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CinderCinder peered into the belly of the parade float, studying the giant gears for moving the wheels and the mechanisms that shot confetti and balloons into the air. She scowled as she struggled to find anything that didn't match the blueprint overlaying her vision. Her scowl only deepened when she failed.
Not that she'd expected this job to be easy. Not even the Rampion engineers could figure out what was wrong with the float, and they were prodigies! All they knew was that one moment the float was working as normal and the next it just refused to do anything. It just wouldn't move, and it had become Cinder's job to find out why, preferably before the actual parade started up.
Crawling over to one of the huge gears, Cinder gave it an experimental heave. The mechanism moved fairly easily and with minimal noise. That ruled out rust then. She checked the blueprint again and went over to the vehicle's engine. When she reached it, she opened up the pistons and felt around inside. No blockages.
Cinder started to wriggle her way to the fuel tank. The Rampion engineers had assured her that the float had plenty of juice, but Cinder just wanted to check it anyway. Maybe the fuel had been tampered with or something?
When the tank came into view, Cinder removed her right glove and placed her bare hand onto the surface of the tank. It was cold, freezing actually. And if Cinder knew anything about machines, it's that they were never freezing.
She opened up the tank and peered inside, allowing herself a small cry of triumph. The tank was full alright, but the fuel was frozen solid. No wonder it wasn't operating. Some cheeky prodigy, Snowstorm perhaps, must have thought it would be funny.
Although this now posed a tricky problem. Cinder couldn't very well melt the ice with a blowtorch or call a fire elemental in. The fuel will catch fire and the whole float will go up in flames. And it wasn't just the surface of the fuel that was frozen either, it was the entire tank, so Cinder couldn't just break the ice either.
She frowned to herself, frustrated by this tricky problem that some silly prodigy had given her.
She stayed there for a few minutes, scowling at the tank of frozen fuel, when a solution finally popped into her head. She started to crawl her way back out the float, pride blooming inside her at having figured out how to fix what not even trained prodigies could. It's true, Cinder herself was also a prodigy, but her abilities didn't specifically grant her gift for mechanics, like a technopath's would. Really the only way they helped was that she could download blueprints. Actually figuring out how to fix a problem, that was all her.
Cinder flinched as the sunlight hit her eyes and took a few moments to rapidly blink away the offending brightness. Once her eyes fully adjusted, she got to her feet and looked around for a Rampion to report her findings to.
"Did you figure out what was wrong?"
Cinder glanced up to see a teenage boy wearing the Rampion uniform, maybe a little older than her, with dark hair that fell slightly into his eyes, which were a beautiful soft copper colour. In moments, Cinder's scanner had automatically recognised the image of his face and connected her to the net database, sending information marching across her vision in uniform green text:
KAITO ROYAL/THE DIPLOMAT
BORN 7 APR 2001 C.E. TO RIKAN ROYAL/THE EMPEROR AND CHRYS ROYAL/THE EMPRESS (DECEASED)
STATUS: PRODIGY, WEAK TELEPATHIC ABILITY
Cinder blinked away the information and stood up a little straighter. "Yes Mr Royal. Some cryogenic prodigy decided it would be funny to freeze up the fuel tank. Pouring some boiling water into it should melt the ice, but it'd be best if you brought the tank out of the float first, just in case it overflows."
"So it'll still be alright for the parade?"
"You might have to delay it for a bit, but it should be fine."
The Diplomat breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks a bunch. This is kinda the most important float in the parade so it was really worrying when no one could figure out what was wrong with it. How much do we owe you?"
Cinder waved away the question. "Don't worry about it Mr Royal. It was my honour."
The Diplomat looked a little bit uncomfortable with this, but it didn't stop the amused grin spreading across his face as he replied, "Please, call me Kai. "Mr Royal" is my dad."
Embarrassment rushed through Cinder and warnings about increases in internal temperature scrolled across her vision. She fidgeted with the hem of her glove and replied awkwardly. "Of course, Mr-err, I mean, Kai. Sorry." Kai looked suspiciously like he was trying not to laugh.
"Cinder!"
Cinder's head instinctively snapped up at the sound of her name being called. She was met with the sight of a dark-skinned girl with golden eyes and blue hair tied up in hundreds of braids running towards her.
She grinned at the blue-haired girl and gave her a small wave. "Hey Iko. How's life as a Rampion?"
Iko smiled back as she finally reached her and replied ecstatically. "Amazing! It's like every day there's more bad guys to beat up! I think it's safe to say that most of them live in fear of Android now." She flipped some of her braids over her shoulder proudly as she said this.
"You two know each other?" Kai asked suddenly, gesturing at both girls.
Iko threw an arm around Cinder's shoulders and replied casually, "This is my adoptive sister, Cinder."
Kai grinned and his eyes lit up with recognition. Cinder's stomach immediately started tying itself up in knots when that happened. Kai knew about her? Did he know she was a prodigy? What made her a prodigy?
"So this is the famous Cinder! Pleasure to meet you!" Kai stuck out his hand for her to shake. She took it tentatively, making sure to use her right hand.
"Iko's always talking about you. She's my teammate by the way. She clearly wasn't exaggerating when she said you were the best mechanic in New Beijing!"
Cinder managed a weak smile at the praise, though her heart was pounding with fear. What exactly has Iko told this guy?
"Well, I'd better get to my position. I'll leave you two to chat for a while before dragging Iko over to hers. It was great meeting you Cinder! I hope to see you again soon! Maybe at the trials later this week." Kai grinned one last time before walking off. As soon as he was out of earshot, Cinder whipped around to face Iko, opening her mouth to voice her fears.
"No, I didn't tell him you're a prodigy." Iko assured her before she could find her voice. "Honestly Cinder, what do you take me for? Some kind of gossip?"
"I just don't want you to go spilling all my secrets is all."
"Being a prodigy isn't something to be ashamed of!" Iko exclaimed with a roll of her golden eyes. "Heck, our kind are practically worshipped! You should show off your prodigy-ness, not do everything in your power to hide it!"
Now it was Cinder's turn to roll her eyes. "Iko, roughly 50% of the world's population still thinks that prodigies are dangerous, unnatural beings that deserve to be locked up, or even killed! Besides, I'm not a prodigy like you are, or like Kai, or any other Rampion! My abilities aren't natural like yours! They're synthetic, mechanical!"
To prove her point, Cinder whipped off her left glove, holding up her bare hand for Iko to see, to remind her that it wasn't flesh and bone.
Cinder's left hand was robotic. It had no nerve endings, no veins and no sinew, only metal, wires and mechanical joints. The same was true for her left leg. She had a built-in power cell to keep her body functioning, like a second heart. She had synthetic eyes with facial-recognition scanners and retinal display allowing her to see newsfeeds and statistics downloaded via the net-link in her brain. Part of her skull had been cut away, replaced with a metal panel that opened up to reveal a complicated mess of wires and even an access-point for plug-ins in case she needed to download data from her memory bank to another device, or convert power to or from her own cell. It was all necessary.
When she was eleven, Cinder had been involved in a car crash that took her parents lives and very nearly hers. It was only because of all these technological features that she was alive today, not only alive but technically a prodigy!
But it didn't change the fact that Cinder wasn't normal, even among prodigies. Some prodigies, like Iko, were born with their abilities. Others gained them later in life by some freakish accident. But none of them, at least, as far as Cinder knew, were prodigies because their bodies were merged with technology. It was all purely biological. Strange, but biological.
Iko face-palmed in response to Cinder's protests. "Cinder, these are prodigies we're talking about!" Iko told her frustratedly, "Nothing it weird for them! I mean, look at me!"
A ripple seemed to pass over Iko's body, and her dark skin became shiny and grey. "I can turn into metal! And Kai can sort-of read minds! And don't forget the Council! The Emperor can lift whole buildings, Crime Minister shoots golden energy beams, President Star makes throwing stars appear out of thin air, Primal can manipulate all the elements of nature, Crown Jewel can turn her body into, well, jewel, and General Thunder controls wind and lightning! All prodigies can do something that makes them weird. To us, weird is normal! So stop thinking you'll never belong with us and start realising that you belong with us more than anyone else!"
Cinder put her glove back on and rubbed her arm uncertainly. "That's all well and good Iko, but-"
"No buts!" Iko interrupted furiously, "Listen, New Beijing is holding Rampion trials in, like, two days. You are going to apply and you're going to show the world what you can do!"
"What?" Cinder cried, eyes widening, "Iko, I can't apply! I don't even want to be a Rampion!"
"But I do want you to be!" Iko suddenly deflated and placed her metal hands heavily on Cinder's shoulders. Her eyes were pleading as she looked at her. "Please Cinder. This is your chance. Your chance to get away from Adri, to stop feeling like you have to hide all the time. And really… I just want to be around my best friend. My sister."
Cinder stared at Iko. Her mouth opened and closed like a goldfish, no words coming out.
Iko sighed and removed her hands, finally turning back into flesh. "Just think about it okay?" With one last pleading look, she trudged off, presumably to her security post. Cinder stared after her for a few moments before walking away herself to join the thick crowds that have gathered to watch the parade.
As the floats passed by, Cinder cheered and booed along with everyone else, even though she couldn't muster quite as much enthusiasm.
She was sixteen, old enough to remember the Blood Moon Time, when a group of prodigies known to the world as the Lunars finally grew fed-up with the unfair treatment they, and every other prodigy, received. They revolted against society, toppling governments, destroying whole settlements, and overall causing chaos. During this time, the world became full-on dog-eat-dog, neighbours stealing from neighbours, family killing family, friends selling out friends. Everyone did whatever was needed to survive. And during this time, the Lunars lived like royalty.
The Blood Moon Time lasted for nearly a decade, but it was during this time that the Rampions were born, a group of vigilante prodigies bent on toppling the Lunars and restoring order to the world. And finally, when Cinder would have been around six, they succeeded. They killed the leader of the Lunars, Starstriker, though now the world new her real name to be Channary Blackburn, and the remaining Lunars went into hiding.
Cinder should have remembered, but due to the invasive surgeries she undertook after the car crash, everything that happened before was a complete blank, and her childhood didn't feature hearing heroic tales of the Rampions as much as some of the other people in the crowd.
Finally, last but most certainly not least, came the Council's float, the one Cinder had fixed.
For this one, if only because of some personal connection she now felt to the float, Cinder managed to pour in just a little more energy as she cheered.
The float was draped in royal blue silk and confetti, fire and what Cinder was pretty sure was melted chocolate sprayed out of the nozzles strategically placed on the edge of the float. And standing on the thirty-foot tall pillars, was the original Rampion team, the Council.
There was General Thunder, manipulating a tornado around his pillar and tossing lighting into the air as if it was nothing more than party streamers. Crown Jewel, holding her arms up so that they caught the light, refracting it into rainbows that bounced off her glimmering skin. Primal, who was doing a bizarre juggling act with fire, water, earth, air, ice and lighting. President Star, who was doing something similar with his "throwing stars" that were composed of silver energy and whirled around him in response to his mere thoughts. Crime Minister, who only made her palms glow softly with golden energy as she stood on her pillar, composed as a statue. And finally the Emperor, waving to the crowds with an easy smile on his face. Kai's father.
The screeches around Cinder grew deafening and she adjusted her audio interface so it became nothing more than a soft humming. Allowing herself an ounce of smugness, she studied the Emperor.
He had Kai's dark hair, though whereas Kai's was slightly tousled, the Emperor's was neatly combed. But that was the only similarity as far as Cinder could see. The Emperor's eyes were dark grey as opposed to Kai's soft copper. His shoulders were much broader and his general build much heavier.
Downloading a picture of Kai's mother, the Empress, onto her retina display, Cinder started analysing that for similarities instead. She didn't have to look hard.
Kai shared his mother's eyes, her gentle features and her slight build. Cinder found herself smiling at the picture, and feeling a tinge of grief at the Empress's death during the Blood Moon Time.
She blinked the picture away and was about to turn her attention back to the floats, when she realised the humming was gone. The crowds weren't cheering. Figuring she must have turned down her audio interface completely by mistake, Cinder gradually turned it up again, wary of the deafening volume of the crowds. It wasn't until she reached 50% that she realised something was wrong.
Cinder glanced around at the crowds and saw that their lips were tightly pressed together, their arms set stiffly by their sides. They looked like soldiers, except for their wide, confused, terrified eyes.
Someone laughed in a voice that reminded Cinder of tinkling bells. She glanced around, looking for the source. Turning up her audio interface, Cinder's confusion only grew when she realised the laughter was coming from above.
"Who are you, and why do you interrupt this celebration?" The Emperor's face contorted with fury as he glared at someone standing somewhere behind Cinder. Following his gaze, she found herself looking at a group of four people standing atop a nearby building.
One had wavy dark hair and eyes so dark Cinder could swear they were black. He didn't look physically strong, but he had a confident air about him that put Cinder on edge. Another had dark skin and a smile so irritatingly smug that Cinder wanted to punch it off with her metal fist, but was put off by the cold light shining in his piercing eyes. Another was a tall, beautiful woman, with black hair that reached all the way down to her waist and honeyed skin, though her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. As to what the final person looked like, Cinder hadn't the foggiest idea, since a sheer veil completely covered her face.
The tinkling laughter came again, and Cinder could only assume it came from the woman in the veil, since the other four didn't so much as blink.
"Why, my dear Emperor," The woman said sweetly, bringing a palm up to her chest in mock offence, "don't you recognise me?"
"I would if you weren't such a coward that you wouldn't show your face!" the Emperor snarled back.
"Oh there's no need for insults Emperor." The woman sounded amused as she waved one hand nonchalantly, "I merely wanted to discuss a few things, where all the public could see us."
The Council had stopped using their powers for show now and were readying themselves for a fight. Cinder watched with no small amount of awe as they easily turned what had been merely pretty displays before into weapons for battle. This is what real prodigies were capable of: defending the weak and innocent against those who would do them harm. Meanwhile, all Cinder had was a gift with mechanics and a built-in connection to the internet. Yeah, real superhero material.
The woman in the veil waved down the Council's open show of hostility, showing absolutely no concern over being challenged by these forces of nature.
"Please, we're not here to fight. Like I already told you, I merely want to talk."
The woman threw her arms out wide, gesturing to the people standing beside her.
"We are the Lunars. Before you start attacking us, let me tell you now that we have no wish of restarting the Blood Moon Time. After all, it nearly let to our extinction. No, all we have are a few requests for you."
"And these are?" The Emperor asked warily.
Cinder could imagine the woman (a Lunar, she thought with a shudder) smiling under her veil.
"The Rampions are the most powerful government in the world, with headquarters in every country on Earth. So, here is our proposition to you. You give us complete dominion over one of the world's continents of our choosing, and we won't restart the Blood Moon Time."
Crown Jewel scoffed at this and eyed the woman disdainfully. "Restart the Blood Moon Time? With only four people? Don't make me laugh!"
"Oh this isn't all of us." The woman assured her, "We are merely the main leaders of the group. In reality we number about 2 000 strong, and we continue to grow. And if you still believe we are not a force to be reckoned with…"
She held out a hand to the dark-haired woman standing beside her, who immediately placed something small inside. The woman in the veil held it aloft, and Cinder could see that it was a vial attached to a chain, filled with some sort of red substance.
"This is a single dose of a little project we have been working on for some time. It has the capability of magnifying a prodigy's powers by as much as fifty times and has already been administered to at least half of our army."
"Your bluffing." President Star yelled up at her, though Cinder was unsettled at the tinge of uncertainty in his voice.
"Are you really willing to take that chance?" The woman asked him coldly. "I will give you two months to ponder what you've learned today. But know this: the longer you wait, the more our army grows and the more prodigies we empower."
"Who are you, to make such demands?" the Emperor demanded.
The woman finally lowered the vial. "I am Levana Blackburn, sister to Channary Blackburn and queen of the Lunars. When you have reached a decision, meet us right here under a full moon. And don't even think about staging an attack. As you can see," Levana paused to gesture to the frozen crowd, "I'm very capable in the art of mind-control."
With that, Levana nodded to her dark-skinned ally, and he spread his hands and shut his eyes in concentration. The four of them seemed to flicker for a moment, and then were gone, leaving nothing behind but their ominous warning.
Cinder stared at the spot where they had been standing and an involuntary shudder ran down her spine. Something told her that the Rampions were going to have their hands full with these guys.
A/N: And here's the first chapter of my latest story! The idea came to me when I was reading Renegades a few days ago and I started imagining what the Lunar Chronicles characters would be like with superpowers and… here we are! Care to guess what characters the Council are based on? Or what are the powers of Levana's right-hand Lunars? If any of you are confused by Kai's power, I'll explain it further in later chapters ;) . Next chappie is a glimpse into Cinder's home life! What does her family think of all that happened at the parade? Will Cinder enter into the Rampion trials? It'll all be in the next chapter. Please review!