Chapter 1. - Not Another Bloody Monday

She was running, her shoes splashing through puddles of rain, trying to escape the powerful blasts of energy that were being fired after her one by one.

She could hear two blasts being fired at her again, which she dodged expertly. She jumped into the air and dodged yet another attack and was only hit once, feeling a sudden stinging pain, much like an electrical shock spreading down her leg.

She spun to the ground, momentarily stunned. She made herself stand again, she was ready, she had to be.

Her body took off before she even noticed it moved, running faster than ever. She was suddenly hit with a wave of adrenaline, pushing her heart to her throat as she ran down the narrow alley, rain pouring down on her.

The blasts kept coming her way, approaching in an immense speed. Her chest felt tight, her heart was racing. Feeling her body weakening, she now fought to keep her speed up.

With every step she took, she could feel pain rippling through the leg that had taken the fatal hit just moments before. She knew she couldn't possibly outrun them, but she had to try, it was now or never.

Suddenly she felt a strong surge of pain hit her in the back of the head which caused her to lunge forward. She couldn't keep her balance and fell face first to the ground.

Everything went black for a few seconds and when she opened her eyes, she was overcome with pain. She desperately tried to get up again as quickly as possible but her left leg suddenly gave out and she tripped to the ground once again.

When she looked down at her leg, she noticed the fabric of her suit was ripped open from the knee down, as thick blood gushed out through the open wound. The cut was deep, but she didn't have time to dress the wound and make sure it didn't do any further damage.

She then tried to get herself to an upright position while holding her head in her hands, to ease the throbbing pain, but to no avail.

The rain was beginning to get heavier and she could barely hear her own thoughts over the raindrops hitting the asphalt aggressively. She had somehow managed to lean her back against the cold brick wall that was behind her for support.

The pain was getting worse by the minute and she could feel warm liquid dripping down the side of her face and onto her chest. Swiping her hand across it, she looked down at her hand which was now covered in blood.

She closed her eyes and leaned back, her body limp with exhaustion. She needed to rest and restore her energy levels.

She sat there for several minutes with her eyes closed while the pain in her head continued to grow, with blood dripping from her face and leg.

She knew she couldn't stay sitting there suffering in pain. She knew they would come after her. She knew that this was an extremely dangerous mission and all about the consequences she would face after agreeing to it. She knew that this was her mission and her mission alone, but all the while she knew that she didn't have a chance against them in her current state.

She was deep in thought, trying to figure out what to do and where to go to tend to her wounds but was suddenly interrupted by footsteps echoing in the distance, slowly making their way to where she was sitting. The sound was faint but with superhearing, one would be able to distinguish it from the heavy raindrops falling on the pavement.

She then quickly opened her eyes and tried to get up, but the excruciating pain was still making itself known to her and she slumped back down on the pavement.

As the footsteps were getting closer, she could make out another pair of footsteps coming from the same direction the first ones were. She listened closely as the clicking sound of high heels on asphalt echoed in the dark empty alleyway, sending shivers through her body. She knew they were coming for her.

She knew she had to act fast if she wanted to make it out of there alive tonight. Her mind basically screamed at her to get up and run but her body remained stiff and unmoving.

Her mind began to whirl, her heart was beating fast, the pain that she had once felt was now becoming unbearable. The footsteps were coming closer, the sound of heavy shoes slamming against the ground, splashing through puddles of rain, accompanied by a pair of high heels strutting down the pavement. It was obvious that they were approaching her slowly.

She tried scanning the nearby area using her x-ray vision to get a glimpse of the remaining distance between the approaching footsteps and herself but the sharp, stabbing pain in her head was growing more and more intense and she couldn't bring herself to do it.

She was injured and weak, her powers fading due to blood loss. Alone and helpless with nowhere to hide in a pitch-black alley, footsteps echoing louder than ever only a few meters away.

Her eyes grew misty, her vision blurred, and she rubbed them to keep tears from coming. Thoughts began clashing her mind, but she wouldn't cry, not today. It would be weak to give in to her emotions so readily.

She had put up a decent fight and she was not going to back down now. She couldn't rely on her legs any longer, but it didn't mean that she wasn't capable of fighting back.

Her energy levels were still dangerously low, which meant that she wasn't able to perform any elemental attacks that required a great deal of energy. The loss of blood and the ever-present pain in the back of her head were not helping either. She needed to heal up.

Looking frantically around in the darkness, trying to locate her attacker's whereabouts, she spotted a small window at the far end of the alley. A basement perhaps. Why hadn't she noticed it before?

This was her chance.

She thought of using the last bits of energy left in her system to make a run for it, but as she was planning to make a quick dash across the street to the window, she realized she couldn't hear the footsteps any longer.

Her heartbeat quickened when the footsteps suddenly stopped. There was absolute silence for a couple of minutes, except for the sound of heavy rain hitting the pavement.

Maybe they hadn't seen her, she thought to herself. Maybe they had given up on her. Maybe they thought she had succumbed to her wounds.

She sat in the rain, looking down at her injured leg which was bleeding more heavily than before. The thought of calling for backup had already once crossed her mind, but she knew they couldn't reach her in time. Her phone being gone, and her communicator crushed from the previous attacks left her without much of a chance of survival.

She didn't plan this, she thought. The attack came so fast that she didn't have enough time to give the headquarters a heads up on her location. Situations like these were just something she had to accept when she agreed to become a field agent. It was part of the job.

This wasn't the first time she had done something like this. Spying on high-profile targets was what she was trained to do. What she was expected to do given her supernatural abilities. It was in her blood.

It was however, the first time she had ever been caught red-handed treading enemy territory. She didn't even know what gave her position away, but it wasn't important. Now her only concern had to be escape, to avoid capture at all costs.

The last thing she remembered was that she was given direct orders to abort the mission and retreat to headquarters immediately. That's when the communication between her and her team broke.

The suspicious silence grew as she sat there in the pouring rain, back against the wall, face still glued to her leg. Adrenaline began pumping through her veins and despite what she was always told not to do, she was panicking. She was afraid of what might happen if she decided to look up.

Was she safe or was she a goner, she thought to herself. Would they strike immediately, or would they let her suffer in pain? Was there a chance, any chance at all that she could escape them, escape torture and death?

When she finally decided to look up, she felt like a hundred pounds just fell directly at her chest. Her shoulders shaking, her body soaked, but her blood-drenched face angled up to the two tall figures in front of her, merely inches away.

The shadowy figures just stood there like statues, looming over her in silence. She couldn't make out their features, but she could see their eyes, one pair glowing crimson red and the other cobalt blue in the darkness.

She noted that one of them was a good few inches shorter and if her suspicions were correct, the short figure belonged to a woman. The same woman, whose heels she had heard just moments before, echoing sharply in the dim alleyway.

"How long have they been standing there?", she thought. "Why haven't they attacked me yet?"

Before she could think to move, a hand came out of the shadows, gripped her throat roughly and threw her against the opposite wall with such force that it knocked the wind from her lungs. Her bruised and bloodied body fell helplessly hard onto the ground with a loud thud.

She clenched her teeth as her head exploded with pain from the sudden impact, but she didn't scream. She was desperately trying to breathe, every organ in her body was searching for air and she couldn't get her lungs to work. Her energy levels were completely drained at this point.

She desperately wanted to rip off the hot and stuffy mask, which was covering her face, in an attempt to regain her breathing. But as she was about to get up, a firm, dark shoe had stepped up to her face. He was hovering over her now.

Suddenly he grabbed her chin in a punishing grip and jerked her face up to his. Now she was facing him, her face only inches from his.

Her vision was blurry, but she immediately took detailed note of the man. His features were hidden by darkness, a black hood was slid over his face but didn't cover his eyes as she could see two piercing blue orbs staring intensely back at her, filled with anger and rage. Sticking out from under the hood were strands of long blond hair.

"Did you really think you could escape us?", said the voice from the shadows, deep and mocking. "How incredibly stupid of you."

She blinked in surprise, "He sounded young, far too young."

His eyes narrowed and his grip on her chin tightened. She could feel some kind of power emanating from his touch. It didn't feel right.

"And that little fight you put up there earlier, that was just pathetic", said the man as he let go of her face, causing her to slump down against the wall behind her.

Her chin was sore from his grip, and she could feel a nasty bruise forming. The man then stood up; his intense gaze still fixed on her.

"Who do you work for?", asked a stern and commanding voice from the shadows.

It came from the woman, who had finally moved from her position at the opposite wall and stepped forward through the darkness and pouring rain. Her features were hidden as well except for her eyes, an unusual colour, burning with scarlet in the night.

She ignored the question and just sat there blinking at the woman, like a wide-eyed deer caught in headlights. Her mind scrambling for a plan.

"Fucking answer her, dammit!", demanded the man, violently shaking her fragile form.

Her head continued to throb. She felt a pressure in her skull and behind her eyes as small and blurry spots started to cloud her vision.

"Based on what I saw earlier, I suspect that you're not an average cop. Your reflexes were fast, too fast for a cop that is", said the woman observantly, breaking the eerie silence.

"You dodged the attacks pretty sloppily, injured yourself and somehow still managed to sprint away? Now, there's something you don't see every day", smirked the woman, throwing a glance at the man beside her.

The man chuckled as he finally looked up from the beaten and bruised girl at his feet.

The woman then took a step closer and squatted down to her level. "Let's just say, that's not something we're used to", said the woman flashing her a menacing grin.

As they locked eyes, she felt a sudden, soul-shattering chill. She looked straight into the evilest eyes she had ever seen, burning holes right through the back of her head. It was like staring into the eyes of the devil himself.

The thought terrified her as she sat there on the wet asphalt, shivering in the cold rain. The woman was silent for a while, staring suspiciouslyat the girl in front of her, studying her intently with her burning gaze.

And that's when it hit her.

Suddenly her face stiffened, and her eyes tensed. She grabbed the mask and briskly pulled it off, revealing her long locks of golden hair, stained with blood gushing from her head wound.

A pair of blue eyes caught her attention, the colour of a perfect spring sky. In that moment she was certain she saw something behind them. Something she had once seen before, but she couldn't put her finger on what this was reminding her of. She'd figure that out later.

"You're almost out of Chemical X" said the woman coldly, flashing a quick glance at the girl's injured leg.

The man behind her stiffened upon hearing the all so familiar name of the substance and shot the woman a worried glance.

Her eyes widened and her blood ran cold as realization struck. "How did she know?", she asked herself mentally, trying her best not to panic. "I didn't use any elemental attacks, so there is no way they could have gotten it from there."

"I can sense it", her mental question was subconsciously answered.

"See the blood running out of your wound?" asked the woman pointing at her damaged leg. "That's Chemical X leaving your body alongside your powers. I didn't notice it before, but now it all makes sense."

"Now I know for sure you aren't a cop", said the woman as she stood up.

"Hold on! So, what you're telling me is that she's-", asked the man confused but was interrupted. "A Chemical X being, exactly", answered the woman coldly not looking away from the girl. The two figures were once again looming over her small form.

"How interesting, he didn't mention there were any left", continued the woman as she put a finger to her chin. "But by the looks of it, that's not going to change any time soon" she smirked. "Her body doesn't have enough X to heal her wounds, she'll be out soon."

She felt the woman's burning red gaze on her and she got the feeling that she was smirking at her expense. It was obvious that she was at their mercy, tired and miserable, holding on to the last bits of energy left in her system.

"Now in light of our latest discovery, I'm going to ask you again-", said the woman calmly as she crossed her arms, the certain warning undertone in her voice was unmistakable. "Who do you work for?"

She was silent.

She had made a promise that never under any circumstances would she reveal herself or her employer, even if they tried to force it from her. Even if they beat her senseless and left her for dead. There was so much more at stake.

It had taken her team months to finally track them down and even longer to come up with a safe plan to gain additional information regarding their identities and possible ties to a newly formed criminal organization, which was suspected to engage in various illegal activities and was even said to be linked with foreign terrorist groups.

She was almost certain its members consisted of high-profile targets and other dangerous offenders, whom she had come across at some point during her work in A.S.H.T.O.N.

But she had no proof or even the slightest amount of evidence to back her theory up. It was just a hunch.

It wasn't her job to make assumptions though. Her job was to simply gather information on illegal activities concerning "people of interest", report them and remain invisible.

But she failed. She failed badly and she could never forgive herself if the whole operation blew up just because of her mistake.

"Because I know for a fact that you aren't the only little pest that has been snooping on us for the last couple of months, trying to intervene with our work", "she pointed out, her tone more serious. "There are more of you out there. Others like you."

Her eyes widened at the last part and she opened her mouth, trying to protest, but no words came out. She remained silent.

"Still not in the mood to talk?" asked the woman as she stepped forward and motioned for the man to get closer to the blonde as well.

He understood immediately without being told directly and made his way slowly towards the girl. He knew exactly what she had ordered him to do.

Unable to find her voice, she continued to sit there in silence. Completely silent. Not one word escaping her trembling lips.

"Shame," the woman whispered, an odd note in her voice. "I guess we're done here-"

Without a moment to spare, he grabbed her hair and yanked her to her feet, throwing her back against the wall that was behind her with a slam. The man then grabbed her by the throat with both hands but instead of strangling her, he just held them there for a good moment or two.

She kept her eyes tightly closed as she waited for his next move, shivering slightly in his firm grip. Her head pulsing and throbbing with immense pain.

But the attack never came.

She waited for what seemed like an eternity before she dared to open her eyes and look back into her assailant's ice-cold stare, for that was all that she could see. Their eyes met for a moment before he tightened his grip, making her wince.

She struggled to get free as he kept a firm grip around her throat. He then lifted her up from the floor, her legs dangling in the air, as he added more pressure, keeping her pressed against the wall.

And then it happened.

She screamed at the top of her lungs as electricity jolted through her body, her cries of agony echoing through the empty alleyway. Her body jerking and constricting in his hardened grip.

Her eyes squeezed shut on her own as lightning began to burn her skin. Her piercing screams could be heard for miles as electricity bled through her body, jolts of blue lightning striking sharp against her muscles.

His face held no expression as he held her up against the wall, hands still clasped around her throat, sending jolt after jolt though her almost lifeless body.

But it stopped as soon as it began. He dropped her.

Her head collided hard with the ground as her muscles started to spasm uncontrollably. Her body was slowly shutting down, but she was still conscious.

Drops trickled down her face, rain and tears mixed together, accompanied by a few drops of blood every now and then, blurring her vision even more. She kept her head down. The voices coming from above seemed distant now.

Her eyelids felt heavy and her body felt weak. She was struggling to remain conscious, let alone defend herself, but it was a battle she was losing.

Her wounds were deep, and she had lost so much blood which meant her chances of survival were non-existent now. Not that she had a chance to begin with.

It then dawned on her that they weren't going to kill her, they were simply waiting for her to succumb to her injuries.

"She's almost out of it", smirked the man at the slumped girl at his feet. "Who would have thought that a couple of hits and a wave of thunder would do the trick. Almost too easy."

"A little too easy, indeed" said the woman disappointedly as she turned away from the girl and started making her way through the abandoned alleyway, her heels clicking across the puddles of rain.

"Hey! Aren't we going to watch the ending?" asked the man surprised. "I'm sure it'll be over soon."

"No, we're leaving", answered the woman without a glance at his direction.

"Aw, come on. You're usually not so soft on the job", whined the man in response. "I could even speed it up for her. Give her another shocker. You know, put her out of her misery-"

"I said, we're leaving so stop fucking around and let's get the hell out of here!" snapped the woman, stopping shortly in her tracks, her red eyes glowing briefly at him from over her shoulder.

"Gotcha", he threw his hands up in defeat and started walking away from the girl. "Kind of a weird feeling not having to dirty your hands huh. It's been a while."

She completely ignored his remark and kept on walking.

He suddenly came to a halt and asked her bluntly, "Wait, what about the body?"

"Let this be a message to whomever sent her to keep their fucking noses out of our business", said the woman darkly as she turned on her heel and vanished in the darkness, leaving behind only a small trail of red light.

"Whatever you say", he followed suit, disappearing in burst of blue.

She didn't notice them leave. She didn't notice anything anymore, not even the pain. Her broken body lying on the cold ground.

As she laid there in the abandoned alleyway, eyes drawn to the dark and stormy sky above, tears also started to fall together with the rain hitting her face. With her head tilted to the side she closed her eyes and whimpered softly: "Mission failed-"

And then it came rushing in, the darkness, claiming her for its own.

It was over.