Hours later...
11:00 PM
Ivy's eyelids fluttered open, her vision blurry as she stared at the pristine white ceiling above her. A soft glow emanated from unseen lights, and the air smelled faintly of antiseptic. She tried to sit up, a dull ache in her head protesting the movement. Where was she?
Confusion clouded her mind as fragmented memories flickered through her consciousness: the explosion at Michael's apartment, a blinding light, searing heat… 'How am I alive?' She asked herself, remembering the sight and feel of the light reducing her to ash, layer by layer... She squeezed her eyes shut, a vivid flashback of Michael's lifeless eyes staring back at her, blood flowing out from his open throat.
'Ender… Kyle…' she thought, a wave of worry washing over her. She remembered calling them for help before the explosion when Michael was having some kind ot seizure.
Suddenly, the door slid open with a hiss, and a figure stepped in. It was a woman, tall and slender, with short, cropped hair and a pair of glasses perched precariously on the bridge of her nose. She held a clipboard in her hand, her expression neutral, her gaze settling on Ivy.
The woman studied her for a moment, her eyes cold and calculating. "You're awake. Good," the woman said, her voice devoid of warmth. She pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed, looking down at her clipboard.
Ivy's throat felt dry and scratchy. "W-where am I?" she managed to whisper.
"You in a... secured facility," the woman replied without looking up from her notes.
"A secured facility? What kind of facility?" Ivy asked, her heart pounding with a growing sense of unease.
"One that keeps individuals with... unique abilities," the woman finally said, her gaze flicking up to meet Ivy's before returning to her clipboard. "Now, let's get down to business. What was your relationship with Michael Cage?"
Ivy's mind raced. Michael... the kind man who tried to help her sister. How much should she reveal? She swallowed hard, her voice trembling slightly. "He... he was helping me..."
The woman's lips thinned, her pen tapping against the clipboard. "Helping? In what way?"
Ivy hesitated, trying to formulate an answer that wouldn't reveal too much. "We... we needed a place to stay safe in..."
The woman looked up sharply, her gaze piercing. "Safe from what, exactly?"
Ivy bit her lip, fear tightening in her chest. "There... there was someone after us..."
The woman's eyes narrowed, a hint of suspicion in their depths. "Who?"
"A... A shadow..." Ivy stammered, her voice barely audible, tears welling in her eyes. "It... it took my sister... and then... then it attacked Michael..." She hugged herself tightly, her body trembling uncontrollably as the image of Michael's bloodied throat flashed in her mind.
The woman continued to watch her, her expression unchanged, seemingly unmoved by Ivy's distress. "A... shadow? What exactly do you mean by that?" she pressed, her tone demanding.
Ivy struggled to find the words, her memories fragmented and clouded by fear. "It was... tall... dark... like a... like a shadow... but it could... it could touch you..." She shuddered, the feeling of the cold, menacing presence washing over her again.
The woman scribbled something on her clipboard, her gaze still fixed on Ivy. "And this 'shadow' was after you and Michael?"
"It... it was after my sister first..." Ivy whimpered, her voice choked with emotion. "Then... then it came after Michael..."
The woman remained silent for a moment, her pen tapping rhythmically against the clipboard before leaning back in her chair, her eyes narrowed in thought
(Woman's perspective)
This whole situation felt wrong. What were elves doing in Hamilton? A city full of humans... And her story... a shadow that can touch you? Ridiculous... I mean its possible that its a mutant with such ability but still... Ridiculous. It could more likely be her. She's the so called shadow that blew an entire apartment. Urgh... This whole thing stunk of something bigger, something I needed to report.
"Haaa...." A sigh escaped my mouth before my eyes were set on the elf, "Thank you for your cooperation, We will... pick this up again later" I said to the elf, forcing a smile that didn't reach my eyes before getting up and making my way to the door. I reached for the handle, my mind already formulating my report, she asks me a question.
"W-Wait... When will I be out?"
Out? Never. Not if my gut feeling is right.
"Soon," I lied, turning the handle, ready to get the hell out of this room. Elves weren't allowed in human-only population cities for a reason. They were nothing but trouble, hiding their pointy ears with their hair and causing chaos. Ajex should just order us to just kill her and get it with...
Just as I stepped out the door, a hand clamped over my mouth, preventing my shout. Another palm pressed against the back of my head, a cold, ominous weight. Before I could even register the threat, the hand over my mouth slid down to my chin, and a sharp, sickening crack echoed in the small space. My vision went black for a brief moment, and then a searing pain shot through my neck, a pain so intense it felt like fire. My body went limp, my last breath escaping in a ragged gasp. I felt myself being gently lowered against the cool wall, my eyes still wide with shock and disbelief, staring blankly at two figures in black enter the room. It took a full two minutes after the initial snap for the lights in my eyes to finally fade into complete darkness.
(Normal Perspective)
Ivy gasped, her heart pounding against her ribs. The door to the room stood wide open, the hallway beyond dark and silent. Fear, sharp and cold, pierced through her confusion. Had the woman left? But why?
Then, a man, dressed in all black appeared in the doorway. Ivy didn't recognize him, and a fresh wave of terror washed over her.
"W-Who are you?" she whispered, scrambling back against the headboard.
"Ivy, it's alright," a familiar voice said from behind the first man. Ender stepped into view, a reassuring smile on his face, though Ivy noticed he seemed a little pale and was favoring one arm.
"Ender!" Ivy cried, relief flooding through her. She launched herself out of the bed and into his arms, hugging him tightly. "I thought... I didn't know what happened..."
"It's okay now," Ender murmured, hugging her back.
The man in black stepped forward. "Yeah, I'm Rex by the way," he said, his voice low and steady. "We gonna get you out of here, okay?"
"Wait, why? I thought... tch... I was told that they were gonna help me."
"They lied to you, kid," Rex said, his voice gruff but reassuring. "This ain't a place for helpin' anyone it's a prison for whatever isn't normal in their eyes."
Ivy's eyes widened in surprise, confusion etched on her face.
"We need to find the others," Ender said, his hand resting on Ivy's shoulder.
Rex nodded grimly. "Let's move."
They crept out into the hallway, Rex leading the way, Ender supporting a still shaken Ivy. The corridors were eerily quiet, the only sound the soft padding of their footsteps on the linoleum floor. They moved cautiously, Rex peering around corners before proceeding.
Suddenly, they heard hushed voices ahead. Rex signaled them to stop and peeked around the corner. They saw a small group huddled near a junction in the hallway. Relief washed over Rex and Ender as they recognized some of the faces from the warehouse.
"It's the others," Rex whispered. He noticed Jasper supporting a limping Jaxan.
They approached cautiously. "Rex! Ender!" Willow exclaimed softly, a look of relief on her face.
"We found Ivy," Ender said, gently guiding her forward.
"Glad you guys are alright," Jasper rumbled, shifting Jaxan's weight slightly.
"Where are Arthur and Maya?" Rex asked, his voice filled with concern.
Before anyone could answer, a troop of inhumans in grey uniforms turned the corner at the end of the hallway, their silver rifles raised.
"Enforcers!" Jasper hissed, pushing Jaxan behind him.
"I got this!" Willow said before she moved with lightning speed, a blur passing the inhumans. They didn't even register her movement before collapsing silently onto the floor. Willow reappeared standing at the end of the hallway.
"That was almost too easy," Willow commented, a smirk playing on her lips as she looked at the fallen inhumans.
Jasper's brow furrowed. "Too easy..." He looked around the hallway, his suspicion evident. "Something's not right."
"Who cares?!" Rex interjected impatiently. "They're down. Let's just find Arthur and Maya and get the hell out of here."
Just as Rex finished speaking, the bodies of the fallen inhumans began to shimmer and fade away, as if dissolving into thin air. Gasps of surprise echoed through the small group.
"What the..." Ender started, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Suddenly, a sharp crack echoed from behind Willow. She immediately ducked low, instinctively moving out of the line of fire. A strangled cry pierced the silence. Idris clutched at his chest, a dark stain blooming rapidly on his suit.
"Idris!" Rex yelled, his eyes wide with horror as his teammate crumpled to the ground, clutching his chest. Claire rushed to Idris's side, her medical training kicking in instantly. She knelt beside him, her fingers quickly checking for a pulse while her eyes scanned for the wound.
Idris gasped, his breathing becoming shallow and ragged, his hands pressed tightly against the dark stain spreading across his suit. Claire ripped open his jacket, revealing a bloody wound just above his heart. She pressed her hand firmly against it, trying to stem the flow of blood.
Willow whirled around, her eyes blazing with fury as she faced Gary, the masked assassin.
"Well, hello there, beautiful," Gary said, his voice still chillingly calm as he aimed his pistol at Willow. His gaze then flickered towards Idris, who was now still, his hands falling away from his chest, his eyes fixed open and unseeing, a faint gurgling sound escaping his lips. Claire, after a moment of desperate effort, looked up at the others, her expression grim, confirming the worst.
Gary chuckled softly, his eyes glinting behind his mask. "That's one down... and eleven more to go."
(Elsewhere...)
In the quiet, dimly lit streets of a neighboring town, a lean figure moved with a silent grace. The late night air was still, the only sounds the distant hum of traffic and the soft tap of his black-gloved fingers against the unconscious woman he carried. Her pale form, draped in pink robes, was light in his arms as he navigated the deserted sidewalks. His long white, spiky hair flowed slightly in the gentle breeze, contrasting sharply with his dark attire. His cloudy dim blue eyes scanned the surroundings with an unnerving stillness, as if searching for unseen threats.
He approached a nondescript house, its windows dark. With a practiced ease, he produced a set of lock picks and silently worked on the basement door, hidden from the street by overgrown bushes. A soft click echoed in the stillness as the lock disengaged. He carefully opened the heavy wooden door, revealing a dark staircase leading down into the earth. Without hesitation, he descended, carrying the unconscious woman into the darkness of the basement. The door closed softly behind him, sealing them within the silent depths.