A Change
A hospital in Los Angeles
31 October 1990
4 A.M
Eva Saber lay asleep in her hospital bed.
She had just given birth to her daughter, Nova Alejandra Saber. An exotic name, but she is exotic, as is Nova's Mother. Her lover works at café in a coffee shop, bang in the middle of LA. She owns the place but works on the counter. She has luscious crimson locks and orange eyes (she wears contacts for green eyes), taller than average,(coming from a giant), a light tan, and fit. We shared a few coffees, until I officially asked her out on a date, it developed from there, until we came out together… in both ways, we publicly said we were dating and revealed our identities.
A virgin Goddess, by the name of Hestia, was dating an Egyptian magician – water elemental – and mutant capable of talking to animals and plants. After a long argument, Eva convinced her to grow a dick and get her pregnant, and stick around as Tiana, the owner of the café.
After nine long months filled with apple tarts(her comfort food) and rants about nosy love deities, they got to the hospital, with Hestia by her side(the mist is a wonderful thing). Turns out having a goddess by your side makes birth an amazingly easy thing. The nurses presented the baby to the couple, after 1 hour of cooing and comparing, the nurses finally managed to take Nova to make sure she is healthy.
Eva went to sleep, and Hestia went to have a chat with the nosier deities.
Nova is a demigod daughter of Eva Saber (a mutant magician) and Hestia (a Goddess), this means half of her genetic code is written.
The mortal (mutant) half.
The godly half gives demigods their power, it was detected by mortal scientists. It also led to a living hellish journey for young Nova.
-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-
Jeb Batchelder practically vibrated in silent joy. He found another one! Another child with one-half of typical DNA and one-half gold. A perfect candidate for his employers' more…unsavoury experiments.
He turned to the 'nurses' behind him, "Prepare this one for transport," pointing to the girl. Then the room's light reflected off his lenses, hiding his eyes from view, "And take care of the woman." The doctors' unnatural good looks and wolfish grins told Jeb what these beings really were.
Erasers.
A female Eraser outfitted in a standard nurse's uniform walked into Eva's room, syringe in hand. The new mother had woken up sometime prior and asked what happened to her daughter. "Everything is perfectly fine. She's a healthy baby girl with a strong set of lungs."
At the beautiful woman's smile, immediately Eva felt reassured, "Oh, thank Heaven. Wait, what are you doing?" Her voice became panicked when she saw the nurse inject a syringe into her IV.
"Everything is perfectly fine." The nurse's smile turned sinister as she injected the syringe's contents.
Eva's eyes began to dim as the poison did its job. Fear gripped her heart. What were they going to do to her daughter!? Then sadness ripped through her like a knife. She would never take care of her girl. She would never see her grow up. She would never change her diapers, never get to potty train her, nor console her when he had an accident. She would never send her off to school, never prepare her for her first date, nor see her graduate. She would never help her choose a college, never help her pick a job, nor see her success. She would never meet her partner, never see her married…nor would she ever have grandchildren. She would never get to be a mother.
She saw a winged man and a young teenager arguing, got up and reached out to both to settle their dispute. She disappeared into nothingness with "Hestia" on her lips.
-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-
Hestia was having a chat with some other goddesses about her family.
Aphrodite discovered her relation as she is the goddess of love, Hera did similarly as she is the goddess of family. Artemis realised she would be a father. Styx discovered it due to a partially broken oath( she understood there was a loophole but didn't like it.
Hestia was daydreaming about the joys of motherhood and was so lost that she didn't any changes in her domain, until she was nudged out of her state by Hera mentioning "Those are strong emotional bonds, you have with Eva."
"Probably because I really do love Ev…" She disappeared before she could finish, as she noticed the feelings from love, to mourning.
Appearing in the corridor, she reached into her domain of family to get a better estimate on the locations on Eva and Nova.
Nothing.
From either.
She collapsed onto the bed inhabited by Eva's body, and slowly broke down, until she fell asleep with her head resting on Eva's stomach. This was the scene, her fellow goddesses walked in on, and quickly assessed what happened. "What do we do?" Styx (lacking experience with human interaction) broke the silence.
"Hades, can you come here please?" Hera asked of her elder brother, it took a few minutes for said deity to appear, (why are hospitals so well illuminated) by walking through the door.
"What do you want today queen-oh" he turned to his sister with an expectant air.
"Hestia and her lover, Eva Saber, had a daughter Nova, Eva is dead, Nova is somewhere, alive or dead, can you narrow it down a bit more." Styx stated neutrally, causing her to wince at the glares received from the goddesses.
"Eva died of poisoning, but she did not completely go to our afterlife, whilst Nova, was it?" He received nods from the goddesses. "Nova is still alive."
Hades received sighs from the ladies with his announcement, after a minute Hera asked the group " Should we tell the council?" – a weird mix of noises – "A vote then?" they agreed, with Aphrodite, Artemis, Hades, and Hera saying yes, whilst Styx didn't give a shit. They departed with Hades picking up Hestia.
-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-
Appearing in the Olympic Throne room, Hades led Styx to the Hearth, where he lay Hestia by the Hearth, with her head laying on Styx's lap, he sat next to Styx and tended to the fire. The other deities made their way to their thrones, and Artemis shot a light arrow into the dark sky above her.
It took a few minutes for all of the gods, to appear with Zeus of course appearing last " why have you summoned us here daughter?!" He demanded like a brat demanding sweets from their parents.
Shadows appeared over the faces and bodies of those who didn't know what was happening, whilst Hades spoke up, "Those will stay on until we have finished the story, and everyone is calm." His statement was given no room for argument. The goddess who knew what happened explained what happened and how they knew, the story was regularly interrupted due to jealous bouts of rage, and overcontrolling from a certain king.
Eventually everyone calmed down and looked at Hades for freedom, Hades grumbled but acquiesced to their demands. A chorus of : 'How dare she break her oath,' 'Poor Hestia,' 'I have a niece, I'm an aunt,' 'Can I fuck her now?' Ares simultaneously received a lightning bolt, a torrent water, arrows to his crotch and head, a few bonks on the head, strung up by plants, a bident around the neck( and a fear of the dark), and finally a fireball to the crotch and his clothes lit on fire. The deities looked at where the last attack came from. They saw Hestia sobbing into the shoulder of The Lord of the Underworld, with their sister's awakening, Demeter and Hera got up to comfort their eldest sister.
Eventually Hestia's tear ducts emptied, the Goddesses, and God stayed sitting with their grieving sister.
"Now that we've all calmed down," Gazes turned to Athena, "We need to discuss what the plan is. Eva Jackson was poisoned, by unknowns, and her and Hestia's child, Nova, was taken by most likely the same people, the reason for this is likely her genetic code." At her family's blank and confused looks Athena expanded, "The genetic code of a demigod is different from mortals, they have four nitrogenous bases: adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine. Thymine connects to adenine, and guanine connects to cytosine, forming the double-helix called DNA." Still receiving some blank looks, Athena sighed, "Look it up when you can."
"Anyway demigods are born from the gametes of a mortal, and the essence of a god, their double-helix is half normal and… half god." Nods received, Athena continued, "If he was taken by mortals, they likely know about this, but probably not why this happens, which means they will still be checking, putting our children at risk." The deities gave her terrified looks, "I propose we enforce the mist, and use Artemis' domain of childhood, to post satyrs, and nature spirits to overlook new-born demigods."
-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-
Zeus and Artemis agreed with Athena. "All in favour: Say 'I'." A chorus of I's greeted his ears. "All opposed?" Resounding silence. Zeus raised his bolt into the air, lighting erupting from the tip. "We shall summon Hecate later to iron out the details of this arrangement."
"And Nova?"
Zeus answered immediately, "We shall scour the globe. All of us," Zeus gazed at the Olympians, his electric eyes daring any to challenge his command, "Nothing shall be overlooked, no location unexplored until every square inch has been discovered." He stood from his throne, authority oozing from his form. The Olympians rose in tandem with each other, following their King's example. "Now go forth, search for our missing family member! Do not return until you've found something to follow!"
The deities as a collective disappeared, hell-bent on finding their niece/cousin, Hestia remained sitting with Styx.
"Styx," she received a quiet 'hmm' "Can I hug you?"
"Fine, but I have work to do." She received a nod on the shoulder, and the two goddesses vanished.
The Olympians succeeded in strengthening the mist, and placing satyrs and nature spirits for demigod birth, but they never found Nova, because Nova found them, although it took nearly sixteen years. Sixteen years they searched and found nothing. Sixteen years she couldn't be found. Fourteen years of pain, and then two years of exploring.
This is Nova's story
9 years later
Death Valley
Eight miles due North of the Badwater Basin
Darkness. It was all she ever saw, yet never recognised.
Pain. It was all she ever felt, yet never processed.
Medicine. It was all she ever smelled, yet never used.
Screams. It was all she ever heard, yet never listened.
Death. It was all she ever tasted, yet never fully took a bite out of.
This was the life of 9-year-old Nova Saber, a.k.a. 'Subject 3', inside of 'The School', as the scientists, a.k.a. 'white-coats', called it.
S-3, her nickname, knew nothing beyond this place. It was her home for as long as memory lasted, this floor, her bed. She was born here. She ate her. She went to the bathroom here. She learned here. She was…experimented on here. She hated it HERE!
She wanted to escape this place, to run free in the outdoors. She wanted to see the world, immerse herself in all of its wonders. But most of all…she wanted to…be warm!
She could never explain it, but she wanted to see fire so bad it hurt! She wanted to breath in the smell of meat cooking over an open fire, to get lost in the hypnotising flames her ancestors discovered, to-
SLAM!
Her eyes flicked over to her thrown-open door. Light bombarded the darkness of the room, illuminating her prison. A room easily twenty feet wide, twenty feet long, and eight feet tall; the only things in the room were a toilet directly opposite the door…and a lone occupant sitting in the corner opposite the toilet.
She looked at the Eraser that barged into her 'room.' Tall, light-skinned, shirtless, god-like physique, and a blood thirsty grin. Why couldn't these idiots open the door like normal people? Why did they have to throw their inferior…everything around?
"Time for your tests, brat." Generic-Eraser walked over to her and stood, waiting. When S-3 failed to move, the Eraser's patience went from 100-0 in a snap. Growling, the lupine-human hybrid stalked closer to forcefully extract the uncooperative insect. The last mistake he would ever make.
Reaching out for the girl, he was unprepared for S-3 to move.
S-3 latched on to the outstretched hand and twisted. She gave a silent smirk at the satisfying snap that accompanied the action, ducking when the eraser tried to back-hand her with his unbroken right. With his left hand hanging uselessly at his side, and his right arm fully extended to the side, the Eraser's mid-section was left wide-open.
Slamming both of her fists into the Eraser's stomach, the expendable soldier doubled over S-3's back, blood and wind flying from his mouth. S-3's smirk widened slightly as she lifted the Eraser. Then she slammed the mutt head-first into the concrete floor. A crunching sound was all that was heard.
S-3 promptly dropped the corpse and walked out of his crate, taking care to stamp on the corpse's spine and head, blood now covered the crate in a five-meter rough circle around the body, and her own lower body. The white-coats would pick it up later. She squinted as she walked into the hallway, the permanent Lichtenberg figure on the left side of her head moving as she moved, her right cyan eye adjusting at the same speed as her orange one. She wore compression shorts and sports bra, exposing the uncountable surgical scars littering her body, some being covered up by crimson.
"I see the augmentations are proving useful." S-3 looked at the white-coat standing just outside the door.
The 'augmentations' the scientist was talking about were a series of surgeries and specialised steroid and amino acid injections. They made her more flexible, taller, stronger, faster, smarter, and better than a child her age, better still than most adults. It was why she could take down Erasers with practiced ease. They were also extremely useful.
The forced growth her body endured was nothing short of excruciating. In exchange for her enhanced abilities, her body ripped itself apart and healed near instantly afterward. It was why she was so durable. When muscle ripped or bone broke, they would regenerate, stronger, in an effort to not be injured. It was the body's way of adapting.
The augmentations also included DNA splicing. Apparently only half of her genetic code was written… the white-coats made it their personal mission to fill in the other half. Some of which was an array of animal DNA including: Axolotl, lyrebird, mantis shrimp, opossum, mimic octopus, and cuttlefish helping with her regeneration and growth rate.
S-3 only looked at the white-coat blankly before walking down the hallway, "Just make sure you clean up that mess. I don't want my room to smell like a corpse…again." it was ironic that young lady with the voice of sirens, could say while being dead serious.
Jeb Batchelder chuckled in response.
-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-
The two walked into a large gym. It had a full-size running track lining the wall. Inside of the track was an assortment of weight-lifting machines and a boxing ring. The gym was empty except for the group of white-coated scientists equipped with clip-boards and a few Erasers armed with M4's.
S-3 looked at the only white-coat she could interact with, "more physical testing? We did this yesterday."
Jeb looked at the girl, "We want to see how you perform after having a short amount of rest." He received a scoff from the girl.
They approached the gathering together. "Subject 3," spoke Generic-Whitecoat #1, "we're going to start first with squat, then bench-press, then power-clean and finally military-press. Afterward, we will move on to cardiac testing."
S-3 approached the customised weight-rack, built specifically for her 5'1 stature. Aligning her ring fingers with bar's smooth grooves, and placing the bar square on her shoulders, she stood up…with 300 extra pounds. Unheard of for anyone her age.
She began squatting up and down with ease, barely registering the weight on her back. After squatting ten times, she racked the weight, the Erasers acting like a F1 pit crew, adding two more 50's, making the weight 400 pounds. She burned through the set of eight with no problem what-so-ever. She next did 500 for six reps. She ended her squat lift with 600 pounds for four reps. She didn't break a sweat.
So it went like this for the next exercises. She ended bench- press with 475 pounds. She ended power clean with 350 pounds. She ended military-press with 275 pounds. At the end…she was bored.
The white-coats all scribbled stuff onto their clip-boards, the Erasers standing silently off to the side. They knew better than to say anything at this moment. After all, the white-coats had the authority to have them 'decommissioned.'
"Now then onto the next tests," Jeb spoke.
The group of scientists and experiments walked over to the start of the track. "First your 100 meters, then your 200 meters, then your 300 meters, and finally your 400 meters. After that…we'll test your mile time."
S-3 kneeled down at the starting line, the Erasers standing behind him, guns at the ready; all of the white-coats stood at the end of the hundred-meter stretch.
"Go!"
S-3 exploded from her position, her muscles generating near-superhuman force. She blitzed passed the white-coats, her tailwind making lab coats flutter. Jeb looked at his timer, his glasses almost falling off. '3.2 seconds!?' He looked at S-3, 'She's not even winded.'
"Line up for the 200." S-3 finished with a time 6.1 seconds. She ran the 300 in 8.7 seconds. Her four hundred time was nothing less than astounding: 11 seconds flat. All the while, her breathing level never changed. Her body handling the stress of so much movement unnaturally well.
"Alright, S-3. Seeing as how this is no challenge for you, we're going to up the ante, so-to-speak. We're skipping the mile run for today in exchange for combat analysis." Said girl quirked her left eyebrow causing the scar to move in the unnerving way it does.
"Head to the boxing ring and await further instructions."
S-3 entered the ring and cocked a brow when four Erasers entered right behind her. "Your objective is to kill these four, without your powers." The Erasers looked back at the white-coat in shock, whilst S-3 tapped a finger chin.
"This is a bit unfair; can we get at least 2 more Erasers in the ring." Her voice dripped with sarcasm, she wounded the Erasers pride, one of the most important aspects of being an Eraser, without prompting from the scientists five more Erasers entered the ring, "Now we have a test."
Without awaiting the signal to start the Erasers growled while moving to surround the girl, whilst one remained in the middle, facing me. 1-8 clockwise around her with 9 in front of her. "Only one group will leave the ring alive. Who will it be?"
Going on the aggressive, S-3 launched forward ploughing her feet into the 9's rib cage, breaking it, with the Eraser flying into his Eraser 1, meanwhile S-3 had landed on her back, and was springing up with her hands. She landed in a crouch and with a "Well, who's next?" caused the next attack.
3, 5 and 7 decided to give in to their primal rage and charge, one on either side of me, and the one from behind. S-3 backflipped into the air, landing behind 5, who received a kick to his crotch, breaking his pelvis, and propelling his head into the ribs of the recently recovered 1, breaking 5's skull, and 1's ribs. 3 and 7 had just collided, when they felt hands wrapping around the backs of their skulls, and slamming their faces back together, knocking their brains loose, killing them instantly.
S-3 decided to look around: 3 and 7 lay in a deceased heap in front of her; 1, 5 and 9 were drowning or bleeding out. 2 and 8 looked gleeful at… 4 or 6, grabbed her around the midsection, propping her ass on his erect…dick, and was lifting her up, whilst the other was taking off her…shorts. No-NO-NO! opening her legs to drive the shorts back up and hooking her ankles around the back of his hips. She simultaneously thrust her chest forward and legs back, causing her and dick-dude to do half-a-front flip, and breaking his neck on the ground, paralysing him.
S-3's prior position, caused a minor flashback from when she was knocked out and raped, which activated her sadistic side. S-3 got up, ignoring everything else, spun on her still crimson toes, and crushed his still erect dick, Gaining looks of horror from the audience. She leant down and ripped one of his right ribs out, opened his mouth and plunged it, through his spine and into the mat below.
The helper didn't have time to blink before a red dainty hand was inside of his chest, ripping a rib out from the inside this time, while pushing him over, and then crushing his wind-pipe.S-3 stood up and observed her surroundings, Dead, or dying Erasers on the floor, shocked/ horrified looks on the white-coat's faces , and two more Erasers by the door…escaping.
Without waiting for permission, to hunt, S-3 darted towards dick-dude, and yanked his rib out, now duel-wielding ribs, she silently stalked her prey.
-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-
Maximum ride and her still growing flock were having a day. Not a good day – how could anyone have a good day in this place? – but not a bad one either – she wasn't being experimented on.
Max looked around the room, her superior night-vision identifying several other experiments in dog-crates, just like her's. this was her world. A dog-crate inhabited by her, Fang, Iggy, and Nudge, in a room with other kids just like her.
Well they weren't human-avian hybrids, but they were hybrids of other animals.
Max sighed, when were they going to come get them for today's experiments? They were long overdue for more torture.
Her attention as well as everybody's in the room, was drawn to the door when it burst open. 'Aw, great. Speak of the devil.' She just had to question the role of the universe, didn't she?
Then everybody became confused when they saw the terrified expression on the Erasers' faces. Erasers were to dog here in the school, what reason did they have to be afraid? They were the ones to instil fear, to experience it! What the hell was going on here!?
-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-
The Erasers closed the door behind him, the only light in the room coming from the square window on the door. They backed away slowly, sweat dripping down their fear-filled face. They were well aware of the freaks that were looking at them in confusion. Typically they would be snarling and threatening them , asserting their dominance over the freaks, but right now? They were far more worried about the monster that was chasing them. They had a more than fifty-meter head start, but when they looked behind them, the monster was gaining…and fast.
They split up, turning corners, weaving through halls, doing everything they could to escape. They listened to the clangs on the bars, as she came to their position. They met up in front of a door, and barged in, hoping to hide. It looked safe for now. Now they just had to figure a way out of this hell before –
BANG - CREEEEEEEEAK
The door slowly opened…the monster had found them.
-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-
Subject 3 was eager to finish her hunt. Her prey was bad. They were so loud, tearing through hallways. S-3 let up on the gas to give 2 and 7 a false sense of security. As predicted, they leapt into the nearby experiment holding cell.
Now to finish the job.
She slammed a rib into the door and opened it slowly. The Erasers were shaking like leaves. Then she saw the kids in cages.
"Would you look at that? an audience."
-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-
Bloody legs. Bloody arms. Bloody stomach. Bloody ribs in hand.
Max was staring with rapt attention. So was everyone else in the room. Even Nudge turned off her motor-mouth to watch this spectacle. This girl, no… this girl was strong. She had to be, for who could terrify Erasers so much.
"Would you look at that? An audience." The girl spoke, taunting the Erasers.
One snapped, growled, and charged, at the girl, fist cocked back ready to break her face.
A blink.
The girl was in front of the Eraser, ribs in his stomach, and he was spitting blood , straight into her face. She grinned and launched him five metres upwards, and back one, all two-hundred pounds of him. Then he was falling, and she was performing a modified back handspring, one leg straight, the other bent. Just as he was about to fall on her, she launched herself back into a standing position, taking great care to kick him in the testicles. And he went flying back , the new ribs pushing deeper into himself.
Max and her fellow hybrids stared at the girl in shock and awe. A girl, a few years older than herself, just launched two-hundred pounds five metres into the air. 'How many experiments has she done?' max pondered.
"It appears two was as sucker for ribs, I guess, I'll have to settle for unarmed against you, eh seven?"
Seven. She killed at least Seven Erasers, and she wasn't panting hard or sweaty. "The others held back, they never transformed, but me? I'll rip you apart!" Then the Eraser took his true form, the visage that instilled nightmarish-fear into all of their hearts: His nails became claws. His body bulked up even more than it already was. Fur sprouted from arms, back, and chest, covering his form. Then came the final transformation. His jaw lengthened, fang-like teeth sprouting inside of his maw. His hair erupted outward forming a mane.
Standing before them, was the closest thing to…a werewolf.
"Ooh, so you can turn into a cute wittle doggie, what are you gonna do now? Yap." Deep growling echoed from the beast's belly, and he charged at the retreating girl.
Fear gripped Max's heart; the girl was going to die all because she wanted to taunt the enemy.
But who was she to her? She was just some kid that showed up at their door…after chasing down two terrified Erasers. Maybe this Kid could help her and her Flock escape! And then they can get Jeb! A-a-and then the Flock and Jeb could be an actual family! But that wouldn't happen if this girl was eaten.
So, with all her might she screamed, "Move!"
The girl's right eye flicked over to her for a moment, with an annoyed glint in her ice-cold eye for just a microsecond, and then…she moved. The Eraser balked when the girl ran at him. The girl slid underneath the charging Eraser and grabbed his front paws, making him fall flat on his snout, and then flipping onto his back. With the Eraser dazed, she stood up slowly, turned around, and raised her foot. Then she violently brought it down on the Eraser's throat. And he began the long journey of suffocating to death.
-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-
Max gaped in shock and horror. The girl took down-just killed-an Eraser in beast-form! With no problem!
The girl stood up and stared forward, her back to everyone in the room. She took a step forward, "Wait!"
Max had no idea why she called out to her-oh wait. It was on the hope that she would help her and her Flock. But with what she just witnessed, she felt like she was out of her mind. Fang and Nudge seemed to agree with her subconscious based on the looks they were giving her.
Regardless, the girl stopped and appeared in front of her in less than a second. For the first time Max was speechless an ice-clue eye on the right, whilst burning orange eye on the left. Her raven locks changed to crimson at its tips. The left side of her head had a weird, jagged scar through her skin, the blood on her tanned skin looking like freckles. "What do you want bird-girl?" Her soft voice snapped Max out of her daydream
"Can you…can you help us?"
The girl cocked a brow, "And what would you want me to do? Break your locks and lead you out of here? Sorry, despite these beasts'," she kicked the suffocating Eraser, "inferiority, they are still proficient with fully automatic weapons. I'm not sure if you have an invulnerability to bullets, but I know I don't." Before turning back around, she added, "Besides, even if we all did escape, where we would we go? I don't know anything besides these walls, and I highly doubt any of you have any idea where exactly we are."
Max and the rest of the room's occupants gained downtrodden looks. The girl looked around the room and threw one last comment over her shoulder as she left, "Don't lose hope. If you ever find yourself giving up, find something to fight for. It's what keeps me going."
Throughout the rest of Maximum Ride's life, those words would define her being.
-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-
Subject-3 was walking through the hallway back to the gym when she encountered the white-coats. "Were you successful?" S-3 only stared at the white-coat. The scientist smirked, "Of course you were. Come, we have an experiment for today."
"What kind of experiment?" S-3 asked.
The white-coat turned around and stared into Subject 3's heterochromatic orbs, then he smirked, "We're going to screw up your eyes, kid. If this works, you're going to be able to see in infrared and ultra-violet."
Subject 3 cocked her head to the side, "I die, next time I see you, I'll feed you your eyes."
Naturally, the white-coat gained a startled and then horrified look, at her words. After a short, silent walk to a fully prepped laboratory filled with at-the-ready surgeons, Subject 3 would be lying if she said she wasn't on edge.
"Hop on the table and relax." She followed the orders of the female surgeon, apparently the one in charge. As she lay on the operating table, she looked at the one-way mirror adjacent to her position. She wondered who was in there.
As they put the mask over her face, to give her anaesthesia, she had one last thought before she went under, 'I'm tasting death again. I wonder if I'll get a full meal this time.'
-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-
Jeb Batchelder looked on beyond the glass as the surgeons went to work on Subject 3's eyes. Thoughts swirled through his head about the girl. She was able to take on every experiment without fail. She took the various animals DNA splice with only a small fever. She took the physical augmentation surgeries with nothing more than a little soreness. She was able to handle extreme amounts of weight with no difficulty. She could move at speeds that shattered world records for humans. Beyond that, she always seemed…unnatural.
Her fighting capabilities shattered expectations. With the augmentations, they expected her to barely fight on par with an Eraser. On the first combat test, she beat the Eraser like a red-headed step-child, at four years-old. And she only improved. Today's kills were proof of that.
"What are you thinking about, Jeb?" The man in question turned his head and looked at his boss. Marian Janssen was a beautiful woman with blonde hair and brown eyes. She was slim in her build with glasses on the bridge of her nose. She was also the most dangerous female on the face of the planet. And if what she claimed was true, she was spliced the DNA of a Galapagos Tortoise…and was over 100 hundred years old. Whatever.
"I'm thinking about how adaptive Subject 3's body is…and why exactly you're having her go through this eye experiment."
The Director chuckled, "This isn't an experiment just to give her more special eyes…it's an experiment to see just how adaptive she is. Like you said, Jeb her body's been unnaturally responsive to our tests. Not to mention her mutant abilities or her second ability. If her mind can handle switching between the typical enhanced vision most of our experiments have and that of infrared, and ultra-violet, we will begin testing to see if her body can handle it."
Jeb's eyes widened behind his glasses, "You mean you've been able to synthesize it?"
"Yes, Jeb, after all these years, the creature's acidic DNA has been synthesized so we can perform all the tests we want with it. Seeing as how Subject 3's genetic code is only half-written, she is the perfect candidate for the experiment."
Despite his best efforts, Jeb couldn't stop the grin that spread on his face.
-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-
Three days later.
Subject 3's cell.
S-3 looked around her room in wonder. Despite there being no light, she could see just fine. Granted, everything in her field of vision was coloured blue. She raised her hand , the appendage glowing yellow and red.
Flick the mental switch, and the room was black, while her hand was blue and purple.
The eye experiment had been successful.
Her eyes hurt for a few hours after the experiment, bandages covering her face after they were done. When she took them off and opened her eyes for the first time, her brain seared with pain. It wasn't every day the human mind had to process infrared vision. But like eyes adjusted to the darkness, her brain adjusted to the new light waves.
When tested by the white-coats, she felt like she was flexing a muscle when switching between vision modes. A brief buzzing sound filled her ears every time he changed visions. When she was in infrared mode, he heard a low humming sound, in ultra-violet mode, she heard a higher pitched humming. She asked the white-coats if anything happened to her eyes when she changed visons; they said her pupils turned a flaming-red colour in infrared, and navy blue in ultra-violet.
She was broken out of her thoughts when her door was opened normally. That immediately put her on guard. Typically, an Eraser would throw it open and subsequently be killed, but now it was slid open like a door should be opened.
A glowing figure with varying amounts of red, orange, and yellow all over their body entered her cell. Based on the body structure and heat distribution, it was a female. She deactivated her infrared and confirmed her assumption. A woman, blonde, brown eyes, reasonable height, athletic build, and glasses. Decked out in typical white-coat attire.
"You want lady?"
"We have need of your services, Subject 3."
The experiment's eyes narrowed, "And what services are you speaking of lady? Speaking of, I don't know you, and I've seen almost everyone here."
The woman chuckled in response, "Indeed you haven't seen my face before. After all, I am the Director of this facility."
S-3's eyes widened marginally before a predatory glint appeared in his orbs, "You're pretty ballsy, lady, coming into here." The woman's guard went up, but superiority radiated from her eyes. She believed she had the upper-hand, but was smart enough to be cautious around her. Good for her. "What's to stop me from capturing you and forcing my way out of here using you as a shield? What's to stop me from crushing your skull like a grape?"
"Only the fact that you would be slaughtered at the end of both scenarios, and your body would be used for science. As for what you can help me with…we've recently come into possession of some new stuff, and we want you to test it out." S-3 was smirked when she offered her counter statement, but frowned at that last bit.
So she responded with her opinion of what was really going on, "You've been undergoing highly unsuccessful experiments, so you're going to give it a shot with the one person in your database with only half of their genetic code, and has survived every experiment you put them through."
The Director kept her smile, "Actually, you are the first to undergo this experiment." At her disbelieving look, she elaborated, "Like you said, you've survived everything done to you. The augmentations, the various animal DNA, and the I-R and U-V vision have all been successful. So why waste resources when we can go straight to the one with the perfect track record?"
S-3 scoffed, "'Resources'? Glad you think so highly of me. But, whatever, not like I have a choice in this matter, do I?"
The Director's visage turned demonically gleeful, "Glad you could see it my way. Let's go."
-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-
The lab room was exceedingly empty compared to her 'eye exam'. One female white-coat with multiple syringes. One operating table with clamps. One heart-rate monitor. One massive overhead light. One observation window that was one-way. And one test subject. Perfect.
The Director had dropped her off at the door to the lab, then she left. She was more than likely in the observation room above. Following procedure, she hopped on the operating table, letting the white-coat strap him down, metal cuffs on her legs, wrists, and midsection. She put the heart monitors in the appropriate places, a steady beep…beep…beep resounding throughout the room lab.
"We're ready, ma'am." S-3 assumed the white-coat was speaking to the Director. Her voice came over a hidden speaker, confirming her suspicions, "Begin procedure at once."
"Try to relax," Subject 3 looked at the white-coat, "We've prepared a number of pain killers and sedatives, but we don't know what this serum will do to you."
S-3 raised an eyebrow, "And here I thought all of you were heartless bastards hell-bent on mass murdering people in the name of science." her eyes softened ever so slightly, "Thanks for your concern. It's…a nice change of pace."
The white-coat smiled before her face returned to normal, "Beginning procedure." She grabbed the first syringe, "Applying precautionary pain killers." S-3 felt a weird sensation travel throughout her body. Then a thought occurred to her, "Why not use anaesthesia, like always?" The woman looked at him, the sadness in her eyes telling the girl all she needed to know, "I see. The Director is one heartless bitch, ain't she?"
"Continue with procedure, please." S-3 decided to stuck her tongue out at the director in response.
The white-coat smiled at the girl's childishness, "Yes ma'am." She grabbed a syringe filled with black liquid, positioned the needle at her neck, and inserted. S-3 grimaced at the sensation. "I know that hurt," the Subject heard, "But what comes next…more so." She pressed the plunger…the liquid entering her body.
Subject 3's eyes shot open, pupils dilating to the size of pin-heads. Pain ripped through her body like a knife, her body pushing against the restraints. She screamed in absolute agony as black veins spread across her form, their origin being the needles entry point. It felt like acid was running through her veins!
The heart monitor was off the charts, her heart beating erratically in response to the liquid in her body. Her screaming got even louder, and she shattered the restraints. Her arms came flying off the table, followed by her torso, the motion ripping of the monitors off her chest and bringing the machine to the floor.
Erasers burst in through the door, tranquilizer guns in hand. The white-coat had backed off the moment the girl started screaming. Despite the inside of her body feeling like it was on fire, S-3 ripped the remaining restraints off her legs and jumped at the Erasers, her mind far from thinking clearly. She wanted the pain to stop.
She ripped the head of one of the Erasers before they opened fire, multiple darts piercing her body, concentrated sedative entering her bloodstream. S-3 stumbled and fell at the feet of the mutts. She glared at them despite the mind-numbing agony. Fighting through the messages her nerve receptors were sending to her brain, Subject 3 struggled to stand back up…only for a combat boot to come crashing into her skull. Her head crashed into the ground and all adrenaline left her system. Then the Director walked into the lab.
"Pick her up and take her back to her room. Be extra careful, the fact she hasn't died yet gives credit to her resilience, but I don't want to take any chances." There was a chorus of 'yes ma'am' as the Erasers set about doing there given task.
"What's going to happen to her?" the Director turned to look at the white-coat who performed the operation,
"She's going to be taken back to her room and monitored for any changes in her body. If she dies," she paused to think, "Well, if she dies, we're going to do an autopsy to discover what killed her and how we can prevent that outcome with another subject."
The white-coat was still concerned, "And what happens if she lives?"
The Director walked out the lab, the light of the hallway reflecting off her glasses, hiding her eyes. That, Valencia Martinez, is none of your concern."
-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-
Subject 3 sat in the middle of her prison, curled into a ball. Her throat already raw from the screaming, the only sound exiting her mouth was a pitiful hiss-like noise. Then the rippling all over her body started.
SQUELCH
S-3 trembled as she turned her head, her face adopting an expression of horror. Sticking out of her back…was a midnight-black tendril reaching all the way to the ceiling. She gasped as more tendrils erupted from her back, each one reaching out to the space behind her, connecting to the walls or the ceiling. The tendrils then began to…pull. She sat there helpless as the tendrils pulled her off the floor. Confusion and fear filled her being. 'What the hell…did they do to me?'
Her attention was drawn to her left arm as it began to twitch. Of its own accord, it shot straight out, parallel to the floor. Her eyes widened as it bubbled. True to her thoughts, bubble like protrusions were travelling down her arm, ending at her fingertips. Then more tendrils erupted from her fingers, connecting to the left wall. Even more tendrils exploded from the back of her arm, connecting to the tendrils coming out of her back. Her head snapped to her right arm as it repeated the same process.
Now she was suspended in the air. Black tendrils connected to all parts of the room behind her. Tendrils coming out of her arms and fingers locking her arms into place. If someone walked in, they would think she was being crucified in a giant, black, spider-web.
Feeling an overwhelming sense of exhaustion, her body moved of its own accord. Her legs curled up to her chest, her arms wrapping around her shins, holding them in place, the tendrils stretching in response. Then the fleshy mass of the tendrils began to cover her. The mass on her back spread over her chest , then her head. The mass on her arms spread over her legs, covering her feet, then it began to reach down to the floor.
When it was all over, Nova Alejandra Saber, demigoddess daughter of Hestia and mutant magician Eva Saber, descendant of Cleopatra, was encased in a chrysalis made of a resin-like material.
Within the chrysalis…a union between two species was being created.
-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-
So chapter 1, tell me how it was.
There should be clear separations between sections, I'll review it later.
As you read it is a crossover of quite a bit. We have: Aliens, Maximum Ride, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Kane Chronicles, Magnus Chase, and the MCU, including X-Men, might add some more in later.
This is Nova signing out.
Later.
Edit:
Also disclaimer, I own none of the above series, I would be rich and a hell of a lot older.
After changing the grammar to American for the second chapter, I realised I will not be doing that, so you will have to deal with English spelling.
Consensual Relationships involving Nova will be lesbian or non-existent.
Non-consensual relationships will be what I feel like, but i don not condone them.