As Special as You Are Chapter 3: A New Player Enters
A pretty sat next to her hover board on a grassy knoll. Her long, curly blonde hair swayed in the wind, constantly annoying the young woman. Thin fingers with short, tapered nails pushed back her hair behind her left ear where a blue, glowing tracking earing could be seen. In the distance, in a city that once had been tightly controlled now led in a revolt. She knew the government was cracking, buckling under the weight of the newly sentient pretties.
Electric screens throughout the city below flickered with emergency messages, showing the mayhem that the uprising was causing. A new face flickered onto the screen, one that Taylor had known well when her brain had been controlled to only think small and pretty thoughts. After she was cured her brain had become ugly and messy, but it had awoken her to the truth. Forest green eyes framed by long lashes flared accusingly at the screen as the leader of Spark addressed 'his' people. Those who would spark change… Back then, she had thought it was beautiful and poetic. Now, she saw it for what it was: a fake. The day her and her friends had been cured had marked the start of a new age, but it also ripped the two leaders of Spark apart. Not only had they had a difference of opinions, but she had also tortured herself as she watched the man she had been with since their ugly days, the man that been the love of her life. Fall for and confess to one of the newer members of their clique. That was the only time she had ever wished for her pretty brain back. The only time she wished she could go back to not having emotions like sadness, betrayal, or pain.
She had tried to push aside her happiness for the cause, but witnessing the growing love between the two of them and the dictatorship the group had slowly become…. She couldn't take it anymore. Taylor had escaped the iron grasp of Spark, but not without bruising her pride. Tanner's last scathing remarks had broken something deep inside of her that she desperately wished she could piece back together. Even after everything they had gone through since their 'awakening' she had still thought of her ex as her best friend. Apparently, it had been only one-sided. Her abandoning the cause had resulted in a breaking of ties. As much as she wished it though, she couldn't hide forever. She had to fix this as much as she could. Even though she was no longer the co-leader of Spark, the groups sins were still her own sins. She had always felt that way and perhaps always would.
Taylor reached out and patted the surface of her hover board, looking for some sense of comfort. The pink lights blinked at the contact before the lifters engaged filling the air with a low hum. "Taylor-sama, it is 4:53 P.M. Large network communication has been disengaged in the vicinity. Please advise?"
Her brows furrowed as she stared at her board, who she had named Ishtar years ago when she had first modded it as a young ugly. She had always admired the ancient civilizations she had learned about as a young ugly, particularly the famed goddess of war. "That late, huh? I was expecting them to take over the satellite earlier."
She came to her feet and brushed off her black leather leggings. When she was satisfied, she pulled her loose white tank top back down before jumping on the board. The comforting sound of the gravity detectors on her crash bracelets turning on filled her ears. "I guess we better find an ally. I hear there are some people causing havoc in Diego. Why don't we help out some, Ishtar?" "Yes, Taylor-sama."
Flipping over her hand, the ring on her finger glowed a faint blue matching the iridescent color of her earring. "Nav, Diego," she commanded, her board already taking off as a blue and pink hologram spread out a few inches above her palm. Her own location was marked with a purple dot while the navigator called out directions in a computerized feminine voice. In the corner her average time of travel blinked slowly in blue numbers: two hours and thirty-eight minutes. Well, she would get to the partly late, but that was just fine. By the looks of the town below her, it was just getting started. Her shirt fluttered in the wind, her hair trailing behind her as she took off at top speed.
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Zane ran down the street, dodging looters and angry civilians. The tattoo framing the side of his face was flipping erratically, the chain of three dimensional figures moving with his heartbeat. He knew he stood out in the hospital garb that adorned his body, especially compared to some of the more fashionable people in the street.
Hours later flames blazed in the distance as the sun set. He had asked those who would take a few minutes to acknowledge him about a woman with razor teeth and sharp eyes, but everyone looked at him as if he was mental. Zane was frustrated and almost ready to give up hope until the face of a woman he knew well, not matter how much she changed, appeared on the screen a few feet to his right.
He didn't even listen to the full announcement before grabbing one of the men near him. "Is there a broadcasting tower near here?" He didn't give the man hardly enough time to answer before demanding to know where it was.
Turning abruptly, he ran down a nearby alley toward where the male had stammered a small uplink was. If he could just make it in time! His feet were a blur, his new strength put to the test as he ran towards the woman he wanted more than anything.
He never made it to the tower, however. Feeling a presence above him he looked towards the sky. A shadowy silhouette plummeted towards him, hair flying in the wind, hand still outstretched. Zane stilled for a minute, watching the adolescent's small hand with calculating eyes as she snapped vainly in the air. What was she doing?!
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Taylor hadn't been paying attention when it had happened. She had been regarding her surroundings, watching the strange looking woman's broadcast from a new bird's eye view. There didn't seem to be many calm people in the masses, the woman's appearance sparking a small hysteria along with her dark message. The sound of an engine roaring was what alerted her to the helicopter flying way too close to her, its path erratic. Cursing, she tried to do a hard dive on her board but she only confused it. In less than a second she had tumbled off of Ishtar and started hurtling towards the ground below. 'No, no, no, no!' Frantically, she tried to snap her fingers to call her hover board back towards her, but it was going haywire without it's master.
She closed her eyes, almost saying a little prayer, though an unorthodox one. 'Dear whatever's up there, don't let me go squish. I will totally worship whatever Rusty gods I dig up if I live through this!' Just the thought of dying like this was dizzy making.
Just when she thought she was about to hit the ground strong, muscular arms wrapped around her. Taylor found herself looking up at a pretty, but there was something different about him. For one, he was so thin, thinner than most were allowed. But there was an inner strength shining in his eyes. "What were you doing? Were you trying to kill yourself?" His voice rocked her foundation with its deep rumble as he stared at her sharply, waiting for an answer.
'Okay, Tay, something pretty, say something pretty…'
"Falling is bubbly isn't it? You can taste the air!" Alright, that was bad. Really bad. It sounded stupid even for a pretty! She looked to the side, trying to hide her pursed lips as she tried to keep an of her laughter from leaking out. How was that the best she could come up with?
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"Tally, we need to leave. We just openly declared war on almost the entire world," her companion whispered as he kept watch, the door ajar as he stared out at the fading day. Tally finished the broadcast but she herself couldn't feel the panic that David exhibited. She knew what he meant though, they couldn't waste any more time. Even though the town's security response time may lag because of the situation in the city, they still shouldn't push their luck.
The damage was done; they had gotten their message out. Rearing back her arm, she put all her might into her punch, thankful for her special strength. Her hand smashed through the panel hiding the wires that powered the grid in the small broadcasting complex. She ripped them from the wall felling an odd sense of satisfaction. She backed away, sharp teeth peeking out from behind full lips as she grinned.
"Let's get going," she passed by him on the way out, giving him the briefest of touches as she brushed against his outstretched arm holding the door open. "You know," he started, "something tells me this is going to be fun."
Oh, that she could totally agree with.
