Kihonne: Hey everyone, it's good to be back! Alright, so this is the third and likely final segment of the Facility series, The Return of Heroes. If you haven't read The Facility or Maybank's Revenge yet, I suggest you do, otherwise this is going to get really confusing, really fast. Anyway, welcome back to my older readers. I know you're going to enjoy the story. Sorry about not posting the sneak peek like I promised, but I figured that it would be a better idea to start working on the story itself so that I've got a fair bit written before I start posting. Oh, and because it's set 5 years after the events of Maybank's Revenge, here are the ages of the main characters of the story:
Spin: 15
Alex: 17
Leo: 20
Chase: 21
Vivyanna & Bree: 22
Roxanna & Marcus: 23
Rhyder & Sebastian: 24
That should be everyone, I think. Anyway, without further ado, let's get on with this chapter!
Warning: This is rated T for a reason. If you have a problem with death, murder, torture, or swearing, you've been warned.
Vivyanna: Kihonne doesn't own lab rats. She only owns this story, all of the OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.
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Vivyanna's POV
"I'm Special Agent Graham." The man introduced himself. "I'd also like to offer you all job positions…"
Why did I have such a bad feeling about this?
FIVE YEARS LATER
MISSION CREEK, CALIFORNIA
I hummed quietly to myself as I entered the mall, a grocery bag in one hand. Though I generally hated when it was my turn to do the groceries, it did occasionally have its benefits. Especially when I wanted to avoid the guys. I love all of them, but some days I just needed a break from Marcus criticizing my boyfriend for every decision he made. I mean seriously, it was annoying. Not to mention, Bree was in an FML mood and I didn't want to hear the constant complaints about people and the world. I just wanted a day to myself.
So, shopping it was. I glanced at my list and headed straight for the nearest grocery store. Pulling the hood of my hoodie up, I walked in, grabbing a few loaves of bread off the rack. The amount of food we went through was crazy, but since there were so many of us under one roof, it made sense. Still, I tried to find some of the better prices in the store than get the expensive stuff. Though Bree did insist that I had to go expensive to get the good stuff.
I grabbed another two jars of peanut butter (there was a certain fifteen year old boy at home who liked to eat it by the spoonful), another carton of eggs, a couple of milk cartons, and a box of cereal before I headed down to the canned food section, glancing over my shoulder as I did so. Though the store seemed to be fairly empty, which made sense considering how late it was to be doing groceries, I still had the feeling that I was being watched. It was a constant feeling, and I knew I wasn't the only one who had it. I knew that the others were constantly on guard when outside our home, and considering our circumstances, it made sense.
It had been five years since the world found out that people with powers were real and within those five years, things had changed drastically for me and my friends. The world had been frightened and intrigued by us, naturally. But the government had felt that we were dangerous and that they needed to do something about it. So, they offered us jobs.
Jobs! I couldn't believe it when it happened, but it had actually happened. Their goal was to have a group of Specials (yeah, that's what they were calling people with powers now. Personally, I voted for mutants, but they claimed that title had already been taken) handle criminals with similar abilities. In theory, it was a decent idea, but nothing in life is ever really that simple. All they wanted was to be able to control us, and I didn't like being controlled. Maybank had tried that, Douglas had tried that, my father had tried that. I was free now, of them and everyone else who'd hurt me in the past and no one, no one, was ever going to be control me again. Unable to do what they wanted, or give them the control they obviously expected, I left, along with some of the people I trusted most. Which, after a long series of events, led to them now wanting to arrest me.
Okay, so maybe that's not exactly what happened. At first, they just wanted to bring me in to talk, but Graham started taking things to another level soon after. Specials started disappearing all over, never to be seen again. We tried to figure out what was happening to them, but the closest we came to that was a fifteen year old Special that we broke out of one of their bases. We could have just sat back and watched, and maybe we would have found out more, but I had the feeling that it wouldn't end well for the kid. And well, to be completely honest, he reminded me of someone I used to know.
Besides, he wasn't even a criminal. He was a kid, for god's sake, a good one too. Maybe he was a little too angry for his own good, but who was I to judge? And he'd never committed any crimes, which made him an innocent person. They had no reason to arrest him, and it wasn't right. Good intentions matter in this sort of thing, right? Well, if they don't, then I like being the bad girl. It's kinda fun, minus the whole living on the run kinda of thing.
But it wasn't like I was the only one who disagreed with them. I had friends, old and new, who stood by me and believed in what I had said. So maybe things weren't easy for us – living in one of Davenport Industries old warehouses, all of us having to look over our shoulders all the time, but I couldn't work for those people. It was fairly obvious that they were keeping things from us, and that there was definitely more to their plans than meets the eye. If only everyone had seen it my way – things might be different.
But hey, it wasn't all bad. I had my family of friends, a boyfriend, even a job as a mechanic downtown. I'd always like machines – Marcus often joked that it was why I put up with him so much – and they were much easier to deal with than most humans, so even though the pay was crap, I liked my job a lot.
I grabbed several cans off the shelf next, checking off things on my list. Ravioli, check. Soup, check. Beans – yuck – check. Adding a box of crackers, a bag of apples that would surely be gone by Friday, and a couple of chocolate bars as a treat, I headed over to the cash register.
"Is that all?" The guy at the cash, Kaven, asked. I nodded, pulling out my wallet. I glanced at the TV behind him as he checked the prices on the items. A regular news broadcast was on, but it was detailing the capture of another Special. This one was a young boy, maybe 17 years old. Alex's age, I noted with a pang. Kids like him being brought in? How could they possibly be considered criminals?
"That'll be 63.50, miss." The cashier replied. I nodded, handing him the cash just as a familiar face appeared on the screen.
"The Special was captured by our department's lead agent, Agent-" I walked out with my food before I could hear the name, not wanting to listen to this. The fact that the government could so easily turn us against each other was ridiculous. Years ago, back in that horrid Facility, the people with powers had banded together. We'd fought alongside each other, not against. We were allies united by a simple goal; survival. But now, with their new division, The Hunters, as we all called them, dedicated to taking down Specials, it was impossible for those with abilities to stay out of the fight forever. At least, that's what some of the others were saying.
Some Specials wanted to fight back, to show the government that they couldn't do this. A part of me wanted to join them, but another part of me, the more logical part, knew that it would be useless. We wouldn't be strong enough. The only thing we'd succeed in doing would be getting ourselves killed.
I finished up the groceries and stopped by the thrift store, grabbing a couple of extra shirts, then picking up a new movie at the video store. Marcus often worked night shifts, but because he didn't need to sleep as much as a regular human, his days were often boring with the rest of us working. I figured grabbing him something to do would result in him texting us all less while we're at work.
I headed down the street, my two bags in one hand and my phone in the other. It was a nice day out, actually. Hell, it was beautiful. Too beautiful, in my opinion. Everyone knew what today was. It was the 5th Anniversary of the Siege of New York. The only thing Maybank had ever accomplished was making his attack turn into a national discussion, but it was a pretty big deal. Why wouldn't it be, after all? I mean, it was exactly five years since the world found out about people with powers, five years since my life had any chance at being relatively normal. There would be a speech from the president, then The Hunters would send two of their agents to make a speech as well on how they were dealing with the Specials problem. It'd be on all channels tonight too, so there would be nothing to watch on TV. Damn…
I headed into our newest home, one of Davenport Industries old warehouses. It was Bree's idea, actually, to live in one of her father's old buildings. The company had shut shortly after Donald Davenport died, but a lot of the old buildings had never been torn down. Including the one we were currently squatting in. And I think it reminded her of the home she once had, before everything had gone so wrong.
It was a pretty cool place, if I do say so myself. We'd all spent hours upon hours making it habitable, making it seem like home. The place was massive too, so we had a lot to work with. Removable barriers were put up to give us some privacy, to the point where there was three bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen/living room area. Couches, beds, appliances and a TV were bought with saved up money, we even got Wi-Fi.
"I'm back." I called loudly, walking into our kitchen area. There wasn't a table or anything, but since we always ate on the couch, it never bothered anybody. I dropped the groceries onto the floor, opening the fridge. A moment later, I heard the sound of someone going through the bags and I smirked. "Stay out of the peanut butter, Spin."
"But-" The boy protested, but I wasn't having it.
"No. You can have some after you've helped me put these away, but only then." I turned around to face the fifteen year old boy. He was rather short for his age, but lean like a runner. His brown hair, having needed a cut for a long time, fell into his face, almost covering his brown eyes. He sighed.
"Fine." He agreed sullenly, reaching for the bread bags. I chuckled lightly at his reluctance to help, having gotten used to it by now. It had only been a year since we managed to spring the kid from the convoy that was bringing him to the government's base, but he'd become like family since then. He didn't talk about his past much, even giving us a nickname instead of his actual name, but we knew better than to pry. Everyone was entitled to their secrets, after all.
"Hey, did you get cereal?" I glanced up as Bree walked in, Marcus not far behind. I smiled at my old friends, then showed Bree the cereal in answer.
"I also got this." I tossed Marcus the movie and he smirked, reading the title of it.
"RoboCop." He chuckled. "Why must you always get me robots based movies?"
"I thought you'd like them, being an android an all." I teased. He chuckled again, leaning against the wall as Spin, Bree, and I finished putting this week's groceries away. "By the way, it's your turn for groceries next time."
"Yeah, I know." Marcus agreed. He was quiet for a moment, then sighed. "So…"
"So…" Spin copied, smirking at the annoyed look the older boy gave him.
"What's up, honey?" Bree asked, leaning against the wall across from him.
"The memorial's tomorrow." Marcus sighed. "Are we going, or not?"
Right, the memorial. To be honest, I hadn't given it much thought. We'd gone every year since the Siege of New York, but the Hunters had really stepped up their game in the past few months. It might not be the best idea. "I don't know." I sighed. "I've been kinda busy with work, haven't really thought about it."
"But…" Marcus prompted.
"I don't want to." I admitted. Both he and Bree gave me stern looks, so I elaborated. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to stand there and listen to how the government's going to kill all of us Specials. It's annoying, stupid, and just plain depressing."
"Well I think we should." Bree told me, giving me a look. "My brother died five years ago. My father too. And S-1. This memorial isn't about Specials or Hunters. It's about honoring the people who gave their life during the attack."
"Well, do I have to go?" Spin asked, siding with me as per usual. "I didn't know any of them, and while I'm sure they were good people, I'd rather stay here and watch a movie."
"That's two against two." I teased Marcus and Bree, knowing they likely wouldn't go without everyone. "It's a tie."
"What's a tie?" The final member of our little group walked, running a hand through his slightly spiky hair before wrapping his arms around my waist. "What argument do I have to settle now?"
"It's not an argument, Sebastian." I replied, kissing him. "It's just a discussion."
Sebastian had joined our group a couple of years ago. He'd been on the run from the Hunters, like we'd all been, and had fit in perfectly with our group of renegades. He joked around with Bree, debated random topics with Marcus, helped Spin learn to use his rapid gyration powers (or super-spin, as the kid liked to call it) and had flirted with me. And somewhere along the way, that flirting had turned into an actual, steady relationship.
"A discussion about what?" Sebastian asked, looking at us.
"Whether or not we're going to the memorial." Marcus replied. Sebastian frowned.
"Of course we're going." He replied, as if it were obvious.
"Ha!" Bree laughed, smirking at me. I flipped her off and turned to my boyfriend.
"I don't want to go." I told him. He rolled his eyes.
"I know, but we need to." He reminded me. "If the Hunters have any new plans, we need to hear about them. Besides, if we don't go, Marcus and Bree are going to complain for the rest of the week and I am not putting up with that."
"That is true." Marcus agreed, grabbing an apple and heading back towards the couch, Bree following him.
"Seb…" I complained softly. He knew my reasons for not wanting to go.
"Hey." He smiled charmingly at me. "How bad can it be?"
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Kihonne: Alright, so tell me what you think. I know I changed quite a few things since Maybank's Revenge, but it has been five years to them. Anyway, next chapter will be from Chase's point of view, so you'll get to see what he, Roxy, Leo, Rhyder, and Alex are up to. My plan is to use Fridays as my usual update day, so I'll see you all on the 21st. I'll see you all in a week, but until then, review!