The night air is chilly, but not unbearable. There's a full moon out tonight, bathing the dying trees in silvery light. I dig my hands into my jacket pockets for warmth. The dry leaves crackle underfoot, and the moonlight provides ample illumination to see the path ahead.
I find a nice fallen log to sit on. It's only a few feet off the trail, so I'll be able to keep my bearings when I want to leave.
I gaze up at the moon and stars. They shine brightly here, especially now that most of the trees have been stripped of their leaves. Winter is close.
Actually, it's only a few more days until Halloween. Back at home, I would have been overjoyed. Amy and I would have probably gone to some of the local haunted houses with some mutual friends. We always loved getting scared around Halloween. Now I wish I didn't have to be scared. Scared of hurting my friends, scared of letting them down. Scared that we might not come back from this mission alive.
The wind picks up a little and I hug my arms around my chest, tucking my hands under my armpits. The bare branches whisper overhead, creating a peaceful cacophony. I hardly notice I have a visitor until he is right behind me.
"Hey."
I jump in my seat and whirl my head around to look at the intruder. I let out a sigh when I realize it's Liam.
"You scared the heck out of me!" I exclaim, placing a hand over my racing heart. Liam smirks in amusement and sits down on the log beside me. "Couldn't sleep either?"
"Nah. Sometimes I have too much energy to make myself fall asleep, so I just wander around the woods for hours. The base is too stuffy," Liam explains, not looking at me, but instead staring into the darkness of the woods ahead.
We sit in an awkward silence for a while after that. My cheeks burn in embarrassment; I can't think of a single thing to say. Come to think of it, I haven't spoken much to Liam since I came here.
"So, uh. You lived out there? In the real world? With a family?" Liam mumbles awkwardly. He continues to avert eye contact, and for that I am a little grateful.
"Yeah. Not that I was the most popular kid. But yeah, I lived 'out there'. Why do you ask?"
"I don't know. Most of the people here haven't led normal lives. I just... I wanted to know what it was like. In the real world. Y'know?" Liam's silver-white eyebrows knit together in deep thought.
"Well, I went to school," I start hesitantly.
"What do you do there? I mean, yes, I know you learn, but..." Liam trails off.
"History. Math. I hated math with a passion. I was never any good at it. English."
"Do you learn to read? I never got to."
"Yeah, sometimes. Not really in high school so much... A lot of kids pay more attention to making friends and looking good than than to getting good grades. So yeah, I wasn't exactly popular," I shrug.
"I was wondering... Uh, have you ever had a girlfriend?" Liam seems to change the subject.
"No. I was considering asking a girl out, but I never had the courage. Do– do you like Emma?" I ask, putting two and two together. I remember him blushing at her the other night.
Liam tenses and folds his hands together.
"I, uh. Well... yes. I've never felt this way about anyone before. I thought... I thought that because you've been out there more than the rest of us, you might be able to help..." He trails off.
"Ok, well why don't you just ask her out? Like on a date?"
"Does it look like I know how to do that? I don't even know where to start!" Liam throws up his arms.
"Well first you have to talk to her. Give her a compliment or ask about the weather or something. Anything to get conversation started. If you don't mind me asking, why did you come to me and not Dante? You know, the dude in an actual relationship?" I ask.
"Dante and Kasper are different. They came together out of necessity. They needed to fix each other. Emma doesn't need fixing though. She's... well, she's..." He trails off.
"I understand. Just be yourself around her and take things slow. You can't force things like this, so if it doesn't work out, don't push it."
There's a long silence, and I guess Liam is contemplating our conversation.
The wind picks up again, and dark clouds blow into view, covering the full moon. Less than a week until the mission.
–~–~–
"Today we will be working on controlling your powers. We have tried to integrate this step into your training slowly over the past few weeks, but for the next few days, we are going to really focus on your individual abilities. We will cycle through each of you in alphabetical order. When you are not training, you will be studying your ally's strengths and weaknesses so you can give him or her critique later on. Agent Spark, you will go first," Myra finishes with a nod towards Emma.
The small blonde steps away from our little huddled group. She follows Myra to the center of the clearing.
"Agent Spark, please demonstrate for the rest of your teammates your abilities. I understand you have particularly good control over your powers. You will go on my command," Myra instructs. Emma gives a small nod before dropping into a runners crouch.
"Go!"
Before I can even register what's happening, Emma is gone, disappeared into a blur. The woods in front of where she stood shake violently, as if blown by some strong wind. The next second, Emma is standing back where she started, hands on her knees and panting a little bit.
Dante is the first to vocalize his confusion. "What the heck just happened?"
"Oh, that? I ran around the perimeter of the base. I think it's about seven miles? I'll have to check that later," Emma says, regaining her composure before joining the rest of the group. I'm shocked by her nonchalance, but then again, this isn't anything any of us should be shocked about. We all defy the laws of nature.
"Agent Surge, you will go next," Myra directs, straightening a minuscule ruffle her pleated skirt.
"I can't," Dante says, shrugging.
"You must. If you do not learn to control your abilities, how will you be of any use to us on the field? You were sent to this facility to control your powers. This Department failed you for two years now Dante. If we ever want to see you succeed, you will need to cast off your inhibitions and attempt to control yourself," Myra explains.
Dante sighs heavily, then steps into the middle of the clearing. "I want all of you back in the tree-line. I'm not messing around, I could kill you. Thanks," the boy commends once he sees we are all in the woods, shaded by dormant trees. "Ok, here goes nothing."
Dante tenses up, then shoots out his arm. A little spark releases from his open palm, but that's it. No destructive beam or explosive blast, just a baby spark.
"What happened?" Myra demands.
Dante shrugs. "I'm on empty."
"Well, fill up then. Or whatever you do..." Myra says, waving her hands in exasperation.
"It's not that easy. I have to take energy from a living or mechanical source. As you said, I've been living here for two years. How is it that you don't already know this about me?"
"That is irrelevant, Agent Surge. You may return to the group then until we can find a viable energy source to suit your needs. However, I will say this. Do not be afraid to take energy from defeated enemies on the battlefield," Myra clears her throat. "Agent Lycan, you will go next."
Liam looks around then reluctantly stalks into the center of the field.
"I think you will be disappointed. I can't control the other side of me. If I shift here, I will attack you."
"We have a temporary solution for that particular issue, Agent Lycan," Myra smirks and pulls out a small black box from her pocket. "This device will emit a high pitched beeping noise that will cause extreme discomfort and dizzying effects in creatures with amplified hearing. We should be able to confine you to a certain area and keep you focused with a short blast from this device. With prolonged exposure to the beeping will force you back into your human form. Well, theoretically. This is, of course, entirely conjecture," Myra says, but she looks excited nonetheless.
Liam thinks for a minute. "I don't want to rip these clothes," he finally says, though he doesn't sound very convincing. "Oh what the hell. Fine, I'll do it. But if I start eating Dante's ass, it's on you Myra."
Liam closes his eyes pinkish for a few seconds, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. We all hear a loud crack from the albino's direction, and when I try to run over to see if Liam needs help, Dante catches my shoulder and pulls me back.
Liam grunts and falls to his knees, his body wracked by horrific, unnatural spasms. His bones start to push out; his feet tear through his shoes, his fingers curl and uncurl, growing thinner and larger. The boy's ribcage presses against his shirt, straining the lightweight fabric. Muscle starts to swell across the Liam's once-thin frame. His shoulders bloat with sinuous strength, grotesque mounds of flesh piling up on the boy. Silver fur starts to cover his body from head to foot, and Liam lets out a howl as his face pushes out into a lupine muzzle. His ears shift to the top of his head and fangs push his human teeth out of his maw. The change slows, and finally stops. Liam, or what was Liam, stands on digitigrade paws where his feet used to be. His body is bloated with thick muscle and covered in a light sheen of silver-white fur. His face is indistinguishably wolffish in nature, almost as if someone had taken a wild wolf's head an planted it on a bodybuilder's torso. Then added wolf feet. And claws. Oh, and fangs too.
The once-Liam creature hunches over and raises its muzzle to the sky, sniffing the air. His head slowly tilts back down, facing our little huddled group.
"Should we run?" I hear Emma whisper somewhere behind me.
Easy for you to say, I think.
As if on cue, wolf-Liam places his massive clawed hands on the ground starts sprinting at us on all fours. He doesn't make it far before he trips and rolls over, clutching his ears. He whines and kicks the ground.
"Agent Lycan, get a hold of yourself!" Myra shouts. Her thumb is blessed down on a button on the black box.
Liam starts to get up, his tail drooping and his ears flat against his wolf skull. He snarls at Myra, and starts prowling around her in a slow circle.
"Liam, control," Myra says softly but firmly. It doesn't seem to work. Liam stands on his hind paws and slashes the air in front of him, aimed in Myra's direction.
The agent jumps back and holds down the button on the little black box. Liam howls and covers his ears, pawing at them to try and block the sound that only he can hear. When the noise continues, Liam-wolf whines and lays down. He sits still for a minute before starting to change back. His claws retract, his bones shrink, and his muscles deflate until all that's left is a naked teenage boy lying in the grass. I take off my jacket and run to Liam, who appears to be unconscious. He stirs when he hears me coming, but then he realizes he is in the nude. I toss my black athletic jacket to him, and he nods in gratitude, his cheeks a bright red color and his normally floppy, contained white hair is now sticking up everywhere.
Myra hovers over Liam and helps him up. She appears to be a little frazzled, her normally immaculate black hair has fallen out of its precise bun and her glasses are askew. She seems unharmed however. Liam wraps my jacket around his waist like some sort of dejected kilt, and wanders over to the ruins of his sweatshirt and jeans. Apparently nothing is salvageable, so he prowls back to the rest of the group half naked and shivering. Dante offers his jacket as well, but Liam stiffly refuses, hugging his thin arms around his pasty white chest.
"Ehm," Myra coughs to get our attention. "Despite our string of... complications, we shall continue training as planned. Agent Risen, I believe you are up."
Kasper nods and takes her place in the center of the grassy clearing.
"What do you want me to do?" She asks Myra, looking around as if expecting some kind of target of objective to use her powers against.
"We have a fairly decent comprehension of your abilities Miss Risen. We believe that you are not only able to levitate or crush other objects, we also theorize that you may be able to make yourself hover. Please try and concentrate on that, but be careful not to crush yourself," Myra warns, tossing her undone curls over her shoulder.
Kasper looks concerned by that last comment, but she doesn't question it. Instead, she closes her eyes and breathes deeply. After almost a minute, I think that Kasper isn't able to complete her task, but I am proven wrong when she literally begins to lift off the ground. Her toes are only a few centimeters from the dead leaves and brown grass, but she is still floating, which is more than I can do.
"Very good Kasper. You are dismissed for now. Tomorrow we shall see if we can take you to the next level," Myra commends. "Mr. Sanders? Would you like to go next?"
No, I think, I would not like to go next. I know I have to though, so I trudge to the center of the clearing. My arms are chilly now that I have no jacket. It doesn't help that I'm wearing a thin short sleeved jogging shirt either.
"Do you have a code name selected yet Mr. Sanders?" Myra inquires casually, as if she wasn't attacked by a werewolf only ten minutes ago.
"Uh, I think so. I want to be called 'Nightingale'," I reply. It came to me a few nights ago while I was outside. I wanted a name that wasn't scary in itself. A sort of peaceful name that had a hint of mystery. And nightingales are my favorite birds; nocturnal and small, kind of like me.
"Very well Agent Nightingale. As it stands, we have no way to measure your psychic abilities without volunteering a human test subject. I am sure that we are mutually against subjecting a human civilian to seeing their worst fears. Instead, today we will try to trigger your defensive shielding abilities. Now then, I will toss this ball at you," Myra holds up a neon tennis ball. "You will block yourself from being hit by the tennis ball with your force shield, and your force shield alone. You are not permitted to catch the ball. If you catch it, I will have Agent Blindwalker constrain your arms behind your back."
"Wonderful," I mutter.
"What was that?"
"I said 'I'm ready'," I lie. The tennis ball hits me on the cheek before I'm even paying attention. "What the hell?"
"Focus Agent Nightingale." I toss Myra the ball, who immediately throws it right back towards my face. This time it bounces off my cheekbone, dangerously close to my eye.
She throws it twice more, and all I can think of is how painful this is, as well as how stupid. The third time I throw up my arm to block the ball from smashing my nose. Kaishi is called over, and he holds my hands behind my back, although he whispers apologies.
Myra throws it especially hard this time, and I know it's flying straight for my face, when all of the sudden, it bounces off some invisible obstacle two feet away. My shields worked!
"Very nicely done! Now Agent Blindwalker, I will have you take Nightingale's place so you may begin your training."
I rub my sore cheek and join the others at the edge of the clearing. Myra throws the ball at Kaishi, who in turn bats it away.
Not fair! I scream in my head, but then I remember that Kai is blind.
Comrade is called up last, although Myra comments that as Serik-Zauresh has been with the Department longest, she has the most experience with her powers. Comrade is instructed to jump around a little, perform a series of complicated combat procedures, then is let off the hook. We are all dismissed to lunch, but I can already tell nobody feels like eating. Today has been more of a defeat than anything. Despite the fact that some people excelled with their abilities, most of us are barely able to control then, much less benefit from them. We are horribly unprepared for this mission. When I asked if we could could postpone the mission, Myra replied that this would be our only chance. Apparently there will be an important gala of some sort in one of F.E.A.R.'s public buildings in New York, so most of the criminal organization's guards and company heads will be occupied there. Apparently someone at F.E.A.R. caught wind of some attack on the Rand Corp Building by a team of mutants called the Challengers, so the higher-ups did not wish to suffer the same fate.
The rest of the day trudges by in a disappointing blur, from lunch to school studies, from school studies to free time, from free time to dinner, and finally from dinner to bed. I lay awake for a few hours, anticipation and worry clawing in my chest. How did I end up in some secret war with a criminal organization? I was just a nobody, a high schooler, another face in the crowd. Now I'm surrounded by the strongest and greatest teenagers in history, getting ready to break into the headquarters of a terrorist cell.
How did I get here?
—~—~—
"Bad dog! Bad! Sit! There we go, that is better... Dante! Stop trying to pet Liam!" Comrade commands in her thick Sokovian accent.
"But he looks so fluffy..."
"Liam will bite hand. He is not 'fluffy'," Comrade spits incredulously. The mock wounded look on Dante's face makes her laugh though, so I know there is no bad blood between the two.
For the past week we have each been helping each other control our powers, whether that be in the form of throwing dodgeballs at my face or practicing yoga with Dante so he can focus on restraining his abilities. Now, only two days before our official mission, everyone is taking a part in keeping Liam from tearing our heads off. A few days ago, the albino boy almost slashed Kaishi in half. Ever since, we have been especially careful when dealing with the Liam in his wolf form. Looking at today, it seems we have made some progress. Well, Serik-Zauresh has made some progress. The rest of us have been watching, or in Dante's case, instigating.
Liam sits on his haunches in wolf form with Comrade only a few feet away. She holds the black sound box in her right hand, which we have collectively agreed to call the BeeperBox. Comrade gets Liam's attention and gives him a series of commands. If he disobeys, or otherwise tries to attack one of us, she blasts the wolf-boy with the BeeperBox. So far it has been working great, even with Dante trying to pet Liam's tail.
"Special Agents, you are required in the Hub in ten minutes. That is all," Myra commands over Kaishi's walkie-talkie.
"Hey, we have to be at the Hub in ten," Kai calls to Comrade. She nods, then presses and holds the button on the BeeperBox. Liam howls in discomfort before shrinking back down to human size. Unfortunately we haven't been able to fix the no-clothing part yet, so Liam now sits nude once again in the grass. Not that he minds anymore. He has a decent athletic physique, despite being a little on the thin side. Comrade tosses Liam some jeans and underwear and the rest of us turn around to give the boy some privacy. Once he's finished, we all make our way to the Hub.
Myra stands beneath the huge monitor in the command room, and this time we aren't alone. Agents occupy almost every computer station in the room; reviewing tapes, typing documents, or discussing strategies.
"Ah, there you are. Mr. A has instructed me to take you all to the armory. It is only a short walk from the Hub, so if you all will follow me." Myra leads us back out of the Hub and down the hall.
"I didn't know we had an armory," Dante remarks as we walk.
"It's secret to most agents. Only field agents and those with special permissions are given access. Otherwise that room would be too dangerous in the wrong hands," Myra says, pulling a keycard out of her handheld purse. We reach a sealed, unmarked door, by which is mounted a control panel. Myra swipes her card and the door opens with a pressurized hiss.
We walk down an entirely white hallway; white floors, ceiling, and walls. The hallway rounds a corner before opening into a large room filled to the brim with weaponry and glowing with a sanitary white light. Every wall contains a rack of weapons from guns to knives. On several counters in the center of the room lay other oddities: mechanized wings, pairs of bug-eyed goggles, and even some ancient artifacts seemingly from Egypt and Scandinavia. To the left of our little group stands a row of mannequins bedecked in varying suits and armors. Mr. A inspects one of the suits before realizing we have entered.
"Magnificent, aren't they?" He asks, taking us all in.
"What exactly are they?" I ask, furrowing a brow in confusion.
Mr. A gestures towards the mannequins. "They are your suits, your uniforms for combat. They are each individually designed to fit your combat needs. Serik-Zauresh, this is yours." He points the the first suit in the row.
It is a tight black top of some kind of nylon reinforced with rubber, as well as a matching pair of running pants. There's a holstered belt around the hip, and black fingerless gloves on the mannequin's hands.
"I only take gloves and belt," Comrade replies without a second glance.
"I suggest you wear the entire suit. For your own saf–"
"No suit," Comrade interrupts. "Only holster and gloves."
Mr. A sighs and throws up his hands in defeat. "Very well. Moving on. This will be yours, Liam." He points to a black hooded vest. The hood is made of some silvery material, and it comes with pants and a belt to match.
"This entire uniform is designed to grow as you do. When you shift into your wolf form, you will not need to worry about ruining this suit. Well, in theory at least."
Liam gives a nod of approval, smirking his signature smirk at his new uniform.
"The next is Kasper's. This shirt is made of a very breathable fabric, but by itself is not very protective. That is why we will be supporting it with this durable modified leather jacket. We felt that you would also appreciate freer mobility in the legs, so we opted for an ankle cut. The gloves and goggles are optional, of course, but for this type of mission, the more of your body we cover in black, the better." Mr. A smiles at Kasper, already seeing that she would enjoy her suit.
"Kyle's is next," Mr. A continues, pointing to a mannequin that is roughly my size. The torso is covered by a baggy tunic of some sort in black, covered by a black hooded shawl. The sleeves of the tunic end a little past the elbows. Covering the legs are black cargo pants tucked into ankle-length boots. "As you can see, your uniform is tailored more for speed and stealth than for frontal combat. We took two things into account when making it. Firstly, your abilities are more suited towards defense, so it would be pointless to burden you with armor of any sort. Secondly, you have showed great advancements in speed and agility over your stay with us, and such a costume is perfect for your skill-set."
"Now Kaishi's was designed to allow a full range of movement and to assure maximum defense." Kaishi's suit consists of a black armored vest, much like a set of sleeveless motorcycle armor. The pants are also lightly armored and tucked into combat boots. "This vest should withstand even most bullets from a proper distance. It is both water and fireproof as well."
"We styled Emma's after general running gear in order to bolster her movement and speed, yet we tried to maintain a defensive exterior. The jacket should protect against superficial wounds while the blue tank top can also provide slight protection."
"Last but not least we have Dante's." Dante's mannequin wears an armored suit similar to Kaishi's, save for the heavy duty gloves. I assume they are to amplify and control Dante's abilities, though I can't be certain. A belt around the waist holds what appears to be an extra set of gloves, as well as a clear compartment which looks like it holds goggles or sunglasses. "The gloves will protect you from absorbing too much energy, while the glasses should aid in night vision. Your armor is very much like Kaishi's as you will both be doing the brunt of the hand-to-hand combat. Now then, are we all satisfied? Tomorrow you will train in these uniforms to break them in. For now, you all are dismissed.
XxXxXxX
Everyone's lookin' good, huh? I hope you guys liked this chapter, although it kind of skipped around a lot. Next chapter will hold a lot of surprises, so watch out! If you have any suggestions, critiques, or comments for this story, please review! I love hearing from you guys! Also, if you want, tell me who your favorite ship so far is! I actually really didn't intend to have much romance in this story, but I'm kinda loving our blossoming couples! Well, thanks for reading!