Ultraviolet: Codename S.P.E.C.I.A.L

Author's notes: After some serious thinking, I realised that there's really a thousand things I want to write about in Codename S.P.E.C.I.A.L, but obviously I can't… Trying to keep it short here…

Chapter 22

Sleepless

Violet was still up at eleven at night, despite her parents tucking her in at nine. She had two straight days of rest after her 'night of desperation', after the series of battles drained out all her energy. Now she was well-rested and full of energy.

Not that it was a bad thing, Violet thought as she slid off her bed. It's just that… the Specialists… She could tell that they were on the verge of converting back to the good side, the side of justice. They just needed more encouragement. Besides that, Violet knew that she had done her best given her experience… and the dagger she stabbed into the villain's leg…

She paced around the room, desperate to do anything to induce sleep. Fine, she told herself, if I'm not going to get any sleep then I'd just stay up the whole night. At least that will guarantee another night's sleep tomorrow.

She plopped down on her bed again, glancing at the clock on the wall. 11:11… This was taking forever. Turning over, she leaned against the window, watching the gentle snowdrift. If the battles had any effect on her, it had made her think about her existence as a Super. Now that the ban on Supers was removed, would she be able to carry out hero work in the open? And what about the Supers who had gone into hiding? Their return would bring about another period of Glory Days for the Supers…

Below, a police patrol team sped past in their cruiser, possibly on the chase of a criminal. This reminds me… Violet thought as she leapt off her bed, I could be out there fighting crime. Beats sitting around…

Her Super-suit was stashed in a hidden trapdoor behind the mirror, where Edna had insisted on installing two mannequins for her suits to be placed on. The red suit she had worn on her first mission now rested beside the classic blue one she had designed for winter duties. Even though there wasn't really much of a choice, Violet still saw fit to go through the entire 'which one suits me better?' routine.

Finally she settled on the red one, deciding that it wasn't really that cold outside for her to wear the full winter gear. She removed the suit gently from its place, and was about to change into it when she felt a prickling sensation behind her… the sensation of being watched.

She whirled around. There was no one.

All right Vi, she thought, you're just scaring yourself. She was about to turn back, when she reached out to check the window's locks and pull down the blinds. Just to be safe…

Within minutes she was changed and ready for action. As a finishing touch, she pulled a coat over her body and secured her mask in place. She checked herself once over in the mirror before she reached out for the door…

"Going somewhere, Violet?"

Violet gave a gasp and fell back, arms raised defensively in reflex. Her eyes slowly adjusted as she tried to identify the intruder, but the voice was a dead give-away.

"Lance! What do you want? I'm warning you, my whole family…"

"Calm down," Lance said hurriedly, glancing down the hallway in worry. He seems to be alone. "We're not here to hurt you… we just wanna talk."

"How can I trust you?" This trust thing was too much… first they tried to stop her, then they want her to trust them, and now Violet wasn't even sure how they survived the raging inferno.

"You wouldn't know it if we wanted to kill you… Although you did notice the girls outside, didn't you?"

"They are? Then I'd better let them in…"

"That won't be necessary, Violet." The voice came from behind her. How did they…

Violet turned around to see the two female Specialists seated on her bed. Behind them the window was open, and thankfully did not appear to have been damaged. "Where's the other guy… Ken isn't it?"

"He's securing the front door. In fact, I think we should all proceed to the living room…"

Violet didn't quite get the idea of 'securing' the front door of the house, but still she followed Lance outside the room, flanked by Serena and Anna. As they walked, Violet turned to Anna with a question. "What exactly are you guys doing here?"

"We figured you'd have many questions for us, so we'd like to clear it up with you before…" Anna's voice trailed off as she shook her head, as though she had said something she shouldn't.

"Before what?"

"Never mind… Just feel free to ask us anything…" Somehow Anna's answer did not seem too reassuring, but Violet did have a lot of questions for them. Questions she had no time to ask before.

Sure enough, Ken was already waiting on the couch, hands draped across it as though he owned it. It also seems like he's helped himself to the hot cocoa and cookies (although he got some for everyone else too). He had also set up a fire in the fireplace, leaving the room with a warm glow from the fire.

"Gather round the fire, boys and girls… We're gonna tell a story tonight," Ken announced with a cowboy accent as the group settled around. Dropping the accent, he continued. "Sorry I helped myself to the food and stuff… Thought it might help…"

Silence followed as everyone took a sip from his or her cup. It stretched on until Lance put down his cup, drawing the attention of everyone else.

"If you really want to know, Violet…" he started, stealing glances at each of his team mates, "we think our father is hunting us down. So before that happens, we want a chance to clear things up with you… just in case anything happens…" Before Violet could reply, Lance had started again. "Let's start from the beginning…" Under his breath, he whispered, "just not mine."

Twelve-year-old Serena was not okay.

Their father had just shared with them his vision to reshape the world. Noble, yes, but cruel in a way. Of the four members in the team, she was the one with a perfect family. They loved her…

Following the formation of the Specialists was the training. In the six years she was here, she had been a student, reading everything the library could offer. Her father had encouraged her to make full use of her seemingly unlimited memory. The 'education' took up most of her days before; now she knew quite a lot, surpassing her brother's six extra years of education.

Father had met up with each of them individually the day before to brief them on their training programme. She was selected to be the tactical co-ordinator for the team. She was going to be the combat specialist. She was, in his words, 'everything to the team'.

It's your powers… Father had said. You're gifted…

So was the rest of the team.

Sure, everyone had his or her part in the team. Lance was the leader and sharpshooter, Ken managed defence while Anna was the 'hidden weapon'. But Serena felt that her responsibilities were overwhelming for a girl like her.

She looked down at her timetable. Morning: Physical training. Afternoon: Combat training. Evening: Tactics. Night: Physical training. It was depressing to even think about it.

"The mentality has to change, Serena," she told herself.

"Offensive defence."

That was Ken's role in the Specialists. How that works, he had no idea. Time manipulation had nothing to do with defending… isn't it?

He was a sportsman before this, an aspiring athlete. Now his training consisted almost entirely of physical training, specifically geared towards improving his stamina. The rest of his days were basically combat training and stuff… quite boring, really.

He admitted that he had changed a lot after Father shared with them the vision. He wanted his revenge on Supers, both the so-called 'heroes' and 'villains'.

His parents were Supers in the Glory Days, operating in their small hometown. He was two when the Superhero Relocation Programme was put in place. That didn't stop the villains from hunting his parents down. At the age of eight, in full view of two other Supers, they were killed. The Supers fled.

His grudge against Supers brought him here, and he will get his revenge.

Jinx. Cursed one. Herald of Doom.

The geeks in pre-school liked to call her that.

She drove everyone crazy. Literally. She discovered her powers at the age of five. By three months, she had three demented teachers, twenty-odd playmates treated for signs of psychosis. Her parents' case was the last straw, and the relatives saw fit to pack her away… until Father found her.

She just didn't want to be misunderstood, for once.

She was told her powers had the most potential in the group, and she was reserved for unique 'assassination' missions to take out key targets in their way. Few could shake off their fears long enough to regain control. Father estimated its effects lasted up to a day, but most become beyond hope in a few hours. Even when the effects wore off, they weren't any different from new victims.

She looked forward to the lessons.

End notes: This is still the introductory chapter. Basically, this is the 'all you need to know' part, but there's much more about them ahead. Do review if you have any comments.