Chapter 3

Is it you?
Or is it me?
I know I said things
I didn't mean.

-Believe by Skillet

-x- BPOV -x-

The nerve. The utter, total and complete nerve. I felt like they were saying "Hey, we know you were a baby, and you didn't have any say in the matter – but Dr Cullen saved your life, so now you've got to spend it being supergirl!"
NO! THANK! YOU!

I have a life. I have a future. I am going to get my English degree and become a Journalist. One of those writers who talk about any issue their hearts desire, and their loyal readers eat it up every week with each issue. Like, how men are utter losers, or how the next fad diet will probably be as big a failure as the last one, or even discuss the miracle the surgeons performed when they inflated Jordon's boobs to that extent and yet not pop them. A life under the duvet on cold mornings with the laptop on my knees, with hot chocolate with little marshmallows in it, and pancakes with lashings of maple syrup.

I'm gonna get fat. Great.
It doesn't matter though – I'm not pretty enough to have a boyfriend. I've never had one. Ever. God I am such a loser. Maybe if I stayed poor and didn't get a car, therefore walking everywhere, my weight would be slightly moderated. Possibly.

I thought of everything as I walked home, how to avoid cellulite and love-handles whilst eating copious amounts of waffles in the morning, to how much the Cullen Warriors were a load of presumptive, self-righteous assholes. It wasn't long before I got home.

I live in tiny apartment, near the bay. The walls a stained with salt-water, but it doesn't matter because they're murky grey anyways. I live on the fifth floor – high enough to get a good view, but not so high that I get vertigo and plunge to my death from my balcony. I put the rusty keys in the lock and yanked the door open. It was exactly as I left it – messy. There were magazine cuttings all over the sitting room floor, from my extra-curricular project. On the coffee table was stone-cold mugs of coffee that I never got round to drinking. I sniffed at the air, and my heart plummeted.
I smelt gas.
Please, please God say I didn't leave the cooker on??!!

I stampeded into the cramped, windowless kitchen, painted bright yellow, and checked the ancient cooker. It was off. Wha?
I could distinctly smell gas. I started to cough, where was it coming from? It was fumigating the entire apartment! ...Stuff this, I had to get out of there. I stumbled down the hall, towards my front door. I felt so woozy, I couldn't understand why. I just knew that if this was monoxide, I mustn't fall asleep – if I did I would never wake up again.
Saying that, it was getting harder and harder to keep moving, my legs felt heavy and weak. I felt them tremble, then give out as I collapsed to the floor. I coughed, holding my hand to my mouth and nose. I heard it then.

"It's just sleeping gas, Bella. Just let go..."

I couldn't help it. I let go.

-x- APOV -x-

"I can't believe you said that, Edward!" I screeched.

"She didn't want to be here! We can't force her!" he yelled back in reply.

"But she's vulnerable out there! People know about her now, people have seen her! It's only a matter of time now!"

"A matter of time before what, Alice?!"

"Before HE finds out!"

That shut him up. Edward went very pale, then very red in quick succession. He glowered at me before saying "So what do you suggest we do, oh great psychic? I won't force her to be here –"

"That's not your choice, Edward." I bit back. "You may be number 2, Edward, but our leader is Carlisle. He decides what we do about Bella!"

"What's this about Bella?" asked a cool voice behind me. Carlisle stepped calmly into the kitchen, and sat firmly in the chair Bella had vacated not moments before. He looked at us expectantly. I glowered at Edward before I drew breath.

"Bella doesn't want to be a Cullen Warrior. She and Emmett left a few moments ago – He's showing her the way out." I paused, then said "Doctor, this is bad."

"I know." muttered Carlisle, whose head was now in his hands. My heart went out to him; he was always acting like the despairing parent when it came to us. I guess, in a way, he was. He sighed. "Let her clam down. I'll talk to her in the morning."

"Carlisle." Interjected Edward. I glowered at him, which, naturally, he ignored. "Is it right for us to force her to join? Can't we just keep an eye on her from a distance? We can't force her into a situation where she will be unhappy."

Is it really her best interests you are interested in, Edward? Or do you really dislike her that much? His face hardened at my thoughts. I knew it.

"Carlisle, you know as well as I do that she is more vulnerable out there than in here – we have top of the range security, thanks to Esme, and what's more we have safety in numbers. She's alone, Carlisle, and her powers are defensive only! She can't counter an attack! She can only hold her barrier for so lo-"

I recognised the room. I'd been here before – that time when Rose had been kidnapped. We saved her, but not before they learnt how the DNA had been evolved...luckily, they didn't have enough information to evolve a replica completely. The secret was safe, barely.

But it wasn't Rosalie bound and gagged now. It was a young brunette girl, who was too weak to move. She was making small noises of fear. She was crying. She was bleeding...

I heard a voice.

"Just lower your barrier, my dear. We just want a DNA sample. Look at what you've done to yourself with all this effort! If you don't stop soon, you'll kill yourself..."

"BELLA!"

Carlisle was staring at me, his eyes calculating. "What did you see, Alice?" he asked me. I couldn't reply. I turned to Edward, who wasn't looking at me. His eyes were wide with shock and horror, staring off into a place I could not see. He'd been watching with me, I realized.

"Now...do you understand?" I gasped.

He turned to look at me, his eyes blazing. "Let's go."

-x- BPOV -x-

A couple of guards have been to visit me already. They seem friendly enough, just wanting to chat, it seemed. It's almost laughable to see their face smushed against my barrier time and time again, and normally I would laugh. But normally, I'm not gagged and bound, my wrists bleeding from where I've tried to wriggle out of my binds, my strength depleting constantly from the use of my barriers, and my hopes of survival being very slim. Therefore I was not laughing.

I waited for the thug to get out of my cell. I hadn't given him a nickname yet – what about Bozo II? The name reminded me of Bozo I and Bucko. And the Cullen Warriors. God, I could really use a superhero right now.
What's so laughable is a few hours ago, they were asking me to become one of them, to become a superhero. Me.
If I was superhero material, I would not be lying here, bleeding. I wouldn't be a victim, or a damsel in distress. I'd be figuring out how to get out of here scot free. What did they see in me when they asked me that? Was it purely for my powers?

Somehow, I sat up and looked around. There were no sharp rocks, as far as I could see. It was kinda dark. Then it occurred to me; I created a small, spherical barrier above my head, and intensified it's power. As I hoped, it began to glow an aquamarine blue – maybe it was white to anyone else, how would I know with my eyes? But it did the job.
I searched around a bit, groping here and there. It's kind of hard to search around for something when your hands are tied behind your back. I was running out of time, I could feel it inside me. I was already putting off unconsciousness – what that guy earlier said rang in my mind; "...If you don't stop soon, you'll kill yourself..."

Did I give a damn? Nope.

Finally I found a tiny, jagged shard of rock. I clutched it in my palm and began severing the thick rope. It would take time and strength, so I let the orb of light diminish. It wouldn't help me now anyway – I was freeing myself with my hands behind my back.

-x- APOV -x-

It was all five of us this time. We knew our enemy, we knew the dangers. Carlisle and Esme were back in HQ as observants. They very literally watched out backs, feeding us information from through our earpieces. And Esme's hacking abilities helped us no end when it came to infiltration. I was in my uniform –black hotpants, black boots (no heels, Carlisle insisted. Sigh.) with violet tank top and violet gloves, which came to my elbows. Emmett next to me was in his vest top and baggy trousers. No style at all. Stitched into the front left of his lime green top was a black, circular badge, much like my own, only his had a lime green "5" on it, instead of a bright violet "7".
We were team B. On the other side of the site was Edward, Jasper and Rosalie, sporting their own badges with numbers "2", "6" and "4" on them. Carlisle is number 1. His colour is white.

We were sat above some grates, waiting for the signal to show all the security was disabled. The earpiece crackled. "Go."
Didn't need to tell me twice. I kicked in the grate and cushioned it's landing with a psyche wave. My vision went purple for a second, then I realised how dark it was. We knew that it would be like this at first, that's why I always enter first – I have violet sight, see? Ultraviolet sight.

I led Emmett through passages, remembering them as well as possible. It was hard in the dark. I finally found point 1, a window whose defences should be disabled by now. As if on cue, I heard Esme say "You're all clear, Alice. Go for it."
I pulled the window open, and one by one, Edward, Rosalie and Jasper flitted silently to our sides.

"Where now Alice?" whispered Edward, our official leader when it comes to fieldwork – Carlisle doesn't do fighting.

"The basement, I think." I turned to Rosalie, who nodded.

"That's where they keep their captives." She confirmed softly. Emmett shifted next to me, so he was also next to her. He was holding her hand. I suddenly felt a pang of pride. Rosalie had good reason to bow out of this mission, but she still came. Probably to keep an eye on Emmett.

Edward broke the silence, saying "Which way, Alice?"

My eyes lit up again, glowing Ultraviolet. "This way." I pointed.

Edward nodded. "We're counting on you."

-x- BPOV -x-

I sat there, waiting patiently. It had to be soon. They had to come and check on me soon. They hadn't for about thirty minutes now...
Sure enough, the door opened, and Bozo II stuck his head into the room – and gasped.
He ran into the room, yelling "No fucking way! How's that even possible?!"

Of course, I was hiding behind the door, so when he looked in, it looked like I had escaped. And as he came barrelling in, I came up behind him. And with one sharp movement, I jammed my elbow into the back of his neck, like I had seen in the movies. It was very satisfying to see him crumble to the floor like the bad guys normally do in the movies, but it gave me the uneasy feeling that I was on reality TV. I shook off the feeling – how much of a dipwad would I look if I got caught, then started yelling "so where are the cameras?"
Back to reality, I hauled this guy behind the door where I had been hiding, and bound and gagged him with my bloodstained rope. Then I promptly legged it.

-x- APOV -x-

The corridors went on forever, and it was hap hazardous going down the stairs in the dark. We fumbled around in the dark shroud, me in the lead with only my Ultraviolet sight as a guide. Then the lights came on, and I was swamped by blaring shades of red.

"The alarm!" Edward hissed furiously. "Who tripped it?!"

Before any of us could protest our innocence, the intercom above us declared "The captive has escaped! Repeat: the captive has escaped! She's headed for sector 12 – all units report to sector 12."

We glanced around at each other, all of us mildly impressed.
"I guess she's got her wits about her." Whispered Rosalie.

"At least our cover's not blown." Murmured Emmett.

Edward nodded, then gave a small smile "And Bella kindly provided us with a distraction. Everyone to sector 12 –Alice! You lead!"

-x- BPOV -x-

Shit. Shit shit shit shitty shit shit shitidy shit shit shitty shitidy shit shitidy shitidy shit shit shit. And shit again.

I could hear them behind me, with alarms blaring. They were yelling at me, jeering, calling my name. How did they know my name? I kept running, despite how exhausted I was. My heart was in my throat as I ran for dear life towards the wall. I remember going rock climbing with my "family" from California. We'd climb sheer rock faces in the Grand Canyon for the hell of it. I'd hated them at the time, but now, if I could, I would kiss them.

I lunged at the wall, finding non-existant footholds as I clambered over the wall. I grabbed the barbed wire at the top to steady myself – immediately my hands were torn to shreds. I pulled myself to the top of the wall, when I heard something ricochet off the wall which turned my blood cold. Guns. They had guns.

"Don't jump, Bella. If the fall doesn't kill you, we will."

I turned to look at the speaker. It was the same guy who spoke to me earlier..."You'll kill yourself". He had on a white coat, like Dr Cullen's, but he had very different eyes than Dr C had – they were crazed and power-hungry, and red from lack of sleep. He didn't seem to notice. Yet he acted as friendly as possible, despite that everything about him screamed danger. He was insane, defiantly insane.

"What do you want from me?!" I screamed at him.

He smiled. "I want your help, Bella. I need someone like you, to help me replicate a fantastic discovery that has been laid to waste. Join me, Bella."

"Who exactly are you?" I whimpered, still staring down the barrels of about twenty guns.

"I am the leader of the company before you – Voltrus." He said that last word with lavish, like a verbal caress. It was a bit sickening.

"So that's my choice?" I called "Join you or die?"

"That's a very negative way of putting it, my dear." He replied.

"How would you put it, then?!" I bit back.

He considered. "Join us and live, or don't."

"It's the same thing!" I screeched.

He sighed, then nodded his head. I flinched as about twenty safety catches were turned off simultaneously. "I'm getting bored Bella. Make your choice or I'll make it for you."

I nodded back. I knew exactly what I was going to do. I'd known the moment I saw a flicker of pink light behind that lunatic, hidden in the trees. I girded myself for the ride of my life.

"I choose life – not imprisonment!" I called, letting myself fall back as I did. I was ready for the barrage of bullets, which turned to dust the moment they hit my shield. It felt like hot needles stabbing my mind, but I grit my teeth. The adrenaline pumped in my ears as I fell. I screamed with exhilaration and fear all at once. I could see the grassy floor hurtling towards my face – nothing I could do about it, my powers won't let me cushion the impact, I just braced for a lot of broken bones, squeezing my eyes closed.

I felt my shield shatter around me. My exhaustion had finally caught up with me. I was now completely unprotected. Looks like I was going to die anyways. What a waste of effort...

Vaguely, I remember seeing light through my eyelashes. I had opened them, and saw myself glowing. Odd, was I dead? Was this glow some kind of ghostly aura? I thought ghosts glow white, not gold. I also remember floating slightly, like a dream. Then, gently, something released me, and I fell floppily into something that felt like arms...I remember when Dad used to carry me to bed in his arms. I felt like a princess. But now I didn't feel like royalty – just exhausted and bruised.
I also remember a voice, soft and gentle.

It said "You're safe now, Bella. Rest now."

Who was I to say no?

.oO0Oo.

When I woke up, I groaned. Hadn't I just been here? I sat up. Yep – this was the Cullen Warrior infirmary. Fab. I stretched, then flinched slightly. My skin itched and ached.

"Don't push yourself too much." Came a voice. Dr Carlisle appeared at the door, smiling sadly. "Those lacerations were very deep, I had to reconstruct some of the tissue. It may hurt a bit, but trust me when I say it could be worse."

I nodded quietly, looking down at my bed sheets. "Thank you, Doctor."

"That alrigh-"

"Let me through, Carlisle! I want to meet her!"

At the door suddenly appeared a woman I had never laid eyes on before. Her caramel hair was up in a ponytail, with loose locks of hair falling into her soft, olive green eyes. She wore lemon yellow dungarees and a black, ¾ length top underneath, with matching, thick lemon yellow gloves. Around her neck hung a pair of big goggles, the type you wear in a workshop, and she had a black utility belt slung over her hip, which was strung with tape-measures and hammers and levellers. Stitched into the breast pocket of her dungarees was a black circular badge with a yellow "3" emblazoned upon it.

"Bella." Smiled Dr C "May I introduce my work associate and Wife, Esme Cullen – who happens to be Warrior 3."

"I saw your workshop." I smiled feebly back at her bright face. Bright yellow suited her. "You have... a lot of pointy stuff in there."

Esme laughed. "I like you, Bella. I've got something for you."

They moved towards me, and sat at the end of my bed. I raised my eyebrow, which then became both my eyebrows as I saw what was placed in front of me.

The ¾ length trousers were black, with a sky blue stripe down the side. There were matching blue ankle boots and fingerless, leather, blue gloves too. There was then a blue vest top, which went over a normal black t-shirt, but stitched to the breast of the vest was another black, circular badge – with a sky blue "8" on it.

"You understand why we stay together now – people out there want information on us, our DNA holds that information. By being together we protect each other." Dr Cullen said softly.

"Safety in numbers." I stated. His logic was stable, I couldn't argue against it.

"Exactly. Also, you have impressed the others by escaping earlier, that and your show of nerves up on that wall. Your leader wants you on the team."

"I'm confused." I confessed. "I thought you were leader."

"Of the Cullen Warriors, yes, technically." Carlisle amended "But I'm useless in the field. My powers are neither offensive nor defensive, so my second in command, Edward, is leader of all outside missions, etcetera."

I stared at him. "Edward wants me on the team." I said plainly.

"Eventually." Replied a new voice. I looked up, and internally groaned. Edward was leaning against the doorframe of the infirmary, dress in his black turtle neck and black jeans, with a brown leather jacket. When does that man not look edible? And why does he have to be so hateful?
"First you need training." He continued "Your skills, although impressive for a citizen, need to be seriously improved. That and you need to improve your energy levels so you can expand your powers."

I nodded. I was too tired to argue. He smiled – the effect was shocking. It was a kind of crooked smile, the kind that looks like it's laughing at you, but also has a secret joke that only you could understand. He looked radiant with it on. "You're tired. I'll leave you be."

"Thanks." I muttered as I slid down into my bed again, and drifted off into a blissful, catatonic sleep.