Disclaimer: I own nothing! Also, there is a very minor spoiler for supernova in this chapter. I don't know if you can even call it a spoiler it's so small, but still. You have been warned…
Cinder
Cinder sat on an operating table with her robotic hand resting on her lap, palm up with the central chamber open putting all of the wires and components of the limb in full view. One of the Rampions' scientists was peering inside it, occasionally checking the blueprint displayed on his tablet. This was the third check-up this week and, frankly, Cinder was fed-up. The Rampions insisted that it was a necessary caution since they had never designed anything to be merged seamlessly with the human body in such a way as Cinder's prosthetics, but she'd had them for roughly two weeks now with no issue. How long was she going to have to keep coming to these things until Research and Development was satisfied? A year?
The scientist working on her hand checked the diagram one last time before giving a satisfied nod and closing the chamber. "Seems to be perfectly in order. Have you experienced any problems with this hand? Irritations where the limb meets your arm? Aches? Does it feel like dead weight?"
"No, it's fine."
He nodded again and dismissed the diagram on the tablet. "Good, good. Now, there was one last thing I wanted to discuss with you Miss Linh."
Cinder raised an eyebrow.
The scientist rose to his full height (which wasn't very tall) and strode over to one of the holographic projectors stationed in the room. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a hard drive which he inserted into the port on the projector's base. Cinder frowned with interest as the machine hummed to life and a beam of blurred coloured light burst from its lens. Gradually, the image sharpened into… into…
"Is that… me?" Cinder murmured.
"And every one of your technological additions and enhancements. Very impressive, no?"
Impressive, wasn't the word Cinder would have used.
The holograph was a highly detailed cross-section of her own body. She could see her control panel set into her brain and the wires connecting her nervous system to her prosthetics. There was her net link, the tiny projectors in her retinas that displayed information, everything.
Some of it, even Cinder hadn't known about.
She hadn't known about the synthetic tissue compromising whole chambers of her heart, or the metal vertebrae and ribs, or the metal splints supporting the bones of her right leg, the leg she'd always thought was completely human.
Was there any part of her that remained untouched by technology?
The scientist didn't seem to notice (or care about) Cinder's shock and moved so he was standing next to the projection.
He gestured to a small black smudge attached to her spine. "I was wondering if, by any chance, you knew what this device does."
She glared at him. "What, you assume that I know exactly what everything in my body is for? Some of this stuff I didn't even know about before today!"
He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Alright, I was just wondering if you would be able to prove my theory."
"Which is?"
Instead of answering, the scientist asked Cinder, "Do you know what makes prodigies prodigies?"
Cinder raised an eyebrow at him. "Isn't it just some mutation in the prodigy's DNA? That's what President Star said at the trials."
"That is more of an aftereffect, and there are many theories as to what exactly causes that effect. Several branches of Research and Development are dedicated solely to researching these theories. The one I find most plausible is the Monteith Theory of Prodigy Origin, which states that, long ago, there was a supernova not too far from our very own solar system. The star dust from that supernova settled into Earthen soil and water and mingled with the very air we breathe. Monteith believed that every living being on Earth has some of this star dust inside of them and that, when mingled with the right chemicals, could create a reaction inside its host organism gifting it with abnormal abilities."
"So… you're saying that prodigies are people who drank a bunch of chemicals?"
The scientist huffed in frustration. "I wasn't finished yet!"
"Sorry, not sorry."
He glared at her with annoyance. "Monteith theorised that the chemicals required to trigger this reaction were the same chemicals released into the bloodstream during times of great stress."
Cinder snorted. "If that were true, every single university student studying for their final exams would be superheroes."
"You must have missed the "great" part. Have you not noticed Miss Linh, that every prodigy who wasn't born with their powers gained them after a traumatic experience?"
Cinder actually hadn't noticed, though in her defence, she didn't actually know any origin stories.
"This is very interesting and all, but what does this have to do with that smudge on my spine?"
"That smudge is a chip wired directly to your nervous system. I did a quick scan based on a device I created while I was researching the Monteith Theory that looks for particles of star dust from this supernova. And here's where it gets interesting."
The scientist removed the hard drive from the projector and the cross-section vanished (to Cinder's relief). He pocketed it and pulled out another hard drive from his other pocket. He inserted this new drive into the projector and a new image flickered to life.
It was another cross section, but instead of focusing on all of the technology that kept Cinder alive, this one was dark and smudgy, except for one pinpoint of bright orange light focused on a spot on Cinder's spine, right where the chip was.
"That," declared the scientist, pointing at the spot, "is all of the star dust from the Monteith supernova in your body. In every other scan I've taken, the stardust was far more spread out, maybe slightly more concentrated in certain areas of the body in the case of certain prodigies, but never confined to one particular area."
"What's your point?" Cinder asked.
"I believe, Miss Linh, that you are a prodigy biologically as well as cybernetically. And that chip is suppressing your power."
Cinder gaped at him. Questions buzzed around her mind like hundreds of bees. A biological prodigy? But then, what was her power? Why would anyone want to suppress it? Was it some sort of terrible, destructive ability? But what could be so destructive that it would have to be completely contained?
The scientist's face softened, and he smiled at her kindly, almost fatherly. "It's understandable that this would be a bit of a shock, and even more understandable that you would want to forget all about this and go on with your life as normal. But I may be able to damage this device just enough to let at least some of your power seep through and give us an indication as to what it does. But I won't do so without your consent."
The offer was both tempting and repulsive. The powers Cinder already had gave her enough trouble by themselves, she didn't need another one adding more chaos to the mix. Besides, there must have been a reason this power was sealed away. What if unleashing it caused more harm than good? What if it hurt innocent people as it was unleashed?
But Cinder's curiosity was piqued. Despite knowing how potentially dangerous this new power might be, she couldn't help but wonder what it was. This power might be the key to bringing about the Lunars downfall, and the sooner that organisation was destroyed the better. It had just as much potential for good as it did for destruction. The question was, how easy would it be for it to tip from one end of the spectrum to the other.
"This power, it will be weak, right? If this device was only damaged a tiny bit."
The scientist scratched his head. "The potential of the power is unclear. I've never come across this situation before, and I'm not sure how the quantity of star dust will affect the power's strength, but it is reasonable to theorise that it will be severely diminished if it is only partially released."
Cinder exhaled. "Alright then. Do it."
The scientist nodded and, carefully and deliberately, placed a single finger on Cinder's spine.
It felt like a red-hot poker was being driven into her vertebrae. Cruel, hungry heat spready up Cinder's spine until it felt like the entire structure was on fire. It was agony, it was torture. Her programming took over and she blacked out.
A/N: Anyone else get déjà vu while they were reading this?
Cinder's got a hidden superpower, but what is it? Why was it kept hidden? And why did I never mention the scientist's name?
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