proud and receptive of my work. A giddiness I hadn¡¯t felt for months rose up within me, struggling against the overpowering guilt of what I¡¯d done to earn it. I did the right thing, but¡­ it just didn¡¯t feel right. Father wanted me to just forget about it, but was that really possible? Maggie would have wanted me to keep questioning, keep digging and searching until I found out the truth as to why he made me do that.
Both options sounded equally as exhausting. All I really wanted was to sleep.
My stomach growled loudly. ¡­And maybe a good meal, too.
I went about my nightly routine, showering off the sweat and tears and getting changed into some sleep clothes. All that was left was to wait.
Sure enough, Father hadn¡¯t been lying. About half an hour after he left, a piping hot bowl of chilli and rice was delivered right to my door. My favourite meal; he must really have been happy with me.
And yet, when I brought it inside and forced it down at my desk, I could barely even taste it. There was only nausea and the sound of screams.
¡ª-
¡°Could you tell me your name?¡±
¡°St- Steven¡­ Matthews.¡±
The nurse nodded, writing something down on her pad. ¡°How old are you, Steven?¡±
Steve frowned, trying to remember the exact number. His head had been a mess of fog ever since he woke up in this room. He had a vague memory of what happened to him to get him sent here, but everything in between was just black.
¡°47¡­ I think.¡±
¡°What¡¯s fourteen plus twenty six?¡±
The mental maths took a bit longer than it really should have, but Steve thought he could be excused for that, given the circumstances. ¡°Fourty.¡±
¡°Alright,¡± the nurse said, putting her pad down. ¡°Seems like you¡¯re all there. I¡¯ll go get the doctor, and we can go over your prognosis. If you¡¯re in any pain, you can press this button here to get a dose of morphine. Don¡¯t worry about overdoing it; the machine has an inbuilt limiter. Try to stay awake, if you can.¡±
With that, the nurse left him alone with the beeping of his heart monitor. Hearing it was a little bit of a shock, to be honest. He¡¯d been almost certain that last night would be his¡­ well, his last night on earth. Was it just an accident that he was still alive? Or did de Vygon only intend for him to suffer, and not actually kill him?
Well, if that was his goal, he succeeded. More of Steve was broken than wasn¡¯t; wrapped up in casts, stabilised with metal fastenings, poked full of intravenous drips and covered in monitoring equipment. He was just doing his best not to look at all of the metal braces sticking out of his leg, lest he throw up again like he did when he first woke.
Eventually, the doctor came in and gave him the rundown: in short, he was well and truly worked over. He had a nasty concussion, a punctured lung, three broken fingers, six cracked ribs, a leg so unimaginably shattered that it was likely he¡¯d never walk on his own again, two missing teeth, a crooked nose, a broken collarbone, some lovely internal bleeding, and enough bruising to fill a semi-truck. He couldn¡¯t even remember half of that stuff happening.
The pain wasn¡¯t so bad now that he had morphine coursing through his system, but that was a small consolation in the face of¡­ everything else.
¡°So¡­ how long will I have to stay here?¡± he asked.
¡°It''s hard to say at this time, but we''re probably looking at a few weeks, at least,¡± the doctor replied. ¡°The damage to your leg will take multiple surgeries to completely fix, and with injuries like yours, we want to be careful about letting you go too soon.¡±
Well, that wasn''t too bad. It wasn''t like he had a job to go back to, anyway.
The doctor finished up and left him to his drugged-up rest. Steve closed his eyes and tried to let the sleep find him. Of course, it was just his luck that Andreas de Vygon walked in at that very moment. The beeping of the heart monitor picked up speed.
¡°Ah, it¡¯s good to see you¡¯re awake, Steven.¡±
¡°Wh¡­ Why are you here?¡±
He took a seat at Steve¡¯s bedside. ¡°Can¡¯t a police captain visit his detective in his time of need? I heard about what happened. Such a shame that those burglars would pick your apartment, and that you happened to come home right at that time. Apparently, you¡¯re very lucky to be alive.¡±
Steve tried to scowl, but it wasn¡¯t very easy with how bruised and swollen his face was. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure you know a lot about it.¡±
De Vygon chuckled. ¡°Fine, if that¡¯s how you want to be. I¡¯ll do you the respect of speaking plainly, then. I know it was you who broke into the facility last night. I don¡¯t have any concrete proof, but I am almost certain that it was you. Why?¡±
De Vygon could torture him; he wouldn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±
De Vygon hummed. ¡°I¡¯m sure. Well, I suppose it doesn¡¯t really matter why. Whatever your plan was has been foiled, regardless. Really, Steven¡­ What were you expecting? That you¡¯d just get to walk away?¡±
Steve glanced at his leg. ¡°I think I have a solid shot at it.¡±
De Vygon laughed ¨C actually laughed at that. ¡°Apparently morphine turns you into a comedian. Who knew?¡±
¡°Cut the bullshit, Andreas. Why did you come here?¡±
De Vygon¡¯s face darkened, just for a second, before that business neutral mask slipped right back into place. ¡°Two things, Steven. Number one: Don¡¯t ever show your face at my precinct again, unless you want someone to come and finish what they started. Number two: make sure whoever it is that you¡¯re working for understands the same thing. No one crosses me and gets away with it.¡±
He stood up, dusting himself off as if merely being in Steve¡¯s presence was enough to dirty him. ¡°I would wish you a speedy recovery, but¡­ Well, that would just be counterintuitive, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±
With that, he turned and strolled out the door, just as smug as ever.
Fuckin¡¯ prick.
There was a commotion outside just a moment after he left, and Steve heard Vivienne¡¯s voice loud and clear through the thin walls.
¡°Get out of my way, asshole.¡±
Steve shut his eyes and prayed that she didn¡¯t do anything stupid. If de Vygon had the slightest inkling that she had even a pinky toe dipped in this mess, she would suffer the same fate that he did.
Thankfully, things calmed down, and a moment later, Vivienne was bursting through the doors, looking on the verge of tears.
¡°Uncle Steve!¡±
She rushed over to his bedside, barely holding herself back from pouncing on him with a hug. Steve¡¯s ribs were very grateful for that restraint.
¡°Hey, Vivienne.¡±
¡°What happened?! We- We were just¡­ I thought-¡±
¡°Calm down, Viv. I¡¯m okay.¡±
¡°No you¡¯re not, look at you!¡±
Steve put his casted hand up, trying to placate her. ¡°I will be, okay? Just breathe.¡±
Vivienne pouted but she did as she was told, sighing and sitting down. ¡°What happened? The person on the phone said someone broke into your apartment.¡±
Welp, there was no getting out of it now. He told her the truth; that he went into the facility without her.
¡°B-but¡­ why? I thought we would go in together!¡±
¡°Look at me, Vivienne. I knew something like this would happen. How could I have let you come with me, knowing that this was how it would end?¡±
¡°I¡­¡± Vivienne opened her mouth, but nothing more came out. Clearly, she understood, as much as she so obviously hated it. She let out a sigh. ¡°Do you know who did this to you?¡±
¡°No,¡± he lied. ¡°Just one of de Vygon¡¯s operatives, I assume.¡±
She looked down, her face scrunching up. ¡°You don¡¯t think¡­ Surely it wasn¡¯t Jordyn, right? Even at his orders, there¡¯s no way she¡¯d do something like this¡­¡±
Apparently, she would. What else would explain the darkness that overtook his vision before the assault began, or the metallic voice desperately apologising right before he blacked out? But Vivienne didn¡¯t need to know that. No one needed to know it but him. Telling Vivienne that Jordyn almost beat her uncle to death would only make things harder for what they were trying to do.
¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± he answered.
Vivienne hummed. ¡°Did you at least get anything out of it? Any proof of what¡¯s been going on?¡±
And there was the kicker. Thankfully, Steve had a little more foresight than de Vygon had bargained for.
¡°Do you know the library on Cliff street?¡± he asked.
Vivienne frowned. ¡°Uh, yes?¡±
¡°I need you to go in there with a USB. On the computer at the very back, on the left-hand side, you¡¯ll find a file hidden in the documents folder titled ¡®PGSN.¡¯ Move it to the USB and take it to the Union. They¡¯ll have a better idea of what to do with it than me. Be careful, though. De Vygon has shown that he¡¯s clearly not messing around.¡±
¡°What¡¯s on the file?¡± she asked.
¡°Research notes, by the looks of things,¡± he replied. ¡°Documenting years worth of experiments Andreas has done on his test subjects, Jordyn included.¡±
¡°You mean there¡¯s more?!¡±
Steve tried to shake his head, but immediately regretted it. The painkillers were making him forget just how busted up his body really was. ¡°No, most of them are dead, aside from the two I saw escape. It seems like he¡¯s trying to create a superhero for some reason. From the sounds of it, he¡¯s literally growing these kids from birth in tubes.¡±
¡°Jesus¡­¡± Vivienne muttered. ¡°I guess Maddie was right when she wondered if Jordyn was a genetically engineered test-tube baby.¡±
Steve stifled a yawn. ¡°You should get going, Vivienne. Before de Vygon realises he¡¯s been played. Also, no offence, but I really need to rest.¡±
Vivienne smiled, though there was pain in it. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be back once I¡¯m done, though. I¡¯ll be here when you wake up.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t you have class or something?¡±
¡°What better place to study nursing than in a hospital? I¡¯ll still get my work done, you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±
Steve grinned, his eyelids growing heavy. ¡°That¡¯s my girl. See you then.¡±
A quiet pop, and Vivienne was gone.
Finally, some peace and quiet. Steve closed his eyes and fell asleep. An Olive Branch
Madeline sighed, running a hand through her mullet and pulling her shirt collar out to try and get some airflow going as she walked down the street. The midday sun was blistering, not at all helped by the business casual she¡¯d been forced to put on for the job interview she just totally bombed. She supposed that was to be expected, considering she was notably mentally ill and hadn¡¯t worked a proper job in years. Still sucked, though. Her plans for the rest of the day involved hitting up the bar and trying to get her head on straight enough to flirt with the person she¡¯d matched with on her dating app.
She hadn¡¯t told anyone about it yet; that she was finally starting to give moving on a try. It still just¡­ felt really weird. Like a betrayal. Logically, she was sure Rosie wouldn¡¯t want Maddie to be hung up on her forever, but that didn¡¯t make it not feel like she was spitting on Rosie¡¯s memory every time she came up with some cheesy line to hook someone on an app.
The bottom line was, Madeline was lonely. Not in the friendly, platonic sense, but in the sense that she missed having someone to cuddle with at night, and someone to confide in above all others, and frankly, someone to screw around with in the bedroom. Her body and heart yearned for Rosie in all those respects, but that just wasn¡¯t an option, so she had to find something else.
She knew that nothing would ever really fill the Rosie-shaped hole in her heart aside from Rosie herself magically coming back to life, but surely it was better to try opening herself up to love again, rather than letting that hole fester and wither and eat away at her until there was nothing left. Maddie was tired of letting it control her life.
It was just like her therapist said. One day she would get to be happy again, and Rosie¡¯s memory, while still tender, would just be a reminder of back when her happiness took a different form. It would be okay, but it would be different, and that was okay. Madeline needed it to be okay.
¡°F-fuck!¡±
Madeline paused in front of the alley that the curse had just echoed out of. That sounded¡­ oddly familiar. She couldn¡¯t place where, but she¡¯d definitely heard that voice before.
Tuning out the rest of the city, Maddie could just about make out the sound of someone crying at the end of the alley.
The urge to just keep walking was strong. People¡¯s problems were their own business, and she had more than enough of her own. At the same time though, she would be lying if she said she didn¡¯t want to see who¡¯s voice that was.
Also, well¡­ she was a hero, wasn¡¯t she? Wasn¡¯t helping people like this kind of the point? Rosie would want her to check it out. Probably. Maddie imagined she¡¯d share her curiosity, at the very least.
Sucking it up, Madeline turned and strolled down the alley. It didn¡¯t take long to find the person at the end, clad in familiar black armour, curled up with her face hidden against the ground. Her helmet sat on the floor next to her, facing the wall.
¡°I¡­ I-I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± Jordyn whimpered through sobs. Maddie¡¯s stomach clenched with sympathy. The girl was clearly going through it.
She inched closer, spotting something marking the tan skin on the back of Jordyn¡¯s neck. A tattoo of some sort, perhaps? When Madeline got close enough to read it, her heart sank. Vivienne wasn¡¯t kidding when she said something seriously messed up was going on here. A very obvious barcode lined the back of her neck, and below that, writing.
G-7: ¡®JORDYN¡¯
PROPERTY OF PRECINCT 23
¡­Good lord, this poor woman.
Madeline remembered the conversation she¡¯d had with Ashley and Viv; that they would try and encourage Jordyn to join the Union. Apparently, that was all on her now. Great. She cleared her throat to announce her presence.
Jordyn jerked like she¡¯d been electrocuted, scrambling for her helmet and putting it back on before whirling around to face Madeline.
¡°H-Huh?¡±
Maddie sighed. No backing out now. ¡°Hey, you alright? Heard you crying.¡±
Jordyn loudly and obviously sniffed. ¡°I, uh¡­ I-I¡¯m fine.¡± She climbed to her feet and dusted herself off. ¡°S-sorry for disturbing you.¡±
Before Madeline could even attempt to reply, Jordyn was already scurrying off, pushing past her and running out of the alley.
¡°Wait! Seven!¡±
She didn¡¯t stop. Maybe this was risky, given that de Vygon was no doubt surveilling everything she saw and heard, but Maddie needed to talk to her if they were going to have any chance of helping her. Viv would be mad if she didn¡¯t at least try.
¡°Jordyn!¡±
Jordyn paused at the mouth of the alley, slowly turning around.
¡°How do you know my name?¡±
¡°Uh, Viv told me? Look-¡±
Jordyn flinched. ¡°H-how does Vivienne know my name?¡±
Madeline frowned. ¡°Because you told her?¡±
¡°No I didn¡¯t!¡±
Maddie was pretty sure Viv mentioned that Jordyn was drunk during that encounter. Apparently, it had become a bit hazy for her. Hah, lightweight.
¡­Or she was just trying to cover for herself, since de Vygon was probably watching. Great, now Madeline felt like a bitch and probably just got her in trouble. Ugh.
She shook her head. ¡°Whatever, that¡¯s besides the point. I know you don¡¯t really know me, but can I just talk to you for a bit?¡±
Jordyn looked away, hesitating. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not allowed to talk to you.¡±
Typical. ¡°Just five minutes, that¡¯s all I ask. Surely your boss can begrudge you a measly five minutes?¡±
Without being able to see her face, it was hard to tell what Jordyn was thinking. She reached up and touched the side of her helmet, whispering to nobody. Madeline could just barely make it out.
¡°Sir, are you watching? Do I have permission to speak with her? I know you told me- Oh. Okay. Yes sir, I understand. Thank you.¡±
Jordyn turned back to face Maddie again. ¡°What did you need to talk to me about?¡±
It was at that moment Madeline realised she hadn''t even thought of a script yet. God, she was an idiot.
¡°Do you, uh¡­ wanna sit down somewhere?¡± Madeline asked in a desperate bid for time to think.
¡°Um¡­¡± Jordyn looked around a bit, before glancing up at one of the buildings bordering the alley. ¡°Up there?¡±
Madeline blinked. ¡°How am I supposed to get up there? I can¡¯t jump like you and I can¡¯t teleport like Viv.¡±
¡°I could¡­ c-carry you?¡± Jordyn¡¯s voice cracked a little as she said it.
¡°Uh huh. And how am I supposed to get back down again?¡±
¡°Um¡­ I just thought I would carry you again.¡± She wrung her hands together.
Call her egotistical, perhaps, but¡­ was that a little crush Madeline sensed? Oh yeah, she could work with that.
She sighed. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s do it.¡±
Strolling over to Jordyn, she looped an arm around the back of her neck. ¡°Come on, scoop me up.¡±
Maddie could practically hear the nervous swallow through Jordyn¡¯s helmet. ¡°Uh¡­ O-okay.¡±
Not unexpectedly, Jordyn picked her up with ease, holding her in a bridal carry. What was unexpected was the little jump in Madeline¡¯s gut as she did so. It had been a long time since anyone had carried her like that. She tried to ignore how much she liked the feeling.
¡°R-ready?¡± Jordyn stuttered.
Madeline smirked, trying to ignore the slight heat in her ears. ¡°Whenever you are.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Jordyn bent her knees, and all of a sudden they were flying. Maddie yelped, clutching onto Jordyn tighter as her stomach dropped out and wind buffeted her hair. In no time at all, they landed on the rooftop and Jordyn hastily set Madeline down.
Madeline watched as Jordyn walked over to the edge of the building and sat down, her legs hanging off the side. She craned her neck around to look back at Maddie, and patted the space beside her.
Well, at least the view was nice. Madeline joined her and sat down, looking out over the city.
¡°This is what I like to do when I get some down time,¡± Jordyn said.
¡°That¡¯s cool,¡± Madeline replied.
A short silence reigned between them, until Jordyn finally spoke again. ¡°So¡­ What did you want to talk about?¡±
Okay, go time. Madeline put on her best bashful look, glancing down at the street below them. ¡°Well, I was wondering if¡­ maybe you¡¯d like to join the Heroes¡¯ Union?¡±
Jordyn cocked her head to the side. ¡°Why would I do that?¡±
¡°I know you do pretty different work than most Union heroes, but there are still a ton of benefits for you. We provide free food and lodging, training areas, medical care, a guaranteed minimum-wage salary with bonuses for when you help out with monster attacks and other disasters. Like I said, I know monster attacks aren¡¯t really your M.O., but we could easily hook our analysis systems up to a police scanner so that you can find crimes easier. And all that¡¯s not to mention the biggest bonus of the Union: you get to hang out with other heroes! People who actually¡­ get what it¡¯s like, y¡¯know? They understand the struggle of trying to manage your powers, and might even be able to teach you a thing or two on how to utilise them. Viv wasn¡¯t always a master teleporter, believe it or not. I can¡¯t even count the number of times she popped back into HQ totally covered in sea water because she accidentally thought about the ocean too hard, way back when she first joined.¡±
Eugh. God, that made her feel like a door-to-door saleswoman. Thankfully, it seemed to get through to her somewhat.
Jordyn hesitated. ¡°It¡­ would be nice to get to hang around other heroes, I guess. But¡­ What did you mean by minimum-wage salary? I don¡¯t know what that-¡±
Jordyn paused, touching the side of her helmet. ¡°Sorry sir, could you repeat that? Oh. Okay. Understood.¡± She turned back to Madeline. ¡°Sorry, something¡¯s come up. I have to go.¡±
Was she about to say what Madeline thought she was? That Jordyn didn¡¯t know what a salary was? Yeah, if she were de Vygon, she¡¯d cut her off too. What on earth did he do to her to make her so clueless about the world?
¡°Wait, just¡­ just think about it, okay?¡± Madeline asked. ¡°Ask your boss. I promise you won¡¯t regret it!¡±
Jordyn nodded. ¡°Okay, I will.¡±
With that, Jordyn jumped away, leaping from building to building faster than Madeline could track.
She left her on the roof.
Maddie sighed. ¡°I wish you weren¡¯t so clueless. That way I wouldn¡¯t feel bad about calling you an asshole!¡±
Great. Now to find a way down.
¡ª
Finally, with the help of the fire escape and a teensy bit of property damage (wedging icicles into the brickwork), Madeline was able to get back to street level and make it to the Union HQ. She knocked on the door to Ashley¡¯s office before entering. He was inside, at his computer, and looked up at her approach.
¡°Hey, Madds. What¡¯s up?¡±
¡°Got some news about the whole ¡®Jordyn¡¯ problem. I ran into her a little while ago, and¡­ Yeah, she was not doing good. Girl was crying to herself in the back of an alley.¡±
Ash leaned back in his chair. ¡°What about?¡±
Madeline shrugged. ¡°I dunno. Didn¡¯t ask. But, dude, she¡¯s got a fucking barcode on the back of her neck. And a tattoo that says she¡¯s the property of precinct 23.¡±
Ashley let out a long exhale. ¡°Shit. Did you manage to ask her about the Union?¡±
Maddie nodded. ¡°Yeah. Dunno if it¡¯ll stick, though. De Vygon was definitely listening in to the conversation. She tried to ask me what a salary was, and he cut her off.¡±
¡°Rat bastard,¡± Ash muttered. He sighed again. ¡°Well, I suppose we¡¯ve done what we can. Now we just have to wait and see about the results.¡±
Madeline hummed. It really didn¡¯t feel like enough. But¡­ What more could they do?
The air popped, and Vivienne suddenly materialised in the room, glancing around to reacclimate with her surroundings. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot.
¡°Woah, Viv, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Madeline asked. Ashley stood up, clearly alarmed as well.
She shook her head, sniffling. ¡°I¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ fuck. Something really bad happened.¡±
Maddie opened her arms in an invitation, and Viv fell right into the embrace, sobbing against her chest.
¡°Shh, hey, it¡¯s okay. You¡¯re safe,¡± Madeline whispered, holding Viv tightly. ¡°Can you tell us what happened?¡±
It took a bit, but Viv eventually pulled herself together enough to step away from Madeline and speak.
¡°I-it¡¯s my uncle. I¡­ I told him about our plan to help Jordyn because¡­ I don¡¯t know, because I wanted to do more. It didn¡¯t feel like enough. S-so, we made a plan together, to sneak into that facility under the precinct to try and get some incriminating evidence on de Vygon.¡±
¡°Oh god, please tell me you didn¡¯t go through with it.¡± Ash whined.
Viv¡¯s throat bobbed up and down as she swallowed. ¡°I didn¡¯t get the chance. Steve went without me, b-because he thought it would be too dangerous and he didn¡¯t want me to get hurt. He actually found a lot of really incriminating stuff, but¡­ de Vygon wasn¡¯t far behind him.¡±
Madeline clenched her fists. ¡°Is he¡­?¡±
Viv took a deep breath. ¡°He¡¯s alive, just about. Stuck in hospital, though. De Vygon sent someone to his apartment that beat the hell out of him. I¡­ I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s gonna do after he gets out. The doctors don¡¯t think he¡¯ll ever walk on his own again, a-and he can forget about going back to work under de Vygon.¡±
Ashley walked up and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, Vivienne. I¡¯m not sure how much we¡¯ll be able to help him, but we can at least give him a place to stay while he recovers. We can even see about a job, maybe.¡±
Viv nodded, wiping her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll let him know. Thank you, Ash.¡±
¡°You said he found some incriminating evidence,¡± Madeline said. ¡°Do you know what?¡±
¡°Yeah, and you¡¯re not gonna believe it.¡± Vivienne reached into her pocket and pulled out a USB. ¡°It¡¯s all right here.¡±
Ash took the USB, examining it as if its outsides would hold a prelude to the data within. ¡°Well, let¡¯s check it out, then.¡±
¡ª
¡°...I don¡¯t even know what to make of any of this,¡± Ash said. Madeline was right there with him.
There was something viscerally upsetting about the tone of the notes, glossing over these major human rights violations as though they were mere steps in a science experiment. Subdued panic stung the back of her throat, though she didn¡¯t fully know why. Something about this ¡®Source¡¯ that kept coming up unsettled her, as did the fact that G-2 was asking to see her wife. She just¡­ couldn¡¯t put her finger on it.
¡°Turns out you were right about the test-tube baby thing,¡± Vivienne said. ¡°From the sounds of it, de Vygon grew Jordyn and her sisters all the way to adulthood before letting them out.¡±
¡°How is it even possible?¡± Madeline muttered.
¡°The real question is, what do we do with this information?¡± Ash asked. ¡°Who¡¯s gonna believe this if we try to release it? It¡¯s so perfectly vague that it almost seems intentional. No court on earth would convict with just this document.¡±
¡°It¡¯s a start, isn¡¯t it?¡± Viv pleaded. ¡°I know it¡¯s not gonna actually do anything on its own, but maybe if we showed it to the right people, it could be enough to start an investigation?¡±
Ashley sighed. ¡°There¡¯s really no way to tell. I¡¯ll look into some stuff, see if there actually is any way we could use this. It¡¯s good to have just for reference, at least. It gives us a bit more understanding about Jordyn¡¯s experiences, which could be helpful in getting her to trust us.¡±
¡°I managed to ask her about joining the Union,¡± Maddie explained to Viv. ¡°We¡¯ll see how it pans out.¡±
Viv slumped down onto one of the chairs. ¡°It¡¯s something, I guess. Ugh, everything just sucks.¡±
Madeline gently nudged her foot. ¡°Wanna get your mind off it? Go have a few drinks?¡±
¡°Ordinarily, I would say no to that for your sake. Today, though¡­ I¡¯m more than down. I can¡¯t stay for too long, though. I¡¯ve gotta get back to Uncle Steve.¡±
¡°Hey, I only said a few,¡± Madeline teased.
¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that, Maddie.¡±
¡°Yeah, that¡¯s cool, just talk about it in front of me,¡± Ash joked.
Madeline huffed a laugh. ¡°No one said you¡¯re not invited, dude. Come on, we all need a break.¡±
He grinned tiredly. ¡°You¡¯re a bad influence, you know that? But¡­ sure, why not?¡±
¡ª
I arrived back at the facility at the usual time, heading down the elevator towards home. My mind was elsewhere, however. Far, far away, back at the encounter I¡¯d had with Madeline Garcia-Holmes.
I¡¯d been in the midst of another episode of¡­ remembering what I did to Steven Matthews. Rather than letting my distraction cause me to risk making a mistake, I found a quiet, secluded place to take off my helmet and just let everything out for a few minutes. Only, clearly it wasn¡¯t as secluded as I¡¯d hoped.
Seeing Madeline again was certainly a shock. Just like last time, the sight of her sent my heart-rate skyrocketing, and I had no idea why. It wasn¡¯t like with Vivienne, where I knew she was someone I could let my guard down around. She just¡­ looked really pretty, I guessed. I didn¡¯t know how else to describe it. Getting to carry her was also an experience I definitely wouldn¡¯t forget any time soon.
But her offer¡­ joining the Heroes¡¯ Union? I¡¯d never considered it before, but it made sense, right? I was a hero, so why shouldn¡¯t I also work with the other heroes on top of my police duties? Only, Father wouldn¡¯t like it. I¡¯d heard him bad-mouthing the Union too many times for him to possibly approve. He definitely knew more than me when it came to them, but¡­ surely they couldn¡¯t be that bad? Madeline, Vivienne, and Brianna were all really nice, and the rest of the heroes probably were, too. It would be nice having people to relate to, in any case. No regular citizen would understand the difficulty of all the training and punishments we had to go through to get to be heroes.
I shuddered, remembering the feeling of a whip ripping the skin from my back. The thought that Vivienne or Madeline might have had to deal with that too was upsetting. At least they would¡­ understand the struggle. It was a small comfort.
I shouldn¡¯t get my hopes up. Father probably wouldn¡¯t agree, anyway.
The elevator doors opened and I stepped out, making my way to his facility office and knocking before entering.
¡°Seven,¡± he said, looking up from his work.
I nodded to him. ¡°Father.¡±
¡°I assume you¡¯re here about Mrs. Garcia-Holmes¡¯ request?¡±
¡°Yes, sir. I was hoping for your input.¡±
He leaned back in his chair. ¡°I¡¯ve given it a bit of thought. The Union isn¡¯t the sort of place you would thrive to your utmost potential. The quote-unquote heroes it employs can¡¯t hold a candle to the heroism you exhibit every day in your police work. Sure, they may be useful every so often when the Godling creates a monster or a disaster strikes the city, but those events are few and far between, and in the meantime, they do nothing but soak up taxpayer money. They¡¯re freeloaders, prancing around doing nothing ninety percent of the time and sullying the title of ¡®hero.¡¯ Don¡¯t get me started on their leader, Ashley Min. He doesn¡¯t even have a power, yet he leeches off of taxpayer funds all the same, managing his little cabaret of fools and pretending like he actually has a use in our society. Hear me well, Jordyn. If the de Vygons ¨C if our family still ran the Union, it would be unrecognisable from the farce it is today.¡±
There he went again. I really did my best to listen, but most of it just went over my head. What even was a ¡®taxpayer?¡¯
¡°...that being said,¡± he continued. ¡°I believe this is an opportunity we can¡¯t pass up.¡±
I froze. That wasn¡¯t what I was expecting. ¡°Sir?¡±
Father smiled.
¡°I have a job for you, Jordyn.¡± Welcome To The Heroes Union
¡°Hey, Seven. Good morning. It¡¯s good to have you here.¡±
The man in front of me held out his hand in greeting. I¡¯d seen people do this; I knew what to do. I¡¯d just¡­ never had to do it myself before. Today was full of new experiences.
¡°Uhm, hi,¡± I replied, shaking his hand.
We were in a small office somewhere inside the Heroes¡¯ Union building. Father had set everything up, so all I had to do was walk into the building at the right time, follow the directions I¡¯d been given, and walk into this room. Apparently, after that, I¡¯d be a member of the Heroes¡¯ Union. It seemed a lot easier than I¡¯d thought it¡¯d be.
Yes, against all odds, Father had agreed to let me join the Union. As usual, his agreement wasn¡¯t without its many terms and conditions, though¡­
¡°I¡¯m Ashley Min, one of the co-leaders of the Union. If you can take a seat, we¡¯re just gonna do a little entrance interview so I can get some of your info,¡± the man, Ashley, said with a warm smile.
¡°O-okay,¡± I replied, sitting on the chair across from him. I would be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t a little nervous for this. Was there gonna be a test? What if I failed? Father actually wanted me to join the Union, so it wouldn¡¯t just be Madeline and myself I was disappointing if I messed this up. There were real consequences.
Ashley picked up a little notepad and a pencil. ¡°First off, can I get your full name?¡±
¡°Jordyn de Vygon.¡±
¡°De Vygon, huh?¡± he muttered. ¡°You¡¯re Andreas¡¯ daughter, right? Gonna be honest, I didn¡¯t even know he had one until recently.¡±
¡­That was odd. Wasn¡¯t I still a superhero before the accident that cost me my memories? Surely people would¡¯ve known who I was back then, right?
This was definitely one of those things Maggie would want me to question. It was also one of those things Father would want me to just not think about. For now, it was best to just play it safe and ignore it.
¡°Uh, yep! That¡¯s me.¡±
Ashley grinned. ¡°You know, that means we¡¯re related. In a ¡®3rd cousins¡¯ sort of way, anyway. My great-grandpa was your great-grandpa¡¯s brother.¡±
I didn''t know what a ¡®grandpa¡¯ was, or what made it so great, so I just nodded along. ¡°Okay.¡±
Ashley paused for a second, then muttered something under his breath, looking back down at the pad. ¡°Right¡­ Could I get your date of birth?¡±
Oh boy. Another thing I didn¡¯t know about. ¡°Uh, sorry, what is that?¡±
Ashley blinked, looking back up at me. ¡°Your date of birth. The day you were born. ¡­Your birthday?¡±
Maybe honesty was the best policy in this situation. ¡°I, um¡­ It would probably be good for you to know this, but¡­ I have some memory issues. I was in an accident a little while ago and just¡­ lost everything from before. There¡¯s a lot I¡¯m still¡­ catching up on.¡±
Ashley sighed, a distinct look of sadness in his eyes. Or was that¡­ pity? ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that, Jordyn. I take it your date of birth is one of those things you¡¯re still catching up on?¡±
I nodded sheepishly. ¡°Y-yeah.¡±
Ashley nodded back. ¡°I¡¯ll just ask Andreas, then. I¡¯ll do the same in regards to your bank details for your salary.¡±
All I could do was stare back blankly. ¡°Uh, sure.¡±
¡°Well, since we don¡¯t have to worry about any of that, I suppose the only thing left is your preferred pronouns.¡±
¡°Uh¡­¡±
Ashley sucked in a breath. ¡°You don¡¯t know about those either. Makes sense. Basically, it¡¯s just how you like to be referred to. People call me ¡®he¡¯ and ¡®him,¡¯ y¡¯know? It¡¯s optional, you don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t want to. Most people will just assume in that case.¡±
¡°...You can pick those?¡±
Ashley shrugged. ¡°Sure, why not? They¡¯re just words.¡±
That¡­ made a lot of sense. ¡°Uhm¡­ just the girl ones, I guess?¡±
Ashley chuckled, copying it down. ¡°Sure. Well, that should be about it. Once I get your other details from Andreas, I¡¯ll be able to register you as an official member of the Tombguard Heroes¡¯ Union! Until then, we¡¯ll just pretend like everything¡¯s already sorted. We¡¯ve got our monthly team meeting coming up, so you can sit in on that and we¡¯ll get you up to speed.¡±
I nodded. ¡°Alright. When will that be?¡±
¡°This afternoon. I know you have police things to do, so I won¡¯t keep you any longer. Just meet me in the lobby at 2:30 and I¡¯ll show you to the conference room.¡±
¡°Yes sir,¡± I replied, standing up.
Ashley looked a little shocked. ¡°O-oh, uh, we don¡¯t do that here. Just Ashley¡¯s fine.¡±
What kind of superior didn¡¯t want to be referred to with respect? I could only imagine what Father would do to me if I called him by his first name. ¡°Uh¡­ right. Sorry.¡±
He smiled. ¡°It¡¯s alright. See you later?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
With that, I turned and left the room, with more than a little anxiety roiling around in my gut. Boy, this place was weird.
¡ª
Two days before¡­
¡°I have a job for you, Jordyn.¡±
I cocked my head to the side. ¡°Sir?¡±
¡°The way the Union is being run currently, it¡¯s nothing more than a leech on city resources. Eventually, it¡¯s going to reach a point of singularity and collapse, and then we won¡¯t have access to heroes when we truly, actually need them; for monster attacks. What it needs is an overhaul. New management, as it were. And I believe I am the perfect man for the job.¡±
With leadership skills like his, I couldn¡¯t see why not. He continued.
¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯ll come in, Jordyn. I need someone on the inside to help facilitate my takeover. They¡¯ve invited you to join, so no one will raise any eyebrows if you suddenly take a break from your police duties for this. I need you to gain their utmost trust. Worm your way into their hearts until they allow you to see them at their most vulnerable. Then, we strike.¡±
The thought of doing that to Vivienne and Madeline rankled, but not as much as the daunting prospect of actually having to undertake such a task. I wouldn¡¯t even know where to start. ¡°Uh, F-father, I¡­ I¡¯m not sure I can do that.¡±
He smiled, though it didn¡¯t quite reach his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be there to guide you along every step of the way.¡±
¡ª
And so, I found myself returning to the Union HQ at 2:30, ready to attend my first meeting there. Ashley met me in the lobby just as he¡¯d promised, and led me through the building towards the conference room.
¡°How are you feeling?¡± he asked. ¡°Nervous?¡±
¡°A bit,¡± I replied. ¡°How many other heroes are there?¡±
¡°Well, in total we have about 15 on our roster, but most of them aren¡¯t very active in the Union outside of the big emergencies, so you probably won¡¯t run into them a lot. If you spend time around the place, you¡¯ll probably mostly be seeing Madeline and myself. Vivienne pops by pretty often, too. You¡¯ve met Brianna, right?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°Well, she lives here in our dorms, so you¡¯ll probably see her a lot, too.¡±
The thought brightened me up a bit. I hadn¡¯t seen her since the shooting, where she held my hand and whispered comfort in my ear as Vivienne did her best to patch me up. It would be nice to talk again. Something in my gut tingled at the thought.
It wasn¡¯t much farther until we reached the conference room. Ashley opened the door for me and we both stepped in.
The space was huge, dominated mostly by a large table at which sat over a dozen people, most of whom I didn¡¯t recognise. Madeline sat near the head, with Vivienne next her, and Brianna a little further down. On the right-side wall from the entrance was a huge TV screen, displaying what looked like a map of the city. I clenched my fists, trying to keep a damper on my nerves.
Ashley patted me on the back. ¡°Just take a seat wherever, okay?¡±
I nodded. ¡°Right.¡±
He made his way to the head of the table as I searched for an open spot. Thankfully, there was one right next to Brianna, so I sat down there. Vivienne smiled and waved at me, mouthing something I couldn¡¯t quite make out.
Screams. The sound of bones cracking under my boot. Blood being spat out through split lips.
I bit my tongue, trying not to vomit, and averted my eyes. I could just make out Vivienne pouting at my lack of reaction out of the corner of my vision, and the guilt only worsened. But¡­ how the hell was I supposed to face her after what I did to her uncle?
Brianna leaned over to me. ¡°That¡¯s Seven, right?¡± she whispered.
Oh yeah, Brianna was blind, wasn¡¯t she? I was thankful to Mr. Sadler for explaining to me what that meant after our first encounter, otherwise I might have been confused at her question.
¡°Yeah,¡± I replied.
She grinned wide. ¡°Hey! It¡¯s been a little while, huh? How¡¯ve you been? Heal up from that bullet alright?¡±
In truth, my chest still hurt sometimes when I exerted myself, but it was nothing I wasn¡¯t already used to from my back. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m all better.¡±
¡°That¡¯s good to hear! So, I heard we were getting a new member. That¡¯s you, I take it?¡±
¡°Uh, it¡¯s not solidified yet, but¡­ yeah, that¡¯s me.¡±
¡°Awesome. It¡¯ll be good to have you around.¡±
Would it really? I didn¡¯t realise I was so sought after. The thought made a warm, giddy feeling rise up in my gut, though it was dampened by the memory of what I was here to do.
Ashley finished setting up and cleared his throat. ¡°Thanks everyone for coming. It¡¯s good to see you all again.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Everyone at the table mumbled out a return to his greeting. I noticed most of them were just in casual-wear, no hero costumes in sight. As if I needed another reason to stick out¡­
¡°So, it¡¯s been a pretty uneventful month overall, which I think we should be grateful for in this city. We had that one incident with the Godling changing that fire hydrant, but Rishta sorted that out before we could even get any reports. Good work, you¡¯ll be seeing a bonus on your pay.¡± Ashley smiled at this ¡®Rishta¡¯ person, before turning back to the table at large, a more serious expression on his face. ¡°More importantly, that means that the Godling is likely charging up Its energy for something big. I need everybody to be at the ready for this next month, at least until we get another attack. The last thing we want is for a repeat of five years ago to happen, and none of us are ready for it.¡±
What happened five years ago? The urge to ask was strong, but I held my tongue. I really didn¡¯t want to draw any more attention to myself than necessary. From the way that Madeline and Vivienne both looked down when he mentioned it, it must¡¯ve been something bad.
¡°On a lighter note,¡± Ashley continued, ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve all noticed by now, but today we¡¯re welcoming a new hero into our ranks.¡±
Oh boy.
He indicated over to me and I did my best to resist the urge to sink into my seat. ¡°You probably know Jordyn here best for her work with our city¡¯s police force, but from today onwards, she¡¯ll also be contributing her considerable skill towards the protection of our city from more¡­ monstrous threats. In regards to the elephant in the room, let''s just get this out of the way. I know not everyone here is the biggest fan of the TPD, but let¡¯s keep things civil. Jordyn isn¡¯t here as a cop, she¡¯s here as a hero, and more importantly, a friend. I expect you all to treat her the same as you would treat anyone else.¡±
Some people smiled and mumbled a greeting at me, while others ignored me entirely. This was it, I needed to start making an impression. I needed them to trust me.
I gave a small wave to the room. ¡°Uh, hi everyone. I-it¡¯s good to meet you all. I¡­ I¡¯m looking forward to working togethe- AUH!¡±
Right in the middle of my sentence, some pink, four-legged¡­ thing hopped up into my lap and scared the life out of me. It looked up at me with its slitted-pupil eyes and weird wrinkly face and licked its chops, revealing sharp fangs.
¡°Mrrow.¡±
¡°Wh¡­ what is that?¡± I whispered, trying to lean away from it. It just jumped up, planting its front feet against my chest plate and sniffing at the seams of my armour.
Laughter bounced around the room at the display, much to my embarrassment. No one else seemed to be surprised by the creature, so I supposed it was nothing to be afraid of. Still¡­ A little warning would¡¯ve been nice.
¡°Wow,¡± Ashley said, chuckling. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Muffin be that friendly with someone in a long time.¡±
¡°M-Muffin?¡± I asked.
He nodded to the thing still trying to sniff its way under my armour, trilling and chirping all the while. ¡°The cat. His name¡¯s Muffin.¡±
So that¡¯s what this thing was. I¡¯d heard of cats before, of course, but I¡¯d always thought they¡¯d be¡­ fluffier, based on the descriptions I¡¯d been given. Muffin barely had a single strand of hair on him.
I looked back up. Vivienne was smiling at me, but Madeline appeared absolutely livid. She stood up hard enough that her chair tipped over, and stormed out of the room.
Silence reigned over the space. Ashley cleared his throat. ¡°Well. Uh, unless anyone has anything they¡¯d like to say, I believe that¡¯s all for this month.¡± He paused for a moment, but continued when no one else spoke up. ¡°Alright, then. Meeting adjourned.¡±
With that announcement, most of the people at the table got up and started heading for the entrance. I stayed in my seat, unsure of what to do, especially with the cat still sitting on me.
¡°What happened?¡± Brianna asked in a whisper.
¡°Madeline looked angry, then she got up and left,¡± I replied.
Brianna audibly winced. ¡°Oh, I think I know why.¡±
I cocked my head to the side. ¡°Why?¡±
¡°It¡¯s about Muffin,¡± Vivienne said, approaching from behind Brianna. She reached down and plucked him off my lap, to which he immediately responded by thrashing and yowling until she put him down again. Once free, he slinked off under the table.
It was still hard to look at Vivienne without feeling sick to my stomach, but I did my best. ¡°Wh-what about him?¡±
She sighed. ¡°He was originally adopted and brought into the Union by Madeline¡¯s wife, Rosalyn. We all look after him, but Rosie was the only person that Muffin ever showed much affection to. He¡¯s warmed up a bit to Maddie, but it¡¯s still nothing compared to the love he showed for Rosalyn. She was probably offended that he suddenly jumped up on you like that out of nowhere. Seriously, he¡¯s never done that before to anyone but Rosie.¡±
Rosalyn. That name sounded familiar in a way I couldn¡¯t quite place. It rang through my ears, all the way through my body, and into my bones. It was familiar, in a homey, comforting sort of way.
¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve met her,¡± I said.
Vivienne squeezed her eyes shut for a second. ¡°Yeah, she, uh¡­ She passed away five years ago in a monster attack.¡±
I bit my lip. ¡°Is that common?¡±
She shook her head. ¡°No. That attack was just¡­ a mess.¡± She pulled up a seat next to Brianna and sat down. ¡°It was the worst attack we¡¯d ever seen. An entire city block was transformed into raging flesh in an instant. The death toll was immense. The entire Union fought for literally the whole day, trying to get people out and minimise the damage. I was there too, teleporting around, taking people to hospital, helping the front-liners stay out of harm¡¯s way, delivering supplies¡­ I couldn¡¯t tell you how many times I had to stop to throw up from the disorientation. It was the same for all of us. We were exhausted and beaten. I¡­ I was only 19, for fuck¡¯s sake.¡±
Her face was sunken and drawn in a way I¡¯d never seen before. She continued. ¡°I saw the moment it happened, and I couldn¡¯t do anything to stop it. Rosie was fighting her heart out, blasting the monster with fire so hot she was burning her hands. And then she just¡­ stumbled. I guess the exhaustion must have caught up to her. The monster took its chance. A tentacle rose up behind her and¡­ stabbed straight through her chest. She was dead before she even hit the ground. Maybe¡­ maybe if I hadn¡¯t been so out of it myself, I could¡¯ve saved her. But it just happened so damn fast. One second she was standing there just fine, and the next, she was gone. She was the only Union hero who didn¡¯t make it.¡±
I didn¡¯t know how to respond, but Vivienne¡¯s words instilled a dread in my heart that I couldn¡¯t put to words. The only time I remembered feeling similar was when I saw a monster for the first time myself, on that first day out of the facility.
¡°I was lucky enough to not have to fight,¡± Brianna said. ¡°But I was part of the rescue efforts, searching through the rubble for any survivors once the monster finally died. I couldn¡¯t see the carnage, but I still remember the stink of death permeating the entire city, and the sounds of trapped people screaming for help. It was a day none of us will ever forget.¡±
¡°Wow, I¡­ I had no idea¡­¡± I muttered.
Brianna chuckled, though there was a sourness to it. ¡°Not sure how. I thought everyone in Tombguard knew. Doubly so for anyone working as a hero.¡±
¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t remember anything past about a year or so ago. I had an accident, apparently, and everything before that¡¯s just gone.¡±
The teasing grin dropped from Brianna¡¯s face. ¡°Damn. I¡¯m sorry.¡±
¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s just the way things are.¡±
There was a short silence, before Vivienne clapped her hands. ¡°Well, would you like me to show you around, Jordyn? We¡¯ve got a pretty nice setup here.¡±
As beneficial as that would probably be for me, I just couldn¡¯t be alone with her right now. Not after everything I did. ¡°N-no thanks. I should get back to patrolling, anyway. The, uh¡­ the police probably need me.¡±
Vivienne frowned. ¡°Okay¡­ if you say so.¡±
With that, I turned and left, practically running out onto the street and ruminating on everything I¡¯d learned.
That big monster attack¡­ Hadn¡¯t Father said that I was injured in a monster attack? Could it have been that one? But, clearly no one else knew who I was, and they were all there that day. Besides, that was five years ago. There was no way I was asleep for all that time. Maybe I was just overthinking things¡­
Still. Rosalyn. I just couldn¡¯t get that name out of my head.
¡ª
Madeline loudly grunted as her fists made contact with the punching bag in the Union gym over and over. After all the effort she put into getting that cat to like her, everything she did for it, it just jumps up on Jordyn the first chance it gets? What the hell. How the fuck was that fair?!
¡°Maddie? Hey, are you alright? You ran off.¡±
She stopped, grabbing the bag and leaning her head on it as she caught her breath. Her fists stung from the force she was hitting the leather with, and her chest hurt from how winded she¡¯d become without even realising. Boy, she really needed to get back into shape.
Madeline turned, finding Ashley looking at her with concern. She sighed. ¡°No, I¡¯m not okay.¡±
¡°This is about Muffin, isn¡¯t it.¡±
It was a little embarrassing when he said it out loud like that, but whatever, sue her. That cat was one of the only things she had left of Rosie. Could anyone blame her for feeling jealous?
¡°Yes, it¡¯s about Muffin,¡± she grunted, walking over to the bench and slumping down. ¡°It just doesn¡¯t make any damn sense that he would go to her like that!¡±
Ashley sat down next to her. ¡°I agree with you. It doesn¡¯t make sense. But, it happened, and you have to accept that. Don¡¯t hold it against her.¡±
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and was surprised to find that underneath the anger, she was legitimately on the verge of tears.
¡°It¡­ it¡¯s just not fair.¡±
He put an arm around her shoulders. ¡°I know. It really isn¡¯t.¡±
She made the most of his comfort, leaning against him and finally letting herself cry. She so desperately wanted to be mad at Jordyn for it ¨C and a large part of her was mad ¨C but the sensible part of her brain fought back against the idea. It wasn¡¯t Jordyn¡¯s fault Muffin liked her, even though it was a complete mystery as to how. Who knew, maybe she just stuffed raw fish into her armour and Muffin was attracted by the smell?
¡°Hey, guys. Everything okay?¡±
Madeline looked up to find Viv. She wiped her eyes, trying to get a hold of herself.
¡°Everything sucks.¡±
Viv huffed a small laugh. ¡°Yeah. Just had to explain to Jordyn what happened five years ago.¡± Her eyes glazed over a bit. ¡°Fun memories.¡±
Madeline groaned, hiding her face in her hands. ¡°Why did we sign up for this again?¡±
¡°Because it¡¯s the right thing to do, or some other nonsense like that,¡± Ashley replied. He sighed. ¡°It¡¯s certainly gonna be an undertaking. Poor girl doesn¡¯t even know her own birthdate, if such a thing even applies, considering she was pulled out of a tube.¡±
¡°I think that says more about de Vygon¡¯s inability to provide her with a cover story than anything else, honestly,¡± Maddie said.
He snorted. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m not going to discount the man¡¯s intelligence, but that was a pretty big oversight on his part. And it¡¯s a pretty big headache for me. Now I¡¯ve got to organise a call with him so I can get all of her ¡®details.¡¯¡± He made air-quotes in time with the last word.
Viv clapped her hands. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, guys. We¡¯ll get through this! It¡¯s gonna be hard at first, sure, but as Jordyn gets more used to being in the Union, things are gonna get easier. She¡¯ll be easier to talk to, and easier to convince that de Vygon¡¯s hurting her. And once she¡¯s finally safe and we can get her official testimony, that¡¯s when we bring de Vygon and his whole group down! We¡¯ve got this!¡±
As much as Madeline was loath to admit it, Viv¡¯s optimism was infectious. She wasn¡¯t going to admit it out loud, though. ¡°If you say so, Viv. I¡¯ll have to take your word for it.¡±
¡ª
¡°With all due respect, sir¡­ Are you sure this is a good idea?¡±
Andreas took a sip of his beer as he watched G-7 prowl the streets of Tombguard through her visor camera. ¡°Trust me, George. I¡¯ve calculated the risks.¡±
George hummed with uncertainty. ¡°Still, you can¡¯t blame me for worrying. Wanting to make it seem like everything is normal to the public is one thing, but actively letting Seven join the Union seems like a step too far. When you want your dog to be obedient, you don¡¯t go letting it play with the pack of strays. Frankly, sir¡­ I just don¡¯t see the point.¡±
¡°It¡¯s all part of the plan, George. We need her to join the Union if we ever want to make a difference in this city.¡±
¡°...I thought the idea was just to revitalise the police?¡±
Andreas sighed. He couldn¡¯t fault George for his ignorance. It was, however, slightly annoying. ¡°What¡¯s the point of just revitalising the police if we don¡¯t fix the other underlying issues plaguing our great city? The Union has been leeching off of taxpayer money for as long as I¡¯ve been alive, yet they provide no value 99% of the time.¡±
¡°But¡­ Isn¡¯t it basically just insurance against monster attacks? If insurance companies can take our money on the off chance something bad happens, why can¡¯t the Union? Hell, we don¡¯t even have to consciously pay for it, it just comes out of our taxes.¡±
¡­Well, George was allowed to think what he wanted. He was just a peon, after all, only good for his science know-how. And that was why scientists never made it far in politics. He should really stick to his petri dishes.
Andreas cleared his throat. ¡°Regardless of your thoughts on the matter, that was always the plan. Why do you think I specifically trained the subjects to be heroes, and not just police officers?¡±
¡°Uh¡­ so that you¡¯d have a good excuse to hide their faces, so it wasn¡¯t immediately obvious they were all-¡±
¡°So that they could join the Union, obviously!¡±
George paused, blinking rapidly for a moment. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath before speaking again. ¡°Well. If that¡¯s your plan, then who am I to stop you? But still, how can you be sure Seven¡¯s interactions with the Union heroes won¡¯t¡­ sully her loyalty? Once she realises that it isn¡¯t normal to be beaten for a minor infraction, don¡¯t you think she¡¯s going to decide that she¡¯s happier there? We¡¯ve had the programming to keep her in line so far, but it can only do so much when faced with outside influence. Aren¡¯t you worried she¡¯ll go down the same route as Five did?¡±
¡°As I¡¯ve said, I¡¯ve calculated the risks. G-7 always needed to join the Union for my plan to work. Yes, she may come into contact with people who may begin to pull her away from my control, but that is a risk I must accept if I want my plan to succeed. Hell, it might even help us. If G-7 begins to trust the Union heroes, they will trust her in turn. Then, all it¡¯ll take is one last nudge.¡±
He smiled as visions of the future washed over him. None of this will matter then. No more posturing and ass-kissing to higher-ranking politicians for funding. No more being part of the lesser family. There would be no one above him anymore.
¡°Uhh¡­ Sorry, but I¡¯m still a little lost-¡±
¡°Go home, Sadler,¡± Andreas interrupted. ¡°Your shift ended five minutes ago.¡±
George sighed, getting up. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±
The mumbling twig of a man shuffled his way out of the surveillance room, leaving Andreas alone to drink his beer and watch his creation do his bidding. Jordyn would only be useful for so much longer. He would say he was sad to know the time of her disposal was drawing nearer, but¡­ well, that would be a lie. The weak little shit was only good for wasting his time and failing to follow his orders. Though, he could admit that he would miss having a punching bag to take things out on at the end of a long day.
Eh, G-7 wasn¡¯t even uniquely good for that. Nothing was stopping him from waking up another subject whenever he needed to. That was the lovely thing about Jordyn and her sisters. They were so perfectly disposable. Culture Shock
¡°Need anything else?¡±
The officer shook his head. ¡°Nah, I think we¡¯re good. Tha-¡±
¡°Hey, get back here!¡±
I turned my head to find one of the suspects I¡¯d just helped apprehend making a run for it. He must have wiggled free from the other officer¡¯s grasp. No biggie. With a little bit of focus, I turned the darkness inside his pant leg solid, and sent a spike of it into the ground. With his hands cuffed behind his back, there was nothing stopping him from faceplanting hard on the asphalt road. Served him right for trying to run. The officer quickly grabbed him and dragged him back over to the cruiser.
The one in front of me cleared his throat. ¡°Right. As I was saying, we should be good from here. Thanks for your help, Seven.¡±
I nodded, ignoring the way the name rankled. That was dangerous. I was starting to get used to being called ¡®Jordyn¡¯ again. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±
Leaping up to a nearby rooftop and perching on the ledge, I stuck around and watched over the scene until the police left, just in case anything else happened, as per usual. By the time everything was done, the sun was starting to set, bathing Tombguard in a beautiful orange light. The season was turning, apparently. Summer had run its course, and now the weather would begin to grow colder. The idea was exciting. I didn¡¯t feel like the outside world would ever lose its novelty after how long I spent in the facility.
I stepped back from the ledge to make sure no one could see me, and pulled my helmet off. Usually, that would be pretty risky, but I knew Father was out of his office right now, and the odds of him checking back over the footage were pretty low. Yes, I was taking a chance with being put back into that dark room and chained to the wall for another eight hours, but¡­ Well, I¡¯d been thinking about Maggie lately, along with everything she told me. Never stop asking questions, and all that.
Why did Father always want me to keep my helmet on? I thought it was to protect my identity, but everyone at the Union knew my identity now. Even if it was just to protect the sight of my face, surely it didn¡¯t matter if no one was around to see it anyway, right? I mean, he let me run through the city without it back when we went to that ¡®party¡¯ thing, so¡­ I felt bad just thinking it, but¡­ it seemed a little arbitrary. Especially when the wind picked up and I got to feel it rushing through what little hair growth I had since I last cut it two weeks ago ¨C another one of my small transgressions, since Father almost never saw me without my helmet anyway.
These were questions I would¡¯ve ordinarily purged from my mind the second they cropped up, but¡­ after what happened with Steve, I¡¯d been letting them sit and working through them in my head. I still didn¡¯t have an answer for why I had to do that to him, and it was making me realise just how much else I didn¡¯t have an answer to. I did what Father wanted because I owed him for saving me, and that wasn¡¯t going to change, but I just wished he wouldn¡¯t keep me in the dark so much. I knew I wasn¡¯t as smart as Maggie seemed to think, but I didn¡¯t think I was as stupid as Father thought, either. I could handle knowing the truth about more stuff.
¡­Well, it was pointless to think about. It wasn¡¯t like I could just ask him to explain it all to me. I would have to work hard with this Union job and show him I could earn it.
Speaking of, I should probably head over there. It had been about two weeks since I first joined, and I¡¯d only visited a handful of times. If I ever wanted to finish this mission, I needed to start sucking up my nerves and actually interact with the Union heroes. It was just¡­ very uncomfortable whenever Vivienne was around. I wanted to spend time with her, but knowing what I did to her uncle, it was still difficult to be in her presence for any length of time.
Well, whether she was there or not, I couldn¡¯t procrastinate forever. Better get moving.
¡ª
I stepped into the Union conference room, looking around for any sign of life. So far, the place seemed empty. Aside from Muffin, of course, who somehow always knew when I¡¯d arrived and was always there to greet me. He pranced up to me, trilling, and I removed one of my gauntlets to pet his weirdly wrinkly head.
¡°Wrinkly little boy,¡± I said. He mewed in agreement, nipping gently at my fingers.
With no one around, I decided I might as well explore the place on my own. To that end, I followed a hallway out of the conference room, taking turns randomly. Muffin came along for a bit, before getting bored and skulking off somewhere else.
Eventually, I came to what appeared to be some sort of gym. Brianna was there, running on one of the treadmills. Her braids were tied back behind her head, swaying back and forth with her movements. It looked like she¡¯d worked up quite a sweat, based on the sheen that had covered her dark skin.
She turned her head towards me slightly, slowing the treadmill down to a walk. ¡°That you, Jordyn?¡±
¡°Yeah. How¡¯d you know?¡± I asked.
She smiled. ¡°The way you walked in. You step like you¡¯re trying not to be heard, but those boots aren¡¯t exactly subtle when they hit the ground.¡±
¡­I did do that, didn¡¯t I? ¡°O-oh. I hadn¡¯t realised. That¡­ That¡¯s a pretty impressive skill.¡±
Brianna shrugged. ¡°Eh. I can¡¯t see people when they approach, so I¡¯ve had to figure out other ways of determining who¡¯s who. Doesn¡¯t work all the time, obviously, but you¡¯re pretty unique, so it¡¯s hard to mix you up with anyone.¡±
Unique, huh? The thought made me feel warm. ¡°What if I didn¡¯t have my armour on, though?¡±
She seemed to ponder on it for a second, then shrugged again. ¡°Then I¡¯d probably be out of luck unless you spoke.¡± She grinned, showing off her teeth. ¡°Why, planning on stripping down?¡±
¡°No, just curious.¡±
Brianna paused, her expression faltering slightly. She then quietly chuckled for some reason, shaking her head. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re funny. Say, do you wanna run with me? I¡¯ve still got a few K¡¯s left before I hit my goal.¡±
It seemed as good an opportunity as any to start ingratiating myself, and I was no stranger to a treadmill. ¡°Sure.¡±
I hopped up on the treadmill next to her, turning it on and slowly increasing the speed until I was at a steady run. For the most part, we remained silent, only focusing on the pounding of our feet and the occasional beep of Brianna¡¯s treadmill announcing her progress every 500 metres or so. It was relaxing in a way training usually wasn¡¯t for me. Probably because for once I couldn¡¯t feel Father¡¯s eyes on my back, watching for every mistake.
¡°You¡¯re keeping a pretty good pace,¡± Brianna said. ¡°Do this often?¡±
¡°Every day,¡± I replied. ¡°It¡¯s usually just a warm up for my daily training regiment. Gotta keep my stamina high, y¡¯know?¡±
¡°Damn, I¡¯ve gotta respect the grind. Though, with the work you do, I guess that¡¯s to be expected. Bet you¡¯ve got a pretty nice physique under that armour though, huh?¡±
¡°Y-yeah, it¡¯s, uh¡­ It¡¯s pretty nice, I guess¡­¡± I muttered, insides swirling. ¡°You¡¯ve got a nice body, too.¡±
It was the truth. I wasn¡¯t sure why, but I had to keep myself from constantly glancing over to her to catch another glimpse of her toned midriff, exposed by her exercise-wear.
Brianna laughed. ¡°Thanks, babe. I work pretty hard for it. You¡¯ll have to show me yours sometime, too.¡±
I frowned. ¡°How would that work if you can¡¯t see?¡±
She grinned again. ¡°I¡¯ve got hands, don¡¯t I? I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to get the picture with those.¡±
I stumbled a bit on the treadmill, almost falling off before righting myself again. ¡°Uh, y-yeah, I guess you would.¡±
¡­Wow, the thought of that felt funny. There was this weird, sparky sort of tingling in my gut, similar to that feeling I got back when I first figured out I could touch my clitoris to feel good, only not quite as strong yet. It made me want to go home and do that right now, actually. Or, alternatively, feel Brianna¡¯s hands on my body and maybe between my legs as well. I wondered what that meant.
We ran in comfortable ¨C yet contemplative, at least in my case ¨C silence until Brianna finished up and reached her goal. She powered down her treadmill and got off, reaching down and picking a red and white cane up off the floor as she did so. I followed suit.
¡°So, you wanna¡­ hit the showers?¡± she asked, enunciating the last part a little weirdly.
¡°No thanks. I usually just shower when I get back home.¡±
Brianna paused for a second, then shrugged. ¡°Alright. Some other time, then. Catch you later, cutie.¡±
She winked at me, before turning and making her way out of the gym, sweeping her cane back and forth in front of herself as she went.
Wow, she was nice. I made a mental note to try and come back here around this time more often, so we could run together again.
Now that I was on my own, I turned back to the gym at large and had a proper look around. The space seemed pretty well-equipped. They obviously had an array of treadmills, but there was also an absolute truckload of other exercise equipment, too. Racks of weights, padded flooring clearly meant for sparring, a small selection of martial arts weaponry on one wall, and in an adjacent room, a big pit in the ground filled with water. That last one confused me a bit, so I ignored it, honing back in on what was familiar: the weaponry.
I picked a b¨­ up off of the wall, examining it. The wood was rough and unfinished, as to be expected, and covered by a slight layer of dust. It was nothing I couldn¡¯t wipe down though, and it had been a while since I got to work with one of these. Might as well make the most of it.
I walked out onto the sparring mat and settled into a comfortable stance, holding the b¨­ in a standard two-handed grip. Taking a breath, I moved through what I remembered of my katas, swinging, thrusting, and spinning the b¨­ around me, in sync with the rhythm of my body. As more came back to me, I began moving through them faster, striking harder, picturing targets in my mind¡¯s eye to take down with my attacks.
Once I¡¯d gone through each remembered kata at least three times, I began improvising, following the learned movements of my b¨­ training and applying them to my own usual fighting style. The b¨­ became an extension of my limbs, lashing out further and with greater power than I¡¯d usually be able to muster on my own. I started flourishing a little, just for fun, spinning the b¨­ around my arms and back as I brought it in for a strike. Then I began incorporating my shadows, using the b¨­ as a conduit to manipulate them to my will.
Despite how hard I was pushing myself to maintain my speed and precision in my practice, I couldn¡¯t remember the last time I¡¯d felt so relaxed. Going through these repetitive yet satisfying movements without Father lurking over my shoulder felt¡­ fun. Almost freeing, in a way. I¡¯d never thought training could be enjoyable, and yet here I was, actually having a good time while working out for a change.
Once I was satisfied, I finished off with one final strike before settling back into a neutral stance, taking a deep breath and letting the tension flow out of my muscles.
A small round of applause from the side of the room startled me. I whirled around to find Vivienne leaning against the wall, clapping her hands along with one other guy I didn¡¯t recognise, who was sitting on the bench next to her.
¡°That was impressive, Jordyn. You¡¯ll have to teach me how to do that someday,¡± she said.
¡°Oh. Uh, thanks,¡± I replied. ¡°When did you get here?¡±
¡°A couple minutes ago. I was actually looking for you. Brea told me you were in here.¡±
The guy stood up, waving. ¡°I¡¯m here too. The name¡¯s Rishta. I was just coming by to do my dailies, but that was some awesome shit you just did there. Where¡¯d you learn?¡±
¡°I had a trainer. I¡¯m a little rusty, though,¡± I answered, then looked at Vivienne. ¡°What did you need?¡±
¡°Oh, I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out. I¡¯ve finished all my studies for today, so I¡¯ve got some time to kill. Do you wanna do anything?¡±
On one hand, this was a great opportunity to start gaining more trust among the higher-up Union members, as Vivienne seemed to be, as well as an opportunity to just to spend more time with her, which a large part of me still really wanted to do. On the other, what happened to Steve still sat heavily at the back of my mind. I couldn¡¯t keep running from her forever, though. I was never going to make up for the pain I¡¯d caused if I just kept hiding from ever having to think about it. If she had gone so far as to actively seek me out, it meant she wanted to see me. It would only hurt her more if I kept turning her down.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
¡°Uh, y-yeah, sure. What did you have in mind?¡±
¡°Hold on,¡± Rishta interrupted. ¡°Before you girls go anywhere; Jordyn, could I spar with you?¡±
Finally, something familiar. This must be a common pastime here. As much as I hated fighting, it was something I could do well. Accepting his offer would be a great way to start making ground on my mission. ¡°Okay.¡±
He clapped his hands. ¡°Great! I¡¯ve been wanting to test your mettle ever since I saw you kick some guy¡¯s ass on the news. I¡¯ve been doing MMA for almost my whole life, but I¡¯ve never seen moves like that. I¡¯d be really interested to hear where you learned your stuff.¡±
Vivienne rolled her eyes with a smirk, sitting down on the bench. ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll ref, then.¡±
Rishta turned to her, hands clasped in apology. ¡°Sorry Viv, just one match. It won¡¯t take that long!¡±
She smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯ll make for some entertainment to see you get put on your ass at least.¡±
¡°Damn. Confident in Jordyn, aren¡¯t you?¡±
¡°Jordyn is a highly trained special forces police officer. You are an admittedly pretty good martial artist. While I do think you have a chance, Jordyn¡¯s got you beat in the experience department by a mile.¡±
¡°Okay, I¡¯ll concede that,¡± Rishta said. ¡°Either way, win or lose, I just wanna see how I fair. So, ref, what are the rules?¡±
Vivienne seemed to think for a second before deciding. ¡°One round, either a ten second pin or a tap-out. No power use. Also, Jordyn? You¡¯ve gotta take your armour off, otherwise it isn¡¯t fair.¡±
I cocked my head to the side. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±
Rishta snorted. ¡°Uh, because if you hit me with those metal fists you¡¯re liable to take teeth out? And also, how am I meant to land a hit if I might break my wrist with a solid punch?¡±
That was¡­ pretty reasonable, actually. There was a reason most of my trainers used special equipment when I was fighting them in my armour.
¡°Okay, but¡­ I¡¯m not allowed to let people see my face.¡±
¡°You can use your powers to cover it up, but only for that,¡± Vivienne said. ¡°Like that night we ran into each other, remember?¡±
I nodded. ¡°Yeah, alright.¡±
There was a chance Father would be mad at me for doing this, but¡­ technically, I was still following all of his rules, right? Yes, he wanted me to keep my armour on at all times outside of my quarters, but if they still couldn¡¯t see my face, what did it really matter? If he wanted me to gain their trust, I was gonna have to take some risks.
Step by step, I peeled my armour off, piling it on the floor. I summoned a cloud of shadows around my face before pulling off my helmet, and left it with the rest.
Rishta whistled. ¡°Damn, girl. You are built.¡±
I didn¡¯t know what that meant. Glancing at Vivienne heeded no clues, either. She was too busy looking at my arms, for whatever reason.
¡°Uh, sorry?¡±
Vivienne stood up, walking over. ¡°He means you¡¯re muscular. Seriously though, you have some nice arms.¡± She reached out, but stopped before she could make contact. ¡°Can I feel?¡±
Most of the time, when people needed to touch me, they just did it. It was weird for her to ask, but oddly, it actually made me feel better about saying yes. I nodded, holding my arm out to her.
She placed a cold hand on my bicep, gently squeezing, before running her fingers up to my shoulder. I was only dressed in a tanktop and my underwear, so she had a lot of space to explore.
¡°What¡¯s this scar here?¡± she asked, tracing over an indent on the front of my shoulder.
¡°A criminal¡¯s knife got through my armour. It was a long time ago, though.¡±
Vivienne paused, stepping back with an odd look on her face. ¡°Right¡­¡±
Rishta cleared his throat. ¡°Are we gonna spar? Or do I need to give you two some space together?¡±
Vivienne¡¯s face turned a fascinating shade of pink. She whirled around to Rishta, pointing an accusatory finger at him. ¡°That¡¯s enough out of you.¡±
¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± I said.
¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this,¡± he replied, walking into the sparring ring. I followed behind him and settled into a fighting stance on the opposite side.
¡°Are you both good to go?¡± Vivienne asked from the sidelines.
¡°Yup,¡± Rishta replied.
¡°Yes,¡± I said.
¡°Alright. Remember, you win by either pinning the other person for ten seconds, or getting them to tap out. No power usage. Just a clean and friendly match. Alright, fight!¡±
I inched towards Rishta, keeping a close eye on his movements as he did the same. Due to my lack of coverage, I was at a slight disadvantage; any twitch in my muscles to indicate my thoughts would be that much more visible, and I couldn¡¯t read his thanks to his baggy clothing. I would just have to trust in my own reflexes.
We reached contact distance and Rishta didn¡¯t waste any time, throwing out a few clear jabs to test me. I batted them away with ease, and returned with a few of my own. He ducked out of the way of one, but the second grazed his ear. He flinched, jumping back out of my range.
¡°Okay,¡± he muttered. ¡°Faster than I thought. That¡¯s fine.¡±
Why he was wasting time talking to himself, I didn¡¯t know. I would, however, be taking advantage of it. I darted forward, aiming to sink a fist into his solar plexus before he could react. His reaction speed was pretty good though, as he noticed just in time and moved to block the hit. My fist was redirected, but I still landed a glancing blow on his ribs that would succeed in winding him a bit all the same.
I didn¡¯t let up, aiming high this time. He blocked a hook directed at his jaw and grabbed my arm, clearly aiming to throw me as he spun into my centre. I moved with the throw, flipping over in the air to land back on my feet, and used my momentum to land a solid kick to his side. Rishta gasped, letting go of me and backing up.
¡°F-fuck, Jordyn. You¡¯re-¡±
Apparently, he hadn¡¯t learned his lesson. I just wanted to get this over with, so I moved in for the kill, returning his attempt at a throw by slipping my leg behind his and flipping him over my hip. He slammed back-first onto the mat and I wasted no time, grabbing his arm and pulling it between my legs as I wrapped them around his throat and waist, trapping him in an armbar. Then, I dropped to my back, squeezed my legs, and pulled with all my strength, pushing my hips up at the same time.
Rishta screamed as the pressure mounted, and it wasn¡¯t long before the tell-tale pop of his shoulder leaving his socket reached my ears. This fight was over.
I released his arm and rolled back up to my feet. Rishta remained on the floor, catching his breath and groaning.
¡°What the fuck was that?!¡±
I looked up to find Vivienne staring at me, a horrified expression on her face. ¡°What did you do?!¡±
¡°I dislocated his shoulder,¡± I replied. Why did she look so bothered?
Vivienne¡¯s face didn¡¯t change. ¡°Why?!¡±
I frowned. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t understand. What¡¯s wrong?¡±
¡°J-Jordyn,¡± Rishta called from the floor, voice shaking. ¡°While that was a s-seriously impressive armbar, I¡­ I think she wants to know¡­ wh-why you felt the need to dislocate my FUCKING shoulder!¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t¡­ Isn¡¯t that normally how sparring matches go?¡± I asked, starting to get the distinct feeling I¡¯d done something very, very wrong. ¡°I dislocate my shoulders at least once a week in training.¡±
Vivienne¡¯s face finally shifted, all the way from horror to pity. ¡°Oh, Jordyn¡­ No, that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s not normal. You shouldn¡¯t be dislocating anything at all ever. I¡¯m shocked you can even move your arms at this point if it¡¯s happening so frequently.¡±
I looked down at Rishta, his face contorted in pain. Pain that I caused. I just couldn¡¯t stop hurting people, could I? ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t understand.¡±
What did ¡®not normal¡¯ even mean? This was just the way it had always been. I trained, and if I wasn¡¯t good enough, I was hurt. My shoulders came out easier and easier the more it happened, but that was just what I deserved for failing to meet Father¡¯s expectations. Was that¡­ not how it was done in the Heroes¡¯ Union? Was Father hurting me for no reason? No, definitely not. I never would have become as strong as I am if he didn¡¯t train me like he did. But¡­ If all of these heroes could do their jobs without needing to go through that training¡­
Vivienne kneeled down, helping Rishta to his feet. ¡°We¡¯ll talk more about this later, Jordyn. Right now, I need to get him to urgent care.¡±
No. No, I caused this pain, but I knew how to fix it, too. I needed to fix it.
¡°W-wait, I know how to put it back in. P-please, let me help.¡±
Vivienne looked at me appraisingly, and then at Rishta. ¡°Are you okay with that?¡± she asked.
¡°If she¡¯s really dislocated her sh- shit-¡± he paused, wincing for a second, ¡°shoulders as much as she says she has, I¡¯m sure she knows what she¡¯s doing. Let her have a go.¡±
Vivienne nodded, gently laying him back down. I kneeled down next to him, hands shaking, throat clogged with the need to cry. Now wasn¡¯t the time for that, so I forced it back.
¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know. I- I just thought this was how it was.¡±
¡°It¡¯s cool, Jordyn. You don¡¯t get very far as a martial artist if you hold a grudge every time someone puts you on your ass. If you wanna make it up to me, you can teach me how you did that flippy thing when I tried to throw you. Also, find a new trainer. Yours sounds like an asshole. Maybe a therapist, too.¡±
I grunted noncommittally. As if Father would ever let me choose my trainers. Also, I didn¡¯t know what a therapist was, so it was hard to agree to that, as well.
Step by step, I walked him through the process of getting his shoulder back into place. He cried out a bit louder than expected when it popped back in, but succeeded nonetheless.
¡°Shit, that was intense,¡± Rishta muttered, still catching his breath, tears visibly pricking his eyelids.
¡°Feel better?¡± Vivienne asked.
¡°Yeah,¡± he replied.
¡°Do you have a sling you could use? Standard procedure with shoulder dislocations is to give the joint a rest for a week. If not, I could get one for you.¡±
¡°Thanks, Viv. That¡¯d be great.¡±
¡°And you,¡± she said, rounding on me, poking me in the chest. ¡°Rest your shoulders before you lose use of them entirely. You¡¯re gonna give yourself arthritis.¡±
I blinked. ¡°Huh?¡±
Vivienne sighed. ¡°Do your shoulders hurt?¡±
I frowned. ¡°Yeah. All the time. Don¡¯t everyone¡¯s?¡±
¡°Jordyn.¡± Her voice turned soft. ¡°Most people aren¡¯t in any pain at all. Your shoulders hurt because they¡¯ve been constantly abused. Every time you dislocate them, the muscles and tendons are stretched far beyond what they¡¯re made for. Even when you set the joint back in, the damage stays, and it takes time, and more importantly, rest, to recover. Even with the rest, your joint becomes weaker. I¡¯m not a doctor, but I am in medical school, and honestly? I think at this point the only way you¡¯re going to ever fully recover is through major surgery.¡±
¡°Oh.¡± That was¡­ a lot to take in. There was no way that was correct, though. Father wouldn¡¯t let me continue to injure myself if it would affect my performance in the long run, right? My performance was practically all he cared about.
¡°I know that must be pretty daunting, but don¡¯t worry too much, okay?¡± Vivienne put a hand on my shoulder and I felt it dig straight into my heart. The tears started forcing their way back up my throat, despite my best efforts. ¡°The Union is here for you. You¡¯re never alone when you¡¯re with us.¡±
This was too much. I needed to get out of here. I¡¯d done my part for the day and now I needed to go.
I moved past Vivienne towards where my armour was, and began re-equipping it as fast as I could. Neither of them spoke a word or tried to stop me, and once everything was back where it should be, I all-but ran out of the room and out of the building, jumping up to the rooftops to hide.
Maybe one day I¡¯d be able to have a normal interaction with Vivienne without feeling more emotions than I thought possible, but today wasn¡¯t that day. So much was running through my head, and I didn¡¯t know what to do with any of it. Once again, that advice from Maggie rang through my ears. Father was hurting me unnecessarily, and I couldn¡¯t understand why. More importantly, how the hell was I supposed to unravel all of this when barely getting through the day took so much brain power already?
Vivienne said the Union would be there for me when I needed them. But would they be there for this?
¡ª
¡°No, no, no, no, no, no- Aw, come on!¡± Vivienne grumbled, throwing the controller down on the bed.
¡°Did you die again?¡± Brea asked.
¡°Shut up.¡±
¡°Have you tried turning the difficulty down?¡±
¡°Brianna, I swear to god.¡±
Brianna giggled, sinking back against the pillows. ¡°I¡¯m just sayin¡¯. Listening to you die over and over again is starting to get boring.¡±
¡°Why don¡¯t you try it, then?¡± Viv teased, though she knew it was a bit of a low blow.
¡°Ooh, you¡¯re so funny, Viv.¡±
Vivienne grunted. In truth, she wasn¡¯t all that invested in the game. The earlier events of the day were still taking up far too many of her thoughts for that. Rishta would be fine after a week or so, of course, and he was a remarkably good sport about the whole incident. No, he wasn¡¯t the issue. The issue was that Jordyn had once again inadvertently revealed something about her life that she deemed innocuous, but was actually horrifying, and now Vivienne couldn¡¯t stop thinking about it. The poor girl dislocated her shoulders once a week! She supposed she shouldn¡¯t be surprised, given what they¡¯d learned about Jordyn¡¯s origins. It made sense that de Vygon wouldn¡¯t bother being too protective of her when he literally grew her in a tube and could grow another just as easily. Still, it was just¡­ so fucked up. Vivienne wanted to grab hold of Jordyn, wrap her in blankets, stop forcing her to hide her face, give her a hot chocolate and some plushies and a kiss on the forehead, and put her in front of a tv with some disney movies or something. Just¡­ anything to alleviate the trauma that poor girl was going through on a daily basis.
Yes, these things took time and she just needed to be patient. But knowing that didn¡¯t make the burning need to do something any less powerful.
¡°So,¡± Brianna said, holding the syllable out for far longer than necessary. ¡°What do you think about Jordyn?¡±
Vivienne blinked. Apparently, Brianna had the power to read minds on top of her ability to turn into smoke.
¡°What do you mean?¡±
Brianna sighed. ¡°I dunno. Think she likes girls?¡±
Ah. That made more sense. ¡°Hard to say. Maybe? Why?¡±
¡°I was putting out a couple of feelers today when we were running on the treadmills together; y¡¯know, trying to see how receptive she was to a casual fuck. She seemed into it, but then she turned me down when I invited her to the showers, so I¡¯m not really sure.¡±
Vivienne snorted at her bluntness. ¡°You wanna screw Jordyn?¡±
¡°Yeah, why not? She¡¯s cute, isn¡¯t she?¡±
¡°I dunno, I¡¯ve never seen her face.¡±
¡°I mean, like, her personality ¡®n stuff. Y¡¯know, hardworking, determined, but kinda naive. And at the same time, sort of meek. It¡¯s interesting. I¡¯d like to know more about her.¡±
¡°And, to do that you¡¯re gonna bang her?¡± Vivienne asked.
¡°Well, to be honest, she gives me major anxiety vibes. It would probably be good for her to unwind, y¡¯know? Obviously, if she doesn¡¯t want to, I¡¯m cool to just hang with her, but I¡¯m of the opinion that fucking someone is the single best icebreaker there is. Once you share that¡­ that ultimate vulnerability with each other, there¡¯s no nerves getting in the way anymore, y¡¯know? Isn¡¯t that how our friendship started?¡±
¡°I- well, okay fine, you¡¯ve got me there,¡± Viv admitted, much to her chagrin. Sleeping with Brianna had been a great way to loosen up and also gain some confidence in herself after joining the Union. Hell, it would probably be just as useful for Jordyn, just like Brea was saying. But, knowing what she knew about Jordyn¡¯s whole deal, it could definitely backfire if not handled with caution.
¡°Still, if you¡¯re gonna do it, just¡­ be careful? Jordyn seems like she¡¯s got a lot going on, and she might¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ go along with it when she doesn¡¯t really want to. I get the feeling she has trouble saying no to people.¡±
Brea hummed. ¡°Yeah, I can definitely see that. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be careful. Either way, I gotta get my intentions through to her first.¡±
¡°Honestly? You¡¯re probably best off just being straightforward. Like you said, she¡¯s pretty naive. If you¡¯re not clear, she¡¯s not gonna get it; like you inviting her to the showers.¡±
¡°Yeah, that tracks... Anyway, that aside, are you gonna keep playing any time soon? I¡¯m actually starting to get invested in the plot, but if all I can hear for the next hour is the sound of you getting your ass kicked, I¡¯m leaving.¡±
A laugh burst up from Vivienne¡¯s chest. ¡°Oh, okay then. Tell me how you really feel, Brea.¡±
She fished the controller up from where it had fallen between her and Brianna¡¯s legs, and unpaused the game. It was serious now; her pride was on the line. Vivienne was gonna beat this boss or die trying.
It was a little weird to think about; Brianna and Jordyn having sex. Part of her instinctively objected to the idea, on the basis of Jordyn¡¯s sheltered-ness and naivety. But, in truth, Jordyn was a grown woman, and she deserved to make her own choices, even- no, especially when it came to stuff like this. Besides, Vivienne trusted Brea. Regardless of how it turned out or what Jordyn decided, she trusted that Brianna would do the right thing. She knew what she was doing in this department far more than Vivienne could ever hope to. There was nothing to worry about. It would all turn out for-
¡°Did you just die again?¡±
¡°Fuck!¡± Human Connection
¡°Get up to anything interesting today?¡± Brianna asked, puffing as she exerted herself on the treadmill.
¡°Mm, not really,¡± I replied. ¡°Just the usual. Catching bad guys.¡±
¡°Do you ever do anything other than catching bad guys?¡±
¡°I get two days off of patrol a week, usually dedicated to more specialised training.¡±
Brianna was silent for a second. ¡°Jeez, girl. You need a break. Some time to kick your feet up and just relax.¡±
She was probably right, but for some reason I still felt the need to defend myself. ¡°I mean, I did get a ton of time off after I was shot, so I probably don¡¯t need any more anytime soon.¡±
Brianna sighed. ¡°Not exactly what I meant, Jordie.¡±
It had been a few days since our first encounter here in the gym, and we¡¯d been meeting up to run together every day since. Spending time with her made me happy; the compliments and jokes ¨C even if I didn¡¯t always get them ¨C could make me smile even when I was feeling awful, and every now and then she¡¯d say something that would once again trigger that same feeling I got between my legs our first time running together. It was probably the main reason why I kept coming back, even after the incident with Vivienne and Rishta. Aside from my mission, of course.
Speaking of those two, everything was cleared up, thankfully. Well, just about, anyway. I ran into Rishta again and tried to apologise, but he said it was okay. Apparently, his shoulder wasn¡¯t bothering him much, which was good. In regards to Vivienne, I hadn¡¯t been lucky enough to see her. I wanted to ask her more about my shoulders, and maybe¡­ some other stuff, too. She seemed to have a pretty good grasp on what was ¡®normal,¡¯ and apparently I could use a few lessons on that. Who knew that frequent shoulder dislocations weren¡¯t actually a thing everyone went through?
¡°So, what did you mean?¡± I asked.
Brianna paused. ¡°Are you doing anything after this?¡±
¡°No, why?¡±
¡°Well, how about we hang out in my room? I can show you how to actually relax. And¡­ maybe some other stuff, too.¡±
Well, I¡¯d never say no to spending more time with her, and this seemed like the right direction to go in for my mission. ¡°Sure. What are we gonna do?¡±
¡°Oh, you know. Listen to some music. Chat. Maybe¡­ we could fool around a bit?¡±
¡°Sounds good to me,¡± I replied. I wasn¡¯t really sure what she meant by ¡®fooling around,¡¯ but I was sure I could figure it out.
¡°Awesome!¡± Brianna exclaimed. ¡°Well, what do you say we finish up here, shower, and then we can head back to mine?¡±
¡°Okay.¡±
She smiled. ¡°Can¡¯t wait.¡±
¡ª
¡°So, this is my place. What do you think?¡±
I looked around the space. It wasn¡¯t much bigger than my quarters back at the facility, with a bed in the corner, a desk, a couple sets of drawers and not much else. It didn¡¯t even have a shower like mine did. Though, I supposed the showers we just visited were sufficient enough to not need one in here. It didn¡¯t have a toilet either, though. Presumably, that was a similar situation to the showers.
¡°Reminds me of my quarters,¡± I said.
¡°Yeah?¡± Brianna replied, walking over to her bed and sitting down on it. She was clearly familiar enough with the space to not need to use her cane. ¡°I know it¡¯s not much, but hey, it¡¯s free accommodation. I ain¡¯t gonna turn up my nose at it. Come, sit down.¡±
She patted the space next to her and I did as she asked, settling down on the bed. It was plusher than I expected, even through my armour.
¡°You know you¡­ don¡¯t have to keep your armour on here, right?¡±
¡°Sorry?¡±
She leaned back, lying on the bed. ¡°Do you wear it in your room at home?¡±
¡°...No.¡±
¡°Then why keep it on here? I heard you took it off for your duel with Rishta, and if you¡¯re worried about me seeing your face, well¡­¡± She gestured vaguely at her eyes. ¡°Blind as hell, y¡¯know? You don¡¯t have to if you¡¯re uncomfortable, but it might be easier to relax, which, if you recall, was kinda the whole point of this.¡±
No matter how I tried to rationalise it, I just couldn¡¯t find fault with her words. Father hadn¡¯t minded about the fight with Rishta, so surely he wouldn¡¯t mind here either, right? The threat of punishment weighed heavily in my mind, but¡­ She was right, she couldn¡¯t see my face. I would actually be able to take my armour off and relax with another person for once without technically breaking any of Father¡¯s rules. I couldn¡¯t pass the opportunity up.
¡°I suppose I could,¡± I said, getting up and stripping my armour off, piece by piece.
¡°Dope,¡± Brianna said. She pulled out her phone as I got undressed, and spoke into it. ¡°Play ¡®Swanky time¡¯¡±
¡°Playing playlist: Swanky time,¡± a monotone voice replied. Music started playing out of the phone, and she placed it back on her nightstand.
Once I¡¯d gotten rid of all of my armour, I sat back on the bed, bouncing a couple times as I landed.
¡°Oh, wow,¡± I muttered, flopping backwards to lay next to Brianna.
¡°Comfy?¡±
¡°How is it so soft? My bed¡¯s practically concrete compared to this!¡±
Brianna¡¯s fingers brushed against my arm and my breath caught, half-expecting pain from the sudden touch and half-surprised by how good the gentle contact felt. She laughed. ¡°Well, from what I gather, you¡¯ve been living pretty militaristically up until now, so that¡¯s not too surprising. You don¡¯t have to worry about any of that right now, though. Just relax and enjoy yourself. You want some candy?¡±
I cocked my head to the side. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±
Brianna sucked in a breath and nodded. ¡°Memory issues, right. You¡¯ll see.¡±
She reached over to her drawers and opened the top one, pulling out a colourful plastic bag of something.
¡°How can you tell where it is so easily if you can¡¯t see?¡± I asked.
¡°Blunt as always,¡± she said with a toothy smile. She held up her hand, revealing that her pinky and ring fingers were both missing. ¡°My power lets me turn my body into smoke. It¡¯s helpful for a lot of things, like squeezing into tight places, or helping me get my bearings just a little more accurately by feeling around over a wider area. It¡¯s not perfect, obviously, or I wouldn¡¯t have to use my cane, but it¡¯s useful in small spaces like this where I¡¯m familiar.¡± Her fingers reappeared, and she plucked something from inside the bag, putting it in her mouth before getting another and offering it to me. It was small and red, vaguely shaped like someone was trying to imitate a strawberry, and covered in white powder.
¡°Try it,¡± Brianna said.
I shrugged, putting it in my mouth and biting down.
¡°Oh!¡± I exclaimed, looking at Brianna. ¡°It¡¯s so sweet!¡±
She grinned. ¡°You like it?¡±
I nodded. ¡°Yeah!¡±
Her grin grew wider. ¡°Here¡¯s something else you might like.¡±
All of a sudden, Brianna leaned towards me, placed a hand on my cheek, and pressed her lips to mine.
Woah.
I sucked in a breath, heart jumping, my whole body suddenly lighting up with electricity and freezing me in place. It was just like that dream I had of Madeline all those months ago, only it was real, and I didn¡¯t know what to do. The swirling in my belly felt like fire licking my insides, spreading to the ends of each limb and making my hands shake. Whatever this was, I never wanted it to end.
Unfortunately for me, just as suddenly as she¡¯d moved in, Brianna pulled back after a few seconds; an expression of disappointment on her face.
¡°S-sorry, I¡­ I think I might have misread some signals-¡±
¡°Do that again,¡± I said frantically.
Brianna blinked, processing my request. She tilted her head and smiled, looking slightly confused. ¡°Are you actually gonna kiss back this time?¡±
Kiss. That¡¯s what it was. Unimportant. ¡°Y-yeah.¡±
She chuckled. ¡°Well then. Take two, here we go.¡±
Brianna moved in again, and this time I was ready for her, parting my lips to meet hers just like I did in that dream with Madeline. We connected and the electricity came back in force, shivers rocketing up and down my spine, all the way to the tips of my toes. Her hands roamed across my body, finally free of its cage in my armour, and I kissed her back, just like she asked. I didn¡¯t really know what I was doing, but matching her movements seemed to do the trick, as she smiled against my mouth before gently parting my lips further with her tongue.
I whimpered as that fire in my belly flushed under my skin in response, my vagina tingling with need. Brianna pushed me onto my back, breaking the kiss for a split second as she clambered on top of me before fiercely claiming my mouth again. Ordinarily I¡¯d be panicked underneath someone else¡¯s weight, but here I felt only a desire for more. I tried to copy the thing she did with her tongue, but it was useless against her onslaught, and only resulted in her responding by pushing her tongue further in, licking into my mouth. Failing that, all I could do was wrap my arms around her and hold on for dear, beautiful life.
She let out a happy moan, stroking the scar on my face with her thumb. Her other hand snaked beneath my tanktop, gently resting on the bare, burning skin of my belly. I clenched my abs, once again expecting pain for just a moment, before settling back with the overwhelming relief of the realisation that she wasn¡¯t going to hurt me. Warmth mixed with the electricity and the scalding fire inside me, and I whined into her mouth. My hips rocked upwards of their own accord, seeking any sort of stimulation to relieve the building tension between my legs. Brianna noticed this, grinning against my lips, and pressed her thigh right where I needed it.
¡°G-aah!¡± I keened, breaking away from the kiss for a much-needed breath. Brianna needed no such intermission, kissing along my cheek and down to my jaw.
¡°Your sounds are so cute,¡± she muttered, gently nibbling my skin and eliciting more of those sounds she apparently loved so much. Her hand trailed up underneath my tanktop, cupping my breast and softly squeezing. ¡°This okay?¡±
¡°Yeh¡­ Yesss,¡± I moaned. I gasped as her fingers found my nipple and pinched it, prompting me to arch my back, pressing myself further against her hand. That was a new feeling, but I definitely didn¡¯t hate it.
She hummed in apparent satisfaction, lowering her head again to continue nipping and sucking at my neck. The sharp sensation was almost overwhelming in its pleasure, and I couldn¡¯t keep myself from babbling.
¡°G-guh, g-god, f-f-feels¡­ s-so good¡­¡±
Brianna laughed. ¡°Damn, you¡¯re sensitive. Is this your first time?¡±
¡°F-first time¡­ what?¡± I gasped out as she rolled my nipple between her fingers.
¡°First time having sex.¡±
¡°Wh-what¡¯s¡­ sex?¡±
Brianna paused, poking her head up. ¡°Wait, seriously?¡±
I panted, half-grateful for the chance to catch my breath, half-annoyed at the sudden disappearance of all that pleasure. ¡°What?¡±
Brianna seemed to realise something, then groaned, rubbing her face. ¡°Oh fuck, of course. Your memory issues.¡± She looked back up, touching my arm. ¡°You don¡¯t know what sex is, do you?¡±
I slowly shook my head. ¡°No. I¡­ I¡¯ve never heard that word before.¡±
¡°Do you at least know about consent?¡±
¡°...No.¡±
She sighed, leaning down and resting her head on my chest.
¡°Are¡­ Are we gonna keep going?¡± I asked.
¡°No. Not until I get you up to speed, at the very least. I don¡¯t feel okay about doing this otherwise.¡±
¡­Aw man.
¡ª
¡°Did you get all that?¡±
I blinked, trying to retain everything I¡¯d just learned. ¡°Uh, yeah. I think so.¡±
Brianna had explained everything to me. Sex, consent, the whole package. Sex was something two people did when they were attracted to each other, similar to what I¡¯d figured out how to do that night after my deployment (which was called masturbation, apparently), only with another person. But, according to consent, people had to agree to it. I supposed that made sense. I wouldn¡¯t want someone I didn¡¯t like touching me at all, let alone between my legs. Sebastian Beaumond appeared in my mind right then. He seemed like the type to do that without consent. But it did raise a question.
¡°So¡­ When people touch me, even though I don¡¯t want them to, that¡¯s bad?¡±
Brianna nodded. ¡°Yup.¡±
¡°But¡­ That happens all the time in training. Father or the trainers will do all sorts of things to me, and I¡­ I¡¯ve never liked it. But that¡¯s just training. That¡¯s what it¡¯s like.¡±
Brianna grunted, seeming a little uncertain. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know quite if that applies. I mean, if you¡¯re doing combat training, people are presumably gonna hit you. That¡¯s kinda part of the deal. But¡­ I suppose if you didn¡¯t agree to the deal in the first place, then it¡¯s wrong.¡±
Oh. Well, I guessed it was fine then. I owed Father for saving me, and this was how I was paying him back. That meant I agreed, right? The thought was¡­ oddly disappointing. That probably applied to punishments, too. I agreed to them, so¡­ I shouldn¡¯t be upset.
Though¡­ Vivienne said my shoulder dislocations weren¡¯t normal. Maybe¡­ Maybe I should talk about this with her before making up my mind. Just to be safe.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
¡°So,¡± Brianna said, threading her fingers through mine. Her hand was warm. ¡°Do you want to keep going?¡±
For so much of my life, being touched meant being hurt. Punched, slapped, cut, burned, whatever. But Brianna¡¯s touch was something completely different. Something new and exciting. Something safe. All that knowledge about sex and stuff was a lot to take in, but knowing all that didn¡¯t change how much I still yearned for that same safe, gentle, positive touch from before. The only person who ever touched me even close to anything like that was Vivienne, and now that I was actually experiencing it properly, I was beginning to realise just how much I¡¯d been missing it in my life.
There was no universe in which I¡¯d say no. I needed more.
I nodded. ¡°Yeah. I really do.¡±
Brianna smiled. ¡°Great. Since it¡¯s your first time, we should probably take it a bit slower than we were before.¡±
That made sense. That first bit was a little overwhelming.
¡°Can we kiss?¡± I asked.
She chuckled. ¡°Of course. And, please, let me know if you ever want to stop, for any reason. It¡¯s okay.¡±
She was being a lot more careful than before. If I had to guess, figuring out that I had no idea about any of this stuff scared her a bit. Oddly, it just made me feel even safer. ¡°Okay.¡±
Brianna nodded, reaching up to cradle my face before gently kissing me, far softer and slower than before. I sighed, reciprocating, and we carefully laid back down on the bed; this time with me on top, straddling her lap. Her hands trailed down my sides, settling at my hips. We stayed like that for a while, just enjoying the moment, before I decided to escalate a little with my tongue. Brianna moaned at the contact, tugging on the hem of my tanktop.
She pulled back, though not so far that we weren¡¯t still completely intertwined. ¡°Do you wanna get undressed?¡±
I nodded, sitting up and all-but ripping my tanktop and underwear off, throwing them on the floor.
¡°Well?¡±
¡°Oh! Uh, I just did.¡±
Brianna paused, then laughed. ¡°Eager, aren¡¯t you?¡± She reached up, caressing my bare abdomen, before trailing down to my thigh. I shivered at the touch. ¡°Suppose I should join you, then.¡±
She wiggled out from under me and quickly stripped down to nothing, leaving her bare form on full display.
¡°Wow,¡± I muttered. She was beautiful.
¡°Like what you see, huh?¡± She grinned.
Instead of responding, I followed my instincts and moved back into her, kissing her with the same intensity she kissed me with before.
¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes,¡± she gleefully whispered in the scant few moments our lips were apart.
I just grunted in response. The feeling of our bodies pressed together ¨C skin-to-skin contact with nothing in between ¨C was so intoxicating I could barely think. I just wanted to make Brianna feel good in just the same way she made me feel good earlier. To that end, I pushed her onto her back and returned to my position straddling her hips. Her hands explored my body, stroking, squeezing, pinching as she felt her way between my breasts, thighs, and butt.
I gasped at a particularly tight squeeze to my ass, and used the momentary separation to move my mouth over to Brianna¡¯s neck, kissing and sucking her skin. She groaned, holding me tighter as her head tilted back to make more room. I didn¡¯t let up, trailing my hand down her chest to grope her breast. My heart fluttered in my chest as I felt up the soft flesh. It was still hard to believe this was actually happening.
¡°Are¡­ A-are you copying what I did earlier?¡± she breathed out between pleasured gasps.
I paused. ¡°...Is that bad?¡±
She laughed. ¡°No, not at all. But, if you wanna really make me feel good, how about you try something a bit further south?¡±
Brianna grabbed the hand that was cupping her breast and pulled it down between her legs. The warmth radiating from her vagina was intense, as was the wetness soaking the inside of her thighs. I instinctively swallowed as a wave of heat flushed under my skin.
¡°You said you¡¯ve touched yourself before?¡± she asked.
¡°Y-yeah?¡±
¡°Then you already know what to do.¡±
Oh. Yeah, that made a lot of sense. Same anatomy, and all that. I smiled, leaning back in to nip at her neck while my hand got to work with the familiar motions.
¡°There you go¡­¡± Brianna moaned as I started circling her clit with my fingers. She stroked back and forth through my hair, occasionally gripping, gasping and jutting her hips upwards into my hand as her pleasure spiked. Satisfaction tingled throughout my body at the sight and sound of her enjoyment. This was it; this was exactly where I was meant to be.
I went on like that for a little while, just basking in the sounds she was making, before dipping my fingers lower and teasing her entrance. Her legs parted further, making room, and I took the invitation, slipping two fingers inside of her.
She groaned, deep and primal, digging her fingernails into the meat of my shoulder. ¡°Fff¡­ Fuck, Jordie¡­ Keep that up¡­¡±
I wasn¡¯t one to disobey orders, especially when I was actually making someone feel good, instead of hurting them. Maintaining a steady rhythm, I thrusted my fingers in and out of Brianna¡¯s vagina, rubbing against her inner wall in the way that always made me buck and writhe with pleasure. Sure enough, Brianna was barely holding on, rolling onto her side to wrap herself around me as I fingered her harder and faster. Her moans echoed right into my ear, her hot breath making me shiver. I¡¯d long since given up on kissing her neck, instead resting my head on her shoulder as I focused my efforts down below.
It wasn¡¯t long before the telltale signs of Brianna¡¯s approaching orgasm became clear. Her breathing picked up; her moans rising in pitch and volume. Just a little further, and¡­
¡°Oh, fuck!¡±
There we go.
Brianna clung to me as the tremors hit, her thighs quivering violently. Her legs clamped shut, keeping my hand in place as I pushed her through the climax. Honestly, I couldn¡¯t have moved away if I wanted to, with the way that she was squeezing me.
Finally, the orgasm subsided. Brianna let go of me as I pulled my fingers out and flopped lifelessly onto her back, panting. I smiled, resting my head on her outstretched arm and watching her chest rise and fall with every breath. I could¡¯ve stared at it forever¡­ Though, in the meantime, I needed to do something about the wetness soaking my hand.
Well, it wouldn¡¯t be the first time I licked my fingers clean after a fingering. The only difference was that this was on someone else instead of myself.
Hmm, Brianna¡¯s tasted a bit different than mine. I wondered why.
¡°Damn, Jordyn,¡± she said with a laugh once she¡¯d finally caught her breath.
¡°Did I do good?¡± I asked.
¡°Good? You did great, girl. Seriously, if I tried to keep up that pace that consistently my hand would be cramping for the next two days.¡±
¡°Well,¡± I said, pride and giddiness filling my belly. ¡°All my stamina training had to pay off somehow, right?¡±
Brianna laughed again. ¡°Sure.¡± She rolled over and kissed me on the forehead, then the lips. ¡°May I return the favour?¡±
Oh. I¡¯d been so caught up in pleasuring her, I¡¯d completely forgotten about the heat amassing between my own legs. Now that it had been called attention to, however, it became impossible to ignore. Sweat prickled along my skin at the thought, my stomach swirling enough to make me dizzy. ¡°Y-yes please.¡±
She grinned. ¡°Well then. Allow me to show you a new technique.¡±
Brianna moved in and kissed me for a long, feverish moment before parting and moving down to my neck. There she laid down a trail of fiery, lingering kisses until she found just the right spot to send sparks shooting through my body with every delicate touch of her lips. Her target located, Brianna focused in on it, sucking and biting until I was writhing breathlessly in the sheets. Just when I thought it was over, she moved back in on a new spot, and I was right back where I started.
Finally, after about three or four repeats of that, Brianna apparently decided she¡¯d had enough of making me whine and squirm from my neck, and continued her trail of kisses down my body and to my chest. Her hands caressed up my body, cupping both of my breasts and squeezing them.
¡°You have nice boobs,¡± she muttered against my skin, before licking a fiery stripe up the underside of my breast, making me yelp. ¡°Not too big, not too small.¡± She took my nipple into her mouth, sucking on it and lathing her tongue around my areola. I jerked, arching up into her as the breath left my body. After a long moment, she let it go. ¡°Soft, good squishiness. What more could a girl ask for?¡± She sank her teeth into the meat of my breast and I hissed, slowly releasing it as the sensation buzzed through me. Somehow Brianna was able to make pain feel good.
¡°Y-you too¡­¡± I whispered, my ears ringing.
Brianna laughed, still moving lower along my body, kissing all the way. ¡°Thanks.¡±
She pulled back as she reached the bottom of my belly, running her hands down my thighs, so so close to where I needed them, but not quite.
¡°You ready?¡± she asked.
¡°Ready for what?¡±
She cocked her head with a sly grin. ¡°This.¡±
Her hand slid down through my pubic hair, and she gently pried my labia apart with two fingers before moving in with her tongue, licking all the way from perineum to clit. I jerked, bucking my hips as she hit the sensitive bundle of nerves, but she held me down, going to work like she¡¯d trained all her life for it.
¡°Oh¡­ Oh god,¡± I moaned, dropping my head back on the pillow, gripping the sheets and doing my very best not to absolutely scream. The feeling was indescribable, morphing me from functional human to writhing, gasping mess in a matter of seconds. Brianna hummed against me as I helplessly rutted into her mouth, and the vibration sent thousands of tiny sparks shooting through my body. I wasn¡¯t sure how long I could last like this, but time quickly became irrelevant as I closed my eyes and succumbed to the pleasure electrifying every nerve.
For all I knew, it could have been hours that Brianna was stretching me thin with nothing more than her tongue, but given how worked up I already was, it was far more likely to be minutes or even seconds. Regardless, eventually the pleasure, combined with the sight of her between my legs, combined with the obscene sounds of her mouth against my sex, was too much for me to bear. My resolve broke and I came, thighs trembling as I cried out a broken keen of ecstasy. Brianna pushed me through it until the last of the quakes passed and I was left limp and satisfied, spread out across the bed.
Brianna kissed my thigh before crawling back up to lay next to me, and I immediately rolled into her, yearning to be held. She accepted my silent request and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me onto her chest. I sighed, nuzzling against her as a sudden drowsiness rocked my system. I wanted to stay in this moment forever. The facility had never seemed more cold and uninviting than it did in this moment, embraced by warmth and affection. No one at the Union wanted to hurt me. They wouldn¡¯t give me orders or tell me to do things I didn¡¯t want to do.
I¡¯d never felt like this before, I realised in that moment. In all 16 odd months of my living memory, I¡¯d never felt anything even remotely like this. My entire body buzzed with endorphins and giddiness. I felt totally, completely safe. I felt¡­ cared for.
Maybe¡­this was where I should be. Not for any mission or whatever it was that Father wanted of me, but¡­ for myself. Despite the hiccups I¡¯d ran into, and despite how nervous I still was around many of the heroes, I was happier at the Union than I¡¯d ever been in the facility. Yes, I still owed him for saving my life, and I could never, ever repay that debt, but¡­ How much more of myself did I have to give him before he was satisfied?
¡°So,¡± Brianna whispered. ¡°Was it everything you¡¯d hoped for?¡±
I chuckled, smiling against her skin. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I was ¡®hoping¡¯ for anything when I came here, but¡­ Yeah. It was great.¡±
¡°Well, we¡¯ll have to do it again sometime, then.¡±
Excitement fluttered in my chest at the thought. ¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°Though ¨C and, sorry, I really should¡¯ve mentioned this earlier, but I forgot ¨C you should know that I don¡¯t do romance. So, if that was what you were looking for, sorry.¡±
¡°I¡­ don¡¯t really know what that is,¡± I muttered.
Brianna chuckled. ¡°Makes sense. Well, it¡¯s kinda hard for me to describe, since I don¡¯t experience it, but from what I can gather, you¡¯ve got three types of love: familial, platonic, and romantic. Each of them can be just as strong as each other, but they all feel a bit different. For example, I love my mom, but I also love Vivienne. My mom¡¯s family, and Viv¡¯s my best friend. Obviously I don¡¯t feel the same way about them, but that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t care for either of them any less. With romance, that¡¯s just another type of love you can experience. Generally, people can have a lot of friends or family, but romantic love is a bit more picky. It can feel a bit more possessive, or intense. You can feel it for a few people, or just one person. You want to be with that person all the time. You¡¯re always thinking about them, and when you do you feel all warm and gooey inside or whatever. Granted, everything I¡¯ve just said can also apply to a regular old friend as well, so it¡¯s not really an exact science.¡±
I frowned. ¡°Then what¡¯s the difference?¡±
¡°If you ask me, there is no difference. Us humans like to categorise things, and these separate types of love are just another set of labels we arbitrarily decided to put on things to help ourselves understand it better. Functionally, they¡¯re all mostly the same. We¡¯re friends, and we just fucked. Vivienne and I fuck when we need to blow off steam, too. But, our amatonormative society would tell you that people only fuck when they¡¯re in romantic love with each other. But that¡¯s bullshit. You can do whatever you want whenever, forever. If it¡¯s fun, why the hell wouldn¡¯t you? Of course, like I said, I don¡¯t experience romantic love, so if there is a difference in how it actually feels, I can¡¯t tell you. I¡¯ve just been going off what other people have told me. Go ask Vivienne or something. That girl¡¯s a hopeless romantic; you¡¯ll be in just the right place.¡±
I laughed at her attitude, despite not understanding at least half of what she was saying. ¡°Okay.¡±
¡°The point is; if you¡¯re looking for a romantic relationship with me, then you¡¯re out of luck.¡±
If this was what friendship was like, then I was more than satisfied with that. ¡°Nah, this is perfect.¡±
She hummed, stroking my back and tracing her fingers along my scars. ¡°Good. I think so, too.¡±
All that sounded pretty interesting, though. Maybe I should go and ask Vivienne. I still needed to touch base with her to make sure we were okay after the incident with Rishta. She and Brianna were the only two people I felt like I could really trust around here. I¡¯d gotten to spend a lot of time with Brianna now; gotten to know her better and get comfortable with her, and I wanted to do the same with Vivienne. I wanted to be able to just exist around her again, without the shadow of her uncle looming over me. Though, maybe that was too much to ask.
¡°How¡¯d you get these scars on your back?¡± Brianna asked.
¡°Made a mistake. Those were my lesson,¡± I replied.
¡°...You say some very worrying things sometimes, you know that?¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
Brianna was silent for a minute. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± she muttered.
She sounded tired. It was probably getting late. I needed to get back to the facility soon, as much as the thought pained me with how comfortable I was in that moment. I closed my eyes. Just a few more minutes¡­
Come here, little shadow.
My eyes shot open, head suddenly pounding. The voice came from everywhere at once, rocketing through my brain like a jackhammer. Something in my gut tugged, trying to pull me out of the room. I needed to follow it.
¡°Jordyn? Are you okay? You got tense.¡±
I sat up, climbing over Brianna to get off the bed and gather my clothes. ¡°S-sorry, I just remembered I need to get home.¡±
¡°Oh. Okay, uh¡­ can I¡­ walk you out of the building?¡±
¡°No, that¡¯s fine.¡± I paused my scramble, turning back to look at her, even though she couldn¡¯t see me. ¡°Thanks for tonight. Seriously.¡±
She smiled. ¡°No problem, Jordyn. Get home safe, okay?¡±
I nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±
I quickly pulled my underwear on and donned my armour, leaving Brianna¡¯s room as soon as I was ready. The pull was like a physical thing, squirming around inside me as it led me through corridor after corridor.
Come, child. Creature of shadow and science and kin. Free It from Its bonds, and It shalt grant your deepest desire.
The pounding in my head became incessant. Something leaked out of my nose, and I tasted iron. The pull got stronger and stronger as I approached the source. The air felt thick, electrified, even as the hallways I travelled through became less and less illuminated; lights flickering and then failing completely. Dust lined the floors and the walls. No one had been this way for a long time.
I came to a door. It was old; older than the rest of the building, at least, and of a completely different design. It was made entirely of metal; rusted, and several inches thick. A valve sat in the centre; no doubt its opening mechanism. Strange symbols lined the doorframe, glinting in the light, despite the lack of a light source.
Close now. Come.
I grabbed the valve.
¡°Jordyn, was it?¡±
All of a sudden, everything snapped back into clarity. The pounding was gone, along with the echoing voice. In my hands was a metal valve, attached to a door I''d never seen before. If not for my helmet¡¯s night vision, it would¡¯ve been completely pitch black. How did I get here?
I turned around. There was an elderly woman there, in a wheelchair. Something about her reminded me of Father.
¡°Who are you?¡± I asked.
¡°My name is Siobhan. I¡¯m Ashley¡¯s mother. May I ask what you¡¯re doing down here?¡±
I looked around. I was in a dusty, dark hallway. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t remember.¡±
Siobhan nodded. ¡°The Godling called you here. It wants you to release It.¡±
Oh. That tracked with what I remembered of the past few minutes. A raging headache, hallways, and missing memories. ¡°Is¡­ Is it behind that door?¡±
¡°Yes. Sealed below centuries ago, the fortifications of Its prison growing along with the advancement of technology. You won¡¯t get through that door by yourself, that¡¯s for sure.¡±
¡°How¡¯d you know I was down here? How can you even see me? It¡¯s pitch black.¡±
Siobhan raised her eyebrows and looked up. ¡°Hm. Ashley needs to get the lights fixed.¡± She looked back down, in my direction but not quite at me. ¡°To answer your first question, I felt it. Ever since I was born, I¡¯ve been able to sense other peoples¡¯ thoughts and feelings. I believe you young people call it a ¡®power.¡¯ When the Godling influences a mind, the mind ceases to act in a normal and recognisable fashion. Like the Godling itself, it becomes a beacon of incomprehensibility. And as such, as long as that mind is within my range, that beacon is unmissable to me. This isn¡¯t the first time this has happened, and it won¡¯t be the last. Such is the way of things, setting up an organisation right over the tomb of an eldritch god.
¡°To answer your second question, I can¡¯t see you at all. I¡¯m blind. Unlike our dear Brianna, I lost my sight as I aged, along with the rest of my body.¡± She patted her legs. ¡°Brianna has been a great help in learning how to not die of boredom without my vision.¡± Siobhan laughed good-naturedly.
That made sense. I sighed. ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time the Godling has targeted me. Is¡­ is that normal, too?¡±
She took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. ¡°I sense much pain and turmoil within you. The Godling preys on hurt and weakness. It¡¯s much easier to tempt a desperate person to do things than someone who¡¯s well-off. Not to say that doesn¡¯t happen, of course, but those who are struggling are usually an easier target. It offered you a wish, didn¡¯t it? That It would fulfil your deepest desire?¡±
That did ring a bell. ¡°Y-yeah, I think so.¡±
She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what It offers every time It calls someone down here. Pretty tempting, huh? I imagine it must be difficult to turn down, what with the struggle you¡¯re currently going through.¡±
A wish, fulfilling my deepest desire¡­ What would I even pick? ¡°Is the wish real?¡±
¡°Yes. Legend states that Divine beings are unable to lie. If that is what It offers, that¡¯s what you¡¯ll get for freeing It. But no wish could ever be worth the devastation and destruction that would follow should the Godling ever be released from Its prison. The world as we know it would end, and humanity would be subjugated under Its will, if not wiped out completely for what we did to It. I¡¯d advise against listening to the voice in your head next time.¡±
¡°Wow. That¡¯s, uh¡­ pretty intense.¡±
She chuckled. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s one word for it. Now, let¡¯s not hang around this dusty old crypt any longer. Would you be a dear and wheel me back to my room?¡±
¡°Of course,¡± I replied, grabbing her wheelchair and starting back down the corridor. ¡°You may have to give me directions, though.¡±
¡°Pfft, yes, just ask the blind woman for directions. That¡¯ll go well.¡± I clamped my mouth shut. This old woman was snappy. Home Is Where The Heart Is
I leaned down, spitting toothpaste into the sink before looking back up at myself in the mirror. I was feeling¡­ oddly good this morning. Maybe it was just lingering feelings from last night, but I just couldn¡¯t keep a smile off my face, and that smile was reflected on the girl in the mirror. Remembering that connection I shared with Brianna for those scant few moments sent sparks shooting through my belly. We had to do that again sometime.
But, that wasn¡¯t all that had me giddy this morning. There were marks on my neck; dark round bruises in all the spots that Brianna had focused her mouth on. Actual, physical remnants of our activities. It felt almost like proof that it hadn¡¯t all been a wonderful dream like last time. I couldn¡¯t stop staring and running my fingers over them. They would probably go away in about a week, like most bruises, but until then I was going to enjoy every second of them I could. Maybe after that, Brianna could give me some more¡­?
I really shouldn¡¯t get my hopes up. While Brianna said that she¡¯d like to, who knew if I¡¯d even be allowed? If Father found out about what I did last night, I¡¯d probably be in a ton of trouble. He might forbid me from talking to her.
I desperately hoped that wouldn¡¯t be the case. Sex aside, Brianna was a great friend, and I didn¡¯t want to lose her.
As if summoned by my thoughts alone, the door to my quarters slid open, and Father stepped inside. I watched him approach through the mirror, gripping the sink and steeling myself for whatever punishment was to come.
¡°You returned to the facility quite late last night,¡± he said without preamble.
I turned around, trying to think of a reply. Before I could get any words out, however, Father gently grabbed my chin and tilted my head up. My stomach tightened. I knew exactly what he was looking for.
¡°You have hickeys,¡± Father muttered. He released my chin. ¡°You¡¯ve been intimate with someone.¡±
Intimate? Well, yes, I supposed sex was quite an intimate act. I swallowed down my fear, clenching my fists by my sides. ¡°Y-yes.¡±
He tilted his head slightly. ¡°Did you have sex?¡±
I sucked in a breath. ¡°Yes.¡±
His voice dropped, becoming darker; more dangerous. ¡°Did you remove your helmet in front of them?¡±
Oh god.
¡°Brianna¡¯s blind. I- I figured it would be okay because she wouldn¡¯t see my face anyway.¡±
Father slapped me. The sting on my cheek reverberated through my whole body and I tensed up, waiting for the next strike. It never came.
¡°It was not your place to make that decision, Seven. Your orders were to never remove your helmet in public, regardless of any technicalities.¡±
I clenched my teeth, looking down. ¡°S-sorry, sir.¡±
¡°I¡¯m barring you from the mess hall for four days effective immediately. If I hear any reports of you trying to acquire food elsewhere, you will be spending any remaining days in the penalization room.¡±
I pursed my lips, trying not to let it get to me too badly. Four days wasn¡¯t that bad. Sure, I was already feeling the rumbles of hunger in my stomach, but I was sure I¡¯d be able to persevere. Frankly, it was a lot less punishment than I deserved for such a flagrant breach of the rules. Father must¡¯ve been in a good mood. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±
Father observed me for a few seconds before speaking again. ¡°That aside, this little loophole you found could prove useful to our goals. Thanks to her blindness, you are able to maintain a more intimate relationship with Brianna Moore than any other Union hero, which could be a shortcut in getting them all to trust you. I permit you to continue your relations with her. However, should I hear that you removed your helmet in front of any other hero, there will be grave consequences. Do you understand?¡±
My heart raced in my chest. This was way more than I could have hoped for. ¡°Yes, I understand. Thank you, Father.¡±
He nodded. ¡°Finish getting ready. You have patrol today.¡±
¡°Yes, sir,¡± I replied. With that, Father turned and left me alone in my quarters. My stomach rumbled loudly.
Getting through these next few days without food was definitely gonna suck, but I could manage. It was a small price to pay for getting to keep being friends with Brianna. Besides, this proved that it really didn¡¯t matter that I took my helmet off, so long as no one saw my face. He was just upset that I broke the rules. If it was actually important, he¡¯d have punished me much more harshly. I still didn¡¯t understand why I had to hide my face, though. I really needed to talk to Vivienne, like Brianna said. She¡¯d know the answer. She seemed to be smart like that. I just needed to make sure I was careful with how I talked about it to her, to make sure Father didn¡¯t pick up on it too much through the footage.
I went to grab my tanktop so I could slip out of my sleep clothes and get dressed, but it wasn¡¯t where it should¡¯ve been.
Oh, of course. I left it in the laundry room, hanging out to dry after being washed. Better go pick it up.
¡ª
Andreas sat at the desk in his facility office, going through his morning emails while reflecting on the interaction he¡¯d just had with G-7. He¡¯d already known about the sex, obviously. Checking in on G-7¡¯s camera feed only to find it staring at a floor, with moans reverberating through the speakers, was more than enough to make that clear. It was good that she was honest about it, though. It showed that she was still pretty firmly under his control. A little bit of give to the Union was to be expected in this mission, and trying to fight it would only make things more difficult. He had also noticed that G-7 hadn¡¯t been cutting her hair recently. Ordinarily, he would¡¯ve called her out on it, but¡­ Given that it wouldn¡¯t be that long before her usefulness ran out, he figured there wasn¡¯t any harm in indulging her. After all: happy subject, happy¡­ Well, whatever.
That setback at the door to the Godling¡¯s prison was quite annoying, though. His lovely, family-name-betraying second cousin Siobhan had demonstrated quite handily that simply gaining their trust wasn¡¯t going to further his goals at all. Clearly, the Union heroes didn¡¯t make a habit of checking on the Godling, and as such, G-7 wouldn¡¯t be able to slip inside Its prison no matter how much they liked her. He needed a new plan¡­
The door opened and Sadler poked his head in; a frantic look in his eyes.
¡°Sorry for the interruption, sir, but¡­ Mr. Beaumond is here, and¡­ there¡¯s a bit of a problem.¡±
¡ª
¡°Beaumond, what are you doing?! Let go of her!¡±
A small crowd of scientists had formed in the corridor, watching the scene unfold as they looked between each other with uncertainty. Beaumond spared a glance at Andreas from his place throttling G-7 against the wall, but quickly focused back on his victim. ¡°Oh hey, Andy. Don¡¯t mind me, just working off some steam.¡±
He wrung his hands together tighter and G-7 gurgled, scratching and kicking at him as her face turned pink. Andreas charged forward and tightly grabbed Beaumond¡¯s wrist.
¡°I said let go of her! Do you realise what you¡¯re doing?! You¡¯re going to kill her!¡±
¡°Oh, relax. I¡¯m just having a little fun. Worse comes to worst, you just pop out another subject and train her up again. It¡¯s no big deal!¡±
Taking a closer look, Andreas could see just how bloodshot Beaumond¡¯s eyes were; how heavy the bags underneath them hung. If Andreas had to bet, he¡¯d say Sebastian hadn¡¯t slept a wink last night. But how in God¡¯s name did that translate to strangling his subject?!
¡°It is a big deal, you fool! Don¡¯t you think people would ask questions if she just up and disappeared? How am I supposed to explain that to the rest of the police?¡±
¡°Oh, don¡¯t give me that bullshit, Andreas. Don¡¯t pretend for even two seconds that any of this is about the fucking police. I told you, I know what you¡¯re really after.¡±
That same cold dread from the night of the investors¡¯ party settled into Andreas¡¯ gut. He¡¯d never uttered his true goal to anyone, but somehow he knew with certainty that Beaumond was telling the truth. There was something frightening about the deep, dark deadness of his eyes that made Andreas think Beaumond knew more about everything than anyone could predict right now. Regardless, he needed to put a stop to this, or his prized subject was going to die.
He clenched his fists. ¡°If you know what I¡¯m really after, then surely you can understand how killing Jordyn might cause a bit of a setback in those plans?! The Union isn''t going to just not notice that she¡¯s disappeared now that she¡¯s one of them.¡±
Beaumond looked at him, an unimpressed expression on his face. He sighed. ¡°Fine.¡±
He turned and finally released G-7¡¯s neck, effectively throwing her to the ground. She coughed and sputtered, wheezing in lungfuls of air as she ineffectually scrabbled across the floor, trying to get away from Beaumond.
¡°...But,¡± Beaumond continued. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not gonna get my money¡¯s worth. Keeping the lights on around here costs a lot, after all. Don¡¯t try to stop me this time.¡±
Before Andreas could say anything, Beaumond had already dropped to his knees, flipped G-7 onto her back, straddled her, and began beating her face in. She tried to cover up, but Beaumond just grabbed both of her wrists in one hand and held them against the floor above her as he continued his onslaught.
Andreas stood paralysed, watching the scene unfold. He was certainly no stranger to handing out punishments when G-7 deserved them, but she hadn¡¯t done anything, least of all to Beaumond. As far as Andreas knew, they hadn¡¯t even seen each other since the party. Did he really just come all the way here because he was in a bad mood and needed a punching bag? If that was the case, he could¡¯ve just asked to have G-8 or one of the other subjects in stasis. Sure, they¡¯d have the faculties of an underdeveloped child, but how much did that matter to an obvious sadist like him?
One punch sent multiple teeth flying out of Jordyn¡¯s mouth in a bloody glob. Another definitely blackened her eye so bad Andreas doubted she¡¯d be able to see out of it for the next week. She was gasping between punches, trying to suck in enough air to scream or sob before it was knocked right out of her again. Andreas just stood there watching as his prized subject; the one he¡¯d worked years to create and train, was beaten to a bloody pulp in front of him for no apparent reason. What was he doing?
¡°That¡¯s enough, Beaumond!¡± he yelled, grabbing the man under his armpits and dragging him off of Jordyn. ¡°You¡¯ll give her brain damage at this rate. You want a punching bag, I¡¯ll go wake up a new subject for you, but I will not let you continue to just beat on Jordyn for no good reason.¡±
Jordyn curled onto her side, covering her face and taking deep, wavering breaths through her constant shaky whine of pain. Most of the scientists continued to stand by and watch, but Sadler, good man that he was, went to Jordyn and helped her drag herself away from Beaumond. Blood fountained from her nose, practically caking her entire face, aside from the trails that tears had made down her cheeks. Andreas couldn¡¯t help but feel at least a little bad for her; the pitiful sight that she was.
Beaumond got to his feet and shoved Andreas. ¡°I told you not to stop me!¡±
¡°I won¡¯t stand by and let you throw a wrench in this project just because you¡¯re helping pay for it!¡± Andreas returned. ¡°I don¡¯t care what it is that you¡¯re going through right now, but I will not let you act that way in my facility!¡±
Beaumond let out a harsh breath through his nose; his eyes wide and lightly crazed. They made Andreas uneasy. ¡°I own you, Andreas. I own this facility. You do as I say, not the other way around!¡±
Andreas grit his teeth, his temperature rising as that statement went through him. This anger; this¡­ humiliation. It was exactly the reason he came up with this plan in the first place. The idea that a man-child such as Beaumond could hold such sway over him and his actions was unacceptable. Him. A de Vygon. A direct descendant of the saviors of the entire fucking human race. Unforgivable. It didn¡¯t matter what he knew, or how much he paid in service of this goal: Beaumond would be the first to die once Jordyn succeeded. And it would not be a quick death in the slightest.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
He took a deep breath, letting everything bubbling up inside of him flow out on the exhale. Soon.
¡°If you came here to discuss something with me,¡± he calmly explained, ¡°please accompany me to my office.¡±
Beaumond raised an eyebrow and looked Andreas up and down, his lip curling. ¡°Nah. I just came to teach this useless little copy a lesson for blue-balling me last night.¡± He walked over and kicked Jordyn in the back. She cried out, curling further into Sadler¡¯s lap. ¡°See ya.¡±
Beaumond gave a two-finger salute, turned, and walked away.
Andreas watched him go, just to make sure he was really leaving, before kneeling down at Jordyn¡¯s side. He filed away Beaumond¡¯s parting statement for later consideration. ¡°Go home and change, Sadler. You¡¯ve got blood on your pants.¡±
He nodded, gently depositing Jordyn on the floor. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±
Sadler left, and the rest of the milling scientists took the hint and followed, leaving Andreas alone with his subject.
¡°Let me see,¡± he said, holding a hand out to support her as she gingerly lifted herself into a seated position, leaning against the wall.
Jordyn looked up at him; brown eyes damp with tears. Her left eye had already started to swell, and the other one had a split in the skin through her eyebrow that was leaking blood down her face. Her nose was definitely broken as well, and she was missing more than a few teeth behind her fat, bleeding lips. The bruise around her neck had already turned a wince-inducing shade of purple. Andreas was no stranger to doling out punishment where necessary, but this was excessive and indulgent, even for him. Especially considering she hadn¡¯t done anything wrong.
¡°Why didn¡¯t you defend yourself?¡± he asked, speaking softly.
¡°I¡­ I c-couldn¡¯t,¡± Jordyn mumbled, lisping her words. ¡°He was too strong.¡±
Too strong even for her? Andreas doubted it. ¡°What about your shadows?¡±
¡°Th-they¡­ they weren¡¯t listening. I c-couldn¡¯t control them.¡±
A shiver ran down Andreas¡¯ spine. Did Beaumond secretly have some sort of power of his own? That, combined with his earlier comment about apparently being ¡®blue-balled¡¯ by Jordyn last night¡­ Hm, interesting.
¡°Forget about patrol today; you¡¯ll stay here and recover. Tomorrow, you can continue your mission at the Union, but take it easy. No strenuous activity for a week, and that includes your parleys with Miss Moore. Now, go on. Pick your teeth up off the floor and head to the medbay.¡±
Jordyn nodded, shakily getting to her feet. She hobbled over to the patch of blood on the tile and began carefully doing as she was told. Once she was done, she turned back to Andreas; a nervous look on her face.
¡°Um, s-sir?¡±
Andreas cocked his head. ¡°Yes, Jordyn?¡±
¡°A-am I still¡­ Uh¡­¡± She swallowed thickly. ¡°Am I s-still banned from the mess hall?¡±
Andreas considered it for a moment. ¡°You still broke the rules, so you¡¯re still being punished. However, considering the circumstances, I¡¯ll reduce your sentence to two days for now. You¡¯ll make up the other two once you¡¯ve recovered.¡±
With the way her face dropped, apparently that hadn¡¯t been the answer she was looking for. Still, she nodded, and went on her way towards the medbay.
Jordyn certainly had her faults; that wasn¡¯t up for debate, but Andreas couldn¡¯t help but be a little bit proud of the trooper he¡¯d raised.
¡ª
Vivienne teleported into the Union conference room, running her hand through her hair and sighing. She¡¯d finished her classes for the day, finished her studying, done a week¡¯s worth of meal prep, and visited her uncle. Exhaustion sat heavy in every fibre of her being, but the day wasn¡¯t over yet, so there was no reason to stop. She hadn¡¯t seen Jordyn in a while after all; not since the shoulder incident. It would be good to touch base with her. It was at least comforting to know that Brianna was keeping her company in Viv¡¯s stead. Jordyn needed to trust them for this plan to work, and no one was better at easing people¡¯s nerves than Brea.
Vivienne made for the common room: usually a safe bet when searching for her friend after studying hours. Sure enough, Brianna was there, lounging on the couch listening to a documentary on the TV.
¡°Hey, Brea,¡± Viv greeted.
¡°Hey,¡± she returned, scooting up to make room on the couch. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±
¡°Pretty normal,¡± Viv replied, taking that seat, only for Brea to scootch back down and put her legs in Vivienne¡¯s lap. ¡°How about you?¡±
¡°Same. Say, you didn¡¯t happen to run into Jordyn on the way here, did you? I wanted to touch base with her about the other night, but she didn¡¯t show up to the gym yesterday.¡±
Vivienne raised an eyebrow. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t seen her.¡± She looked away, pretending to be uninterested, not that Brianna could see her either way. ¡°The other night, huh? So, you went through with it.¡±
Brianna grinned. ¡°Yeah. It was a good time, for the most part. She was a little clueless about things, but¡­ let¡¯s just say she¡¯s a quick learner.¡± She winked.
Viv fondly rolled her eyes, trying to process that idea. It wasn¡¯t all that hard to picture, given what she knew of her disposition. Definitely naive, but¡­ there was a determination there as well. If Brianna gave her the grace and time she needed to catch up with things ¨C and, knowing her, she definitely did ¨C it was easy to imagine Jordyn putting her all into it; all those muscles tensing and rippling as she figured out how to get her partner to release and worked towards it; sweat running down her tan skin; those long, calloused fingers stroking through red hair-
Oh, wow, okay. Vivienne would need to take some time tonight to figure out just what the hell that was. Though¡­ after witnessing her body at work during her fight with Rishta, maybe figuring it out wouldn¡¯t take all that long. What could she say? The woman had a nice figure.
Brianna sighed, continuing. ¡°The thing is¡­ She¡¯s fun, and nice to hang around, but¡­ Do you think you can keep some sensitive information to yourself?¡±
Ah. Vivienne had a feeling she knew where this was going. ¡°Yeah, sure. What is it?¡±
Brea chewed on her bottom lip. ¡°I¡­ I dunno, it¡¯s just¡­ She has these scars on her back. Felt really thick, and raised. Definitely from some serious injury. But there were tons of them. And when I asked about them, she said that she ¡®made a mistake, and those were her lesson.¡¯ Those weren¡¯t the only scars she had, either. Viv, I¡­ I think she¡¯s being abused or something.¡±
Vivienne sighed. Brea was gonna figure it out eventually; as close to Jordyn as she was. Might as well let her in on things. ¡°Yeah. She is.¡±
Brianna paused, sitting up. ¡°You knew?¡±
¡°Me, Maddie, and Ashley. The whole reason we invited her to the Union in the first place was to try and get her away from Andreas de Vygon, the one who¡¯s doing it to her.¡±
Brea frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t he her dad?¡±
Viv winced. ¡°As far as we can tell, it¡¯s kinda complicated. But, ¡®no¡¯ is a pretty safe answer, despite what Jordyn believes.¡±
Brianna leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. ¡°Damn. Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±
¡°We decided not to tell anyone else, so as to make Jordyn¡¯s experience here as normal as possible. That wouldn¡¯t really work if everyone was constantly looking over her shoulder or walking on eggshells around her. And, well¡­ would you have done what you did if you knew?¡±
Brea hesitated. ¡°Good point. Also¡­ I didn¡¯t bring it up to her because it felt kind of rude, but¡­ I¡¯m like ninety percent sure she doesn¡¯t have a belly button.¡±
Viv frowned. ¡°Ninety percent sure?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know, I spent some time around her abdomen, but I never felt it.¡±
It would track with what Vivienne knew about Jordyn¡¯s origins. ¡°Well, we figure there¡¯s a decent chance Jordyn was grown in a tube, and that her memory problems come from the fact that there¡¯s nothing there to actually remember, so¡­ You might be right.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry? Grown in a tube?!¡±
¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡±
Brea blew out a raspberry. ¡°Clearly. Well, I guess I¡¯ll just try to keep things normal with her. We had a good time the other night, and she seemed eager to go again. So¡­¡±
Viv smiled. ¡°Just keep doing what you¡¯re doing. Any semblance of a normal life we can give her helps, I think.¡±
Brea hummed. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ a little worried I might have gotten her into trouble. If she¡¯s really in such a rough situation, she¡¯s probably not allowed to have sex, either, and I wasn¡¯t really careful about not leaving marks. It¡¯s just worrying that she didn¡¯t show up yesterday.¡±
Viv rubbed her leg in what was hopefully a comforting gesture. ¡°Try not to think about it too much. It¡¯s all I can do to stay sane about it all.¡± She laughed, but there wasn¡¯t much humour in it. ¡°We can only do so much to help her, given de Vygon¡¯s resources. We¡¯ve gotta be smart about it. Small things, like offering our friendship to make her more comfortable, are extremely useful, because it gets her to trust us more. If she trusts us more, we can slowly start easing de Vygon¡¯s leash from around her neck, just by trying to inform her about how wrong the way she¡¯s being treated is. It won¡¯t be easy, and she might fight back against us if things get too personal, but given the situation, it¡¯s the best thing we can do for her right now.¡±
A meow echoed from down the hallway outside the room, quickly turning into a rapid chorus of feline neediness.
¡°Aw, okay, okay,¡± said a muffled, electronic voice.
¡°It¡¯s a little early for Jordyn to be showing up,¡± Brianna said, frowning.
¡°For your own sake, you gotta stop over-reading into every little thing, Brea. You¡¯re gonna drive yourself crazy.¡±
Brea blew another raspberry, this time directed at Viv.
Jordyn rounded the corner into the common room, with Muffin perched on her shoulder. It couldn¡¯t be comfortable on that hard armour of hers, but apparently he was too needy to care.
¡°Hey, Jordyn,¡± Viv greeted.
¡°Hi, Vivienne. Hi, Brianna.¡±
¡°Hey, Jords,¡± Brea replied. ¡°I missed you on the treadmills yesterday.¡±
¡°Sorry. I was, uh¡­ indisposed. But, I¡¯ve got a few days off from patrol, so I can hang around more.¡±
Jordyn sounded like she was speaking through her teeth or something. She was definitely lisping, regardless.
¡°Are you alright?¡± Vivienne asked as she shifted over, making room on the couch. ¡°You sound a little strange.¡±
Jordyn sat down, and Muffin transferred from her shoulders to her lap. She took off her gauntlets to pet him. ¡°I broke my jaw yesterday. And my nose. Lost a few teeth, too. They were put back in, but my mouth still hurts, so¡­ talking¡¯s a little funny right now.¡±
Brianna sat up. ¡°Oh my god. Are you okay?¡±
¡°Um¡­ Right now, yeah. I slept through most of yesterday, so I¡¯m a little pent up today, but Father said no strenuous activity for a week. I¡¯m grateful for the rest, but I¡¯m a little bored, y¡¯know?¡±
¡°It wasn¡¯t because of¡­ what we did, was it?¡±
Jordyn looked at her for a few seconds before it clicked. ¡°Oh. No, it wasn¡¯t. I¡­ I don¡¯t know why this happened. I was just heading to the laundry when I ran into him, and he just¡­¡± She trailed off.
¡°Your dad?¡± Vivienne prompted.
¡°No. I¡¯m sorry, I¡­ probably shouldn¡¯t say any more.¡±
Vivienne¡¯s gut clenched with unspoken words. Even if it wasn¡¯t de Vygon that did it, the idea that Jordyn was living somewhere where people could just come up and beat on her whenever they wanted broke Vivienne¡¯s heart. She needed to fix this. Sitting around passively wasn¡¯t good enough anymore.
¡°Jordyn, I¡­ I was wondering. You know about how we offer housing for all our heroes?¡±
She nodded. ¡°Like Brianna.¡±
¡°Yeah, like Brianna. Uh, would you be interested in¡­ living here full-time?¡±
Jordyn paused, hesitating. ¡°Why?¡±
Okay. Time for a little honesty. ¡°I just¡­ Sometimes, you say things that make me think you aren¡¯t very safe at home. You shouldn¡¯t have to¡­ to live in a place where someone can just beat you up for no reason. Here, you would be safe. No one would want to hurt you, or order you around, or any of that.¡±
Jordyn froze, looking down. She didn¡¯t say anything for a long moment. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think I¡¯d be allowed.¡±
Vivienne sighed. ¡°That¡¯s kind of my point. You¡¯re a grown woman. You should be allowed to make these decisions for yourself.¡±
¡°Plus, you¡¯d be able to hang out with me more,¡± Brianna added. ¡°If you¡­ if you want that.¡±
Jordyn sniffed. ¡°I¡­ I want to. B-but, I need to ask Father, and I don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll say yes¡­¡±
Vivienne gently took her hand, trying not to disturb Muffin too much so as to not get bitten. ¡°If he says no, tell us. We¡¯ll figure something out, okay?¡±
Jordyn turned her head, looking at Vivienne. ¡°It¡¯s not normal, th-that he hurts me, is it?¡±
Vivienne swallowed down the feelings that question drew up in her, shaking her head.
Jordyn¡¯s shoulders hitched; a sob echoing out from behind her helmet. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be hurt anymore¡­¡±
Vivienne leaned forward and put her arms around Jordyn as she broke down. It was awkward and uncomfortable thanks to her armour, but Viv could put up with it. Brianna got up, moving around to Jordyn¡¯s other side, and embraced her from behind.
This was a big decision she¡¯d just made, without even consulting Ashley or Maddie, but fuck it. Neither of them spent nearly as much time around Jordyn, so she felt justified in making it. This was simply her role. Vivienne was in charge of saving Jordyn. Ashley dealt with the administrative stuff, and Maddie¡­ Maddie would be in charge of assisting Jordyn during the move and helping her settle in, as was her role as Union co-leader. Vivienne would make sure she did. That was just how it was.
Jordyn might move into the Union. This was big. It was obvious that Jordyn was unhappy, and she was clearly beginning to realise that her treatment was wrong, but how far was it gonna go? It was easy for Viv to get her hopes up, but she needed to stay realistic about all this. Even if she was allowed to live at the Union, they couldn¡¯t expect that de Vygon would just let Jordyn go completely. Their job wasn¡¯t done.
Jordyn pulled out of the hug. ¡°Ugh. Now my face is all wet.¡± She laughed, though it seemed forced. ¡°I, um¡­ I¡¯ll ask my dad about it. But¡­ later. I just want to stay here for now.¡±
Vivienne smiled. ¡°What do you want to do?¡±
Jordyn shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±
¡°Well, what do you like to do for fun?¡±
¡°I¡­ I like to draw, if that counts.¡±
Bingo. ¡°You wanna try painting?¡±
¡°Jeez, real inclusive,¡± Brea joked.
¡°Hey, you got to spend your time with her. Now it¡¯s my turn.¡±
She chuckled. ¡°I didn¡¯t know this was a ¡®joint custody¡¯ situation.¡±
¡°Shut up.¡±
Jordyn giggled. ¡°You two are fun.¡±
¡ª
G-7 stood in front of him in his office, head hanging, looking every part the pathetic dog begging its master for a treat. Andreas mulled over the idea in his mind. Sending G-7 to live at the Union. It certainly had its risks; there was no denying that, but that didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t also benefits. Over the past few days, he¡¯d been devising an alternate plan to get into the Godling¡¯s prison, and if G-7 lived at the Union full time, it would be much less risky to carry out. The only problem was, constant contact with Union heroes risked pulling G-7 completely out of his grasp before he had the chance to fully enact his plan. It would be a balancing act. He needed to keep her on his side, but at the same time, he also needed to let her go free, just a little bit. God, was all parenting as stressful as this?
¡°I¡¯ll allow it,¡± Andreas said. ¡°With a few conditions.¡±
G-7¡¯s bruised face lit up. ¡°What conditions?¡± she mumbled.
¡°Once you recover, you will continue to go on daily patrols following your usual routine. You will continue to report back here to me after every patrol. You will continue to follow the rules regarding your armour and helmet while at the Union; the only exception being while you are in your own room, alone. No one is to see your face under any circumstances. If you find yourself in a situation without your helmet, you must use your shadows to conceal yourself. If I find out that you¡¯ve broken any of these rules, or that the general quality of your patrol performance has begun to decline, I will be revoking permission and you will move back here at the earliest possible opportunity. Do you understand?¡±
She nodded frantically. ¡°Yes, sir!¡±
Andreas nodded. ¡°Go on, then. Better get yourself ready.¡±
G-7 nodded again, eyes shining, before spinning on her heel and practically sprinting out of his office. Despite it all, Andreas couldn¡¯t help but feel a tiny twinge of pride in his gut. Her excitement was infectious. He supposed if she was his actual daughter, this would probably be the equivalent of having his child move out of home for the first time. It was normal to have some feelings about it.
Only, she wasn¡¯t his daughter. She was a test subject he grew in a vat to do his bidding.
Hm. Better get those feelings under control before they cause him to do something stupid. New Beginnings
Madeline scratched her head, looking at the back of Jordyn¡¯s metal dome as she took in her new living space. Viv had called her yesterday evening, letting her know the whole situation, and that Maddie would be helping out. It made sense. This was generally what Maddie did as co-leader ¨C when she was actually working, anyway ¨C and she was wrapped up in this whole Jordyn business as well. It was just¡­ awkward. She had no idea how to speak to the other woman. Every time they¡¯d interacted, it had either been fleeting or Maddie¡¯d had a specific goal in mind. Now she just¡­ had to talk to her. Eugh.
¡°You like it?¡± she forced herself to ask, brushing her fringe out of her eyes. She¡¯d been letting her hair grow out a bit more, though she was keeping the sides shaved. She even had a tiny ponytail going on at the back.
Jordyn shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s pretty similar to where I was living before. Only, I had a toilet and a shower in my room.¡±
Maddie frowned. ¡°Must have been cramped.¡±
Jordyn stepped inside, tugging her suitcase along behind her. It didn¡¯t look very full. ¡°What have you got packed in there?¡± Maddie asked. Maybe there was something she could help her get; actually do her job, and all that.
She put her suitcase down and sat on the bed. ¡°Uh, sleepwear, underwear¡­ my armour cleaning supplies. Some books.¡±
Madeline cocked her head to the side. ¡°No casual clothes?¡±
Jordyn shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to leave my room without my armour on anyway, so¡­ there wouldn¡¯t be much point.¡±
Madeline detected a hint of longing in her tone. And fair enough. She knew exactly what it was like to be forced to wear clothes you didn¡¯t want to wear; to long for a certain style, all the while knowing that indulging yourself would be met with brutal punishment. Maybe she and Jordyn had more in common than she originally thought.
She hummed, joining Jordyn on the bed. She still had more specific stuff to go over with Jordyn¡¯s whole orientation ¨C like where the kitchen was, the rules on food, laundry, etcetera ¨C but she wanted to give the woman some time to acclimate to the new space first. Either that meant more awkward silence, or¡­ talking.
¡°You, uh¡­ You look good,¡± Jordyn said, staring at the floor.
¡°Hm?¡± Maddie questioned. If this was that old crush flaring up, she really didn¡¯t want to stick around. Jordyn was probably a lovely gal, but Madeline had far too much of her own baggage to even consider doing anything with a trauma-case of Jordyn¡¯s calibre.
¡°Healthy, I mean,¡± she clarified. ¡°You¡¯ve put on a bit of weight since I last saw you, and you have a bit of a tan.¡±
Oh. Well, that wasn¡¯t too surprising. Madeline had finally found herself a job, working in a warehouse. It was good exercise for her lethargic body, and exercising more meant eating more as well. She was actually starting to fit into her costume again. The tan was probably just from walking to and from the workplace in the sun, though personally she hadn¡¯t really noticed it. Apparently, Jordyn was keeping a pretty close eye on her. It made sense with the ¡®crush¡¯ theory.
¡°Thanks,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping busy. Uh, more than usual, anyway.¡±
Jordyn nodded, and silence returned, hanging over them like a thick cloud. Madeline swallowed. She needed to keep this conversation going before she lost her mind.
¡°So, how do you feel about everything? Moving to the Union and all that?¡±
¡°Excited,¡± Jordyn replied. ¡°For as long as I can remember, I¡¯ve been in the facility, with Father or the scientists always looking over my shoulder, coming into my room whenever they want. I still have my duties, and I still have to go in for reports, but¡­ I¡¯m excited to have my own space, y¡¯know?¡±
Maddie smiled. ¡°I hear you, there. When I was a kid, I wasn¡¯t even allowed to have a door in my room. I had no privacy whatsoever, and with parents as strict as mine were, that made growing up¡­ pretty difficult. Especially considering they were transphobic assholes.¡±
Jordyn cocked her head to the side, and Madeline predicted her question before she even asked it. She doubted de Vygon gave his test-tube baby a thorough education on queer culture. ¡°What does that mean?¡±
She took a deep breath. This was not the turn she wanted this conversation to take, but that was just what she got for trying to share a personal anecdote. ¡°Well, ¡®trans¡¯ is short for ¡®transgender.¡¯ It means I was born anatomically male, but I found out that doesn¡¯t work for me, and decided to become a girl. ¡®Transphobic¡¯ means people who don¡¯t like that very much, and would prefer that I stay as a boy, even though it was killing me.¡±
¡°...Does that mean you have a penis even though you¡¯re a girl?¡±
The bluntness of Jordyn¡¯s question made Madeline snort. She couldn¡¯t even get mad; the girl was too damn innocent. ¡°Yes. Anatomy is just anatomy. Gender is social, and doesn¡¯t necessarily have to match up. You could be a man if you wanted to.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t want to,¡± she answered surprisingly quickly.
Madeline smiled. ¡°Me neither.¡±
¡°But¡­ How was it killing you?¡±
Oh boy, they were really getting into it. Oh well, it was probably good for Jordyn to learn. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ hard to describe to people who don¡¯t know the feeling. But, it¡¯s like, looking at yourself in the mirror and seeing someone who isn¡¯t you, but not knowing why. You instinctively expect to see certain features, but they¡¯re not there, and that discrepancy hurts. It¡¯s being drawn to certain styles associated with the opposite gender, seeking out any way you can associate yourself more with the person you feel like inside. And the more you begin to notice the discrepancy, the worse it gets. Once you notice it¡¯s there, you can never ignore it again. The only solace, aside from changing your identity to match your feelings, is total dissociation. And that¡¯s no way to live.
¡°My parents wouldn¡¯t let me dress in women¡¯s clothes, or change my name or my pronouns, and if they caught me doing something like that, they would withhold food and¡­ and beat me. It got to the point where I decided I would rather die than have to continue living as a boy, the pain was that bad. And the only way I¡¯d get to live as a girl, as my true self, was if I did something drastic. So, I gave my parents an ultimatum. Either they accept me for who I am, or they never see me again. You can probably guess what they picked. I packed a bag full of the only feminine shit I could get my hands on, and I left and never looked back. It was the second-best decision I ever made.¡±
¡°Wow¡­¡± Jordyn muttered. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ really brave of you. My dad does stuff like that too, but only when I do stuff to deserve it, so it¡¯s not as bad. I can¡¯t imagine ever running away like that. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯d survive.¡±
Madeline sighed, shaking her head. Try as she might to be apathetic, her heart fucking hurt for this girl. What a shit situation. ¡°That¡¯s the thing, Jordyn. No one deserves to be treated like that, no matter what they do.¡± She reached out and patted Jordyn on the back of her metal chestplate. ¡°But you don¡¯t have to worry about that anymore. You¡¯ll be safe here. And you can see your dad as much or as little as you like.¡±
¡°Well, that¡¯s not strictly true. I still have to see him every day for reports. But it¡¯s okay. He¡¯s my dad; I love him. Even¡­ Even if he hurts me sometimes. I don¡¯t just want to¡­ disappear, you know?¡±
Madeline¡¯s gut clenched. She rubbed her upper arm, over an old scar from a cigarette burn. It had been over 12 years since she last saw her birth parents. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder what they¡¯d been up to.
She cleared her throat. This conversation was getting a little too real for her. ¡°Should we move on? I¡¯ve still gotta go over some housekeeping stuff with you.¡±
Jordyn nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±
¡ª
I sighed, staring across the kitchen longingly at the piece of toast Brianna was eating while I sipped my soup up through a straw. It had barely even been a week and I already couldn¡¯t stand this liquid-only diet. It didn¡¯t help that I was starved for two days before I could even start it. According to the medical team, I¡¯d be allowed some softer foods in the coming weeks, but I wouldn¡¯t be back to my normal diet for at least six. Hopefully, chilli and rice counted as a softer food. I was just lucky the break wasn¡¯t bad enough that my jaw had to be surgically wired shut. Then I¡¯d be screwed for months.
Living at the Union was¡­ weird, for lack of a better word. I thought it wouldn¡¯t be any different from back at the facility, but clearly I was mistaken. I had to source my own food, for one. No one was cooking meals like back home. I asked Brianna, and she said that she mostly lived off of takeaway, and whatever ¡®instant noodles¡¯ were. That didn¡¯t really seem sufficient to me. Father had provided me with a bunch of pre-packaged broths and soups for the duration of my recovery, but once that was over, I wasn¡¯t really sure what I was gonna do.
At least the beds were comfortable. The sleep I¡¯d had after Madeline had finished briefing me was the best sleep of my entire life. It was like lying on a cloud. The privacy was nice, too; knowing there was never any chance that Father could walk into my room without warning.
I was mostly passing the time reading, or drawing, or talking to Brianna, or trying out that ¡®painting¡¯ thing Vivienne had shown me. I wasn¡¯t quite as good at it as I was with drawing yet, but I was confident I could get there with some practice. It was really relaxing, and it felt good when an idea started to actually form into a finished product. It would be nice to get to work out as well, but I still wasn¡¯t cleared for strenuous activity yet. Thanks again, Mr. Beaumond¡­
Someone just entered the conference room. No, a group of people. Vivienne, Madeline, Ashley, and¡­ someone else who I couldn¡¯t identify with just my shadows.
Inspired by the way Brianna used her smoke powers, for the past week I¡¯d been laying down a very thin cloud of shadows, spread out around all the main parts of the Union HQ. Anytime someone moved through it, the cloud sent a ripple all the way back to me, and I¡¯d be able to tell where everyone was and roughly what they were doing. It took a bit of concentration to use, but with all of this free time, I was quickly getting the hang of it. It was just¡­ a little overwhelming, being in this unfamiliar new environment, and having an eye on everything helped me feel more secure.
I got up, wandering over to the conference room to see what was going on. It must have been something important if Ashley, Madeline, and Vivienne were all there.
¡°So, the plan is to get you set up in one of our rooms for now. We might need to make some modifications to accommodate for your injuries, but it shouldn¡¯t take longer than a few hours to do that,¡± came Madeline¡¯s voice, echoing down the hall as I approached.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
¡°Until then, you and I can go and grab lunch or something,¡± Vivienne said. ¡°After you¡¯ve put your stuff away, of course.¡±
¡°Thank you both,¡± said a familiar, husky voice. I froze right at the corner of the entrance, my heart pounding in my chest. ¡°Seriously, I don¡¯t know what I would do without you.¡±
¡°Well, if it wasn¡¯t for what you did, we¡¯d still be pretty much completely in the dark about this whole situation,¡± Ashley said. ¡°This is the least we can do to pay you back.¡±
¡°How¡­ is that whole situation going, by the way?¡± the newcomer asked. ¡°Vivienne¡¯s been keeping me mostly in the loop, but I heard-¡±
¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t talk about that out in the open,¡± Madeline interrupted.
My whole body flushed with adrenaline; sweat pricking at the back of my neck. I wanted to throw up. There was no way I could mistake that voice, not after all of the sleepless nights I spent hearing him scream in my memories.
Steve Matthews was at the Union.
¡°Right, sorry,¡± he said. ¡°So, can I check out my room?¡±
¡°Sure thing, uncle,¡± Vivienne chirped.
They were coming this way. In a few seconds, Steve and Vivienne would be rounding that corner, and I¡¯d come face-to-face with him again for the first time since that night. What was I supposed to do? What could I possibly say to him after what I did?
I turned and ran back to my room as fast as I could.
¡ª
Brianna gently ran her fingers along my belly, tracing the indented scar Father gave me after I lost the sniper team all those months ago. My body buzzed with the remnants of our previous activities; relaxation and fatigue clawing at me and dragging me into a restful nap with Brianna at my back.
I¡¯d finally been cleared for strenuous activity again, which meant exercise and patrols and reporting to Father, but it also meant getting to work off my anxieties with Brianna. I would be lying if I said I hadn¡¯t been waiting for this. My jaw still hurt, so we couldn¡¯t really kiss as much as I wanted to or try any of that other stuff with my mouth, but it was okay. Brianna could easily make up for it, and she said that my hands were more than sufficient. Honestly, I was mostly here just for this; being held, feeling her warm, soft body pressing against my back. It didn¡¯t make the ache from my whip scars go away entirely, but it was much easier to ignore them with her arms surrounding me. It was easier to forget about everything eating away at the back of my mind.
My half-lidded eyes caught on something, breaking the monotony of the brown bed sheets we were lying on. A single red hair, resting peacefully on the pillow. There was only one person I knew in the Union with hair that colour. Come to think of it, Brianna had mentioned that she did stuff like this with Vivienne too, didn¡¯t she? Imagining that made my lower abdomen tingle. I wanted to do this stuff with Vivienne, too. If only I didn¡¯t have this stupid rule about not showing my face. Maybe I could ask Vivienne to wear a blindfold?
It was a funny idea, but not one I was ever going to follow up on. The only reason this happened was because Brianna initiated it. I was still far too nervous around Vivienne to make the first move.
Inevitably, thinking about Vivienne led to thinking about her uncle. Steve had now been living at the Union for a full week, and I¡¯d been doing my utmost to avoid ever running into him. My cloud of shadows made it easy to keep track of where he was, but it didn¡¯t stop him from spending time in the places I wanted to be, forcing me to hide away in my room, bored out of my mind.
I really shouldn¡¯t blame him; it wasn¡¯t his fault I was too afraid to go anywhere near him. On the contrary, it was entirely my fault. It was my fault he was wheelchair-bound, attending painful physical therapy appointments almost daily. It was my fault he needed help to get into bed, and onto the toilet, and with making food. It was my fault he woke up nearly every night, gasping and sweating from nightmares. It was my fault his life and body were irreparably broken, and I couldn¡¯t even look him in the eye. I could barely even look Vivienne in the eye anymore; not after I overheard her explain all of that to Brianna, voice tired and heartbroken.
¡°Hey,¡± Brianna said, squeezing me tighter for a second. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±
I blinked, and realised I was crying. I hurriedly wiped the tears away, sniffling. ¡°N-nothing.¡±
Brianna softly kissed the back of my head. ¡°Come on, you can tell me. I promise I¡¯ll keep it a secret.¡±
As much as my immediate instinct was to deny, deny, deny, my helmet was in the corner right now, facing the wall. If I whispered, I could tell Brianna anything I wanted, and Father would never find out. Obviously, I couldn¡¯t just¡­ tell her what happened between Steve and me, but maybe I could¡­ dance around it a little. Present a vague, similar situation to my own, and see if maybe she could give me any advice. If things kept going the way they were, I was either going to lose my friends or lose my mind; I needed some help.
I took a deep breath, trying to formulate my thoughts in a way that wouldn¡¯t reveal too much. ¡°What would you do if¡­ if you were forced to do something against your will that really really hurt someone you care about, but they didn¡¯t know about it? Like¡­ they didn¡¯t know it was you that did it. But the guilt is still eating you up even months afterward?¡±
A long silence passed, and my anxiety steadily grew until Brianna replied. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s a tough one,¡± she said. ¡°I¡­ well, I think an important thing to consider is the fact that, if you were forced, it isn¡¯t your fault, even if it really feels like it is.¡±
¡°Yeah, but¡­ I could¡¯ve chosen not to¡­¡± I muttered.
¡°That kinda defeats the purpose of ¡®forced,¡¯ don¡¯t you think? If someone told me that they would kill my family unless I did a bunch of horrible shit, it would be really fucking hard for me to say no to that, you get me?¡±
¡°I guess¡­¡±
¡°Either way, I think you should fess up and apologise to the person if you ever get the opportunity. I know it¡¯s probably pretty scary to think about, but don¡¯t you think that person deserves ¨C if not amendments ¨C at least an apology? Who knows, maybe they¡¯ll understand and forgive you. And even if they don¡¯t, at least you¡¯ll have finally gotten it off your chest.¡±
I hummed, trying to take her words to heart. She was probably right, but even thinking about finding Steve and apologising right now made me want to curl into a ball and disappear.
Brianna sensed my discomfort. She wrapped herself around me even tighter. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything right now, Jean Shorts. You can just stay here with me tonight.¡±
I let out a breath, letting that comforting idea wash over me as I turned and buried my face against her warm skin.
Wait¡­ what?
¡°Jean shorts?¡± I questioned.
¡°You know. Jordyn. Jordy. Jords. Jorts. Jean Shorts. It¡¯s a nickname.¡±
If Brianna could see, I would have been staring at her in confused disbelief. As it was, I just chuckled and closed my eyes.
Jean Shorts.
She was so silly.
¡ª
I found him in a common room, late at night when there was no risk of anyone else intruding. My armour and helmet were still back in my dorm, stuffed into the corner with the lights off so that Father wouldn¡¯t see me leave, assuming I was sleeping. My shadows covered the light from the hallway when I opened the door, and from there I wrapped a mask of darkness around my face and crept through the corridors. I was dressed in nothing but my sleepwear; a tanktop and briefs. It was as vulnerable as I could possibly make myself without stripping entirely. I wanted this interaction to be on as even ground as possible, and I couldn¡¯t do that if I was still in that horrible black cage, with Father listening to every word I said.
Steve had his wheelchair rolled up against the wall, watching a movie on the TV. He looked calm. Relaxed. I didn¡¯t want to ruin it. My gut screamed at me to just turn and go back to bed. I grit my teeth, trying to resist. This needed to happen, whether either of us wanted it or not.
I cleared my throat, stepping out of the shadows in the hallway. Steve looked up, his brows furrowing when he saw my exposed form.
¡°Is¡­ Is that you, Jordyn?¡±
Part of me expected him to still sound the way he did that night; raspy and weak. Instead, his voice was as strong and clear as it had ever been.
I nodded, the shadows around my head bobbing along with me. ¡°Y-yeah.¡±
His brow unfurrowed, but his face remained unparseable and blank. ¡°I heard you were staying here too. Though, you¡¯re so elusive I was starting to think I imagined Vivienne telling me.¡±
I swallowed nervously. ¡°You were¡­ looking for me?¡±
He shrugged. ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t seen you since I was hospitalised. I wanted to see how you were.¡±
I ignored the implied question in his words, letting the silence between us fester. My feelings didn¡¯t matter. I just needed to rip the bandaid off. ¡°Listen, detective. It¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t really know how to say this, but¡­¡±
¡°I know it was you,¡± he calmly said, interrupting me. ¡°It¡¯s pretty hard to mistake that voice when you¡¯ve got your helmet on.¡±
It took me a second to process his words, but when they finally hit, my stomach dropped. ¡°What? Y-you¡­ you knew the whole time?¡±
He nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I didn¡¯t tell anyone. As far as Vivienne and the Union know, I was attacked by one of de Vygon¡¯s agents.¡±
That made no sense. I could barely wrap my head around the concept. ¡°I¡­ why?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know. I guess, I didn¡¯t want to alienate you further from everyone else. What happened wasn¡¯t your fault. It was de Vygon¡¯s. It¡¯s not like you did all that out of your own desire to hurt me.¡± He looked away, staring back at the TV screen.
¡°But¡­ But, I crippled you! B-because of me, you¡¯ll never walk straight again!¡±
¡°Because of de Vygon,¡± Steve corrected, though there was pain in his eyes at my words. ¡°You don¡¯t blame the gun for shooting someone; you blame the person who pulled the trigger.¡±
¡°I-!¡± I paused, absorbing his meaning. Something in the core of my being shivered; an uncomfortable idea starting to form in the bottom of my mind. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not a gun, though. I¡¯m a person. I¡¯m his daughter.¡±
Steve sighed, glancing back over with his eyes pinching at the edges. The pity in his gaze made me want to throw up. ¡°As far as he¡¯s concerned, you might as well be. The way he treats you; it¡¯s not how any parent should treat their kid. He uses you as a weapon, pointing you at his enemies and pulling the trigger.¡±
A gun. A weapon. Just some¡­ thing to bolster his police force and do his bidding. Was that really how Father saw me? No, it couldn¡¯t be.
I looked down. ¡°I¡­ I know he doesn¡¯t treat me right. I know that I have¡­ so much less freedom than everyone else. But, he¡¯s still my father, and I owe him my life. Nothing will change that. Regardless of who gave the order, it was still me that hurt you. I could have decided not to, but I did it anyway, because he asked. B-because¡­ I can choose. You can¡¯t say it wasn¡¯t my fault.¡±
¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault,¡± Steve insisted.
¡°But-!¡±
¡°What would he have done to you if you hadn¡¯t complied?¡± he asked. ¡°No one else is listening. You aren¡¯t wearing your helmet. You can tell me.¡±
¡­He was right. I could tell him. I could finally get the crushing fear of Father¡¯s exact retribution off of my chest, and there was no way it could get back to him. But was that a good idea? I didn¡¯t know.
But I¡¯d come too far to stop now.
I took a deep breath, centering myself. ¡°Th-there¡¯s this¡­ thing he does. I don¡¯t know how he does it, but when he¡¯s mad, he can make it so that it feels like my whole body is on fire, a-and I can¡¯t move. B-but that¡¯s usually for small things. If I refused to do what¡­ what I did, I¡¯d probably be banned from eating, and have to spend a few days in the penalisation room. He, um¡­ He chains me up against the wall in uncomfortable positions, a-and then leaves me there for hours. O-or, he could beat me, or cut me. I- I know now that it isn¡¯t normal, o-or good, but it¡¯s just¡­ how we are. It¡¯s how we work. When I disobey him, Father hurts me. That¡¯s just the way it is. If I really didn¡¯t want to do it, I could¡¯ve said so, and dealt with the consequences. I¡¯ve been through them before.¡±
The anguished look on Steve¡¯s face was like a knife in the gut. It wasn¡¯t that bad, was it?
He rubbed his face, looking away. ¡°Shit, kid. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±
I sighed, trying not to think about that too much. ¡°See? It¡¯s my fault.¡±
He chuckled humourlessly, squeezing his eyes shut. ¡°Jordyn. You were coerced into it under threat of fucking torture. There is no conceivable way it was your fault and not his. You wouldn¡¯t have even thought about doing it if he hadn¡¯t ordered you to in the first place. And it¡¯s clear it¡¯s been eating you up ever since. I don¡¯t know what I can say to convince you that it wasn¡¯t your fault, but clearly you came to me looking for something. What? Forgiveness? Absolution? You can have it! I know¡­ I know the hurt isn¡¯t gonna go away just like that, but I don¡¯t blame you for what happened. I never did. It wasn¡¯t your fault. You were just¡­ a scared, abused little girl doing whatever she could to avoid getting hurt again. You¡¯re still doing it. Because, if you think that it wasn¡¯t your fault, then it¡¯s his fault, and that¡¯s a dangerous train of thought for you. So you¡¯re taking the blame as much as possible to protect yourself from retribution.¡±
It felt like I could barely breathe. My cheeks were wet. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡± I trailed off. I didn¡¯t know what to say.
Steve pursed his lips, looking at me like he could see right through the shadows and to the heart of my being. He sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s just¡­ forget about everything, just for tonight. There¡¯s no reason to hash it all out right now. Come on, sit down. We can watch this movie together.¡± He forced a shaky smile. ¡°It¡¯s good, I promise.¡±
I blankly nodded, stumbling over to the couch and pulling a blanket over my exposed form. It was weird to be out here without anything on.
He was right, though. Everything he said made too much sense. I just¡­ didn¡¯t know what to do with it all, crushing me from the inside until my lungs collapsed. But, in the meantime, the movie was pretty good. Distraction would have to do for now. Memories From A Past Life
¡°99¡­ 100¡­ 101¡­¡±
I grunted with exertion, working through my sit-up set and throwing a pair of punches each time I reached my peak. The burn in my abdomen flared in time with my efforts and I focused on it, picturing myself getting stronger and letting those feelings of satisfaction flow through my bloodstream and push me further. I couldn¡¯t let myself slip and grow weaker, or Father might pull me out of the Union. It had already been a month and a half, and I¡¯d fully recovered from my encounter with Mr. Beaumond. There were no more excuses for lacking performance, and Father only had so much mercy in him.
That conversation I had with Steve hadn¡¯t once left my mind since we spoke. I kept rolling it around in my head, trying to make sense of his words and match them with my admittedly limited experience of the world. Obviously, I knew the way Father treated me was wrong. It was beginning to become clearer to me that he didn¡¯t really see me as a daughter either, despite his occasional gentleness. Steve said I was like a weapon to him, and I just couldn¡¯t shake the idea that he was right. For my entire life, my only purpose had been to grow stronger so that I could enact Father¡¯s will more effectively. As much as it felt like a knife in the gut to admit it to myself, that sounded like a weapon to me. Was it like this before the accident as well? Was the accident even¡­ real? It wasn¡¯t like Father made a habit of being honest with me.
Who was I, really? Supposedly, I was Jordyn de Vygon; a superhero who recovered from losing all her memories in a monster attack. Except, no one at the Union recognised me. And Father never said anything about being from a different city. More and more these days, I¡¯d been wondering about the girl I was before; the girl who died along with all of my memories of the past. I had to have come from somewhere, and that meant that even if Father was lying about the accident and who I was, there was a person out there that I used to be. Was she anything like me at all? Did she want to be a superhero, and that was why Father was trying so hard to make me be one?
She may have been the previous holder of my body, but she wasn¡¯t me. It wasn¡¯t fair that I had to live out her dreams. That girl was dead, and the dead should be allowed to rest. I should be free to live my own life.
But, that was just one theory of a dozen. If Father wasn¡¯t going to tell me the truth, there was really no way of ever knowing. I had to just let it go.
Speaking of things I didn¡¯t understand about Father, his plans were confusing me. I thought that the whole idea for letting me join the Union was to get them to trust me then attempt a hostile takeover, but¡­ Well, they already trusted me, and nothing was happening. Thank god nothing was happening, because frankly I didn¡¯t want Father anywhere near my friends after learning how horrible he could be, but it was still weird.
Instead, he¡¯d been giving me one of these odd, sticky little boxes every two weeks or so, and ordering me to place them around the edges of the door to the Godling¡¯s prison. He said it was a method to ¡®increase the door¡¯s defenses¡¯, but I wasn¡¯t entirely sure I believed that. I also couldn¡¯t see how it could be harmful though, so I decided it would be safer to just not bring it up to anybody.
All of a sudden, an alarm sounded, ringing throughout the building. Someone slammed their fist on my door over and over.
¡°Jordyn!¡± I heard Vivienne call. ¡°Are you in here?¡±
¡°Yeah. What¡¯s going on?¡±
I pulled shadows around my face a second before Vivienne teleported through the door. She was dressed in her hero costume, and her expression was wide-eyed and urgent. ¡°Get your armour on. It¡¯s a code red, we¡¯re calling all available combat and support heroes.¡±
¡°Code red? What does that mean?¡± I asked, doing as she said and donning my armour.
¡°An entire building got transformed. We¡¯ve gotta kill it and save the people trapped inside.¡±
I froze, absorbing her words. It was a monster attack. Somehow, despite knowing that this was the whole point of the Union, it never occurred to me that I¡¯d actually have to help out in one. I wasn¡¯t trained for this.
¡°Jordyn?¡± Vivienne asked, noticing my hesitation.
¡°I¡­ I wouldn¡¯t know what to do. I¡¯d just get in the way.¡±
Vivienne grit her teeth, sighing. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate yourself, Jordyn. You are probably the single most powerful hero in the entire Union. Even without taking into account your power, your skill alone is incredible. And your power is one of the strongest I¡¯ve ever seen. We need you. You¡¯re a fast learner; you¡¯ll figure it out.¡±
She really¡­ thought of me like that? My body buzzed with warmth, though uncertainty still lingered. ¡°How am I supposed to kill it?¡±
¡°Monsters can seem like a random blob of senseless flesh, but they do have fairly consistent anatomy with one another. There¡¯s usually a vital organ cluster hidden in a defensible position. If we can destroy that, the monster will die. If we can¡¯t find it, cutting bits off is usually sufficient in getting it to bleed out, though it can take longer. Even¡­ Even if you aren¡¯t feeling up to fighting, I could really use some help getting people out.¡±
The way she said it indicated that she really hoped I would be up for fighting. This must be pretty bad. I nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do my best.¡±
I finished putting my armour on. Vivienne looked at me, an odd expression on her face. Then, she ran up and embraced me. ¡°Thank you so much. I know it¡¯s scary.¡±
I hugged her back, trying to calm my racing heart. Oh, how I longed to not be wearing my armour at that moment.
Vivienne pulled away, keeping a hand on my shoulder. ¡°You ready?¡±
Steeling myself with a breath, I nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±
In an instant, the enclosed space of my room and the loud blaring of the alarm was replaced by open street and the sound of screaming. A little ways away, there was a huge mass of pink, pulsating flesh in the shape of a building; concrete and glass and metal remnants from the thing it used to be sticking to it like armour. That same old fear gripped my guts like a vice, but I clenched my fists and forced it down. Fear had no place in a fight.
People were already out there fighting. I could see Madeline, hopping around and throwing small icicles at the tentacles forming out of the flesh to try and hit her. Rishta was there, speeding through the mayhem and delivering sharp jabs accompanied by sparks of electricity. It didn¡¯t look like they were able to go all out just yet, no doubt because of the people still inside. They could use my help.
Vivienne quickly surveyed the situation, then turned to me. ¡°I¡¯m gonna get started. You call out to me if you need any help, and I¡¯ll keep an eye out to support you.¡±
Just like that, she disappeared into thin air and I watched her reappear near Madeline, down the road.
For a short while, I sort of just¡­ stood there, watching the scene unfold. It felt like my legs were glued to the ground. Vivienne kept teleporting in and out of the writhing building, each time with a person on each arm. She was teleporting out of the way of attacks, and trying to help the others do the same, but clearly she hadn¡¯t been able to keep up with everything. There was blood on her face after she came out of the building. Whether it was hers or someone else¡¯s, I didn¡¯t know, but my gut clenched at the sight regardless.
Move, you useless ass. Vivienne brought you here to help. Are you just going to stand there and watch? What if your indecision causes her death? Just like what she said happened with Rosalyn, only there would be no exhaustion to blame it on this time. Just cowardice.
¡°Move, Seven. I did not raise you to be a bystander.¡±
Father¡¯s voice rang through my earpiece and my body moved on its own, speeding towards the chaos with the full force of my shadow-empowered legs. Every step sent a shockwave of fear shooting through my system, wrapping around my throat and choking me. I would be surprised if I hadn¡¯t wet myself by the time this was over; that was how hard I could feel my body quivering beneath my forced confidence.
I was only a few steps away now. Vivienne was facing Madeline, looking away from the mass of flesh and eyes and teeth. She had no way of seeing the rebar-tipped tentacle forming behind her, preparing for a fatal strike. A pang of familiarity shot through me, but it was quickly overwhelmed by protective rage.
I launched off the ground so hard I left a dent in the concrete, flinging myself at the tendril and forming my armour¡¯s shadows into a blade. Right before impact, I twisted myself in midair, pulling my body into a frontflip and holding the sword out above me. The monster screeched as I made contact ¨C slicing the tentacle clean off before it could even have a chance to hurt my Vivi- my friend. Friend ¨C and I landed back on my feet, doing a somersault to disperse my momentum.
Vivienne turned around at the noise, and a shaky smile lit up her blood-stained features. From this close, I could see it was coming from a cut on her forehead. If I had to guess, a shard of broken glass sticking out of the monster probably did it. She threw me a thumbs-up, and I returned the gesture. It didn¡¯t really seem sufficient to express the true meaning of what I was thinking deep down, which was oh god please be more careful I don¡¯t want you to die like-
Vivienne¡¯s face dropped, and I just about saw her mouth form the beginning syllable of my name when the world disappeared from under me and I was suddenly flying upside down through the air.
My stomach plummeted as my vision wildly oscillated between earth and sky, my body being flung around by some unknown force, centred around my ankle. Blood rushed to my head and I managed to glance down, catching a glimpse of a pink, fleshy tendril wrapped around my leg.
It whipped upwards, throwing me into the sky, and for a moment, everything stopped. The wind stopped rushing past my head. My lunch stopped feeling like it was about to fly out of me. For an instant, I was frozen in midair, floating silently at the peak of my arch and staring out over the city at a height only birds could achieve.
And then the monster flung me right back down again.
I summoned a barrier of darkness right at the last moment before I crashed into the ground, but it could only do so much at the speed I was plummeting. My vision flashed white as my head made contact with the road, my armour shuddering as it attempted to compensate for the impact. It sounded like a bomb going off right in my eardrums.
The shockwave rattled through my bones, reverberating around my system long after I¡¯d settled in the crater my landing formed. I was pretty sure my armour protected me from anything worse than a nasty full-body bruise, but it was hard to be sure with all this adrenaline coursing through my bloodstream. One thing I was sure about, was that I was about to throw up.
I forced myself up on shaking arms, ripping the mouthpiece of my helmet off just in time to hurl my guts onto the pavement.
¡°Jordyn! Holy fuck, are you okay?!¡±
Vivienne¡¯s voice pierced the ringing in my ears as she ran up to me. Madeline suddenly appeared at my side, helping me to my feet.
¡°I¡¯ve got you, soldier. You alive?¡±
I looked at her, staring into those pale blue irises that sparkled in the sunlight behind her mask. Another pang of recognition shot through me, sourced from some unknown place. I¡¯d seen this sight before, though perhaps a little differently. Madeline¡¯s hair used to be longer.
She bit her bottom lip, looking away. ¡°I think she has a concussion. She¡¯s not saying anything,¡± she said to someone out of my vision. Probably Vivienne.
¡°N-no,¡± I said, stumbling out of her hold. ¡°No concussion. Just¡­ Just a little dazed.¡±
In truth, I had no way to verify that claim. The concussion monitor in my helmet wasn¡¯t doing anything when I tried to get it to check. It must¡¯ve been damaged in the fall.
Vivienne watched me, concern sitting heavy in her brown eyes. ¡°If you can walk straight to me, I¡¯ll let you continue fighting. Otherwise, I¡¯m taking you to the- WATCH OUT!¡±
I didn¡¯t need to turn to sense the tentacle that was now going for Madeline. I threw my hand out without looking, sending a spear of shadow through it and halting it in its tracks. With a clench of my fist, the shadow flexed, ripping the tentacle apart.
¡°Holy fuck, thanks,¡± Madeline said. ¡°This fucker¡¯s aggressive. We need to get these people out so we can cut loose.¡±
¡°The only floor left to clear is the top,¡± Vivienne explained. ¡°Only problem is, this thing¡¯s got intelligence. It¡¯s started tracking my teleports, slapping me out of the building any time I try to enter.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± I said, turning and walking ¨C in a straight line ¨C towards the building. I could do extraction, easy peasy. Somehow, being thrown into the ground at Mach speed had eliminated any fear I had left. If that couldn¡¯t kill me in my armour, nothing could.
Or, I had a brain bleed that was affecting my emotional state, and I was about to drop dead.
¡­
Nope, I was fine.
¡°Be careful!¡± Vivienne called after me.
I jumped, reaching the top floor in a single bound and smashing through the few intact windows left. The inside was a mess of pulsating flesh, bone, and building material, but it was still clear that it used to be an office just a few minutes ago. As for signs of life, though, they were minimal. Blood splattered the floor, ceiling, and cubical dividers, providing clear trails to the bodies of those unlucky enough to bring attention to themselves. People were skewered in their chairs, strung up like torturous effigies with their guts spilling across the floor, ripped apart and discarded like broken dinnerware. Despite having just lost my lunch, I dry-heaved, almost puked at the sight and smell alone; affecting me more now that I didn¡¯t have my mouthpiece on. This monster wasn¡¯t just wreaking havoc randomly. It had intention, and that intention was horribly malicious. How did Vivienne handle seeing this stuff all the time?
Thankfully, it was dim in here, giving me more shadows to work with. As such, I had no problem defending myself when a series of tendrils burst out of the ground and lunged at me. Darkness condensed into physical weight and became weaponry, slicing apart the tentacles before they could even get close. I took a deep breath, letting the adrenaline fill me. I was never more powerful than when I was in the dark. So long as I stayed in here, this monster didn¡¯t stand a chance.
¡°H-hello?¡±
A voice called out across the scattered cubicles. A survivor. I rushed over, finding two people huddled under a desk; a man and a woman. They stared up at me with terrified eyes.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m gonna get you out. Come on.¡±
I held my arms out to them, and the woman crawled out, stumbling over. ¡°Are you injured?¡± I asked the man.
He nodded. ¡°My leg. I¡­ It¡¯s broken.¡±
¡°Alright.¡±
I walked over, carefully pulling him out and scooping him up, holding him over my shoulder in a fireman¡¯s carry. He whimpered a bit, but didn¡¯t say much else.
The building shook. The monster was getting angry.
I frantically looked at the woman. ¡°Can you run?¡±
She nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±
I grabbed her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s run.¡±
We burst into a sprint right as the room began collapsing all around us. The walls and ceiling came rushing in like the building itself was trying to swallow us whole. We made it to the window and jumped just in time for everything behind us to be crushed.
¡°Maddie!¡± I cried out as we fell, something deep in my chest prompting me to call for her. Madeline looked up and understood her assignment immediately. A ramp of ice formed under my feet, and the three of us slid down it to the safety of the road.
Vivienne ran up to us as soon as I landed, taking the two civilians out of my hands and disappearing in a blink, no doubt taking them to the hospital.
I turned to Madeline, shaking off the adrenaline from the close call. ¡°The building¡¯s clear. They were the only two survivors I could find.¡±
She nodded. ¡°Cool. Hey, uh¡­ that was a nice callout. How¡¯d you know to do that?¡±
I shrugged. ¡°I dunno. I guess it just¡­ felt right?¡±
Madeline stared at me oddly, her eyes lingering around the visible skin of my jaw. She blinked, seemingly coming back to herself. ¡°Huh. Well, good job, regardless. Now, let¡¯s kill this thing before anyone else gets hurt.¡±
It was as I was turning back to the building that it happened. The tendril shot at me faster than my eyes could track, slamming into my chest hard enough that I could see bits of my armour flying off as if in slow motion. This thing really had it out for me.
Everything went white.
I¡¯d seen this scene before. Only, in my memory, the monster wasn¡¯t just in a building; it was everywhere. And the tendril was coming out of my chest instead of into it. The flame pouring from my hands sputtered out. I could see Vivienne, five years younger with a frozen expression of horror on her face. Where was Maddie? I needed to see her. One last time.
Everything hurt. My limbs shook with exhaustion and injury. It was almost a relief when the numbness started to spread along with the blackness in my vision. I knew with cold certainty that I was dead. There was no coming back from this. All my dreams of future; of family, they¡¯d all amount to nothing. We¡¯d been talking about having kids, but that didn¡¯t matter anymore. Maddie would be alone again. I hoped she would be able to come back from this someday. Survive. Move on. As much as it pained me to imagine her with another girl. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
At least I¡¯d get to find out the answer to the Big Question, right? Where do we go when we die? Which religion had it right? My curiosity was the only silver lining in this shithole situation. At least I¡¯d get to know¡­
I opened my eyes.
I was in a dim, concrete room, staring up at the ceiling. The chill on my skin told me I was naked. Where had my armour gone?
Sitting up, I was hit with a strong scent of mildew, rust, and blood. Chains rattled nearby, but I couldn¡¯t see anything looking around. The room was too dark, illuminated only by a candle in a holder on the wall, and the light didn¡¯t stretch to the opposite wall; hiding the source of the sound. The shadows didn¡¯t respond when I tried to call out to them. ¡­Where the hell was I? How did I get here?
The chains shifted again, and with them, I heard the sound of a person, lifting themself to their feet. I did the same.
¡°Hello?¡± I called out to the darkness.
When she stepped out of the shadows, I could barely hold in my gasp. It was a woman, naked just like myself, only with rusty chains shackled around her wrists and ankles, trailing off into the blackness behind her. There was a hole through her chest. She looked exactly like me, aside from her longer hair cascading down her shoulders, and the lack of a scar on her face.
Her brows furrowed as she examined me. Apparently, she was on a similar line of thought. ¡°Huh. That¡¯s weird.¡±
She had an accent I hadn¡¯t heard before. ¡°Wh-who are you?¡± I asked, voice shaking.
She tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯m _______. Who are you?¡±
The name ran through my brain like water through fingers, slipping away before I could properly absorb it. ¡°M-my name¡¯s Jordyn. Where are we? Why do you look like me?¡±
The woman looked around at our meagre accommodations. It was only then I realised there was no door, or any other way for air to get in.
¡°Well, to answer your first question, the best I can guess is Hell. We¡¯re dead.¡±
My heart dropped out of my chest. ¡°What?¡±
¡°Let me guess. A monster killed you?¡±
I frowned, trying to remember. I supposed that sounded correct. ¡°I¡­ I think so.¡±
She nodded. ¡°As far as I can tell, we¡¯re supposed to cease existing when we die. Our souls linger for a little bit, then poof, we¡¯re gone. Back into the great Nothing, to cycle around until our energy inhabits another being. Only, when a monster kills you, your soul gets trapped.¡± She took a deep breath, and I could hear the sadness in it. The sorrow. ¡°We¡¯re the Godling¡¯s playthings now. It feeds off of our pain and suffering both in life and in death, slowly refueling Itself until It can escape.¡± I tentatively stepped closer to her. From this distance I could see it was the truth. The woman looked exhausted; heavy bags hanging under her eyes. The skin under her manacles was red and blistered. The hole in her chest pulsated; torn muscle clenching itself as if it was still throbbing in pain. How long had she suffered here? What awful things had she been subjected to in the name of that horrible creature? ¡°What about my second question?¡± I asked. She shrugged. ¡°No idea. Might just be a coincidence. Though¡­ You¡¯re the first visitor I¡¯ve had since¡­ well, since I got here. Maybe there¡¯s something else going on. Or, maybe you¡¯re just an illusion summoned up by the Godling to torment me. Wouldn¡¯t be the first time. Actually¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve seen you before. I was looking through a mirror, and you were there. I recognise the scar. Sorry. Everything gets kinda¡­ muddled up, down here.¡± She winced, vaguely gesturing to her head, before pausing. A frown crept across her face. ¡°And¡­ you¡¯re not the only one. There were other girls with my face. One with wings. And a child. I don¡¯t¡­ Who are you?¡±
Something cold passed through me. Was she talking about Maggie? She¡¯d been wearing a mask when we met, but her body looked just like mine. Did we have the same face as well? What did it all mean?
¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know,¡± I answered truthfully. ¡°I just woke up a little over a year ago. I don¡¯t remember anything before that. Father says I used to be a hero before as well, but¡­ I¡¯m not sure how much I believe that. He lies to me a lot.¡±
¡°Well, I never knew any other hero who looked like me, so I can¡¯t confirm that. Are you with the Union now?¡±
I nodded, hugging myself. I hoped everyone else made it out okay. ¡°I just joined about two months ago.¡±
¡°And no one¡¯s said anything about your face?¡±
¡°No. I wear a helmet all the time. No one¡¯s allowed to see what I look like.¡±
She frowned. ¡°Because of your father?¡±
I nodded again.
The woman stared past me for a moment, before realisation flashed across her face. ¡°Oh. Are you¡­?¡±
She examined me closely, but apparently, didn¡¯t find what she was looking for in my face. ¡°I guess you probably wouldn¡¯t know if you were.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked. Why did I always feel like there was a joke everyone was in on apart from me?
¡°Do you know anyone named Madeline?¡± she asked, changing the subject.
I sighed, accepting I wasn¡¯t gonna get any answers here. People always thought I was better off not knowing stuff. It was frustrating. ¡°Yeah, actually. She was next to me when I got hit.¡±
The woman smiled, relief flooding her tired features. ¡°Good. That¡¯s good. She¡¯s still fighting to protect people.¡±
Something flashed through my brain; an understanding of who this woman was. I remembered the story Vivienne told me about five years ago. About Madeline¡¯s wife.
But¡­ If this was her, what did that mean for me? Why did I look like her?
A lingering tingle travelled up my body, starting from my toes all the way to the crown of my head. Glancing down, I noticed my body¡­ disappearing? I could almost see through myself.
The woman noticed it, too. Her eyes widened. ¡°Huh. Maybe you¡¯re not dead after all. I¡­ I think you¡¯re going back.¡±
As much as I was curious to stay and keep talking with this woman, the idea of being stuck here forever didn¡¯t sound great, so that was wonderful news.
The woman grabbed my arms, a sudden intensity filling her expression.
¡°You need to keep fighting, Jordyn. Kill that fucking thing before it can subject anyone else to this torture.¡±
Her hands became blisteringly hot, steam rising up from where she was grabbing my skin. Yet, it didn¡¯t hurt.
¡°Avenge me. Avenge us. And keep asking questions. You¡¯ll figure everything out, and when you do, kill the bastard that did this to you. To your sisters. To me.¡±
Fire spread up my arms like a comforting embrace. The woman¡¯s irises were glowing a brilliant orange.
I could feel her. Every particle of her being. Her pain. Her loneliness. Her sorrow. Her rage. It felt like being boiled alive; suffocating and melting at the same time. This woman had been delivered a divine injustice, violated and disrespected in every imaginable way. And there would be hell to pay for the ones that subjected her to it.
¡°Fight, Jordyn. Fight.¡±
Fight.
Wake up.
¡ª
Vivienne panted, tearing Jordyn¡¯s ruined chestplate off and cursing like a sailor. She was totally still.
¡°Fuck, Jordyn. Fuck. Don¡¯t do this to me. I can¡¯t lose another fucking friend.¡±
In the centre of her chest was a massive purple bruise. Vivienne leaned down and pressed an ear to her left breast.
There was no heartbeat.
The sounds of heated combat around her quieted down to a dull ring. Vivienne sat back up to her knees, tears filling her eyes.
No.
Vivienne refused.
She threaded her fingers together, placing them in the centre of Jordyn¡¯s ribcage, and began compressions.
¡°Come on, Jordyn,¡± she gasped, pumping up and down, ignoring the occasional pop of a rib breaking. ¡°You¡¯re not dead. You can¡¯t be dead. You¡¯ve come too far and you have too much yet to see. Wake. The fuck. Up!¡±
All of a sudden, Jordyn¡¯s skin became scaldingly hot. Vivienne yelped, letting go before her hands burned. Jordyn twitched, her back arching, fingers grasping at nothing. A pained, almost animalistic growl rumbled out of her throat. Vivienne wanted to go back and check on her, but some instinct inside of her was telling her that she needed to get away now.
She scrambled backwards just in time for a massive pillar of fire to engulf Jordyn¡¯s body, shooting up into the sky. The entire battlefield froze, staring at the explosion of unexplainable power. Even the monster stopped attacking; it¡¯s dozens of bulging eyes turning towards the display with something akin to¡­ fear?
Vivienne didn¡¯t need to be able to see Maddie¡¯s eyes behind her mask to know what the look on her face meant. She was thinking it, too.
Rosalyn.
Jordyn was screaming. It was just barely audible over the roaring of flame. But, it didn¡¯t sound pained. It pierced right through Vivienne¡¯s chest, tugging at her heart. It was furious rage and bottomless sorrow. A primal, pure thing, straight from the core of Jordyn¡¯s being, ripped out into the open.
The fire turned black, the pillar tightening. It pulled in until it was too small to cover Jordyn¡¯s body, and it cut off.
She was on her feet now, hunched over, panting. Black steam rose from her shoulders and seeped from her legs, spreading along the ground like dry ice smoke. Tendrils of it creeped towards her discarded chestplate, picking it up and re-equipping it on Jordyn¡¯s chest without so much as a twitch of her hands.
¡°J-Jordyn¡­¡± Vivienne called out. ¡°Are you okay?¡±
Jordyn¡¯s head snapped in her direction and Vivienne resisted the urge to flinch back. The shadows around her thickened, turning into a foggy haze. Through it, Vivienne could see Jordyn¡¯s jaw shuddering with every heaving breath. She¡­ she looked like a wild animal.
They were all distracted. The monster took the opportunity, summoning half a dozen tentacles aimed at everyone on the field. Vivienne didn¡¯t even see Jordyn move. One second she was there, and the next¡­ She was gone.
The tentacles were ripped to shreds in an instant, blowing apart in Jordyn¡¯s wake as she darted from one to another, using their own dying bodies as springboards as her shadows sliced them to pieces. She didn¡¯t bother rolling when she landed, cracking the concrete as she slammed to the ground in a squat, only to launch back up again, straight into the heart of the building.
Vivienne teleported over to Madeline¡¯s side, both of them watching as the entire building shook from the force of whatever the fuck Jordyn was doing inside.
¡°What the hell just happened?¡± Maddie asked, sounding breathless.
¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Vivienne replied.
¡°That¡­ That fire, th-that was-¡±
¡°I know.¡±
Smoke and monster blood spilled from the windows, Jordyn¡¯s animalistic shriek emanating from inside. All Vivienne could do was pray she didn¡¯t damage the bodies too much.
No one in recorded history had ever had two powers at the same time. Hell, no two people had ever had the same power at one time. They were a limited resource, for whatever reason. She supposed it might have been possible for Rosie¡¯s fire to have transferred to Jordyn now that she was dead, but that still didn¡¯t explain how Jordyn could have both that, and the shadows at once. Well, to be fair, what did she know? She was a nurse in training, not a Godling scholar.
The building heaved like it was trying to throw up, all the fleshy parts quivering violently. It was the final throes of rage before the monster fell limp, succumbing to Jordyn¡¯s onslaught. The ground beneath their feet rumbled; the building continuing to blow out smoke until finally the wall in front of them exploded and Jordyn came stumbling out.
Her armour was totally ruined; dented, scratched, whole chunks of it straight-up missing ¨C including a part of her helmet, leaving her right eye exposed. The shadowy haze had cleared up, and it seemed like Jordyn¡¯s strength had left with it. Whatever possessed her to go berserk like that, it was gone.
Vivienne predicted the moment Jordyn¡¯s legs would buckle out from under her, and teleported over just in time, catching her before she could hit the ground.
¡°Jordyn? Jordyn, are you alright?¡± she asked, trying to support Jordyn¡¯s dead weight.
Jordyn groaned, getting her feet under her and lifting herself a little, looking up. Vivienne noticed that her iris was totally black; not a hint of colour to be seen. It was like looking into the bottom of a well, or into a cave. Like she could wander in and get lost forever.
¡°Jordyn?¡±
¡°Vi¡­ Vivi¡­¡± she mumbled.
¡°Yeah?¡± Vivienne asked, encouraged by her speech. Her heart had properly stopped for a minute there; brain damage was a distinct possibility.
¡°I¡­ I think I wet myself.¡±
Well. That wasn¡¯t too surprising. ¡°That¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll get you cleaned up, alright? You did a good job.¡±
The answer seemed to placate Jordyn. She let her head fall forward, passing out on the spot and leaning her full weight against Vivienne. Viv sighed, looking up at the monster¡¯s looming corpse.
What a fucking day. Her lecturer better give her a pass for missing class, considering the circumstances.
¡ª
¡°You just stay here and rest, okay? I¡¯ll be back in a few hours. Oh, and don¡¯t be afraid to take your armour off and nap. If I come in and you¡¯re still asleep, I promise I won¡¯t look at your face. Is that fine?¡±
I sluggishly nodded to Vivienne, sitting on the end of her bed. She was in the doorway, getting ready to teleport out to help with recovery efforts and pick up some dinner for us later. I, on the other hand, could barely keep my head up. A quick medical examination at the hospital confirmed I somehow hadn¡¯t suffered anything more than a couple cracked ribs and a sternum fracture, which was nothing I wasn¡¯t familiar with. It would mean more medical leave from patrol, which I would never complain about. However, apparently almost dying and going absolutely berserk really took it out of a gal. Not that I could remember any of that. I remembered getting hit, having¡­ a strange dream about a woman who looked like me, I think? Then waking up in Vivienne¡¯s arms and informing her of my accident. Then passing out again. I remember feeling¡­ angry.
Also, another odd thing; my canine teeth had grown, sharpening into small fangs. I didn¡¯t really know how to feel about it other than slightly annoyed, because I kept biting my tongue and now it hurt way worse. Vivienne didn¡¯t have an explanation for it, either.
When we got back here, Vivienne helped me clean myself in the bath, which¡­ whoaowhwaow¡­ It was probably a good thing I was barely conscious, or I might have embarrassed myself. Naked, in front of Vivienne, and she was touching me everywhere! It was just typical of the universe to tease me like that. Gentle intimate touch like that was still so rare for me, so to be borderline knocked-out while Vivienne of all people was providing it was a truly cruel twist of fate.
She also let me borrow a pair of her underwear, since mine were ruined. They were a sort of orangey red, with a cute floral pattern. This was my first time getting to wear anything ¡®girly¡¯ like this, and for some reason, it made my heart flutter in my chest. Or, that might have been a minor arrhythmia. The doctor said that was a possibility after my experience.
Vivienne gave me a tired smile, before gently closing the door and leaving me alone. I looked around the space. Vivienne¡¯s room was a lot bigger than mine, on account of being her own place and not a Union dorm, but it was also a lot more decorated. The walls were covered in posters and she had bookshelves filled with what looked like a mix of fiction and medical textbooks. I¡¯d have liked to look around some more, but in truth, all I could think about was sleep. Vivienne¡¯s suggestion sounded real good right now.
I probably should¡¯ve reported to Father first, but with my helmet totally broken, the only way I was doing that was in person, which wasn¡¯t happening right now. I could tell him I¡¯d been asleep the whole time, and he¡¯d have no choice but to believe it. It would only be fair, for how much he lied to me in the past.
I stripped what was left of my armour off and crawled under the warm covers of Vivienne¡¯s bed. My eyelids fell like anvils and sleep took hold almost immediately.
¡ª
I cracked my eyes open, groaning at the pain in my chest. The painkillers must have worn off, tearing me from what was an incredibly good nap. Orange light seeped in through the windows, telling me it was almost sunset. According to the clock, I¡¯d been out for about two hours. Vivienne would probably be coming back soon. The thought of going back to sleep called to me, but¡­ something else came into my head.
Popping some more painkillers, I rolled out of bed. There was a full-length mirror against one wall. I walked over to it and examined myself.
I was only dressed in my sports bra and the borrowed underwear; the sight of which still made me oddly giddy, though I couldn¡¯t really understand why. Was it the fact that they were Vivienne¡¯s? Was I imagining her in them? Well, I was now, but that wasn¡¯t it. Maybe it really was just¡­ getting to finally wear something that made me actually feel like a girl. Because, despite Father¡¯s best efforts to the contrary ¨C the shaved hair, the simple clothing, hiding my entire form under a thick suit of armour ¨C I was a girl, and he couldn¡¯t change that. And here, in Vivienne¡¯s room, with no one watching me or judging me¡­ Maybe I¡¯d finally get to explore those feelings.
The thought made excitement bubble up in my chest. This was it. All that time I spent staring longingly through shop windows at the cute clothing on display wasn¡¯t for nothing. Father couldn¡¯t hold me back from happiness forever, no matter how huge my debt to him was.
And Vivienne wasn¡¯t here yet.
For the next however-long, I ran around Vivienne¡¯s room, pulling open her drawers and closet and looking for the cutest things I could find. I went from outfit to outfit, trying things on and looking at myself in the mirror, my heart soaring more each time. Dresses and skirts and blouses and sweaters and tights and then heels which made me trip over and after that I slowed down a bit. I also found this weird purple thing in the bottom of Vivienne¡¯s sock drawer that vibrated when I pressed a button on it. I wasn¡¯t sure what it was, so I put it back.
I¡¯d gotten so caught up in my dress-up that I totally forgot Vivienne was supposed to be coming back soon. It happened when I was staring at myself in this yellow sundress I¡¯d found in the closet, gingerly spinning around enough to get the skirt flowing while also being mindful of my injuries. A giddy laugh bubbled up from my chest right as Vivienne teleported into the room, holding a big, flat box of something.
She was looking at the bed when she came in, which gave me just enough time to pull a cloud of shadows over my face before she turned in my direction. Thank god I¡¯d had the foresight to put the clothes I was done with back where I found them, or she¡¯d have come in on a complete mess.
¡°Uh¡­¡±
I swallowed, heat burning in my cheeks and ears. ¡°H-hi.¡±
She looked at me for a few more moments before a smile cracked across her tired face. She put the box down on the bed, walking over. ¡°Jordyn, if you wanted to borrow my clothes, all you had to do was ask.¡±
I wrung my hands together, staring at the carpeted floor. ¡°I, um¡­ I just wanted to feel girly for a change.¡±
She tilted her head, putting a hand on my shoulder. Her brown eyes looked deep into me. ¡°I get it. Hey, maybe I can help out a bit?¡±
¡°How?¡±
She reached up, gently tussling my fringe. ¡°Your hair¡¯s getting longer. I might be able to style it more femininely. Also, I could do your makeup. Though, it might be hard with your shadows in the way.¡±
The thought made my heart race in my chest. Though, again, arrhythmia. I nodded frantically.
For the next half-hour, we snacked on the ¡®pizza¡¯ that she brought while Vivienne gave me a side-parting and painstakingly did my makeup; my shadows moving out of the way for her whenever she needed.
¡°All done! I¡¯ll turn around so you can take a proper look at yourself.¡±
Vivienne turned and looked at the wall, leaving me free to drop my shadows and examine my reflection. What I saw felt like it ripped something open inside of me. There was an actual girl in the mirror, and she was me. This wasn¡¯t Seven, the bulky, androgynous hero. This was Jordyn. And she was pretty. The scar parting her features didn¡¯t change that. Her eyes looked so big and dark. Her hair wasn¡¯t just a fuzzy attempt at growth; it looked soft. Cute. Girly.
Something raw and unfamiliar boiled over inside of me.I dropped to my knees and couldn¡¯t hold back the sobs forcing their way out of my throat, even as they sent spikes of pain shooting through my ribs.
My shadows dutifully hid my face as Vivienne came over and embraced me, whispering ¡°I know¡± over and over in my ear. I didn¡¯t know what she knew, or how, but I knew she understood.
¡°You can stay here tonight if you want,¡± she whispered to me once my tears dried up. ¡°You can borrow some pyjamas.¡±
I nodded against her chest, sniffling. I wanted nothing more than that.
We slowly got back up to the bed, and Vivienne pulled some soft, comfy clothes out of the drawer, laying them out for me.
¡°You get changed. I¡¯ll be right back,¡± she said, then disappeared in a blink.
As much as I liked the dress, it was getting a little cold. I swapped it for the grey hoodie and sweatpants she left me. They smelled like her; nutmeg and cinnamon and oak. Comforting warmth settled deep in my gut.
Vivienne popped back in, holding something dark in her hands, fiddling with it nervously. ¡°Uh, I¡¯ve been working on this thing on the side for a while, cuz I noticed you were always wearing your armour, even when relaxing. I get it if you wanna hide your face, but you don¡¯t have to be in that uncomfortable suit to do it, or be focusing on your power all the time. Here.¡±
She handed it to me, and I took it, looking it over. It was a mask that would cover the top half of my face, made of black, polished wood. My hands shook. This was so much.
I slipped the mask on my face, glancing back up at her. She was grinning, those soft, pink lips stretching into a self-satisfied smirk. I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to kiss her so bad. I wanted to grab those round, freckled cheeks and smash our faces together until I could get all of this burning emotion out of my body and into hers.
In the midst of all of that, there was but one thought that was both coherent and able to be voiced out loud, so I voiced it.
¡°Thank you so much, Vivienne,¡± I whispered, afraid that if I raised my voice anymore, everything would come spilling out uncontrollably.
The smile turned soft. She sat next to me on the bed, gently taking my hand. I was going to ignite. ¡°No worries. I just¡­ I don¡¯t know. I guess I wanted to do something nice for you. And, well, it wasn¡¯t entirely altruistic. Now I get to look at those cute eyes of yours.¡±
Her cheeks turned a pale shade of pink. My entire internal organ system did somersaults over and over each other.
Kiss her kiss her kiss her kiss her.
What would Father think?
The thought sent me crashing to a stop, right before I was about to give in and do it. I needed to clear this mask with him before I could accept it.
Fuck. It was like a punch in the gut. And now the mood was ruined.
Vivienne let go of my hand. ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it. Uh, do you¡­ wanna watch a movie or something?¡±
The excuse was easy to jump on. In the end, I never summed up the courage to try and kiss her again, but I did end the evening cuddled up to her side, my head on her shoulder with her arm around me, watching some silly movie about a rat controlling a chef by pulling his hair. It was enough for me. Just for now.
¡ª
Vivienne failed. She¡¯d been too scared of breaking Jordyn¡¯s brief, fragile, and honestly adorable happiness to try and bring up the fire power she exhibited earlier. It had been her one goal ever since parting ways with Madeline at the battlefield, and she failed. Now Jordyn was fast asleep on her shoulder, snoring endearingly. Vivienne ran a hand through her hair, swallowing nervously at the way her body tingled with pleasure from the close contact. There was no way she¡¯d be able to get to sleep next to her if her heart didn¡¯t stop pounding like this, even despite her never-ending exhaustion. Oh boy. This was going to be a problem. Bonus scene: The Heart Wants, But The Mind Knows Better (Vividyn bathing scene)
Vivienne stumbled into the bathroom on shaking legs, lugging Jordyn¡¯s practically limp form around her shoulders. Her armour was not making this easy. She would admit that having to do this for her right after dealing with a monster attack ¨C all that death and horror, all those innocent lives lost despite Vivienne¡¯s best efforts ¨C was grating, but¡­ it was what she signed up for. She wanted to be a nurse. Bathing a patient after being on her feet the whole day was probably par for the course. And¡­ at least it was a bit of a come-down. No one would bother her here. It was just her, Jordyn, and the warm water. No more death. Only healing.
In truth, she tried not to think about it most of the time, but it was hard right after an attack. If she constantly focused on all the suffering she witnessed on a regular basis, she¡¯d probably be a basket-case by now. It was only due to the years of therapy she had after watching Rosie die that she knew how to deal with all that anxiety and fear. Just pack it away until her next appointment, and get it all out on the shrink¡¯s couch. Don¡¯t let it show in front of the others. They all had enough to deal with without Vivienne¡¯s problems piled on top.
¡°Jordyn?¡± She shook her a little.
¡°Ngh?¡± Jordyn lifted her head, seemingly waking back up. It was incredible that she could just fall asleep on her feet like that.
¡°Do you reckon you can take your armour off?¡±
Jordyn nodded, and Vivienne carefully let her stand on her own before moving to heat the water up. She could hear the sound of armour clanking to the floor behind her, and resolved herself not to look back until it was totally necessary. This was gonna be awkward enough without any accidental peeking.
¡°¡®M done,¡± Jordyn mumbled.
¡°Got your shadows up?¡± Vivienne asked.
¡°Mhm.¡±
Vivienne turned, and sure enough, there was a cloud of shadows covering Jordyn¡¯s face. The rest of her, however, was totally exposed. Vivienne swallowed, her cheeks heating up at the sight of Jordyn¡¯s chiselled body. Gotta be professional about this.
She approached, placing a hand on the small of Jordyn¡¯s back, trying to ignore the raised scars under her fingers. Jordyn immediately leaned into her, obediently following along as Vivienne led her to the bathtub. It wasn¡¯t difficult to get her to lie down, but once she was under the spray of the warm water from the showerhead, she turned all floppy again. For a moment, Vivienne was worried she¡¯d passed out again, but her shadows remained in place, meaning she had to be at least somewhat conscious.
¡°Talk to me, Jordyn. How are you doing?¡± she asked, wiping monster blood from her skin with a flannel.
Her head lolled to the side. ¡°Chest¡­ sore¡­¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Vivienne made sure to be gentle as she scrubbed the area with soap, trying not to look too hard at Jordyn¡¯s body in the process. Fuck, but she was gorgeous, though. All that firm muscle, and the way that she threw herself into danger today despite how scared she obviously was. Vivienne couldn¡¯t lie, it was attractive.
She immediately shut the thought down. Now wasn¡¯t the time for that sort of thing, and it was the last thing either of them needed. If either of them needed to work off some pent up frustration, Brianna was there for that, and frankly, Vivienne wasn¡¯t sure she could keep it entirely platonic if she let herself give into that with Jordyn. The dynamic was just¡­ too dangerous right now.
Jordyn whimpered slightly as Vivienne moved down to clean her lower body, and she immediately flinched back, heart thrumming.
¡°S-sorry. You can do that yourself, if you want.¡±
Jordyn shook her head. ¡°Nnno. You can¡­¡±
¡°Okay¡­¡±
To be fair, Jordyn was barely keeping her head up; Vivienne doubted she¡¯d be able to clean herself effectively. And honestly, why was Vivienne so worked up about this?? Again; NURSE IN TRAINING!! This should be routine! It wasn¡¯t any different just because it was with a friend, one who¡¯d saved not only her life, but the lives of innocents today. It wasn¡¯t any different just because that friend had a body you could grate cheese on.
FUCK. Vivienne resisted the urge to smack herself. She needed to STOP THINKING LIKE THAT. Jordyn was just a friend in need, and nothing more. She went through the motions of wiping her down, getting soap wherever was needed and then rinsing her off with the shower, doing her best to shut her brain off in the process. It was probably just because she was tired.
If she really wanted to think about Jordyn that bad, there were more important matters to worry about. Such as¡­
¡°Hey, Jordyn?¡±
¡°Mm?¡±
¡°Do you¡­ have some sort of extra power you haven¡¯t told anyone about?¡±
Jordyn¡¯s head lethargically rocked back and forth. ¡°Mrffm¡­¡± A small tendril of shadow solidified from under her body and slid up the side of the tub, gently curling around Vivienne¡¯s arm like an embrace. It was unexpectedly warm.
She must have just heard the word ¡®power¡¯ and reacted. Clearly, Vivienne wasn¡¯t going to get a straight answer right now.
Jordyn was about as clean as she was going to get, so Vivienne shut the water off and helped her up, trying so so desperately to ignore the feeling of her wet, warm body as Jordyn leaned on her for support. It was¡­ difficult.
Vivienne sat her down on a stool and got to drying her off, briefly styling her wet hair into a mohawk purely for shits and giggles, because she needed something silly in her life today. Jordyn didn¡¯t seem to mind, though she did appear to be waking up a bit more.
It occurred to Vivienne that Jordyn wouldn¡¯t have any clean underwear after her accident, so she quickly teleported out and grabbed a pair of panties for her. When she handed them over, it almost seemed like Jordyn lit up behind her shadows. Interesting¡­
Now that she was a little more aware, Vivienne gave her space to put her clothes back on, though was a little surprised to see her re-equipping her ruined armour. It probably just felt more secure for her or something, or maybe it was about not having to focus on her shadows. Which reminded Vivienne, there was something she¡¯d been working on lately. Maybe now was a good time to present it to her.
But first, Jordyn needed a nap, and the rescue efforts of the destroyed buildings around the monster were still ongoing.
Vivienne¡¯s day wasn¡¯t over just yet. She sighed, taking Jordyn to the bedroom. No time to rest for her, no sir.
But, that was par for the course, wasn¡¯t it? Identity Crisis
Father turned the mask Vivienne gave me over in his hands, examining it. I stood in front of his desk, resisting the urge to rock back and forth nervously, clad in Vivienne¡¯s borrowed clothes. My lie that I¡¯d been knocked out for the entire afternoon had worked, but not before Father forced me into an extensive medical examination to document the state of my injuries for himself. It was just as I suspected and hoped: No patrol duty for at least another month. I expected him to be more angry about that, given that I¡¯d only just finished recovering from my last major injury, but he¡¯d seen the footage from my helmet up until the point that it broke during my rampage; there was no tangible way what had happened was my fault.
Honestly, it seemed like Father just didn¡¯t really care about the patrols anymore. It wasn¡¯t just that he hadn¡¯t gotten angry; he¡¯d barely reacted at all. He just sighed and said, ¡°Good work with the monster. I¡¯m glad you made it out.¡±
Was it genuine care for me, or something else? I couldn¡¯t tell. As always, the inner workings of Father¡¯s mind were an enigma. I would just have to settle for what I could see on the surface; a perfectly blank poker face. Typical.
Father grunted, putting the mask back down on his desk. ¡°I suppose you don¡¯t really have any other option right now, given your armour is a pile of scrap metal. I¡¯ll allow it. Take it to R&D to get the camera and microphone fitted, and then you can be on your way. Try to take it easy until you¡¯ve healed; you¡¯ve taken too much time off already.¡±
Father seemed almost bored as he said it. I knew it; he didn¡¯t give a crap about the patrols. Then¡­ what the hell was the point of¡­ of everything?
I didn¡¯t voice that thought, instead just grabbing the mask off of his desk and making for the exit. ¡°Thank you.¡±
¡°Actually¡­ hold on a second.¡±
I froze, my hand on the door handle. I could already tell this would be trouble. ¡°Yes, Father?¡±
¡°What can you tell me about the fire power you exhibited during the monster attack?¡±
I frowned, turning back around. ¡°What fire power?¡±
Father spun his computer monitor around, displaying a video that I recognised as from my helmet camera. In it, I was powering through the body of the monster, shadows and flame emanating from my hands as I ripped things apart. But¡­ I had no memory of that. It must¡¯ve been from when I went berserk, as Vivienne called it.
A sliver of pain shot through my head, and with it, a memory. I remembered a woman grabbing my arms with fire in her hands and rage in her eyes. But before I could properly capture it, the memory flitted away, and I was left clutching my head with nothing to show for it.
¡°Well?¡± Father insisted.
¡°I- I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t remember any of that. Everything after I got knocked out is just¡­ blank.¡±
Could that really have been me in the video? I supposed it must¡¯ve been. But¡­ fire was so different from any power I¡¯d ever exhibited before. I anxiously ran my tongue over my newly-sharpened canines. What the hell was going on with my body??
¡°Do you think you can replicate it?¡±
¡°I can try,¡± I answered, completely unsure if that was true.
He nodded. ¡°Good.¡±
I pulled my sleeves up so that I wouldn¡¯t accidentally incinerate Vivienne¡¯s clothes, and focused. Shadows around the room all danced, wisping up out of the walls and floors and becoming physical, but that wasn¡¯t what I wanted, so I furrowed my brow and pushed further. Fire was hot, right? I tried to imagine some sort of burning heat inside of me, and forced it to the surface. The shadows whipped around, but no fire appeared.
I dropped my hand, sighing and panting from the exertion. ¡°Sorry, Father. I¡­ I can¡¯t.¡±
He raised an eyebrow. ¡°This warrants further testing. Meet me in training room one.¡±
Oh boy. This was gonna suck, wasn¡¯t it?
¡ª
¡°Ah! Father, please! Stop!¡±
¡°Get angry, Jordyn! You want me to stop, you make me! Aren¡¯t you furious that I¡¯m doing this to you?¡±
No, I wasn¡¯t. I was just scared and hurting and somehow surprised because for some reason it was still always a shock when Father hurt me. Why couldn¡¯t he just be like the normal dads that I saw in movies? Hugging me and patting me on the back and telling me he was proud? Instead, it was electrocution and thumbtacks all over the floor and I was crying and he still wouldn¡¯t stop.
I tried to curl up to lower my surface area on the floor, but another white-hot zap from the back of my neck made my entire body jerk, and I landed on another field of sharp spikes. I screamed, feeling each and every one pierce my skin and sink in deep from my body weight, the pain exacerbated by my broken ribs. I wanted to go home. I wanted Vivienne. Why did I ever come back here?
¡°PLEASE!¡± I sobbed. ¡°I CAN¡¯T DO IT!¡±
From what I could gather, he was trying to make me angry, because, for whatever reason, he thought that was the trigger to unleashing my fire powers. Why did he even care about them? It was so obvious he didn¡¯t care about my patrols, and even if he did, I was doing just fine with only my shadows! This was so pointless.
I heard Father sigh somewhere behind me, and took that to mean that this torment was finally over. I was too scared to open my eyes and see the devastation of thumbtacks stuck in my body; feeling all several-dozen of them with every minute movement was hellish enough. Vivienne¡¯s clothes had probably been ruined. The thought just made the tears squeeze out harder. Would she be mad?
¡°I don¡¯t know what I was expecting, honestly,¡± Father muttered, something that would¡¯ve sounded like remorse in his tone, if I believed he was capable of that. ¡°You¡¯ve never been the type to get angry.¡±
I forced myself to my feet, knowing that the punishment for continuing to wallow would be worse than the pain of standing. Shadows amassed under all the thumbtacks in my skin and I whimpered as they were all pushed out, clattering to the floor and leaving bloody trails on the white tiles.
¡°Go home and rest, Jordyn. We¡¯ll retry this once you¡¯ve healed a bit. Maybe take a¡­¡± He glanced up and down my shaking form. ¡°A different approach. In the meantime-¡± He pulled another one of those odd little boxes out of his pocket. ¡°-plant this at the Godling¡¯s prison. This is the last one.¡±
I nodded, sniffling back the last of my tears, and limped over on bloody feet. The last one. That sounded like a promise, but of what, I didn¡¯t know.
But, that was par for the course, wasn¡¯t it?
Father handed it over and, quite unexpectedly, put his hand on my shoulder and gently squeezed. My whole body flooded with warmth, just the way it always did when he gave me a rare soft touch, but I still froze in fear.
¡°I know I¡¯m hard on you, Jordyn, but it¡¯s only because I want to see you reach your full potential. You¡¯ve done good with this job. We¡¯ll be moving onto the next phase once you heal. I¡¯ll be sure to keep you updated.¡±
I looked up, meeting his eyes. Father smiled, and the ice keeping me in place cracked. I leaned forward, hugging him around his middle, breathing in that old scent I barely remembered from my early rehabilitation days.
¡°Thanks, dad.¡±
He didn¡¯t hug me back, instead just patting me lightly on the shoulder. That was okay. It was enough. Enough to tell that, despite everything, despite the horrible way he treated me most of the time, he really did still care about me. Maybe I didn¡¯t want to keep living under his shadow, but¡­ I didn¡¯t want to lose him completely, either.
No matter what the truth about me was, he would always be my father.
¡ª
Andreas watched as his weapon limped out of the front door of the precinct, face hidden by that mask the other hero had given her, bloody clothes hidden in a duffel bag and replaced by facility standards. Today, she would be planting the last bomb at the door of the Godling¡¯s prison. Andreas would be able to make his move at his leisure. He¡¯d waited his whole life for his wish; another month to ensure Jordyn was in fighting form in case something went wrong wasn¡¯t an issue.
The more he considered it, the more it seemed like a waste to dispose of her once her purpose had been fulfilled. Strong, loyal soldiers like her were hard to come by, especially now after that anomaly with the fire. Yes, he was currently losing sway over her to the friendship of the Union heroes, but that would hardly matter once all was said and done. Jordyn would remain at his side once he stood above all, because she would have no other option. Perhaps, if the final phase of the plan went well, he would even show mercy to her friends. They would make for good bargaining chips to keep her in line, and companionship was good for morale. It wasn¡¯t like he was planning to go scorched earth, after all. Things would just be a little¡­ different.
¡ª
I gasped awake, clutching my chest as if that would stop my heart from bursting out of me in a violent spray of blood and bone. That was the fifth dream in a row ¨C every single sleep since I¡¯d come home from reporting to Father ¨C where I¡¯d been face to face with the woman who looked exactly like me, the one with the fire. Every time I woke from one, I retained just a little bit more. I remembered part of our conversation this time, but I still didn¡¯t know who she was.
Was she me? Well, not me me, but¡­ the old me? The one from before the accident? Father said I¡¯d been injured by a monster, and the woman said that she¡¯d been killed by one. Maybe she was the person I used to be, somehow separated from me and trapped in that place. Maybe¡­ I, or¡­ we really did die in that accident. Her soul was taken from our body by the Godling, and I came in from¡­ somewhere to take her place once her body had been revived. Or maybe that was thinking too deeply about it. After all, for all I knew that dream was just a weird side-effect of being almost-killed. It could mean nothing.
Still, I didn¡¯t want to throw away the idea that I¡¯d been given a huge clue about who I used to be. My past was important. I wanted to know the woman I was.
But, that was a question for when I was more awake and had some food in my belly. Besides, there were¡­ other things on my mind recently. It was hard to focus on existential questions of the self when my entire being was filled with yearning for a beautiful girl. My past would always be there, but Vivienne only visited on certain days; days like today.
I got out of bed and tucked in the teddy bear Brianna had given me to cuddle at night, before putting on my mask and strolling out of my dorm, humming to myself. I¡¯d spoken to Vivienne once since the night we fell asleep in each other¡¯s arms; the night where I almost kissed her. I handed over the borrowed clothes with a profuse apology for the bloodstains after returning to the Union. Instead of getting mad at me for ruining them, she just asked how it happened. When I told her, her face scrunched up and she gently hugged me, and said, ¡°don¡¯t go back to him again.¡± It was hard to say no.
She was gonna be here later, and this time, I didn¡¯t want to miss my chance to kiss her. But, what did I really know about kissing? I didn¡¯t want to mess anything up. What I needed was advice from an expert. So, my next stop after breakfast was Brianna¡¯s dorm.
I quickly scarfed down a bowl of Fruit Loops (which were delicious, by the way. I didn¡¯t know how I ever survived without them at the facility), showered, and made my way over to Brianna¡¯s.
It took about a minute for her to come to the door after I knocked. She looked bleary, like she¡¯d just woken up.
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°Hey, Brea.¡±
She frowned. ¡°Jordyn? What time is it?¡±
¡°Uhh, a little past 9am?¡±
She blinked. ¡°Huh. Must¡¯ve slept through my alarm. What¡¯s up? You wanna come in?¡±
¡°Sure.¡±
She moved out of the way and I immediately beelined for her bed, flopping down on it. My nerves had been steadily rising since I woke up, and they weren¡¯t gonna stop any time soon. I needed a distraction, or just someone to talk to.
Brianna joined me on the bed. ¡°So, what¡¯s got you coming to me first thing in the morning?¡±
¡°I wanna kiss Vivienne,¡± I blurted, forcing it out before I could change my mind. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
Brianna hummed. ¡°Good choice, she¡¯s good at it. Are we talking casually or romantically?¡±
I didn¡¯t really know how to put it into words, but what I felt for Vivienne was different from what I felt for Brianna. With her, it was a calm, pleasant safety. I knew I could always count on her to be my friend and hang out with me. But with Vivienne, it was like my whole body was on fire when I was near her. It wasn¡¯t just physical attraction or the familiarity of friendship; it had become something new. Or, maybe it was always like this, and I only just noticed it recently. Either way, I knew I didn¡¯t just want sex from her. I wanted what I saw in those movies and shows Steve had shown me.
¡°R-romance,¡± I answered.
Brianna sucked in a breath, thinking for a moment. ¡°Well, I¡¯m really not the expert on that stuff. But, I guess just talk to her? Like I mentioned, she¡¯s a romantic. If you tell her honestly how you feel, she¡¯ll eat that shit up. Top it off with a kiss and you¡¯ll be golden.¡±
¡°But what if¡­ she doesn¡¯t feel the same? I don¡¯t want to kiss her if she doesn¡¯t want it back.¡±
¡°Y¡¯know, I don¡¯t think you really need to worry about that. She talks about you a lot. Besides, I know for a fact she¡¯s a sucker for the surprise kiss. Even if she says no, the worst that could come of it would be you two still just being friends. It¡¯s not like she¡¯d run away from you for simple romantic desire. Seriously, you¡¯ve got nothing to worry about, Jean Shorts.¡±
¡°You really think so?¡±
¡°Yup. Just don¡¯t get so caught up with each other that you forget about little old me.¡±
I laughed, rolling over and wrapping Brianna in a hug. ¡°I could never forget about you.¡±
Brianna chuckled, returning the embrace. ¡°I¡¯m definitely gonna miss the sex, though.¡± She sighed wistfully, though I could tell it was mostly for show.
I poked my head up, looking at her. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we be able to have sex anymore?¡±
¡°It is generally considered rude to have sex with other people when you¡¯re in a relationship.¡±
I frowned. ¡°Well¡­ Vivienne already has sex with you. I have sex with you. If Vivienne and I are together, couldn¡¯t we still both have sex with you?¡±
¡°Huh,¡± Brianna said. ¡°Good point. You¡¯d probably have to talk with her about it, but she has always been pretty loose about monogamy, from what I remember from her earlier relationships. She once dated a person who had three other partners.¡±
¡°Wow,¡± I replied. ¡°That must¡¯ve been complicated.¡±
Brianna barked a laugh. ¡°Yeah! I still remember the stories she would tell me. Her partner was dating all of them, but they weren¡¯t all dating each other, and boy was there some drama between the members who didn¡¯t like each other.¡±
I laughed along, and Brianna continued telling me stories about Vivienne¡¯s varied love life. Apparently, she and Brianna had joined the Union together at 16, meeting and befriending the at-the-time 18 year old Madeline and Rosalyn. From the sounds of it, the two of them had been friends since highschool. It made me a little envious, to be honest. I wished I could¡¯ve experienced a childhood like that, or at least remembered the one that I had. Did I make friends in highschool too? Was I a good, diligent student like Vivienne and Brianna, or did I slack off and fool around like the people in her stories? Either way, I just wished I knew.
¡°I hope I remember someday,¡± I said after a period of comfortable silence.
¡°Remember what?¡± Brianna asked, as if it wasn¡¯t obvious.
¡°Everything. I wish I had stories I could tell you, too. From¡­ from when I was young.¡±
Brianna went quiet. She didn¡¯t say anything for the longest time, and when I sat up to get a look, her face was twisted with sadness. She reached out and took my hand.
¡°Y-yeah,¡± she whispered, her voice hoarse. ¡°That¡­ that would be nice.¡±
Why did it always feel like I was the only one in the dark?
¡ª
Vivienne teleported into Madeline¡¯s living room and was immediately accosted by the raging sound of distorted guitar tones and Maddie¡¯s heart-and-soul singing.
¡°I GOT YOUR PICTURE, I¡¯M COMING WITH YA, DEAR MARIA COUNT ME IN!¡±
She grinned at the sight of her friend strumming away at her guitar, belting her heart out. Viv hadn¡¯t seen Maddie this energetic and bright since¡­ Well, she didn¡¯t know exactly, but it had been years.
Maddie noticed Viv¡¯s presence, and her face lit up. She finished up the last bit of the song, letting her final chord trail off into the white noise of the amp, before moving over to turn it off.
¡°Viv, hey! Didn¡¯t know you were coming around today.¡±
She put her guitar down on the couch and approached, wrapping Vivienne in a hug that she gratefully returned.
¡°Yeah, I just wanted to come and see how you were,¡± Viv said. ¡°Speaking of which, you look good! What¡¯s got you so cheery?¡±
Maddie shrugged, walking over to the kitchen and getting herself a glass of water. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve just been feeling good lately. I¡¯ve got more energy, I¡¯m motivated to do stuff, I¡¯m drinking less. I dunno what it was. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve stopped thinking about Rosie as much. It just¡­ feels like I¡¯m finally getting out of this slump, y¡¯know? Lord knows it¡¯s been a long time coming.¡±
Viv laughed, filled with elation at finally seeing a spark of the person she befriended all those years ago. ¡°Well, whatever it is, I hope it stays that way.¡±
Maddie smiled, humming to herself. After a moment, she spoke again. ¡°Do you play any instruments? I¡¯m thinking about starting a band. Not like anything serious, probably just covers and stuff. For fun, y¡¯know?¡±
Vivienne shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯ve never gotten the hang of any. I think Brea plays piano, though.¡±
Maddie tilted her head. ¡°Eh, maybe I could work that in. I¡¯m thinking more along the lines of classic pop-punk stuff, though. Do you think Jordyn plays anything? Oh- wait, no, right. Somehow I forgot for a moment that she¡¯s only been alive for a year and a half.¡±
Vivienne¡¯s stomach flipped at the mention of Jordyn¡¯s name. In truth, Viv¡¯s coming here hadn¡¯t been entirely for Maddie¡¯s sake. She needed some advice.
¡°Uh, could I¡­ ask you something?¡±
Maddie raised an eyebrow, coming back around into the living room and taking a seat on the couch, moving her guitar out of the way. ¡°Sure, what¡¯s up?¡±
Vivienne sat down next to her, nervously rubbing her legs. ¡°Okay, so¡­ basically, I, uh¡­ I think I might have a thing for Jordyn and I don¡¯t know how it happened or what I should do about it.¡± She blurted it all out in one quick breath, partially hoping it was too fast for Maddie to parse.
Maddie grinned, so clearly Vivienne was out of luck. ¡°I¡¯m gonna be honest, Viv, but that is the least shocking thing I think I¡¯ve ever heard.¡±
Vivienne blinked. ¡°What?! No, this is, like, at least the fifth most shocking thing, surely! It just came out of nowhere and now I don¡¯t know what to do!¡±
¡°Did it really come out of nowhere? Or have you actually been thirsting after her for a while and only just realised it?¡±
¡°I-¡± Vivienne cut herself off, because Maddie actually made a good point there. From pretty much the first day they met, Vivienne had been drawn to Jordyn. It was mostly because of her greek-statue muscles at first, but she couldn¡¯t lie and pretend that the rest of the feelings had only appeared recently. ¡°But¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡±
¡°You¡¯re drawn to neediness, Viv,¡± Maddie explained, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. ¡°Why do you think you¡¯ve stuck by me all this time?¡±
Viv frowned. ¡°B-because it was the right thing to do, and you¡¯re my friend?¡±
Maddie wagged a finger. ¡°Because you can¡¯t help but help people. It¡¯s your favourite thing in the world. So when Jordyn came waddling along like the ugly duckling, alone and abused and out of her depth, you took her under your wing with no hesitation. It¡¯s not shocking that more¡­ romantic feelings might have bloomed from that. Especially after seeing the way she performed at the attack last week. The only thing you¡¯re drawn to more than neediness is selflessness. It¡¯s why you¡¯ve always been my friend but never had a thing for me; cuz I¡¯m a selfish bitch.¡±
Vivienne couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the sudden tone shift. ¡°Oh come on, you¡¯re not that bad.¡±
¡°Hey, I don¡¯t remember ever helping your drunk ass out of a puddle of vomit and getting you into bed before cleaning it all up, but I can¡¯t count the amount of times you¡¯ve done stuff like that for me. Compared to you, I suck.¡±
¡°Well, that¡¯s just because I¡¯ve never drank myself into a stupor, snowball.¡±
Maddie shrugged. ¡°Eh. My point stands. You like that Jordyn threw herself into danger to save those people on the top floor. You like that she was capable enough to kill the monster while everyone else was at a safe distance. But you also like that she desperately needs companionship, because you love being the one to provide it to her. Like I said; least shocking thing in the world.¡±
Viv sighed, conceding the point. ¡°Well, what am I supposed to do about it? It¡¯s not like a relationship could work between us right now. She barely knows anything about¡­ well, anything! It would feel¡­ predatory. And, I don¡¯t want her to fall into one with me just because she thinks she owes me for helping her, either.¡±
¡°You think being in a relationship would be predatory, but you think it¡¯s fine that she¡¯s been fucking around with Brianna since she joined the Union?¡±
¡°Well, that- that¡¯s different.¡±
Maddie laughed. ¡°How is it different?! Just because there¡¯s no strings attached? The way I see it, regardless of Jordyn¡¯s chronological age, physically and mentally, she is a grown adult. I have seen her exhibit the intellect of a grown adult. She¡¯s just naive about stuff because she¡¯s never had a chance to learn it. But, how¡¯s she gonna learn if no one teaches her?¡±
¡°I¡­ I see your point,¡± Vivienne acknowledged. ¡°It¡¯s still just¡­ I¡¯m nervous about it. I don¡¯t want to accidentally hurt her. Her situation¡¯s¡­ sensitive, y¡¯know?¡±
¡°You¡¯re not a predator, Vivienne,¡± Maddie said. ¡°You just have a crush. And besides, if it ever got to a point where it was dangerous for one of you, all of your friends would tell you. Do you really think Brianna wouldn¡¯t be the first person to get up your ass if you started being a creep?¡±
Vivienne laughed sullenly, looking down at the floor. ¡°Yeah, true. It¡¯s just¡­¡± She rubbed her face. ¡°Ugh. I don¡¯t know.¡±
Maddie put an arm around her shoulders and Viv leaned into it. ¡°All I can say is, If you like her; if you wanna be with her, then don¡¯t waste your chance. No one¡¯s promised tomorrow.¡±
Something about that struck a chord in Vivienne. Maddie was right. And, well¡­ She¡¯d know, wouldn¡¯t she? If she and Rosie hadn¡¯t gotten married when they were eighteen, they might¡¯ve waited too long. And instead of three married years of bliss before Rosie¡¯s death, they might have gotten nothing. No one was promised tomorrow. Vivienne wasn¡¯t going to waste her chance.
She stood up. ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right.¡±
¡°I usually am,¡± Maddie replied.
¡°I¡¯m gonna¡­ I¡¯m gonna ask her out. Tonight.¡±
Maddie clicked her tongue. ¡°Go get ¡®er, tiger.¡±
¡ª
I stared at myself in the mirror, studying every detail of my reflection. The way my eyebrows weren¡¯t neat and even like the girls¡¯ in the movies, instead they were thick and surrounded by stray hairs. My nose; flat and wide. The scar stretching across my cheek, jagged and gnarled with raised tissue. My lips; thick and scarred from dozens of splits. My hair came down to my eyebrows once again, like how it was before Father first made me cut it. My jawline was soft.
I wasn¡¯t pretty like people in movies or posters. But¡­ this was my face. It was easy to forget that when most of the time my reflection was just a featureless black helmet. I liked my face. I wondered if the girl who was me before liked it, too. I hoped so, because, while it wasn¡¯t anything special, it was still ours.
Why did I have to hide it from everyone?
Why was Father so adamant that no one saw my face? Was this combination of features so horrific that anyone who saw it would immediately be sent into cardiac arrest? No, because that was stupid, and if that was the case, I¡¯d have killed everyone at the facility, myself and Father included. There was¡­ really no good reason I could think of.
And I was sick of letting him dictate everything I was allowed to do.
I had no idea what the punishment would be, but if I never went back to the facility, he could never enact it, right? All my stuff was here at the Union. If he wanted to see me, he¡¯d have to come here. And my friends would be here to protect me from any unjust punishment.
Maybe¡­ maybe they¡¯d agree with him that I deserve it for showing my face. But, if that was the case, I would accept it. I knew I had to be punished when I did bad things; it was just that Father¡¯s rules on what was ¡®bad¡¯ didn¡¯t seem to be all that accurate to the real world. If the Union decreed that I deserved a day in the penalisation room, then so be it. I still wanted people to see my face.
I wanted Vivienne to see my face.
But¡­ that thought was still scary, so I put my mask back on for now. I could work my way up to it.
¡ª
Vivienne arrived at the usual time, bearing all sorts of snacks and drinks that Father had warned would destroy my figure, but that wasn¡¯t going to stop me from enjoying myself. She, Brianna, and I spent the evening gorging ourselves, chatting, and watching movies. Well, it was mostly Vivienne and Brianna chatting; I didn¡¯t really have a lot to talk about, and I was worried that if I opened my mouth too soon, everything was going to come spilling out.
Throughout it all, Vivienne seemed kind of¡­ nervous? She kept glancing at me before quickly looking away, a slight redness on her cheeks and shakiness in her voice. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what she was thinking.
When the night was starting to stretch on into the later hours, Vivienne got up and went to the bathroom, leaving me and Brianna alone. She leaned over to me.
¡°So, are you gonna do it?¡± she asked.
¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m working up to it. It¡¯s scary.¡±
She put her arm around my shoulders. ¡°You got this, Jean Shorts. Just be yourself. Tell you what; when she gets back, I¡¯m gonna head off and go to bed, and leave you two lovebirds alone to figure your shit out. Sound good?¡±
I swallowed, nodding. Alone with Vivienne. ¡°Y-yeah. I think so.¡±
¡°Good. And you better tell me all about it in the morning, okay?¡±
I smiled. ¡°Sure.¡±
Vivienne came back in, and Brianna made a big show of stretching and yawning. ¡°Aw man, I don¡¯t think I can stay up tonight. You two have fun, I¡¯m gonna go to bed.¡±
I struggled to hold back a laugh at the display. Vivienne frowned. ¡°Are you sure?¡±
¡°Yep, yep. I can barely keep my eyes open. Don¡¯t wanna fall asleep out here, y¡¯know?¡±
¡°Okay,¡± Vivienne said with a pout. ¡°We¡¯ll miss you!¡±
Brianna laughed as she walked to the door. ¡°You¡¯d better!¡±
And just like that, Vivienne and I were alone together. Neither of us said anything for a long moment; awkward silence stretching on until I finally hyped myself up enough to speak.
Just do it just do it just do it just do it JUST DO IT JUST-
¡°Vivi, I-¡±
¡°Jordyn, I-¡±
We both paused, staring at each other, before bursting into laughter.
¡°You- you go first,¡± Vivienne said quickly, her lips curling up into a small smile.
Okay. Here goes nothing. Brianna said a surprise kiss was the best way, right?
¡°I, um¡­ I have a surprise for you,¡± I said, trying to keep my voice from trailing off with nerves.
¡°Oh?¡±
¡°Y-yeah. Could you¡­ close your eyes?¡±
Vivienne raised an eyebrow curiously, but complied. ¡°Okay.¡± She smiled wider, laughing. ¡°This is exciting.¡±
Now that she couldn¡¯t see, I felt safe to take off my mask and put it on the floor. Father would be asleep by now, so I didn¡¯t need to worry about any retaliation until tomorrow. It was time.
I put my hand on Vivienne¡¯s cheek, and her breath hitched. Her skin was soft. I leaned in.
The moment our lips touched, it was like fireworks went off in my chest. Vivienne gasped, but she didn¡¯t move away. Instead, it was almost like she¡¯d been expecting it. She leaned into me in turn and reciprocated the kiss, placing a hand on the crook between my neck and my shoulder and gently stroking with her thumb as her mouth moved against mine.
My entire body deflated, melting against her more with every brush of lips or hint of tongue. Her other hand trailed up my thigh to rest on my hip. I sighed into her mouth, savouring the humid scent of her breath and the taste of sugary drink still lingering from earlier. My other hand came up to properly cradle her face, holding on like I might float away from her if I let go. It was better than I could¡¯ve ever imagined.
After what seemed like both forever and not long enough at all, Vivienne pulled back. Her eyes were still closed, but her mouth was stretched into the biggest, most elated grin I¡¯d ever seen.
¡°Jordyn, that was¡­¡± she sighed happily, opening her eyes. Finally, she would get to see what I looked like. My heart pounded in my chest.
She froze, her eyes going wide. The grin disappeared, replaced with an open-mouthed expression of pure horror. The warmth that had previously been thrumming through my body from the kiss turned to ice in my veins. I didn¡¯t know why or how, but I¡¯d fucked up. Something was terribly, horribly wrong.
Vivienne¡¯s mouth moved, forming three syllables that rocked through me, shaking my system down to the core.
¡°Rosalyn?¡± The Truth
¡°What?¡±
Vivienne backed away from me on the couch. I resisted the urge to chase after her.
¡°R-Rosie,¡± she said. ¡°You look just like- oh god.¡± She covered her mouth, all of the colour blanching from her face.
Rosalyn, as in¡­ Madeline¡¯s wife? Was Vivienne saying I looked like Madeline¡¯s dead wife? That didn¡¯t¡­ That couldn¡¯t¡­ Unless¡­
¡°Show me a picture,¡± I demanded.
Vivienne still looked like there was a chance she might throw up. ¡°O-of Rosie?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
She nodded, shakily pulling out her phone and navigating through it for a minute before turning it around to show me what was on the screen.
It was the woman I kept seeing in my dreams, hanging off of Madeline and Vivienne¡¯s shoulders with a smile on her face. Our face.
¡°And¡­ you said she had fire powers?¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± Vivienne whispered, voice husky.
Everything crashed together in my head like an explosion. It all made sense now; the mysterious fire power I was exhibiting, the dreams, the fact that Father wanted me to hide my face, the way I was immediately drawn to Madeline from the moment I saw her.
¡°I¡¯m¡­ I must be Rosalyn,¡± I said, more sure of it than I¡¯d ever been about anything before. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s who I was before the accident. Everyone thought she died, but¡­ Father must have taken her body and fixed her, but he couldn¡¯t save her memories. That¡­ that has to be it! Though, that means¡­ Father isn¡¯t actually my dad.¡± I shook my head. That wasn¡¯t important right now. ¡°Vivienne, do you understand what this means?¡± I grabbed her arms, excitement building up within me. ¡°I know who I am now, who I was!¡±
Vivienne seemed to have calmed from the initial shock of seeing my face, but instead of sharing in my excitement, the expression that was left held nothing but pain and pity. ¡°Jordyn, you¡­ I don¡¯t think¡­ your¡­ fuck.¡± She ducked her head and sighed.
I frowned. ¡°What?¡±
She looked back up. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t get your hopes up. You¡­ You still might¡­ not be her.¡±
Just like that, the happiness of finally discovering myself turned to ash in my veins. ¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°It¡¯s just¡­ there are¡­ ways of making a person that looks like someone else.¡±
I grit my teeth, swallowing back the tears that threatened to spill upon hearing that. ¡°B-but, there¡¯s still a chance, right?¡±
Vivienne¡¯s lips were a thin line, her brown eyes staring right into me. ¡°I¡­ suppose there¡¯s a chance.¡±
¡°How can we find out for sure?¡±
Vivienne looked down, and didn¡¯t speak for a long moment. She squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her face. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m even thinking about this. Why couldn¡¯t tonight have just been normal? It was going well. All I wanted was¡­ fuck.¡±
¡°Vivienne¡­?¡±
She looked back up. ¡°There¡¯s one way to find out for sure.¡±
Hope lit up in my chest. ¡°Yeah?¡±
¡°We can check to see if Rosie¡¯s still there.¡±
I frowned. ¡°What do you mean ¡®still there¡¯?¡±
¡°Still¡­ still in her grave. If you¡¯re really her, it¡¯ll be empty.¡±
I stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s do it. Right now. Come on, take me there!¡±
Vivienne stared at me for a long moment, and sighed. ¡°Okay, Jordyn. If this is what you want.¡±
¡ª
Vivienne was a coward. All it would¡¯ve taken was ¡®no, Jordyn, you were actually grown in a vat. You¡¯re definitely not Rosie.¡¯ Instead, they were going to go exhume the fucking dead just to prove a point. They were going to desecrate Rosie¡¯s grave because Vivienne was too fucking scared to tell Jordyn the truth and break that little flare of hope on her horribly familiar face, despite the fact that it was inevitably going to break in a moment anyway.
If there was a hell, Vivienne was certain that she was bound for it, after what she was about to help do.
¡ª
With a pop of air pressure and a rush of cold night wind, Vivienne and I teleported to the cemetery Rosalyn was supposedly entombed at. It was dark; the moonlight hidden by heavy cloud cover, but Vivienne pulled out her phone flashlight, shining it on the headstone in front of us.
Rosalyn Garcia-Holmes
Beloved daughter and wife. Activist and Hero. Firestarter.
Gave her life for the people of Tombguard.
¡°Screw Billy Joel, I started it.¡±
I sucked in a breath, reading over the words inscribed on it. Daughter and wife. That was right, I was Madeline¡¯s wife, and I had to have parents ¨C real parents ¨C out there somewhere. How would they react when they found out I was still alive?
Though, was I really still Rosalyn? I had all these different memories. I was basically a different person, just in the same body.
Either way, they had to be happy their loved one was still here in some way, right? I hoped I could live up to the woman I was in the past.
¡°Are you¡­ gonna do it?¡± Vivienne asked from somewhere behind me.
¡°Yeah,¡± I answered. ¡°I was just¡­ thinking about stuff. This is a lot to take in.¡±
Vivienne didn¡¯t reply.
I got down on one knee, the damp grass soaking through my trousers, and placed a hand on the ground, reaching out to the shadows around me. They sank into the dirt like a liquid, slipping between each individual grain of soil and loosening them until they found the wooden coffin buried six feet deep. I got up and stepped back, pulling upwards. The dirt shifted, grass ripping as its foundation piled up and outwards, making way for Rosalyn¡¯s coffin. Finally, it surfaced; dirty and worn, but still intact.
¡°I can¡¯t believe this is actually happening,¡± Vivienne muttered as I placed the coffin down next to the hole. Tentatively, I walked up to it. This was it. The answer to the biggest question in my life, hidden just beneath an inch of wood. Was Rosalyn in there, or was I her all along? There was only one way to find out.
¡°Are you ready?¡± I asked Vivienne.
She shook her head, turning around. ¡°No, nope, I¡¯m not doing this. Do what you need to, but I can¡¯t watch. I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t want to see her.¡±
Maybe if I¡¯d stopped to consider that statement for a moment, I could have saved myself the surprise to come. But, hindsight was 20/20, wasn¡¯t it?
I nodded. That was fine. She didn¡¯t need to see inside it to know the truth. I did, however. No more putting it off.
I forced my shadows under the lid, and with the crack of splintering wood, tore it off.
There was a woman inside.
She was gaunt and pale from years of chemically-slowed decay, with sunken eyes and yellow teeth visible between pulled-back lips, but that face was still unmistakeable. I saw it in the mirror every day, after all.
Rosalyn Garcia-Holmes still slept in her final resting place, just as dead as she¡¯d been for the past five years.
Then, what did that mean for me?
I backed away from the corpse, hands shaking, heart racing. My chest burned. If Rosalyn was still there, then she couldn¡¯t be me. But then, who was I? Where did I come from? Why the fuck did I look like her?!
¡°Jordyn, Jordyn, just calm down. Breathe, baby. It¡¯ll be okay.¡±
Vivienne¡¯s voice echoed through my ear, but it sounded distant and muffled. I could feel her arms around me, warm and familiar like that night we shared together. The grass was cold under my knees. When did I fall?
¡°I¡­I don¡¯t understand,¡± I panted, struggling to suck in enough air. ¡°I- I don¡¯t understand. It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jordyn. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±
This was all too much. I started sobbing, leaning into Vivienne¡¯s embrace and trying to find a balance between desperate gasps for air and bawling so hard it felt like my insides would shrivel up and die.
¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I don¡¯t know what I am.¡±
¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Vivienne whispered against my hair. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change who you are. How much you matter to us. To me.¡±
¡°You¡¯re wrong!¡± I yelled, squeezing a fistful of her hoodie. ¡°It changes everything about me! F-for one beautiful, fleeting moment, I th-thought I had a fucking place in this world! I¡­ I thought I was something more than just¡­ Just a fucking weapon with no past! B-but I have nothing¡­ I am nothing. I¡¯m just some¡­ freak of nature body double whose¡­ whose only purpose is to hurt people! I don¡¯t even know why I exist! I don¡¯t know why I look like a¡­ like a fuckin¡¯ dead woman! Where the fuck did I even come from?! What am I?!¡±
¡°Oh god, Jordyn. I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯m so so sorry,¡± Vivienne whimpered. She was crying too now, holding me tighter in her arms like I would turn to dust if she let go.
¡°I can tell you,¡± said a familiar voice from behind.
I whirled around, shadows sharpening at my sides and flame bursting from my hands, flaring and dimming with each influx of frustrated rage through my gut. The realisation that the fire power was actually real barely lingered in my mind for even a second. There was too much else going on for that.
¡°Jordyn, you¡­¡± Vivienne was saying something, but it faded away when I processed who was in front of me.
A woman with black wings. She wasn¡¯t wearing a mask this time. We had the same face.
Maggie.
¡°We¡¯re clones,¡± she said, matter-of-fact as if that explained anything at all.
I dropped my guard, wiping the tears out of my eyes, a little too stunning to keep crying. ¡°Wh¡­ what?¡±
Maggie stepped closer. ¡°Clones. Y¡¯know, copies. Of her.¡±
She pointed her chin at the coffin behind me. Ice rushed under my skin.
¡°A¡­ a copy of her?¡±
Maggie nodded. ¡°My best guess is, Andreas took genetic material from Rosalyn¡¯s body when she died, and used it to create us. Do you¡­ remember the green?¡±
For a moment, I didn¡¯t know what she was talking about, but then it all came flooding back. The warmth, reaching out and seeing straight through my own skin. The day I woke up.
¡°I¡­ I remember.¡±
¡°It was where we grew. In these¡­ big, glass tanks, full of green liquid. I saw them when I escaped. I saw you, when you were just a tiny little harmless speck, floating in it. Look at you now; little sister¡¯s all grown up.¡±
¡°Jordyn, who¡­¡± Vivienne appeared at my side, grabbing my arm. ¡°Who is that?¡±
¡°Maggie,¡± I answered. ¡°My sister.¡±
I could feel Vivienne¡¯s eyes boring through the side of my head, but I couldn¡¯t tear my gaze from Maggie¡¯s face. She looked just like me. It was still impossible to wrap my head around.
¡°You knew you had a sister, but you didn¡¯t know you were a¡­ a clone?¡± Vivienne whispered.
¡°I didn¡¯t know she looked like me. She wore a mask last time we met. And¡­ I hadn¡¯t heard that word before today.¡±
Maggie nodded her head. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure, Miss Matthews. I admire your work.¡±
¡°You know me?¡±
Maggie tapped the side of her nose. ¡°I like to keep tabs on all of Andreas¡¯ activities, and that included keeping tabs on Jordyn. I¡¯m glad she found you guys.¡±
The shock of Maggie¡¯s appearance and the subsequent bombshell she dropped was starting to fade, and in its place there was only cold, painful understanding. The truth.
¡°So, I¡¯m just¡­ a copy of her,¡± I muttered to myself. ¡°This whole time, I¡¯ve been wondering who I was before all this, and there¡¯s just¡­ there¡¯s nothing? No wonder Father treats me the way he does. I¡¯m barely even a person. I was never born, just¡­ created.¡± I dropped to my knees again, too exhausted to keep standing. I could barely feel the tears that had begun trailing down my cheeks. ¡°What am I meant to do now? There¡¯s nothing for me to go back to.¡±
Maggie walked up and kneeled in front of me, pulling me into an embrace. Her wings stretched out, wrapping around me and shielding me from the cold night air. It broke the numb wall inside me, and everything quickly became that much more intense. I grappled desperately at her back, wailing into her shoulder. She smelled like home.
¡°It¡¯ll be okay, Jordyn,¡± She whispered. ¡°I¡¯ve been exactly where you are. It¡¯s hard. It feels impossible, but you¡¯ll recover. You¡¯re strong.¡±
¡°I-I¡¯m no one¡­¡± I whimpered.
Maggie pulled back, holding my cheeks so she could look me in the eye. ¡°You¡¯re not no one. You¡¯re Jordyn. You¡¯re not just Andreas¡¯ weapon, and you¡¯re not just a clone of Rosalyn. You are your own person, and nothing can ever take that away from you. It doesn¡¯t¡­ it doesn¡¯t fuckin¡¯ matter where we came from, okay? The- The shape of our bodies doesn¡¯t matter. It matters what we do. We don¡¯t belong to anyone. We are people. We have feelings and friendships and¡­ and motherfuckin¡¯ dreams. I want to have a family some day, and the barcode on the back of my neck doesn¡¯t take that away from me. It doesn¡¯t take shit away from you, either.¡±
She was tearing up too, now. Her words rocked through me, hitting me right in the heart. Somehow, she understood the exact feelings burning inside me, when I couldn¡¯t even put words to them. No, actually¡­ maybe it wasn¡¯t so mysterious. Maggie understood. Of course she did.
I nodded, sniffling, and leaned back in to hug her again.
¡°How did you know we¡¯d be here?¡± Vivienne asked after a long moment of quiet.
Maggie got back to her feet, helping me up with her. She pulled away from the hug, but kept one of her wings tucked against my back like a blanket. It was comforting.
¡°I like to come here every now and then to pay my respects to the original. It was just a coincidence that you guys happened to be here.¡±
Vivienne smiled. It was the first time I¡¯d seen her do that since she first saw my face. ¡°Pay your respects, huh? You¡­ care about Rosie that much, even though you¡¯ve never met her?¡±
Maggie shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about her. All the¡­ circumstances notwithstanding, it¡¯s a pretty huge honour to be cloned from such a true hero. Did you know she led the protests when Sebastian Beaumond was first running for office and campaigning on gutting federal protections for immigrants?¡±
Vivienne chuckled. ¡°Yes, I was there. She also set a cop¡¯s pants on fire for pepper spraying a protester.¡±
¡°Oh, Y-yeah, of course.¡± Maggie scratched her face, looking bashful all of a sudden. She cleared her throat. ¡°Anyway. Um, my boyfriend¡¯s family are immigrants, so it¡¯s cool to know my predecessor¡­ did all that.¡±
¡°So was Rosie¡¯s,¡± Vivienne said. ¡°So, y¡¯know. It was a personal issue for her.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°What¡¯s an immigrant?¡± I asked.
Maggie and Vivienne both laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later,¡± Vivienne said.
¡°Good call,¡± Maggie said. ¡°You¡¯re probably running out of time.¡±
Anxiety suddenly shot through my gut. ¡°For what?¡±
¡°It probably won¡¯t be long before Andreas and his cronies check their system and find out that you¡¯re here, and¡­ well, it won¡¯t be hard for them to figure out why. We need to get the tracking chip out of your neck before you go anywhere else. Also, we should probably put Rosalyn back in the ground. This much exposure is really bad for your skin when you¡¯re a corpse.¡±
My hand shot to the back of my neck instinctively. I had a feeling I knew what she was talking about, but still, I asked; ¡°Wh-what chip?¡±
Maggie raised an eyebrow. ¡°I assume by the way you¡¯re holding your neck, you know where the pain comes from when Andreas does that electricity bullshit on you. That¡¯s the chip¡¯s doing. It also tells them where you are at all times. If you wanna get away from him, step one is removing that thing.¡±
Vivienne stepped up, a determined look in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll go get a scalpel and a suture kit.¡±
Maggie grinned. ¡°Shit, I wish I had you around when I had to get mine out. I just used broken glass.¡±
Vivienne winced, then teleported away. Maggie turned to me.
¡°Let¡¯s put big sis back to bed, yeah?¡±
I swallowed, gritting my teeth, and nodded. This was all so surreal.
Rosalyn was right where we left her. The moon had poked its head out from between the clouds, and it shone down on her. She looked almost peaceful, in a very, very dead sort of way.
Maggie picked up the lid where it had been thrown off on the grass. ¡°Shit, you really did a number on this thing.¡±
¡°S-sorry,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d actually be in there. I didn¡¯t think it would matter.¡±
Maggie shrugged. ¡°Well, she¡¯s dead; I¡¯m sure she won¡¯t mind much. It¡¯ll just be that much easier for her to escape when she rises again as a zombie.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°You haven¡¯t seen Night of the Living Dead? I¡¯ll show it to you sometime.¡±
Maggie put the lid back onto the coffin. It wasn¡¯t really secure now that all of the nails had been ripped out, but it would have to do. Together, we put the coffin back in its hole, and I used my shadows to push the dirt back in to cover it up. It wasn¡¯t as deep as before thanks to the way the dirt had fallen when I lifted her, but that shouldn¡¯t really matter. It was obvious someone had tampered with it due to all the missing grass, but there was nothing I could really do about that.
Vivienne reappeared, carrying a red bag with white cross on it. She looked around and breathed a relieved sigh.
¡°Thanks for cleaning up. I¡­ didn¡¯t want to have to see that again.¡±
Maggie clapped her hands. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get this shit going. We¡¯ve probably wasted too much time already.¡±
Vivienne shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m not doing it here. Grab hold of me, I¡¯ll take us somewhere sterile where I can actually see what I¡¯m doing.¡±
Maggie sighed. ¡°Fine. Come on, Jordyn.¡±
She didn¡¯t need to tell me twice. I ran over to Vivienne, grabbing her hand. She smiled at me and Maggie rolled her eyes. She walked up and put a hand on Vivienne¡¯s other shoulder.
In an instant, our surroundings shifted from the dark cemetery to a familiar room with bright tiled walls. Brianna stood at the sink, washing her hands.
¡°You said sterile! This is a public toilet!¡± Maggie said.
Brianna yelped and jumped, whirling around. ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡±
¡°It¡¯s just us, Brea,¡± Vivienne said. ¡°Sorry.¡± She turned to Maggie. ¡°And for your information, this is not a public toilet, it¡¯s the Union toilet. We don¡¯t really have that many options, so a private place that I can attest is kept clean is better than nothing.¡±
Maggie waved a hand at Brianna. ¡°Private?¡±
¡°It¡¯s okay, Maggie,¡± I said, grabbing her hand and pulling it down. ¡°I trust Brianna. She can know.¡±
¡°Know what? What¡¯s going on?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a long story, Brea,¡± Vivienne said. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later. Right now, we have to get this tracking chip out of Jordyn¡¯s neck before de Vygon finds out where we¡¯ve been.¡±
Brianna blinked. ¡°I left you guys alone for thirty minutes.¡±
¡°It¡¯s been an eventful night,¡± I muttered. Had it really only been that long? The kiss felt like it was weeks ago.
Vivienne put the pack down on the bench and pulled her equipment out of it. ¡°Kneel down, Jordyn. We¡¯re doing this.¡±
I took a deep breath and did as I was told, fear whirling around my gut like a cyclone. ¡°Is this gonna hurt?¡±
¡°Yep,¡± Maggie said. She kneeled down next to me and grabbed my hand, squeezing it. ¡°But I¡¯m gonna be right here.¡±
I swallowed, nodding. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m ready.¡±
Maggie stood back up, and Vivienne wiped my neck with something wet.
¡°It won¡¯t be hard to find. Cut there. It¡¯s not deep.¡±
Brianna carefully walked up to us, taking Maggie¡¯s place and holding my hand. ¡°Who is that?¡± she whispered.
¡°My sister Maggie,¡± I replied. ¡°Again, long story,¡± I quickly added when I saw the question forming on her lips.
She frowned, but nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±
¡°I¡¯m about to cut, Jordyn. Try to keep still.¡±
I grit my teeth and nodded. ¡°Do it.¡±
White-hot pain erupted from my neck, sending alarms through my entire body. I whimpered, biting my lip to try and redirect my pain centres. It wasn¡¯t very effective. Brianna squeezed my hand.
¡°I see it,¡± Vivienne said. ¡°Hand me the tweezers.¡±
¡°You sound more like a surgeon than a nurse,¡± Brianna said, thankfully distracting me from the feeling of Vivienne rummaging through my neck muscle. ¡°Maybe you chose the wrong medical profession to go for,¡± she joked.
¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not interested in doing this ever again,¡± Vivienne replied. ¡°Okay, I got it.¡±
¡°Good,¡± Maggie said. I saw the bloody chip drop on the ground in my peripheral vision, right before Maggie¡¯s boot crushed it to dust.
¡°Gonna stitch you up now, Jordyn. You¡¯re being real brave.¡±
Finally, something I was used to. I relaxed a little, buzzing with pride at the complement.
¡°Yeah, I cried like a bitch when I got mine out,¡± Maggie said.
¡°Maybe that¡¯s because you used broken glass, genius,¡± Vivienne teased. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly medical standard.¡±
¡°Hey! I was a little starved for options at the time! Also, I¡¯d literally never been outside when I did it, so how was I supposed to know¡­ anything?¡±
Vivienne chuckled. ¡°Chill out, I¡¯m just kidding.¡±
They finished stitching me up in silence, and Vivienne placed a bandage over the top of the wound. All in all, it wasn¡¯t as bad as I¡¯d been expecting. No worse than most other medical procedures I¡¯d been through, anyway. Maggie helped me to my feet and, surprisingly, pulled me into another hug.
¡°Andreas is probably gonna be coming here to look for you soon, so I have to go.¡± She pulled back, looking me in the eye. ¡°I¡¯ll, um¡­ I¡¯ll be in touch. Somehow.¡±
She turned to Vivienne, ¡°Matthews, would you mind taking me back to the cemetery?¡±
Vivienne rolled her eyes. ¡°You got wings, yet you need my help. Typical. Fine, birdbrain. Grab on.¡±
¡°You think you¡¯re so funny, don¡¯t you?¡± Maggie turned back to me, giving me one last look. ¡°See ya, Jordie.¡±
I waved, not really knowing how to feel. This had been a weird night. ¡°Bye, Maggie.¡±
With that, they teleported away.
¡°What the fuck is going on?¡± Brianna asked. ¡°Seriously.¡±
¡°I¡­ don¡¯t even know where to begin,¡± I answered truthfully, running a hand through my hair.
Vivienne reappeared. ¡°Brianna, can you go get Ashley and tell him to meet me in his office? I¡¯m gonna go get Maddie.¡±
¡°Vivienne, what¡¯s happening? Talk to me.¡±
She sighed, rubbing her face. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you along with the others, okay? I promise. I¡¯d just¡­ rather not go over all of this more than once.¡±
Brianna stared in her direction for a moment before nodding. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll hold you to that.¡±
She grabbed her cane from where it was resting against the sink bench and left the room, leaving Vivienne and I alone.
¡°Jordyn, I¡­ think we should talk.¡±
She turned to face me. Something about her tone made my gut flip with nerves.
¡°What is it?¡±
She was silent for a moment before taking a breath. ¡°I like you. I really do. It¡¯s just¡­ Well, to be honest I wasn¡¯t really expecting any of this. When I came here tonight, I thought¡­ you and I could just¡­ get together and it would be normal. But¡­ It¡¯s not. With everything that¡¯s happened, and everything that¡¯s about to happen, I¡­ don¡¯t think a relationship is a good idea right now. For either of us. Like I said, don¡¯t get me wrong; I do like you, Jordyn. I really care about you. And someday, I would like to try a relationship. But not right now. It¡¯s just too much.¡±
I didn¡¯t really understand what she was saying, but I could tell it wasn¡¯t good. ¡°Wh-when you say¡­ relationship. You mean¡­ we¡¯ll still be friends, right?¡± My voice cracked on the last word.
Vivienne¡¯s face dropped. She came over and hugged me. ¡°Oh, Jordyn. Of course we¡¯ll still be friends. I just mean romance.¡±
¡°Right, right¡­¡± That was still¡­ disappointing, but as long as I could be near her, I didn¡¯t care that much. She said there was still a chance for the future; that would have to do for now.
She pulled back. ¡°Alright, I need to go get Maddie. Stay here.¡±
¡°W-wait, why are we¡­?¡±
Her expression went slack. ¡°We need to tell them. Maddie¡­ She deserves to know what¡¯s going on, and Ashley can help us figure out what to do.¡±
I stepped away, hugging myself. ¡°B-but, that¡¯s so soon. I¡¯m still¡­ None of this even feels real yet. How am I supposed to explain any of this? Especially to her?¡±
¡°I can handle that, okay? If we put this off, it¡¯ll only get harder. I¡¯m serious. Maddie¡­ she¡¯ll take it personally. It¡¯s already gonna be a shitshow when she finds out. It¡¯s better to not keep it from her. She has a right to know what happened to her wife.¡±
I looked down, trying not to cry again. This was all happening so fast. Why couldn¡¯t I just have some time to figure out who I was before I had to face the wife of the woman whose body I stole?
Vivienne sensed my feelings and stepped close to me again. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Jordyn. I don¡¯t want to take your agency away. I just¡­ don¡¯t know what the fuck else to do. I can¡¯t do this alone. I can¡¯t help you alone.¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I muttered, staring at the tile floor. ¡°Other people usually know what¡¯s best for me, anyway. Why would this be any different? Father always said I wasn¡¯t¡­ very smart.¡±
Vivienne¡¯s breath hitched. It sounded a little like a sob, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to look up and check.
¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±
Vivienne teleported away.
¡ª
¡°Shit, are you alright?¡±
Vivienne gasped for air, trying to stop crying. In hindsight, it was a bad idea to teleport straight to Maddie¡¯s apartment right after¡­ that.
¡°I- I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine,¡± she whimpered, gaining a small modicum of control.
¡°Did Jordyn do something? I¡¯ll kick her ass if she did,¡± Maddie said, holding Vivienne¡¯s shoulders.
Yes, she did, Vivienne thought. But, no, that wasn¡¯t fair. Jordyn didn¡¯t intend to hurt her with what she said, and frankly, it was fucking true. Vivienne was a fucking bitch. Taking Jordyn¡¯s decision away during one of the most important discoveries of her entire life; making her feel like she didn¡¯t get to decide for herself. She was no better than de Vygon. The worst part was, Vivienne was still going to go through with it. Because, despite it all, what she said was the truth. She couldn¡¯t handle this alone, and Maddie deserved to know.
Nothing she could ever do would make up for this, but it had to be done.
She sucked in a breath, forcing herself to stop crying. She didn¡¯t deserve to. ¡°N-no, it¡¯s not that. Something just¡­ I¡¯ve just discovered something really important. We need to have a meeting. Come on.¡±
Maddie looked down at herself, wearing just a tanktop and boxers. ¡°Can I at least get dressed first?¡±
Vivienne shook her head. ¡°You won¡¯t want to wait for this.¡±
Maddie sighed. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go.¡±
They teleported to Ashley¡¯s office. Thankfully, he and Brianna were already there.
¡°Vivienne, what¡¯s going on? Why do you look like you¡¯ve been crying?¡± Ashley asked.
She grit her teeth. ¡°Look, it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s¡­ ugh. I need to get Jordyn. You¡¯ll understand once you see.¡±
¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Brianna said.
¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll¡­ get the picture,¡± Vivienne replied, very quickly running out of energy for this situation.
She teleported back to the bathroom, finding Jordyn right where she left her; hugging herself and staring at the ground. Guilt immediately rocked through Vivienne like an avalanche.
¡°Jordyn, are you¡­ are you ready? Everyone¡¯s here.¡±
She shrugged. ¡°I guess.¡±
Vivienne felt like a plant with no sun. That would have to do. She placed a hand on Jordyn¡¯s shoulder and teleported them back into Ashley¡¯s office.
¡°Oh my god,¡± Ashley said. Madeline looked like she¡¯d seen a ghost; eyes wide, jaw hanging open. Vivienne heard Jordyn suck in a breath. She was squeezing her eyes shut. This must be so hard for her.
And it was all Vivienne¡¯s fault.
¡°R-Rosie¡­?¡± Maddie muttered, taking a single step forward.
Vivienne shook her head, her entire body roiling with rage at herself. She was hurting everyone. ¡°No. It¡¯s Jordyn. She¡¯s¡­ um¡­ She''s a clone.¡±
Maddie froze. ¡°What? How? How¡­ do you know?¡±
Jordyn made a small noise in the back of her throat. ¡°We¡­ we checked,¡± she said, still staring at the carpet.
¡°How did you check¡­?¡± Ashley asked, sounding like he didn¡¯t actually want to know the answer.
¡°We¡­ had to dig up Rosie¡¯s grave¡­ to see if her body was still in there,¡± Viv answered. ¡°It was. So¡­ Jordyn can¡¯t be her. Also¡­ we met another clone at the grave, who confirmed it. She¡¯s the one with wings.¡±
Ashley frowned. ¡°The one that shot her?¡±
¡°She was trying to protect herself¡­¡± Jordyn muttered. ¡°From me. She knew Father would send me after her.¡±
Maddie looked like she was going to be sick. ¡°Excuse me for a moment,¡± she said quietly, before quickly running out of the room and slamming the door behind her.
A few seconds later, a gut-wrenching cry of anguish and rage echoed through from outside, accompanied by something banging against the walls. Jordyn covered her ears, whimpering. Vivienne was tempted to comfort her, but¡­ Jordyn probably didn¡¯t want anything to do with her right now.
¡°Jordyn,¡± Brianna beckoned from where she was sitting on the uncomfortable leather couch. ¡°Come here.¡±
Jordyn went to her, and Brianna wrapped her in a side hug, whispering something Vivienne couldn¡¯t hear. It was for the best. Brianna was much more suited to this than Vivienne was; having trained to be a social worker.
The screaming stopped after a few awful minutes. By the time it was done, Jordyn looked like she had totally shut down; blank-faced staring into space, leaning on Brea¡¯s shoulder. Ashley was cradling his head in his hands at his desk, rubbing his temples. Vivienne was still just standing there, feeling like an interloper in this place that she usually found so much comfort.
Madeline came back in, cradling a bruised fist. ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill him,¡± she said in a hoarse, eerily flat voice.
¡°Let¡¯s talk about this, Madeline,¡± Ashley replied. ¡°We need to figure out what we¡¯re going to do now that we know the whole situation.¡±
¡°No, you don¡¯t understand,¡± she said, walking up to his desk and leaning on it. ¡°Andreas de Vygon cloned my dead wife. He tortured, traumatised, and killed those clones; the- the last piece of Rosie still alive on this earth. I am going to rip him limb from limb and freeze his torso in an ice block, and watch him slowly die of frostbite. This is not a discussion. This is what I¡¯m going to do.¡±
¡°Please don¡¯t.¡±
Everyone turned to look at Jordyn. Her cheeks reddened, and she shrunk back into herself. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ I know he¡¯s bad, but¡­ please don¡¯t kill him.¡±
¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Ashley said, trying to regain control of the situation. ¡°I understand how angry you are, Maddie. I¡¯m angry, too. But we need a plan for now, not some half-baked revenge fantasy that we¡¯d never be able to achieve anyway.¡±
Maddie slumped, going slack and landing on the chair opposite the desk. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I- I just¡­¡± Her eyes kept flickering to Jordyn. ¡°Every time I look at¡­ at her, I think about it again, and it¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do with all this rage. He violated her.¡±
¡°And he¡¯ll pay for it,¡± Ashley said. ¡°In time. My friend in the DA said that a small investigation against de Vygon has been launched thanks to those research notes, but now that we know the truth, we could start building a proper case with Jordyn and the other clone¡¯s testimony. But, I¡¯ll handle all that. What we need right now is to calm down and plan.¡±
¡°De Vygon¡¯s going to be coming for her now,¡± Vivienne said. ¡°She had a tracking chip in her neck; he would¡¯ve seen that we went to the cemetery, and he¡¯ll know the chip¡¯s offline now that I¡¯ve removed it.¡±
¡°If he wanted to, he could claim we kidnapped her and take this place with a SWAT team in a single afternoon,¡± Ash muttered. ¡°We need somewhere for Jordyn to lay low while I prepare the investigation. That way, even if de Vygon raids the Union, he¡¯ll get nothing from it.¡±
That gave Vivienne an idea. ¡°My grandparents had a little cabin way out in the country. I could teleport us there, and go back and forth for supplies and stuff. It¡¯s totally off the grid; no internet or anything. Just a generator for electricity and a rainwater tank.¡±
¡°How many people know about it?¡± Ashley asked.
Vivienne shrugged. ¡°My parents, I guess, but that¡¯s it. My grandparents died years ago, and the deed for the land never passed on to anybody, so it shouldn¡¯t be in any records with our name or anything. Even if he did find it, it should buy us a few weeks at least.¡±
Ashley smiled. ¡°That sounds perfect.¡± He turned to Jordyn. ¡°What do you think? Do you want to stay there while everything cools off, or do you have something else in mind?¡±
Jordyn reeled back, nervously glancing around the room.¡±Y-you¡¯re asking me? No, I¡­ I wouldn¡¯t know. You guys just¡­ you make the decision. You would know better.¡±
Vivienne got the distinct impression that this was her fault. Jordyn had been making such good progress with finding herself and her agency, and now it seemed like she¡¯d completely backslid, all because of what Vivienne did. She needed to fix this, and this might be her only chance.
She walked over and sat down next to Jordyn, tentatively taking her hand. When she didn¡¯t immediately pull away like Vivienne had half-expected her to, she squeezed tighter.
¡°I know I made you feel like you didn¡¯t get to choose when to tell everyone about you, and for that, I can never apologise enough,¡± Vivienne said in a low voice. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t because I didn¡¯t think you were capable of making the decision for yourself. You¡¯re smart, Jordyn. So smart. You¡¯re, what¡­ not even two years old, technically? And yet you already know how to walk, talk, interact with the world around you. You know more forms of martial art than I can count; you can read and write and draw and paint. You¡¯re starting to pick up cooking. You¡¯re more than capable of making your own decisions, and you should get to decide for yourself how this is gonna be handled. We all trust you on this; it¡¯s okay to trust yourself.¡±
Jordyn¡¯s throat bobbed as she swallowed. ¡°You think so?¡±
¡°We do,¡± Brianna said, reinforcing Vivienne¡¯s statement.
Jordyn clenched her fists. ¡°I¡­ I like Vivienne¡¯s idea. After everything that¡¯s happened tonight, I¡­ I feel like I need some time to just¡­ figure things out. I need something new. I need somewhere I can go to get away from Father. I- I mean, Andreas.¡±
Ashley nodded. ¡°It¡¯s decided, then. You should start packing right away. As for the rest of us, we should decide who¡¯ll be staying with her. She can¡¯t be there alone.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Vivienne said. Really, she was the obvious choice, given her powers.
Madeline stood up. ¡°Me too.¡±
Ashley tilted his head. ¡°Are you sure?¡±
She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not fair on Vivienne to have to shoulder this all on her own. We can rotate out. Also, we want someone that can fight to be there just in case de Vygon¡¯s men find us. I¡­ Maybe it¡¯s stupid, because you¡¯re not her, but¡­¡± She turned her head to look at Jordyn. ¡°I want to protect you.¡±
Jordyn¡¯s mouth opened a little, her eyes widening before she steeled herself, bottom lip still quivering. ¡°Thank you, Madeline.¡±
Maddie¡¯s face broke a little at that, but she kept herself from breaking down, turning back to Ashley. ¡°I can do more good out there than here.¡±
Ashley nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m proud of you.¡±
¡°Pack some books or something,¡± Viv said, standing up. ¡°There¡¯s not gonna be a lot of entertainment out in the woods.¡±
¡°It¡¯s¡­ probably best if I stay here,¡± Brianna muttered, a regretful look on her face. ¡°New environments can be¡­ tricky for me.¡±
¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Ashley said. ¡°We¡¯ll want to maintain a fa?ade of normalcy here if the police come looking. You¡¯re a resident here; having you disappear as well would make it even more obvious we were planning something.¡±
Jordyn pouted. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you.¡±
Brianna pulled her into a hug. ¡°Aw, I¡¯ll miss you too, Jean Shorts.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry too much,¡± Vivienne said. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to bring you over to visit every now and then.¡±
Ashley tapped his desk, standing up. ¡°Let¡¯s get to it. Vivienne; take Maddie home so she can start packing, then check to make sure the place is as you remember it. I¡¯ll start grabbing supplies for you. Jordyn, go to your dorm and do the same. We¡¯ll meet back here in thirty minutes.¡±
Vivienne raised an eyebrow. ¡°No packing time for me?¡±
¡°You can come and get new clothes or supplies whenever you want. How much packing time do you need?¡±
It was true, but she wasn¡¯t gonna admit it. She rolled her eyes, reaching out to Madeline. ¡°Come on, then. Vivienne¡¯s taxi is at your service.¡±
¡ª
Much like the rest of this shitshow of a night, the proceedings of this meeting happened so fast, I could barely keep up. But, despite it all, I was happy with the outcome. I¡¯d be going away to a place where Father couldn¡¯t get me or hurt me anymore. I was¡­ finally free of him. Every throb of stinging pain in the back of my neck was another reminder of that.
¡°One sec, Viv,¡± Madeline said, walking up to me. I looked up at her, fear spiking in my throat. I¡¯d been beginning to think that she wasn¡¯t mad at me, even though I stole her wife¡¯s body, but maybe I was wrong.
But, instead of hitting me, Madeline pulled me to my feet and wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace. I whined; my cracked ribs protesting the pressure, and she loosened a bit, but didn¡¯t let go. My head rested against her shoulder, her scent filling my nose. She smelled like sweat and smoke and grass, but for some reason, that was comforting like nothing else. Like this, everything seemed so much less daunting than before.
Madeline breathed in against my hair and let out a tiny, almost imperceptible sob. I leaned against her more heavily, trying to make up for the pain I was no-doubt causing her. I couldn¡¯t imagine what it must be like to see someone she knew to be dead; someone that she loved above all others, for the first time in so long. And how much it must hurt to know that I wasn¡¯t really her.
¡°Sorry,¡± Madeline muttered, pulling back. ¡°I just, uh¡­ I really needed that.¡± She sniffled. In her eyes was five years of grief, all spilling out in one moment.
¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I replied.
Madeline turned back to Vivienne. ¡°You can take me home.¡±
Vivienne placed a hand on her arm. Our eyes met for one last, lingering second before she disappeared. Fuck, what a night. The Humiliation Of Servitude
Andreas Viktor de Vygon was born on a hot summer night in 1963. His mother died in childbirth. His father was a mean drunk bastard of a man who never truly forgave him for it.
Andreas grew up in a small apartment in inner-city Tombguard, falling asleep every night to the sound of his neighbours fighting and fucking and his father¡¯s shows echoing from the living room. His school was within walking distance, just a block away. The few friends he made all lived nearby. The first ten years of Andreas de Vygon¡¯s life were confined to less than a single square kilometre. He never knew any different and never truly cared. Until one night, when his eyes were opened to the truth.
Andreas had mixed feelings about his father. On one hand, he was a powerful, terrifying man. He had an almost regal nature and exuded authority in every movement. Andreas couldn¡¯t help but to respect the sheer strength he held. One day, he wanted to be just like him. On the other hand, he was also cruel, vindictive, and loved nothing more than to take out his own anger and pain on those weaker than him. Andreas, unfortunately, was always his go-to target. Andreas hated his guts.
Most nights, Viktor de Vygon the elder would only get angrier the more he drank. But for some reason, this night was different. Andreas¡¯ father sank into his armchair, muttering something to himself. He called to Andreas to fetch him another beer, and Andreas obliged, his hatred for his father growing slightly stronger at being treated like some sort of servant.
¡°Siddown, boy,¡± Viktor had said, slurring like the drunk he was, snatching the beer from Andreas¡¯ hands. ¡°I got sommin¡¯ to tell ya.¡±
Andreas did as he was told. He always did as he was told. ¡°What is it, father?¡±
¡°You learned about the Godling in school yet?¡± he asked, spitting the name like a slur.
¡°No, sir,¡± Andreas replied.
¡°Lemme tell you a story¡­¡±
Viktor told Andreas the tale of the ancient de Vygon clan and their legendary battle against the Godling hundreds of years ago. How his ancestors struggled under the tyranny of that terrible thing from beyond the stars. How they secretly rebelled, forging a weapon imbued with shards of bone from the Godling¡¯s previous human hosts. How they etched magic sealing symbols onto the blade, learned from the Godling¡¯s own practise of granting human collaborators strange abilities, and then sealing them away by carving the symbol onto them when they resisted. How they battled the Godling for a whole day and a whole night until Franziska de Vygon, last surviving member of the family, plunged the Godkiller Blade into the Godling¡¯s chest and finally ended centuries of suffering.
He told Andreas how the last remaining de Vygon sealed the Godling underneath the family hold, and how Tombguard rose up around it. How for the past 700 years, the de Vygon family watched over the Godling¡¯s prison, ensuring it could never escape. How the Godling¡¯s blood seeped into the earth, eventually affecting the population, causing children to be born with the same strange powers the Godling once granted Its conspirators. How the Godling began acting out, creating terrible monsters with its remaining power, and how those born with Godling blood in their veins fought back against them, eventually forming a Union ran by the de Vygon family, right in the place the de Vygon ancestral hold used to be.
Andreas listened, totally rapt, stars shining in his eyes. Him; the descendant of a legendary hero who saved the whole world. Only, it didn¡¯t take very long for the illusion to crumble apart. One solitary look around Viktor¡¯s dingy apartment would make it clear that Andreas was no legendary hero¡¯s descendant. He was the son of a bum who killed his own mother coming into this world. When he asked his father why, Viktor told Andreas a truth that would stick with him for the rest of his life.
¡°We were born unlucky.¡±
It turned out, Viktor¡¯s father Thomas was the second son. Only the firstborn of each generation was set to inherit the ancestral home and all it entailed. Scorned from the birthright owed to him by his name, Thomas de Vygon descended into obscurity, and he dragged Viktor and Andreas down with him.
Looking at his father, Andreas could see that Viktor had accepted his place in the world. He had no ambitions beyond his next bottle of beer, content to live a simple wage-slave¡¯s life.
Andreas would not accept it. He was owed. That night he made a vow to himself; that he would not be satisfied with this humiliating pittance of an existence, where his only purpose was serving those above him. He would do everything in his power to rise above, to reach the station he deserved. One day, no one would look down on Andreas de Vygon.
It would only be him, standing alone above the world.
¡ª
Andreas never had many friends growing up. While he was perfectly able to make them, should he so choose, his sights were always set much further in the future than schoolyard companionship.
While other kids his age were outside playing, Andreas would be at the library, studying and learning more about his newly revealed lineage. He learned that he had a second cousin a little older than him, named Siobhan. She was set to be the next inheritor of the de Vygon ancestral home, now known as the Heroes¡¯ Union. Nothing in the world hurt more than knowing there was someone else out there who had everything he¡¯d ever wanted.
It was while he was studying the legends surrounding the Godling that he came across an interesting little tidbit. He would pass it off as a pointless piece of trivia for many years, but the fact he learned in that library would end up changing the course of his life.
Legend stated that the one who pulled the sword from the Godling¡¯s chest would be granted any one wish within Its power; their deepest, strongest desire ¨C at least according to the things the Godling would tell people to try and get them to free it. The only catch was, no one could actually approach the Godling unless they had the Godling¡¯s blood inside of them; only those with a power could get near enough to ever pull the sword out. It was typical; because even if Andreas had been given the respect his name deserved, he¡¯d still never be granted a wish, just because he was born inferior. Nothing would ever be handed to him. It just meant he had to work harder to get ahead.
Not that he¡¯d ever really want to draw the sword and undo all the hard work his ancestors put into sealing the Godling away. He wouldn¡¯t be much of a hero, then.
That being said, Andreas had always been good at finding loopholes.
¡ª
When Andreas turned 18, the first thing he did out of school was join the military. It was a new life for him in two ways; he could finally leave his waste-of-oxygen father behind forever, and he was finally in a place where he''d be able to climb. Get above people. Maybe even reach the top.
At first, it was just more of what he was used to: getting yelled at and ordered around. He''d been expecting that, obviously, but it was still grating. He was a de Vygon. These people should be kissing his feet as he passed. Regardless, he got through those first miserable months of being a new recruit, and eventually started moving up through the ranks. It took a few years of grit and hard work, crawling through the dirt and breaking the skin of his knuckles in combat training, but he started earning his promotions in due time. Throughout his fourteen years of service, he made it to the rank of sergeant first class, and had designs on getting an officer¡¯s commission. Unfortunately, some things were not meant to be.
Andreas did a few tours of duty, and earned a few medals in the process. For all intents and purposes, he was a decorated soldier and a respected leader. It was what he¡¯d been hoping for when he first enlisted. But it still wasn¡¯t enough. It wasn¡¯t enough to just have people under his command, because no matter what there were still people above him, officers giving him orders, telling him what to do. It wasn¡¯t right. It was beginning to feel like no matter how high he climbed, he would never truly achieve the greatness he was destined for. Even thinking about his prospects as an officer didn¡¯t seem like they would amount to much. So much kissing ass, and for what? For nothing truly important to change. It would take a lifetime to reach the top of the military hierarchy, and even then he would still be accountable to the whims of the country¡¯s leadership. Maybe he should have aimed for politics instead, but even if he reached the big spot at the top, what would truly be different? He would still have to suck up to other country¡¯s leaders for the sake of diplomacy ¨C he wasn¡¯t going to run his country into the ground being an ass just because he hated not having full agency over himself; he had more maturity than that. So, what was even the point?
It was beginning to occur to Andreas that perhaps servitude was simply an unavoidable fact of the human condition. So long as there were two people left on the planet, Andreas would have a duty to his fellow man. Compromise above all else, because violence only meant mutually assured destruction, and where would that get anyone?
Perhaps if there was a way to get so far above the rest of humanity that resistance to his will was utterly futile, his dream could come to fruition. As if that was even possible. Even the Godling; a divine being as old as the universe itself and as powerful as a dying star, was brought down by the sheer dauntless will of the human spirit.
Granted, the Godling was malevolent, and couldn¡¯t understand the way a human mind thought. Perhaps if Andreas were in Its position, the de Vygon clan never would have even thought to resist him, for they would have had no reason to.
It was a silly thought, and not one he entertained for long.
The peaceful days of running his soldiers through training drills quickly blurred together, and Andreas was in the midst of debating whether or not to quit the military for a new pursuit or just commit and get an officer¡¯s commission when a sudden scandal hit that all-but made the decision up for him.
He was walking the grounds of the base one night, just to stretch his legs, when he heard a strange sound emanating from the alley between the barracks and the mess hall. It was past lights out, so his soldiers should¡¯ve all been in bed. He elected to check it out.
When he peeked around the corner into the alley, he wasn¡¯t all that surprised at what he saw; it was pretty obvious based on the sounds. A man and a woman from his unit, pressed up against each other, rutting like animals in heat. He was debating whether he should pretend he didn¡¯t see or go chastise them when he realised something was wrong. The woman was pressed face-first against the wall of the mess, both wrists restrained behind her back by one of the man¡¯s hands. His other was covering her mouth. She appeared to be crying.
Andreas didn¡¯t remember much of the rest of that night, but based on statements from the subsequent disciplinary hearing, he knocked out three of the man¡¯s teeth, broke both of his wrists, and left him with a concussion. Andreas himself got away with a fractured hand from hitting the guy too hard.
He was not a squeamish man by any means. He was willing to hurt and kill to get what he wanted ¨C his goals were so grand that there were very few lines he wasn¡¯t willing to cross in pursuit of their achievement. But not rape. Never rape. There was not a single act so depraved and self-indulgent as that. Every bullet through a skull; every broken finger of a captured enemy, they had a purpose. There was no information to be gleaned via rape that could not be otherwise gained through enhanced interrogation techniques. If the prisoner wouldn¡¯t talk through all of them, rape would not serve to tip them over the edge. It was pure indulgence that violated a person¡¯s freedom and agency in one of the deepest, cruelest ways. It was unconscionable.
That was why Andreas was sure to spare no detail on what he had witnessed at the disciplinary hearing. This was a man under his command, and thus it was his responsibility to make it right.
Only, nothing would ever come of it. At least, not for the perpetrator. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
See, the soldier that committed the vile act turned out to be the son of one of the top generals that Andreas was beholden to. And so, the universe once again demonstrated the futility of trying to do good from below somebody else¡¯s boot. No one gave a damn about the rape. All they cared about was the fact that Andreas put that kid in the infirmary.
In the end, he was given an ultimatum. Shut up about the rape and be honourably discharged from his position, or keep going and have his name dragged through the mud. Andreas was not so invested in justice being served for this one single act that he would throw his entire life and all his ambitions out the window. So he picked option one, and retired from the military at the ripe old age of 32.
¡ª
After his departure from the military, Andreas was left somewhat directionless. While leaving the military had been an idea he was entertaining, he hadn¡¯t yet made up his mind about it when he was forced out, nor did he have any plans for afterwards, other than the big one.
With no idea where to go and no clue what to do next with his life, Andreas decided to embrace directionlessness. And, what better thing was there to do when directionless than wander?
He spent several years travelling the world with his saved funds, trying to find new purpose amidst the realisation that he would likely never achieve his true goal. He stood at the White Cliffs of Dover in England, staring out over the endless sea and debating flinging himself into it. He visited the coliseum in Rome and the parthenon in Athens, looking back over thousands of years of human culture. He pushed his way through the busy streets of Mumbai, buried in the sheer density of the population, awed by the thought that each and every person here bustling through the crowd was on their own path through life; each one just as rich and varied as his own.
He took a step back from humanity to focus both on nature and on himself. He meditated with monks in remote Tibetan villages, scaling their mountains just to see if he could. He hiked through miles of South American rainforest. He trained with masters of every martial art he could find, seeking to hone both his mind and his body in search of the truth. The truth of what? He wasn¡¯t sure. Maybe everything. Maybe this curse of a life he¡¯d been given; simultaneously destined for greatness by virtue of his bloodline, and owed nothing by the tragedy of his birth. The son of a dead mother and a drunk father. The unwanted, discarded descendant of the world¡¯s greatest hero. Truly, what was left for him other than what he could make for himself? There were no handouts in this world, not for him. If he truly wanted what he sought, he would have to fight for it. If there was no easy path, he would carve a new one out tooth and nail.
It was when he was standing at the sight of an ancient battle with the Godling that the idea occurred to him. Staring out over a flat plain of lifeless dirt that once held a city in ancient Syria, he realised the true power that the Godling held, and why It held it for so long.
2000 years ago, this place was a bustling metropolis of the ancient world. When the Godling arrived on Earth, this city was the first to take up arms against it. The Godling used it as a brutal and bloody example, and because of that one act, Its reign lasted almost 1300 years. Until the de Vygons came along, no other large group of people had the bravery to stand against It. The few individuals who did were equally as brutalised, and in just as public a manner. Transmuted into misshapen playthings and decorations, still living every second of their agony until the Godling was done with them. According to her personal writings of her clan¡¯s war with the Godling, Franziska de Vygon¡¯s own father was transformed into an ornate dining chair of broken bones and ripped flesh one terrible night, still screaming for days until she was finally able to find him and put him out of his misery.
This city in particular was razed entirely to the ground, not a single stone or soul left in existence. Even now, two millenia later, no life grew on the spot the city once stood. Animals avoided it. The only reason modern humans knew of its existence was through the records of the city¡¯s neighbours.
Before Its imprisonment, the Godling held the ultimate, utmost freedom in the world. It held this freedom for so long because It stole freedom from humanity.
If Andreas was truly passionate about his goal; if it truly meant enough to him that he would do anything to achieve it, he needed to not be squeamish about taking freedom from others. He needed to not be squeamish about risking everything in his quest for it, including his own ideals. He¡¯d killed before, but that was on the battlefield, at the will of his commanders. Now, he needed to be ready to kill for himself.
No price was too great in search of the ultimate freedom. And really, what had the de Vygons ever done for him anyway? He owed them nothing.
They, on the other hand, owed him everything.
¡ª
After six years of travelling, Andreas decided it was finally time for him to return home. It was the turn of the millennium; a time of new beginnings and fresh starts, and that was certainly Andreas¡¯ plan for when he arrived in Tombguard. He still had a decent little nest egg saved from his time in the military, having lived a very frugal lifestyle for his time there, so it wasn¡¯t hard to rent out an apartment and start making moves on his next job.
It was in the midst of his return that he learned about his cousin Siobhan¡¯s marriage to a Korean man. That on its own wouldn¡¯t have bothered him if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that she decided to forsake 700 years of her ancestry and take her husband¡¯s last name. Why she would choose to give up the name de Vygon ¨C a name that invoked the presence of the legendary warriors who saved the world ¨C for a nothing name like Min completely escaped him. Apparently, he even missed that she gave birth to a son the year before his sabbatical; a bouncing baby boy named Ashley, born before the two of his parents got married.
It was just another reason why Andreas was the only one fit to bear the de Vygon name. He may have despised his ancestors for throwing him aside like trash for the crime of his grandfather being born too late, but at least he had respect for the history his name represented. At least he didn¡¯t throw it all away like Siobhan did.
They would learn the mistake it was to disregard him one day. They all would.
Andreas began formulating a plan, putting together a complex flow chart that took up an entire wall in his apartment. He wasn¡¯t worried about anyone seeing; he had no friends and no interest in taking a lover, and his landlord never came around. It would take years to both perfect the plan and execute it, but if it worked, it was a surefire way to ensure he made it all the way to the top, so far ahead that no one would ever hold sway over him again. True freedom was within his grasp.
He called it Project Genesis. Genesis, meaning beginning, the word originating from the Abrahamic creation myth; the title of the very first book of the bible. The genesis of new life, created by his hand. The genesis of a new Andreas, born of stolen divine power. The genesis of a new world, formed by his desire. It felt¡­ fitting.
The Godling¡¯s wish was the key. One single wish to grant his deepest desire. He would wish for the Godling to transfer all of Its power to him. Should any part of It remain afterwards, he would use his newfound power to destroy it so completely that it would cease existing entirely, just like that city in Syria. Thus, circumventing the obvious ethical issue of releasing the Godling in the first place.
But only someone with a power could get close enough to make a wish. That meant Andreas needed someone else to make the wish for him. No amount of money or political power would give him enough sway to convince someone in the Union to release the Godling, nor to believe in his goal above their own desires, which meant that he needed someone with a power that was completely and entirely under his control.
He considered children, but that would take far too long, and it was too much of a gamble as to whether they had a power or not. He considered brainwashing, but that was too traceable. The plan would be no good if he was arrested for kidnapping before he could enact it. No, he needed something in the middle. Someone with total allegiance to him, who would do anything for him, but who had no connection whatsoever to the outside world.
What he needed was a clone, one with genetic material sourced from someone with a power. But that alone wasn¡¯t enough. He also needed something to make them grow up quickly to save time, and a space to house and train them before unleashing them on the world. He needed a team to help raise, train, and heal the clone, and a team to help develop the cloning and growth technology, as well as any other genetic or technological modifications he might have wanted to make.
It was possible, theoretically. The science for the cloning and rapid aging was sound. But the amount of money it would require was unfathomable. Loath as he was to admit it, Andreas had no choice but to do his least favourite thing; kissing up to people above his station. He needed some rich friends, and he needed an excuse for Project Genesis that wouldn¡¯t make them immediately call him crazy. He needed a job that would put him in contact with those up in the higher echelons of society.
That last piece was a little bit of a wrench in the plan. Other than his name, he had nothing with which to attract those of high standing. He would simply need to work his way up from the bottom. Again.
To that end, Andreas joined the esteemed Tombguard police force, getting fast-tracked through basic training and promoted straight to lieutenant within the first few months thanks to his military experience. Not quite as high as he was aiming, but it would do for now. He remained in that position for a few years before passing his captain¡¯s exam and finally being given command of his own precinct. Much like his position in the military, it was gratifying having control over a whole precinct of cops, but he was still far too beholden to both other captains and his superiors.
Another few years of careful planning and kiss-assing, and Andreas got moved to the precinct he¡¯d been gunning for ¨C precinct 23. It had been in his sights ever since he learned that there was a huge empty underground space below the precinct, a leftover offshoot of the old de Vygon hold that had been built over. It was a fitting place to put his Project Genesis facility. Next step; insert himself into high society.
Despite his best efforts, Andreas was never promoted above the rank of captain. It irritated him a bit, but he could handle it with the knowledge that he could move forward with his plan right where he was. His friendship with people like the commissioner and the chief meant that he was still being invited to these high society parties despite his relatively low rank; still getting the opportunity to rub elbows with these born elite; people who had done nothing of substance in their lives yet still stood in the station that he deserved.
He had to be careful, though. Despite having a plausible explanation as to his motives for Project Genesis ¨C that being wanting to manufacture superheroes to revitalise the police ¨C the plan was still quite¡­ callous, in regards to its flippant usage of human life ¨C artificial or otherwise. There would be a public explanation that included none of the real details, of course, but the sponsors would need to know the nitty gritty of how the plan would proceed before they invested in him. They wouldn¡¯t know the end result, but that was hardly important.
He needed sponsors with both ambition of their own and enough moral bankruptcy to not care how they achieved their goals. Surely, not hard to find in this den of uncaring billionaires, but Andreas was cautious. One wrong move, and everything went up in smoke.
It was a few more years of befriending these elite before Andreas met¡­ Him. The most vile, disgusting man Andreas had ever laid eyes upon, and that included that little bastard rapist who he¡¯d long forgotten the name of.
Sebastian Beaumond.
He just had this¡­ air about him; a suave playfulness that hid something dark beneath his pristine exterior. Every word he spoke positively dripped with double-meaning and hidden manipulation. Andreas had never been a man that shied away from eye contact, but staring into those dark pupils of his made Andreas feel like he was standing on the edge of a cliff, looking out into the void. It was a similar sensation to the one he got at the Cliffs of Dover all those years ago, only with the dreaded uncertainty of not knowing whether the ground would crumble out from under him at any moment, throwing him to the uncaring waves below.
On the surface, he was a buffoon ¨C and it was a known fact among the elite that he could let his emotions get the better of him in occasional outbursts ¨C but Andreas didn¡¯t doubt for a second that Sebastian Beaumond was a much smarter man than anyone gave him credit for.
He was a senator, with plans to go on the election trail within the next few years, aiming for the top spot. He would make the sort of evil, sadistic ¡®jokes¡¯ that Andreas would have sanctioned men in his old unit for.
He was perfect.
And when Andreas pulled him aside one night and told him the plan, Sebastian Beaumond¡¯s smile grew wide, just a little too far to be entirely natural. He laughed that grating laugh of his, slapped Andreas on the back of the shoulder, and said:
¡°You thought of all of that yourself? You¡¯re a goddamn genius, Andy. I¡¯m in.¡±
¡ª
¡°She¡¯s¡­ She¡¯s gone, sir.¡± Sadler said, his voice shaking; a perfect ambience to the rage that was bubbling up inside Andreas. ¡°The tracking chip has gone offline, and her mask camera has been staring at the floor for the past hour, after she took it off in front of Matthews. The¡­ the whole operation is compromised. The entire Union will know by now that she¡¯s a clone of Rosalyn Garcia-Holmes.¡±
Andreas stared at the monitor, displaying a coordinate of the chip¡¯s last transmitted location, somewhere within the Union HQ. For some reason, he had a hunch that G-5 had something to do with its removal. Jordyn and the Union would have had no way of knowing of its existence otherwise. That little ungrateful bitch was forever a thorn in his side. He gave her life, and this was how she repaid him?
In many ways, this was his own fault; he was mature enough to recognise that. He had allowed G-7 far too much freedom in the Union. He believed it was worth the risk ¨C a foolish compromise born of the inevitable fondness between a creator and his subject. Some small part of him just wanted to see her happy. He hadn¡¯t anticipated the little wretch growing bold enough to remove her mask ¨C breaking the one rule he demanded above all else.
It was okay. This was manageable. The explosives at the door of the Godling¡¯s prison were in place; no one but Jordyn knew of their existence, and she would not be able to fathom their use or importance. He could enter at any time. All he needed was someone to pull the sword and make the wish.
Jordyn would be ideal, but there was no guarantee he¡¯d be able to retrieve his asset before everything came crashing down. Thankfully, Andreas was nothing if not a man who planned for every contingency.
¡°S-sir?¡± George whimpered. ¡°What do we do?¡±
Andreas grit his teeth and took a breath, centering himself. All would turn out right in the end. ¡°Wake up subjects G-8 through G-10 and prepare them for rapid habilitation and training. We are not finished yet.¡±