Providence H.Q.'s medical ward was no stranger to the injured. Being the leading force against rampaging E.V.O.s, it wasn't uncommon for Providence agents to wind up in one of the beds, suffering from some injury or other in the line of duty. While the medical ward was currently empty of any agents, three beds were in fact being occupied. Lying unconscious and recovering from the injuries they suffered at the hands of Fuse's minions were three preteens: two girls and a boy.
Keeping a watchful eye over the resting preteens was one of Providence's own E.V.O.. Although White Knight had a great distaste for E.V.O.s, he did keep a few on his metaphorical payroll that weren't found in the Petting Zoo or locked up in The Hole. Providence doctors had already tended to their injuries, applying Imaginary Cream to the burn marks that littered the bodies. Imaginary Cream was, in collaboration with Foster's, Mandark Industries' newest product that hadn't yet hit the market, and it was the only known way to speedily cure burn marks. Because of Providence's status, they were given a crate load, along with other important organizations like the Kids Next Door, the Plumbers, and even Memorial Hospital.
The doctors - to whom she didn't bother recalling their names since she held very little respect for Providence's staff outside of a few - assured her that the kids would make a full recovery. The Imaginary Cream was healing the burn marks and the visitors were hooked up on fluids to provide nutrients to the body. It would be mere hours before they woke up. Even with the reassurance, Amber continued her watch, eyeing each chart that hung over the kids. She wasn't a medical professional by any means, but she had taken the time and effort to study what the machines were supposed to read. Thanks to some detective work from the doctors, they were able to find out the identities on each of the injured kids. Each of their names were on their electronic charts, though Amber paid them little mind. The only one of interest was the blue-haired girl, Alice Spacebyte.
When Amber and her small team of agents carried the three injured kids into the assault vehicle, there were plenty of burn marks on Alice's body. Yet when they pulled into Providence's hangar less than half an hour later, the marks had been greatly reduced. Even after the doctors applied ointment to the girl, her injuries and burns had dramatically reduced to where you couldn't even see them before. This speedy recovery was strange. The boy, Nergal Jr., was healing fast as well, but not nearly so. The final girl, Suzy Sunshine, was healing normally, which tipped off to Amber that she was human and the other two weren't. This new tidbit kept her in the medical ward long after the doctors vacated it. She was in the middle of formulating some sort of theory in her mind when her concentration was broken.
"Never took you to be the mother-hen type."
The woman with dark red hair turned her head to the right, finding the culprit to be none other than Providence's leading nanite expert. There was a mad glint in his eyes that told her he'd found something interesting. The look, which was usually off-putting since Caesar was one experiment away from being a legal mad scientist (which the world had plenty of already), sparked an interest in Amber. He had been in the ward some odd minutes ago collecting blood samples from their three guests on Amber's behalf. If he was returning, then he clearly had some information on them that Amber wanted to hear.
"What did you find?" Amber asked, getting down to business.
He held his datapad out to her, offering it up. She took it without a moment's hesitation, and began reading through his findings. While she did so, he continued because he liked the sound of his own voice.
"To start, you're right about the redhead," Caesar began. "She's a human. Her nanite count is about right, and all of them are dormant, no active ones in the bunch. The other two are a little more interesting. The boy has nanites, but they're heavily reduced. They're also dormant."
Amber's eyes lifted upward, staring over the top of the datapad, giving Caesar a look for him to elaborate. Despite not being a scientist herself, she did make it a point to learn the bare basics in regards to nanites. This new tidbit, however, didn't line up with the reading Doctor Holiday had given her some time ago.
"It's a very fascinating case," Caesar elaborated. "Looking at his molecular structure, his DNA seems to be a mix between human and something else. The nanites weren't able to connect to this something else, resulting in a drop in nanite numbers. I don't have anything in our profiles that match this different DNA, so I've already shot off emails to Carl, Dexter, and Mandark to see if they have anything in their banks." Amber's look turned into an unimpressed glare at Mandark's name. Caesar shrugged. "He may have something. He did come up with the cream."
Amber rolled her eyes, which was the closest thing to her relenting on the subject. She looked back to the datapad, scrolling down further. "And the other girl? Spacebyte?"
"No nanites."
Amber's eyes shot back up to meet Caesar's. Although her face remained passive, the widening of her eyes was the only tell-tale of her surprise. There was a manic gleam in his eyes, and once he saw that his companion was hooked, he reeled her in.
"She's like the boy, except her molecular structure isn't the exact same as his. It's different, but so different that there's not a trace of human DNA in her," he explained. "From what I can gather, the nanites can't attach themselves. Her body is actively rejecting them."
"Any particular reason?" Amber asked, lowering the datapad since she was now invested in his explanation. "Anything you can glean from this?"
"Nothing so far, and I've sent out requests to the three as well from this," Caesar explained. "If I had to make an educational guess, she's not from Earth."
"You're thinking alien?"
"It's my running theory. It would be the only explanation on why I can't find a shred of nanites, activated or not, in her body."
Amber's amber colored eyes returned to the resting form of the blue-haired girl. A nanite-free body was unheard of; the only known individual was White Knight. The information didn't fit with her own theory, but it did pique her interest. She lifted the datapad back up so she could view it. After a few quick taps on the screen, she handed it back to its original owner, spinning around as soon as the object was handed off.
"Where are you going?" Caesar asked with interest, his eyebrow raising upward to his hairline.
"White Knight."
Caesar blinked, gave the sleeping kids a side-eye, and then turned his attention to Amber's back once again.
"He doesn't know?"
"He's about to."
Caesar blinked a second time, before a grin spread across his face.
"This will be fun," he remarked to himself, jogging so he could catch up with the E.V.O.
"So not only have you paraded some kids into my military organization without my approval, you come in here to inform me that you're taking yourself of field duty to train them."
White Knight's glare would have been more imposing if he wasn't staring directly at her from a screen. Sure, he was able to scare some underlings who worked for him, but Amber felt no intimidation from the head of Providence. It wasn't exactly the first time she'd been dressed down by him. However, for as combative as she typically was in the man's presence, Amber stared at his screen with an impassive mask. Her audience beside her was having a harder time containing his gleeful grin, but Amber and White Knight effectively ignored him. On the wall to Amber's left was a live video feed of the medical ward, focusing in on the three kids.
"Incorrect," Amber responded coolly. "I'm only training the Spacebyte girl. The others are of no use to me."
"And why is that?" White Knight questioned. "What is it about her that you feel the need to train her? You've never been interesting in teaching before."
"Unknown. I'm still formulating a theory," Amber answered, crossing her arms over her chest and fixing White Knight with a flat look. "But she seems to be a target for the Fusion Monsters."
White Knight's eyebrows dipped downward, but not in annoyance. He was actually concentrating on her answer.
"Explain."
"I picked up abnormal Fusion activity in Devil's Canyon and deployed a small team. It was there that I rescued the kids from a horde of Talon Titans," Amber reported.
"So what?" White Knight questioned. "You rescued a bunch of amateurs from monsters."
"The typical number for wandering monsters is anywhere between one to four, with the latter only being in the presence of a boss," Amber explained, earning a nod from White Knight to show he was following along. "When I came upon the party, there was an upwards of twenty-five monsters attacking the three kids."
White Knight didn't make a comment, and Amber took a moment to let the information sink in. That was almost six times the normal number of monsters than was typical. The head of Providence leaned backward in his chair, his stance more relaxed.
"I see," White Knight muttered. "I can guess that the majority were on this Spacebyte kid, then? Which is where you've gotten your theory that she was being targeted."
Amber nodded.
"Training isn't your style," White Knight remarked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "So why did you suddenly have a change of heart?"
"I suspect she could be useful in this fight," Amber answered. "Letting her go untrained would be a disservice to our efforts."
"Never took you for a team player," White Knight accused.
"Right now, whatever method to ridding us of Fuse is the preferrable option," Amber challenged back, her eyes narrowing. "Do I need to remind you that you made an agreement to assist the alliance in this war?"
White Knight's eyes narrowed further at the challenge. "I am well aware of my commitments." The head of Providence leaned back in his seat, tenting his fingers as he fell into deep thought. "You mentioned you wanted to train this girl? Not Hutton?"
"Correct."
"For how long?"
"Thirty days," Amber answered.
White Knight eyed her critically, like he was looking for an ulterior motive. Amber's face never cracked, perfectly cool like a poker player. He gave up his search and closed his eyes, releasing a sigh.
"Very well, I'll allow you to train the girl, but those other two better be gone as soon as they're awake," White Knight ordered, his eyes opening to send a glare at the E.V.O. "This is a military organization, not a daycare. There isn't a daycare sign on my building."
Caesar snorted. "I'm sure that'll change once I tell Rex."
White Knight sent a withering look in the scientist's direction, and even Amber sent an annoyed look of her own. The scientist didn't flinch under their stares.
"If you have nothing else to bother me with, then leave. I have other business to attend to," White Knight instructed, leaning back in his chair.
Amber and Caesar retreated from the room, waiting until they were in the hallway and far away from his door before holding a conversation.
"Interesting," Caesar commented. "I didn't take you for hiding secrets."
Amber stopped walking and turned around, sending him a firm glare. Caesar held up his arms in mock surrender. Frowning in annoyance at the scientist, she turned back around, continuing her trek through the hallway, although she moved a little faster to create a divide between the two. She could force him to leave, but that would take more effort than she was willing to expend on him, so she simply ignored his presence as she made her way back to the medical ward.
With a good deal of effort, Alice slowly opened her eyes. Blinding light was her first vision, so her eyelids closed again to protect her retinas. After a moment, she opened her eyes again, adjusting to the light. She lifted herself up, pulling herself into a sitting position on the uncomfortable bed. A quick look around found that she was in an unknown room, although as the child of a doctor, Alice recognized she was in a make-shift hospital. She had a moment to question where and why she was in the room, before her memories snapped back like a rubber band. Eyes widening frantically, Alice slid off the bed, giving the room another look around for her teammates. She found them on two separate beds to the left of her, eyes closed as they rested.
She moved to Suzy's bed first, since it was the closest to hers. She did a quick check of the electronic charts, and was happy to see that her readings were all in the clear. A quick scan of her physical features showed that there was no injury on Suzy's body. Alice reached out and placed her hand on Suzy's body, but never got the chance to wake her up.
"Oh, you're up. Incredible."
Alice gasped, spinning around at the voice. It wasn't any she recognized. The man who had spoken looked familiar, although Alice couldn't pinpoint why. His facial features looked similar to some celebrity or hero, but she couldn't think of who. His khaki vest, green, long sleeved shirt, green pants, and black boots tipped her off that he was some sort of military, although she couldn't think of who. He didn't look like a standard military soldier since he had no markings to indicated him as so.
The man leaned in closer to her, his eyes inspecting her like she was under a magnifying glass. The feeling had her skin crawling, and she took a step backward out of self-consciousness. To Alice's surprise and horror, the man's right shoulder suddenly caught fire. Instead of reacting in the same surprise that Alice was feeling, the man simply pulled away from the girl and patted the fire until it was extinguished without a hint of worry. He sent a raised eyebrow in the direction of his companion, who Alice had only just realized had been in the room with them.
The woman's mere presence was intimidating. She looked military, too, dressed in a red halter top shirt, a black, unzipped lightweight military anorak sleeveless vest overtop it, black cargo pants, and black military boots. Alice could see scars along various parts of her exposed arms and neck that had been burned, perhaps even cauterized. In particular, three puncture wounds on the right side of the woman's neck stood out, adding to the intimidation factor.
"Behave," the woman ordered, sending a glare at the man. "She's not yours to experiment on."
Alice felt a shiver of fright shudder through her. Experiment? Why would this man want to experiment on her?
"What? I can't be a little curious about our guest and her natural regeneration properties?"
"Absolutely not," the woman responded, crossing her arms over her chest.
The man stared at the woman for a silent moment, before a smirk broke on his face. The woman narrowed her eyes at him as a threat, but ultimately turned her attention away from him. Her amber eyes settled on Alice, who backed up into the side of the bed as if frightened that the woman would attack her. The woman's eyes flickered from Alice's person to Suzy's resting body, before returning to the blue-haired girl.
"Wake them up. We need to have a discussion," she ordered.
Alice stared at the woman in surprise, but did what she ordered. While she was waking Suzy up, she noticed that the man went to go and wake up Junior. Both were apparently sleeping lightly, because it was easy to get them up. Junior sat up with a groan, resting a hand on his forehead.
"What happ- What the Tartarus!" Junior's eyes widened as they settled on the man, who was still standing close to the boy's bed. Thinking he was in trouble, he produced three tentacles from his back. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Oh, impressive. So that's where your heritage lies."
"What are you talking about!?" Junior demanded.
"Enough."
Four pairs of eyes fell on the woman. The woman returned their look with a terrifying glare, and her arms crossed.
"We have things to discuss, and we don't have time for your childish methods."
"Who the Tartarus are you?" Junior demanded, sliding off his bed once the man retreated to the woman's side.
"My name is Amber Ignis. I am an E.V.O. working with Providence." The children's eyes widened at the mention of the military organization, and they shared a quick look with each other. Amber ignored this and continued. "This is Caesar Salazar, and you should never respond to any of his questions," the red-haired woman explained. Alice blinked, recognizing the last name from Rex Salazar, the E.V.O. who apparently had the ability to heal other E.V.O.s. It explained the resemblance.
"Now that's rather mean," Caesar commented, although the smile on his face didn't show him to be upset.
Amber ignored the man's comment and continued with her explanation. "All of you were brought here after I found you in Devil's Canyon. Had I not intervened, none of you would be here."
Alice shuddered in fright. She brought hands to her head and closed her eyes, fighting off the tears that were threatening to form. She had known, back at the bluff, that she and her teammates were going to die. Still, having survived the ordeal and knowing what could have been kept a cold grasp on her heart.
"All of you need training," Amber remarked. "The Wilds are not like the Suburbs or Downtown. The area is dangerous, especially the further you venture into the Nowhere Desert. Coming here as unskilled and unprepared as you are would have killed you had I not stepped in."
Alice flinched at the reprimand. Amber's voice hadn't raised, but the words themselves were like a slap to the face.
"We didn't mean to," Alice muttered weakly.
"It wasn't like we knew we were going to get jumped," Junior added.
"That's what almost got you killed."
Junior recoiled back, frowning at the truth in the statement. Just because they weren't looking for trouble, didn't mean trouble wasn't looking for them.
"You mentioned we need training. Are you willing to take us in?" Suzy asked.
"No," Amber responded dispassionately. She flicked her eyes from Suzy to Junior. "I have no desire to train a human or a half-demon."
Junior's eyes widened a fraction larger, surprise coloring his face.
"Wait, how-"
"You're not the first demon I've come across," Amber remarked.
Junior was too surprised that a total stranger had guessed his heritage correctly to even fire back a retort. Suzy waved a hand over his eyes to make sure he was still with them.
"As for you," Amber addressed, turning her sights on Alice. "Training an alien is within my capabilities."
Alice went near catatonic when she heard the word "alien." She could feel her warm blood cooling and the color of her skin whitening. How was it that everyone knew about a secret she hadn't even been aware of for years? Had it been leaked out at some point and nobody told her?
Amber crossed her arms, and her eyebrows made a slight dip downward in a show of annoyance.
"You are also not the first alien I've come across," the E.V.O. responded.
"Ah, so my theory was correct," Caesar commented, mostly to himself.
However, Amber heard the remark and turned an annoyed look his way.
"You already knew," she countered. "You never sent off those emails."
"Looking through my personal emails? We're learning new things about you every day."
"H-hold on," Junior piped up, finding his voice once again. Amber and Caesar broke from their side conversation, turning to look at him. "You want to train Alice? Why?"
"While on my way to where you were being bogged down by the Talon Titans, I kept a close check on energy readings in the area. More than once the data spiked," Amber answered. She looked away from the half-demon and focused them on the unresponsive alien. "I'm willing to bet that these readings belong to you."
"M...Maybe," Alice answered hesitantly. She knew her powers were related to energy, but she didn't know how it would even be readable from a machine.
"It's dangerous to allow someone unskilled with their abilities to simply do whatever they want. It leads to your attacks getting out of hand, or failing on you completely," Amber stated. "For this reason, I'm telling you that you need training, and I will train you."
"For how long?" Suzy asked.
"Thirty days," Amber answered. "Here at Providence. I've already spoken to White Knight on the matter, and he has agreed to the terms."
"You can't just go and make a decision for her!" Junior protested.
"You are correct," Amber answered. "I can't. She can decide if she wants training or not." Her eyes darkened. "However, continuing to be untrained will get you killed."
Alice dropped her eyes to her knees, avoiding the woman's look. The cool sense of fear sent a shiver down her spine. Amber wasn't threatening her, despite the harsh look in her eyes. She was informing Alice of what would – what almost – happen: she'd die.
They had been doing so well up to this point that she had never thought about being put into a situation where her powers would fail her. She had been too complacent, believing Blossom's words about how to harness her powers. It was stupid of her. Blossom and her sisters had years of experience with their powers. Alice only had two months. The rookie mistake almost cost her and her friends their lives.
It was a compelling reason, but fear made her hesitate. It wasn't just how nervous she was to be training with total strangers (and at a military facility), but the fear of going back to the fight. Being close to death and narrowly escaping it left her with the haunting reminder that it could happen at any time. One day she'd be alive; the next she'd be dead.
"Alice."
Alice looked up from her knees, focusing on Suzy. Her normal smile was missing, her brow settled downward, painting a serious expression on her face.
"I won't tell you what to do, but I think this is a good idea," she said.
"What?" Junior asked, his voice raising an octave.
"We were outmatched," she explained, moving her look from Alice to Junior. "If it wasn't for Amber, we would be dead. We clearly need more training."
"We've been getting enough practice-"
"Right, practice," Suzy interrupted. "We haven't had training. I think this would be a good time for all of us to get training." Suzy moved her gaze from Junior to Alice. "Alice can train here at Providence, and we'll go find some teachers to give us our own training. I can pull some favors with the Kids Next Door and the Urban Rangers." Suzy looked back to Junior. "Junior, what about your dad? Do you think he could teach you?"
Junior visibly grimaced at the idea, but ultimately nodded. Alice glanced between her two friends, looking back and forth as she tried to come to a decision. The fear of training was still in her, but who could she deny the offer when her friends were willing to do it? It was because of her and her weak control over her powers that ended up with them almost dying. She needed to get better. She needed to train.
Steeling her nerves before she had a chance to change her mind, Alice turned to Amber and nodded.
"I...I would appreciate the training, Ms. Ignis."
"Good choice," Amber replied, her demeanor not changing. "I'll notify Tennyson that contact between you two will cease for the time being. I suggest you do the same with your family; I will confiscate your communicator as soon as I'm back. Caesar, arrange an escort for the other two."
She spun around and exited the room, not staying to hear any complaints the pre-teens may have at her decision. Caesar followed her out, looking at his own communicator, probably to do as Amber instructed. Junior released an aggravated sigh once they were alone, shaking his head. Alice deflated, leaning against the bed to keep her upright. Instantly, Suzy was at her side.
"Are you okay?" she asked the girl, sending her a concerned look.
"Y-yes...I'm just nervous," Alice admitted.
"It'll be okay," Suzy assured her, draping an arm over the girl's shoulder. "It's only for a month, and once we see each other again, we're going to be so well-trained that we'll contend with anything. Maybe even Fuse."
"Cool your jets on that one," Junior remarked swiftly, sending a flat look in Suzy's direction. "Leave him to the big leaguers."
Suzy waved away Junior's statement in her nonchalant way.
"I'm just saying, everything will be alright," Suzy said, smiling encouragingly at Alice. "We'll get stronger, and then there'll be no Fusion Monster that can get in our way."
Alice returned the smile, but it was weak and not confident. Their moment was interrupted by the door sliding open. Standing at the doorway was a man dressed in a Providence outfit, but he wasn't wearing a mask that the typical Providence agents wore while out fighting E.V.O.s. He stepped into the room, but didn't approach the group, keeping a good distance between them. He smiled, making him look infinitely friendlier compared to Amber and Caesar (though, that wasn't very hard to do).
"Greetin'. I'm Captain Calan, and I'm here to transport some kids back to the Suburbs."
"That's us," Suzy announced, although it wasn't needed. There were no other kids in the room. "Just give us another moment."
Calan nodded, and stepped out of the room, letting the door close behind him. Junior sighed, not looking all too enthusiastic to leave.
"They really want us gone. Should have figured since Providence isn't known for their hospitality," Junior said, lightly complaining. He moved his eyes and settled them on Alice. "Stay safe, okay?"
Alice nodded, reminding herself that Providence was on the heroes' side and wouldn't just hurt her for no reason. Amber wanted to train her to better herself, so clearly they weren't all bad. As if she sensed Alice's unease, Suzy pulled the girl into an embrace.
"It's going to be okay. This is just thirty days, and we can do this in our sleep!" she encouraged, pulling back far enough so she could flash a bright smile Alice's way. "You'll see. We're going to see each other real soon."
Alice smiled back, hoping it looked convincing. She didn't want to have her teammates worry about her while they were separated; they were supposed to be using this time to better themselves, too. They must have felt assured that she'd be okay, because they exited the room a moment later, leaving Alice alone in the unfamiliar medical ward.
She took a moment to release a shaky breath, and then hopped up onto the unoccupied bed. Pulling up her NanoCom, she got down to business.
First, she called her aunt to inform her that they wouldn't be showing up, and that she'd have her communicator off for the next thirty days. Muriel didn't initially understand, but after a brief explanation that she would be spending time at Providence, and that she promised she'd explain everything later, Muriel agreed and wished her luck and love.
Next, she sent an explanation to her Nanos that the NanoCom would go offline for the next thirty days, which was met with a lot of protest from the two Nanos. Even when things were explained to them, the Nanos were still upset with the idea. Recognizing that they couldn't actually do anything, however, forced the two Nanos to agree to the situation. They didn't like it, but they agreed.
Amber returned just as Alice finished up speaking with her Nanos. Caesar did not accompany her, which made eased one of Alice's worries. The man hadn't done anything to her, but his very person raised red flag warnings in her mind. Something about him was off, and she didn't understand what it was.
"Ready?" the E.V.O. woman questioned.
Alice nodded, handing over the NanoCom when Amber held out her hand. The woman looked it over and turned it off, ensuring that it wouldn't make a noise while she held onto it.
"Follow me," Amber instructed the girl. "I'll show you to your quarters."
Providence's corridors were in pristine condition, and mostly empty of masked Providence agents as Amber led her new protege through Providence H.Q. The trip wasn't very long, and Alice found herself standing next to Amber in front of a sliding door that looked like every other sliding door in the building. Waving a hand over the control panel next to the doorway, the automatic door slid open, revealing a bland room inside. The room wasn't overly large, but did have a simplistic bed, a table, a lamp, and a closet. There were no windows anywhere in the room, but there was another sliding door that Alice didn't yet know where it went to. Hesitantly, Alice passed Amber and stepped into the room.
"This will be your room for the next thirty days. I will be back later with Providence body suits that you can wear," Amber instructed, standing at the doorway. "Your meals will be held in the mess hall, which I will show you once I return. You will not leave this room unless accompanied by a member of Providence, am I understood?"
Alice gulped and nodded. She figured it'd be the case, but it still made her nervous. With the matter taken care of, Amber exited the room, leaving Alice in her new room. The blue-haired girl let her shoulders drop a fraction, feeling some tension roll off her since she was now left on her own. She moved her way over to the bed and dropped on it, finding that it was far more comfortable than the beds in medical ward had been. She stared up at the blank ceiling, an activity she was sure she'd do in the future since there was no entertainment in the room. Closing her eyes, Alice wondered how her future training would go.
Alice released a high-pitch shriek, raising her hands upward in an X formation to protect her face. The formation successfully blocked Amber's hit, but she left her stomach completely open. A quick kick to the gut had Alice releasing a pained groan. Her hands automatically retracted, wrapping around her gut to protect it from another hit and to relieve some of the pain. Amber didn't relent. She used the heel of her palm to slam into Alice's nose. The hit sent Alice off-balance, and the girl fell to the ground. Her body instinctively curled up into the fetal position, trying to protect the stomach from more agony. Alice whimpered at the pain, and tears started to fall. Amber grimaced in annoyance when she saw the tears and stepped back.
"Get up," Amber ordered. "We're going again."
Alice slowly got back up onto her feet, her biology already working its magic. She wiped at her face, trying to get rid of the tears. Her eyes were still wet, but new tears had yet to fall, which she was grateful for. Amber was especially mean if she saw Alice crying. Ten days in, and she was even surprised her tear ducts still had anything in them. Alice fell into the fighting stance Amber had shown her, and then threw the first punch, beginning a new round of sparring.
The punch was deflected by Amber easily, with the older woman able to push it aside. She went for a counter attack of her own, and Alice successfully avoided the hit by jumping backwards. Amber crossed the distance, invading Alice's personal space. Alice tried to kick the woman, but Amber caught the leg. She brought her elbow up and drove it down on the girl's knee. Alice released a cry at the pain. She almost crumbled from it, but Amber's hold on the leg kept Alice up. Not like it did any good for the girl, anyways, because Amber brought her head back to headbutt Alice. Already having an unstable footing, the hit sent Alice to the ground, the back of her head hitting the floor hard. She closed her eyes at the pain, but forced them open. Amber dropped the girl's leg, staring down at her with a scowl on her lips.
"On your feet," she ordered.
Alice pulled herself up off the ground, her injured leg already beginning to feel better. She was at least able to use it, and could put weight on it without fear of crumpling from the pressure. After replenishing her lungs with air, Alice fell into a fighting stance, and began a new round.
While the two were busy sparring, they were unaware that they had an audience. Spying on the two females from the upper window was Captain Calan, one of Providence's most respected agents. The door to the control room was typically closed to keep any onlookers from waltzing in unless they wanted to be charbroiled alive, but Calan had been able to enter without either noticing. The curiosity on who Amber had taken on as a protege and what she was teaching the young girl outweighed the threat of death; although, since it was Calan and Amber respected him, he would probably just get a warning. Probably.
The man watched as the two sparred, feeling sorry for the girl. Based on her looks, Calan doubted she was a teenager, and yet Amber was running her ragged. The two stayed holed up in Training Room Five for nearly twelve hours all day, every day, finishing their sessions when it was dinner time. Calan couldn't say for sure what Amber was training the girl on, but he did have some idea based on her solo training regimen, and took the wild guess that the girl - Alice - was doing the same thing, which made him pity her. Amber was an intense woman, and her training was no exception.
The Southern gentleman in him wanted to step in and tell Amber to ease on the rough training, but he knew better. Amber would just ignore him, and nothing would change. So, reluctantly, Calan was forced to keep his mouth shut on the matter. Having seen his fill, he stepped away from the window and left the room, making a mental note to remind Rex to thank Six for being such a nice teacher; the boy could have very well gone through Amber's training hell if not for that man.
The mess hall reminded Alice of the cafeteria at Pokey Oaks Junior High. It was packed with Providence agents settling down to have dinner after a relatively long day, with some agents playing poker to unwind. At school, the tables would be packed with students having their lunch - either homemade or purchased from the school - and battling with their Hokeymon cards before campus security or a teacher could catch them. At least back at school, Alice could grab a meal if she forgot one at home and retreat to the outside. Here, at Providence, there was no outside courtyard for Alice to retreat to; at least, as far as she knew. She wasn't allowed to explore Providence's headquarters on her own; Amber or a Providence agent had to escort her. She only knew the way to her room, the medical ward, the training room, and the mess hall.
Amber led the way to the food line, and Alice followed close behind her. She knew where the grab the food, but she didn't like to be far removed from the E.V.O. As she followed, she could feel eyes on the two of them, but did what she could to ignore them. It was a daily occurrence that they would be stared at. At least none of the agents approached them for small talk - a simple look from Amber had the agents all looking the other way. Teacher and student grabbed their meal, and then moved to the table in the back corner, which was empty. It was always empty, because that had been - unspoken - dubbed Amber's table. Their meals were always held in silence, because Amber didn't make small talk and Alice wasn't good at it.
Alice settled on her side of the table, wincing slightly as her muscles ached in soreness. Given how long their training sessions were, it would be a surprise if her body didn't ache. Sparring always seemed to take up most of their time. When the two would first enter the training room every morning, Alice would be required to run for an entire hour. And then she would have to hover in the air, having to beat the time of the previous day. She'd then spend time using her telekinesis to hold up an object, with the object increasing in size each day. Some time was allotted for her energy attacks, but it seemed Amber was only concerned with her physique. For this reason, Alice's healing ability was sent into overdrive to fix her whenever they were finished.
Left to her own thoughts, Alice wondered how her teammates were fairing. Were they going through the same rigorous training she was subjected to? She wished she had her NanoCom to speak to them, even for a little bit. She missed them, her family, and her Nanos. She didn't dare ask for her NanoCom back, though. Amber didn't look like the kind of person who would give it back just because Alice was missing them. She just had to wait for the thirty days (now twenty days remaining) to meet up. And then after that, the team would go back to what they did...fight Fusions...
The very thought sent a shiver down her back and for her stomach to drop. The idea of fighting Fusions frightened her. What if she failed again? What if her powers weren't enough? It was why she had agreed to be trained by Amber, however tired and sore she was from it, but the questions still lingered in the back of her mind. She may have gotten away from the Talon Titans with no physical scars, but the nightmares that followed her was a constant reminder of how she failed when she was needed the most. In her nightmares, sometimes her teammates would die but she survived. Other times, she didn't survive. She never dared mentioned any of this to Amber, because she didn't think Amber would care. Harsh, perhaps, but the woman didn't look very nurturing. It was another reason why she wanted her NanoCom back, even if for a moment; she could call up her aunt and talk to her about it. Maybe it would help, but she didn't dare ask.
"Get some extra sleep tonight," Amber spoke up, cutting through Alice's thoughts. She spooked at the sudden sound, and nearly dropped her fork into the meatloaf. Amber ignored the girl's startlement and continued. "Tomorrow's training will be had in the Petting Zoo."
Alice's eyes widened, surprised at the new destination. Providence's Petting Zoo was one of the few places Amber forbade her to enter without Providence agent escorts. It wasn't necessarily dangerous - Amber assured her that all the absolutely dangerous E.V.O.s were sent to a place called the Hole - but without Rex around to occupy their time, the E.V.O.s would be more unruly than normal and attack her simply to rid themselves of their boredom. For this reason, Amber ruled that she should stay out of it. But now they were going into it.
"Oh...Okay," Alice said, her voice expressing her unease. "Is there a reason?"
"I'll let you know in the morning," Amber responded, standing up from the table with her empty tray in hand. "Finish your meal and turn in early." With the order given, Amber turned on a heel and deposited the tray in its cleaning station.
Alice followed Amber's figure as it exited the mess hall, before turning her attention back to the tray. The idea of going into the Petting Zoo was confusing and scary. The E.V.O.s weren't supposed to be dangerous, but the sudden change of plans had her worried. What exactly did Amber want her to do? Did she want her to fight the E.V.O.s? She couldn't be up against other agents because Amber would have just kept them in the training room. So, it was clear Amber wanted to try something else.
The questions and lingering thoughts of Fusions soured Alice's appetite, so she disposed of her remaining food and headed off for her room, opting to obey Amber's orders. Tomorrow would arrive faster than Alice wanted it, and she figured the least she could do was be well rested for whatever it was Amber wanted to throw at her.
Thus begins the training arc (sort of).
This chapter is one of the chapters I was dying to write, primarily because it lets me introduce my other OC, Amber. You may recognize her from chapter three. Quick history on her: she was from a Gen Rex RP that I later migrated into a FusionFall RP. She's so much fun, I'm tempted to write a story with her. Still thinking about it. Admittingly, I had "Infinite" stuck in my head the entire time I wrote for her. Yes, it's a villain song, and Amber's not a villain, but she follows the trope of "Good is not nice."
Since I'm making Fusion Matter burns more of a thing that can happen in this universe, Imaginary Cream was the relief to it. Plus, with Mandark being so heavy in working with Imaginary Energy, I figured he'd be the one to invent it (with some help with Robot Jones and Goo). I just want to give the guy a break; is that so wrong?
I took some writing liberty when it came to the nanites. I'm aware that they infected plants and animals along with humans, but with Gen Rex being in the larger CN universe instead of its own universe, I had to make some accommodations. Having beings like demons, magical creatures, aliens and such with nanites didn't really sit well with me, so in this story their DNA coding actively rejects the inclusion of nanites.
Amber was supposed to get a scene explaining everything to Ben, but I cut it since it would just be restating things she already mentioned to White Knight and to Team Super Stars, so I opted to cut it all together. I was a little bummed to do it, because Ben and Amber's relationship is one of the funniest things for me to write, but I didn't want to have to keep repeating the same thing over and over again.
Next chapter is hands down going to be my absolute favorite. I started writing it way back with chapter five. Hopefully you all come back to read it!