p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Angel wasn't scared./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Even as the Superior's men cuffed her arms with Obsidian shackles, draining her power and energy in waves, she wasn't afraid. She fought, even. Struggled against the soldiers as they dragged her through the hallways of enemy base. A blindfold covered her eyes, but she could still tell she was inside an unfamiliar building./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" A sudden thought occurred to her. emIf I/emem'm not scared, why am I crying?/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Tears dampened the blindfold, rubbing against her skin until it turned red and raw./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Quit struggling!" One of the men raised the butt of his rifle at the child./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" A higher ranked soldier held him back. "Watch it! He said he wanted her unharmed and emconscious./em emDo you want to get your ass killed?/em"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The soldier glared at the child before slowly lowering his rifle. "Fine. You take her in then."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Angel felt another set of rough hands grab her shoulders, leading her down another series of hallways. The obsidian cuffs kept her powers below the surface, like a pot left to simmer on the stove, but she could easily sense over twenty soldiers following them through the hallways, keeping weapons of all kinds aimed straight at her. She could almost smell the obsidian bullets through the barrels, slathered in gun oil./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" A door swung open. Angel was shoved inside a room, and it shut behind her./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Minutes passed./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Soon, Angel felt another presence in the room. "No need to cry, my child of desolation. Everything will be alright."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Angel's brows creased. She didn't recognize the voice. "Who are you?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" His fingers fumbled with the back of her blindfold, and it slipped down to her neck. Her eyes dilated painfully against the sudden influx of light, but she got a good look at the man. He had almond blue eyes, slicked back blond hair that curled at the nape of his neck, an aristocratic nose and a square jaw with the slightest hint of stubble. He wore a red and black uniform of a very high rank. A superior rank. The colors reminded Angel of blood and darkness. She could sense it stirring within him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" He thumbed away a tear, smiling. If it weren't for the redness beneath his eyes, he would've seemed almost harmless. "Welcome to your new home. Here, you will no longer need to hold back on your powers. Here, you're allowed to embrace them - do whatever you want with them. And I can help you control them."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Angel gasped and stepped back. She knew exactly who this man was. The team had warned her about him, told her about how he tried to take over the world, and how they were all once under his command, including The General./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "I know who you are," She ground her teeth and pulled on an angry face to show him she wasn't scared. But on the inside, she was terrified. Terrified of the mortal man with no powers and no weapons./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The Superior smiled. "You do? I see. And did your emteam/em tell you all about me?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" This time, Angel was emreally/em upset. "I'm not a little kid who listens to fairytales and fantasies. I know what you are and what you want. He's going to find you."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The Superior raised a brow. "My, young and mature are we?" He knelt down to her level. "Sadly, your emUncle Etrius/em isn't coming for you."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Angel's eyes widened./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The Superior gave a sick, twisted smile. "He's dead. I made sure his body was thrown over the steep outcropping."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Angel suddenly couldn't breathe. She backed away until she hit the wall. "You're lying. He can't be dead! That's something you do - you lie."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The Superior shrugged. "Believe it or not, he's dead. Why? Aren't you happy? I thought you hated living with them. Don't you hate holding your powers back? Living here, you'll never have to hold back again. I can train you in the art of war," He closed the distance between them, tilting her chin up to face him. "I can be your new father, and give you everything you want."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Angel yanked her chin away, tears burning behind her eyes. "The team will find you."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The Superior quirked. "And what will they do when they find me?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Angel didn't respond./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The Superior grimaced. "Just as I thought… you're trained not to kill. No matter. I will change that overtime, as well as your name to help you forget. You will become a machine that will destroy the Elite Rebels." He stood to his feet and sauntered towards the exit./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Angel gave a strangled cry and darted towards him. "Coward!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The Superior extended a hand, stopping Angel in her tracks and hurling her to the floor. The chains weighed her down. "Tsk, tsk. That's no way to speak to your father. What a disappointment. Soon, you will be fully loyal to me, my child." The iron doors slammed shut behind him, and the room was cast into darkness./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" After several heartbeats of agonizing silence, Angel pulled herself up. She pushed herself into one corner of the dark room, the chains dragging behind her. She curled up into a ball, shutting her eyes although within the darkness, it made no difference./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emUncle Etrius/emem… He can't be dead… I can still sense him, somewhere./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Memories crawled through the darkness around her. She remembered being back at the base, training to sword-fight with her father, waiting eagerly for Boomer to visit her, being surrounded by people she loved and the light they brought her./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Four tears rolled down her face, one for each team member. One thought planted itself inside her mind before blackout./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"emI want to go home./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Even as the Superior's men cuffed her arms with Obsidian shackles, draining her power and energy in waves, she wasn't afraid. She fought, even. Struggled against the soldiers as they dragged her through the hallways of enemy base. A blindfold covered her eyes, but she could still tell she was inside an unfamiliar building./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" A sudden thought occurred to her. emIf I/emem'm not scared, why am I crying?/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Tears dampened the blindfold, rubbing against her skin until it turned red and raw./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Quit struggling!" One of the men raised the butt of his rifle at the child./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" A higher ranked soldier held him back. "Watch it! He said he wanted her unharmed and emconscious./em emDo you want to get your ass killed?/em"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The soldier glared at the child before slowly lowering his rifle. "Fine. You take her in then."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Angel felt another set of rough hands grab her shoulders, leading her down another series of hallways. The obsidian cuffs kept her powers below the surface, like a pot left to simmer on the stove, but she could easily sense over twenty soldiers following them through the hallways, keeping weapons of all kinds aimed straight at her. She could almost smell the obsidian bullets through the barrels, slathered in gun oil./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" A door swung open. Angel was shoved inside a room, and it shut behind her./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Minutes passed./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Soon, Angel felt another presence in the room. "No need to cry, my child of desolation. Everything will be alright."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Angel's brows creased. She didn't recognize the voice. "Who are you?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" His fingers fumbled with the back of her blindfold, and it slipped down to her neck. Her eyes dilated painfully against the sudden influx of light, but she got a good look at the man. He had almond blue eyes, slicked back blond hair that curled at the nape of his neck, an aristocratic nose and a square jaw with the slightest hint of stubble. He wore a red and black uniform of a very high rank. A superior rank. The colors reminded Angel of blood and darkness. She could sense it stirring within him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" He thumbed away a tear, smiling. If it weren't for the redness beneath his eyes, he would've seemed almost harmless. "Welcome to your new home. Here, you will no longer need to hold back on your powers. Here, you're allowed to embrace them - do whatever you want with them. And I can help you control them."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Angel gasped and stepped back. She knew exactly who this man was. The team had warned her about him, told her about how he tried to take over the world, and how they were all once under his command, including The General./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "I know who you are," She ground her teeth and pulled on an angry face to show him she wasn't scared. But on the inside, she was terrified. Terrified of the mortal man with no powers and no weapons./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The Superior smiled. "You do? I see. And did your emteam/em tell you all about me?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" This time, Angel was emreally/em upset. "I'm not a little kid who listens to fairytales and fantasies. I know what you are and what you want. He's going to find you."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The Superior raised a brow. "My, young and mature are we?" He knelt down to her level. "Sadly, your emUncle Etrius/em isn't coming for you."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Angel's eyes widened./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The Superior gave a sick, twisted smile. "He's dead. I made sure his body was thrown over the steep outcropping."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Angel suddenly couldn't breathe. She backed away until she hit the wall. "You're lying. He can't be dead! That's something you do - you lie."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The Superior shrugged. "Believe it or not, he's dead. Why? Aren't you happy? I thought you hated living with them. Don't you hate holding your powers back? Living here, you'll never have to hold back again. I can train you in the art of war," He closed the distance between them, tilting her chin up to face him. "I can be your new father, and give you everything you want."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Angel yanked her chin away, tears burning behind her eyes. "The team will find you."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The Superior quirked. "And what will they do when they find me?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Angel didn't respond./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The Superior grimaced. "Just as I thought… you're trained not to kill. No matter. I will change that overtime, as well as your name to help you forget. You will become a machine that will destroy the Elite Rebels." He stood to his feet and sauntered towards the exit./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Angel gave a strangled cry and darted towards him. "Coward!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The Superior extended a hand, stopping Angel in her tracks and hurling her to the floor. The chains weighed her down. "Tsk, tsk. That's no way to speak to your father. What a disappointment. Soon, you will be fully loyal to me, my child." The iron doors slammed shut behind him, and the room was cast into darkness./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" After several heartbeats of agonizing silence, Angel pulled herself up. She pushed herself into one corner of the dark room, the chains dragging behind her. She curled up into a ball, shutting her eyes although within the darkness, it made no difference./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emUncle Etrius/emem… He can't be dead… I can still sense him, somewhere./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Memories crawled through the darkness around her. She remembered being back at the base, training to sword-fight with her father, waiting eagerly for Boomer to visit her, being surrounded by people she loved and the light they brought her./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Four tears rolled down her face, one for each team member. One thought planted itself inside her mind before blackout./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"emI want to go home./em/p