Part 4

                                          Jack

As the recruits made their laps around the track, loosened up just a little and began talking about themselves, Jack relaxed some. Maybe they would work well together, and he was worrying for nothing. "I'd like to tell you all what to expect," Jack spoke into an opening over the headsets, laying out for them the way things worked here. "There's training, every day, but all different kinds. Whatever you want to learn, so long as it is part of jobs somehow, they'll figure it out. Marksmanship, self defense, tactics...of course, but we have people that can teach you first aid, computer science..." Jack went on in his steady voice, explaining that each of them was going to be able to figure out some of their own training, even as the scientists and soldiers in charge tailored things for them as well. Everyone was expected to fill a role, whatever it came out to be, and everyone was going to be subject to the same medical and stress tests as the next. Who knew exactly what the team was[C]
going to go up against out there in a world with super-powered targets, so from learning how to hack, physics to understand strange abilities, mechanics, fighting, and more, the government was providing a lot of resources for them. "So, give it some thought tonight, what you're going to focus on. Anyone got any questions I can answer now?"


                                               Freak

                       ( Incoming!!! Get down!! Now get to da choppa!! No! Get down again!!! Arhg!?! What's-- what's going on..?! )
After his antics with the whole 'Toy Army' bit, the freaky, blue male would take a step back and simply observe the others take to their respective, natural environments, so to gain a bit more insight into what made each one of them tick. Hanging out at the very back, made this soo much more easier for him; and there was quite a bit to be learned in a relatively short amount of time too. It was apparent from the very start, to Freak, that they had quite the roster of colorful characters. Despite his goofy, good natured and wacky demeanor, the blue male was actually rather sharp and intuitive. Was it because he held all the ever-growing knowledge of the internet as some rumored? Again, maybe. Did it matter? Kinda, possibly. And it made updating his Facebook status a breeze. [c]
Was FB still around? Or had he just gotten pulled into the nostalgic waves of the Wayback Machine as his mind quietly surfed the web in the back of his thoughts; much like a background process left eternally running with no way to ever End the Process Tree. No matter, this was all meant to be nonsensical filler in a sea of lunatic, maddening thoughts anyways. Or was it..? Dun Dun Duuuuun… And you just know that somewhere in all that static there is a song playing. Oh you can bet your sweet tush there is. 'Snap back to reality. Oh, there goes gravity. Oh, there goes Rabbit, he choked. He's so mad, but he won't give up that easy, no. He won't have it. He knows his whole back's at these ropes. It don't matter, he's dope. He knows that, but he's broke. He's so stag that he knows.. when he goes back to his mobile home, that's when it's back to the lab again, yo...' [c]

Time continues to flow with or without his blessing. Was he paying any attention or did he go off the loony rails? What where they supposed to be doing again? Oh right, running. Accepting the ear piece like everyone else, Freak would set it to the suggested channel and place it in his right ear. Wait… waaaaiit… Was he really the only one not wearing matching sweats?‼ Damn. This would not stand. No sir. This simply had to be rectified. Unzipping his head, all the way down to his feet and, apparently, stepping out of his own skin and previous clothes as if they had only been a prop costume, the male would crouch down and collect the ear piece from the floor, before re- affixing it to his right ear. There we go, much better. Punting away and over the horizon, never to be seen again, the now useless, obsolete, blue shell --No not that devastatingly powerful and overpowered blue shell of certain doom from the Mario Kart game series… Geez get your thoughts lined up. [c]

Anywho, where were we…ahh… kittens. Yes, kittens. The interwebs are chock full of cat videos. This is a fact. But that's neither here nor there. Running at the back of the pack with a full on Whooooosh™i> going on, very, very ridiculously slowly, the blue individual would continue doing his own thing for a good while longer, while paying close attention to the others. That was, until Jack asked the all important question of whether or not anyone had any more questions. To this, Freak immediately responded. "Yes! About damn time! I have just one question for ya', Bub." While near instantaneously dashing over to, and getting all in Jack's face with some serious attitude, right hand's index finger pointed straight up at him. "When's lunch? And can we have some now?-Now! Right away?! Wonderful!!!" He'd seemingly mistake his own question's last word for the actual answer. [c]
Thus, clearly having no intention of letting Jack respond, it would quickly become apparent to the unorthodox group of APs, that a bunch of Freak's seemed to be rushing from all directions of the globe, about ready to converge on their location, while leaving a truly unrealistic dust trail that could, somehow, be seen from space. Don't ask, its not important, and unlike theories of Superman and the Flash's race, this would, somehow, not have any apocalyptic-ly dire repercussions. But, what it would bring about, were delicious assortments of food trays being brought by Freak from all parts of the world. Enough for everyone to have their fill and them some, with an exorbitant amount of variety to please even the most refined of palates from the most picky of gourmets and expert connoisseurs. [c]
Along the way, a straggler Freak would be seen, pushing a larger, tray serving cart; only being slightly behind the rest with his arrival, but just enough to stand out. "My sincerest apologies for the inexcusable delay." He'd state while adopting the mannerisms of a professional waiter. And yes, unlike others before him, he did remember his own name. Lifting the lid of one of those large trays a drool-inducing, first course meal would be revealed. One out of three, and like any clever entertainer, he'd start from the sides and work inwards towards the big reveal. Another absolutely exquisite choice being presented. Finally, yet clearly not least. "The main dish for this evening shall be,-- Mademoiselle Ala Queen?‼" Against all probability, this Freak's main presentation dish, had suddenly been replaced by a new member of their squad, Sygni, whom, along with a towel that rested gently over the female's shoulders, now had a very unique introduction ahead of her.



                                                 Christal

was walking forward within a seemingly endless hallway. The only light within this hall being that from which the sun provided outside of the many windows lining its walls. Because of this, it was a dim light and to some extent, a hopeless one. At least in the eyes of Christal Blue. A boy whom lost his family, not just once, but twice. Because of this, the emotion on his face and within his mind was basically broken. He was taken in only recently and already pushed into scientific testing. The powers of his anomaly were an interesting case. The ability to manipulate minds or bodies was seemingly common, according to the many doctors within the base. They didn't even seem all that impressed with his speed though it was indeed a specimen. For now, at least. That could change down the road. Or maybe not...? It was hard to say at the moment. Christal didn't even truly know what he was fully capable of just yet. Suppose the same could be said for any all whom suffered from that one (C)

event. An event which not only transformed Earth but physically raped it. Not only that...It caused Earth to turn against itself. Every day, it seemed like humans and "Anomalies" were growing ever more distant. The fear driven into their heads, mostly by already corrupt media outlets and biased leadership, drove most of the human race into a frenzy of anger and fear of any and all Anomalies. After all...Christal was but one of the walking examples of this hatred. With New Home's destruction, much of the hope Christal had for a life of solitude, away from the gruesome reality he now had to face without a family, was slaughtered. All in a day. All because of fear. This would drive most sane people to despise humanity as a whole...And maybe he did, Christal. Maybe he truly did despise humanity now. Now, more than he ever did before. The only thing that held Christal's hatred back...Was the words of the one woman whom saved him from himself within Aokigahara. (C)

"Fear makes us all do terrible things. In most ways, we're no different from them. They want to feel safe. They want to feel peace. They want the same things you and I want. They may end up killing me one day, Christal...But do not let vengeance twist and turn your soul into one of everlasting rage. Don't become them, Christal Blue. Become better than them. Show them...PROVE to them that their fear is misplaced. For if you give in to hate...It'll merely continue this cursed cycle until both human and anomaly are extinct. Gone. Never to be seen again. Life can move on without us...But we cannot move on without each other." These words, at one point in his life, were just that...Words. Ramblings from an older woman that Christal never took seriously. He damns himself for not doing so. And now, that woman was dead. This caused his fists to clench and his aura to glow a bright, tense blue. It was in this moment that the soldiers around him quickly pulled out their weapons and took aim. (C)

Sure, his power wasn't quite there yet but how could they be truly certain. He'd look around himself and see the gazes of death in their eyes. They wouldn't have hesitated to gun him down. They were soldiers. They weren't permitted to have emotion. They were only permitted to carry out a task. Perhaps most of them wanted this life. A pursuit of protection of their families and loved ones. Regardless of this, Christal couldn't help but let rage seduce him anyways. These were the same suits that murdered the only person he had left he could call family. He wanted to-...He wanted to kill them. That was terrible. He actually wanted bloodshed. That wasn't like him...Not at all. Regardless...Nothing he did right now, in this situation, would've mattered. His hands were bound and he was surrounded. He already tried running before and it didn't do him any good. Attacking wasn't going to do him much better. He'd then decide to keep his head down instead, his blue hair covering his (C)

dull sapphire eyes. This seemed to calm the soldiers and they resumed their default positions. They continued to walk. Walk, walk and walk. All the while, Christal couldn't help but start crying, though silently. Though he carried immense potential power in himself, he felt utterly powerless. How did that work? Shouldn't it have been the opposite? He'd keep trying to remember the woman's words. Over and over again they played in his mind. Like a broken record left on perpetually without interruption. He never thought those words would become so integral to his life. Not even once. Yet, here he was. Reciting them in the busy labyrinth that was his brain over and over again. He had to...Otherwise, he could very well finally snap. After all this time...He could've snapped but he didn't. He couldn't. That'd made every sacrifice that woman made for him pointless. He'd shake his head once. He couldn't do that to her...Dead or not. She was still very much alive to him. Amidst all these (C)

thoughts, the memory of when his parents murdered one another came back to him. That night still haunted him. He'd constantly have nightmares and dreams of it even now. When he thought about it long and hard enough though...He couldn't help but wonder where Jaica Blue, his sister, had gone. Was she dead too or...Could she very well still be alive? Would she even be the same person he knew five years ago? Probably not. Finally, a set of double doors opened and the light of outside could be seen. This temporarily blinded Christal but he adjusted after a few moments. Carefully and reluctantly, the bonds were removed from his hands, prompting him to feel his wrists softly. Those bonds were rough, especially on his soft skin. He'd look around for a moment and try to get his bearings. It seemed there was already activity going on here. They were also wearing similar outfits. He'd look down to his own. They were all given standard AP Special Forces attire but he couldn't help but wonder (C)

if there was more to them than what they were being told. At this rate, he wouldn't doubt anything. The soldiers walked back into the hall and the door was closed. Christal snarled them down as they did so. He'd clench his fists once more...Then allowed them to relax, sighing once more as he wiped his tears away with his hands. He'd settle his view back onto the others before him. It was a training area. It seemed to be heavily guarded so there was obviously no way out. Of course there wasn't...Why would there be? Christal's annoyance, aggravation, sorrow and pretty much every negative emotion possible was swirling in his mind like a spinning roller-coaster going downwards. What should he do now?...He didn't exactly have the energy to just say "Hi!" in a chipper way as if nothing was wrong. He'd already been drained of that shit. Instead, he'd simply cut to the chase and do what was required of him. Though it pained him on an immense level, he walked forwards to the others. (C)

His head held low and his expectations zapped. He figured most of these people would end up dead or killing each other at some point too so why should he try to care for any of them? Damn it! He'd snarl at the ground. The hatred in his heart was exhausting. Both mentally and physically. Perhaps a side-effect of his aura manipulation? No one knew. Not even him. He couldn't afford to keep this up...But how did one just magically forget pain? That wasn't exactly an easy thing to do. If he could, he'd try and dance. Dance his worries and his cares away but this clearly wasn't the place nor the time. He felt like a dog being put in its cage. And he didn't feel secure nor happy about it. This was his life now. Was it even possible to cope? Would they just all end up dead? This wasn't who Christal was...But it was indeed beginning to turn out that way. (E)


                                          Cat

Cathryn finally snapped back into reality as she rounded the track again. Her fingers glowing brightly with electricity now, she couldn't control her power very well even in all the time that had passed since awakening it. Forced to make her choice now, she looked around her with just her eyes shifting in their sockets. Seeing that the area immediately around her was clear for the time being, her fingertips discharged small arcs of electricity into the air around her. Even as she did this she heard the intermittent speech from her earpiece. A brief snatch of conversation as she drained the current reserve of power she had absorbed from that faulty wire earlier. Not even a choice she had made, electricity was hard to tame, always seeking to discharge when it could. Her

eyes were wide with a hint of panic as she spoke into the mic in her ear. It wasn't completely fried, but it was only partially working. "Sorry..I'm sorry." She spoke once in a panicked tone as she came to a stop, resting her hands on her knees as she bent over partially. She had been doing well at appearing confident mostly, but her resolve was crumbling just a bit now. Her power scared her, especially after having used it to kill a couple of times. After resting for a bit Cathryn would make her way slowly towards Jack. Stopping a few feet from the male, she briefly raised her gaze to meet his own. "Jack, I.." She didn't know what to say, at a loss for words as her insecurity about her abilities threatened to overwhelm her. She hadn't heard a call to stop running, an

d this action might make her look more suspicious to anyone watching. Still, Cathryn sighed and continued. "Control is somewhat of an issue for me, I'm not asking to be excused from training, far from it. Rather..for a bit maybe we should get the others something to insulate them from electric shocks?" She suggested, trying to sound calm despite the panic rising in her voice. Her gaze moving rapidly to all of those assembled out at the track, taking in each of them for a few seconds before focusing back on Jack. There were so many people here, and none of them besides Emily, Jack, and Ellie that she knew at all. "I.." She trailed off again looking very unsure of herself as her gaze flicked to one of the strangers, briefly resting on Erran. She wasn't having a total mel

tdown, but she was panicked for sure, expecting a reprimand from Jack for either stopping her running, or her lack of control. Her gaze found the newly arriving male, for a bit studying him as her mind whirled. Trying to calm herself down before her powers spiral out of control again. Cat didn't want to hurt anyone or kill again, and that she feared was one of the reasons that she had been brought here, to join this new team. All these fears played strongly through her mind as she fought to control herself, to keep her power from escaping again. Cathryn was a troubled woman, and the facade she had put up for Emily appearing so calm for her sake, was all but gone at this point. Her fingertips were beginning to crackle with electricity again despite her best efforts.