To clear things up the first chapter is written in the view of my new character, in other words a one shot. The name will be revealed within this chapter. By the way she is made up as you will find out if I let you get on to reading, right after this disclaimer: I don't own any recognizable characters, but if I wrote a series of novels and published them I would own the rights to those characters.
I stared at the barren landscape through the red-rock dust covered window in back of the armored truck. I rearranged my chains and twisted around in such a way that it was painful to allow me to look between the chainmesh out the front window towards the towering mesa, my escort and I were en route for. On the other side of the rocky reds lay my new home of barbed wire and high security. One of the most secure prisons ever, surrounded by sand, sand, and guess what? You got it, more bland sand.
Tears stung my eyes as my inhibitor collar pinched and I hung my head back in a natural position. Not wanting to let the surly guards sitting on either side of me see me weep I blinked back tears and made a point of sticking my nose in the air. Straining at the shackles I spat at the nearest guard.
"Hey," the sentry I spat at (let's call him idiot number one) hit me with the but end of his rifle. His partner idiot #2 yanked on my manacles. The two of them cackle in mirth, the vulgar creatures.
What did I do to end up here on the way to a prison for murders and terrorists? I never committed any crime just kept self defense. Okay maybe in order to survive I went against my values and had to commit some crime's but none of them where that bad. Certainly it was not bad enough to lock me up in a prison such as this. In fact wasn't that breaking some sort of juvenile right's law or something?
Sheesh, I wasn't even a wild and out of control teenager. Ask anyone! Just not my close-minded sister, mother, or father, especially, my parent's golden girl of a sister, Lia. Always flipping her bleached blonde hair over her shoulder and smoothing down her ironed blouses and pressed skirts.
I guess you're wondering who I am and why I'm here, and how I got here? Well where should I start, not there hmm, no not at that point. I guess to tell you the story I have to go back before the story begins and into parts of my childhood.
My name is Aria and if I was a lady like my stiff-necked mother I'd tell you my full name Aria Diana Chaplen. You know how in every family there is that odd one out, the puzzle piece that does not fit? Well in my family I'm that one and boy, does my sister love to rub it in my face. My parents should just be happy I'm nothing like Uncle Leo who had anger issues and then went crazy and lives in my Aunt's attic.
I like to think the hospital had a mix -up and switched me with another baby at birth and that someday my real parents will come and take me away from this place of air fresheners, plastic covered furniture, and tea with my parent's high status friends.
Some nights I can escape from my Mother's dissatisfied glare and getaway for a night on the town. I don't think Mother would let me go out on the town if it weren't for one of my friends by the name of Tanner. He is the least rowdy of my bunch of fun loving friends and never dresses up in the gaudy, flashy cloths that everyone else in my mob of acquaintances does, so I think Mother thinks he is the only one who won't suddenly attack me and hold me for ransom or worse. While Tanner tries to convince her to let me visit the local club or such with him the rest of the gang bop to music in the car.
One routine night, I bustled about in my room getting ready. My outfit consisted of a jean skirt splattered in a gold glitter paint held together with a belt connected by a golden rhinestone belt buckle in the shape of a bird of prey and a tight strapless, reflective gold top. A head band made out of the same reflective material as the top held back my jet black, page boy cut hair. Rummaging in my closet I choose out of thousands a pair of yellow/gold and jean fabric colored, flat soled sneakers.
I glanced over at my digital clock; it read 7:45, one minute 'til my ride arrives. Sweeping a stray eye over my dresser I spied my cell phone, hiding under the leaning tower of hair ties. Snatching up my cell I checked to see if I got any messages, nope just a one of those annoying chain mails. I snapped the lid of my cell closed and slipped it in the pocket of my jean jacket which was hanging from my bed post.
A horn blared outside my window, "Aria, your friends are here!" Mother called up the stairs. I grabbed my jacket off the post and rushed towards the door. In my haste I slipped on a book lying on the floor. My legs shot out from under me and I put out my arms to catch myself, just in time too.
I slowly got to my feet, rubbing my bruises. My jacket seemed to snag on something, "Must be a nail," I thought, giving it a tug. I winced as I heard a ripping sound. Holding up the jacket I saw a tear in the elbow on the left side.
"Oh well if you go an inch might as well go a mile," I took scissors out of my desk drawer and held them up to my right sleeve. Then I rummaged about in my desk for a ruler, while I was searching I heard a tearing sound and I turned around and saw an even, matching rip on my right elbow sleeve.
"My hand must have slipped and cut the jacket with the scissors." I decided.
I didn't have any more time to deduce anything else for my friends got impatient leaned on their horn. The one nick-named Lime (he had green hair and liked to eat limes) shouted up, "Hurry up! The night is young and we'd like to leave before it gets old."
I shrugged my jean jacket on and tramped down the stairs, flying into the kitchen and almost into my Mother.
"My goodness girl," she lay into me as I knew she would, "You sound like a herd of elephants trampling down those stairs! Why can't you be more dainty and refined like your sister?"
"Well, Mother I …" I started to say before Mother interrupted me.
"Excuses, excuses. Your sister never makes up excuse, she doesn't have to. Your sister is polite and on time. Some things you'll never be. Did you know how long your friends annoyed us with their constant beeping? Though I can understand why you were late." She glared.
"You can?" I was surprised.
"Yes, with that room as messy as it is I am surprised you weren't later. You really should clean it up. It's quite filthy." Mother nagged.
"I cleaned it last week; you should see most teenagers' rooms." I calmly told Mother, no good losing your temper around her.
"Are you talking back to me?!" Mother's eyes flashed.
"No I wouldn't do such a thing. I got to go now, my ride is waiting," I tried to appease the angry beast.
She turned to my Father who was sitting in the other room reading a newspaper, "There she goes again! Did you hear her talk back to me?"
"Girl, don't talk back to your Mother," Father mumbled.
"Mother, I want you to listen to me play a song on the piano. It's a really hard one, I've been practicing." my evil twin sister Lia said sweetly. She looked at me and remarked, "Oh, Aria won't be eating with us today. You know families really should eat together its polite. You never know what kind of places girls like Aria might be going when they aren't spending time at home bonding." On that note she turned on her heel and flounced away.
Mother followed her muttering, "Lia is such a lady, can play the harp and the piano. If only Aria wasn't such a tramp and would amount to something."
Father snapped, "Where you going girl?"
"I told you, to Club J." I answered.
"You better not be lying, girl!" he snarled.
Not being able to stand the hostile environment anymore, I hurried out the big front double doors only stopping to grab my sparkly, reflective golden purse off the kitchen chair.
I stepped out the front door into the cool, evening air. A car door slammed and footsteps crunched towards me.
I felt an arm drape about my shoulders and a voice whispered in my ear, "Bad argument."
I looked up to see Tanner, "How could you tell?"
He smiled, "Either that or you're really sad to see me. Come on, how about you go out for dinner with these goons and me? That'll cheer you up." He steered me towards the car.
"You're not eating. Are you ok?" Tanner asked me worried.
"Yeah, I'm fine. The cheeseburger filled me up." I picked at a basket of fries.
"Uh, unlike some people she isn't a bottomless pit," Hathren shot a look at her boyfriend who was holding his second double stacked cheeseburger.
"What! I'm hungry. We'll go out on the dance floor as soon as I finish." her boyfriend Rob protested.
I was sitting in a booth at a dance club with three of my good friends, the rest of them split up when we got here. Across from me were Hathren and her boyfriend Rob. Hathren was dressed in a black t-shirt with a silver guitar with wings on it covered by a black leather vest. Her hair was up in a bun and had silver highlights in it. She also had a nose ring and silver bangle earrings. Rob had messy brown hair with green eyes and was wearing a dark green t-shirt with some sort of beer logo on it. In his left ear was a gold hoop earring. A calm contrast to them was Tanner in his green zip up fleece over his button up shirt.
Rob wolfed down his burger and turned to Hathren, "May I have this dance Madame?"
She giggled, "Always," turning to us she asked, "Are you two coming?"
"Sure thing," I grabbed a few fries and headed out towards the dance floor. Tanner tagged along behind.
As I stood at the edge of the dance floor watching the sea of bodies swirls by under the flashing lights a girl pushed her way out of the crowd and came to stand by me.
"Oh, Hi Mia." Tanner remarked. I turned to look at my friend and gave a little wave. Mia had long black hair and blue eyes. She wore a strapless red top and a red and black checkered mini skirt. Her outfit was complete with knee high red boots.
Mia shouted over the music, "Isn't this sooo much fun. I have danced with about twelve boys in the matter of 10 dances. A new record for me! Two of them even asked me out! This club is so stellar. Gotta go someone is waiting for me to dance with them, can't disappoint my adoring fans." With that she waltzed away.
I stood watching the mess of people swallow up Mia and the Tanner for quite a while until I finally plucked up my courage enough to step into the raging beast.
The instant I entered the dance floor I was swept off my feet and in not the good way. People's bodies pushed and shoved me back and forth violently surely bruising me. I started to get a piercing headache starting in my temples and spreading all over my head. The lights flashed in my eyes blinding me and the music went right to my head. When I couldn't take it any more I was filled with adrenaline and with one big shove fell out of the crowd of people.
Tanner saw me exit the dance floor and followed me out of the crowd of dancers, "Tired?" he asked.
"Yeah," I absent mindedly answered, "I have a slight headache, I'm gonna head outside to rest from this blaring music for a bit."
"You do that. I'll be waiting right here." Tanner gestured to our booth, "Hope you feel better real soon."
"Thanks see you soon," I flashed him a smile and hurried to the door making a quick stop at the booth for my bag and jacket.
I slid out the door after a group of giggling girls and slipped into the cool night air. I leaned against the glass wall that Club J was famous for and stopped to collect my thoughts. I took a deep breath of the cold, dirty city air to clear my brain. I brought my hand up to brush back a loose strand of hair and suddenly the glass wall behind me exploded in a rain of broken shards. I whipped my other hand up to my cheek in surprise and the neon sign above me burst in a shower of sparks. I jumped out of the way of the sparks and spun around to see the cause of the detonation, only to hear the shattering of glasses and the breaking of wood in front of me.
"Muties are destroying the club! Call the police!" the manager yelled.
Mutants! Where? Wait? Could I be the one who blew up all those things? Could I be the mutant? I thought as I looked at the destruction before me. I lifted up one hand and waved it in a circular motion. A gash suddenly appeared in a tire in a motorcycle parked directly in front of me and it deflated with a hissing sound.
Sirens shriek in the vicinity and a squadron of police cars roared around the corner.
"Wow, that was quick," I thought as I glanced about for a way out. I heard what the police did to any unlucky mutants who lost control of their powers.
With a screeching of brakes the squad cars slammed to a stop and officers poured out of the cars waving guns.
I gave a gulp looking at all the weaponry arrayed before me.
"Put your hands in the air." A Police lady demanded.
I shot my arms up in the air and the top of a street lamp was severed from its post and plummeted onto a cop car, barley missing a few cops.
"We warned you, you freak." The police lady cocked her gun along with her colleagues.
I closed my eyes waiting for impact and waved my hands around wildly hoping for something to happen. When I didn't hear the report of a gun I opened my eyes and saw the police standing about with mouths agape staring at the cut off ends of their guns.
My eyes flicked off down the road and I sprinted to freedom. A cop lunged forward to grab me and I automatically flicked my hand making a long gash appear across his collar bone. My hands flew in a flurry of action cutting and driving back my enemies. To make sure they couldn't follow me I slashed their car tires.
Jumping over a slumped squad car I made a break for it. I made it about five feet before I felt the lady cop's fist hit my face.
"Forget about me?" she cackled.
I glanced about for a way out of my predicament and my eyes lit upon one. I lunged at the lady cop shooting out a burst of sharp air.
She easily dodged, taunting me, "Ha! Missed."
I just stood there smirking, "Hear that. That's the sound of your defeat."
"What sound?" the police lady looked puzzled. Then from behind her a rumbling started up. She turned around to find out where the sound was coming from. I used that time to slide under a car parked behind me.
The police woman's eyes widened as she saw a truck stacked with tree trunks parked behind her. But that wasn't what frightened her; it was the fact that the logs had come loose from their bindings due to a few well placed slashes from moi.
The top tree trunks bounced down the pile and across the street running over the police lady with a squeak.
I decided to run for it while the getting was good. Scrambling out from under the smashed up car I clambered over logs and trotted past club and bar fronts.
In the distance I heard sirens blaring. My heart pounding I quickened my pace. I raced past windows full of blinking neon lights until I cramped up and could go no further. I gazed around at my surroundings. I was in front of Piggly's bar.
I ducked around the corner of an alley as I heard the squeal of tires and a trio of bikers pulled up to Piggly's bar. Watching them I got a brilliant idea. Crawling out from my hiding spot I aimed a tiny burst of sharp air at the keychain holding one bikers keys to his belt.
With barely a noise the keys fell to the ground, the biker didn't even notice. I was getting better.
I waited for the trio of bikers to walk inside before I snatched up the keys and crawled over to their bikes.
I tried the key in each motorcycle until the last one on the line sputtered and started. I cut the chain tying the bike to a parking meter with a flick of my hand.
I backed out into the street and set the biker's helmet on my head, putting down the visor to hide my face. I quickly formed a plan in my head. Going back home was out of the question Mother was one of the most intolerant people I know, she'd probably turn me in as soon as look at me. Any way my house was probably one of the first places they would look for me, by now it would be surrounded. The best plan would be to get as far from here as possible and the preeminent way to do that would be to get on the turnpike.
I made a few hard turns and cut through a few alleys before coming out at the toll booth for the turnpike. There I met my first obstacle; at the toll booth they had built a blockade.
Narrowing my eyes I backed up the bike, then shot it forward, plowing down any guards that got in my way.
The policemen didn't expect me to try a frontal assault so were surprised and hesitated in their actions giving me enough time to slice up their weapons. I crossed my arms and flung them outward sending two huge burst of sharp air out smashing up the barricade. In the destructions wake lay a clear path for me to drive through.
I hurtled down the turnpike swerving around cars, ignoring the beeping of all kinds from angry drivers.
After about twenty minutes of driving I came upon a stopped line of cars. To avoid them I drove up on the grassy divider, tearing up sod and the occasional patch of wildflowers.
After a few seconds of shredding up the landscape, I spotted the cause of the traffic backup, a road block spanning the whole three lanes of traffics.
I raised my hands preparing myself for an easy win. Then everything went wrong.
When I rode onto the section that housed the divider my motorcycle started shaking as I hit rough ground. One by one my tires popped and went flat making me topple over with the bike on top of me.
Hearing shouting and the tromping of boots I struggled to shove the bike off of me. By the time I lugged the heavy thing off of my body I was surrounded.
Disoriented and my ankle throbbing I blinked my eyes and tried to get my bearings. On every side of me was a crowd of uniformed National Guard. (1)
One of the troopers shot his gun startling me. An air shrapnel blast I had meant for the gathering of guardsmen went wide and hit a tree above me. A rain of branch fell on my head pinning me down.
Hesitantly a guard in a plain uniform inched forward and poked at the pile of sticks burying me with the end of his gun.
He was thrown backwards from my sharp air blast as I burst out of the pile of branches. He wiped blood away from his mouth and stared in shock at his sliced up gun, cursing under his breath.
The leader in charge of the group raised his hand and made some sort of fancy gesture. A torrent of bullets exploded all around me as the guardsmen followed their leader's orders.
Turning on my heel I faced the line of gunmen in front of me sending a flood of sharp air blast their way overwhelming them. I smirked sure I had this one in my pocket.
A sharp pain suddenly seared in my shoulder. Reaching my hand up to my neck I felt something long and wooden. I took it out and brought it down to eye level. What I held resembled a throwing dart, except it was skinnier and the tip was damp.
Hearing the snap of a twig behind me I glanced over my shoulder and saw a camouflaged person holding a blow dart climb down from the tree over head me.
"Damn, I should have watched behind me." I mental berated myself before my mind clouded over and I collapsed to the ground.
The next thing I knew I was here in the armored van heading westward.
A loud crashing and clashing sound brought me out of my reverie. I groaned rolling my neck as far as I could with my shackles on.
The van came to an abrupt rocking stop.
One of the jerk guards shouted through the window separating us from the driver, "What is happening?"
"Don't know. I'll go check." The driver replied exiting the cab section of the van.
A few seconds later we heard a thump then nothing. Time ticked by filled with silence, and then the van started to shake and groan as if under immense pressure. With a ripping sound the metal flew off the top of the van whipping off into the atmosphere.
The guards readied their weapons, but the only sound was the clatter of a wheel cap as it rolled into view.
Getting nervous one of the idiot guards called out, "Show yourself!"
"Since you asked so nicely," a shadowy figure wearing a cape floated into view. The shadowy figure raised his hand and the guns soared out of the guardsmen hands, leaving them gaping.
A huge snarl echoed around the metal walls of the van and huge hairy man leapt out of nowhere to tackle the two guards.
"I got these two," the big hairy man growled picking the two men up and throwing them over his shoulder. They landed with a sickening crunch.
"You killed them!" I cried out aghast.
"You yourself have done some pretty bad things the last couple of days." the shadowy figure came into view; he was wearing a red cape over a red and purple outfit complete with a helmet.
"But I never killed anyone! Maybe maimed but not killed." I defended myself.
A crazy looking person came into view cackling madly, "Aww I wanted to burn those people, but you had to go and kill them Sabes. There is nothing to burn here. The cactuses are too wet."
I looked at the person again, yep definitely crazy.
The caped man floated down to my level with a wave of his hand he undid my chains and crumpled them into a ball, "Now that I have rescued you I hope we can talk. I am Magneto. I would like to extend you an offer. I have observed your skills and have decided I would like to have you join my team. Will you?"
I have heard of this man and the things I heard were not good. But what choice did I have but to join him? I was in the middle of a desert, being chased by the law, and I doubt he would give me much of a choice either.
"Sure," I smiled up at him.
"You won't regret you're choice," he promised me. "Acolytes gather!" Magneto brought over a horde of metal sphere.
One by one a group of mismatched people came over. In addition to the people I already met there was a man who kept on shuffling a deck of cards and a man covered in metal.
Magneto looked cross, "Where's my son?" he snapped.
Suddenly a scream shattered my ear drums and a burst of wind zoomed by. A boy with silver hair ran in circles around us screaming.
"Pietro, what is wrong." Magneto grew impatient.
"I sat on a cactus, I sat on a cactus!" the speed demon who must be Pietro said really fast.
"I'll burn you, then you won't care about the cactus anymore." the crazy fire person grinned flicking his lighter.
"No stay away!" Pietro zipped away.
I shook my head watching the craziness. This place is insane.
The metal man walked over to me, "I'm Colossus but you can call me Pitor. Yes, I know they're crazy, but sometimes they are worse."
"Worse! What kind of mad house have I gotten myself into?" I exclaimed.
"You have my deepest sympathy. I feel the same way." Pitor said. "Get into the metal spheres that's how we travel."
I did as I was told and after a few moments of craziness everyone was rounded up and we were ready to head to my newest and hopefully temporary home.
As the sphere closed up and darkness closed in, I kept my eyes on the last bit of sane sunlight I'd see for a long time.
(1) I'm sorry if I insult anyone who has family in the National Guard. I'm sure the people in them are fine people, but bare in mind these are not our world's national guard. It's their world's.
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