How Kela Came to Fight
"You have the worst timing in the history of the world, Lex." Logan said, jabbing a finger into Lex's chest. Lex gingerly rubbed the spot, lowering the fist that contained the "miracle fabric" as he called it.
"It's fine, I…I need the distraction anyway." Kela said, wiping her eyes, and taking the fabric from him.
"Let's test this out, shall we? The fabric molds to the body, almost like a second skin. I took the liberty of your DNA from a hair sample you shed about a week ago. This allows the fabric to adhere better to the body, allowing all freedom of movement. When you shift, the Lexica does this unique—"
"Lexica? You really named a fabric after yourself?" Peter piped in.
"I know, clever, right? Anyway, the Lexica do this unique thing of separating the minuscule fibers to allow any change in skin, but prevent it from disintegrating. So if you decide to change into a…bird, for example, the fibers separate allowing for the feathers to appear, but still retain its basic function. Plus, it's machine washable." Lex chuckled at his own little joke. Kela just winced.
The "Lexica" was a piece of black, almost spandex like fabric that started at the base of the neck, went over the shoulders in a basic t-shirt like style, and came down midway over her thighs. It was a bit tight, but she expected it would stretch once she wore it enough. Lex, Kela, and Pete were outside in the waning sun, the weather cooling down after an unusual day. She flexed and stretched her arms, wanting desperately to go back inside. Why Lex insisted she try it outside was beyond her.
"Well, try something. Transform into something, something big and complex. Like an elephant!" Lex shouted.
Kela smiled, despite herself. "It's not that easy. I need to be able to come in contact with the animal; otherwise I could change into anything, real or fake. How about this." Kela focused on a mammal she had saved from a hunter's trap in Mexico. She felt herself shortening, growing a tail, and sprouting a dapple coat. She shook her head, and Kela the Shifter was replaced with Kela the Ocelot. She didn't feel the slightest hint of the Lexica fabric against her fur or her skin. Lex looked like he was about to wet himself. She shifted back to her normal self, then changed into another animal, an eagle, then a mountain lion. Each animal came with its own memories: the eagle, when she lured it with a piece of rabbit she had killed, the lion, when she had to fight one off when it lusted after her meat she was drying in the heat of the Florida sun. Unconsciously, she flexed her right leg, remembering the teeth sinking into her calf.
"Well, I think your 'Lexica' is a success. Can we go inside now, it's getting a little chilly." Pete said. Kela shifted back, and stretched. She felt different, like a weight had lifted off her chest.
See what happens when you are clean with everyone? Charles asked.
I guess you are right about one thing. I need to talk to Liam, but how can I when she is watching this place like a vulture?
Nervously, Kela looked around, as if she could spot the cameras trained on her and the Catchers waiting to pounce should she step beyond the boundaries. She ignored the feeling of being watched and followed after Pete inside the warmer house. Despite the door closing, the sensation never left her. Something was going to happen, she just didn't know it yet.
Kela was headed off to the kitchen for a little snack when Logan grabber her shoulder, and steered her towards the danger room.
"You need to learn how to fight. No objections, this is happening now."
Kela baulked. "But I don't want to fight! You know me, I hate fighting, I don't even like being in the same room when the twins argue over a toy." To be fair, when the twins Sasha and Ramón "argue", it usually involves a massive fight using fireballs and hail.
"No buts, kid. Let's go." Logan smiled inwardly. He had a suspicious feeling there was something more to her than meets the eye. They entered an elevator and soon entered a lower level, near the danger room. Logan punched a series of numbers and the door slid open to reveal the silver-grey of the room. Kela thought back to the first time she ended up in the danger room, and absently rubbed the pinkish skin along her arm where the Sentinel had shot a form a fireball at her.
"Run Simulation One." Logan spoke up. There was a slight crackle, and the room changed to a calm clearing, with woods off to the right, and a lake behind Logan. A slight breeze picked up, tossing Kela's hair about her face.
"If you don't want to fight, at least try to defend yourself." Logan got into a fighting stance, and began to take wide swings at her. Kela squealed and found she was dodging right and left, back and forth to prevent being hit by his reinforced fists.
Very predictable. Jump up, quick, he's going to try and sweep you off your feet. The voice said.
Kela glanced down to notice Logan's right leg bending down to swing around his left. She jumped a second to late, and was knocked to the ground. Logan released his claws and held them at her throat.
"Lesson one, don't fall down." He retracted the claw and held out a hand, pulling Kela back up to her feet. Logan smiled as Kela huffed out her cheeks and turned around to head towards the lake, thinking the "lesson" was done. Logan clocked her on the side of the head, and she staggered to the side again.
"Lesson two, never turn your back to an opponent." Kela glared at him. The voice chuckled at her thoughts.
You could help me, you know! Kela yelled.
Remember what I taught you? Clear your mind, and fight.
Ugh, I just want to go to bed. Kela ducked out of the way of a wild swing Logan took at her. Kela grabbed his arm and swung him against the ground. Kela's lip curled, and she straightened up, figuring she was finally done. Logan jumped back to his feet, and he began attacking again. Kela spun on the spot and swung a fist at the side of his face, but he blocked it with his hand. Kela swung punch after punch, but Logan was there to parry her blows. She remembered what he had done to knock her down, and tried it herself. Swinging her leg around, she connected with the back of his legs, toppling him to the ground. She placed a foot at his throat.
"Here's my lesson for you: don't underestimate an opponent." Logan smiled, and Kela smiled back.
"That's good, just watch your emotions and you'd prove to be a good fighter. Do you mind?" Logan nodded against her foot, and Kela released him. With a quick word, Logan ended the simulation, and they went back to the upper levels for the evening.
Kela was walking off to bed when she heard a five-note melody of a type of songbird found only in Brazil. Looking around, she ran down a set of stairs to a back door to the yard near the basketball courts. She repeated the song back to the unseen beast, and a small bird alighted on the top of the fence in front of her. It shifted to that of Gerr, who dropped down from the fence with ease.
"You've been registered, haven't you?" he said, eyes narrowed.
"I had no choice, they were going to take me!" Kela hissed, and Gerr backed off.
"Geez, sorry I mentioned it. Anyway, we need to go, Liam wants to talk."
Kela…the voice warned.
Shut up, Charles, It's fine.
"I…I can't. The company said if I left the grounds, they'd be able to take me. I can't go there. Not again. Tell Liam that either he comes here, or I stop trying to help him."
"Kela, we have no time for this; besides, if Liam leaves, all hell will break loose. An unstable law that is only held with Liam's presence holds our Shifter camp together. If he leaves, some of the more base Shifters will attempt a takeover." Kela eyes briefly widened; she had never known that an underground camp could be this problematic; the camp in North Carolina was different than most, she guessed.
With a wince, she decided. "Fine, but if I get caught, I'm bringing you down with me."
As the two Shifters changed and ran off, the operative sitting in the trees flipped out a phone and dialed a number.
"Dr. Lee, she just ran off. Should I tag her?" automatically, the operative steadied a gun containing a dart that would knock out an elephant; he was about to pull the trigger when the woman answered back.
"No. She is our only ticket to find that Shifter movement underneath the city. Besides, if I want the world to see how dangerous these mutants are, I'm going to need something a little…bigger than her just running out of the boundaries. Everything is going according to plan, Smith. I've already aggravated her by telling about her little Shifter friend. I can't wait for the spectacle when her true nature comes out." Christina laughed, chilling operative Smith to the bone. He had heard of what the Shifter mutants were capable of, and he wasn't about to induce an episode.
"Yes ma'am. I will stand down, for now." He spoke, but Christina Lee had already hung up.
As Kela neared the camp, she noticed a subtle change in the atmosphere. There was a bit more tension in the air; that or Kela was just noticing it for the first time. Liam was sitting in a chair acting very nonchalant reading the newspaper. He looked up and frowned slightly when Kela shifted back to her normal self and the fabric stayed on her.
"What, pray tell, is that lovely fabric?" he asked.
"A person at the school created it. I can shift, and I won't have to worry about showing more than I want to. It's called Lexica."
Liam lifted an eyebrow. "Interesting. But fashion choice is not what I need you here for. RegiCorp has opened a new headquarters here in New York. I believe that they are taking Shifters there and using them for experiments. I need you to get inside and destroy their mainframe for the Catcher program so it's a tad bit harder for them to create the clones and capture us."
"Why me? Can't you send in Gerr or one of the others instead? Surely, they can do whatever I can."
"I could, but you have had more access to animals than most people here. That, and I know you are learning to fight from the angry one."
How did he know that? I've only just started today. Kela thought.
Kela, do not trust him. I've been probing around in his mind, there's something wrong with him.
Please, look at him; he's doing just—
He knows something about Maria. Those five words froze Kela's mind. All other thoughts and questions were pushed out of her mind, as one person filled it. Maria.
"Where's Maria?" Kela demanded, cutting off Liam mid-sentence about something that she wasn't paying attention to.
"How do you know that—?"
"Where. Is. She?" Kela cut him off again. Liam sighed, and then rose from his chair, motioning her to follow. They walked past the main guard into a large white tent with a crudely painted Red Cross symbol on the side. He flicked the flap aside and strode in. near the back, Maria lay across a cot, her breathing staggered and pained.
Kela froze in her tracks. She had always known Maria as a strong-willed person, muscular and golden toned. Here lay a creature that seemed the exact opposite: Maria had a deathly pallor and her body was nearly devoid of all muscle and fat; she seemed merely a skeleton with skin that was stretched too tight over the bones. Her once-sparkling brown eyes were now dull, like two old rocks that had sunken into her skull. Kela's numbness was broken once Maria painstakingly turned her head and looked her dead in the eyes.
Kela cried out and rushed to her side, eyes full of tears. She grabbed the pale hand and noticed how cold it was. Maria smiled, and with a raspy whisper, "Hey, kid."
Liam walked coldly up to them both. "We found her discarded outside the city when RegiCorp moved in. She wouldn't speak for two months, then she told us what they did to her. I didn't want to show you this, but you are the one that asked. Will you accept my request?"
Kela stared back up at him, tears streaming down her face. "Fine, I'll do whatever you want. But you should let me take her back with me. There are people there that can help her."
Liam nodded. "You can, but not yet. She can't even move, let alone shift. When you complete the task, I will help you bring her back." Liam gently took Kela by the shoulders and steered her out of the tent.
I'll come back for you, I promise Kela thought, both to Maria and herself. They went back outside and towards Liam's own tent, and prepared for the night they would invade RegiCorp.