Number Seven trusted and lost the one she loved. Number Seven wants revenge.
7
Adam
I woke up in what could have been One's room, and rolling over, I pulled myself out of bed to grab some old clothes.
"I wish Dust were here" I whisper aloud, to no one. Dust had left to find the other chimaera, and though his absence made me a little lonely, it was the old habit of talking to One that made me feel like someone had driven a sledgehammer into my chest.
I had thought I'd have felt more alone, when I was with the Loric, but instead they seemed to trust me for now, especially Zero she never looked at me as if I were one of the enemy, in fact she looked at me like we'd met before, maybe we had she did look vaguely familiar.
Leaving the room I walked down the corridor toward the dining room, where the others were already eating breakfast. I felt slightly awkward as I pulled up a chair, feeling like I was intruding on something. Though the Loric hadn't exactly spat in my face when I'd decided to join them, and seemed to trust me well enough, I still felt completely out of place. And the fact that there was another new member of the group too wasn't exactly helping; not that I didn't like Zero, it was just that there was something about her, something so familiar, like we'd met before, and things hadn't ended well. Even Zero herself seemed to avoid me, talking when she needed to, and leaving the rest to a few odd sideways glances.
Or maybe I was just being paranoid, because as soon as I sat down, she smiled at me while Sam dragged me into his conversation with Six about the vat-born.
After shovelling down some breakfast; Zero lead us to the training centre, well centre was one name for it but it seemed the wrong word.
It was huge, maybe the size of a football pitch and that was just the main hall; there was a gym, pool and also a long hallway with strange markings on it. Weapons lined the walls of the rooms and in one corner, a meter off the ground, was a large glass room filled with computers and electronic devices.
"That's where most things are controlled" Zero added pointing "it controls the things that come of the ceiling, walls and floor, also all the dummies which can be manoeuvred into fighting like Mogodorian squads, so it's more life- like ".
"Now where would be the fun in that, I'd prefer to be doing the real thing" Nine replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Now here's the thing" Zero said, ignoring Nines comment while leaning against a row of chairs at the side of the hall "you see I need to fight each of you to find out your strengths and weaknesses, so I can help you overcome them ".
"What do you mean by you train us, for all we know we could be better then you" Six put in.
"I said help not train, and of course you're good, but since you don't know my legacies I have an advantage" Zero replied evenly.
"So tell us and then we'll be even" Marina countered.
"Better to show then tell"
"Or you could just tell" Sam added.
"Come one, fighting the unknown is fun " she said seeming confused that we didn't understand.
Zero's eyes swung to me " You first Adam".
I walked uncertainly to the centre of the floor, where Zero was standing a few meters away from me.
"It's a legacy fight, I know you've begun to get the rest of One's legacies, so we should really find out how much damage the you can do; oh and don't worry the buildings earthquake proof.
"Well let's get started" at the exact same time she said this she threw up her hand and a bolt of electricity flew through the air and hit me hard in the chest, sending me tumbling backwards. It left an ache in my chest and made my hair stand on end, but I knew she hadn't tried to hurt me. She raised her hands again for a second strike but I had learned something new about my powers of controlling the earth.
I aimed a large piece of rock at her, but she was ready for me darting side-ways she grabbed me with telekinesis and threw me at it.
I pushed away with telekinesis so I was only hit hard in the calf. I felt anger welling up inside me and I aimed three more shards at her in a row, and when I felt her telekinesis grip me again I decided to do something special. I raised my hands and brought a surge of rock out of the ground covering her own.
I wasn't that far away from her now as she smiled at me and said:
"Very good, but you forgot one thing" using the rock that encased her hands as leverage, she flipped over it and kicked me in the chest. It was, surprise, surprise, not a normal kick. I couldn't stop myself with telekinesis, I couldn't do anything apart from feel the painful impact of my body hitting the floor almost the whole way down the hall. I lay there for a moment, and then with the help of Zero who had somehow managed to free herself, I staggered over to the chairs and sat down certain that by tonight I was going to have a whole lot of bruises.
Four
I was called next.
After what happened to Adam I knew she was quick, so I had to start fast. The moment she said go I sent a raging fireball at her, expecting her to dodge it, I threw two more one on either side. She didn't dodge, the fire joined with her hair as her body was covered by it, she grinned at me through the fire.
"Nice but I bet you don't know this move" the fire began to spread out in a dome like shape, as it reached me, I found I didn't catch fire like I had expected nor did it stop there, instead it reached, dancing towards the others at the side lines. The others quickly backed away, but when it did touch them, they seemed uninjured, though Sarah cried out in shock.
"I can teach you this after if you like Four"
"It's John" I corrected quietly.
I was about to add more, when she pulled back the fire sending a shock wave right at me, making me stumble forward, on fire, towards a hurricane of fists. I concentrated fully on blocking but the two punches that landed were enough to bring me down.
"You are good" I said as she helped me up.
"As are you- very actually- but the moment you heard Sarah cry out, even though she was in no danger, your game was off".
"So who's next?" Malcolm asked but was watching Zero carefully.
Six
My turn I thought; I couldn't wait to challenge this determined Loric who was about to fight me, I could show her some moves and she could do the same for me. I was ready.
"Let's go then!" I cried bouncing on the balls of my feet.
I turned invisible springing away from the place I had been standing. Zero unlike people before her did not look around doing the impossible task of trying to spot me instead she took a breath and brought her hands together, immediately the air began to cool and high up in the ceiling ,impossibly, clouds began to form.
No way I thought if we worked together we could make an inside storm. I was brought back to the present by the rapidly forming mist, which swirled around my feet giving off my exact position-behind her- I struck at her shoulder, but she was ready and blocked, she then kicked my feet out from under me sending me sprawling but not before I grabbed her too.
Then commenced the epic tangled fight where it was almost impossible to see anything apart from a fist or a knee flying at you. Somehow she got her knees pinning my arms and her fist an inch from my face.
"You're brilliant!" Zero laughed, her eyes bright, not even caring when I knocked her off with a powerful kick, her smile broadened as I told her about my idea. When we finished discussing it she turned to face the others.
"Next up Number Nine".
Nine
"Finally!'' I grin joyfully "Someone who can fight".
But seeing Six's expression and the twirling knife in her hand I hurriedly apologized "Not that you can't fight".
"Shall we get started then?" Zero asked, watching me curiously as if she knew what I was thinking.
"No legacies it is then" she added after a moments consideration. She breathed in deeply then, reminding me she had just fought three of my very powerful friends. Was this going to be easier than I thought?
"How'd you know?" I asked suspicious, that's exactly what I had been thinking.
"Your eyes" before I could answer she'd taken up fighting stance and was waiting for me, I quickly took my place and we began.
She arrowed towards me, before spinning off to my left kicking at my side, I only just blocked it and it left my arm aching, I struck four punches at her which she blocked and dodged, it became a sort of rhythm as we each punched, blocked and dodged each of us determined to win. Suddenly she jabbed me hard in the neck and flipped over my head, kicking me in the back, making me fall flat on my face. Somehow she twisted my arm around so I was choking myself.
"Give in yet" she whispered in my ear.
"Nope" I flung my feet up kicking her hard, sending her flying over my head, to fall flat on her back, I landed on top of her and got a boot at the base of my spine for my troubles. I managed somehow to stay on as she wriggled and thrashed around on the ground. Our faces were inches apart and I noticed how bright her eyes were before she head butted me, sending me failing backwards clutching my nose. She was on me immediately crushing my windpipe, after a moment of useless struggling I gave in.
"Nice fighting Nine" she said smiling at me, before she turned round to fight the last of us, Marina.
Marina
I walked slowly up to my place opposite Zero, I knew there was only a slim chance I could beat her but I was going to give her a run for her money. After all I could see the toll her legacies were taking on her already.
Before we began she said something so quiet that only I heard.
"Anger, hatred and revenge are hard feelings to suppress but you've got to try because though they give you strength, they cloud your mind, you cannot beat Ra like that. They empower legacies but those emotions are easily used up, they exhaust you."
With that Zero backed away, still holding my cold gaze. You don't control me I mentally hissed at her, though I had no telepathy, you don't understand me. We circled each other first and as we did, I let the power of my rage and grief race through me. I felt unstoppable, immortal. With ease my old self would gape at I threw three giant icicles so fast they blurred as they hurtled towards Zero. To my pleasure she barely managed to dodge them.
The second time I threw them from all directions at her, as they were about to hit her she jumped up and they smashed into each other. This time I tried a different approach, I speared a dozen large icicles through the floor underneath Zero. For a single moment I thought they would hit her and I would be responsible for the next death of a Loric. The thought sent horror surging through me but I was too late to stop it. All through the fight, Zero had held my gaze, with unsettling calmness, now was no different. Her movements were fast, but there was something odd about them. The way her arms traced a pattern in the air with such precision I could almost see an image appearing, enraptured, I wasn't prepared for the icicles she sent hurtling back at me, and I hit the far wall with a thump. The shock replaced the iciness in me for a moment before I clambered back to my feet, and I became cold and empty again.
Four
For the rest of the day Zero showed us around the base and to a dozen other underground tunnels that led to nearby towns.
As night fell we all gathered in the kitchen, each making a different dish, everyone talking about casual, non-warfare related things. And while Zero was told to me about a new technique I could use to practice my Lumen, Nine butted in saying something about how I needed to practice talking to pretty girls.
"You're very annoying, you know that Nine" Zero said with a frown that changed to a smile with his next words.
"Well as with everything I do, I practice, and I have plenty of practice at being annoying".
"I'm sure you do"
Later after eating, Nine's dish left offended and untouched even by the man himself, we began to tell our stories, each of us sharing more than we ever had before. Nine telling us a few details about a girl called Maddy but still nothing about his time in prison, the smile he had before long gone. Marina telling Ella's and Eights as well as her own, I said my story of my time in Ohio and after Sam and Sarah added extra details. Adam said what had happened to him and I listened with interest; Malcolm telling after how he had got involved too. No one mentioned Five, who's back story had probably been a lie. At last it was Zero's turn, and like each person before her, she stood up.
Her hands were clenched together her eyes blank.
"Mine starts earlier than yours, on Lorien, since I can remember more-well I think I can remember more- maybe, I –I don't" she stopped suddenly and I thought she would sit down, but she continued her voice hard as if she wasn't about to say words that looked like they were breaking her.
"My first Ceapan was a traitor, my second was a prisoner".
