… Into the fire.
Anomaly sighed, her hands cuffed behind her back. She was sitting down in the same chair she'd been sitting in only a week ago, when she'd first come into the ARC.
Lester was glaring at her. "Now. Explain."
Anomaly nodded slowly. Her right shoulder had been bandaged, and the gash on her left shoulder, her neck, and her chin, had been covered in white gauze. "I suppose I should…"
The guard behind her loaded his gun. She had a feeling that she'd end up with a bullet in her head today.
She took a deep breath. "I think I should start from the beginning, shall I?"
Lester looked at her, motioning for her to continue.
She nodded again. "Right." She took another deep breath, and began.
"A long time ago, in my time, I found out what made Artalis strong." She chuckled darkly. "Artalis was my city. The place I was born. But it was a weaker place then even I imagined."
She looked at him. "I told you I had a problem with authority. Well, I had it back then, too. But for different reasons."
She sighed. "You're not going to like what I have to tell you, Lester."
"Say it anyway." Lester ordered.
She sighed. "Lester, I'm… a criminal. I was banished from my own city."
Lester bristled, but said nothing.
Anomaly tried desperately to understand his expression. He was a man who was practically holding a gun to her head. If he decided he couldn't trust her…
She shivered and decided not to think about it. She looked at him. "At least, that's what Artalis called me. A criminal. But, actually, I'm more of a troublemaker. Not so extreme. I mean, I never killed anyone. I might have swiped a few things from people, but I always gave them back."
Lester glared at her. "I knew it."
He said the three words with triumph, and Anomaly almost broke the cuffs then and there. He looked too much like the council member, looking at her as though she was some… disease. She bristled.
She took a deep breath. "However, I found out that Artalis wasn't all it said it was." She looked down. "Lester, to me, the killing or torturing of an empathic animal is the worst crime in the world. Empaths are INCREDIBLY intelligent. But they rest their lives in other people's hands. Particularly the Florlics. Because dogs have always been loyal, correct?" She kept her eyes on the floor. "And Artalis was betraying that loyalty."
She sighed. "There was a man. Kierto. I'd always been… suspicious of him, but I never suspected…" She swallowed. "I think… I think I'm not being clear enough. Maybe… maybe I should just tell you what happened… when I found out what Artalis was doing…"
Artalis gleamed in the distance. The girl who would become Rouge Child, and later Anomaly, jumped and skipped around, the perfect image of a little kid out for a treat.
Kierto smiled. "You ready for this?"
Anomaly (Or the girl who would become Anomaly) looked at him and smiled as well. "Definitely. I've been waiting for this for a LONG time."
Kierto chuckled. "You know what to do, right?"
Anomaly dropped into a fighting stance, a perfect defensive position. "Of course! What do you take me for, a weakling?"
Kierto laughed. "All right, all right, calm down, young one. Predators aren't exactly friendly."
Anomaly smiled, her teeth gleaming in the cold sunlight. "Right."
And so it went. Kierto and Anomaly were tracking a particularly nasty predator, one that had been terrorizing the city for a long time now. Normally, they wouldn't even consider having a child fight a predator like this; certainly not one as young as her. But this was ANOMALY. She was practically famous for being a great fighter, and being able to run so fast she was nearly invisible.
When they found the Predator, they had the cover of the trees to rely on. Kierto's three Florlics growled in the back of their throats, and Anomaly's two, Ikesa and Kesea, joined them.
"Easy…" She whispered to them.
Kierto smiled. "Ready?"
"All my life." She replied.
There was absolute silence. The Predator never saw them coming, until they were right in front of it, knives in hand.
The Predator screeched, a bloodcurdling sound that sent shivers down Anomaly's spine. Her eyes narrowed, taking in everything at once.
And that's when she saw it. Kierto's Florlic was too close. If it got hurt, things could head south real fast. Empathy was a powerful thing.
So, Anomaly did the one thing she could do. She lashed out at the Predator. Her eyes were bright.
"NO!" Kierto called.
But it was too late. Anomaly had come this far, and couldn't give up now.
For a child, Anomaly was incredibly fast. Her movements went almost undetected by the Predator. It was clicking rapidly, trying desperately to find her location. And she stabbed the knife out, over and over, trying to finish this as quickly as possible.
The Predator lashed out, catching both Anomaly and Kierto's Florlic in one blow. Anomaly flew into a tree. The Florlic just collapsed to the ground, whimpering.
That was when Kierto acted, coming forward and finishing the job Anomaly started. The Predator fell to the ground, and Kierto pulled his knife from its throat.
He ran over to Anomaly, who was screaming from the Florlic's, and her own, pain.
He pulled something out of his belt, something small and silver, and pressed a button on it.
The Florlic's pain died from her mind, and there was only her own. Thankfully, that was somewhat manageable, so she calmed down after a few minutes, though the Florlic was still howling in pain.
"Are you ok?" Kierto asked her.
She nodded slowly, struggling to her feet. "Fine. Fine." She looked at him. "What about your Florlic?"
"He'll be ok." Kierto promised, brushing her question off. "But, more importantly, you're safe. That's all that matters right now." He smiled. "What would your mother say if I brought you back injured? She'd murder me!"
Anomaly looked at him. "Kierto, your Florlic is hurt." She walked over to the creature.
She looked at it. The Florlic whimpered.
"Why can't I feel it?" she asked. "His pain. I can't feel it."
Kierto smiled and showed her the small silver device. "Empathic Eliminator. I'm not supposed to show anyone…" He looked at her. "But this is YOU. And I have high hopes for your future in our business." He smiled. "I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up on the council."
Anomaly looked at him. "My brother's dream, not mine." She looked at the eliminator. "Does it hurt him?"
Kierto smiled. "Not at all. And it doesn't hurt us either."
Anomaly looked back at the Florlic. "Well, whatever, we have to help him."
"Is this relevant?" Lester asked Anomaly.
She eyed him coldly. "Absolutely, Lester. For if you are to know the criminal, you must know the motive." Her eyes locked on his. "And the crime."
Lester nodded slowly and motioned for her to continue.
"Over here!" Kierto exclaimed. "We have a place where he can be treated."
Anomaly followed him, his Florlic flying behind her.
When they reached the place, Anomaly ran her eyes over it. It was a large, metal building. Electric fencing surrounded it.
Anomaly looked around. "What IS this place?"
Kierto smiled. "This is top secret. And I shouldn't even be showing it to you." He turned to face her. "But I have a confession to make."
She looked at him, her eyes wide and innocent. "What?"
Kierto chuckled. "I want you to be my replacement."
Her eyes widened even further. "Me? But… sir, I…"
Kierto raised a hand. "Please. It's my honor. I believe you would fit my job perfectly, when you're older. You're fast and you're smart. You can make snap decisions with ease. These are traits you'll need, young one, if you are to take my place when you are older."
Anomaly smiled nervously. "Sir, I can't…"
Kierto looked at her, placing his hands on her shoulders and dropping down to eye level with her. "Please. I know it's a lot to ask, but I'm going to need someone there when I'm gone. Just look at what I do. Behind the council member, this is what I do. Please."
Anomaly looked at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. She swallowed and nodded slowly. "Yes… sir…"
He smiled and stood upright. "Good girl. And from now on, it's Kierto. No need for the 'sir.'"
She nodded, swallowing again.
They entered the building.
It was your typical medical-clinic type building. White walls and white floors and florescent lighting that made everything look worse then it was.
Which was hard to do, considering what was inside.
Anomaly followed Kierto through door after door. His pattern was clearance enough, and if he wanted to bring in a young girl, that was his choice. The guards bristled when they saw her, but when they saw her face they smiled. Anomaly guessed that they believed it was inevitable that she ended up here, perhaps a lot sooner than later.
They walked in the door, and Anomaly's breath caught in her throat.
There, in front of her, was a Loch Ness Monster.
"Brace yourself." Kierto murmured. "This could be a shock."
The Nessie was most defiantly a girl. Her eyes pled with the workers, but they paid no attention. One of them poked something into her skin, and she moaned, a long, depressed moan that made Anomaly's heart lurch. But no one else seemed to notice.
"This is where we make the Empathic Eliminators." Kierto explained. "Unfortunately, we have to… experiment with the empathic creatures. It was difficult, at first, but then we created the Eliminator. Now, everything runs smoothly."
The Nessie moaned again. Anomaly looked at it. It was obvious the Eliminators were in place, because Anomaly felt no emotions that were not her own. "THIS is smooth?"
Kierto looked at her, one eyebrow raised. "I know it's a shock. But, believe me, it's for the better! Many people die as a result of Predator attacks when their Florlics are wounded."
"Name one."
"Norfalota." He replied.
Anomaly froze. "Oh. Kierto, I'm so sorry."
He waved a hand, as though brushing it aside. "It's quite all right, young one. My sister's death has helped me work through this all these years. Now people will not have to go through their Florlic's pain." He smiled. "Even better, we may be able to take their empathic abilities and use them ourselves."
Anomaly bristled. "But what about the Florlics? What about this Loch Ness Monster? Aren't they in pain?"
He nodded slowly. "Of course, Anomaly. But we will eliminate future pain."
Anomaly looked at him. "Kierto, I'm sorry. But…" Her eyes locked on his. "I want to feel it. Right here, right now. I want to feel what she is feeling." She pointed to the Nessie.
His eyes widened, but he nodded slowly. "I cannot refuse you, young one. It is your right to know what is happening."
"Even though no one else does?"
"The suspicion is there." Kierto shrugged. "But no one will dig deep enough." He smiled. "We believed you would, even if we never showed this to you."
He sighed and flicked a button on his Empathic Eliminator.
The Nessie moaned, and Anomaly gasped. Tears formed in her eyes.
The Nessie realized it wasn't alone, and leaned down to face her. It moaned softly.
The tears started to spill, streaking down her face. "Oh…" she whispered.
The Nessie moaned again, and new tears formed. There was nothing but pain in this Nessie's eyes, in its emotions. Anomaly swallowed, trying to hide it, but was unsuccessful. Pain washed through her. It was impossible to feel anything but what the Nessie wanted her to feel. She gasped.
Kierto flicked the eliminator back on, and Anomaly could think again. She glared at him. Now there was more then pain. Now there was hate. Now there was rage. Now there was fury.
"What are you DOING to her?" Anomaly demanded. The Nessie seemed to nod in approval. Now it had someone on her side. "This creature did NOTHING to you!"
Kierto raised a hand, almost in surrender. And yet, flames burned behind his eyes. "Listen. We save lives."
"And destroy them." She snarled. "Look around you, KIERTO. How many people died trying to perfect these things? You can't experiment on EMPATHS!"
And with that, Anomaly ran out. She didn't stop until she was out and away from the building.
When Kierto caught up with her, he grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop. "Stop. Please. Just think about what you're doing. The council themselves approve of this. They believe it to be the best…"
"The council is WRONG." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. Kierto took a step back. Those words hadn't been spoken for thousands of years. The council was never wrong.
She pulled his arm out of his grip, but he grabbed it again. "Just think about this. Please. We save lives."
"You destroy them." She hissed.
He looked at her. "Just… tell no one. You are held by secrecy."
She pulled his arm away from him again, and this time he didn't try and get it back. "Done. I don't even want to think about it."
He sighed. "I'm not retracting my offer, young one. It's still there."
"Sure. If I have a change in mind, you'll be the first to know." She spat out the words.
He nodded slowly, and she took off, running back to Artalis.
"So… You're an animal rights activist?" Lester questioned. Everyone was paying close attention to her story, so more than one person jumped when he spoke.
Anomaly laughed darkly. "Yeah. You could say that. But I'm talking EMPATHS. They're different from most animals. Very different."
Lester looked at her. "Different how, exactly?"
Anomaly took a deep breath. "The death of an empathic creature can kill a human. The emotions are INCREDIBLY strong. And while a person is not physically in pain, they believe they are. And the mind is a powerful thing, Lester. If they believe they are, then sometimes, it actually happens. I'm actually more interested in saving lives from both human and empathic species."
Lester looked confused. "So… you're an empathic rights activist."
Anomaly laughed. "Yeah. That works."
Lester nodded slowly. "All right. Continue."
From then on, Anomaly went out of her way to be a nuisance. She stole things, random objects, from the council members. She had perfect disrespect for the authority of the city. She would never again look at them as above her. To her, they were far beneath her, and the rest of the people. The council members grew a distinguishable hate for her as well.
Anomaly said whatever horrible thing would come out about the council. This turned the others in Artalis against her. She became a monster, a terror.
An outcast.
From then on, her 'friends' abandoned her. Her own family was ashamed of her, though they would never say it. Not to her face, anyway. The council was deathly afraid of her, because she knew their darkest secret.
And Anomaly kept uncovering secrets. It seemed as though the council had been lying to Artalis all her life. The city was hidden in a cover of lies and secrets and deception. And it made her furious.
Her 'crimes' grew bigger with every secret she uncovered. When she found out that the council was hiding a cure for a disease, for economical purposes, the council decided that the way she uncovered this information was less then law-abiding. She was found inside the lab, having forged an ID chip and implanted it into her pattern to gain access. Anomaly put her intelligence into uncovering every secret the council ever had. And the more she searched, the more she discovered that she lived in a totalitarian society, with its head being the council member she despised most, the man she even now refused to name. The council was supposed to have no head member, but Anomaly knew different.
The lines were drawn when she found that very council member changing the laws in the law book. The line was crossed when she tried desperately to steal it. This had gone on too far. The people had to know what kind of a man they were being ruled by.
When Anomaly was finally old enough, she knew what would happen before it did. It was expected. Every person in Artalis knew her name, the name she now rejected with everything she was. And every person in Artalis hated her.
So, when she was a fully grown adult, the council had a meeting. She knew what the decision was before it had been made.
And, with that, Anomaly was banished from Artalis, never to return.
Everyone looked at Anomaly. She hadn't said a word about Sam. That was one part of her history she didn't particularly want to share.
Abby looked at Lester. "I think she's telling the truth."
Anomaly smiled. "Thank you, Abby. But that's what happened today. They didn't particularly like the fact that I changed times. So… they tried to keep me from doing it again." She looked at her bandaged shoulder.
"They tried to kill you?" Connor asked, shocked.
Anomaly smiled coldly. "It's nothing less than I expected. They don't exactly like me."
Lester looked at her for a long, tense minute. Finally, he sighed and signaled the guard.
Anomaly tensed as the man came closer to her, but there was no need. He unlocked her handcuffs and stepped back.
Anomaly smiled. "Thank you, Lester."
Lester raised a hand, cutting her off. "Not. One. Word. I'm bending enough rules as it is. I just don't want to have to deal with the paperwork involved in this."
Anomaly's smile widened. Abby came over to her and, with a smile threatening to break through, said, "That's Lester's way of saying welcome back to the team."
Anomaly looked at her. "Good to be back."
