Chapter Eight - Past...

His head was growing sore. Blood had already begun to drip from his nose. He was Carl Kenny. And he was looking for the person that had stolen the love of his life, Emily. He had no idea who the person might be, except that she was tall, blonde and beautiful. Carl had doubted he would have trouble finding her. But after an hour of teleporting around the immediate area of the crime scene things weren’t looking any brighter.

Where are you, God damn it!

He stopped for a break at the motel room. Emily had been leaving here when she was attacked. This much he knew. He remembered that the men in black had captured him, that she had escaped. That something had stopped him from teleporting away. It frightened him that he was powerless… he needed answers. He needed a way to fight the kidnappers. But most importantly he needed Emily.

A knock came from the door. He looked up quickly and walked quietly to the peek hole. There was a cleaner outside, a vacuum cleaner beside her. “Hello?” she asked. She made for the keys strapped to her waist, but Carl opened the door instead. “I’m here to clean the room…” She trailed off as she noticed the bed was made and the floor clean, like no one had been using it. “Never mind. I must have the wrong room.” She walked out quickly, face lit up like a cheery.

Carl let out a sigh as he closed the door and teleported one last time out of the room. When he regained his balance he sat down beside Emily. Her breathing was regulated by a respirator. The tube was accompanied into her throat by one for food. The doctors had explained that he vitals were low and that should she remain comatose she wouldn’t stand much of a chance at living. This was her one hope.

I’m sorry Emily…

***

Naomi had managed to secure an apartment not long after her assault on Emily. It was a welcome change - a bed she knew was clean, food in the refrigerator, running water that didn’t smell like rusted iron. But still her conscience attacked her. She had saved Emily and her boyfriend from the man in white’s more persuasive methods of hurting people, but she had thrown Emily into a fight for her life.

To make matters worse she knew everything about the man too. His name, his age, where he had been, how Emily had met him, what he meant to her. Naomi cried herself to sleep with these thoughts. She had stolen the one love Emily had truly believed in by stealing Emily herself. They were as one now, and it plagued Naomi.

I have to save her, somehow.

But she knew it was fruitless. Carl would be in the room most of the time. If he saw her things would only get worse. She would have no escape from him then. No anonymity. No freedom. She would be escaping from the prison to be thrown into the cage with an angry lion. Sure she could hurt Carl, but she knew she would regret it. Her choices were limited.

What do I do!

Then, as if to answer her question, a brown envelope fell through her mail box.

***

Two weeks ago…

Her bag was on her lap casually, a phone in her hand. Not that she was texting anyone. She merely felt comforted by the picture of her parents on the screen. She never liked trains. Or travelling for that matter. Walking was okay for her, but she didn’t like modern transport. Her name was Lisa Reilly. At sixteen years of age she was a pleasant person. She had many friends who praised her upbeat attitude. And for that she was grateful.

As Lisa started out through the window, lost in thought, a flash of light came past her. Or rather, it was like the light had vanished for a moment. It was black, streaking in a miraculous fashion past the train. She tried to ignore the thought as a train came heading towards her on the opposite track. She stared fruitlessly in towards the other passengers when time seemed to slow down. She saw a boy, staring at her too, and instantly she heard him whisper.

“Oh my God…”

She yelped in surprise, and he seemed to jump backwards too. Her heart was pounding and she wondered if she had just imagined it, if really she just wanted to talk to him because they had shared that moment of tranquillity. But her thoughts were interrupted once more by his voice.

“Can you hear me?”

I can… how is this possible?

His train was speeding away and still she felt him there, as if he were sitting beside her, but she also felt that he was slipping away in the opposite direction.

“I can’t explain it… but I don’t think I want to. My name’s Will.”

I’m Lisa.

She was about to ask him about himself, though she knew he would probably hear her thinking about it anyway, when suddenly the train jerked. In an instant she was spinning, holding as tight as she could to the chair in front of her. Her phone slipped out of her hand, flying through the air, and her bag spilled its contents out. She felt herself grow afraid, and she knew Will could feel it too. She was screaming at the top of her voice, like every other person on the train, when they seemed to right themselves.

As the train came softly down onto the tracks once more, Lisa noticed everything was floating in the air, herself included. She pulled herself down to the chair and began to pour her things back into her bag. It was as if there was no gravity as everything swept into the bag. She grabbed her phone from the air, where her parents stared smiling at her, perched in centre of the train.

“Are you okay?”

I think so…

***

Four weeks from present day…

She had herself clutched tightly by the steel walls. Her red hair was messy, fallen in front of her eyes. She couldn’t remember anything but these cells. The doctors too, that threatened her with medication. She hated them and everything about them, but she didn’t want to try hurt them. Her name was Edel Mooney. She had spent a long time in the cells, for something she couldn’t control. They called her unstable, but she wasn’t sure what they meant. She was only a bit mad in the cells because she was locked up. She amused herself daily with that thought.

I had to be locked up to go crazy.

She heard a voice speak to her over the intercom. “Subject 0182? Around you ready for your next test?” She didn’t answer. They were always asking her this question. The repetition of the process had bore the memory into her mind. No amount of their drugs could take that away from her. She was 0182, that was what she knew. But since her last drug administration things seemed clearer. It hadn’t been a week as it usually was. And she had begun to recognise her name. It hung within her reach.

The door raised itself by unknown forces and two men in white scrubs stepped in. A doctor followed, glasses on his nose. His eyes shone behind them menacingly. Edel hated him. But she wouldn’t do anything against him.

“Now,” he muttered. “Would you like to show us what you can do?” She remained silent, unmoving from her corner. The steel was always cold. She knew there were other things behind it, like rubber and concrete. Part of her old life told her that. The life she was afraid she might never get back. “Come now. The others in your block can do something.”

She lifted her head, not out of curiosity. Most likely it was because she knew something that would hurt him. Her mouth opened unsteadily, her lower lip shaking. “You mean like 0179?” His hand reached for the syringe at his waist. Edel tried to back further into the corner, but there was no more room. As the men pulled her to her feet smoke rose from their sleeves. They cursed and stumbled backwards.

“What was that?” the doctor asked her.

“I didn’t mean to!” she cried, eyes on the syringe. He smiled as he walked out the door, followed by the two larger men. The door shut behind them and Edel raced to it to see whether they were gone or not. He passed every other cell within sight. She opened her hand again, concentrating on her anger. A spark of light flashed in her palm. She concentrated on her feelings, washing away the relief that the men were gone. She let herself grow in fear and then there was an orb of hot light floating in her hand, taking a place in the air like a smaller version of the sun. She found her breaths harder to draw and her head was already spinning. Her nose dripped blood and she let the orb disperse.

What is this?

She paced back forth, trying to regain control of her motions. She was dizzy, but she was beginning to get back to normal. She kept walking. When at last she felt okay she tried again. This time the orb opened up quicker, burning hotter than before. It was blinding, bright than before. This time it also had a smell. It burned her nostrils.

She closed the orb and focused on the wall. She stepped carefully towards it, weighing out the consequences of what she had planned.

Freedom… prison…

Her mind was already set. She placed her palm flat against the cold steel and let her powers do the work. The steel burned away as if on fire. The wall was melting away. Toxic fumes from the burning rubber made her choke, but she didn’t stop. The concrete burned next, and then a gaping hole was formed. The fire was burning quickly and soon the wall between her cell and next began to melt away. The entire exterior wall was vanishing in the furies of Edel’s powers. And as she stepped over the fire into the outside world she turned back to face the blonde girl who remained dumbstruck in her cell.

“Come on!” She yelled. The girl didn’t move for a moment. “Hurry, before they get you!” Then she was gone. Edel had spotted one of the men. He was in the blonde’s cell. Edel took no risks as she sped down the green hills. There was a fenced wall ahead of her. She focused hard and held her palm open towards the wall, and a stream of burning light tore through the air. It was like plasma, and it’s awesome power created a hole for Edel to escape.

Freedom.

***

Present day…

Two men in black were sitting at a table in darkness, a light shining down on the centre. They wore their glasses, regardless of the fact that they knew each other. One had already tried to deal with mutants. His speed was unmatched. The other was yet to be but a driver, though his talents were told to be of some use in the coming missions.

A woman entered the room, her black suit hiding her almost completely. She was tall, almost as tall as the second of the men. She placed a brown envelope on the table between them, gave the tallest a weak smile and left.

“You’ve got your eyes on her,” the first noted. “Just remember, work comes first.” The second nodded and opened the envelope. Three folders spilled onto the table. As the first opened one his teasing smile dropped. “This is the pyre that tried to toast me. Brock Lewis, thirty two years of age. Level three mutant class; under inspection. What, that mean he could be stronger than that!”

“You stress too much on those details. Level three, level four… it’s all the same when he’s strapped in a van powerless. And what about these two. Teachers! Ha! What are teachers supposed to do?”

“Any powers mentioned?” the first asked.

His partner shook his head. “They’re still under inspection. That’s why we… sorry not you… have to capture them. I think that means you’re driving.” The first scowled, but realised this placed him in the safety of the van, away from Brock’s fires. “This should be fun,” he chuckled.