Hello readers,
Firstly, I am absolutely thrilled to see that you readers did enjoy my story. I am not the finest of writers, but I can hold on my own, and I wish to improve myself while enjoying the journey; believe me, I won't it have any other way than writing this.
I apologize for my late upload, I had a few exams to write and let me tell yah, they weren't anywhere near easy.
My upload frequency is approximately once a week, so stay tuned.
Once again, Thank you guys for your support, I wouldn't have done it without you all.
Until next time,
Aero
````````````````````````Reviews````````````````
RedFistCannon : THANKS A LOT! It means a ton to me!
TenshiFujimoto: Thank you for that, the story felt a little dry without description. Point taken. Thanks a lot man.
Techhead832: ahahaha, yeah he would. I kinda went out of character there, Thanks for the highlight Man, appreciate it.
DavidKosher: You are too kind, *bows* [P.s. thanx for the amazing review]
Jack: And more is what you will get!
AkanoshiihsonakA: Indeed, this story is quite an ambitious one.
topaz3 : Hmmm Interesting suggestion right there! but i'm planning something different. Why don't you write a story on that, i'd love to read it!
Hispanicin : sniff...YAAAYYY. Spoiler alert, the actual feels are in store for later! I'm Glad you enjoyed it.
Produccioned Escudo : Chapter 2 is here, enjoy man!
Mr. Green37 : Pretty much haha, well; what would you want him to be?
.….o0o…..
Chapter 02
~ Futile Attempts ~
...
'5:40'
Tatsumaki sighed as she removed her gaze from the alarm clock.
She drew a deep breath.
'A new day, same old me'
Memories began to cloud her mind. She felt a sting of tears.
For how long could she hold her own against all the odds? Why couldn't she just escape this hell?
"Tatsumaki, you have tried and failed twice.", she muttered to herself. "Nothing can escape his clutches."
'The powerful clutch of Metal knight'
Suddenly Tatsumaki's eye's flared. Perhaps the nightmares did help her after all.
The Esper's grip on her pillow tightened.
'I will never give up'
'Ever'
'One fine day, I will leave this hell-hole'
"For good", she whispered. A green spark of renewed determination flashed in her eyes.
A green light enveloped the blanket as the esper got up.
The telepath looked at the mirror. Her signature black dress, that once signified her edgy personality, was now replaced with a suit-like clothing. A black ,a rather figure hugging, military styled dress.
She sighed as her eyes moved from the dress to her face.
A pale, uncertain and downright depressed face stared right back at her.
Today is the day that would change everything. Today is the day that she gained something invaluable. Hope
Her thin lips broke into a small smile as her face lit up.
Taking a deep breath, she walked away from the bliss of her room, and out of her cottage with no particular destination in mind.
-7 hours earlier-
The night was cold, and calm. The moon shone proudly with all its glory. Thin clouds lay scattered in the star infested sky.
Autumn had arrived early. Prompting the vegetation to lose their leaves, and prepare for the grim winter.
A ruffle of leaves and the snap of twigs broke the eerily quiet woodland.
A figure shot past the trees strategically avoiding the hidden traps and detectors.
The cloaked figure raced up a small hill and stopped by a pile of boulders, unaffected by the superhuman sprint.
The figure turned its head around, and gently removed the hood.
The moonlight illuminated part of the figure's face. His grey moustache twitched at the cold breeze. His gaze fixed firmly on the sinister buildings far away.
"I am sorry Tatsumaki, I had no choice" He muttered, as he shot into the blackness.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Tatsumaki levitated along the dirt path that leads to another cluster of abodes.
Following the battle with Garou, the World Senate had enforced a much greater control over the Hero activity.
All Heroes had to be registered to the hero Association, which itself had major changes incorporated into it. Vigilantism was prohibited and all B and C class heroes were inducted into a special Police unit that responded to low level Threats.
All Higher level heroes were bound under tighter controls and stricter rules. They weren't allowed to travel without an official permit. Their accommodations were relocated permanently to the Hero Association.
Over the course the months, The World Senate were convinced that the higher class heroes were a threat and had them placed in a top secret, nearly un-escapable reserve: The Sanctuary.
The facility itself was huge. Designed and tailored to contain all the A-class and the S-class heroes of the Hero Association. The architecture and technology that went into the development of 'The Sanctuary' was ground breaking. It was single handedly done by the ex-Hero Metal Knight: The current 'Supreme Emperor'.
The security within the facility is extremely tight and well-regulated, just the way Metal Knight wanted it to be. The land and air space surrounding the 'Sanctuary' is also strictly monitored and booby-trapped. Nothing gets in or out without supervision.
'The trackers are active 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 12 months a year. I cannot escape them, no matter how hard I try.'
Her pretty face had a permanent scowl as she recalled the security enforcements that were incorporated to the sanctuary.
A sudden urge snapped Tatsumaki out of her day-dreams. She glanced around, wondering where she had ended up.
She spotted a neat cottage by the trees among a series of larger houses.
Her face brightened as a realization struck.
'That's Bang's Home'
She picked pace towards the small house.
"Banggg" she called, as she frantically thundered at the door. It had been several minutes, and no-one had bothered to answer the impatient Esper at the door.
'That old fool'
"Hurry up" she yelled
No answer
"Ar-ARE YOU IGNORING ME? She yelled, becoming increasingly agitated
No answer
" THAT'S IT", she screamed as she went volcanic.
With a violent force, the poor door was ripped from the frame and shredded apart.
The esper entered the cottage in a flash, frantically trying to locate the old man.
"Bang?"
"BANG!"
Nothing
She let herself to the ground and began to wander around confused.
'Where is he?'
Over the course of time that she had spent with the old man, she had practically memorized his repetitive schedule.
Bang's mornings were spent in various mental exercises that energized the mind – according to him. She found practically nothing useful in them.
She entered a dim-lit room.
'Hmmm'
The curtains parted instantly with a glow of green and the room instantly looked festive.
"Much better" she nodded
A folded note lay on the bed.
'Odd'
Tatsumaki fetched the note and sat on the edge of the bed, and opened it.
-Note-
5th to 7th December
R-Days
WOODWORKS
-.-.-.-.-.-.
"WHAT?!" Tatsumaki screamed. "NO WAY"
"Today is..Today is…"
"6th..no….no"
"It's the 7th!"
'This means..'
'This would mean..'
'He is gone?'
"He is gone!" She muttered bitterly, as her final pieces of hope went up in flames.
Her eyes darted to the paper again. She read it. She read it again. Her eyes skimmed through the words countless times.
Her mind refusing to accept the hopelessness of the situation. Soft whimpers escaped her as she fought to hold back the tears.
'no'
'No'
'NO'
'NO!'
Tatsumaki dropped the note and clutched her head with both her hands, sobbing her heart out.
They had planned this for months. Stealing documents, bribing the guards, staying up past curfew.
Risking everything, for one goal. One simple yet elegant goal that would mean the universe to them: Getting the hell out of the Sanctuary.
As the bitter essence of hopelessness began to seep through her, a tiny and forgotten voice screamed in her head. A rapidly disintegrating voice of her true personality.
Today, she gained a powerful ally, and she did not plan on losing it just yet.
Tatsumaki got up with a resolve. "I refuse to give up. This is my final chance. I don't need that old fool. I am going to do this"
She picked up the note and shot out through the front-door into the open.
A whirlwind of thoughts roared within her. Strangely, even after the bitter revelation, Tatsumaki did not feel pain.
A feeling of accomplishment filled her as she realized that she had taken a stand in something in her life after an eternity. At the same time a tingle of excitement rang through her as she realized what she is about to do.
'Flying low is difficult, especially at this speed 'thought Tatsumaki as another leaf slapped her face.
She spotted her house, and without slowing down, she rocketed into it, telekinetically opening and closing doors.
'Tonight is the Night.'
'I will do it'
...
The cold winds picked speed, as the sun disappeared below the horizon. Half empty trees swayed at ungraceful angles as the leaves flew about in Brownian motion.
None at the Sanctuary cared about this seasonal splendor. None, but one. A certain prepared and rather impatient Esper.
'50 seconds'
Tatsumaki adjusted her clothing and glanced over her back.
"Backpack in position"
"Essentials…..check"
'56 seconds'
She pulled down a mask, which covered most of her face.
"Disguise….check"
'58 seconds'
Tatsumaki took a deep breath.
'This is it. Make it count'
'Don't die'
"6:00"
With a flick of her fingers, the door opened and she flew out.
Gratitude. Yes, Gratitude was the feeling that Tatsumaki felt as she navigated past the inner gates and guards. Grateful for all the hassle and pain that she had gone through for the past few months, just for this moment. Exactly 10 minutes later, Tatsumaki found herself at the final barrier. The final obstacle that stood between herself and freedom. She lowered her head and laid against a large rock.
With shaky hands she groped her backpack, and fished a tiny map.
While shielding the map from the winds, she studied it quickly and compared it to the real thing.
"If the search light is over there, then the route is through the woodland", she deduced. She then looked at the woodland in the distance.
A movement caught her eye. Something moved into the bushes near the Main gates.
She gasped, 'I swear I saw something moving'
She narrowed eyes and crept sideways, trying to make minimal movement while moving away for the rock and at the same time observing any suspicious figures. Her palms became sweaty and her heart beat rate sky rocketed.
'I cannot be caught. I don't want to be caught.'
She managed to crawl towards the gate that leads to the woodland. The howling wind made it difficult for the esper to hear or clearly see the commotion at the gate. She dived towards a thick growth of trees, the darkness within provided for the final preparations.
'This is it Tatsumaki. No turning back now'
She breathed in and out slowly to calm her over-working heart.
She tightened the straps of the backpack as she prepared herself for the mental exertion that would soon follow.
Something grabbed her arm.
Her heart nearly stopped as she spun around in utter fright.
"Fu..Fu-FUBIKI?", she exclaimed
"In the flesh!", smiled the taller woman.
"What the hell ar-" Tatsumaki glared
"Tatsumaki, We need to get out of here. NOW", Fubuki whispered as her eyes hardened. "There is no time to loose, the Trackers are activating in 5 minutes"
Tatsumaki remained dumbstruck, "What"
"Get a hold of yourself! Sister, let's get out!", Fubuki begged, as she glanced about frantically
Instantly Tatsumaki's Elder-Sibling instinct took control.
"Right", Tatsumaki muttered. "Don't let go Okay!"
Fubuki nodded frantically, "Oka-"
Suddenly, without warning, the Shorter Esper grabbed her sister and shot past the distracted guards into the woodlands.
Bang's voice echoed through her head.
'The safest path through the woodland is through the bushes and around the larger trees'
She increased her speed as she zoomed past the trunks and boulders. The combined weight of the back pack and her terrified sister was quite a lot, she really felt the exertion.
She blamed it on her rusty Telekinetic abilities.
It was the miraculous adrenaline rush that aided her through this peril.
'Then zig-zag past the rocks and climb the hill'
She followed the imaginary path through the rocks and boulders, nearing the hill.
'If you reach the hill with the dead tree, you would have successfully escaped the security. Tatsumaki, you are free'
Tatsumaki shot up the hill and lost balance at the top. The sisters crashed into the rocks.
"A-ar-are-are-yo-you…" Panted Tatsumaki, " .alright?"
"Yeah sis", panted Fubuki as she picked herself from the ground.
It took good 10 minutes for the Esper siblings to regain their composure.
A smile crept onto the face of the sisters, as they subconsciously ran in for a hug.
"I missed you Tatsumaki" whispered Fubuki as tears of joy tricked down her cheeks.
Tatsumaki didn't reply, as the reality of the situation struck her.
She was hugging!
She was hugging…..her sister!
She quickly broke the hug and looked down awkwardly.
She tried to form words, but they wouldn't leave her throat. "I missed you too", she managed to croak.
Fubuki stared at her sister wide eyed. She had always believed her sister to be an icon of power. Tatsumaki had often condemned the feelings of compassion, blaming it to be a sign of weakness. She was powerful, very powerful. But somehow, Fubuki managed to compete with her. In her own mind, she strongly believed that they were opposite side of the same coin.
But now!
She honestly felt pangs of jealousy towards her older sibling.
"Is there something on my face?" Tatsumaki questioned with a look of concern.
Fubuki didn't realize that she had been staring.
"No…..No…."
"It's just that…"
"I can't believe…."
"I can't believe that we are actually out", squealed Fubuki. "We did it sis, we have escaped!"
A grin formed on Tatsumaki face.
"I guess we did"
She shot raised her head and loosened the facemask, savoring the feeling of the cold wind.
'If this is how freedom feels like' Thought Tatsumaki, 'Then I like it….No…I love it'
"It feels nice"
No saitama or Genos (atleast not yet, bear with me)
I apologize again for the late upload, I was busy with exams, now that I'm done with it, I can dedicate some more of my precious minutes of my time into this story.
Please do leave a review.
I'd love to hear your suggestions, please keep 'em coming.
READ-ENJOY