"BRUCE, WATCH OUT!" The light bound woman shouted after she quickly knocked the shadow-dracles out of her way with her fists, they were supposed to be making a run for it. The sizeable night attack draining her of her power quickly the soulless dracles surrounded them. She turned her view to see that the only dracle with some kind of light in him was on the cold alley ground the other dracles overpowering him somehow, his face to the concrete he was covered with the look of the dead that she was scarred with. Caught alone, she was bombed with the Crossland shadows and with that she was swiftly pierced on her wrist the situation helpless. Who was there to trust?
In the city, the night sky shined with no stars… but shining with a tiny flickering light of a war that their world was set on the line of. Never knowing the dark was what they all had sided with all along… fooled like a child,meet naive society.
-=-=-==-THE BEGINNING-=-=-=-=-
"Ahh, are work days always like that?" Bruce asked, he and his friend walked away from the huge C.U.I Corp building that towered the sky of Sandmark city. Bruce in a baggy red shirt and gray-blue over shirt standing tall, just turning an adult in age.
"Yeah, pretty much, man… thanks to us C.U.I has almost got rid of all ultra humans here."
"After the Pixel thing happened, they seemed to flood down here,eh Bass?" The light brown hired C.U.I said as they both pass through security, to make sure that they weren't anything ultra…
"Yeah, soon the city will be normal." Quentin sighed running his hands through his dirty blond hair, smiling with his little freckles and dark green eyes. "Just like before the Pixel explosion… just the same."
"I guess that would be nice…" Bruce looking at Quentin. "But won't we all be out of a job then? With no more ultra human to find?"
"The pixel explosion cross seas hit us the weakest… it was a global thing, we won't run out… they'll come to us again." Quentin sighed crushing his fists keeping his dark smile, looking up at the cloudy spring afternoon sky.
"Oh… Well, this is where we split, see you tomorrow!" Bruce changed his point of view walking a different way from his coworker.
"See you on your second day Crossland!" Quentin jeered walking off to whatever hell-hole he woke from.
Bruce narrowed his brows turning away continuing to walk his way. Quentin as his first friend in his fair life, maybe not the best idea. Maybe starting his own fair life was the stupid idea, he hated work. Papers after papers… just like grade school & with Quentin there he didn't even get much done, he was probably better off with the 'family' business. But he wasn't going back there anytime soon.
…
He closed the wooden door barely on its hinges of his small apartment… it was more like a room with a toilet, a bed, and a window, but a home was what he could afford. Never working so hard on anything in his whole life he flopped on his bed his suitcase full of the work he never finished this sticking him in the only fair position.
"AHhhhhh, No one said fair was easier." He grumped to himself reminding him once more that it was only the beginning. Looking up at the water stains on the ceiling that made pictures in his head Bruce Crossland fell asleep, but it seemed like the sun didn't set.
With the clouds black in the sky that was nothing like its normal blue the sky orange with steam-like clouds black as a crow. He shook his head thinking the water stains were messing with his head again, but when he gazed again the it was still the same… he wasn't sure if he was even in his bed anymore... feeling a cool summer breeze blowing over him. He shot up his gray-blue eyes taking in the world he saw; from sitting up he stood slowly. It seemed endless the tall light pink like grass. The water matching the clouds... black.
Trying to bring the logic he had into this was treacherous… even the air was different, like a whole new place was made in his apartment. "Ok, this is one messed up dream, and that's coming from me?"
He looked around the land the seemed to be projecting in his head, he was placed on a pretty steep hill, seeing most of everything, even little life, like small black lizards with wings all different colors playing at his feet just a few steps away, but no human beings… The sky was lit with not a sun, but a huge black sphere much bigger than the sun… It didn't even hurt his eyes to look at.
The dream-like land through a breeze, it suddenly & swiftly passing him the hill Bruce entering a gust of harsh wind flying by him. His country-like bangs blowing in his face, and suddenly he didn't feel so alone. The black star's light dimmed as a tall massive dragon-like figure towered as high as the C.U.I building above him, it looking down.
Bruce still thinking this was some kind of dream he was standing in; he knew somehow he could someway control the things around him… he looked right back at the huge shadow shifting in front of him. "Be gone!" He shouted as he through his hand across the base of the figure, with a confident smirk on his face.
"THIS IS CROSS WORLD YOU STAND IN NOT A DREAM." A huge voice echoed down at the small man under the dragon his entire body shaking.
"what the?!" Bruce shuttered as the voice bombed over him the mouth of the dragon not even moving as it spoke to him…
"YOU'RE THE FRIST Dracle?" the shadowed dragon echoed in question.
"The first what!?" Bruce questioned the world dracle new to him.
"THIS SMALL TEAR WILL BECOME BIGGER, IN TIME YOU WILL SERVE UNDER ME! LEAD THE dracles TO TERRA…."
"Who's Terra? What kind of messed up shit-" Bruce started
"YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE CROSSLAND" The dragon echoed as it opened its mouth. Nothing but utter blackness flowing with a strange power he could feel in the air.
"WAIT, what do you mean?!" Bruce yelled as the dragon's neck started to fall quickly making it's what down to him, it's powerful jaws shutting over him the dark energy being nothing less than ultra.
"GAhh," Bruce flung upwards taking in his once again normal apartment surroundings. He was breathing heavily as if he was conducted to holding his breath. His body in a cold sweat like a nightmare would make you. Throwing his feet over the bedside to stand up, his arm gave a pain like he was ran through a thorn bush… the sweat on his arm, not being sweat at all. But blood dripping down his forearm.
"What kind of freaky night terror was that!?" Bruce yelled to himself in his one-roomed apartment covering the blood with his other hand, peculiar it was only the one spot that bled, the rest of his arm covered with dot, to dot scars lining up parallel with both arms like he was a connect the dot picture.
After the blood slowed Bruce lifted his hand to see there was a black tooth in his arm belonging to something he's never seen… saying he knows his way around all the animals in these parks… He pulled out the black dagger-like tooth with a small hiss of pain after.
In his fair life… not even having bandages to aid himself… he didn't even have a watch to tell him he was late for work.
…
Bruce jolted down the street in the sake of his job, his arm wrapped with a towel that his apartment building neighbored loaned him… but he doubted they would want it back. In their apartment his saw their clock and no time he was down on the streets running to the C.U.I Corp Building to save his job, the black tooth that was in his arm in his pocket of his C.U.I coat… passing and pushing through Sandmark's crowded streets, past a TV shop with several TV's playing the morning news…
….
"The 12 million dollar L-I-T-light industries of technology Study was discontinued last week, In reports named dangerous, investigators claim this study has caused shocks in the earth's crust along with lights keeping up tons of civilians… some investigators even claiming the shock had radioactive pixel waves sent through the city of Sandmark itself, from the same global pixel event two months ago… but only studies can tell." A young woman sighed looking at a screen of one of the TVs in the window... her eyes dark brown, her eyes turning in remembering the news cast, the news pricking her skin with its subject she knows all the facts about L.I.T...and she knew all of the subjects. With brown hair reaching her shoulders, the back of the dark hair was tucked with a gray scarf and a light brown coat of leather.
A soft cup of hot cocoa in her cold morning hands. Lost in thoughts, she failed to hear the sprinting of someone's worn out sneakers on the city's pavement.
"Oh DERP TURTLE!" The hurrying C.U.I only stopping in his sprint throwing an unexpected person that crossed his path, hard into the glass of the electronics store.
"Are you alright?" Bruce asked reaching out for her.
She sat on the pavement next to the wall of the department store, her knees propped... One hand holding a crushed paper cup the former insides on her gray scarf, now stained brown. The other hand rubbing her pained forehead that nearly broke the glass, wiping the hot chocolate away from her eyes, and off her face, looking up at her cause of cocoa bruise.
She pushes his hand away giving the young C.U.I dressed man a glare, she knew the other side of the story of what they did to her kind.
"You really shouldn't be plowing through the city!" She said pulling herself up. "You have to swim with it... that's the only way you're going to get anywhere fast... where were you born? was it a farm?"
"Yes," Bruce answered flatly shrugging.
"Well, country bum? Why are you plowing people into windows in the city, then?" She asked taking her scarf wiping her face covered in the hot drink. One of her eyes stinging with it.
Bruce's eyes widen recalling his dilemma. "Shit, I'm a dead turtle!" he shouted frantically , shaking his head remembering his job was at stake! "Oh, Sorry lady! Thanks for the advice, gotta swim!" he shouted as he started to Sprint again giving a quick wave dodging the people who got in his way like boulders coming down a steep hill.
She watched him run, with a confused look on her face, she sighed, looking around back at the news, that had switched to a dead brain subject. Losing interest she started to make her way walking when she felt something strange under her shoe.
...
Bruce ran up to security where a few C.U.I guards stood to keep watch of random people or ultra humen from entering. Bruce tried to a make his way through, but a tall man that looked like he had no tolerance stepped in his way."Only C.U.I's Beyond this point, back off!" the man said as he pushed back Bruce, the guard's hat keeping the morning sun out of his eyes.
"Dude! I'm a C.U.I, here look." Bruce tried to explain pulling out his C.U.I pass card , for security. Bruce's volume getting the attention of a second security guard, the first man gave him a glare looking over his pass as he took it into his hands.
"Ok looks legit... you must be new." He tipped his cap. "Pass-through," he said as he gestured towards the scanner that looks very similar to a metal detector you would find in an airport.
Bruce took back his pass card, darting towards the main entrance, the two double doors trying to think of what he would say to keep his job safe knowing he was in trouble.
But he was in trouble long before he ever reached the glass reflective doors!
*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*
Pulled from his thoughts Bruce looked back to see a red flashing light as the beeps continued from the scanner, the two C.U.I security guards pulled out black and silver guns with short necks from under their security booth, pointing them at Bruce. "STOP WHERE YOU ARE, ULTRA HUMAN!" the guard yelled.
"What the turtle?!" Bruce barked throwing his hands up seeing the gun.
"That's right! On the ground!" He yelled again pointing the gun at the ground and back to Bruce.
"OK, ok Just cool it, I have no idea what's going on!" Bruce yelled as he got onto his knees.
"Quit lying." The C.U.I scoffed to Bruce before turning to the other guard. "Phone the office to send a real C.U.I to get him." He watched the other guard nod, picking up the phone before looking back to the 'C.U.I' on his keens. Looking to see he was bolting off!
"HEY COME BACK!" The CUI shouted running after him; his gun at his side!
Bruce's lungs were already sore from the run to save his job, but he wasn't going to have a gun pointed at him then be dragged off for doing nothing, it must have been something wrong with the scanner! His thoughts boomed in his head as he jumped on a wood crate throwing himself onto the roof of the C.U.I security both. Hopping the fence he RAN! Hearing gunshots behind him and hard footsteps as fast, maybe faster than his. He didn't even think where he was running he just ran down the same street pushing people out of his way again, not stopping, booking it down an alley.
"Come on, I think he when this way!" The C.U.I security yelled to the real C.U.I hunter that was quickly following. Bruce hearing their voices in the alley making them bounce off the walls he booked it down the back of several shops, that the long alley led him. With a worried face, he looked at the tall dark dim red bricked wall, shading him over from the sun heading to early noon. The only things in the dead end with him were a dumpster and a ladder to a fire escape hanging high above... too far for him to even jump to unlatch.
His back to the voices down the alley, he could bet his next paycheck if he ever got it, that he could feel their feet on the concrete.
"Come on Bruce think!" The Burnett grinned his teeth looking around for anything.
"THERE HE IS." The C.U.I security guard Yelped leading the C.U.I hunter! Both of them with their own guns.
"Turtle Crap!" He shouted as the men caught up quickly! Stopping him from ever leaving with his fair life.
"We have you trapped ultra-human, stop and come without revolt and we won't shoot."
"I'M NOT AN ULTRA HUMAN!" Bruce tried to explain having no self-conscience of what had happened for him to be given this Misfit label.
"Nice try...I've heard that one before!" The C.U.I hunter mocked pointing his gun, clicking it back to fire!
With a flash of light he swore that was tinted blue, flew past him as if someone had switched on the light in the room... she was there! She knocked the gun up as it shot a bullet, the bullet for Bruce shot up at the clouds above. She ripped the gun out of the C.U.I hunter's hand.
The sunglasses on the C.U.I Hunter's face fell down to the end of his nose before he pushed them back up, hiding his eyes from her light! "IT'S LIGHT FREAK, GIVE ME YOUR GUN!" the C.U.I Hunter yelled as he took the security guards short pistol aiming it at the girl with a gray scarf tied around her face like a mask, hiding the bottom half of her face, her hair was in a short ponytail! Bruce had seen her before! With a brown stain on her scarf, and her shirt too.
With her speed over light, she dodged the bullets shot at her...a bullet heading for Bruce! But as soon as the bullet hit his skin it was like a ping pong ball on a paddle! it Completely deflects off of his golden scales!
Bewildered by all the bullet's action and new skin scales standing in the shade of the wall watching the light freak take on the other two C.U.I. Her light a bit stinging to his eyes.
She tried her best dodging the bullets with her speed... The C.U.I shots stopped having to refill the cartridge! She kicked his hand making him drop the bullets and gun! Throwing her foot over it kicking it back sliding it across the alley. But the C.U.I was not limited to guns he clutched his fists starting to throw punches. Hammering the light freak across her face he grabbed her throwing her to the wall the brick smashing her head! Pinning her she quickly struggled to get free!
"LET ME GO!" she shouted her brown pupils turning light blue starting to emit light!
"Ha, not this time!" the CUI growled, "Your lucky Streak has run out, Freak!"
"When the lady tells you to let her go, YOU LET HER GO!" she yelled as she gathered her light blasting the CUI was off of her with her blue light teeming off of her hands and out of the corners of her eyes.
The C.U.I hunter hit the other wall a few yards away! Falling limp onto the ground unconscious.
The Light freak looked at Bruce with the gun that she had knocked away! "What are you doing with that?" She simmered in a low tone ready to attack him with everything she had left... Forgetting that there were three...
"HEY WATCH OUT!" Bruce shouted at her as the C.U.I security guard clutch a brick ready to bring it down on the lady which was the clear ultra human,head! He picked up a bullet on the ground shoving it in the gun. Pointing it Bruce shot the brick in the CUI's hands causing it to combust! The gray scarf swung around seeing the C.U.I guard. She punched him with her fist, it teeming with light like it was a slow crackling fire! The C.U.I fell back! them getting back up he ran out of the alley!
She growled turning back to Bruce, "Nice shot back there!"
Bruce just watching her take out two CUI's he was a bit amazed. "You're an ultra-human..."
"Yeah, you are one too aren't ya?" She asked putting her hand out for the gun in his hands.
"C.U.I chase Ultra human... but this is my first time being chased..." he said to her giving the gun to her.
"So you don't know? C.U.I don't chase people for no reason..." she said as she loaded the gun with another bullet.
"I know, I'm glad you came along. Thanks man..er lady?"
She shook her head ... as she pointed the gun at the ladder latch... shooting it. The ladder came down hitting the ground. "Don't thank me that C.U.I is running for backup. You better run." She said holding the ladder for him.
Bruce climbed up to the overhang of the fire escape looking down at her as she re-latched the ladder. "Hey, what about you?" he asked.
She looked up at him. "I'll be fine, besides the only reason I know you were in shit with the CUI's is that you dropped this when you plowed into me... I wanted to return it."
She said as she pulled a white tooth out of her light brown leather jacket pocket. Holding it up to him.
He bent over the railing to take it. In his hands the once black tooth was a marble White... giving off a neon aura.
"THE FREAKS WERE OVER HERE!" They both heard a familiar yelling coming down the alleyway.
She looked up at the guy on the over rail "Get the Hell out of here!" She growled as he took a second look then he took off up the building inside a window.
She sighed brushing off her shoulders looking into the sun... the next moment gone.
…
It was about the time when everyone went home from work... Bruce popped his collar, it getting colder every hour past 4, he stuck his hands in his pocket... he had spent the last day running, avoiding all C.U.I... and men in similar black corp jackets.
"Cold spring..." he mumbled to himself as he hobbled home truly exhausted, he looked down walking home, yearning for his hardly comfortable bed and his water stains.
He lifted his head to gaze on his crapy run-down apartment turning the corner of the furniture shop. "Derp turtle!" Escaped his mouth, jumping back around the edge throwing himself to the wall. He took a breath peeking around at the small building.
There was a silver van with the C.U.I corp logo on it, The three letters, C-U-I on the side in black shining letters in the streets light. The abbreviation burned in his head since he went for the job, Central, Ultra-Human, Investigations...
The CUIs were all over the building, knowing they had closed his home only waiting for him. "I guess I'm the one that got away... well, me, and that scarf gal." He sighed walking away from the apartment tried enough to collapse on the sidewalk.
T.B.C.