Von shut off the transparent blue screen of his e-pad. Not even the naughty websites could extinguish the guilt that was burning deep inside him. Of course, he enjoyed perusing through websites of cute women in Lolita suits with rabbit ears but after his temporary satisfaction, a heavy weight fell on his shoulders.
He lay back on the broken bed. It was not the same as his room back at the Eagle Claw base. Ace lacked sympathy for his team mates. The Red Insurgents had to arrange their hideouts by themselves. If they were lucky to get along than groups would usually create coalitions with each other. However, Von didn't know anyone well so he was currently living underground with Jayson Salazar, a kind hearted boy who didn't fit in, much like Von.
The sewers were close by so Von's room stank of urine and faeces. He couldn't complain. This was his choice after all to be noticed. Still, remorse chewed away on his innards when he thought about the Eagle Claws. Most of all, he regretted what happened to the only friend he ever had.
Von screamed as he watched Belias' fireball narrowly miss Dallas behind him. The boy had morphed into an eagle to fly after them. Dallas was a skilled combatant but his skills were limited when it came to the skies. The feathers on Dallas' wings were ablaze with tiny sparks. The boy let out a bird-like shriek before his morphed body grew limp.
Von held a gloved hand in desperation and watched Dallas' body getting smaller until it disappeared among the buildings below them. Belias chuckled darkly before soaring higher up the sky and past dark clouds. The cold night wind bit into their flesh and blew their locks ferociously about them. Von's dirty white trench coat flailed behind him as he tightened his grip around Belias' shoulder.
"You weren't supposed to kill him!" the little man shrieked. Dallas' burning feathers flashed through his mind.
"All's fair in love and war," Belias replied, "Now shut up or else I'll throw you down like what I did to that kid."
"That's not how a team is supposed to work," Von stammered, gritting his sharp teeth in anger.
Belias' fiery eyes glowed brighter than the moon and he huffed a long flame of fire from his mouth. Von yelped and backed away. He was left vulnerable and dependant on this demon.
"There is no such thing as team work among the Red Insurgents, brat," the demon snarled, "You do what Ace tells you to do. End of story. He is our saviour and the rest of us are strangers to one another."
Von narrowed his eyes. A dreaded sense of weariness hung in the air. The wind was colder than before, leaving small icicles dangling from their noses and chin. Belias' pointy beard glinted in the intermittent moonlight.
Von digested the demon's words. If Ace didn't believe in team work than what was the purpose of forming a team? Vulcan's first principle for the Eagle Claws was team work. He deeply believed that 'all for one and one for all' was the way to success.
Dark, jagged precipices loomed into view. The sound of the aggressive ocean echoed through the night at it hurled its giant waves against the cliffs, leaving foam and broken debris in its wake. Dark storm clouds in the horizon were brightened with flashes of lightning and rained upon the restless sea.
Von held Belias so tight that his nails were almost cutting through his gloves and into Belias' red skin. He stared at the ocean which was many miles below them and gulped in fear. If he said anything to disturb Belias, he would meet a cold, suffocating death.
But a heavy weight inside his heart told him that the ocean was not the danger here and neither was it Belias. There was a presence in the tumultuous air that reminded Von of his darkest fears and initiated his worst memories to roll in his mind. The presence was unwelcoming. It sent jolts of terror through his bones until he could sob from the fear.
"Do you feel that?" Belias whispered, eyes ablaze with excitement, "Ace is waiting for me!"
The demonic mutant increased his velocity using the temperature of his body to burn more energy. They sped faster through the icy clouds and pounding rain. The waves underneath crashed against each other in chaotic synchrony.
Belias was filled with happiness. Tears of joy hardened to ice around his eye lashes.
"Vulcan is a liar! Ace will never abandon his best mutants!" Belias yelled in triumph, "See Von? See?"
Before Von could look ahead, he felt Belias' body stiffen like stone. The flying mutant gagged and foamy saliva escaped his mouth.
"Belias!?"
It was too late. They hurled in circles towards the hungry sea. Von screamed but his voice was muffled in the invading thunder and rain. His body plunged into the ocean. He rushed to the surface, the shock and icy water caused him to hyper ventilate. He gulped for air as water gushed from the fissures of his face. There was no sign of Belias but Von didn't have much time to look for him as another huge wave swallowed him back into the black sea.
The little mutant kicked to reach the surface but the currents were too strong. He was pulled to the ground, away from the light of the sky. He struggled against the currents, his breath no more than bubbles of oxygen in the water. His lungs were heavy like a saturated sponge, threatening to burst through his chest. A sharp pain blurred his vision.
He drifted deeper down, feeling the life leaving his body. Instantly, a figure was swimming closer to him. He could make out feminine curves hidden behind a camo shirt and cargo pants, and hair the colour of the ocean. Red eyes came into contact with his before his vision faded to complete darkness.
Von gasped for air, coughing water from his mouth. He tumbled over on the sand and breathed a few times. The sand was wet from the droplets of water that fell from his clothes and hair. He wiped water away from his locks and surveyed the area.
"I'm alive?" he wondered.
Belias was sitting beside him, his face grim and frightened. Standing in front of them was the woman that saved Von from drowning. He remembered her tan skin and green freckles. She was barefoot despite the cold weather. A spike earring was visible from her right ear lobe. A set of ancient guns were strapped around her trousers. She had battled Dallas and Kiki before but her name slipped from Von's mind.
"Why did you save me, Alexis?" Belias started solemnly. He stood from where he was sitting and turned towards the young woman.
When Alexis didn't answer, Belias moved towards her and held her shoulders. He shook her vigorously before letting go and letting out a frustrated scream.
"Ace is coming here soon, Grange," Alexis told him, "I am sorry."
She stared at her feet. Von stood up upon hearing Ace's name. He clutched at his beating heart that pounded painfully against his chest. The world was spinning around him and he fell down on his bottom. Not even the roaring ocean behind him could surpass the loud beating of his heart.
"What are you talking about? Why is Ace coming here?" Belias demanded frantically, pulling his dark locks. His pupils shrunk in fear.
Alexis didn't reply again. She watched him with a forlorn expression as if she was afraid of the fate that awaited him. Belias somehow understood her expression. Von knew Ace wasn't planning on any warm welcomes. He smelt the imminent murder in the sea salt air.
"No! No! This can't be!" Belias shrieked, storming in front of Alexis once again until their noses almost tipped, "Are you telling me that Ace actually plotted my murder, that his message to Vulcan was actually true?"
He stumbled a few steps back. "This means…This means that you and Marcus knew all along, didn't you? When Ace ordered us to wipe out those citizens at the City Square, he asked both of you to avoid fighting to your full potential so that the Eagle Claws could capture me. Is that it?"
Alexis dared to meet the fiery eyes of her former comrade before nodding, her dull blue locks shifting in the ferocious wind. A dark scowl took over Belias' pointed features. He let out a demonic scream before rushing at the woman, knocking her over on the sand and grasping her throat with his large crimson hands.
The woman's limbs thrashed underneath him, her eyes squinted in horror at the mutant atop. Her fingers feebly clawed at Belias' face. Von watched in utter terror as the life of his saviour was threatened by the man who promised him a future in the Red Insurgents. His free hand held the glove of his other one and he contemplated whether to help Alexis by causing her fingers to grow in size. She had saved his life after all. However, another side of him prevented him from interrupting their feud.
It wasn't too long before a projectile of green vomit splashed on Belias' face. The latter screamed in horror. He fell back to the moist sand and wiped his face vigorously. Alexis kicked away from him and coughed. Blood trickled down her chin as she watched Belias with wide eyes.
"I-I thought of you a-as a father…" she whispered sorrowfully.
Belias was deaf to her sadness. He squinted through his eyes at the intruder. Von followed his gaze and almost gasped at the nasty sight before them.
A woman with Asian features stood proudly stood as if she was the tallest person on earth, when she was only five foot in height. Her pallid skin was dull and peeling off at cracked areas. Her purple veins were visible through her skin despite the darkness of the storm. Her eyes appeared to pop out, the area around the irises were yellow like phlegm. She was flexing her fingers at her sides, the nails were abnormally sharp. Even her long dark hair was almost dead. She donned a white robe.
"You are still alive!?" she shrieked in a deep monotonous voice. Her eyes were almost protruding from their sockets and her fish-like lips were curved into a grimace.
"Lee Key Bun? Why are you here, you bitch?" Belias moaned, rubbing his sore eyes now and then.
Lee kicked Alexis to the side. The latter scrambled to her feet, glaring at the other woman. Von found himself aloof from the scene. He felt no connection towards these mutants but he concluded they were all in need of serious psycho-therapy.
Lee opened her mouth to reveal her disgusting yellow teeth and let a waterfall of puke fall beside Belias in an effort to threaten him. When Belias made no move, she screamed at his face and slapped him sharply with her nails. She gathered her breath, her cheeks puffed from excess acid in her mouth before she released it like a projectile onto Belias again.
"Stop Puker, that is enough," a voice resounded nearby. The soft tenor sent shivers down Von's spine.
He saw a pair of deep wine coloured eyes in the darkness. A flash of lightning didn't even give him a glimpse of the owner; only an outline of his tall, sleek form.
"Master…" Belias sobbed as he rushed to the figure ahead.
Von stifled a yelp as realisation hit him who the interrupter was. Ace was breathing softly just a few feet away from him. Suddenly, the storm meant nothing anymore when the real danger emanated from one man ahead. However, all Von could make out were the red eyes that appeared to laugh with glee.
Could eyes reflect emotions?
Belias fell on his knees and grabbed Ace's calf. He sobbed into the man's trousers. Ace reached a gloved hand and ran it through the mutant's mane. It wasn't long before Belias was thrown across the sand. Belias struggled on the ground and watched in shock as his body moved against his will. His hands grabbed his own throat and he started choking himself.
Von heard Alexis take in a sharp breath. He saw Lee Key Bun ruthlessly laughing at the sight before them. Von turned away and closed his eyes shut. He reluctantly listened to Belias choke to death.
"Von Richtor?" the soft voice started again but Von was too afraid to stare at Ace. His limbs trembled from shockwaves of fear.
He felt a telekinetic force tug his limbs and he was forced to look into crimson red eyes. He stared into the eyes which reflected mirthless joy.
"Welcome," the eyes were telling him.
In those eyes he foretold a future of dread and eternal darkness. He foresaw a dark cloud hung around the earth, choking her till she bled from the death of her creatures. He saw a burst of feathers singed in the air. He saw a young boy crying alone in the mountains of Persia. He saw a young man slash a girl's throat with a ship of water. He saw a young woman impale her mother with her sword.
Von saw many things before he passed out.
Von was snapped back to reality when he heard a knock on his door. He shifted on his bed and reached for a string nearby, pulling it down. The metal door rolled up like a pair of curtains. Two boys were waiting outside. One was Jayson Salazar, the boy who was kind enough to let him share a room with him underground. Jayson's face and chest were wounded. His scaled wings shrunk back into his chest as the second boy helped him inside.
"Jayson!" Von rushed to Jayson's side, removing his gloves.
Jayson groaned as he was helped to the bed. Von did not pay heed to the second boy in the room. All he took in were a brilliant pair of white wings. He placed his hand on Jayson's chest and concentrated his energy on the injury. He watched in fascination as the skin and muscle knitted itself back together. Jayson's skin was gray and scaled, just like his wings but Von's powers of organic mastery were unlimited.
"Thanks Doctor Bunny," Jayson smiled weakly before his final energy gave way and he fell into a deep sleep.
Von turned to the other boy and gasped.
"You?" he uttered with a raised brow.
Zack Rogers stood guilty in his spot. He was just as shocked as Von.
"Doctor Bunny?" Zack stammered.
"Why are you here?"
"Well, you see, I admired what you did so I wanted to the same. I want more glory too," Zack replied confidently, "The Red Insurgents fit me better."
Von was naïve but he wasn't stupid. Zack's statement was a lie. He knew Zack was one of the most loyal members of the Eagle Claws and he was living with Vulcan since a young age.
"Zack, whatever it is that you're doing, my advice is that you turn back and walk out the door. This isn't child's play."
"Say what!?" Zack grimaced. His eyebrows furrowed in anger. "I'm not a teenager! I know what I want!"
"Nonsense," Von brushed a hand through the air. "The Red Insurgents are a hopeless cause. They are zombies of Ace, a man who suffers from schizophrenia. If you wish to join, his senior members will give you a task a few days later. If you do not complete the task, they will kill you."
"But," Zack hesitated and stuffed his hands into his pockets, "But…I…"
"Did you actually think it was easier than that?" Von folded his arms together.
He never talked with Zack before in the building. Zack's group was intimidating and Von was more comfortable around Dallas, Kiki and Ashlen. Also, being a friend of Kiki meant that you were automatically a rival of Zack, according to Kiki anyway. Von thought if he ever started a conversation with the hockey player (who liked to cheat with his wings back at the Institute), he would stammer a lot but he was surprised with his own confidence.
He was sure that his intuition didn't fail him. Zack was sent here by Vulcan.
"What task did you have to complete?"
Zack's next question threw him off. "I'd rather not talk about this."
"No, you have to tell me," the other mutant persisted, "At least give me an idea of what these tasks are."
"Leave me be!" Von rubbed his hands together nervously and searched around the room for a distraction.
"Why won't you tell me!?"
"Because I did something terrible!" Von finally blurted.
A silence filled the room. Zack refrained from pestering the little man and slumped into the corner of the room. Von lay on a bed opposite Jayson and forced his memory to forget what evil he had committed in the past. The images worried him more than Zack's sudden appearance and what danger lurked ahead for the angelic mutant.
XXXXXXXX
3 days later
Marcus was no fool. He was a very observant person. It didn't take him long to realise that the brunette girl was following him. She first appeared three days ago when he was jogging at the park early in the morning. She had been sitting on the bench he passed after every lap. Normally, the existence of others bothered him little but this girl kept glancing from her book to watch him each time he passed her.
She was pretty, with her silky brown hair and large blue eyes; a face that was hard to forget. It reminded Marcus of the time he had a deep crush on Texas Law, his best friend. However, he shook the feeling aside. Being a Red Insurgent meant that he didn't have time for developing relationships into dimensions beyond friendship. Although he hated to admit it, he missed the caring touch of a woman at rare moments.
He successfully stole money from a bank that day thanks to the shadows, his sanctuary. The shadows have guided him and protected him from danger many times, since the day he was thirteen. Ace admired Marcus' quick thinking reflexes and crowned him the leader of the spies and espionage department of the Red Insurgents. Unfortunately, the Red Insurgents weren't as organised as other groups when it came to spying so Marcus preferred to go on missions by himself.
He entered a café to grab a quick bite. While he stood ordering, a tingling sensation crept through his spine and from the corners of his eyes, he saw the same brunette enter the café almost surreptitiously. She surveyed her surroundings before moving to the queue. Marcus felt her watching him throughout the whole time. She did not know that he was aware of her presence because his tinted glasses hid his emotions well.
He ordered a coffee and a sandwich before taking a seat in the darkest corner. He proceeded to eat. To his surprise, the girl took a seat on the table next to him with her latte warm in her hands. He glanced at her, mouth still full with morsels of his sandwich. She met his gaze. The girl smiled shyly and quickly returned to the book she had been reading earlier. Marcus raised a brow.
He sensed the girl was up to something but he couldn't say what. What if he was paranoid? After all, hanging out with Red Insurgents stimulated a mutant's hidden insanity to surface but this girl posed no potential threat.
He gulped his food in thought. What if the girl was one of those girls who searched for prey to pay for their services? He blushed and felt ashamed because the brunette was clad in a clean blue blouse and beige cotton trousers; nothing that was revealing or provoking.
He left the café quickly after that. He heard nothing from the Red Insurgents the day after but the brunette from the park entered his life more than he hoped for. He saw her near the same bus stands as she watched the cars float by. He saw her in the park on the same bench where he jogged the next two mornings after. He even saw her walking a few feet away from him whenever he would look back.
From his experience at spying, he knew the girl's appearances weren't spontaneous. She knew his daily business when he wasn't busy hiding in the shadows. She was following him. He decided to test his theory after day three.
Marcus wore his tracksuit trousers and t-shirt for the park the next morning. His infamous glasses covered his eyes and send shadows across the indents of his face. Marcus enjoyed running but he wasn't a great fan of sport. He didn't put effort into building his muscles like some of the Red Insurgent males. He preferred a jog every morning just to keep his stamina fit for the missions.
As usual, his stalker had taken her seat at the bench he always passed during his laps. This time, Marcus decided to twist the circumstances, instead of passing her by, he slipped into the shadows of nearby trees and watched from a near distance. It was amazing how his molecules became one with the darkness but his senses were wide awake.
The brunette was engrossed in her book. She shivered from the morning cold despite wearing a light pink cardigan and denim jeans. Later, she glanced about her surroundings as if searching for someone. After a few minutes, she stood up and walked around the area to broaden her sight. Marcus decided to surprise her by using her shadow as his next portal and appearing behind her. She was much shorter up close, no more than five foot two and barely reaching his shoulder.
"Where did he go?" the girl pondered to herself causing Marcus' jaw to stiffen.
She was trouble after all. The stalker walked a few steps back before her back bumped into his chest. She gasped and spun around to face him.
"Ah! I mean- umh…" the girl fidgeted with the hem of her cardigan uncomfortably.
Marcus glared at her. He did not understand what she wanted but if she was a spy of the Triangle Organisation then he had no choice but to take her to Aquarius, as told to him by Ace. Unlike many of the Red Insurgents, Marcus refused to kill people. For some reason, Ace gifted him the opportunity to let enemies live if they weren't a threat. Otherwise, he was told to send potential spies to Ryan Veronnes, Samir Aryaan or Lee Key Bun.
"Okay, so you, like, busted me. I'm sorry," the brunette commenced apologetically.
Marcus didn't want to waste anymore time. He sensed no threatening vibes from the stalker so he decided to let her be. He turned to leave the park but she followed him quickly.
"Listen, I need to talk to you," she pleaded, grabbing his arm. The sudden contact sent jolts of uneasiness through him.
He ignored her, hoping she would leave but found himself stopping in his tracks any way.
"My name is Kathryn, and I know you are part of the Red Insurgents," she confessed.
He narrowed his eyes and parted his lips to speak but couldn't. How did she know this? He was clever to be whisked by the shadows in every mission. None of the Triangle Organisation people knew his face properly. Unless she worked for Tony, that was another situation altogether.
"It's okay, a friend of mine from the Red Insurgents told me," Kathryn continued, "I wish to join you."
"Why?" he spoke in a raspy, shallow voice. Very few Red Insurgents had friends outside the group but then he remembered Texas Law, his best friend who knew he was part of the Red Insurgents but kept his secret hidden. Perhaps Kathryn was telling the truth.
"I can't stand watching mutants die anymore."
"Why me?" he asked directly. Her intentions were good but joining the Red Insurgents was not a group he would recommend. The girl was too pure for that.
Kathryn brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear and stared at her shoes. "My friend has told me that you work for the espionage. I want you to tutor me."
"But…" he trailed off, eyeing her with shock.
No one in the Red Insurgents helped each other willingly. They did so because they were told to. It was irrational of him, as a follower of Ace, to take Kathryn under his wing. He didn't want to take the responsibility of training her lest she failed him. Failing strict missions was a funeral toll for the Red Insurgents.
"Please, just give me a chance? Please?" her grip on his arm tightened. The intensity in her eyes was fiercer than the glow of the sun.
"Your powers?"
"I can phase through many mediums. I can basically make myself intangible," she said with more confidence.
"Go away," he stated and pried his arm away from her.
She let out an astonished huff of breath and skittered after him. He decided to ignore her pleas. Joining the Red Insurgents wasn't easy and he didn't want to jeopardize the girl's life. The morning mist was almost fading away and he needed to get back to the shadows.
Kathryn walked in front him and spread her arms out. Marcus folded his arms and sighed in frustration.
"If you want me to prove my powers then I will do that. I know why I want to join, okay? Like, don't you remember the first time you asked to join?"
Marcus recalled that day. He never asked to join. Ace offered him a place eight years ago as a way to escape Tony's wrath. Joining the Red Insurgents back when they were a mere group of ten was much easier than joining them now, especially when the Eagle Claws grew in strength. The Red Insurgents began recruiting the less healthy and less powerful mutants ever since Vulcan set up the Eagle Claws.
"You don't know what you're asking for," Marcus told her, his voice almost a shallow whisper.
"Don't judge me like that."
"I'm not one to judge," his tone changed to one more cold, "Now step aside."
"No I won't, I'll follow you to the Red Insurgent base if I have to." The girl's persistence was admirable. It was a trait Ace hungered for.
"We'll see about that." Marcus grabbed her shoulder and pushed her aside before slipping into the long stretch of her shadow.
However, he found himself only halfway in. He glanced at Kathryn who had grabbed the back of his t-shirt. He was completely at her mercy, unable to use his powers to disappear into the shadows. A victorious grin sported her face. She released her hold and he stood straight in front of her again.
Marcus sighed in defeat.
"I don't have the authority to make this decision," he explained in his soft, raspy voice, "Aquarius will. He gathers all who asked to join at the end of the week and makes them complete a task. If they complete the task, they may join."
"What sort of task?"
"The only advice I can give now is to run away."
When she stood staring innocently without a budge, Marcus was sure his heart would burn. Aquarius was a mean person and he wasn't afraid to take advantage of naïve new comers.
XXXXXXXX
At the Triangle Organisation HQ
Kimbra sat in the dark room, the only light came from a floating light bulb nearby that flickered intermittently. Her strenuous breathing was relieved with the mechanical mask that covered her mouth and extended down her jaws and throat. She ran her hand through the metal jumpsuit that saved her from mutants countless times.
Her dull gray eyes skimmed through the folder in front of her. She flicked through pages of information until her sight beheld a familiar face. She stopped and stared at the page in front of her. She didn't understand why Duce Craen was so old fashioned, preferring books over technology and hand made weapons over guns.
The page was jotted with information about Samir Aryaan. A sepia passport picture of the boy was stapled in the corner. Samir gazed unresponsive at the viewer, blinking in the photo now and again. He appeared much younger in the photo, perhaps in his early teens since he cheeks were still round like a child's. His soft, messy hair was more unruly than before.
Kimbra was asked by Janet over a week ago to capture the boy. She knew Duce Craen was after him before so she used the hunter as bait. Samir's mutant abilities were detected by the Triangle Organisation's satellite. Usually, a telepath would block their existence and connection with the earth so the satellite will not pick up their activated mutant gene but for some reason, Samir almost wanted to be captured. It was as if his escape from Duce's camp was planned out.
She read through the broken biography of the boy, possibly extrapolated by Duce.
"Born in the mountains of Kurdistan," she read to herself, her voice contained a mechanical tone due to her mask, "Father was a freedom fighter and possibly killed in action against the Persian army. Mother, Banafsheh Aryaan, moved to America with Samir when he was ten years old as the embassy records state. Samir is a telepath. The extent to what his true powers are like is unknown but he has been seen in public many times utilising his powers; school in particular."
She stopped, feeling nothing but hatred for the mutant. She hated all mutants, ever since the day she was betrayed at the tender age of fourteen. It was her duty to stop these terrorists from roaming the lands. Not only that, the boy's eyes reminded her of him, the mutant who destroyed her life and impaired her forever. He moulded her into the monster she was today.
Kimbra hated the fact that she wasn't allowed to play outside like most kids at the age of fourteen. Sometimes she would sneak out and help a few homeless mutants who begged for food. They were grateful to her and regarded her as an angel, especially since her family were supporters of the Triangle Organisation.
She saw less and less of her family because her thoughts were occupied by her new mutant boyfriend. He was gorgeous in every angle, even though he was three years her elder. Who cared, right? The other girls at school would be jealous if they saw him hang around her! Kimbra adored how his dark hair fell in messy spikes down his forehead. She loved the way longer strands fell down the base of his neck. His dark eyes were almost feminine due their long lashes and his jutted cheekbones were a Hollywood trait.
Once she heard her parents' snores from the other room, Kimbra sneaked out from the blankets of her bed. She checked her reflection in the mirror, brushing her brilliant thick brown locks over one shoulder. She opened her drawer and took one of her mother's lipsticks that she stole the other day. Kimbra should feel guilty for stealing her mother's make up but she didn't want her boyfriend to think she is ugly, especially when he possessed such handsome features.
Kimbra applied the liptick thickly onto her lips. Unfortunately, she was an amateur at using make up. When she smiled at her reflection, she saw red on her upper teeth. She frowned, wiping her teeth with some tissue. The flecks of dust form the tissue settled on her taste buds. She tasted the strawberry flavour of the deep crimson lipstick and coughed with disgust.
Wasting no more time, Kimbra pulled on a pair of shorts, even though it was freezing outside and a sleeveless top. She opened her window and stuck her feet, using the thick pipeline at the side to guide her down to the ground. Since she was born into a military family of the Triangle Organisation, her parents sent her to regular training classes. Kimbra was a prodigy when it came to climbing and martial arts.
Once her feet tipped the ground, she climbed over her garden fence and ran off to towards the distance. Her regular meeting spot was around the corner of her neighbourhood. She saw him waiting at greek-style fountain, wearing a long black trench coat and staring into the water. A few burnished leaves were afloat the gentle waves. The moonlight reflected off his pale skin and Kimbra could only watch in bated breath. He was so beautiful!
"Hey!" Kimbra called out, walking towards him. Her legs were shivering from the chilly air and her arms showed signs of goose bumps.
"You made it," he replied with a charismatic smile, "I was beginning to think you wouldn't turn up."
He sat on the edge of the fountain and beckoned her to take the seat beside him. She complied eagerly.
"How are you," Kimbra asked, unable to take her eyes away from his handsome face.
"I'm okay, still trying to find out which Triangle Organisation base my sister was taken to." He stared at his shoes with a forlorn expression.
Kimbra's heart melted. He was going through a rough time and her family's organisation was responsible for it. Why did they capture innocent mutant children anyway? She didn't understand why the government was afraid of mutants. In her opinion, they were people with special gifts given to them by God. Her boyfriend's gift was one that stole her breath away.
"Don't worry, I promise to help you out with this," she reassured. Hesitantly, she placed her hand over his. His hand was very cold, colder than hers.
"Thanks…" he gave her another charismatic smile, "But how?"
"Umh…" she thought for a moment. How could Kimbra help him? She was afraid of being useless lest he stopped meeting her. He became an important person in her life and she hoped their relationship would blossom in the future.
"Hey I have an idea!" he said with excitement. She gazed at him, devoting her full attention to him.
"How about this? If I find out which base my sister is held, than you can give me the access code to it!"
"Hey, that's awesome!" she joined in with his laughter, happy to be of some use to the boy. He deserved to be reunited with his sister. Kimbra prayed that her sister would appreciate her presence in the boy's life.
"You know, I'm really lucky that I met you. You're an angel, Kimbra and I'm saying this from the bottom of my heart."
"Oh, it's nothing really…" she murmured timidly, "I'm just glad I could help you."
He let his fingers drift through the water. "Watch this."
The water dribbled at his mercy and a pointy wave rose as he lifted his hand higher from the surface. Kimbra's eyes widened in fascination as the small wave of water morphed into the shape of an a figure with wings.
"Aquarius…That's beautiful…"
A knock on the door disturbed her thoughts. Kimbra realised her heart was beating faster than normal. A trickle of sweat trickled down her forehead. She often though about her past when not on a mission and it only spurred her anger for mutants each time.
"Come in," she told the visitor with her mechanical voice.
The door rolled upwards and Abigail Strong entered the dimly lit room. The young woman was stunning in a long midi dress with sandals. Her usually wild hair was pulled into a thick topknot. In her arms was a e-pad clipboard where she would write her comments using her mind. Kimbra rolled her eyes.
She never respected Abigail. The latter had no talent. She wasn't skilled in combat or in the spying department. The only reason Abigail even had a job in the Triangle Organisation was because the Strong family were long time supporters of the group, not to mention, her father was a leading scientist in the facility. Abigail herself was a shrivelled, untalented woman who was compliant to fill out forms and keep track of rogue mutants. She was a spineless girl who didn't deserve her position in the Triangle Organisation.
Kimbra rarely talked to her, only on occasions when Abigail would mention any active mutants to her. Otherwise, she avoided the older woman as to save her time.
"What do you want?" Kimbra piped stubbornly.
"Good afternoon," Abigail replied with a soft voice, "I was sent here by the President."
"Surprise, surprise," Kimbra said with sarcasm.
Why would the President even send this incompetent woman to her office? Abigail, on the other hand, smiled brightly in response to Kimbra's sarcastic nature.
"I just have a few words on Samir Aryaan's biography. I thought it may help you with your current mission."
Kimbra let out an impertinent grunt and motioned to the chair opposite her desk.
A/N:
Hey everyone! So sorry for the lack of updates but as you know, it is that time of the year, haha and I'll be starting my masters soon so I'm gonna be busy as hell. Just a shout out to Labyrinth-Designer, thanks for the PM! It's very nice to know that people are enjoying my story. If anyone thinks I'm getting late at updating, don't hesitate to let me know! I get inspired from your response.
Please review! Thanks to everyone for reading and especially those who care to review. I really appreciate it your response! As for the story, I can promise one or two updates a month. I like where I'm going with the characters and I'm hoping to work on character development as the plot progresses.
Featured OCs:
Von Richtor (Dr. Bunny) by The Big Bad Bunny
Alexis Nix Martin (Domino) by goodgirl275
Lee Key Bun (Puker) by LovetoRead4321
Zack Rogers (Angelus) by me :)
Jayson Salazar (Ryou) by Cathrinejennings2
Marcus Brewer (Lurker) by Labyrinth-Designer
Kimbra Carter and Abigail Strong by TheWritingGirl23
