Chapter 1: Familiar Faces
“Have you spotted the target yet?” impatiently, one of the figures atop the roof asked the other. When she received no answer the woman went back to scanning the alleys of the city. Breathing out a sigh with no success at her search she glanced over at her partner, hoping he was having better luck. Something certainly caught his attention; she silently watched him leaned forwards with his binoculars. Admiration swelled in her chest, he was so focused and they weren’t even facing off against anyone. However, her praise for her dark haired companion ended rather abruptly when his face flushed red.
“City folk sure know how to dress. Especially the women,” letting out a low whistle he didn’t pry his eyes from their figures, “Hey hotshot, why can’t you dress more like that? I know for a fact your figure would fit absolutely perfect in that little set,” not only did a bright red hue build in her cheeks, but her anger must’ve caught his attention. Immediately, he noticed that she was looming over his crouched form. Before he could blink she disappeared leaving him with a mildly shocked expression.
“Arkanos…” seething, she ran at him throwing numerous punches which he countered fairly easily. Why couldn’t he just leave her out of his sick little thoughts? When he chuckled at her pathetic attacks she growled before throwing another punch at him in frustration. Freezing up, her crimson eyes darted to her hand caught in his. Heat filled her cheeks while she glared at his smug face. Wanting nothing more than to see it wiped off she threw her other fist which Arkanos captured too, “I hate you so much,” she sneered though her heart denied all claims.
Holding both her hands by their wrists in one hand he held her chin in place, “Now you should know by now I love playing these games with you Elouise. But can’t you be patient until we get back from our mission?” disgust and shock mixed in her eyes while she watched a smirk curve itself on his mouth. She wasn’t flirting with him! Not only that but she was the one who previously told him he wasn’t focused first. Releasing her from his grasp he chuckled while she scurried as far away from him as she could on the roof.
After awhile of sitting in silence a soft click caught their attention, glancing down below the two watched a hooded figure leaving the building. Spotting her chance Elouise quickly threw something to keep the door from locking them out, “Let’s go,” she mumbled concealing herself from sight once again. Picking up her pace she knew the card wouldn’t go unnoticed forever, someone would spot it soon.
Elouise stood before the door, pulled back the handle, and let her partner go in first. His reflexes were fast enough if he ran into trouble, she concluded, based on the previous missions they’d been on together. Reaching down, she picked up the metal card she’d thrown prior to their entrance. While originally they hadn’t been the most powerful weapons, each proved its worth from exploding at the snap of her fingers to cutting into flesh like butter. Shortly after entering the building Arkanos called for her to follow him through some kind of passage.
Pulsing music rushed through her, just what was this place? Arkanos only gave her a brief overview of the situation; they were breaking into an organization and taking out their boss. Thankfully, her partner also informed her of exactly who they were looking for: a man by the name of William Donaldson. Who took a fancy for excessive amounts of bling and women. A shiver of disgust ran through her until Arkanos pulled her next to him, blushing slightly she glanced over to him.
“Just follow my lead Elouise, there’s a security check so we’re gonna pretend we’re a couple,” her happiness was shot; they could’ve been a couple if he’d just accepted her confession years ago. At one point she flirted and dated so many other men in an attempt to catch his attention, however, it only pushed him further away from her. Then he went around and flirted with other women right after he did pay attention to her. Gritting her teeth she sighed softly, gaining control of her emotions. Glancing around she noticed a neon sign hanging from the ceiling which read “The Underground”. They had a bit of time; apparently, people had been waiting her for quite some time. Since Arkanos and she arrived without anyone else noticing, Elouise could only assume that was the only entrance.
Looking at the tall male it seemed all he needed was a card for someone to enter; spotting a wallet in the man’s back pocket in front of them, she swiped undetected. Opening it she pulled out a dark card and smirked before giving the wallet back to its owner. Feeling eyes on her she looked innocently at Arkanos, “What?” pouting slightly for added emphasis. Looking away from her he smiled softly before shaking his head and putting on his sunglasses. Speaking of the sunglasses, sometime she’d take the opportunity to hide those from him. It looked slightly ridiculous whenever he walked inside, besides, she liked his onyx eyes.
A giggle left her as she watched the man in line before them panic, he just realized his card had gone missing. When he’d been escorted away she held up the stolen card and held Arkanos’ hand, “He’s with me,” she stated and began walking through as soon as the guard nodded. Turning to Arkanos she couldn’t help but admire his approving glance, they’d stir up trouble later. As she was about to tell her partner they’d split up and look around for William, however, it looked like he already read her mind. She spotted Arkanos making his way into the crowd…of women. Some things just didn’t change.
Wandering over towards a barstool she plopped herself down, letting her eyes scan for the target. A warning flashed in her vision as she glanced up at a drunken man walking towards her, his voice slurred as he tried his hand at wooing her. When he tried to touch her she slapped his hand away, robotic eyes glaring at him menacingly. The silver haired cyborg figured he couldn’t take the hint as he stood close to her, breathing down her neck. Elouise was never one who enjoyed the smell of alcohol; she covered her mouth and nose to block out the scent. Desperately, she looked around for Arkanos only to find women wrapping their arms around him.
Her sensors picked up movement in the corner of her vision, the target had walked to a door before leaving her line of vision. Feeling a hand on her right shoulder hate flowed through her, grabbing his arm with her left robotic arm she flung him over her onto a table. Looking back over at Arkanos it seemed she finally got his attention, along with a few bystanders. Passing by the broken table and now unconscious man she made her way into the crowd, disappearing from sight. Pulling out her semi-explosive cards she placed them all about the Underground, wirelessly connecting them to her robotic hand. This way, she could trigger them all at the snap of her left hand. Even if it did take a bit of time, by the time she spotted her partner looking for her she’d been done.
Reappearing, she pulled on Arkanos’ trench coat and told him about her sighting. “So someone tried to hit on little hotshot?” a chuckle rose from his throat and he laughed a bit harder seeing her seethe. They needed to get this mission over with, now; Elouise was getting sick of all the tension in the air. Dragging him by his arm she stopped in the middle of the room and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Watch your head,” she whispered before snapping her fingers. Loud bangs sent the whole club into panic. Some ceiling debris fell but Arkanos was prepared as he maneuvered them away from it. Pulling away from him she watched as the liquor catch on fire, squeezing her eyes shut Elouise took in a deep breath.
“Don’t worry Solomon, I’m here. Your big sister will keep you safe,” Elouise whispered as someone reached out through the window, a firefighter. Her heart beat quickly as she handed her little brother to the man. A dreading thought filled her, their family picture and her little brother’s hat; they were still in her parent’s room.
“No wait! Come back! You’re going to die!” the man shouted back at her trying to grab her arm but she didn’t listen. Her parents had already died in the fire she realized, walking over the bodies she grabbed the picture frame and hat before she started running towards the front door. A loud crack sounded as the enflamed doorframe fell on top of her right leg.
Fear overwhelmed her as she tried to rid herself of the flames but couldn’t. Instead she cringed while the fire ate her leg. Limping, she reached the door but trembled as flame laced the handle. Coughing from the smoke she couldn’t just stay in the heat. What did she care if the cost was her arm? Gripping the handle with her left hand she opened the door to the outside, clutching the hat and picture frame tightly to her chest.
“I won’t die on you Solomon...” she whispered seeing various silhouettes make their way towards her before passing out.Elouise felt Arkanos’ hand on her shoulder, drawing her out of the memory. Looking over towards him she gave a weak smile for his slightly worried eyes. He didn’t need to know about what happened years ago, just that they had rebuilt her with robotics for all the ruined body pieces she’d lost previously. Thankfully they’d covered the actual robotics, minus her eyes, with a skin-like material. She practically did look human and fit in a crowd rather nicely.
“He hasn’t come out of the room yet, something’s up,” she muttered to him as fire crackled around them. Before they reached the door William stepped out, looking a bit shaken up. Blood stained his attire as he took a few steps towards them. Arkanos acted quickly to secure the target, gun aimed on his head if he tried anything funny. Just what had happened in that room? Walking into the room dread and nausea piled up in her throat.
Limp bodies occupied the floor; a woman lay in a bloody mess from multiple stabbing wounds. Broken glass and red wine spread itself amongst the floor. Gripping the doorframe she turned back to her partner holding the limp body of their target. Rushing over towards him Elouise searched his eyes for some type of answer to his death. Receiving nothing from the gunslinger she took William’s limp body and scanned him, blood was dripping from his mouth. By the looks of it he died from poisoning, “He told me it was already too late if we wanted to kill him. Said some lady had poisoned all their drinks,” he mildly stated allowing Elouise to piece all the information together.
A smile formed on her face while she heard a gun shot. Elouise figured Arkanos fired his gun for a job well done, “Looks like we found our target,” she laughed, they’d already been saved the job of killing their target. Glancing to her right she spotted a hooded figure staring at them both, Arkanos had his gun pointed at the person with a smirk. So it appeared that Arkanos wasn’t just firing his gun off for the fun of it. Turning invisible she tossed the poisoned corpse into the fire cringing slightly at the sight before making her way towards the figure. It didn’t look as though they had any weapons on them at all.
Leaning in closer she touched the girl’s face, “What beautiful eyes you have…” she cooed, there was a sense of familiarity about the azure and umber eyes but she couldn’t put her finger on it, “They remind me of someone,” reappearing she smirked at the horrified girl. Arkanos had made his way to her side with a smirk equaling her own; this intruder stood no chance against them. Seeing the rage fill the different colored irises she anticipated the scream that erupted from the short form.
“Who the hell are you two?” before Elouise could answer Arkanos had already knocked her out. That surprised her; then again, the building was almost completely engulfed in fire. Her partner started making his way up the stairs but she grabbed his arm, halting him in place. Leaving a girl to her flaming death didn’t sit too well with Elouise, not to mention something else kept her uneasy. While he gazed into her eyes he seemed to understand.
“Look Elouise, if you’re getting her out of this then you might as well kill her anyways, we can’t trust her,” he lowered his voice to her which she frowned at. Something about that girl reminded her of their Joker in Freedom.
“Can’t we just take her to the HQ?” she asked lifting up the passed out girl with her left arm. Arkanos gave her a harsh look but luckily for her he was pondering the option. After all, at Freedom they’d be able to keep tight watch of her. If she even so much as twitched a muscle they’d be aware of it. Ever since White disappeared the whole organization was on edge she and her partner had both been on separate missions when they were notified.
After a few months later Cy went missing too, Vayne was most effected by his chocolate eyed companion’s disappearance. Though it was hard to tell from an outside point most of the Freedom Fighters noticed the valiant man’s inner turmoil. He didn’t slack in his duties, no one expected he would since he was White’s right hand man prior to their leader’s disappearance. The martial artist did however become distant and cold; just standing in the same room as him was suffocating. At one point she tried to console him but he wouldn’t listen, he thought it was his fault that Cy was gone. “Fine, we’ll take her with,” Arkanos decided and Elouise felt him grab her hand, pulling her along out of the building.
When they arrived back at Freedom Headquarters hours later by plane she thanked whoever was watching over here. By the time they left the building and got a safe distance away fire trucks had arrived to put out the smoking building. Holding their captive in her arms Elouise noted specks of blood on her cheek and clothes. Blinking she questioned what exactly their hooded intruder had been doing before returning to the Underground. Perhaps she was a little fighter, smiling softly she caught Arkanos’ questioning eyes and blushed. He was holding the door open for her though it seemed like he was having second thoughts about it. Before he changed his mind she slipped past him and silently thanked her partner.
Making their way through the corridors of Freedom she felt so at home, the many bustling people all made way for her. Grunts were reporting to their superiors about their tasks, usually involving the whereabouts of random business owners or rival companies. Truth be told, she wasn’t a huge fan of work reports but she usually got stuck with them. Every time they finished a mission she’d find Arkanos no where in sight until she’d finished writing it out. Of course when Arkanos went on solo missions he wrote his own, which Elouise enjoyed immensely. While it was boring, she often convinced herself that each job was archived for a specific purpose so there’d be no repeats or confusion.
Entering one of the largest rooms she spotted a figure crouched over a lab table, sparks flying as he worked. Arkanos had followed behind her and coughed slightly to catch their fellow Freedom Fighter’s attention. She watched the scientist pause and glance over his shoulder at them before holding up a finger signaling for them to wait. Both waited patiently for him to finish but a short figure caught their attention as she walked over to them.
“Sorry, Alpha’s working on Vayne’s metal fiber gloves at the moment. Oh! Who’s that?” the girl questioned as she fixed her glasses looking over the woman in Elouise’s arms. The scientist’s assistant, Talia, gently prodded the figure’s cheek with the back of her pen. She took note of the hooded form’s movement and smiled, “Good she’s still awake but hmm? She’s got a bit of blood. Don’t worry I’ll clean her up right away and get her a bed to rest in. Also, I’ll inform Alpha of our new guest’s arrival,” she chimed with a bright smile on her face. Elouise always did admire Talia’s bubbly nature and her acceptance to things no matter how sketchy it seemed. After all, she and Arkanos had brought back the body of an unconscious woman to their headquarters. She could only hope the other members of the Freedom Fighters could be as understanding.
“Just so you know, we need to keep her under watch,” Arkanos explained receiving a nod in response from the brunette. Blowing some of her silver hair out of the way she offered to carry the woman wherever Talia wanted her staying for the night. Leaving Alpha to work in piece the four followed the short lady towards the medical wing of Freedom. Elouise could feel her right arm giving out a bit from holding the unconscious woman by the time they reached a bed to lay her down. With her arms free she stretched them a bit to regain feeling, “What’s wrong hotshot? You’re the one who wanted her to come here,” her partner teased lightly, she gently slapped his shoulder and rolled her eyes.
As Talia started to fix up their captive she shooed Elouise and Arkanos out of the room. Both blinked a bit in confusion. They didn’t think they made that much noise. Whilst walking back to Alpha’s lab her partner suggested they use a less busy route. Hearing only her footsteps echo she paused and glanced back at Arkanos. A chill ran through her when she saw his smirking face. Before she could react he caught both of her wrists again, removed his sunglasses, and held her chin up.
“Mission’s over hotshot; now where were we?” he asked mischievously as she felt a wall trap her from behind. The poor cyborg didn’t know if she should’ve been scared, exhilarated, or furious beyond belief.
~♫~
Touching the frame of the large double doors her hand quickly drew back; it was so cold. For a few minutes she stood there, wondering if someone would open the doors for her. When no one did she frowned and grabbed the golden handles, hesitating as her hands felt numb. Gently biting her lip she gazed up at half of the emblem on the right door while the other was missing it entirely. Taking her hands from the handles she reached up and traced the symbol with her right hand.
“V…what’s that suppose to mean?” she asked hoping someone would answer. Crossing her arms in impatience she fixed her hat before gripping the handle of the left door. When she tried opening the door it wouldn’t budge, frowning slightly she wondered why and tried the other door. It didn’t give her access either, a tad shocked she stepped back in confusion. Maybe Vayne would tell her why the doors were locked, glancing around she saw nothing but endless hallways.
Behind her a different door clicked open, why hadn’t she noticed that one before? Stepping through the door she looked around before laying her eyes upon a white-haired figure, “Vayne! You’re here!” Cy cried out loudly breaking into a running leap. As her arms encircled his form she noticed him turn and stare at her. Yellow mixed with hate stung her to the bones. When she made contact with him the body exploded into a mess of black goo.
Falling into it with a splash she stared in shock; sitting on her heels she looked at her hands, completely coated in the stuff. Droplets of the substance fell in front of her face, leaving ripples in the little puddle. A wind gently pushed at her hair, blinking slowly she trembled and looked in the direction of it. In the in a swift moment she was shoved up against a wall, as she struggling electricity coursing through her. Taking the hint she wasn’t suppose to move brown eyes stared blankly into the same yellow irises just a moment ago.
Her mind whirled; nothing was making sense at all, “Let me go, who do you think you are?” she snarled while her left eye burned from his piercing gaze. Cy couldn’t comprehend anything happening at all, everything was going too fast and it frustrated her. Who was this stranger first of all?
“It doesn’t seem like your attitude has changed one bit little Cynria,” his voice was ice on her skin, “Have I taught you nothing?” towering over her short figure she held firm just like her partner would. As Freedom’s joker she wouldn’t stand down no matter how much Vayne told her she wasn’t ready. While she didn’t know who he was, or why he decided to attack her she’d certainly find out.
A bat formed in her hand unbeknownst to Cy as she leapt to strike him. In a flash he vanished in thin air, appearing behind her to land a harsh blow somewhere on her spine. Sent flying from force she slammed into the wall before falling back into the goop, now turned a deep crimson. Though she felt no pain from the wall her brain hurt immensely, “Who are you?” questioned the teenager as she watched his approaching form. It seemed her question was the last thing he wished to hear. His hand gripped her neck and held her up, she was going to die.
Hitting the back of her head against the wall she trembled while tears filled her eyes, the pain from earlier started burning all over. Though, the figure seemed relentless as he glared emotionless into her eyes, “Remember Cy,” growled the blurring figure while its form changed. Dropping again on the ground, she felt the scarlet liquid mask her face. Was she suppose to know who that man was? Wiping her eyes, she stared into azure and brown eyes glaring down at her. When had this woman appeared? “I don’t care how much pain it takes, fill this pool with your own blood! We need to find him. Wake up and find him Cy!” the taller woman commanded lifting up Cy once again. So that’s what the goo was, her own blood. Falling limp her whole body throbbed in pain, especially her head as everything darkened around her, “Remember to look for white…please…wake up…” in a last desperate attempt she cried out but it made no sense. Everything was far to dark now. “Wake up please miss,” a soft voice called stirring Cy out of her sleep. Slowly opening her eyes she stared up at the ceiling while trying to piece through her dream. The woman at the end of her dream, it was her. Lifting her hand she sighed in relief seeing no blood coating it. As she lowered it the brunette spotted movement on her right and quickly leapt off the bed. Gazing over towards the movement’s origin she spotted the woman cowering by the door. Noticing her outfit Cy assumed she was a nurse, which meant somehow she arrived in a hospital.
Back-tracking through her memory she looked for something to explain her arrival in this place. After killing her student she’d arrived back at the Underground only to find it burning. Instantly, her memory clicked remembering the duo that knocked her unconscious. Wanting nothing more than to lash out at something she kept her emotions in check; the nurse looked ready to pass out any second. But first, she needed to find out exactly where she was.
Making her way to the nurse she figured was harmless enough, “Tell me where I am and how I arrived,” Cy ordered, she wasn’t going beat around the bush and try her hand at being friendly. Receiving no answer she impatiently watched as the nurse tried to think of a way around her response. After what seemed like hours the nurse finally looked Cy in her eyes, a smile bubbling on her face. Although when she spoke the brunette was less than pleased.
“By contract I’m not allowed to tell you where our facility is located. I’m also not aware of your situation. All I know is after your arrival I was stationed her to keep watch over you until one of the fifteen or the boss himself contacted my superiors to relieve me. By the way, my name’s Delphi,” speaking in a factual manner the nurse smirked clearly pleased with her handling of the situation. Slightly taken back by her statement Cy collected herself in a split second, perhaps she could look for an exit.
Something about this place didn’t settle to well with her, the nurse, Delphi, kept everything under wraps. The room had no windows and thought it was nicely lit, she felt more trapped than safe. Finding the fastest route possible to the outside was her best chance. If she took out the nurse she’d need some time to gather a weapon guessing that most would have guns at their disposal. Perhaps, she needed to think a bit more about this, and quick.
Leaning against the wall she glanced around the white room, the words of her dream throbbed painfully in her brain. The message made no sense at all, white was all around her right now. Taking a deep breath she gazed up, spotting a vent far too small for her to fit in. Running a hand through her hair she contemplated until she felt a minor bump on her scalp. Scowling she felt absolutely weak for letting that man hit her on the head like such. Earlier she’d noted her clothes were swapped with some medical attire, which meant escape would be a bit more difficult. Word would get around that a patient had broken out and was on the run, but she needed to get out before they did something to her. Snapping out of her thoughts she came to a conclusion and looked to the nurse who was on the phone.
“Yes, the patient’s awake and acting strangely. Should we give her the sleep medicine until Number Two arrives?” Delphi whispered softly but Cy’s ears caught the conversation, narrowing her eyes dangerously. In a swift movement she was behind the blond haired nurse. Before the nurse could register the proximity of her patient Cy had knocked her out. Lowering the body to the floor, Cy lifted the phone to her ear after hearing frantic cries from the other end, “Hello? Delphi, are you there?” a smirk formed on her face, cold eyes staring at the unconscious body before she hung up the phone.
Kicking open the metal locked door Cy grimaced at the little time she had to escape the facility. Breaking into a run she figured ditching her stolen clothes from before would save her escape time. Even though she hated the thought of running around in pajamas, it was just a small irritation. Turning the corner she ran past a multitude of white uniforms, hearing screams and shouts as she passed. After awhile of trying to find an escape route, emergency alarms blared in Cy’s ears. Glancing around she noticed the exit sign and quickly ran in the direction it pointed. Most of the place was deserted, she figured they’d all ran off because of the warning alarms. Turning the last corner she reached the main hall with many guns locked on her form.
Refusing to show some form of fear or shock Cy held her ground, glowering at the uniformed workers. One of them shouted but she ignored them until one of them shot a bullet in her direction. She just needed time to think and get rid of the pain growing ever so much in her left eye, “Surrender, or we will fire and you will be killed,” threatened what looked to be the leading commander. His troop consisted mostly of military units but also military machines scattered among the force against her. Cy couldn’t deny this facility was quite prepared and well trained, still held at gunpoint. Freedom taught her to never give in and run in the face of danger, there was still a chance she’d make it out of this alive. Shaking her head in defiance she gulped watching the commander’s hand raise before the barrage of bullets fired.
With a simultaneous click the bullets darted out of their guns, Cy motionlessly stood watching them. Her left eye felt completely engulfed in fire before to a point where she needed to close it. But in a split second everything seemed to drift as a foggy memory resurfaced in the forefront of her mind.
“At this time your abilities are far too unstable Cy. So, I’ll be cutting off your access to them,” the monstrous figure before her stated as she sat on the lab table. Biting her lip she nodded in understanding, trembling under her joker hat. If only Vayne were back from his mission, maybe everything wouldn’t be so scary, “Now, to make it easy for you to comprehend, I’m going to be transferring your power into that left eye of yours. Of course there will be side-effects, some which include little glimpses of the past and your eye color in that eye might change. However, what you need to watch out for is an alteration in your thoughts. Since this project is taking part in your brain it’s quite possible your decisions and actions will become altered, you might not be much of the same person you are now when this is all over,” seeing the tears fill her eyes the scientist gave her a gentle smile.
“But that won’t happen for a few years, by that time Vayne will sort it out before such a change occurs,” the thought of that made her feel better. Feeling a hand squeeze her own she glanced down at the younger girl, Talia. Appreciative of the gesture Cy wiped the tears from her eyes before looking back at the mad scientist, Alpha. She figured he wasn’t finished yet with the rundown of the experiment, “There is a way to break the seal but it’s a safeguard method, if you feel you’re milliseconds away from death you’re powers will activate on their own at first. So don’t go around getting yourself in life threatening danger,” he scolded gently before Talia gave Cy a shot, knocking her unconscious. Returning back to reality she couldn’t move and even if she did there were too many bullets to avoid. What was Alpha talking about before? Her martial arts talent hadn’t been taken from her; she still had full access to them. Not wanting to think about it anymore, she took a deep breath and braced for the bullets to pierce her skin. Two bullets skimmed along the side of her right arm sending her writhing in agony as one struck her left arm. After that all the bullets stopped zooming by her, she couldn’t hear anything either. She noticed a bullet heading directly towards her heart and looked in confusion at the motionless figures before her. Nothing moved trying to take a breath she realized it wasn’t possible and held in whatever oxygen she previously took in; she needed to get out of line of fire and quickly.
Running she jumped over enemy lines and behind them before running out of breath and gasping when time flowed again. Bullets now aimed at nothing but air, Cy smirked in satisfaction and yet, as equally confused as her enemies. But, she could wait to figure it out later, it was more important to use this little time for a better use. For now she’d take her chances at living longer, she probably could take them, but it wasn’t worth the risk. With their backs turned the white clothed woman ran down the halls of Freedom clutching her arm tightly.
Taking a detour in an emptier hallway she released her hold and stared at her right hand, droplets of ruby coloring her fingers and the grey floor tiles. Clenching her jaw she tried to ignore the pain in her arms but couldn’t. Leaning against one of the walls she slid down it to rest for a bit, she needed someone willing to rid her of the bullet in her arm so she could patch herself up. A whirring caught her attention, glancing down the halls she spotted an orb floating towards her. Tensing, she wasn’t sure if this was a security drone or not, Cy knew she could do without more injuries.
“Welcome patient 3094, why are you out of your room?” the robotic voice questioned, scowling up at the machine she wondered just what it was. Cy sighed, the last thing she needed were more alarms going off. Taking a brief glance at her arm she tried to ignore the amount of red already spreading on her white garments. Curiously, she watched the orb while it seemed to be calculating things, “It appears you are loosing blood at an alarming rate. I will ask about your disappearance later,” stated the annoying little ball before it continued, “The closest help is down this hall, then a few paces right before taking a left. Do not worry I will escort you,” not pleased in the slightest Cy rose to her feet using the wall behind her as a support.
While she followed the floating annoyance she did wonder how it managed to float around on its own. Wincing slightly with each step, she didn’t glance back at the small puddle of blood she’d left. It’d remind her too much of her odd dream, something she didn’t need distracting her at the moment. While she picked up her pace to a job Cy couldn’t help but feel slightly dizzy. Stumbling she narrowed her eyes, focusing on the blue orb assuring here they were close.
Reaching the door Cy lifted her bloody hand still fighting to keep consciousness, if she passed out she’d return to those dreams. The door automatically opened but leaning against the doorframe catching her breathing trying to make out the monstrous figure, “Alpha, you have a guest in dire need of your assistance,” her robotic companion informed the oddly shaped silhouette making his way from the dim lit lab to her. Picking up Alpha’s name her eyes widened slightly and stumbled over towards the figure, wanting to meet him halfway.
However, her joy faded as her mind sent her dreadful thoughts. He’d never remember her, it’d been too long. Even though he was a genius any memory of her was probably erased from all existence. Maybe she didn’t exist to anyone anymore. Stopping she grimaced at her state, “Alpha…don’t…don’t send me back there,” she harshly whispered and gripped her arm in pain. Crumpling down to the floor she still tried to hold up her strong front but she was loosing enough blood already.
A hand held her shoulder, but she forced herself to let her guard down, it was too blurry and dark for her to see anyways. Cy felt herself lifted up and placed on a metal table, her eyes squinted a bit as Alpha turned on a work light. While she couldn’t feel anything anymore in her left arm she did notice a slight prick in her right arm. It was just too hard to stay awake, she realized before she drifted off into a memory.
Standing before a portrait the teen noticed her partner and jumped happily chiming the bells on her hat, “Hey Vayne, they actually put up the picture,” she called running over there to grab his arm. Grinning at him Cy dragged her partner over towards the portrait before pointing out the two of them. Glancing up to him she felt butterflies fill her stomach, Vayne look happy. This moment was absolute bliss, if only she could stop this moment before it left her. She thought absently still swooning over her partner, “Look, there’s Arky and Elouise. Even the Mr. Cranky Pants and Alpha are present,” she cried out.
Taking a breath Cy froze up, she couldn’t breathe. Gasping she clutched her throat and reached out for Vayne to help her. But he didn’t move to help her, just stood there still staring at the picture exactly how she saw him before. It felt like she was drowning except without water entering her lungs. Falling to the ground she felt a shift and could breathe again. Gasping she trembled in fear, what just happened?
Vayne was quickly at her side holding her shoulders, “Miss Cy, are you alright? Should we get you to Alpha?” his eyes held worry but she shook her head to him. Whatever just happened was weird, but it wasn’t something for Vayne to worry about. Noticing how he didn’t believe her trembling form she flashed him a bright smile. “If it happens again tell me. But for now I’ll escort you to your room Miss Cy, just a quick rest to ease your mind,” offering his hand to help her up she gladly took it. Holding his arm she smiled softly and rested her head against it. She warmed her heart with the thought that Vayne would always be there, watching over her. Beeping caught her attention as she shifted to stare at the monitor tracking her pulse. A sense of calmness washed over her, “You’re awake. Now, would you mind telling me who you are?” a deep voice questioned as the large shape looked down at her. Frowning she’d been right before, he didn’t remember her. Well, it had been six years; she figured her appearance would’ve changed slightly. Staring up at him she remembered him easily, he hadn’t changed much in the years.
Slightly unsure how to answer his question she decided he wouldn’t remember her name either, “Back where I worked before they called me The Reaper,” she coldly stated glaring up at him with betrayal seeping from inside of her. How could they forget her so easily? Had she been nothing but a nuisance to them? Shaking her head she couldn’t let her thoughts distract her, she watched Alpha chuckle at something, “What’s so funny?” Cy growled obviously not understanding something.
“Ah yes, Reaper is it? It seems you’ve taken a great toll on yourself,” the scientist stated and smirking softly. Scowling, Cy already knew what state she was in before arriving in his lab. While the brunette was grateful for his assistance, it seemed he could only point out the obvious. As if reading her mind he chuckled again, just what was so humorous? “Oh, I wasn’t talking about your arm, it wasn’t too bad. Nothing I couldn’t fix up. No, I was referring to your little operation. Which I’m assuming you broke, even though I advised you not to,” giving her a knowing look he continued, “Now; I’m going to ask again…Would you mind telling me who you are?”
The monitor’s beeping accelerated slightly during his little speech, he did remember. He knew all along and made her look like a fool, masking her embarrassment she just scowled more at the large figure. Sitting herself up she glanced over at her bandaged up arm before answering, “I was Freedom’s Number Fifteen: Cynria, Freedom’s Joker, however, I left Freedom six years ago. But why are you working at this place now? Why’d you leave Freedom too Alpha? I thought you loved it there,” a laugh rumbled out of the man before her, she still didn’t understand. Someone needed to hurry up and explain to her what she didn’t know and fast. Her patience was wearing thin.
Alpha ruffled her hair which she quickly fixed, “I never left Cy, I’m still working here. But this brings up the question; why is it you say that you left Freedom, when you went missing during your mission? People don’t leave the Freedom Fighters Cy,” he explained but her mind swirled in confusion. There was a bit too much for her to process at the moment. She left Freedom, hadn’t she? Not only that but she returned to Freedom, it looked nothing like she remembered. Glancing at Alpha she felt truth in his words but things didn’t add up, she didn’t remember leaving on a mission. When she remembered her departure she was in the woods. Something in her told her to run and hide her tracks before they found her.
Coming out of her thoughts she stared at the robotic orb from before, “Welcome to Freedom Number Fifteen, Cynria. My databanks have registered your arrival and your information has been processed. You may refer to me as Medical Examination Droid Interface or Medi for short,” while she explained that Freedom’s base had been moved from its previous location and the changes Cy ignored her. Rather she started pulling off the wires connected to her and the IV attached to her right arm. She’d spent too much time; something in her dreams urged her to continue moving. While it was nice to see a familiar face Alpha couldn’t offer her much more assistance. Or could he?
Holding the IV’s tip up so no blood spilled out she glanced over to Alpha, “Can I ask three things of you Alpha?” she asked receiving a nod from her fellow Freedom Fighter, “Well first thing’s first, I’d like my clothes back. I don’t know who took them but I’d rather get out of this hospital outfit. Next, I’d like to find Vayne; perhaps he can help me decipher some meanings in these nightmares I get from time to time. Finally, I was wondering if you could make me a weapon,” though she did have her fighting skills, after being faced with bullets Cy no longer felt secure with just them. Watching Alpha think she hoped he’d willingly agree to her requests and tell her where to find Vayne. Hopefully, her partner was still in this building.
“Talia put those somewhere in the back room,” he mused wandering off leaving Cy with Medi. Glancing up at the glowing blue orb she listened to the device as it was looking for data. When Medi brought up Vayne she listened curiously as she reported that her partner had arrived back at Freedom HQ badly injured. Cy blinked and asked the robot what the cause was from. However, the brunette got no response, so much for computers.
She wasn’t completely sure why Medi continued talking, “When I spoke with Vayne at that time he mentioned needing some rest then he planned to train in the mountains. Earlier this morning, when I spotted you I received the notice he had departed,” staring at the ground she bit the inside of her cheek. Well it was a bit more useful, knowing she’d just barely missed him. “Vayne most likely he traveled to the mountains, and it is approximately an hour long travel by vehicle,” sighing she really wanted the annoying ball to short circuit itself. It wasn’t that the little robot wasn’t being useful, her voice just bothered Cy. Turning to the opening door she was pleased that Alpha managed to find her clothes and left the room for what he called a “coffee break”.
Thankful Alpha had left so she could change into her regular outfit; she noticed it had been washed. Hearing the door open Cy stopped admiring her outfit just as something tackled into her, “Cy! It’s really you! Dad told me you were back, but I had to see for myself,” the short haired teen grinned happily as she sat on Cy’s stomach. Cringing a bit as her left arm hit the ground. Blinking in slight confusion she remembered a child who used to hang around in Alpha’s lab constantly. This must’ve been her, Talia, as she’d been told by Vayne when he returned from his mission years ago.
Recalling a few times Cy adventured around in the old base with Talia at her side, pretending they were explorers. In a sense she thought of the younger girl as the sister she never had. Talia’s face realized the bandages and she quickly scrambled off of Cy, “I’m sorry about that Cy but I’ll make it up to you. Dad asked if I wanted to assist him in the design of your weapon. So I’ll make sure it looks super cool when you return with Vayne,” she chirped before Cy patted her on the head, clearly appreciative of the girl’s offer.
“So, you already know I’m leaving?” Cy asked putting on her mask and gloves. Looking to the younger girl she nodded vigorously and followed Cy as she exited the lab. Talia’s company she could tolerate, even if she was just talking about the weapons her and Alpha were working on. She also needed a guide around the place; it was a little more confusing compared to Freedom’s previous base. A few times though Cy caught Talia retelling her adventures in the new base and how she remember every nook and cranny. Smiling softly, the long haired brunette listened with interest; at least it made her walk to the optional exit less boring.
Once outside with the assistant, Cy bid her farewell, “Also, can you tell your father thanks along with goodbye?” she asked to which her friend accepted. Glancing in the direction of the mountains Cy held her breath before testing the time freeze she experienced before. A cool wave washed over her as everything paused before her. She had some serious time to make up.
After what seemed like hours of running Cy walked through the snow, ignoring the howling winds. Gripping her cloak to herself, using her ability previously as she ran wore her out. Shivering, the time user cursed, why she hadn’t thought of getting some winter gear was beyond her. Narrowing her eyes she spotted a dark shape ahead that looked like a type of cabin, a safe house maybe? While hopping through the piles of snow she slowly made her way towards the cabin. Only a few feet away she noticed a chimney and a candle glowing in the window. If someone was staying there they could’ve spotted Vayne she reasoned and tried to pick up her speed.
Forcing herself to pause time once again she felt a rumbling below her. Stopping she glanced down a black tentacle reached out from the white fluff of cold gripping her leg. Shock filled her figure as time picked up again. The ground started shifting beneath her as more of the mysterious creatures’ arms reached out to grab her. Kicking her leg to free herself she felt the ground part. Snow piling into the dark abyss she was being dragged into.
Holding tightly to the snow it offered no assistance, “Grab my hand!” a voice called out from winds. Her left arm was caught, she noted as she reached out to grab the hand appearing before her. For a second she doubted herself, she’d never reach it in time. Clearing her head she had a resolve to live, not to get eaten. Grasping onto the man’s hand for dear life she thought she saw shining teeth and yellow eyes watching her. Kicking at the tentacle wrapped around her left leg she tried to free herself more. Wincing from the pain as her left arm was squeezed until her arm felt blood run down to her fingertips. Cy felt like her body would rip in two or she’d lose an arm, either wasn’t very appealing to her.
Her mouth dropped slightly as she stared at the figure keeping her death at bay. Long blond hair swayed in the wind, black streaks ran down every few strands of hair. Even with his hair mostly covered in snow and six years time between them, she couldn’t forget that familiar face. He was still watching over her after all this time.
“Vayne…”