Chapter 2: Chapter two: The beginning
I awoke to see the light in the room shining bright in my eyes. My head began to ache and I heard ringing in my ears. I flinched from the pain and attempted to sit up. Suddenly a hand grabbed my shoulder and pushed me down again. "Please Ms. Strong I insist you lay down! Your crash wasn't pleasant at all" a woman with an Italian accent told me as I laid down.
"What is wrong with me?" I asked as my vision began to clear up. The woman was beautiful with her straight dark brown hair, olive skin, and serious yet gentle brown eyes. She looked caught off guard by what I asked.
"Well you took quite a hit to the head so the ringing and headache is just symptoms of that" she replied.
"That's not what I meant" I added.
"Your powers? Well master Hunter has informed me that you were shot with some energy gun. So we hacked into the corporation's system and collected the blue prints. It was designed to give the person shot powers. Your powers are energy. Creating light and heat. You can fly, create shields made of pure energy and heat. Melting bullets. From what we've seen maybe even shoot this energy from your hands. You may also be able to transfer this energy into strength and use it to your advantage."
"M-master? Hunter? What is happening?!" I shouted in frustration and confusion.
"I-I will let him explain everything to you..." the woman said as she stepped back and let Hunter walk up to me.
"Hello Serena, we have to talk" he said. "You see I was raised rich. My dad being the leader of the army. When he retired he really didn't need so much money. He bought some land to build a farm and lived there with my mom. I was seventeen then. He told me to use his riches to do what I wanted. So I decided I wanted to devote myself to the government and science. My goal to helping people. So I built a government run organization called Sky. My last name. Our goal is to use science and technology to help people. This organization is currently top secret so we are not allowed to talk about it. My father is rich so many call me master Hunter. Especially the people who used to work for my father in his mansion. This is Alessandra Beatriz she is the lead scientist here. She used to work for my dad with technology. Whenever my father was home she would follow. When he was home he still had to work so she would work by his side. So often times she calls me master instead of Commander." I looked at him with a bit of understanding.
"So the reason why you didn't tell me was because this organization is currently top secret. So, how'd you know I was Rogue? And how'd you know how to find me?" I asked.
"The police might not know who you are or how to find you but we have been watching you for awhile Serena. Rogue has been someone Sky has been interested in for a long time. You are not just talented in what you do, you do what you do to help the people who made that tech. It's amazing. I in particular have been very interested. We hack into cameras around the city to watch your every move. When we realized you had made enemies we watched very closely. We had a hunch you might be Rogue. One day you were attacked and you got away into an alley way that was lit enough that when you took off your mask to breath better we saw your face. Our system couldn't recognize you because of how dark it was. Yesterday when I was walking around the city to go to the park I noticed you going into the alley then shouts. Doing what any good citizen would do I followed. I almost immediately recognized you from the camera. So I helped. And then that night when you were attacked I decided to help and rushed in the best I could. Took a helicopter over there and ran over to you."
I smiled, "well, I am glad you found me. Because I was saved by you" I said. He smiled too.
"Alessandra please give me a report on her health" Hunter ordered.
"Yes sir, her powers seem to be healing her quite fast. She will be ready for her tour very soon" Alessandra reported. Hunter nodded as Alessandra left with her electric pad that she began tapping on.
Later that day Alessandra returned to check on me again. She scanned me again with her pad and then continued tapping. "Yes, you seem to be healed enough to go on the tour of the place. The organization provides housing too, so Hunter will lead you to your room after the tour" she said as the door beeped for Hunter to return from letting me rest.
"Then I guess it's time, Serena we have a change of clothes for you in the bathroom. Freshen up and we can go" Hunter told me before sitting down. I slipped out of my hospital bed and walked toward the bathroom to change.
After entering I began freshening myself up. I showered and washed my face. Then I changed into the clothes they had set out for me. It seemed to be a uniform. It was white and blue. First layer being some long pants that fit well on my body. Second layer a matching white tank top made for exercise. And the final layer being a jacket that was a bit short and loose fitting for movement. I added what accessories I saw. A watch and some boots. Lastly I tied back my hair in a French braid that was left hanging over my shoulder. I stared at myself one last time, my blue eyes staring back at me. Then I left.
Hunter lead me around the building. It was beautiful. Large. People were everywhere, wearing similar clothes to mine. The tour ended with my room. "And this here is the housing, and right here is your room. I sure do hope you like it. I took a lot of care to preparing it for you" Hunter said. My face felt heavy and emotionless as I looked at the door. Hunter must have noticed I felt uneasy because his facial expression changed.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"I... just need some time to adjust. This is all just so... crazy" I replied as I lowered my head a bit. He hesitated to place his hand on my shoulder but he did it anyway.
"Hey! It's totally okay to need time! And it would totally make sense if you felt a little... homesick. I know I would..." he added. I lifted my head a bit to look at him in the face. I smiled gently. My pink lips curving up a bit.
"Thank you Hunter, you have been so good to me," I replied. I then opened the door and walked inside. It was very... rich. Definitely costly.
"Well I will be on my way Serena!" He called to me from outside before leaving.
"Okay! Bye!" I called back before closing the door and looking around.
I gently sat down on the fancy white sofa. I let my hands run across the soft fabric. Then I looked out the window that took up the whole wall. It out looked the forest. Which made me happy. No city. I stood and walked over to the window. I smiled at the trees rustling and moving in front of me. After hours of hanging out I decided I wanted to change out of the leather. So I went to my bedroom to change. After changing I felt much more comfortable. Then I leapt into my bed and fell asleep.
The next morning I heard beeping from somewhere around me. I searched everywhere for where it was coming from but I couldn't tell where. Then I looked down at my watch that I had left on my wrist since it was also meant for communication. The screen was black with a red alert on it saying, "training" I read out loud. Then I clicked the screen and it turned off. I climbed out of bed and got dressed in my uniform. Then I left to go to the training room. There I found Alessandra, Hunter, and a man I didn't know.
"Serena! Welcome to training!" Hunter said. "This is David Beatriz, the training instructor here."
"My husband..." Alessandra added as she kissed David. I smiled a bit in their direction.
"Very nice to meet you. So what am I training for?" I asked.
David chuckled, "if you are gonna be living here you gotta be of some use. So why not train to use your powers" he said.
"And we need to learn more about your powers if you are gonna learn how to control them" Alessandra added.
"Umm... okay, I guess I will do my best" I replied before stepping inside of the room. They shut the door. Suddenly there was a beep and then a hologram of a training robot appeared. I lifted my fists to fight. The robot began by shooting lasers from its hand. I dodged and leapt out of the way. I wasn't prepared for that. Most of the time it shot at me and I dodged. Not once did I use my powers until...
"Shoot it!" Hunter shouted into my microphone. I swung my fist in the direction of the bot and suddenly blue energy formed around my fist. The power in my punch only making the energy build up and become stronger. Then the energy left my hand and hit my target. It glitched and I noticed a hole in its abdomen. I was shocked at what just happened and stared at my hands.
"You will not leave until you have taken down five bots!" He spoke in my ears once again. I looked up and saw two more bots spawn. I lifted my fists once more and dodged some shots they made then I attempted getting closer and did some close combat. Punches and kicks. Energy forming in my fists and feet. They dodged well and were fast. But that didn't stop me. Then I flipped backward a couple times. One of the bots shot me while I flipped and I was thrown across the room. Hitting the floor painfully. But the blow and the pain only made me angry. The energy coursing through my veins began to intensify. They began glowing in my body, heating me up. Suddenly I pushed myself to my knees. The bots ready to shoot again. I looked at them through my loosely flying brown hair. My eyes glowing a magnificent blue light. I was breathing heavily as I stood. I felt the energy moving toward my fists again as I began to run toward the bots. They shot at me but the shots were blocked by my shield. Then I forced energy into my legs as I jumped high into the air. I then focused my powers to my fists again and swung a punch in their direction. The energy building up in size. Suddenly they hit both of the bots and they disintegrated. I then landed on my feet and the energy faded, the heat dying down. I sighed from energy exhaustion. And fell to my knees once more. I felt my surroundings disappear and my body feel heavy. "Serena? Serena!" I heard Hunter shout before I passed out.
I awoke with a jolt. Hunter grabbed me, "it's okay! It's okay... you used too much energy, you need to rest" he said as he laid me back down in my bed.
"I passed out again?" I asked weakly. He chuckled slightly.
"Yeah" he said. I didn't say anything else I just grunted from my aching muscles.
"Should I be hurting so much?" I asked.
"I don't know, Alessandra said you have healing abilities. But your condition is still horrible" he replied.
"I'm hungry..." I said. He sat in shock for a moment and then chuckled softly.
"Maybe in order to have more energy you need to eat. Sounds normal to me" he stated. "Tell you what let's sneak off to the cafeteria to get you some food..." he whispered.
"Wouldn't that make her angry?" I asked.
He laughed, "shhhh... she doesn't need to know. Let's go!" He whisper shouted and held out his hand to me. I smiled and gently placed my hand on his. He took me away to the cafeteria.
He sat me at a table and went to get our food. When he returned he had food I had never had before. Typically I would eat sandwiches and stuff I knew how to make. But nothing like what was placed in front of me. It was so fancy. "What's this?" I asked.
Hunter almost choked on his food after I said that. "You've never had spaghetti?!" He shouted.
I sat wide eyed and then turned red in the face and looked down at the table nervously. "It's yummy! Eat up Serena!" He said. I gently grabbed my fork and stabbed the food. Then I lifted my fork, long strands of noodles falling off. Hunter almost choked again as he struggled not to laugh. I turned red again with embarrassment. I then tried shoving the mass of food in my mouth. Noodles and sauce hanging and falling from my mouth. That's when Hunter finally began laughing hysterically, almost falling over. I slurped the noodles into my mouth and turned red again. Barely able to feel my cheeks. I swallowed down my food and sat confused. Hunter finally gained his composure... mostly, and sat up. He then leaned over the table to hand me a napkin. Since I had been orphaned so long ago and basically raised myself I had no idea what he was handing to me and I sat further back in my chair. Trying to avoid him. He sat confused for a moment.
"What's wrong Serena? Never seen a napkin before?" He asked. I lifted a brow in confusion. He sat in udder shock. "How?!" He asked.
I hesitated to share why but before I could say he leaned over the table again. I tried moving away again but he grabbed my face. I stopped hesitating because of my confusion. "Here" he said as he gently wiped my face with the napkin. I blushed a bit. But I thought it was from my embarrassment.
After he wiped off my face he gave me a fresh one. "Take this for when your face gets dirty again" he said.
"T-thank you..." I replied.
He smiled softly, "no problem, so tell me about yourself. I honestly don't know anything about you."
"Haha, that's not true... you know a lot about me and you know that!" I giggled.
"You got me! But still, I have more to learn about right?" He asked as he smirked playfully at me. I blushed slightly.
"Well... there's honestly not much to say. You know I was orphaned. I don't know what happened to my family. I was taken care of by the poor for some time when I was six. When I was sixteen I moved on and found that abandoned mansion. I then met Smokey... he was my only friend, he is everything to me... Ah! Smokey! Where is he?!" I freaked out.
Hunter jumped in his chair and grabbed my hand. "Calm down! Please... he... we couldn't find him. But I know for sure he's not with the pound or the police. We think he ran away. We are searching for him."
I began to cry as I thought of Smokey being alone on the streets. He's smart and well trained but I feared for the worst. After eating Hunter took me back to his place. My energy was full and my body no longer ached. But my body felt heavy from my despair. When we entered I was greeted by a husky that looked exactly like Smokey. "Smokey?!" I wailed as I fell to my knees. But then I realized it wasn't him but rather a female dog that was much fluffier than my Smokey. Despair filled my body once more from my realization and I sobbed there on my knees. Hunter after losing the door got down on his knees and gave me a hug. I choked on my tears and let my whole body sink into his. I hadn't realized how much I needed a hug till now. I had never been given one. And if I had I didn't remember it. I had been alone for so long I had no idea what it felt like to be held. I let my tears fall down my cheeks. I hadn't cried in so long. I had no reason to. Or at least I didn't let myself have a reason. But the tears seemed to never end. I had obviously been holding it in for so long that finally I broke. Hunter held me in his arms quietly. Only speaking to tell me to let it all out. And I did, until I ran out of tears to cry. Hunter then began to let me go, I let him even though I longed to be in his arms longer. He stood and held out his hand. I grabbed his hand and let him pull me to my feet. I was too weak from my sadness to carry myself on my feet so I sat down on the couch. Hunter sat too.
After about an hour of silently sitting together I finally looked at Hunter, "I am s-sorry..." I said quietly. He shook his head and looked at me in the eyes. So much as though he was staring into my soul.
"You never need to be sorry for not being okay. You have obviously been holding in a lot of stress and emotions. And Smokey was your only friend, the only one you had... so it only makes sense that you would be sad" he replied. After hearing that I felt like crying again but I couldn't. So I kicked off my boots and took off my jacket and then pull my knees to my chest. Hunter offered his arms again and without thinking I slowly climbed into his arms. I was cuddled close to him. Never in my memories had I ever been held that close by anyone. I loved the warmth and comfort of it. And even though it could be taken as a romantic thing, I didn't know that. All I knew was I didn't care. And that I loved it.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone