Chapter 12
Just Following Orders
A heart monitor beeped incessantly, filling the air with a rhythmic pulse. The sharp, sterile scent of antiseptic hung heavy in the cold air.
Two red-eyed individuals sat on operating tables adjacent to one another. Their bodies connected to a network of wires and tubes, linked to machinery that monitored their every movement and vital sign.
"No changes, Isabelle?" Asked the black-haired scientist standing before them.
"Well, my hair turned white, and now my face doesn't match my memories." The white-haired woman, Isabelle, answered.
"Can you please stop saying that every time I ask?"
"Then maybe we should stop having routine check-ups, Professor Levi." She smiled, taking the metallic device her head as she got off the table.
"As you can clearly see, we're fine, Professor." The blond one, the man who broke Maria's door, remarked as he gestured with his hand to move along.
Professor Levi grumbled, adjusting the sunglasses on his face, "Routine check-ups are necessary to keep track of your progress, Nero. So far, a few minor things in your biology have already changed."
"Is that so?" Nero tilted his head.
"Indeed. Your genetic composition is adapting to accommodate the power you now possess." He looked at Isabelle, who ran her fingers across her silvery locks, "Especially you… you have complete and total access to all of your psychic abilities, I dare say you might even be more powerful than Felix or David, the way you are now."
"S-stronger than them?" She stuttered, while Nero folded his arms.
"It's possible." He leaned in, inspecting her face, "How were you able to achieve that? This is why we need to further study you."
"If she's stronger than the top tier espers, then can we have our first mission?" Nero asked impatiently.
"The Director actually wanted you to go on one, but we're urging him to give us a little more time before either of you go out in the field."
His glowing red eyes narrowed, "Why? We can handle it."
"Nero, could you try to use it?" Professor Levi asked with a measured tone.
"Ah…" He blurted out.
"Demonstrate your abilities now. Show me that you can control your newfound powers." The professor repeated, pressing him.
Nero sighed and placed his hands close to each other. He tried to gather power into his palms.
Light flowed outwardly from his pupils, like tides that slowly faded out as it reached the edge of his irises. A restriction that made it appear as if he had flowers in his eyes.
One of the monitors that depicted his brain started to glow, following the glistening pattern of glitter forming inside his head.
— But nothing came out.
The only thing that came out was a small drop of blood trickling down his nose, which he quickly wiped away.
"As much as we would love to record you in the field, Professor Tetsuya said that we can't afford to risk any unforeseen effects to compromise you."
"Sometimes I can make it work, I just need… something. I was able to dent a door with a pillow. Trust me, I'm strong enough to—"
"I don't doubt your physical strength, Nero." The Professor quickly cut him off, "If it fluctuates, then it's unstable. Until we can confirm your abilities are both consistent and controllable, we can't risk them becoming a liability in the field, or worse, triggering an unforeseen mutation."
"Mutation?" Isabelle echoed nervously.
"You don't want to end up being a pile of molten flesh chunks, do you?" The professor coldly asked.
Nero cast down his gaze and clicked his tongue, "What about the other guy? What was his name?"
"Grant?" He prompted.
"Yeah, why come he gets to go on missions?"
"Because despite our best protests, the higher-ups are foolish enough to let him." The professor grumbled, adjusting the sunglasses on his face.
Isabelle awkwardly scratched the back of her head, while Nero scratched his nose, feeling a tingly sensation come from it.
There was a knock on the door, and a girl with frizzy hair and mismatched eyes opened it, "Professor Levi, we're going on our first mission now!"
Nero snarled, his hand crushing one of the medical instruments.
"Be safe, Kaitlin. Make sure you follow orders." Professor sighed.
"Okay! See you all later!" She waved excitedly.
Isabelle waved in response, "Take care."
"What is she, a high school student?" The blond man scoffed.
"I think it's sweet." Isabelle remarked, "She's a good girl."
"Why come she gets to—"
"Because she's Golden Lion, and because she's not Aetherion, I couldn't convince the higher-ups otherwise." Professor Levi snapped, before sighing, "Be more patient, please. it's only been a couple of months since you both turned. The agencies aren't lacking in manpower. I will write a letter and let Felix Aster take over. It will be the perfect opportunity for you to analyze him."
"Felix Aster…" Isabelle echoed and placed her finger on her chin and muttered, "I wonder what the two of them are up to right now…"
A trail of blue light rushed through the dark mountain, emanating from the left eye of a pale white mask.
The deafening blare of engines drowned out the sound of pouring rain as two motorcycles raced across the unfinished roads. Felix, with Maria behind him, maneuvered through the cracked, muddy pavement while their target boomed forward.
At the edge of a veranda in an old abandoned building crouched an unknown woman with a watchful gaze. On her lips rested a cigarette that was dampened by the rain, which she gnawed on in anticipation. The howling wind brushed her brown hair, and her wolf-like eyes focused as the riders below were fast approaching on the winding road.
On the rocky ground, as the motorcycle rumbled, Maria angrily yelled out, "How the hell did he get out of prison?!"
"I don't know, but he's going— G'ahk!" Felix growled as Lewis threw black bags towards his direction, slamming against his mask.
"Get back here—!" Maria yelled before a black bag of garbage struck in the face. "Blegh!"
Their motorcycle scrambled through the wet roads, but it was quickly enveloped in a blue light and corrected its course.
"Come and catch me, bitch boy!" Lewis yelled out as he threw another black bag towards them. His motorcycle had several black plastic bags attached to it.
Felix slickly avoided the bags thrown at them, several of which exploded with a fiery blaze behind them. The lone woman grinned as she threw away the wet cigarette and leapt from the surface above them.
He slid off his mask and yelled, "V.V., grappling hook!"
"Grappling hook!" Maria smiled vibrantly as she pulled out her favorite tool.
With a grin on her face, the unknown woman spat her cigarette and hopped out of the desolate building, aiming for one of the riders. Her body silhouetted by a flash of lightning.
Before Maria could fire, the bright sky light blinded her.
The unknown woman landed perfectly on the back seat of Lewis' motorcycle. "Don't worry, I got him!" She declared.
"Wha—?!" Lewis yelled out in a panic.
"Is that?!" Felix at the sight of the woman.
The grappling hook sprang out and wrapped around a nearby sign on the edge of the curving road. Maria failed to let go and was suddenly pulled away.
"Vee!" Felix looked back to where his partner was.
"I'm okaaay!" Her reassurance faded in the distance.
"Tch, bollocks." A sharp whir reverberated from the motorcycle's wheels as he slowed down to turn back.
On the other motorcycle, the woman smirked, "Hey there!"
The vehicle thrashed about as the brown-haired woman reached for the handlebars, but Lewis fought her off by throwing trash bags at her, eventually causing their motorcycle to spiral out of control.
"Marie!" Felix called out to his partner, before getting hit by one of the stray bags on the back of the head, which led him out of control, sliding downhill and completely passing by her.
As Maria got up from one of the potholes, one of the stray bags struck her directly against the side of head. She fell immediately, the side of her head smashing on the pavement.
Both the unknown assailant and the criminal found themselves on a collision course with the woman on the ground.
The unknown woman smashed Lewis' face with the grip of her pistol and quickly grabbed the throttle, leading the vehicle away from Maria, before hopping out of it.
Lewis, still on the motorcycle, crashed.
~