"Computer programming. Devices coming online. Arena being set. Prepare for training course. Difficulty 7, Level 10." The computer spoke out, its loud and synthetic voice filtering through the arena where she sat.
She breathed lightly, the black mask that had been placed over her eyes obscuring her already impaired vision as the arena clicked itself into place around her. She took a deep breath her ears twitching to the sounds that were going on around her. She felt the ground vibrate lightly, her bare toes twitching against the cool floor. She stood slowly feeling the glowing eyes of the robots that had formed stare at her. She heard one slide forward and she cautiously took a step in that direction. The second her foot left the ground to take the step a robot squealed and an alarm sounded.
"Subject reacting. Prepare to fire." The animatronics loaded their virtual weapons and with another order from the same voice from before they began firing at the girl. She used her sense of hearing to locate were each and every bullet was coming from. She jumped away as the bullets began exploding when they exited the robot's gun. With lightning fast speed, she danced her footfalls silent as she dipped and dodged with a grace that was unique to her.
She rolled away from a bullet that exploded a little too close for her liking and upon locating that specific drone; she proceeded to kick its singular foot out from itself and smashed her heel into its face when it lay below her. She grabbed its discarded gun and her nose twitched, wrinkling up in distaste, as she smelled the heat that was emitting from the weapon. She held the gun away from her slightly, getting accustomed to the length and weight of it. She smelled it again, scenting that it had cooled down and with a precise aim she shot down the last two drones who had tried to advance on her.
"Deploy more drones." Again the voice of the computer said aloud. She slid her foot out a bit as she heard the sounds of the broken robots being pulled back and getting replaced with brand new ones. Bigger and fresher she concluded from the sounds of their clanking feet. She tossed the gun to the side, crouching low.
She smiled devilishly, her teeth taking the appearance of fangs. Her tongue came out and flicked across the bottom of her lip. She gave a soft hiss when she heard them advancing. She jumped up floating slightly, something she recently had discovered she could do, as the drones crashed into each other. She snickered before landing on one's head.
It spun trying to dislodged her as she lowered herself slightly, her hands growing thick, black claws. She dug the edges of them beneath the head of one and with a flick of her hands lifted it the head clean from the robot's metallic shoulders.
She giggled softly. A giggle that didn't sound human, it was slightly pitched lower a ring to it that would make the bravest person shudder at the sound. She hissed a bit louder, her lips curling back as she slaughtered the remaining drones. She broke into a fit of laughter when she finished tearing the last drone to pieces, metal scraps and wires flying all over the training ground.
"Training session has been complete. Full restore to the drones have already begun. Well done once more, X." The computer said, the voice sounding proud as the system shut down for recharge and so the technicians could fix the drones. And the girl sat back down as the room shrunk into a small gray room. Already, they were flooding from the holes that appeared in the walls, sweeping and scraping up pieces of scrap metal. They were cautious of the girl though, as she was sitting in the center of the room giggling and muttering softly to herself.
When she had finished her inaudible mumblings she dug her sharp nails into her palms, feeling the skin cut open and the blood slide down her hands. She took a breath counting internally to ten before she felt that she was back to normal.
The girl then untied her mask and untied her hair, shaking it out and letting it drape down her back. The white locks were wet in sweat and stringy from not brushing it that morning. She turned her face and there along the whole left side of her face was covered in a red scar. Going across her eye, turning the pupil white and blurred to a point she could barely see from it. She rubbed her eyes slightly, shivering from the cold of the air as it blasted through the room.
She picked up a piece of metal that had been abandoned and tied her mask around it, holding it. She looked to her right hand, seeing the nail wounds sew themselves back up. She wrinkled her nose again watching the skin lap over itself as it closed over the crescent moon shaped wounds like a sort of moving goo. She was both fascinated and disgusted by it all at once.
She walked towards the sealed door, her foot tapping lightly as she waited for the lock to be released so she can go back to her room, eat and shower before going to bed for the night.
"Excellent work once X." A man said from a speaker that was beside the door, his voice was accented slightly, and it held warmth that made the girl give a tiny smile.
"Thank you Doctor." She said her voice soft and gentle, very much different from how she had been acting previously.
The door released the pressure it had been holding and it slid open. She stepped through it and wiped her feet on the carpet that was placed outside the door. She stretched slightly before seeing the Doctor come up to her.
He clasped her on the shoulder and looked down at her. She gave him a nod looking back up at him, her head reaching right below the top of his chest.
"Do you have something to tell me?" She asked, tilting her head in the slightest bit. The Doctor nodded, moving away from her knowing she hated being held by anybody in a white coat.
"The chief asked to speak with you." He stated as they began walking down the hall together. Her hands were behind her back, her mask tucked into the back pocket of her sweat pants.
"About?" She skipped slightly, dancing lightly on her toes.
"He didn't specify, but I believe he wanted to talk about your powers and the preparations that are going to be needed when your powers once again begin to evolve." He stated as they arrived at Commander Fury's office.
He gave a knock and a rough; "come in" was heard. He gave a nod to X.
"I bid you farewell Miss X." He gave a mock bow before turning and heading back to his laboratory.
X opened the door and walked into the dimly lit room, "Good evening sir." She stood straight her hands behind her back, her feet pressed together.
"Evening miss Romanov. Take a seat." He nodded to the seat in front of his desk. X walked forward briskly, slightly stunned her referred to her as Romanov. He normally went about calling her X, unless it was important.
"The Doctor said we were going to discuss my evolution in power?" She asked, crossing one leg over the other, her hands folded in her lap.
"That would be correct. The Doctor said you're body's growing stronger still. It's been a year since the accident correct?" He stated.
"11 months actually, sir." She corrected softly.
"And since then you've been getting stronger correct?" He questioned.
"Correct." She nodded accordingly.
"We predicted that your next evolution should occur in maybe two days, if not sooner. Your training levels are off the charts and the tests you underwent three days ago show that your body is preparing itself for – hopefully – your last evolution. You've undergone three already and each time you've grown stronger. Your bones are nearly steel-like. This transformation should complete that and you will have a nearly indestructible body. We can't predict what you will develop, mutantly that is. So we will have to wait and see on that." He read, looking down at a document.
She peeked at it, seeing her picture. There were two actually. The first was before the accident, her wavy, red hair so much like her sisters and her bright green eyes that held happiness and joy. She looked happy. And she would sometimes wonder what had happened.
But then she would remember and she would be sad again. Her second picture was much different. Her red hair had been changed to a messy white, her face marred by the radiation burning. Her eyes, which had previously been green, now looked dull. One was a milky white from the scar and burn, while the other shown an unnatural ultraviolet color. Her face was gaunt, bags beneath her eyes. She looked tired.
But then that had been right after she was released from the hospital, under the care of her older sister. She had been taken to S.H.I.E.L.D and turned into an experiment of sorts. Her sister was always on missions so that had seemed to be a good thing.
She was never harshly experimented on, but she was observed more often than she would have liked, but she put up with it.
"Would that be all, sir?" She broke the silence that had followed their previous conversation.
Director Fury looked up from where he had been studying her profile, "yes, that would be all." He nodded.
She stood, gave a bow before she left his office. She walked down the hall, aware that the majority of people were either eating a late dinner or hunkered down in their rooms, asleep.
She skipped, sliding her hand along the metal wall as she did. She made it to her room, the one she'd been assigned to when she first arrived. She walked to the shower and quickly stepped in once she stripped down.
She showered quickly because she was exhausted. When she finished she changed into a pair of black shorts and a matching sports bra. She walked to the edge of her bed and flopped face first into it.
She rolled slightly and curled up in a blanket burrito. She mumbled softly to herself before closing her eyes. She yawned like a cat, before falling silent as sleep over took her.
I rewrote Embracing Insanity. I hope you don't mind.
I just wasn't happy with how I previously wrote it.
Currently rewriting chapter two as we speak
- xTinyGhoulx (previously EndlessWonderland)